The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles: Demon Gate

by Marty Chan

  “He’s still in a coma, no thanks to you.”

  Ehrich swallowed hard. He had hoped his friend’s injuries weren’t as serious as they seemed. Now he knew otherwise. “Where’s he now?”

  “Don’t pretend you care, Houdini. All the time we spent together as squad meant nothing to you. You care more about these demons than Charlie. You’re a traitor.”

  “Wilhelm, they’re not demons. They’re trying to help us against Ba Tian.”

  “Give me your shoes, Houdini.”

  “Listen to me—”

  Wilhelm stood back. “If you make me take them from you, believe me, I’m going to enjoy it.”

  Ehrich swore and kicked off his shoes. He picked them up and handed them to Wilhelm.

  “I’m not the enemy,” he said.

  “You are a disgrace, Houdini. I always knew something was wrong with you. Now I know why.” He sneered as he walked away. “Enjoy your new friends.”

  As Wilhelm disappeared, Ehrich felt as if he were treading water in an ocean. Just as he had failed Dash, he had failed Charlie. His best friend in this dimension could die because of his actions. Everyone he ever cared about, everyone he loved, was doomed because of his failures.

  “Ehrich… Ehrich,” Tesla said. “You must not listen to that boy. He is angry. He speaks rashly.”

  Ehrich ignored him and curled up in a corner of the cell, a ball of abject misery.

  “Ehrich?” Tesla whispered. “Are you there?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Listen to me, Ehrich. You can’t blame yourself for what happened to Charlie. You will always wonder—what if you had taken another path? That was the way with me. My brother, Dane. You remember me telling you he died in a horse accident?”

  Ehrich looked up slowly.

  “Our farm had a path leading to our stables. I was just a child, and I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I stepped in front of the path. Dane saw me, and he reined the horse into the woods. He rode into a low branch that swept him off, and he struck his head. I ran home to tell my father and mother what had happened, but I left out my role in the accident. Instead, I told them that the horse had been spooked and my brother fell. To this day, I blame myself for Dane’s death. But I know my shame cannot be the only thing that defines me, Ehrich. I have moved forward from this. His death is part of who I am, but I cannot let it rule my life. Do you understand?”

  Tesla’s words were like a rope thrown to a drowning man.

  “You can’t blame yourself for Charlie,” Tesla said.

  What Tesla did not—could not—understand, was that Ehrich felt responsible not only for his friend’s condition, but also for Dash’s current entrapment. He had abandoned the search for his brother in this dimension because he had seen him stabbed in the fight in Five Points. Believing he was responsible for Dash’s death, he exiled himself in this world, refusing to go home. He was admitting to himself, finally, that this fruitless quest to find the truth about Dash’s medallion had only been an excuse to stay away a little longer, so he wouldn’t have to go back to his parents and explain to them how he had lost his little brother. His guilt was paralyzing him.

  If only he had continued searching for his brother, he could have saved him, he told himself. If only he hadn’t tried to break into Gregor’s home to steal back Dash’s hat, he might not be here now. If only he had done just one thing differently...

  He shook his head to clear it. Those mistakes were in the past. He had a new responsibility to people in the present. Ba Tian would come to claim Ning Shu and Hakeem, and the only hope Amina and refugees like her had of defeating the warlord would be gone. He didn’t know if his actions could stop the war, or revive Charlie, or save his brother Dash, but his inaction would condemn them all. He had to move on. He could change the present, but only if he acted. He walked to the cell door and examined the lock.

  Ole Lukoje chuckled. “Are you going to pick the lock with your fingers-s-s?”

  Ehrich reached to the side of his head and recovered the hook pick and tension wrench he had hidden in his thick hair. He wiped the tools on his pants. Then he knelt at the door. His hands trembled, but he forced himself to clear his mind. He saw the lock as a puzzle: something he was meant to solve. Something he had practised for late at night in the dormitory when his squad mates were asleep. He inserted the tension wrench and gently pulled the lock mechanism then inserted the hook pick, working methodically, feeling for the delicate click of a pin moving out of its housing. Now that he had cleared his mind, the clicks sounded louder and felt more responsive to his tools. Four clicks later, he opened his cell door.

  He grinned at Ole Lukoje as he stepped into the corridor. The creature slunk to the back of his cell, as Ehrich went to work on Tesla’s cell. Within moments, all the others were free and gathered in the hallway.

  “We have to get Hakeem’s antidote,” Ning Shu said.

  Amina suggested, “Can we get to Demon Gate?”

  Tesla shook his head. “Not without a fight.”

  “We have no weapons,” Ehrich added.

  Ning Shu held up her jade tael necklace. “Speak for yourself.”

  “Is that the thing you used when I first met you?” Ehrich asked. “The one that nearly brought the wall down on me?”

  Ning Shu nodded. “Looks can be deceiving.”

  Tesla beamed, repeating his mantra. “Ah, any device can be turned into a weapon, when you are desperate.”

  Amina shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Any kind of exertion is going to push Hakeem over the edge. Are you okay?”

  Hakeem smiled wanly. “I’d feel a lot better if people would stop asking me that question.”

  Ehrich waved for silence. “Amina is right, we can’t use Demon Gate. There has to be another way to open a portal.”

  A shrill snicker filled the air. They all turned to the source: Ole Lukoje.

  He stepped forward. “Life is-s-s rich with irony.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ehrich asked.

  “I am your s-s-salvation,” the raggedy man said.

  “How? You would have escaped already if you had the means,” Ning Shu said.

  “She’s right,” Hakeem said. “The only way to trigger a portal is to use a portal device.”

  Ehrich agreed. “The guards stripped Ole Lukoje of all his devices. He doesn’t have anything that can help us.”

  Ole Lukoje smiled. “S-s-she does-s-s.” He pointed at Ning Shu, who was wearing the raggedy man’s jacket.

  Her eyes widened. “You’re telling me this is your device?”

  He shook his head. “Ins-s-side the pockets-s-s.”

  She reached inside. “There’s nothing.”

  Tesla interrupted, “Are you talking about the dust? I took that out of your pocket. It’s in my lab right now. Are those particles your portal device?”

  Ole Lukoje nodded.

  “Microrobotics,” Hakeem guessed. “You’re using micro technology.”

  “What’s that?” Ehrich asked.

  Hakeem explained, “It is something more advanced than what you have here. My apologies, Mr. Tesla.”

  “No offense taken. Go on.”

  “They are miniaturized devices which have the ability to perform many functions. I had experimented with them, but I didn’t have the resources to develop them further.”

  “That’s-s-s because-s-se you’re from a backward realm,” Ole Lukoje said. “And I don’t need all the microbots-s-s. Just a s-s-speck or two will do. With s-s-so few I’ll need a place that res-s-sonates-s-s with necro energy. Where the dead congregate.”

  “The graveyard,” Ehrich said. “We’d be safe once we got to the surface.”

  Ning Shu dug into the pocket again and pulled her hand out. She smiled. “It feels like grit on my finger.”

  Ole Lukoje grinned. “Well, well, well, it looks-s-s like we might have s-s-something to talk about.”

  Ehrich leaned forward. “What do you want?�
�

  “Wherever you go, I want to go along. I’m tired of my accommodations-s-s. And the food here is-s-s not agreeing with me.”

  “Set him free,” Ning Shu ordered.

  “How can we be sure we can trust him?” Ehrich asked.

  “It’s very simple,” she said. She walked to the front of the cell. “My father. Ba Tian. Does that name mean anything to you?”

  Ole Lukoje blanched.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. Ehrich will set you free. When we reach the graveyard, you will open a portal for us. We will go through. Once we are through, your toys are your own again, but if you deviate from my plan, I will show you that I am my father’s daughter. Are we clear?”

  He nodded. Ehrich almost felt sorry for the raggedy man. Almost.

  Escape from Ninth Circle

  Brian scratched his mop of red hair, wondering how on earth a dog could have slipped into Ninth Circle. The German shepherd had just appeared in the cavern seemingly from out of nowhere. Brian stepped out of the guardhouse along with his five guards. They approached the dog.

  Brian clucked, “Come on, boy. Over here.”

  The dog wagged its tail, and bounded away before anyone could get near. The guards spread out to round up the four-legged intruder.

  “Where did the mutt come from?” one guard asked.

  “Edwin snuck it down, didn’t you? You’re the dog lover, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, right. I had it under my jacket while you were filling your face with the pork pies I saved for dinner.”

  They herded the black mutt near the far wall of the cavern. Brian reached out to grab its scruff, but the German shepherd scampered away and bolted for the tunnel leading into the cells.

  Brian cried out, “Someone get that dog!”

  Four guards lumbered after the animal, chasing it into the tunnel. Brian and another guard headed back to the stationhouse.

  “I swear, when I find out who let that dog down here, they are going to be scrubbing cells for the rest of the month,” Brian muttered as he walked through the door.

  He stopped in his tracks and his mouth dropped open. There, in the stationhouse, stood Ehrich Weisz and Amina holding teslatron rifles. Behind Ehrich, Ning Shu pulled a third rifle from the weapons locker. Ole Lukoje reached out to take it, but she handed it to Hakeem instead as she pulled out another rifle for herself.

  “How? What?” Brian sputtered. “You’re not supposed to be here!”

  Ehrich beamed. “You were always so observant, Brian. Now, drop your weapons and have a seat.”

  The pair obeyed. Ehrich searched the guardhouse and found some shackles.

  Amina scratched her neck where her cameo choker used to be. “How long do you think Mr. Tesla can keep the guards occupied?”

  Ehrich shrugged. “Hopefully long enough. Ning Shu, Hakeem, get Ole Lukoje to the lift. Amina, shackle these two.”

  Ning Shu hoisted Hakeem on her back, then handed him two teslatron rifles to hold as she headed out of the guardhouse behind Ole Lukoje. The trio looked tiny against the vast expanse of the cavern. The lift awaited them behind the jaws of the stalagmites and stalactites. Emerald stalactites hung overhead, catching the light of the lanterns.

  In the guardhouse, Amina finished clapping the shackles on Brian and moved on to his female companion.

  “You know you won’t get away with this,” Brian said. “We will catch you.”

  “I’ve had enough of your voice for one day,” Ehrich said. He found a handkerchief on the console, tore it in half, and gagged the two.

  Meanwhile, Ning Shu’s party had crossed the cavern and climbed into the cage. Ehrich was about to head out of the guardhouse, but he stopped when he noticed Brian’s boots.

  “What size are your feet?” Ehrich asked.

  Brian glared.

  “Close enough.” Ehrich pulled the boots off the impotent leader’s feet and put them on. They weren’t perfect, but they fit. “Let’s go, Amina!”

  They sprinted across the cavern and navigated the jagged stalagmites to get to the lift. Ehrich pulled the lever to activate the mechanism. As the lift rose, he took one last look at Ninth Circle below.

  j

  In the cell area, the remaining guards were still running through the corridors, searching for the dog. They swept past prisoners who shook their heads in bewilderment when the guards asked if they had seen a dog run past.

  Edwin rested his hands against his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He growled at his comrades. “If word gets out, we’re going to be the laughingstock of Devil’s Island. No one talks about this. Agreed?”

  The others muttered agreement as they split up and searched different corridors. The stocky Edwin lumbered past a row of empty cells, but skidded to a stop. He backed up and looked inside one cell after the other. The only cell that was occupied was the one with Nikola Tesla.

  “Where are the others? Ehrich Weisz was right there.”

  Tesla smiled enigmatically. “Trade secret.”

  “No. No! No!!” Edwin yelled, running down the hall. “They’ve escaped!”

  Tesla perched on his cot and began to examine Amina’s marvellous cameo. The sacrifice he had made to stay behind was a small price to pay.

  j

  The lift reached the surface. Ehrich hopped out and motioned everyone to come out. Before they could clear the chamber, the lift began to lurch down the hole of its own accord.

  “The guards are on to us,” Ehrich said. “We have to stop the lift.”

  “We don’t have the time,” Amina argued.

  “Disable the mechanism!” Hakeem pointed to the counterweight pulley system over the hole.

  Ehrich examined the thick, steel-wrapped cables. There was no way to cut them. Ning Shu lowered Hakeem to the floor and pulled off her jade tael necklace.

  “Duck!” she commanded as she whipped the necklace over her head.

  She approached the hole and flicked the whining jade tael at the thick cable. The spinning tael sliced through metal like a hand knifing through water. The cable snapped, and the lift plummeted to the depths below. A muffled crash echoed up to them.

  Ning Shu fixed a look at Ole Lukoje and said, “See what could happen if you cross me?”

  He paled.

  She placed the necklace over her head and picked up Hakeem while Ehrich peered down and noted the dust rising up the hole. The cables danced around, unconnected to the lift. Ning Shu had effectively cut off access to and from Ninth Circle.

  “Do you have any more of those?” he asked the crimson girl.

  She looked at Ole Lukoje. “One is all I need.”

  Ehrich motioned everyone to head outside. The only light now came from the lamps along the path. He guessed they had been in the prison for a few hours. Farther down the island, the staff dormitories were dark, as were the Demon Watch offices. What Ehrich found odd was the fact that the station guards were absent. He didn’t want to take any chances of running into a patrol, so he kept low and close to the iron fence that ringed the graveyard until he reached the entrance. Granite columns bracketed the black gates that Ehrich pushed open. While he swung the gate wide, his companions gawked up at the stone gargoyles atop the pillars.

  “What are those?” Amina asked.

  “They’re guardians.”

  “They look like they’re from s-s-sector 13,” Ole Lukoje said. “Nas-s-sty people.”

  Ehrich motioned them into the graveyard. Ning Shu lowered Hakeem to the ground, took off Ole Lukoje’s jacket and handed it to the raggedy man. He reached into the pocket to retrieve his microbots.

  “You know what you must do,” Ning Shu said.

  He nodded, eyeing the deadly jade tael around her neck, before looking back at his hands. “S-s-sad to s-s-see s-s-so few left, but you’ll do,” he said to them. “Where do you want to go, fles-s-sh bag?”

  Amina answered, “Sector 37. The Vena system.”

  “Ah yes-s-s. A wasteland. No peepers-s-s. You s-s-sure you
want to go there?”

  “Positive,” Ning Shu said.

  Hakeem took Ning Shu’s hand in his. They shared a look, a silent communication, and she squeezed his hand, her index finger gently caressing his skin for a second.

  Ole Lukoje walked to a nearby gravesite. He held his palms up to the sky and released his microbots into the air. Nothing happened. He snatched at the air to collect his gear and moved to the next gravesite to repeat the ritual. Again, nothing. When he tried at the third site, a flicker of tiny light burst in the air, but nothing else.

  “There isn’t enough necro energy here. I need a recent corpse,” he said. “A fresh death would be best. Any volunteers?” He looked at Ehrich with an evil glint in his eyes.

  “Follow me,” the teen said, ignoring Ole Lukoje’s taunt.

  He led them through the graveyard toward the graves he had recently dug with his squad. He marched up an incline, but as he reached the crest, he spotted lights in the field and waved everyone back.

  The source of the light was coming from a group of about a dozen teens, scurrying across the graveyard. Their bowler hat lamps lit the way as they moved to the eastern side of the island. Among them, a man limped on a peg leg. Commander Farrier. Now Ehrich knew why the guards weren’t posted at their stations. Farrier didn’t want prying eyes. While Ehrich didn’t know where the old man was going, he was pretty sure about who he was going to meet.

  Once Farrier’s insurgents were far enough away, Ehrich whispered to Amina, “If Ole Lukoje manages to get a portal open before I get back, take everyone through.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “To make sure you have enough time to get away.”

  He followed Farrier’s rebels to the east shore. A slope led to the rocky beach. The rebels fanned out across the beach with their bowler hat lights on, aimed at the waters. The East River rushed past the island. Bits of flotsam bobbed on the surface, moving swiftly past the shore. Then the water began to glow from underneath. The insurgents murmured to each other, but kept their light focussed on the surface of the water.

  A giant iron head emerged from the river. A powerful search beam attached to the forehead shone at the rebels. They stepped back, blinded. The rest of the exoskeleton machine appeared as the contraption stomped toward the shore. Water dripped off the iron limbs as the servos on the joints of the knees and hips powered the massive unit forward. From the light cast by the bowler hats, Ehrich could make out the pilot inside the bubble cockpit—Kifo, in the body of his brother Dash.