by Aderyn Wood
“Now,” Prudence opened one of the cases the security guards had brought in and fished out two dresses on hangers. “What d’ya think? The pink or the blue?” She scrutinized each dress with a look as serious as if she performed brain surgery. “I think the pink,” she said finally. And she tottered over to hold the pink dress up under Dale’s chin. “Mmm, we may need the larger size.”
“Wait. What is this for?” Dale asked again.
“For tonight. The service.” Prudence winked as she chewed the gum. “A little birdy tells me you’re to be our special guest. And you gotta look good. Well as good as I can get ya lookin. No offense.” She turned to look down at Ness, still sitting on the couch. “And what about you ma’am?”
As Prudence searched for a dress for Ness, Dale sat on the couch, stunned. The last few days has been surreal. Here she was, well and truly trapped by Ricardo and having to put up with her arch nemesis from high school, Prudence Feathertop – the dim-witted, self-interested queen of the plastics. If Dale didn’t feel like such a fool and a failure, she would have laughed. What cruel twist of fate would bring Prudence into her life again?
She looked out the window. All she wanted to do was get to the bottom of the mystery she and Ness had started to unravel. But, instead, she was to be ‘styled’ by her former enemy. As the afternoon rolled in the weather outside became more miserable and grey. Prudence set to work, primping and preening. It was worse than being groomed by Helgda. Though, when a bath was run with rose oil, Dale didn’t really mind the warmth on her toes that were still recovering from the ice cold of the alps.
While Ness was taking her bath Prudence did Dale’s hair, teasing and twirling it.
“Don’t ya miss school days?”
“No,” Dale replied, blowing hair out of her eyes.
“They were the best! I hated it when my folks first told me we were leaving Dallas. But, then I really got into the groove here in good ol’ Scotland.”
“Mmmhm.” Dale winced when Prudence tightened her hair into a tail at the back.
“Ya know who I wish I’d see again? Rhys.”
Dale’s stomach flipped. Rhys?
“That boy was so sweet. So cute. Boy did he know how to make out!”
“What?” Dale said.
Prudence looked down at her reflection in the mirror. “Oh, didn’t you know? Rhys and I had a thing going there for a while.” Her eyes moved up to some dreamy past. “Yeah, we kissed. I still don’t really recall what happened to him. Any ideas?”
Dale’s jaw was clenched so tight, the muscles bulged in her cheeks. “No,” she whispered, hands gripping the chair. When she returned to Arcadia neither Jaral, nor Rhys would manipulate her with their good looks again. Or with their kisses.
Moments later Dale studied herself in the mirror; she had to squint to see who it was. At least three different colours lined her eyelids, all sparkling like glitter. Her eyelashes were three times their usual length and gave her a fright every time she blinked, and her lips shone with a thick glossy pink. She looked like one of Barbie’s friends in a doll shop.
“Whadya think?” Prudence chewed in her ear.
“Ah, well, it’s different.”
“Thanks!” Prudence slapped her lips together.
Prudence worked on Ness’s tangled hair next, while Dale paced and fumed about Rhys. Anger and jealousy swirled through her heart and muddled her thoughts. He’d made it clear he had feelings for her. Hadn’t he? But he’d had feelings for Prudence, too. Dale frowned as she paced. How was it possible? She stared out the window. Idiot, she thought. This is exactly how Agathina had been feeling.
When she’d finished her work, Prudence had them sit at the table. “Now, I’ve ordered you both a light salad for dinner. The Church service is at six-thirty tonight. When you’re finished eating I need you to apply more of this.” She held up a pink lipstick. “And while you’re eating I need you to wear these.” She threw them two aprons. “I don’t want those designer dresses getting dirty. Ahhh!” Prudence winced as she bent over and her hand clutched her stomach.
“What is it, lass?” Ness asked. “Are you unwell?”
“Agh!” Prudence scrunched her painted eyes and clung to the sofa, her knuckles white.
Ness looked at Dale who shrugged.
“Lass, do you need to sit down?”
Prudence shook her head and took deep breaths. She stood tall again and opened her eyes. “It’s all right, ma’am. Thanks. I’ve just been getting a few cramps of late. It’s gone now.”
Ness squinted. “Cramps? Any nausea?”
“A little. It’s okay. I’m all good now.” She chewed her gum. “All right, fairy gal, I’ll see you at the service.” Prudence flicked back her horsetail and left. The guards walked in and collected all the cases before rushing back out, and the door clicked locked behind them.
Dale blinked, the eyelashes making her jolt again. “I can’t believe Prudence Feathertop just gave me a makeover.”
“I can’t believe she almost found this.” Ness held up Dale’s white and lavender crystal and Dale’s hand flew to her throat.
“My crystal, you took it.”
Ness nodded. “Aye. While you were in having your bath, I noticed it among your clothes.” Ness shook her head. “You need to be more careful with this, Dale.”
“I will, though I don’t see much use for it when my magic won’t work.”
Ness’s eyes sparkled with the blue of the ocean. She wore a deep purple dress more in her usual style, and Prudence had done a good job with the knots in her silver hair. A nap, bath and a decent cup of tea, and Ness was almost looking like her old self.
“We’ll see,” Ness said holding up the crystal. “I think this might be our ticket out.”
18
Dale and Ness sat in the very front row of the vast auditorium in Christian Central. The place had changed since Dale’s last visit. Television cameras pointed toward the stage and the headset-wearing crew ran around glancing anxiously at their watches. The audience filed in, and in a matter of moments, the murmurings of a large crowd filled the space.
“This place has gone crazy,” Dale whispered as she eyed the spotlights in the ceiling.
“Yes.” Ness frowned. “It’s important somehow.”
Dale recalled past services and the way Ricardo would look to each person in turn. His golden eyes searching. He’d been searching for me.
The band set up to the left of the stage and began playing an upbeat Christian song. Dale’s foot started tapping and she quickly stilled it. She had to remain alert and not give in to the crowd euphoria. Soon the auditorium was completely full. Dale turned to scan behind her. The seats fanned up all the way to the ceiling, not one remained empty.
Five large screens above now flicked on and a low cheer came from somewhere outside.
Dale gasped. “Holy crap, Ness, look.”
They stared at the screens. Shots of the building’s exterior came into view. Thousands of people lined the pavement outside and the car park. Part of the road had been blocked off to accommodate those who stood in the chill evening air with umbrellas.
Ness looked back at Dale. “There are thousands of them.”
Dale nodded. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but somewhat is.”
“Ladies and gentlemen.” A voice boomed and echoed, the lights dulled and spotlights swirled over the stage. The crowd began clapping and cheering. “Welcome back to Christian Central, our very own Pastor Richard Jones!”
The crowd cheered and even screamed as the stage dimmed black and a single spotlight found Ricardo. He wore a black suit and tie. His hair slicked back, emphasised his widow’s peak. His golden eyes clearly visible as they scanned the crowd. He strode to the podium, now an elaborate wooden box with intricate carvings like the palace walls back in Arcadia. Forest scenes of trees and birds were carved in the wooden pulpit.
Ricardo climbed the steps and his arms went up to the crowd, pa
lms facing the floor and the audience quieted.
“Brothers, sisters. Let us pray.” Ricardo’s voice filled the space too easily and Dale shivered as she used to do when she came here every Sunday with her old family.
Dale wondered if they were present and glanced around. But too many faces surrounded her, and the darkness made it difficult to see. They wouldn’t know me, anyway. Rhys had wiped their memory of Dale. Except for Benny, he still seemed to recognise her last she’d seen him. Though he was young then, he’d have forgotten her by now.
She turned her attention back to the stage. Ricardo was going through his usual speech, urging people to open their hearts, their ears, their minds to Jesus. Dale frowned. It was the exact speech he had given in every sermon she’d attended. Usually, she spent the time in church daydreaming, not paying any attention to what the pastor actually said. But now that she listened to him, Dale recalled him using those same words before.
She turned again to look at the congregation. Everyone, each individual in the entire horde was on the edge of their seats. Their eyes glazed over, their mouths open, a look of wonder on their faces. The woman who sat behind Dale wore a vacant glare. Dale waved a hand in front of the woman’s face but got no reaction. Those dark eyes were focussed on the pastor with a dazed look of wonder.
Dale repeated the gesture with the man sitting beside her. No reaction.
She nudged Ness. “What’s going on?”
“Look at their auras,” Ness whispered.
Dale nodded, and opened her second sight – a shocking display of dark tendrils made her gasp. It pulsed like a smoky web – black with reddish hues that linked Ricardo to every person present. She snapped her vision back and glanced up to the screens. Even the people outside stood like a horde of zombies, blank expressions on their faces. Ricardo seemed to have utter control over them.
“Let us pray,” Ricardo said and he cast a sideways glance at Dale.
The crowd murmured, “Amen.” The spell now broken.
The band played another upbeat song and the spotlight blinked off Ricardo. The crowd cheered and sang along.
“Well, what did you see?” Ness shouted over the singing.
Dale stifled a frown, trying to keep her expression neutral. “He seems to have a connection with all of them. Like he has a spell over everyone.”
“All of these people?”
Dale nodded. “Even the ones outside.” She gestured to the screens.
“Three worlds!”
After the song, a woman entered the stage and stood at the pulpit. Dale recognized the bouffant – Laura Feathertop, Prudence’s mother. She greeted everyone with a “God bless you” and then gave a report on various charities and campaigns. She spoke of impoverished children in third world states who’d been fed, clothed and educated by their donations. About wars that had come to an end thanks to skilled members networking with governments, seemingly negotiating an end to violence. Finally, she told them about various ‘miracles’ in which people were being cured of terminal diseases. Her report was accompanied with images on the screen to prove the success of their work and “faith”. Children healthy and happy; doctors in lab coats smiling with patients. It was like one long advertisement for a charity. The words ‘Open you minds and hearts’ stood out clearly at the bottom of the screen.
The audience clapped and cheered again as Laura Feathertop left the podium and the band started yet another song. A slow melody this time and images of children being helped by charity workers splashed across the screens.
Dale watched, transfixed. Schools and hospitals were built. Research conducted into disease and cures. Food supplied to refugees. Dale had trouble denying the apparent good depicted in the images. How was Ricardo so evil if he was achieving all of this? All while her own mother, the Queen of the Seelie, sat in her fine palace in a far away land where suffering such as that experienced on Earth was unknown. Yes, the Borderlands had the war, but they also had sorcerers and gifted healers. No such people existed on Earth anymore. Ness and Gareth had been Earth’s last sorcerers. And Ricardo and Natalia. As far as Dale knew, anyway.
Balak had believed in this. What had Ricardo said? He sees the good we’re doing here. Balak had always been so level-headed. Surely he wouldn’t have agreed to help Ricardo if it wasn’t for a good cause.
But what of Ricardo’s aura? What of the way these people blindly followed him? And why the prison cells beneath?
The music finished and the screens flicked off. Ricardo returned to the pulpit. He spoke more words of peace and forgiveness, words that aimed to encourage the crowd to go forth and spread the word about Christian Central.
Another song began and people stood to dance and clap.
“Is this the finish?” Ness asked.
“Yes,” Dale responded.
“Let’s try to escape,” Ness whispered in her ear.
Dale looked at her. “How?”
Ness pointed at the screens that now showed the crowd outside, dancing with their umbrellas to the music. “If we can get outside, we may have a chance.”
Yes, maybe. If they could lose themselves among the people…
Dale recalled ‘Pastor Richard’ was usually busy networking with dedicated members of the church after service. He may be distracted for long enough to let her perform the spell to open a portal back to the Borderlands. With Ness’s help, she might be able to do it.
As soon as the song finished, Dale grabbed Ness’s hand. “Stick with me.” They wove their way through the throng. People were mostly still clapping and cheering, but some were beginning to leave, and as they filled the aisles, it became more difficult to move. Dale started pushing her way through, trying not to draw too much attention. She lost Ness’s hand and had to stop to look back. But a group of people blocked her view. She stepped into a line of seats to look back from there. Finally, the lights came on making it easier to see, but also easier for Ricardo or Natalia to notice them. They had to move! Ness was about five rows back. Dale waved and Ness gestured for her to wait as she started weaving through the growing line of people.
Dale took a moment to look around. From up here the auditorium seemed even bigger, steeper. Then her gaze stopped on the familiar form of Victoria – the woman who used to be her mother. She looked good, slimmer, and somehow younger. She wore a smart cocktail dress and had her hair coiffed for the night. The girls who used to be her sisters, Nina and Mina, stood behind Victoria. They were taller now, and wore make up, both of them in early adolescence. Her step-father was talking to another man wearing a suit, and then Dale’s eyes fell on the little boy who still sat in his seat, kicking his legs as though waiting impatiently for his family to move – just the way Dale used to. He was a child now, not a baby. His hair had grown in curls, not unlike his brother Rhys’s hair. Benny. Dale’s heart tugged. She’d loved that little boy, a part inside still thought of him as her little brother, and the urge to run and pick him up in her arms buzzed through her.
His head turned slowly to the side, and then all the way around. Dale tensed. It wasn’t Benny at all. This boy would have been the same age, and he shared similar features, but this was not the boy who’d been her brother.
“What are you doing, Dale?” Ness had finally reached her and clung to her arm.
“Ah, my brother…”
“Have you forgotten yourself? He’s not your brother. Remember?”
Dale frowned. “Yes, I remember, but—”
“Keep moving, we don’t have time for this,” Ness hissed.
Dale turned and moved through the throng. She managed a glimpse back toward the boy. No, it wasn’t Benny. Where was he? Had she abandoned him?
“Dale! Move,” Ness whispered.
Finally, Ness and Dale pushed through to the foyer. People still milled around, doing their usual networking. A year ago, Dale would have known most of them, but the thousands here were all newbies. She looked through the glass foyer doors, outside the huge throng of people exten
ded as far as the eye could see. They filled the large paved entrance and the car park and spilled out onto the street, just as they had on the screens.
“Dale, where should we go?” Ness asked.
Dale shook her head, trying to think. “This way.” She led Ness out the glass doors and around the back of the building.
A solitary light lit a dumpster. The building had no windows on this side. Dale led Ness past the dumpster where another brick wall rose before them. They were finally alone in the dark, compact space.
“It’s not ideal,” Ness said as she looked around. “But it will have to do.”
Dale nodded as she took a deep breath. It was time for her to try her magic. She had to convince herself she could do this. She’d healed Rhys, so, this wasn’t beyond her. She felt the neck of her dress and panic gripped her.
Ness held up her hand. “Looking for this?”
The crystal hung from her fingers. Its pale lavender light glowed softly in the gloom of the alley.
“I snatched it from you during the service. It looked too conspicuous.” Ness stepped forward and grabbed Dale’s hand, opening her palm and nestling her crystal there, then closing her fingers over it. The familiar warmth of it sent calming pulses along Dale’s arm.
“You can do this, lass.” Ness’s eyes sparkled blue like the ocean, just the way they used to.
Dale nodded. “I’ll try.”
Ness took a few steps through the alley. “I think this place will be better than I originally thought. We have air of course, and here there is water.” She pointed to a gutter that trickled dirty water at a constant flow. Dale watched it for a moment as a plastic straw bobbed along washing into a storm drain further along, no doubt making its way out to sea where it would meet other plastic debris. So vastly different from the River Umbrael in the Borderlands.
“We also have earth.” Ness pointed to a crack in the bitumen where a solitary weed poked its way through and soil spilled out in dark crumbs. Ness sketched a triangle in the air with her finger where Dale could make a portal between the spindly weed and the dirty gutter.
