by A. A. Volts
I turned to find Carla, but it was too late. She wasn’t around anymore. I was worried about what she would do to get that key from the Forgemaster. Her determination was a virtue, but I could remember more than one instance where it got her into some serious trouble.
I walked briskly after Carla, but I didn’t run. After all, I didn’t want to arrive at the Forgemaster at the same time as Carla. Besides, I wasn’t even sure if she would need my help at all. Not to mention that if the Forgemaster saw me again, there was a good chance he would give me some other random job, and I couldn’t let that happen.
I carefully approached the entrance to the forge and found a dark crevasse where I could hide and listen undetected.
“Forgemaster, we have a problem,” said Carla, looking worried. For a minute, I thought that she forgot her acting skills, but then I realized her plan.
“What is it? I don’t like problems, smash-pie. Are you going to be a problem?” he asked.
“No, I just wanted to let you know that one of the prisoners tried to break his lock.”
“I don’t have time for this. Deal with it, or I’ll deal with you,” he threatened.
“Sure, I’ll punish the little maggot so he learns his lesson. But I’ll need the key so I can give him a beating that he’ll never forget,” said Carla, all gutsy and ruthless.
“Here, and take this lock too in case you need to replace the old one,” the Forgemaster replied, tossing another padlock and a bunch of keys toward her.
“Thanks,” she said as she turned around and headed out.
“Smash-pie!” he said.
“Yes?”
“Keep this up and you may have a future. Just remember, don’t be a problem,” he warned.
Carla continued walking away, looking relieved. And to be honest, so was I.
I followed her until she had turned a couple of corners, then I caught up to her.
“So, how did I do?” asked Carla when she saw me approaching.
“Not too bad,” I responded.
“And you said theater club was a waste of time,” she laughed.
“I admit that I may have been wrong about that. I’m glad it was good for something,” I confessed. “Let’s hurry before we attract too much attention or worse,” I said.
We rushed back toward the prisoners’ chambers.
As we entered the deplorable chambers, the fetid smell assaulted my senses again, nearly knocking me out. Our vision wasn’t the only sense that was enhanced in the astral realm; all of our other senses, including smell, were extra sharp as well.
“How are we going to get out of here?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead yet,” replied Carla, zigzagging through the prisoners’ cages and trying her best not to pay too much attention to the other prisoners. I suspected we both knew it was too late for the others, because even if we freed them, it was very unlikely they would have the necessary energy and strength to escape. Most couldn’t even get up. Some didn’t seem to have the will to blink.
CHAPTER TEN
FRIENDS IN WEIRD PLACES
As I approached Jonas’s cage, I heard a soft giggling sound, followed by childlike laughter.
Carla and I exchanged a puzzled look as we slowed our pace and approached with caution.
From our vantage point, we could see a creature near Jonas, apparently talking to him. The closer we got, the clearer and more defined the creature and its voice became.
She was about the size of a medium sized bush. Her skin was ashy grey. She had very distinctive long white hair and her face was smooth and childlike.
“What’s your name?” Jonas asked her.
“My name is Nyx—Nyxy Serafin, but you can call me Nyx,” she replied.
We took advantage of the distraction and looked for a better angle to observe from. We ended up hiding behind a big metal cage in the darkest corner of the room.
From our new point of view, we could see her big green and orange eyes looking concerned.
“Is something wrong?” asked Jonas, looking worried.
“Besides the fact that everyone hates me?” asked Nyx.
“Why do you think that?” asked Jonas.
“I happened different than everyone else, and because of that I have no friends,” replied Nyx.
“What do you mean by ‘you happened different’? I don’t understand,” asked Jonas.
“You know, I happened like you did. You happened as well, otherwise you wouldn’t be here or even exist,” explained Nyx.
Based on Carla’s puzzled look, I knew she had no clue what Nyx was talking about either.
“I still don’t understand. Do you mean to say that you were born different?” ventured Jonas.
“Born? Is that what you undead people call it when you happen?” asked Nyx.
“Yes, I guess that’s what we call it,” said Jonas, starting to smile and chuckle.
“I happened like no one else before me, so that’s why nobody likes Nyx,” she said, almost crying.
“Where I’m from, we’re all born different. We have people of many races, with a variety of looks, sizes, shapes, colors, and personalities,” Jonas said to cheer her up.
“Oh, here in Threshold we’re not supposed to happen different. It’s a curse. A curse I’ll have to endure for the rest of my life,” said Nyx as her shoulders drooped.
“Being different, it’s not so bad. Eventually people will accept you for who you are,” explained Jonas, surprising me.
“You don’t understand,” Nyx cried.
She started to sob hard enough that her body lit up with a fierce fire. The room suddenly became much brighter. Jonas took a couple steps back in his cage.
“We have a problem,” said Carla. “If she doesn’t stop doing whatever it is she’s doing, she’ll burn him!”
Even from where we stood, we could feel the heat rising from her body.
“Listen, you don’t need to get upset. It’s okay, what others think doesn’t really matter,” said Jonas, trying to calm her.
“My people aren’t supposed to have a physical body at all, and I have a fiery one,” Nyx said, still crying while her body glowed brighter.
“Maybe you need to be with people who appreciate you instead of being with people who put you down and don’t accept you for who you really are,” offered Jonas, now sweating profusely.
Nyx thought for a second, then backed up against the wall when she finally realized that her body was burning. The water that had been running down the chamber walls moments before turned to steam. The moss turned ash-grey and disintegrated into dust.
“Are you okay?” asked Jonas.
“Yes, but everything around me isn’t when this happens,” explained Nyx, looking depressed. “I just don’t know why I happened so different from everyone else.” Her tears seemed to act like an accelerant for her flaming body. The more she cried, the hotter she burned and the deadlier she became.
“Our differences are what make us stronger, and differences are the root of the world’s beauty,” Jonas said. “Besides, where I come from, we strongly believe in destiny. We choose to believe that there’s a hidden purpose to life and a reason why we’re the way we are.”
“You’re not scared of me?” Nyx asked as she wiped away tears from her face.
“Not at all. In fact, I like that you’re different. In school, other kids often picked on me. They used to call me names and make fun of me, but not anymore. Now they accept me. Some are even my friends,” replied Jonas.
“School? We don’t have schools here. I wish I could go to school,” said Nyx, looking more at ease.
Much to our surprise, his plan worked. Her fierce glow slowly turned from a bright red into a cool ocean-blue and the blaze retreated. Her skin transitioned from a bright red hue to a cool blue glow before it was returned to a natural and pale tone that was almost human in nature. Stepping away from the wall, she quickly turned to face us, but thankfully she didn’t
see us. That’s when I realized she was beautiful. She looked like a princess as her face irradiated benevolence, innocence, and goodness. She seemed out of place in the chambers.
“What is it like to be an undead?” asked Nyx.
“Why do you call me undead?” Jonas asked.
“Well, because you are,” replied Nyx as she moved closer to Jonas with her big eyes fixated on his face.
“No, I’m not,” replied Jonas vehemently.
“Did you die?” asked Nyx.
“Die? No, I haven’t, at least I sure hope not,” replied Jonas.
“Then you’re an undead. If you have a body and you’re not dead, then you’re an undead. You know, sometimes I feel like an undead myself,” Nyx said. “Why do you like to be undead anyway?”
“For starters, it is great to be and feel alive. Not to mention that it’s all I know.”
“The dead in Threshold also feel great and alive. They just don’t have a physical body,” said Nyx.
“Why do you call being born a happening? How does it work?” Jonas asked.
“Because the moment you lose your physical body in one of the many physical worlds, you’ll wake up here in Threshold. We call that waking up process happening,” explained Nyx.
“How do I get out of here?” Jonas asked.
“Why do you want to leave?” asked Nyx, looking worried.
“I was brought here against my will,” Jonas said. “What about you? Are you a prisoner too?”
“I am… but not the way you think, I’m a prisoner of my own body,” replied Nyx.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” said Jonas.
“You don’t understand—” Nyx started to explain but she was interrupted when the side of the chamber wall opened to reveal a bright moon outside. The snow rushed in, bringing with it cool and refreshingly crisp outside air.
***
I was thinking about making myself known to them when a dark blur flew in through the cave opening.
My heart was suddenly engulfed in pain and my shoulder burned intensely.
“Serafin! What are you doing here?” asked Phasma as he approached from above.
“Sorry… I was just—” Nyx tried to explain, but Jonas cut her short.
“Leave her alone, you dingbat,” said Jonas.
“Ha ha, what is this?” laughed Phasma. “You two have met? And are you trying to actually protect her?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
“I take it you haven’t told him,” said Phasma, pacing back and forth with his wings tucked away. “You see, this creature you’re so set on protecting is probably the only person in this room who doesn’t need protection.”
“What do you mean?” Jonas asked. As he waited for an answer, he looked from Phasma to Nyx. Nyx looked uncomfortable as her skin started to glow again.
Before Nyx could answer, her body ignited in a flash, sending a blast wave through the air and pushing Jonas back into the wall of his cage.
“How dare you defy me?” Phasma screamed. “From now on, you’re not to leave your room. And don’t ever talk with the undead again. Do you understand?”
“But, Dad, he understands—”
“Enough!” yelled Phasma, looking upset.
“Dad? You’re… his daughter?” asked Jonas.
I wished I could’ve told Jonas to be quiet because he didn’t seem to be helping his situation. Carla also looked ready to charge in. I grabbed her hand to make sure she didn’t do anything she would later regret.
“Not by choice,” said Nyx, sobbing, although her flames had subsided when Phasma yelled at her.
“Leave us at once,” ordered Phasma.
“You better not hurt him, Dad,” cried Nyx before she left the room.
Phasma didn’t acknowledge or reply.
“So you have been chatting with my daughter, I see. It doesn’t matter. It won’t change a thing,” said Phasma. The whole time, Jonas looked scared.
“I don’t know what you want, but I know you won’t succeed,” said Jonas, shaking. “My friend will fin—” said Jonas, but then he cut himself short.
“I sure hope so,” Phasma said. “In fact, I am counting on it.”
“I’m sure he’s not scared of you. You don’t even scare me,” shouted Jonas.
“Really, is that so?” said Phasma. He approached Jonas, bringing his face to just inches away from Jonas’s face. Even standing a good distance away, I noticed details I had missed before. His face had many indescribable traits. His teeth were yellow, sharp, and pointy like a deadly vampire. His eyes were the deepest icicle-blue color I had ever seen. I had never seen eyes that cold before. They lacked a soul or even a single drop of goodwill. His breath smelled like a week-old road kill. His skin was rough and uneven, and his hair seemed to have been ripped right out of a mad scientist magazine.
As he moved closer, Jonas tried to step backward, but it was no use. He only had enough space to take one or two steps in each direction.
“We’ll finish this later. You’re lucky that your friend hasn’t gotten here yet,” said Phasma as he stepped back and slowly spread his immense wings. He took off with a forceful thrust, leaving dust in his wake. Just like before, the cave wall opened as he flew through it.
I could still hear Phasma’s last words. They frightened me.
After we made sure Phasma was really gone, we approached Jonas’s cage.
“Guys, you’re not going to believe what happened,” said Jonas, still shaking.
“We know, we were hiding over there,” replied Carla. “After all, someone needed to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed. What the hell were you thinking, arguing with him like that?”
When Jonas didn’t answer, Carla inserted the oversized metal key into the rusty old padlock, and it popped open and fell to the ground.
“What about Nyx?” asked Jonas as he stepped outside the cage.
“Are you kidding me? That’s Phasma’s daughter. Whose side do you think she’s on?” I said.
“She didn’t strike me as a bad person,” replied Jonas.
“She’s not a person, she’s not even human, remember?” said Carla.
“I don’t want to leave without at least trying to help her or saying good-bye,” said Jonas. Unfortunately for us, he had a determined look much like Carla’s on his face. This was a first for Jonas because he had never been determined about anything in his life.
I stood in the spot where Nyx had been earlier and noticed that the place was bare and dry, thanks to Nyx’s fiery outbursts.
“Not to mention that she could kill us all in one of her fiery fits,” I said.
“I’ll make you a deal. We’ll get out of here and find some help, and then we can return to find Nyx,” said Carla, looking eager to get away.
“No way!” Jonas said determined.
“Listen, we can’t stay here much longer. Eventually, he’ll be back, you know?” added Carla.
“You guys can go if you want to, but I’m going to stay and look for her,” said Jonas. Then he took off running.
***
“Jonas! Don’t do this,” screamed Carla, waking up some of the people who slept restlessly in the chamber.
“Help… me,” one of them whispered.
I couldn’t ignore a plea for help, so I reached for the keys and unlocked the door. The stranger tried to move, but he was too weak to even reach the open door.
“Thank… you,” he said as he closed his eyes and gave up with a long sigh.
“We better go after Jonas, before he gets himself hurt or worse,” said Carla.
I felt guilty for leaving that poor person behind, but I needed to find Jonas.
We both took off after Jonas, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw a whitish blue flash light up the chamber. At first I thought Nyx had returned, but just when we were about to turn the corner I stopped and looked back. I saw several light beings holding the stranger I had just freed. They placed him i
n some sort of stretcher and vanished into thin air.
“He’s gone… someone must’ve helped him,” I said to Carla. She nodded, but she seemed more worried about Jonas than anything else.
“Why do I have to have such a stubborn brother?” said Carla as she picked up the pace.
“You do know that you’re just like him, right?” I asked, smiling.
“I’m not stubborn. I’m determined, and that’s different,” she replied.
I knew better than to try to convince her otherwise.
We had no clue where he was heading. Jonas ran so fast that he was gone from our sight. The many twists and turns of the cave made our job that much harder.
We were about to turn around when we saw a soft orange glow in the distance.
“There!” I said.
“Quick, let’s go,” said Carla as she sped toward the end of the tunnel.
As we got closer, we heard a faint female sob. We approached carefully. Curious and unsure if Jonas was there, I peeked inside the room. It was a simple room with a canopy bed. Although the bed was grey and had a black metal motif on the support pillars, it wasn’t unattractive.
Nyx was sitting near the bed. She was crying and glowed with a soft orange hue. But there was no sign of Jonas.
“Here’s not here!” said Carla a bit too loud. Nyx heard her and turned around.
“Who? What do you want?” asked Nyx, wiping her tears away.
I decided it would be best to step out from behind the wall and explain.
“Sorry, we mean you no harm,” I said as politely as I could.
“Who are you?” said Nyx.
“I’m a friend,” I replied as I moved a bit closer. As I did, her glow intensified.
“Please believe me when I say that I mean you no harm,” I said as the room temperature rose.
“Stay away,” Nyx warned. “One more step, and I’ll burn you.”
“Okay, take it easy. I was looking for my friend. He went to look for you and disappeared. When I saw this room glowing, I thought he might have found you,” I said as I backed away.
“Are you friends with the undead?” asked Nyx as the flame diminished a little.
