Fire and Ash (Rise of the Dragons Trilogy Book 1)

by N. R. Hairston

  Brad, for his part, was covered in sweat and he too seemed to be struggling to stay upright. He put a hand on his car, and that seemed to give him more balance. “Instant transmission,” he said, looking at me, panting. “Not everybody can do it, and I can’t always do it right, especially when not touching the object. Lot of brain work required with that.”

  I stared at him, not knowing what to say. I didn’t understand anything. Didn’t know anything, other than that I was safe and that he’d risked his life to make sure I stayed that way. For that, I would always be grateful.

  Brad pointed out the window. “Your car’s parked in front of my house. Same condition it was in when you followed me there.”

  Keeping a cautious eye on him, because right now I wasn’t sure of anything, I walked to the garage door window and peeked out. My little gray Prius sat right outside, like I’d parked it there myself. My mouth went dry, because what the hell?

  Cars didn’t travel over fifteen miles by themselves. People didn’t travel in the blink of an eye. I took a step away from Brad, but then remembered that if not for him I wouldn’t be alive right now.

  Then the meaning of what he’d just said worked its way through my brain. “So, you knew this whole time that I was following you?”

  The color had come back to his cheeks, and he was standing on his own now. “I think you need to come inside. I owe you an explanation.” He opened the garage door, and made a motion for me to follow.

  A little of apprehension went through me, but he hadn’t hurt me this far. If I tried to make a run for it, he could stop me in an instant. He’d protected me back there, so I wasn’t scared, just wary.

  I walked toward him. He was right, I deserved to know what was going on. Squaring my shoulders, I let him lead me inside the house, hoping I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my life.

  Chapter 4

  Well, at least I could inform Mrs. Handler that her husband wasn’t cheating on her, I reasoned as I walked into a modest-sized kitchen. It was a clean space and smelled of lemons and citrus. The walls were a sparkling white enhanced by light blue borders.

  The floor was blue and white tile, and as spotless as everything around it. A white stove sat in between two large counters and beside a two-door refrigerator of the same color.

  It didn’t exactly feel homey, but it didn’t feel cold or detached either. It was, comfortable.

  We walked through the kitchen into a living room with a black leather couch, love seat, and black recliner. All seemed in good condition, so the one thing I could say was that the Handlers took care of their possessions.

  In here the walls were a soft gray and the carpet a fluffy black. It looked nice, and I was impressed with their taste.

  On the couch sat a lady with the same black and gold hair as Brad and the others. Her head was in her hands, her whole body loose with nervous energy. Once she heard us enter, she jumped up, and I was surprised to see that it was Mrs. Handler. Where had her red hair gone? Had it been a wig, and how were her eyes now black and gold when they hadn’t been before? Contacts?

  Ignoring my confusion, she threw her arms around her husband’s neck. “Did you get it? Please, tell me you got it.” They embraced affectionately, holding each other’s faces and sharing a few quick kisses.

  I licked my lips as a slow rage worked itself through my system. What was it Mrs. Handler had asked? Did he get it? Get what? Just what type of game were these two playing, and where did I fit into all of this?

  Brad reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the small silver devices he’d stolen from Kyla and her men. He held it up and shook it back and forth, a victorious grin on his face.

  He sniffed the air, his eyes dancing with delight. “Do you smell that, baby? Freedom.”

  Mrs. Handler clapped her hands together, and her voice rang out with laughter. They kissed again, and she levitated a few feet off the ground to better reach his taller frame.

  My hands shook as untamed rage seeped through every pore of my body. I’d been set up. I knew it just as sure as I knew my first name. My voice trembled with anger, my fists curled tightly at my sides. “You used me. Put me in harm’s way for that.” I pointed to the small missile-shaped thing in his hand.

  Melinda’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head. “We have a surprise for you.” She seemed pleased with herself, but what made her think I was up for more of her surprises?

  Brad squeezed his wife’s hand then looked at me. “We were sent here as punishment.”

  I closed my eyes, telling myself to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. My emotions were a wreck right now, and I needed to find a way to calm myself before I spoke. Blowing up would help no one, and I’d miss out on a lot of information I needed. “Punishment for what?” I asked through clenched teeth. “And sent here by who?”

  Brad looked at his wife, and she nodded as if giving him permission to tell me. “We’re from an alternate dimension. But we’d fallen on hard times and taken to stealing the things we didn’t have. We robbed ten different worlds before they caught us. We’re not really violent like some of the others, so instead of killing us, Kyla sent us here. She had the warehouse built, as a neutral place we could meet.”

  Had I not seen his display of power tonight I wouldn’t have believed it, but I had seen it. I’d seen what he could do, what Kyla could do, and this was the only explanation that made sense to me.

  I ran a tired hand down my face, thinking of everything that had happened up to this point. This was too much. All of this was too much, and he’d said they’d robbed ten worlds. Ten. I tried to wrap my head around that. Just how many alternate dimensions were there, and how were they different from my own? I needed more information. “So, you were sent here as punishment for robbery? Sent here to do what?”

  Melinda’s nose turned up in obvious disgust as she looked around the room. “We were sent here to live.” My face must have shown my confusion because she went on to explain. “Think about being sent to prehistoric times. Back to the caveman days to live out the rest of your life, that’s what it’s like living here among you, and your people.”

  I tried not to blanch. I didn’t think we were that bad a group of individuals, but to each their own I guessed. “Why did you take those silver things?” I asked Brad.

  Melinda looked at her husband, eyes wide. “You got more than one?”

  That smug look was back on his face as he held up three fingers and walked to a small bar sat in the corner of the room. He pulled out a bottle of brown liquor and poured two glasses.

  I scoffed at his rudeness. Not that I would’ve drunk anything he’d given me, but it would have been nice to have been asked. Especially after all they’d just put me through.

  Apparently, they’d left their manners on their homeworld. I stood and watched, my anger growing by the second, while they smiled and toasted each other congratulations. “We don’t have long until they come here. They’re figuring out how now, without endangering you or your people,” Brad said to me.

  His words filtered through my brain and a small vein in my forehead popped as the meaning of his words hit home. “You used me as a human shield,” I accused.

  I could feel my fists curling again, so I took a moment to breathe. I would not show weakness in front of these two. Once I had myself under control, I thought back to my first contact with Mrs. Handler and realized just how thoroughly I’d been played.

  Her words and manner were all meant to tug at my heartstrings and set me on the path I’d taken. They’d wanted me to follow him, to protect him. “She couldn’t hurt you as long as I was close to you,” I said it more to myself than anybody else.

  All this time, I’d thought it had been him who’d been protecting me, but it hadn’t. The reason he’d grabbed me, the reason he hadn’t wanted me to let go of his hand, was because he knew she wouldn’t hurt him as long as I was in harm’s way.

  I looked at the two of them, disgusted, yet sti
ll not understanding Kyla’s reluctance to attack me. She’d certainly had no problem taking Brad to task.

  He nodded, not a bit of shame on his face. “Your world doesn’t even know that travel between the universes is possible, let alone that there are an infinite number of worlds just waiting to be explored.”

  He looked at me as if that explained all. It didn’t, and I wouldn’t pretend that it did. I waved my hand in a way to tell him to keep going. He downed his drink and poured himself another. “In worlds like yours, where there is no power, where the people can’t adequately defend themselves, it is punishable by death to attack any resident. All the worlds we stole from were full of power. Had we robbed your world, we’d both be dead.”

  I tried to let that sink in, but it was a lot to process. “Whose law is this?” I asked because for some reason, I felt like the answer to that would shed more light on what was really going on.

  He answered immediately. “Interworld alliance. It’s made up of thousands of worlds. Couple of millennia ago the culture and life on worlds like yours were being lost by powerful beings coming in and taking over. With no one to stop them, it got bad, very bloody. Because of this, the alliance was formed, and rules were put into place to stop it from happening again.”

  Melinda held her drink tight in her hand, taking a small sip every few seconds. “Now, just the thought of attacking a world with no power makes you look weak and incompetent. It’s offensive, and you will be killed, without question. There are no second chances when it comes to this law.”

  I could feel my pulse racing. They really had used me as a human shield. All for the sake of... “What is that?” I asked, pointing to the small device in Brad’s hand.

  “A porter,” he answered. “It’s what we use to travel between worlds.”

  Their plans had lined up exactly as they’d wanted, and I’d played my part to perfection. “So, is that why your hair and eyes look the way they do? Because you’re from another dimension?”

  Melinda nodded. “It’s native to our world, yes.”

  I thought back to how they’d set this whole thing up and tried to keep my temper in check. I needed to find out more. “How did you know I would help?”

  Brad went to the window and stared out, his hand picking nervously at his pants leg. When he turned back around his brows were furrowed, and he spoke with a new sense of urgency. His gaze landed first on his wife. “Melinda, we have to go, now.” He turned to me. “Look, we found you, studied you for two years, saw what kind of person you were, and took a chance. You’re not the first. We’ve tried three others in the past but knew none of them would do. When I saw that you were following me, I knew it was time to make my move against Kyla.”

  I felt a pounding in my ears as the vein in my right temple throbbed uncontrollably. The nerve it took to play with someone’s life like that. I laughed bitterly because the only person I needed to be mad at was myself. I hadn’t seen them for what they were, had let them trick me and been none the wiser. “Guess I was the only one dumb enough to play along?” I asked, voice thick with emotion.

  I wouldn’t cry in front of them, but I felt it building in my chest. Worse than that, an image of my father’s disapproving face loomed before me. Maybe he’d been right. Maybe I didn’t have any business in this line of work. I’d always credited myself on my shrewdness, yet Brad and Melinda had played me like a fiddle, and I hadn’t seen through any of it. What kind of detective was I?

  Melinda shook her head, a sad smile on her face. “Don’t think so lowly of yourself, Alisa. You were the only one with enough courage to put your life on the line for someone you didn’t know. That’s what we saw in you, your grit, your determination.”

  She looked at her husband who nodded. “It’s because of that, we’ve left you everything. Told you we had a surprise coming.” She walked into the kitchen and pulled three large manila envelopes out of a drawer. “The money from our closed-out bank accounts, the titles to our cars, this house, everything is yours now. We can use it where we’re going, so it’s all yours now.” She smiled proudly as if she’d just done me some huge gigantic favor. “I’d say you’re worth a lot more today than you were yesterday.”

  I tasted blood on my lips. They hadn’t done that for me. The only thing they’d done was make sure no one investigated their disappearance. Kyla had said as much back at the warehouse, when she’d told them to leave this place in a way that their disappearance wouldn’t be questioned.

  Melinda tried to hand the envelopes over, but I wouldn’t take them. “They’ll find you.” While my confidence may have been weak, my voice was steady and strong.

  If I could just stall them until Kyla and the others arrived, maybe they could stop them.

  Brad chuckled at that, then grabbed his wife by the hand. “There are an infinite number of universes, Alisa. I think we’ll be all right. Here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the other two porters. One he gave to his wife, and she quickly slipped it into her pocket. The other he placed on top of the first manila envelope. “For you,” he said, looking at me.

  Melinda held up a finger. “A word of caution on using that. You have no abilities at all.” Her voice took on a strained reluctant tone. “I don’t think you’ll die. Probably not anyway, but if your body isn’t equipped to handle dimension jumps, which yours isn’t, you may come back different.”

  Brad nodded. “Organs get shifted around, legs and arms go missing.” He shuddered at the thought. “We’re not sure if it’s the shift itself or just the atmosphere of a new world. Whatever it is, be careful. If you make it back home that first time with no problems, then you should be fine for future jumps.”

  “The threat comes with using it the first time. After that, if you’re still alive, the body adjusts, and you should be okay,” Melinda said.

  Brad started to speak again, and I felt like I was watching a ping pong match. “By default, the porter will only take you to worlds that speak the same dialect as you and whose customs are only slightly different than your own. It was built that way.”

  “If you want,” Melinda stared up again. “There are ways to go to worlds where the language and life are different, but you really have to know what you’re doing to get there.”

  “Yeah,” Brad nodded. “We’ve only been able to do it once or twice ourselves.” He sounded disappointed.

  “Now,” Melinda said, hand tight in her husband’s. “Close your eyes and just think of where you want to go. Do you want somewhere peaceful or filled with adventure? Maybe you’d like a little danger? You pick.” She smiled, and I got the feeling they really did think they were doing me a favor. “Who knows, maybe we’ll even see each other again someday, huh?” she said cheerfully.

  Brad pointed the device into the open space of the kitchen. “You ready?” he asked his wife.

  She gave me one last look then turned to him. “I’m ready.”

  They walked forward until they were about six feet away from me. I stood stock-still, afraid to move, but curious about what was going to happen.

  Brad pushed something on top of the porter, and a swirling blue wormhole opened up. Shocked, I gasped, and stumbled back. Melinda waved at me one last time before she and Brad stepped inside, and disappeared.

  I let out a breath once they were gone, my body shaking with fear, not knowing how to process this, I walked to where they’d been a second ago. How was this real? How was any of this real?

  I was scared, more scared than I’d ever been in my life. They were gone now, but they could always come back, and what of Kyla and her people? They’d seen me, and by now, probably knew who I was.

  I hurried toward the front door. I had to get out of here. Kyla knew that Brad had the porter, so she probably knew he and his wife had already hopped worlds, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

  On my way out, I passed the porter, sitting neatly on top of the folders. I’m not sure what made me do it, but I snatched it up, stuck it in my pocket, t
hen hightailed it to my car.

  Chapter 5

  Three days later and I was still shaking. I wasn’t crazy, and that’s probably why I’d snatched up the porter. To prove to myself that it’d really happened, and I wasn’t losing my mind.

  I hadn’t eaten anything except a pack of nabs crackers, an apple, and a banana since it’d happened. My stomach growled loudly, and I put a hand over it, not sure when I’d be able to fill it.

  The light from my kitchen window shined in, illuminating my counter and empty sink.

  I looked at my empty refrigerator and sighed. Brad and Melinda had said they’d left me everything, but I didn’t want any of it. I’d rather starve first.

  Chills ran up my spine, and since I knew I had the heat set to a comfortable seventy, it was that night coming back to haunt me again.

  I was scared, and could barely sleep because of it. So many thoughts ran through my head, like what could have happened, and what still might happen. I had so many what-ifs that I found myself tied in knots whenever I thought about it.

  I got up to fix myself a cup of coffee, then remembered I didn’t have any more and made my way to the living room.

  The colors were bright in here, which didn’t help in making me feel better like they normally would. My couch and love seat were a very light yellow, my walls the same color. The floor was hardwood.

  Pictures of my parents, my siblings, myself, and Reid hung on the walls. It saddened me that I couldn’t talk to any of them about this, but I didn’t want them involved. Just the thought of them being hurt caused my heart to shudder.

  Willing myself to stay calm, I sat on the couch, and curled my feet up under me. This was my space. This room right here was fixed up the exact way I wanted, to offer myself the maximum level of comfort.

  The only thing missing was the hordes of empty plates, clothes, and newspapers I usually kept scattered here and there. I looked the place over and breathed in the fresh pine scent. I’d cleaned up my first night back from Brad and Melinda’s.