The First Pillar

by Roy Huff

  Anika couldn’t have said it any better. She had beaten me to the punch.

  “Yeah. I agree. It takes the fun out of winning if you don’t earn it. Besides, I think if we work hard enough we’ll still have a decent shot.”

  “Listen, Owen, don’t be naïve. Everybody cheats. That’s how you get ahead in this world. The rich steal from the poor, the politicians steal from the citizens, and winners cheat. Haven’t you learned anything from professional baseball and the Tour de France?”

  I didn’t like Jacob’s brand of cynicism, and I was beginning to see that he seemed to be somewhat lacking in character.

  “Jacob, not everybody cheats. That seems like a really sad view of the world. People make their own choices and there are plenty of successful people who don’t cheat,” I said intently.

  “Maybe so, but I’m going to get mine. If you want to get yours, I suggest you do the same.”

  It was really disheartening to hear Jacob speak like that. Zee was noticeably silent. I wondered what he was thinking and suspected he might have used the technique a few times himself.

  Jacob suggested we put the matter to a vote.

  Zee agreed and said the matter would be settled prior to the start of our next training session.

  Drusilla, Dante, and the rest of their team members were having a similar meeting at Drusilla’s house just off campus.

  Drusilla sat on the edge of the bed looking intently at Dante. The rest of the team listened as she spoke.

  “I’ve used this technique twice. Both times that I’ve used it, I won. It’s up to you, Dante, if you want to use it, but it can be quite effective.”

  She smiled.

  Dante thought about it and felt a little uncomfortable. He was finding it difficult to think clearly and seemed a little more preoccupied with her smile.

  His teammates expressed a willingness to go ahead and use it, but for whatever reason, she was giving Dante the final say on the matter.

  After classes I met up with Anika and Dante.

  There was clearly some tension between the three of us, and I briefly hesitated before bringing up what was on all our minds.

  “So, Dante, have you heard about the banned technique?”

  I could see Dante was pondering what to say.

  “Yeah. I suppose it is rather widely used, despite being illegal. I’m not sure I can go along with that.”

  “That’s good to hear. I feel the same way,” I said, glancing at Anika as I spoke.

  “Well, we are competing against each other. I guess if we want to be fair, it’s best if we don’t speak too much about our training.”

  “I agree, Dante. If we win, though, I’ll be happy to invite you to come along with us to the Hamptons!”

  Anika said what was already understood. I was sure that Dante would reciprocate.

  The events of the last few weeks had given me a lot to think about. There were still a lot of details that needed to be filled in, but at least I had some idea of where I was going and what I needed to do. It was time to make some real choices. We were going to bring the matter of the technique to a vote and I knew that we had at least two votes in our favor and two votes against, seeing how the other two members were leaning heavily towards using it. The deciding vote would likely come down to Zee.

  I had a feeling of uneasiness. It was not about the Roundabout but of something else nagged at the back of my mind. It reminded me of the feeling The Keeper had when he was a young Fron. I’m not sure how much power Them had in my world, but I knew even my realm was not safe from the forces in The Other In Between.

  As I walked towards the Art Club to meet with Zee and the other members of our team, I got the distinct impression that I was being watched. It was not my imagination. From the corner of my eye, people were looking at me. More than that, objects were looking at me. The objects did not have eyes, but their surfaces seemed to convey the feeling that they were merely hiding a hidden camera lens from beneath that was displaying my every move to someone in a far-off land.

  I wasn’t sure if it was my practice in the Echo Club or my invitation into The Keeper’s memory, but it was the first time I had gotten such an impression. Somehow I knew, though, it was more than that. The unseasonably cold windy weather had returned. It wasn’t even autumn, but the leaves had already turned colors and started to fall to the ground. Migratory birds were acting as if it were already time to head south for the winter. The breach had consequences, and its effects were starting to be felt here on Earth.

  It was time for me to fill in as many of the gaps as possible. I needed to know what we were up against and what needed to be done to stop Them. My decision regarding the Roundabout had already been made up. If Zee voted for the technique, I would have declined regardless of the consequences, especially knowing the connection between decisions made in this world and the power of Them. I wanted to be able to focus my attention on practice. In order to do that, I needed to feel a little more confident in my understanding regarding the motives of Them.

  My skills at controlling my mind were improving, and I felt the need to return to Everville. Shortly after thinking about it, I had returned.

  EVERVILLE CHAPTER 25

  THE ASCENT

  Ewan seemed more than willing to help them escape but nothing more. He described the other creatures that inhabited the valley and how Carwyn and Dagda needed to get out of it and climb to the mountaintop before darkness fell. They would have only a few hours to do it.

  “This cave leads to the beginning of the band of trees. Beyond that, we will have to journey on the surface through the trees before we reach the concave cliffs.”

  Carwyn wondered if the creatures would be lying in wait when they resurfaced and if they could make it the rest of the way to the top without being attacked by the animals.

  “Beyond the cave exit, the surface gets very rough; we have tools to assist us.”

  Carwyn peered at some of the tools visible in the cave. One of the other mountain dwellers noticed Carwyn staring at the tools, as did Ewan. The mountain dweller grabbed the tools and passed them to Ewan.

  “This rope bends light and will render you invisible to the creatures. It also possesses the ability to prevent you from making a hard landing. These picks also have a special power that will make them stick to the rocks as you ascend the valley to the mountaintop. It will make it easier for you to climb once you reach the concave cliffs.”

  Carwyn and Dagda also saw that there were special spiked shoes with the same metal as the picks. They were definitely going to need them if they were going to be able to climb out of the valley and reach the opening of the mountaintop.

  If they were going to make it out before dark, they would have to leave soon. Carwyn pondered the thought of waiting another day in the cave, but he sensed that this was not a good idea. He thought perhaps some of the other valley creatures might be able to make it into the cave at night.

  Carwyn decided to leave. Ewan agreed and was willing to guide them out of the valley and to the mountaintop. Beyond that, they would be on their own.

  Ewan and the mountain dwellers gathered many tools and placed them in pouches that they hung on straps around their shoulders. They gave Carwyn and Dagda some tools as well. One by one, they lined up behind Ewan and started the journey through the cave that ascended up to the mountaintop below its surface.

  Carwyn inspected the cave walls as they continued their journey. As they walked, he saw a series of holes that were used to mine various mineral elements from the cave rocks. A few of the holes were freshly dug and gave off a strange odor. It smelled of ash and metal, but not any metal Carwyn was familiar with.

  They continued walking for a couple of hours until the slope of the cave steepened to about a 45-degree angle. A small opening let a beam of light glimmer into the cave tunnel.

  Ewan inspected the cave opening and the outside surroundings and then motioned for the rest of the mountain dwellers to follow.

>   Quickly, they passed through the opening to the forested valley surface. The trees hid them from view of the creatures, and the limited sunlight gave them a much different perspective of the valley floor and the concave surface over them. Above the tree line, they would be visible to the creatures in the valley and would have to climb using the special tools preventing them from falling to the ground below.

  The mountain dwellers increased their speed through the small band of forest. Carwyn could see some dwellings off in the distance and suspected it was the home of some of the other valley inhabitants. The trees were rather narrow and highly contorted. There were just enough leaves to keep the ground from being visible from the valley floor, but that gave them little comfort as they continued along their way.

  Within only a short time, they had reached the top edge of the forested band of the valley. The mountain dwellers hurriedly tied ropes around their waists and put on the rest of the gear. Carwyn and Dagda stayed next to Ewan as they began their ascent.

  The horrendous creatures on the valley floor were now visible, but they had climbed enough of the concave surface to be just out of reach. The ropes that were tied around their waists made them invisible to the creatures, but the rustling and movement of the trees gave away their position. The creatures watched intently and slowly approached the top of the tree line.

  Ewan instructed Carwyn and Dagda to stay focused on climbing the concave wall and not to look down. Of course, that’s the first thing Dagda did. He let out a whimper. Carwyn reached over with his free hand to cover Dagda’s mouth. The creatures looked above them searching for any noticeable movement. They stopped dead in their tracks, but only for a brief moment until the creatures looked in the other direction.

  Once again, they started climbing. The picks and shoes gave them the remarkable grip that made them appear to defy gravity. They were nearly upside-down. If they didn’t have the protection of the gear and ropes, they would have fallen precariously to the valley floor. Despite the protection of the rope, Carwyn and Dagda could not put the thought completely out of their mind.

  They had nearly made it to the opening of the concave valley at the top of the mountain. Dagda let out a sigh of relief as Ewan’s hand reached over to the other side touching the mountaintop. Carwyn looked in the direction of Dagda taking his attention off the pick in front of him. The reliance on the tools’ special properties gave him just enough overconfidence to ease up on his grip.

  It was too late. He lost his pick and could not make contact with the surface, and he could not recover. Carwyn fell quickly to the valley floor near the bottom of the tree line. He did not scream. The fall was actually rather peaceful. He felt the resistance of the air on his face as he continued to pick up speed just before reaching the ground. He continued to tumble for several thousand feet then gradually slowed before making impact just as Ewan had promised.

  He nearly passed out before realizing he was not going to make a hard landing, but then he noticed the wild animals in the vicinity circling his position.

  His hands touched the ground gently, as did the rest of his body. There was no sound. He looked around to see how many of the mutant dog-like creatures surrounded him. He had a few openings, but he was worried about making any movement that would alert the creatures to his presence.

  Carwyn paused for a moment until he decided on the best path to begin his ascent. He would have to walk at least a hundred feet through the creatures without alerting them before he could begin the climb. He would have only a limited time to get out of reach once the creatures were alerted to the sound of his pick hitting the surface.

  He made his way halfway through the creatures before his feet made a noticeable sound, attracting them. One of the larger animals approached Carwyn, staring in his direction.

  It was an unusual sensation. He looked at the creature squarely in the face. The animal looked back as if staring in the mirror, completely unaware of his presence. The creature could sense he was close by, but he did not know exactly where.

  The animal began to growl and bark in rapid succession. Carwyn could see the saliva dripping from its tongue and teeth. Each tooth was impressive and magnificent in its own right. The teeth were larger than what Carwyn thought they would be at this distance; it was only a few inches away. He stood motionless. After a few moments, the animal headed off into the other direction.

  Carwyn thought for a second, then took off. Being invisible was a definite advantage and gave him just enough lead-time to make it to the target location. He took the pick and dug deep into the rock.

  The creatures followed. One strike at a time, Carwyn began his ascent. The animals had reached his location. The creature in the front of the pack lunged forward with its jaws open and made an empty bite that just missed Carwyn by a fraction of an inch. Carwyn took a deep breath, and then he continued his climb.

  Many of the mountain dwellers had already climbed out of the valley and onto the top of the mountain on the other side, but Ewan had climbed back down to assist Carwyn.

  “We don’t have much time before dark. After that, we will be at the mercy of the flying beasts.”

  This was not what Carwyn wanted to hear, but it just gave him more motivation to make it to the top. Dagda was with one of the mountain dwellers near the opening, sneaking a tiny peek out with the bulk of his body on the other side of the mountain.

  Ewan and Carwyn ascended the mountain even faster than before. They had no time to spare and no room for error. Just as the last ray of sunlight disappeared from the sliver of forested valley, Carwyn and Ewan climbed out of the valley onto the other side of the mountain. This time, Dagda waited until they were completely clear before letting go with another sigh.

  Ewan and Carwyn were exhausted. Ewan would let them stay for the night, but then they would have to make their descent down the mountain to the Dark Forest on their own. Carwyn took out the map that the giant had given them. He studied the map intently as did Dagda. Ewan reached over and pointed with his long, narrow finger.

  “You’ll need to make it over this pass. The Dark Forest will be just beyond the pass beyond the hills.”

  It was the end of a long day, and Carwyn and Dagda were so tired that they fell asleep without eating. When they awoke, the mountain dwellers made a small meal for them before leaving, then bid them farewell.

  EVERVILLE CHAPTER 26

  THE VOTE

  The Keeper pulled me away from his thoughts and returned me to my dorm room at Easton Falls. I was a little disoriented after realizing time had not completely stopped as it had before in my prior mental excursions, and further, that I had little more than an hour left to sleep before dawn.

  The alarm woke me up in what felt like only seconds after my head had hit the pillow, but I sucked it up as best I could and tried to focus on the day ahead.

  After arriving at the Art Club with Anika, we all took our seats in one of the rooms used for our training. Zee got straight to the point, asking for our votes.

  “All right: if you vote to use the technique, raise your hands. Okay. Now, those voting against, raise yours.”

  To my surprise, Zee voted with us. He gave me a glance as if to reassure me. Stunned, Jacob stood up nearly knocking the chair to the floor and loudly voiced his vehement opposition.

  “This is a mistake. You know Drusilla and the other teams are going use the technique. We are going to lose.”

  I didn’t know much about Jacob; I didn’t know at the time that his childhood was much more difficult than any of ours. While Anika, Dante, and I all had a challenging go of it, Jacob had lost both of his parents. He was orphaned at the age of five and lived in foster care until a wealthy family took him in a year before he graduated high school.

  Jacob had grown up thinking that life was simply the survival of the fittest. It was understandable after going in and out of foster homes watching the other kids take what they wanted while he was often left with nothing. He had learned from watching
the other kids around him that if he needed something, he had to take it. If he had to cheat, steal, lie, or do whatever else it took to get what he wanted, then that’s what he did. He cheated his way through high school and was easily accepted into Easton Falls University once his wealthy benefactors took him in.

  That last part to me, though, never made much sense. I was happy for him, I guess, but it still didn’t seem like the sort of thing one would expect. Who takes in a foster kid just before graduation? Whatever their reasons, Jacob didn’t care and felt that this was his opportunity. He wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way, and I couldn’t really blame him. He wanted the prestige that comes with winning the Roundabout, and he liked the brief taste of wealth he had for the last year or so. He wanted that trip to the Hamptons so he could suck up to Professor Samil, and he was intent on doing whatever it took in order to get it.

  “The decision’s been put to a vote, so you’re just going to have to deal with it,” said Zee. “Right now, we need to focus on what we are going to have to do to win. That means practice our butts off every waking minute possible.”

  The first part of the games would likely be my weakest. It was comprised of three games to test strength, speed, and endurance. The last half focused on concentration, memory, and mental acuity. The finale combined elements of all skills.

  We met everyday for the next couple of weeks. Day after day, sunup through sundown, we spent several hours in intense training. Zee had the practice down to a science. He had techniques and methods for every skill. After every session, we were exhausted. Each session left me tired, sweaty, smelly, and sore.

  It was more than just physical strength and endurance, though; Zee had us do hours upon hours of mental exercises. I was pretty good in high school and had my own studying routine. This was nothing like that. I thought flash cards were the way to go, but what Zee did exercised mental muscles I never thought I had. He asked us questions and made us do things that forced us to be quick and think on our feet. It was also more than just mental strategy. We practiced physical exercises simultaneously that were designed to bring our physical and mental strengths into harmony. My mind became faster, more creative, and I was able to do things I didn’t know were possible. I felt like my mind had been ripped apart and reconstructed from scratch and turned into a new, improved super brain. Anika and the other team members must have felt the same way.