by S McPherson
‘It’s them,’ I splutter.
Nathaniel cocks his head to one side, then, drying his hands on a tea towel, instructs me to sit back down before he slides open the door to our four visitors. He looks at me. The one I told him about is exactly as I described, right down to the subtle curve of his eyelashes. He walks with purpose, like all this is a part of his master plan. An ethereal grace stalks him like an iron wall as he steps soundlessly about the kitchen, surveying every nook and cranny. I toss the remainder of my toast on the plate. The fact that Mystery Man is now in front of me, in the flesh, has led my stomach to perform a private circus show of somersaults and back flips. His eyes meet mine and I forget to breathe, struck by how stunning they are. A raging blue like lit sapphires.
Too quick, his gaze passes over me and settles on Nathaniel. ‘Hello.’ He removes his hat and gloves and shakes Nathaniel’s hand. His voice is exactly how I remember. He then removes his coat, bending it over his arm and turning, extends his hand to me. ‘I’m Milo.’ Milo. Milo. How nice to have a name for the face.
‘Dezaray.’ I accept his hand, my whole arm tingling at his touch, like a burning of fire and ice competing inside me. My toes curl and I hurriedly snatch my hand away. I’ve had crushes before, but nothing like this. This makes my skin hot and my breath ragged. I push a hand through my hair and wish he would stop studying me like a broken clock, as if I’m not ticking quite right.
The other three have already entered and introduced themselves to Nathaniel, and then they turn to me.
‘I’m Yvane.’ Ringlets shakes my hand and in the light I see she has one lock of scarlet hair. The blonde boy, Howard, half-heartedly greets me after greedily eyeing a jar of biscuits.
‘Help yourself,’ Nathaniel offers. Howard happily accepts, popping a biscuit in his mouth.
‘What are these?’ he puffs, crumbs spewing from his mouth, ‘bloody delicious.’
Spiky rolls her eyes, her hood still securely fastened, as she steps forward. ‘I’m...’
‘Lexovia,’ I cut in. It goes so silent I bet we could hear silk hit the ground.
‘You’ve heard of me?’
I nod. ‘Just tonight, funnily enough. Someone thought I was you.’
She smiles, removing her coat and gloves, quite speedily in fact. Her short hair is plastered to her forehead from being under her hood and she immediately shakes it out, ruffling her hand through it to get her earlier alluring spikes.
‘Lexovia Trice,’ she states once she’s upright. She seems surprisingly nonchalant though she is well aware, as I am, that every eye is on us. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘And you.’ I mimic her indifference. Though my throat feels like it’s about to close up, I take a deep breath. On the inside, some part of me screams, but the horror and confusion I feel is nothing compared to my fascination and curiosity—like another part of me somehow knew this was coming. ‘What brings you to our dimension?’
She shrugs. ‘Tired of being under surveillance all the time. It’s no fun being the last of your kind.’ She hops up onto the bar stool opposite me. ‘Besides, my counterpart needed me.’
As I give a tour of the manor, Lexovia explains how she’s the reason I’m still alive. How she sent Drake flying and unlocked the back door. How hers was the scream I’d heard matching my own. My heart thrums faster, mind whirling. She was there.
‘I really wish I’d done something before he broke your rib.’ She shudders. ‘I just didn’t realise I could.’
‘Well…I’m still here.’ I force a smile as I guide them up the stairs. Milo stares intently at the design of the bannister, hopping on the steps as if checking their stability, so intrigued by how everything is made.
‘And now, what’s your plan?’ Yvane asks as I absently lead them into my parents’ old room. Everything is covered in dusty old sheets except a family portrait hanging above the headboard. My eyes quickly pass over it. I long to back out of the room but now the others are gaping in curiously.
Stepping back and letting them in, I shrug, ‘I don’t have a plan. It’s never been this bad before.’
‘Well, you can’t stay here.’ Milo murmurs, exiting the room, followed by the others.
‘An hour ago I would have agreed with you but,’ I sigh, ‘where could I possibly go?’ Closing the door behind them, I lead them across the landing to my own room. ‘Here’s my safe haven.’ Well, usually safe.
Decidedly, Lexovia marches over to my wardrobe and pulls out a few random items. I haven’t worn most things in there since I was twelve but I don’t have the heart to tell her.
‘You can go anywhere but here,’ she states. Spying a fairly large rucksack at the bottom of the wardrobe, she drags it out. ‘Come on,’ she snaps and together we all start tossing things in. I’m not sure what I’ll do or where I’ll go but just having the bag packed brings me a sort of comfort. Perhaps I’ll try to find that Feranvil Farm Imogen mentioned.
‘Shoot!’ Yvane jumps up, as if she’s been stung. ‘The portal’s going to open in three minutes.’ We immediately leap to our feet. I don’t know why Nathaniel and I do, simply caught up in the moment I presume. I notice the gethamot resting on the bed. Sure enough, the denomty, or whatever it’s called, has appeared and its green hue is slowly lessening. I snatch the device off the blanket and scoop up my bag.
‘Quick,’ Milo grunts, yanking me forwards and the five of us are fleeing down the stairs and out the front door. They agree it’s too risky to teleport, so we go pelting down the hillside; the light of the cottages showing the way. The wind stings our cheeks as we each struggle to put on our coats and gloves and I jolt when I spy Lexovia. With each of us carrying almost identical backpacks and our hoods securely fastened over our heads, it is damn near impossible to tell us apart.
‘I cannot believe we were such idiots.’ Her breath clouds in front of her as she yells over the wind’s roar. ‘What colour is it now?’
‘A very pale green,’ I holler back. Noticing the gethamot is with me, Milo takes it and tosses it to Lexovia.
‘We have about a minute and we aren’t even in the woods yet,’ she moans.
‘I know a shortcut,’ I announce when I realise they’re about to follow the footpath.
‘Brilliant.’ Lexovia pulls me forward. ‘Lead the way.’ I retrieve the flashlight from my coat pocket and aim it out in front of us. We squelch through the mud, rushing past many trees. To the untrained eye, they all seem the same but there are intricate details that are familiar to my eyes alone.
We arrive by the brook just as a pale lime glow shoots from the gethamot and the portal springs open. I feel someone grab my hand and pull.
‘Come on,’ snaps Milo, tugging on my arm. A strong force lifts us off the ground. It feels strangely like being sucked into a vacuum. The portal engulfs us and in an instant, we are gone; yanked from one dimension into another.
We manifest on the other side. I turn back to the swirls of green we’ve just come through and can vaguely see Lexovia still beyond it. I attempt to run towards her but Milo’s grip is firm as he pulls me in the opposite direction.
‘Wait,’ Lexovia calls. I see her attempt to run through the threshold but only half the gethamot makes it before she yanks back her hand and the portal vanishes.
‘You have the wrong girl,’ I yell, but no one is listening. They all seem to be in a rush and extremely cautious all of a sudden. ‘I’m not supposed to be here,’ I insist.
‘Dezaray?’ Milo stops in his tracks. The muscles twitch in his thick neck as he turns to face me, so unfairly beautiful. My heart beat quickens; Déjà vu.
I tuck my hands into my coat pockets. It’s astonishing how cold open spaces are when it’s night time. Milo’s transported us to a dusty landscape they tell me is Melaxous and we are making our way to something they describe as ‘the sleeping areas’. Milo warned me that teleporting would feel a little strange and he was right. It was colder than I would have thought and my body felt almost elastic. I’m on
ly just starting to get over the sensation.
‘This is bad,’ Yvane says, shaking her head. We have been walking for some time now and they are all still fumbling for a way to change the past but by the sounds of it, that’s not something any of them can do. This makes one thing certain: there is no way of trading Lexovia and I back for another fortnight and the Courts of Coldivor; the rulers of all seven empires, must absolutely not find out, and more importantly, neither can the Vildacruz, though they don’t tell me why.
I hear them chatter but don’t really listen to what they are saying. I’m locked in my mind, trying and failing to process everything. I see the truth with my own eyes but still find it difficult to trust, shaking my head as I gaze up at the sky. There are stars; just like Earth; there’s a moon; just like Earth but I’m acutely aware that I am no longer on Earth; am I? These stars seem larger, brighter and definitely have a golden glow. The moon also seems brighter, with a hint of silver but it is the same half-moon as in Islon. I frown; I don’t have a clue about anything anymore. Maybe I’m having another vivid premonition and any minute now I’ll awake by the brook. I childishly pinch myself, just to be sure. It hurts.
‘We need to get started on a new gethamot,’ Howard states matter-of-factly, ‘and Dezaray needs to blend in as much as possible.’
‘She is supposed to be Lexovia. Whether intentional or not, people will be watching the last Elentrice,’ Yvane adds; the pillar of optimism.
‘It’s two quarters.’ Milo stops in front of a tall wall constructed of hay. For a minute, I admire it; it’s sturdy; I can tell just by looking at it and it towers a good few feet above us. ‘We can manage this for two quarters,’ he says.
Based on the gist of the conversation, I assume two quarters means two weeks. I don’t ask, though. I’m not ready to hear my voice as part of this conversation. It’s near impossible to believe it’s even happening.
‘I agree,’ Howard says. ‘Now try and get some sleep.’ He playfully knocks Yvane on the chin, and I realise we must have reached her sleeping area; the home of the Premoniters. I remember my vision of Milo pulling me through the portal and wonder if this is where I would live if I were a Coltis.
Milo takes Yvane’s hand and I can’t help wondering if there’s something between them. Not that it matters. I force myself to shrug off the thought, shifting uncomfortably, trying to disguise the unfamiliar feeling as I watch them from beneath my hood. I can’t get over the way Milo moves, his unnatural eyes and chiselled jaw. The easy air that surrounds him and the way his mind always seems to be working, calculating, ten steps ahead—he’s made to break hearts. I bunch my fists. Not mine.
‘This is Prelang,’ Yvane explains, having caught me staring. I nod, still afraid to speak, for this to be real. ‘Well, goodnight.’ Briskly she waves, clearly still seeing me as some sort of outside creature, and correctly so. I force a tight-lipped smile.
‘I’ll be right back,’ Milo states before pulling Yvane towards him, and with a loud clash, the two vanish from sight. Security lights I hadn’t noticed now turn on. Howard grabs me and pulls me into the shadows, right up against the wall. He puts a finger to his lips, signalling for me to be deathly quiet. I’m so terrified my mouth has gone completely dry, causing my tongue to cling to its roof. The idea of whoever’s up there hearing my eyelashes blink is enough to make me want to wet myself.
I’m relieved when the lights finally go off and the murmur of the men’s voices dies down.
‘Night guards,’ Howard whispers. ‘They man the wall.’
I nod, wondering if I’ll ever speak again.
Shortly after, Milo returns, causing the lights to spring back on. I allow the boys to take my hands and I run, as if Drake were chasing me. It’s too dark to tell but I’m sure I see a smile play on Milo’s lips.
After getting an almighty stitch we slow down. In the distance is a great stone wall. It’s an even more impressive structure than Prelang’s and its stones are various shades of black and grey.
‘This is Fuatrass,’ Howard announces proudly as we get closer. I look at him wide-eyed, unsure of what to say. My heart is racing again. Everything seems more and more real the longer I stay here and so far, all I’ve really seen is barren land illuminated by starlight. A part of me fears what daylight will reveal.
Realising I’m not going to answer, Howard shrugs and looks expectantly at Milo. Milo tilts his head, again studying me, this anomaly that doesn’t belong in his world.
‘Wait over there,’ and he gestures to a shrubbery I hadn’t noticed that runs along the base of the wall. He’s leaving me here? I want to voice the question, but still words evade me. When I don’t move, he raises an eyebrow and gripping my shoulders, steers me towards the wall, positioning me behind the bush.
‘Wait here,’ he whispers, turning back to Howard.
‘Good night.’ Howard smiles at me and places a hand on Milos shoulder before they vanish in waves of blue that seem to come from nowhere.
Seconds later, Milo returns. I jump at the sound, pleased to see that no paranoid guards have sprung to attention this time.
‘Easy,’ Milo murmurs as I shakily get to my feet. Again, that smile seems to tug at his mouth and I frown. ‘A Fuertè’s power is extraordinary strength. Very little rouses them from slumber.’
I nod but say nothing. I guess with that sort of power, Fuertés don’t find themselves with too many worrying intruders.
We walk on in silence. I occupy myself with the sound of his breathing, a gentle pant with every step; I imagine they keep him warm. We eventually come to an open area with huts sparsely arranged throughout. No large walls here.
‘Dezaray,’ Milo says, interrupting my thoughts. My name sounds different on his tongue, almost like a melody. ‘There is an invisible force field around Telathrodon, we’re going to teleport through it.’
‘Is this your sleeping area?’ I somehow manage to ask though my throat is dry and my voice doesn’t sound like my own.
Milo nods, ‘Yours too.’
My stomach tightens and eyes widen. Does he live with Lexovia?
‘Lexovia’s hut is over there. She lives alone so you’ll be fine.’
Flushed with relief, I follow the aim of his finger and identify Lexovia’s home: a quaint shanty with a pointed thatched roof. The porch light is on, dimly illuminating what looks like a dark red door with a golden ‘L’ printed on it. Milo fumbles with a string around his neck. ‘Here’s her spare key.’ He places the thread and key in my hand. They’re warm from his skin. I wrap my hand around them.
‘Thanks.’
‘Right,’ he sighs as if bored, ‘come here.’
My heart irrationally skips a beat and I hesitate; yet another unfamiliar sensation I’m not quite ready to experience. I flinch as he pulls me towards him.
‘You okay?’ He frowns.
‘Fine,’ I lie, glancing at his arm around my waist. It’s strong, hard with muscles, his fingers curling into my side and I feel the press of each one. He towers over me, his gaze raw with wit and serenity. But there’s something about the way he smiles…as if his inner calm, is simply keeping something darker at bay.
‘Brace yourself,’ he orders.
I nod, as if I’m paying attention, as if my mind isn’t a thousand steps behind me as it tries to process everything it’s just seen. In a swirl of blue, we teleport through the barrier. It only takes a moment and then we appear on the other side of the force field, much closer to all the huts.
‘I go this way,’ Milo announces, pointing in the opposite direction. ‘I’ll come and get you in the morning.’
‘Okay,’ I say, my voice still sounding unfamiliar. I gape around, not sure what I expect to happen. Telathrodon actually looks quite nice. The ground, like all the rest, is sand but I can make out patches of dry grass here and there and a few blossoming flowers, though it’s too dark to tell what kind or what colour.
‘Good night.’ His lips briefly twitch at the sides then he
heads off in what I assume is the direction of his hut.
‘Good night,’ I murmur as I turn towards Lexovia’s.
WRONG DIMENSION
Lexovia slumps against her rucksack. Lost in thought, she allows her feet to soak in the brook, the remaining half of the gethamot still clutched in her hand. The night is silent: only the distant chorus of the owls and the occasional scuttle of a squirrel offer sound. She buries her hands beneath the ground, scrounging under wet, brown leaves and pebbles etched into the mud, until her hands are completely concealed.
‘What are you doing?’ The voice startles her and Lexovia gapes over her shoulder, where Nathaniel is coming in and out of light as he saunters along the footpath.
‘What are you doing?’ she asks defensively.
‘It’s been an hour. I was waiting to hear from you.’
‘Well, wait another two quarters.’ Lexovia lets out a small whimper and tosses a stone into the brook. Nathaniel’s expression is blank. She sighs and removes her hood.
‘Lexovia?’ he gasps.
She nods.
‘Where is...’ but realisation dawns. ‘Get serious!’
‘Oh, trust me, I wouldn’t joke about this,’ Lexovia grumbles, steadily clambering to her feet.
Nathaniel furrows his brow. ‘So…’
‘So.’ Lexovia shrugs, a stab of pain jolting through her injured shoulder. She wipes her feet on her trousers’ leg and quickly puts her shoes and socks back on, only now acknowledging the cold.
‘What are you going to do?’
Lexovia stuffs her hands in her pockets and blows her fringe away from her forehead. ‘This is as far as I’ve got.’
‘This isn’t ideal.’ Nathaniel smiles but Lexovia does not return it. ‘Look, I don’t know if you’re interested but a while ago Sanifud college, where Dezaray studies, offered her a room to stay in; I think they noticed the bruises.’ Nathaniel relieves Lexovia of the weight of her bag, swinging it over his own shoulder. ‘I’m pretty sure the offer will still stand.’
