“Recently I was granted money by the government and several private investors to work on this top secret project. That was when I stumbled on inter-dimensional travel.”
Myles put his hands behind his head, leaned back against the wall again, and looked up at the ceiling. “You have quite a story, Doc. You really do.” Then, lowering his eyes again, he looked across at Omar. “So, do you think your sister’s here, in this dimension?”
Omar shook his head. “No, but I might be wrong. Something tells me I have to go a lot farther before I can find her. I mean, we don’t even know if there are any living creatures on this world besides us, giant spiders, and the moss growing on the walls.”
“Then who do you think built these tunnels?”
“Probably a people who moved on long ago.” After giving that some thought, Omar cleared his throat. “So tell me, Myles, do you have family back on Earth?”
“That would be an understatement. I don’t know if my parents are still alive, but I had siblings to spare when I left home.” He paused, looking down at the floor. “I really haven’t looked back since I left.”
“Why not?” To Omar family was everything. He’d been without a family for so long that Myles’ attitude just seemed wrong. “How could you just abandon your family?”
“I don’t think of it as abandoning them. We were in a small town where nothing ever happened. It was a boring life. When I was a teen, the mayor’s daughter, Julie, and I became close friends. We stayed up to all hours of the night talking on the phone about philosophy, religion, politics, and the idiotic social trappings of the teenage life in high school. To me, she was the world. She was not only extremely smart, but she was beautiful and kind.”
Omar thought briefly of Sasha. “You know, I have never understood women. I’ve stayed away from the ones I was attracted to. I find that attractive women only distract me or scare me.”
Myles slapped his hand on his knee. “You certainly have more self-control than I do, Doc. I tend to gravitate towards women that are the worst kind of trouble. I just can’t resist them.”
Omar gaped at him. “Oh no, that sounds dreadful! Isn’t that a lot of grief? It must get you into all kinds of trouble!”
“Well, yeah. It’s been a whole lot of grief, actually. Julie wasn’t what I thought she was at all. What she did to me changed my view on life forever. See, we started out as friends, but then we began dating.”
Omar shook his head. “Dating—what a stupid, ridiculous idea. Two people get all dressed up and don’t even look like themselves anymore. They go out to dinner or a movie where they’re either too busy chewing to talk, or they can’t talk because there’s a movie playing. They’re on their best behavior to such a degree that they’re not even real anymore. I just don’t see the point in it. In fact, I see dating as an obstacle to scientific progress.”
“Yeah, but I have to tell you, I love the thrill of it.”
“It’s not for me. I’m sorry, I interrupted you, and I would much like to hear more of your story.”
“Actually, Julie was the first girl that I ever kissed. I mean, I really fell for her. A couple of weeks into dating her, I went over to her house to surprise her, but no one was home. I stood there for a moment wondering what to do when I found a notebook lying out in the open on the front porch. It had poetry in it, but it also had what looked like diary entries.
"This notebook contained a lot of Julie’s personal thoughts along with descriptions of events. At first I was captivated, but as I read it, I discovered that every time I was mentioned she would refer to me as her “toy” or as “the idiot.” The more I read, the more I realized that Julie only spent time with me to amuse herself because she was in a boring town that she desperately wanted to run away from. She didn’t really care about me, so why did she put so much time into messing with me? She said that I was someone who wasn’t really worth her time.”
“Women are so bizarre. They think so illogically.”
“I know. None of it made sense to me, but by this point I didn’t care anymore. I walked home in tears that night, and the next day I woke up with a new determination and a new perspective on life. In my eyes, you were either the manipulator or you were the sucker. I suddenly saw it all around me, even in the way my family treated each other. I was a quick learner, and I learned a whole new way to live that night.
“From that day on I didn’t speak another word to Julie. She came over to my home and tried talking to me a few times, but I ignored her. She also tried calling me at home, but I only hung up. That made her angry so she came over and shouted at me and said that I was a horrible friend. But I didn’t react to her at all, and I wouldn’t tell her why. I wanted it to make as little sense to her as her actions had made to me. My mother finally made her leave. Then later, my family tried speaking to me about it, but I ignored them too.
“A month went by, and Julie finally left me alone. My eyes were opened to how cruel the world was, so I began treating people the way I’d been treated.” Myles started to smile as he remembered this part of his life. “I managed to pull off these great pranks without anyone knowing that it was me. Then I started picking fights with the neighborhood bullies, even when they left me alone. Yeah, I had my face pounded in more times than I could count, but like a chess game, I learned more each time it happened. Eventually I could outsmart them and give them a beating worse than they gave me.”
Now Myles was grinning from ear to ear. “They’d run the other way when they saw me coming. After that I was in and out of trouble all the time and became known throughout the entire town as a troublemaker. Nobody thought I’d amount to anything, so when I was eighteen and we went to the circus, I hired on and I haven’t been back since. I joined the circus to learn every job and every skill that I could, but I think that the magician’s act was my favorite one. And so,” Myles threw his arms out, his hands raised. “Here I am, Ragnar the Illusionist, at your service.”
“It seems like you have a rather intriguing story yourself.”
“No amazing accomplishments like the great Omar Metzger, but I learned a lot.”
“Oh, please.”
Myles then shrugged his shoulders and began to stretch. “Well, Doc, it’s been a long day. This place, strategically speaking, would be a great place to sleep. There’s no chance of creatures like giant spiders getting in, so let’s get some rest. We can figure out the puzzle later.”
Myles had been blessed with the ability to lay his head on a rock in the middle of a war zone and still drift off to sleep. Omar, however, was nervous, excited, and perplexed. When he got that stirred up, it usually meant that he wouldn’t sleep.
“I doubt I’ll sleep, but you go ahead.”
“Just try, partner. You might be surprised.”
Omar shrugged. “Agreed, Rags. I’ll give it a try.” Omar took out a double sleeping bag and unzipped it completely, giving Myles one. Omar fell asleep still sitting against the brick wall.
~*~
Thanatos, an Arch-Demon, had never entered the Great Red Dragon’s domain on Musterion before. He’d come through a portal on his world, BioNekros—a world of undead managed by demon overlords. All of humanity in this alternate dimension of Earth had contracted a virus that had turned them into mindless task-doers. The humans walked around BioNekros doing the same mundane things they had done when they were alive, but now they did them without any meaning or purpose.
Thanatos had always proven his worth to the Great Red Dragon, whom all demons and evil creatures referred to simply as "Master". Thanatos had been summoned to a meeting but didn’t know what to expect. The master could take almost any form when he’d appear, so you might not know if it was him at first. Thanatos chose a human form for himself when he entered through the portal because he wanted to show the master proper respect. The human form was about the lowest form you could take as far as the Great Red Dragon was concerned.
After coming through the portal, Thanatos found himse
lf standing in a throne room. Thanatos knelt before the throne as he waited for the master to appear. After a moment, an ordinary man walked into the room and sat down on the throne. The man wore spectacles and had black, shoulder-length hair graying at the temples. He had brown eyes, an olive complexion, and wore a lab coat. Thanatos lowered his head and waited for the master to speak, but risked a peek. The man smiled a charming, almost enchanting smile.
“It’s a good day, Thanatos.”
“Yes, Master," Thanatos said cautiously. "It’s a good day.”
The man in the lab coat clapped his hands as if in joy. “It’s not often that an opportunity like this comes by- an opportunity to gain power and win a great battle in the war to come.”
Thanatos nodded in agreement, even though he didn’t know what the master was talking about.
“As you know, my friend, my focus of late has been on Soterion, and I’ll return there after this meeting. But first we must discuss a matter that I need you to take care of for me.”
“How may I serve you, Master?”
“Do you see this form? Look closely, Thanatos. The man who wears this shape is called Omar Metzger. He’s soon going to enter the Core of Musterion. There’s an ancient prophecy that a woman from Earth will bring a sword from Musterion to Soterion. Thanatos, this must not happen! Omar Metzger is from Earth. He is somehow a catalyst in this event, so watch him closely.”
The master's arms stretched out to his sides and he shifted his form, into a human wearing a black western outfit. “This is Myles Callaghan. He’s also from Earth, and this makes him dangerous, so he must die. I don’t know who the woman is yet, but she will eventually make contact with Myles and Omar, and she’ll side with them in a conflict. When this happens, you and your minions have to be ready to kill her too.” The master stepped forward. Red scales erupted through Myles' face as a dragon snout lengthened and wings sprouted, grew, and shadowed Thanatos like a giant, leathery awning. By the time he reached Thanatos his talons raked an inch from his face. The Red Dragon snarled, “Do not underestimate them, Thanatos. They’ve already proven themselves to be powerful. Myles and Omar alone killed one of the ancient mother spiders in the maze.”
Thanatos had crouched again at the dragon's burst of rage but nodded. “Yes, Sire.”
“And Thanatos, if the sword is found, you must bring it to me. When I take Soterion as my own, I will give Musterion to you, because you have been faithful.”
Thanatos rose with a smile. “I will not fail you, master.”
“I’m counting on it!”
5
Seven
Myles tried to sleep but for once he couldn’t do it. Where am I? How did I get here? He knew he ought to be bloodied, lying on the floor of his hotel room with multiple broken bones right now, and would be, if it hadn’t been for that hidden passageway. But who put it there? Was that actually a portal like the one this Doctor Omar guy had described?
How weird could things get, to find some mad scientist, also from Earth, here in another dimension, as Omar had called it. Those words "another dimension" just rang in his head until he wondered if he was losing his mind.
Myles reached into his coat, grabbed his pipe, and filled it with tobacco. He struck a match against the brick wall and closed his eyes. The familiar scent of "Ragnar's blend" encircled him as he drew and blew gently into the pipe. He could feel the calm settling in.
Myles had never yearned for home, but from time to time he would think back to his grandmother, who was probably long dead by now. She remained a mental foundation for him. Grandma had always helped him to see things the right way. Many times at night when she thought that he was sleeping, she would come into his room and whisper a prayer over him.
“Lord, this one is special. I know you have a hard road ahead for him, but I can also see that you have a plan for him. Shepherd him. Guide him back to your loving arms when he strays.” Grandma had been so unashamed of her walk of faith. When things went wrong she would just say a prayer, thank God for His grace, and move on with a steadfast determination.
Myles had long sensed that God had some special purpose for him. That feeling had gradually faded as he began to realize that he was only good at doing what everyone else considered wrong. Well, to be fair, that wasn’t all he was good at, but it was definitely what he enjoyed. He knew that if his family had known the man he had turned out to be, they would have disowned him. He tried to convince himself that the state of his heart didn't matter; that he’d accomplished some great things.
Myles took another puff on his pipe as his thoughts returned to now. Here in this place, in an alternate dimension, everything was different. It was like starting all over. As far as he knew, this was a privilege that no one had ever had before. Everything had always worked out for him before, but in some selfish way. Here he was with Omar Metzger, a brilliant scientist, possibly the smartest man on Earth, who had now discovered dimensional travel. This guy had worked so hard to get here, but Myles had just stumbled into it.
Why me? What am I doing in this place? Will we ever make it back to Earth? But what could happen here that would let me prove I am a good man? Myles puffed away at his pipe and thought.
Omar had surprised himself by sleeping, but he woke to the smell of pipe smoke. He looked up to see Myles puffing away. The tobacco actually had a pleasant scent like, fresh-cut cedar. Omar grabbled for his spectacles and cleared his throat. “That’s got a nice smell.”
“Hey, Doc, how long do you think you were sleeping?”
Omar looked down at his watch and answered, “Exactly six hours.”
“Well that explains that.”
Omar gaped at an opening where the wall had been a moment ago.
“The next number is six,” Myles whispered. A light shone farther down the tunnel. “We need to talk first, Doc.”
“Okay, Rags, shoot.”
“How far did we travel on your bike yesterday?”
Omar got up and went over to look at the odometer. “Three hundred miles."
“You know, that’s a lot of tunnel, Doc.”
“So what’s your point, Myles?”
“I’m starting to wonder just how big this place really is.”
“Well, maybe we can find out.”
Omar and Myles packed everything back onto the bike. As they drove, the tunnel lit up more and more. They noticed that the bricks changed from grey to cream. After about ten minutes they came to a spot that looked like a gallery with paintings along the high walls. They went from floor to ceiling, painted right on the walls like old Italian frescos.
One painting depicted a giant, rotted tree that had fallen and crushed all the trees around it. In another painting, a seven-horned red dragon breathed fire on an army of thousands. A third showed a shepherd leading a flock of twelve sheep.
Omar and Myles walked around. “These are either historical accounts or prophecies of some kind,” said Omar. Myles shot him a skeptical look. "What? I had a class at Yale on interpreting symbols in paintings."
Myles stopped at the painting of the red dragon and studied it closely for a few minutes. Peering at the scene with his face close to it, he finally shouted, “This has got to be it.”
Omar came over and nodded, “Yes, I see them. The dragon has seven horns.”
“Not only that but…” Myles pointed. “See, there are seven people -- or kind of like people.”
Omar moved in closer. “Oh, wow! Do you see how some of them are mounted on horses? That means that they’re the rulers of the army fighting this dragon. Or should I say, being slaughtered by it?”
“Yeah, Doc. I agree. I doubt they won that battle. Look how big that sucker is, and those pillars of fire it's spewing.”
“Why, Myles, you talk like you believe it really happened.”
“Doc, we’re here, aren’t we? I’m starting to believe that anything is possible.” The look on Myles’ face wasn’t a humorous one. Myles turned, but this time the painting rippled
like water. Myles jumped back. “What’s that?”
“That’s amazing! I think it’s a portal!”
When he heard that, Myles got a fresh rush of adrenaline. The sooner they got to their destination, the faster he would be able to figure out if he wanted to stay there or go back. So Myles tipped his hat at Omar and winked at him. “That’s all I need to know, Doc! I’ll see you on the other side!” He let out a whoop and jumped straight into the painting.
Omar shook his head in disbelief. “He definitely has a taste for theatrics.”
Omar looked above the portal to see if there was any inscription like there was on his portal. Hebrew characters jumped out at him.
“Only the sword can defeat the Dragon.”
He immediately thought back to Misaki’s words to him when she came out of the coma. “Omar, she must get the sword to the carpenter,” she’d said. Questions began to flood his mind.
Who is the gambler? Who is the ‘she’ that Misaki spoke of? Where is this sword that can defeat the Dragon in this painting? And who is the carpenter? None of the clues made sense, at least not yet. But one thing was for sure now. Misaki was definitely in the middle of all of this, somewhere. His heart began to race. It not only excited him, but frightened him too.
What have I gotten myself into? There could be some serious trouble ahead once I go through that portal. Are these paintings actually clues about what lies ahead? Omar remembered that Myles had been genuinely glad that he’d fallen through that wall. Then it occurred to him that maybe Myles wasn’t here by accident. Wow! His mind was racing now, and he could think of only one way to get it to stop.
So he took a deep breath, jumped on the bike, hit the gas, and burst through the portal.
6
Musterion
This portal experience wasn’t anything like the first one. Myles wondered if it was like right before being born. Everything was dark and quiet except for a sound like rushing water. Suddenly a light raced toward him, growing brighter as it advanced. He felt as if he were rapidly being pushed to the top of the tunnel.
Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi Page 5
