by Rain Oxford
“Come out, gnomes. You said a year ago that you would help me stop Langril and Krechea, so I know you’re here and I know you’re listening.”
It was silent and still for about three minutes before a patch of the dirt was pushed up and a gnome appeared. He scowled at me, which was how I recognized him as the same one that stopped the enchanted tree from beating me to a pulp. Considering everything Langril has done, I still hadn’t forgiven him for that.
The gnome didn’t speak; he just turned and ambled down the tunnel. I followed cautiously, relying on my instincts to warn me if I was about to set off one of the traps. Fortunately, the gnome seemed to have the magic to prevent the traps from going off, just like the fire salamanders had.
When we reached the fifth floor, I couldn’t help but to slow down. Although my instincts weren’t warning me of danger, I knew this was a bad place to be. There was something so malevolent that it poisoned the air.
“Can you tell me anything about the test I’m supposed to face?” I asked the gnome.
“You will probably die,” he answered.
“Something constructive. What will I have to do? Who’s in charge of the test?”
“The challenge is intended to make sure only mortals who are worthy can attain the keys. Such challenges were originally only for immortals, but the rules have gone lax.”
“So they’re not designed for any person of Earth to survive. What about people from the other worlds?”
“When humankind was still young and naïve, magic was only created through elementals and the gods. Ancient wizards of Dothra, however, had learned to create portals into other worlds. These wizards were immortal and powerful gods of their own lands, yet what they had was not enough. They learned to draw power from others by killing, and those they did not kill were enslaved. The Ancient Ones ruled over all they found with endless greed and cruelty.
“When humans were at the brink of extinction, the gods stepped in to send the Ancient Ones back to their own world. It was a devastating struggle, but the gods finally designed a tower on each world and let the Ancient Ones fight themselves over monopoly of those towers. Once the gods forced the Ancient Ones back to Dothra, they sealed the towers.
“Why were the keys created?”
“For the same reason the towers were; the gods wanted the power for themselves. They created the keys to control all six worlds.”
“Six?” Earth, plus four paranormal worlds made five, not six worlds. Then again, I doubted the gnomes even had a concept of math.
“Yes, six. They created four keys; one for each of the worlds except for Earth, because they wanted the power of the other worlds and did not want to share Earth’s magic. Earth’s magic, meaning elementals. Therefore, only one who is a being of the balance, the elementals, can attain the key.”
“I’m not an elemental.”
“You are a warrior of elementals; a defender of the balance. If you are not, you will die here.”
“What happened to the Ancient Ones?”
“They continued trying to escape Dothra and eventually… they just vanished. We believe they are still trying. There is only one left that we know remains.”
“Don’t tell me. Please don’t tell me.” If he said Langril or Krechea, I would throw up.
The double doors opened and a beam of light formed in the middle of the dark chamber, illuminating a figure I never imagined meeting. At the same time, I knew it couldn’t have been anyone else. My jaw dropped open and I found myself at a loss of what to say or do.
What does anyone say to a Roman god?
Chapter 12
I wasn’t terribly knowledgeable about the different deities, but I did listen in my classes, and there was one I could recognize easily by the fact that he had two faces. Janus, the god of the crossroads, was guarding the key.
One of the faces was youthful with blond hair and a clean face, while the other was elderly with white hair on the head and face. “Hello, Devon Sanders,” the elderly face said, sounding far too human for comfort.
“You know me? I mean, are you really here or are you just some figment of my imagination?” I asked, shocked.
“Whether or not this meeting is taking place solely in your mind, I am real and I do know you,” the young face said. “I know you because you have come to me for a power you are not yet ready to possess. Return now to your world and know that you have avoided a terrible fate.”
“With all due respect, it’s not that simple. I need to keep the key out of Krechea’s hands. Is there any other way for me to do that than to get the key myself?”
“No. It is too late,” the elderly face said.
“And what happens if Krechea gets any of the keys?”
“Your world would be destroyed. Are you willing to sacrifice what is most important to you in order to save others?”
“You just told me I didn’t have a choice. I have to stop Krechea.”
“That is not an answer to my question.”
“Yes. I will sacrifice what I have to in order to protect the key from him.
“Then enter and prove yourself worthy, but be warned; you cannot leave the same man.”
That’s just what I needed; more ominous warnings. “No retreat, no surrender,” to quote my wedding vows.
The doors behind him opened into complete darkness. When I cleared the doorway, the doors closed and I was alone in a chamber that was only about five feet wide and long. I ran my light over the walls, which were covered in intricate designs, but I couldn’t find instructions or a button. A soft sound made me turn, my light fell on a solid figure, and I dropped the penlight in shock.
“Henry! What are you doing here?!” I grabbed the light and aimed it at him again. He was definitely solid.
“I am your first guide.”
“I get a guide? I don’t want you to have to sacrifice anything.”
“You needn’t worry; I am only here in your mind. I can tell you nothing you don’t already know and I can guide you only as much as you allow me. I am your subconscious personified.”
“Well, that’s more than I thought I’d have. So how do I get out of here?”
“Like I said; I can only tell you what you already know. The gods who designed the tower are not merciless, so either there is a way out or they will present one to you.” As soon as he said it, my light flickered out and I heard stone scraping against stone. I pocketed my penlight and turned to the sound.
When I reached out and felt that the wall was gone, I slowly made my way forward. Light didn’t actually emanate from something, but I could suddenly see pretty much everything, including several ominous cracks in the ground. What made such small cracks ominous was the fact that they were in circular patterns.
Henry and I followed the tunnel for a few minutes before the cracks began to get wider. “We really don’t like this,” Henry said.
“Yes, I know that.”
“Of course you do. You want me to distract you from your growing worry, so that is what I’m doing.”
“Well, feel free to not. You do a bad impression of Henry.”
“Yes, you do,” he said.
He was correct; he was successfully distracting me from worrying. The cracks, however, continued getting wider. Within ten minutes, I had to carefully step from circular stone to circular stone. Ten more minutes later, and I had to hop from step to step. Then, just when I thought it was getting too dangerous, every single step but the one that I was on crumbled away, leaving me standing alone in the dark on a round, two-foot-wide platform.
“Henry?” I called. Darkness grew until I was practically blind once more.
“Only someone who is worthy is allowed to attain the key,” Janus said. I couldn’t see him, but I wouldn’t forget that voice any time soon. “Should you pass this test, you will be given a choice. Should you fail, you will not leave this place.”
“Okay. I knew that coming in. What do I have to do to pass?”
“The goal i
s simple; to pass this test, you must save the one you love.”
“I love several people. Can you be more specific?” The ground lit up in front of me to form what looked like a two-foot-wide circular hole into another room. Inside this room, I saw Astrid unconscious on the floor.
“The vampire has consumed poisoned blood and will die soon, unless you can heal her.”
“You poisoned her?!”
“No, I did not. We are not in the habit of killing innocents. However, we will also not interfere, as this was the result of her choices. You have the opportunity to save her.” The hole closed up and it was dark once more.
“I will save her.”
“Then make haste. From this point forth, you will face many challenges. To save her, you must find a chalice that contains a very powerful healing potion, which will heal any ailment including death.”
“It will heal someone from death?”
“It will, but be careful what you wish for.”
I thought of bringing someone back after three or four months of being dead and shuddered. “I’m going to save her before she dies. What would have happened if I didn’t come here tonight?”
“This is the exact moment you were destined to arrive.”
* * *
Light returned to the room and I found myself on the same podium in front of a bridge that bowed upward slightly. It was wooden, about a foot wide, with no hand guards, and long enough that I couldn’t see the other side through the darkness. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“To guard the key, you must have bravery,” came the god’s snide answer.
“Henry, do you have any brilliant advice for this?” I asked.
“Don’t fall,” he answered.
“I hate you, cat.” I stepped onto the wooden bridge and paused, waiting to see if it was going to collapse. It looked like it was going to hold, at least until I made it to the middle. I took another step and stopped again to get my balance. There was nothing below me for as far as I could see. Thank god the gargoyle saved my heart.
Between Hunt and Vincent’s lessons, Remington’s classes, and my meditation class at the university, I had gotten pretty good at finding my inner peace. I pictured the Grand Canyon at sunset in a lightning storm. I focused on the deep blues in the sky, the vibrant oranges of the earth, and the angry purples of the clouds above.
Holding onto that serenity, I opened my eyes and focused on the bridge. I didn’t let the chance of falling even cross my mind again. I would do it because I had to do it. One foot in front of the other, and repeat. Repeat until there were no more steps.
I lost track of how far I walked and I only slowed a few times to regain my balance. Several times, Hunt’s and Vincent’s lessons came to my aid as I found myself instinctively controlling the air around me to help my stability. When I finally looked up, I had just a few more steps to take and Darwin was waiting on the other side. I refocused on my steps until I was on solid ground again.
“Good going, bro.”
“What happened to Henry?”
“You said you hated him.”
“I lied. I don’t hate Henry at all. He’s a good man who’s helped me many times.”
“Then why am I here now instead of him? Who are you trying to convince? I’m just a projection of you.” He waved his hand in gesture towards the door in front of me.
It was a massive wooden door with a rounded top and engravings all over it. I pushed against it and was surprised when it actually opened for me. Inside were three more tunnels. “Which one do I take?”
“I wonder,” Darwin replied.
I rolled my eyes and started down the middle tunnel. After about ten minutes, as I was walking slowly with caution, I came upon a gate. “You don’t happen to have a key, do you?” I asked, already knowing he didn’t. Aside from the fact that he wasn’t really there, there was no key hole in the gate.
Still, Darwin made a show of patting his pockets. “Umm… no.”
I pushed and pulled against the gate with no success. It didn’t even wiggle a little. “Right then. Next tunnel.” We backtracked and chose the tunnel on the left.
We were faster this time since I wasn’t expecting something to jump out and attack. This tunnel ended at a rock wall. I put my hands on the wall and searched it for any triggers. In fact, I was so caught up in it that I nearly missed the small movement under my foot. I looked down to see that I had stepped on a square, foot-wide, metal platform.
I heard a sound in the distance. “Did that sound like the metal gate sliding open to you?” I asked.
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, it did sound like that to you.”
I stepped off the plate and the sound came again. “Okay, open and closed. I can do this.”
“How? You can’t be in two places at once and I’m not really here, so I don’t exactly make the cut weight wise.”
“It’s a test, which means there is a right answer.”
“You haven’t lived in the paranormal world for long enough. Hell, even you don’t believe that.”
I ignored him and went back to the original door so I could try the last tunnel. This too led to a wall, only the wall had three shelves built into it. In each of the shelves was a boulder about the size of a bowling ball. “Why does this seem too easy?”
“Look up.”
I did and gaped. On the wall was a long riddle. Unfortunately, I had no idea what the riddle said. “Great. That’s much better.”
“Remove one stone and one stone only,” Darwin read, “but choose wisely, for two stones are a trap.”
“You can read that?” I asked. He sighed. My subconscious was getting frustrated with me.
“That’s in English.”
I studied the scripture again. “No, it’s not.”
“You’re now arguing with yourself. It also says that each stone has an inscription under it. Only one statement is true.”
I leaned close, not touching the rocks, and read the words under them. Well, I tried to.
Unsuccessfully.
Darwin sighed again and rolled his eyes. “The first stone says, ‘This stone is safe.’ The second stone says, ‘This stone is not safe.’ The third stone says, ‘The first stone is trapped.’ Remember that only one of the statements is true.”
The first stone had to be either safe or not safe, so either the first or last statement was true. Thus, the second inscription was for sure false. Also, if the first rock was safe, then that meant both the first and second statements were true, so the first statement was false and the first stone was trapped for sure. That meant that the third statement was true. I tried to pick up the middle stone, but it wouldn’t budge. “What did I do wrong?”
“You forgot to bring a wheelbarrow.”
I tried again and grunted when it gave. The damn rock weighed two hundred and fifty pounds! “This is not going to be fun,” I grumbled as I maneuvered it into my arms.
Darwin followed me for a moment in silence. “Do you want to think up a cheerleader? I can do a cheer, but I doubt I’d look that good in a skirt. Clara would make a nice cheerleader. A shirtless cheerleader… I bet she’d put out.”
“Darwin! This is not the time for that.”
“Yeah, yeah. You can’t shut your subconscious up, though. I am your instincts.” With that, he vanished… and instead I faced John Cross.
“No, crap! Give me Darwin back! Anyone but you would do.”
He smirked. “Does his lie comfort you, Devon?”
His voice sent a shiver down my spine and the stone fell. Frustrated, sweating, and panting, I leaned against the wall. “The tunnel wasn’t this long before. I should have been there by now.”
John sat on the stone and crossed his arms. “Then give up and leave it. It’s not like you would have made it anyway. This is just a ploy to distract you so that Krechea can use Heather to get the key.”
“Shut up. You’re lying.”
He shrugged. “Who’s lying? I’m just saying what you
’re thinking. You know there’s no way you’re getting out of here alive, you know Astrid can’t hold on forever, and you know Darwin lied to you. That’s why you never looked at the paternity test yourself; you didn’t want the lie to end.”
“Darwin has never lied to me.”
“He did. You never really believed that Vincent was just mistaken about you being his son. The truth is that he didn’t want you any more than I did. The only person who ever loved you is trapped in Hell and you’ve done a shitty job saving her so far.”
“I thought my subconscious was supposed to be helping me here.” I straightened. “Get the hell out of my way.”
He just smirked. “Am I in your way? What happens when you take someone who is unlovable, give him unstoppable powers, and then betray him? You get me. Get used to it, because you’re looking at your future.”
I let the anger take over, grabbed him by the front of the shirt, and slammed him against the wall. He was corporeal. I was about to punch him when he suddenly disappeared. When I sensed movement behind me, I turned, poised to strike.
“Wait!” Astrid said, throwing up her arms and flinching away.
“Astrid. Are you really okay? What happened?”
“You shouldn’t have come here. You can’t make it.”
“I’m not going to give up. Are you really here or… is this my subconscious again?”
After a second, she laughed. “No, I’m just kidding.” With a small flash, she changed into John. “I just wanted to see your face.”
I shoved him away, picked up the stone, and continued down the tunnel. The rock wasn’t any lighter than before, but I was angry and that made it easier. Twenty minutes later, I dropped the rock on the trigger plate and took a minute to rest. One minute was all the time I allowed myself. Fortunately, John didn’t speak again. The gate was raised when I reached it, so I continued on to the next set of doors. The door closed shut behind me and everything was black.
