“I swear to you, sir, I did not.”
Manfred noticed a shift in his gaze… toward the breach viewer.
“Then what did you do? You look guilty so you might as well tell me. I will find out, and then it will go hard on you.”
He looked like he was about to protest his innocence again, but then his shoulders slumped.
“All right. I sneaked back in yesterday afternoon to use the breach generator.”
Knew it!
“Whatever for?”
“I wanted to look at Humania again. It… it’s so interesting.”
“I assure you it’s anything but.”
“But I never even knew it existed until I left the farm. A whole other world controlled by… sheeple. I mean, come on… that’s incredible!”
Manfred could understand the fascination. Well, somewhat.
“They’re not sheeple over there, don’t forget that. They have brains and some brilliant minds among them.”
“That’s what I mean. I know I wasn’t supposed to be here but I didn’t hurt anything.”
“See anything interesting?”
“Just a lot of destruction…that storm.”
“Ah, yes. Quite impressive, I imagine.”
“Devastating…”
Something in his tone. He seemed genuinely affected by what he saw.
“Be glad Nocturnia doesn’t have tornadoes.”
“I suppose. But I swear to you I didn’t use the breach generator – only the viewer.”
Manfred believed him.
“Then who?”
“Somebody who wanted to visit Humania, I guess. Or bring something across.”
“Bring something across?” He hadn’t thought of that.
“You know…like smuggling.”
“The guards would notice anyone moving contraband around. And who would be foolish enough to risk Falzon’s wrath?”
“Could someone have activated it from the other side?”
“Impossible!”
Teddy spoke hesitantly. “I remember someone telling me about ‘impossible.’”
Manfred hid a smile. At least this young one listened. “That someone said, ‘Impossible is merely an opinion,’ didn’t he.”
“Yessir, he did.”
“Very well, it is remotely possible, but it would take a human who knew of the breach generator’s existence and then be brilliant enough to send an activating signal through the Veil to start the breach sequence. That comes as close to impossible as I can imagine.”
“If you say so.”
“I say so. I will ponder the possibilities. In the meantime, I have been tasked by Falzon with creating a breach as large as the courtyard.”
Teddy’s eyes widened. “So he can invade Humania.”
“Exactly.”
“Well,” Teddy said, frowning, “if the power necessary is proportional to the area of the breach, you’re talking an enormous amount of energy.”
He gets it! Manfred thought. What a pleasure to work with an assistant endowed with a logical and analytical mind.
“Exactly. But that assumes that the breach must be a circle.”
“Doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know. But if we flattened the circle, reducing the vertical axis of the breach until it was only ten percent of the horizontal axis, we could drastically reduce the surface area of the opening.”
“An ellipse!”
“Exactly!” For some strange reason he had an urge to hug this sharp-witted young man. He resisted, of course. “An elliptical breach two-hundred feet wide and twenty high would allow Falzon’s army to enter Humania but could be opened with only a fraction of the energy necessary for a two-hundred-foot circle.”
Telly’s enthusiasm seemed to evaporate. “Really?”
“You don’t seem happy about the possibility.”
“Well…it’s just that I’m not in favor of war anywhere.”
He was allowing emotions to influence him. Never a good thing.
“War? We don’t worry about war. That’s for generals and politicians. We worry about solving a problem. And now we have an avenue to pursue toward that solution.” Manfred allowed himself a lopsided grin. “Let’s get to work.”
“Yessir,” Teddy said, but didn’t look too happy about it.
22
Emma awoke later than usual. Ryan and Cal were already outside helping Mr. Jantz weed his tomato and lettuce gardens. Benjamin was also outside trying to get his kite airborne, while Ella Grace was standing on a chair at the kitchen sink helping her mother dry the breakfast dishes.
Emma wasn’t pleased with herself for getting up after everyone else, and had to force a cheery smile as she entered the room.
“Well, aren’t you the pillow head!” said Irina.
Ella Grace beamed at her, holding up a small towel. “Emma! Wanna help me?”
“Maybe in a little while.”
“There’s some juice in the pitcher,” said Irina. “Bread and butter and jam up on the sideboard. Help yourself, dearie.”
As she did so, she heard the phone ring. When Mrs. Jantz picked up the receiver, she held it up, looked at Emma. “It’s for you.”
Her first reaction was panic because no one was supposed to know she was here. No one but Dillon.
She accepted the phone from Irina. “Hello.”
“Did I wake you?” Dillon’s voice whispered through the line.
“Almost. But that’s okay. I was hoping you would call this morning.”
“Really? Why, what’s going on? Everything okay?”
“Oh sure. No problem. Have you been able to get in touch with Telly?”
“No, my father’s been putting me to work around here at the house. I’m waiting for a break or a really good excuse to be heading over to the Uberall compound. I’ve got to be careful. Especially since we saw my father’s troll on the road from the protest, remember?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“A lot of people think Ergel is a dummy, but they’re wrong. He’s nobody’s fool. He’s dangerous.”
“I can’t wait to hear from Telly. He can get us out of here. I just know he can.”
“Even if he’s as smart as you say he is, don’t be too sure.”
Lowering her voice, Emma turned away from Irina and Ella Grace. “Dillon, there’s something else. I want to know if you’ll help me do something a little… I don’t know, a little crazy.”
“Crazy? How crazy?”
“I want to sneak into that sheeple farm near we saw.”
“Huh? Why?”
Emma paused, gathered her thoughts. Why did she want to do it? She knew the answer: Because she had to. But she didn’t want to tell Dillon about this strange compulsion that was messing with her head.
“I can’t help it, Dillon. I feel so sorry for them. I keep wanting to believe we can do something to save them. I can’t stop thinking about them. Does that make sense?”
He didn’t answer for a second or two. “Yeah, I guess so… but I’m not sure it’s a good idea for someone like you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t get your back up. I just mean that you’re a… a feeling kind of person. You have… what’s the word I’m looking for?”
“Empathy?”
“That it!”
You don’t know the half of it, she thought.
“So, about the farm …?”
She could almost see him shaking his head. “Not a good idea for someone with a lot of empathy. I told you I worked there and–”
“Does that mean you won’t help me?”
“No, I just–”
“I need to go, Dillon. I can’t tell you why because I’m not sure why myself. Do you think it’s dumb?”
“Yes, I think it’s dumb. If we get caught, you’re headed straight back to Falzon’s compound. And I don’t think he’ll ever let you go.”
The thought of getting another one of those slave bracelets chilled
her, but she didn’t surrender. “You wouldn’t let that happen. You’re too smart for all of them. Please?”
That last word seemed to turn the corner for him.
“Is it just you who wants to go?”
Emma considered this, then: “Yes. Ryan and Cal think I’m not thinking things through.”
“I have to agree. I guess I should tell you – I really like you, Emma, and if I ever did anything that landed you back with Falzon’s monsters, I don’t think I could live with it.”
Wow, she hadn’t been expecting that!
Emma cast about for the right thing to say. She didn’t want to ignore what he’d just unloaded on her, but she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, either.
“I…I like you too. And… and maybe what I’m asking you isn’t such a great idea.”
“It’s not, but let me worry about that. If we’re going to do it, though, I think we should do it soon. There’s a full moon coming, you know…”
“Are we doing it at night?”
“That would make it easier to sneak in, but we don’t want you caught outside in the dark.”
“You’re right about that!” She tried to chuckle to relieve the tension but it sounded like a dry cough.
“I have some work to do around here for my mother, but I can probably get away later. I’ll come down to the farm and we can figure things out, okay?”
Emma grinned, nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “That sounds great. See you when you get here.”
They said their goodbyes and she moved to the counter to fix a small breakfast. If Irina had overheard any of the conversation, she gave no indication. Maybe everyone was right. Sneaking into the sheeple farm was a dumb thing to do. Even though staying on the farm threatened to be a boring proposition, at least they were safe. The plan had been to lay low until Telly could get here.
Emma sipped her apple juice and realized she was kidding herself. She was having these weird feelings about the sheeple and she had learned to trust her feelings and her flashes of clairvoyance. Sometimes it all seemed so obvious, and she could feel good about her little glimpses into the unknown.
But not this time.
She couldn’t shake this nagging feeling that the sheeple were important. Important how, she hadn’t a clue. Just… important.
23
Kolkut
Yeti-Rakshasa Commonwealth
Falzon opened his eyes…slowly. Everything hurt. His blood felt as if it were on fire, searing his veins and arteries as it flowed through him.
At least it still flowed.
His vision focused. He lay supine on a bed – his bed, in his room. Night had fallen. Lamps burned in wall sconces. Someone beside his bed…
“Ssso, you awaken.” Dheeraj’s voice. “You have a ssstrong conssstitution, my brother.”
Falzon tried to speak but his mouth was too dry. Dheeraj, seated near the head of the bed, handed him a ceramic flagon. Falzon tilted it to his lips and swallowed cool water.
“Poisssoned.”
“Luckily Sssalarjung’sss ssshirkar barely broke your ssskin. A deeper ssslice and you would be lying on a funeral pyre now.”
“Gupta…”
“Ssswearsss he knowsss nothing about it. All Sssalarjung’sss doing.”
“Liar.”
Dheeraj shrugged. “Hisss word againssst Sssalarjung’sss, and the latter will never ssspeak again.” He leaned closer. “But while I have you alone, brother, we have important mattersss to dissscusss.”
“Not about the army, because I–”
“No. This is much more important.”
Dheeraj launched into a boring tirade about a terrible danger facing rakshasakind and the reclusive Yeti they had sworn to protect. Falzon knew all about it but was too weak to stop him, so he lay back and listened.
Dheeraj spoke of the H’malya mountain range that formed the northern border of their territory and how it was made of nearly pure occultium. He talked of the Rakshasa scientists who had determined that the H’malya occultium was becoming unstable, just like the Spinal Mountains in Afric. Dr. Bluthkalt had been right: All of Nocturnia’s occultium was becoming unstable. What if the H’Malyas exploded like the Spinal Mountains? It could spell the end of rakshasakind.
Or even worse: Bluthkalt was also right – and he had not been wrong yet – about the degradation of occultium causing a thinning of the Veil between Nocturnia and Humania. The rakshasa scientists at the Academy had confirmed the thinning and determined that it was accelerating at an alarming rate. If it thinned past a point of no return, the Veil would evaporate, annihilating Nocturnia and Humania.
Worse? Oh, no, the thinning was not worse, it was wonderful!
Dheeraj concluded with, “Doctor Bluthkalt wasss working on a sssolution – probably the only one sssmart enough to find one – and you crushed his ssskull!”
Blather-blather-blather…
Dheeraj cocked his head. “You do not ssseem sssurprisssed.”
“Because I already know.”
“How? The Academy has not published–”
Falzon’s laugh was genuine. “Uberalls are everywhere, even in your vaunted Academy!”
“Then why did you let me waste my breath?”
To see how much you knew, dear brother, Falzon thought.
“Becaussse it pleasssed me to hear you whine and whimper like the sssister we never had.”
As Dheeraj’s taloned fingers balled into fists, Falzon thought, Go ahead. Attack me if you dare. But Dheeraj’s fists relaxed. Coward! Lacks the courage to challenge me even in this weakened state
Dheeraj said, “All right, then, ssso you’ve known of thisss all along. Fine. What I don’t underssstand is thisss lack of concern. Our race, perhaps all of Nocturnia, facesss extinction. Why don’t you ssseem to care? Or do you know sssomething we do not? Are you in league with the Sssilent Ones?”
Falzon laughed again. “Don’t talk like a fool. The Sssilent Ones are a world unto themssselvesss, brother. They deal with no one except the etherealsss, which they have enssslaved.”
“Then what–?”
He jabbed a talon at Dheeraj. “You talk of Bluthkalt’sss death asss if that wasss a bad thing. You do not need a pluriban ssscientissst to sssave rakshasssakind when you have me, little brother. I, Falzon, will sssave not only rakshasssakind, but all of Nocturnia asss well when I sssinglehandedly ssstop the Sssilent Ones. I will be hailed acrossss Nocturnia asss a hero, and then I will go on to conquer Humania and claim it for Nocturnia.”
Dheeraj was shaking his head. “Well, I knew it had to happen eventually and now it hasss. You have gone completely mad.”
Yes, he supposed he did sound mad to the uniformed. But the impudent Dheeraj did not know what his older brother had. Something that enabled him to stop the Silent Ones whenever he wanted. He simply had to wait for the proper moment – a moment of his choosing, no one else’s. A moment that would solidify his plans.
“We shall sssee, little brother. We shall sssee. And by the way, how do I know it wasss not you who poisssoned that blade?”
Dheeraj glared at him, then rose. “The day may come when I mussst wash my handsss in your blood, brother, but it will be done hand to hand and eye to eye.”
Falzon laughed again. “You have no hope of defeating me. Even now, in thisss weakened ssstate, I could ssseparate your head from your body before you knew it. I would hold your head high ssso you could watch your decapitated remainsss crumple to earth.”
Dheeraj smiled. “Your hubrisss will be your downfall, brother. You fight the crude, common way, depending on brute ssstrength. I employ the Ancient Way – using my enemy’sss own ssstrength againssst him. One day my foot will ressst on your neck.”
Before Falzon could reply, Dheeraj turned his back and departed. Falzon had seen practitioners of the Ancient Way. They were formidable warriors, but very few could master the art. He was certain his puny little brother was not one of those.
Forget about Dheer
aj, he told himself. Tomorrow you return to the Lycanthum compound where, with the unwitting help of the Silent Ones, you will forge the way toward a glorious future.
24
When Dillon had heard that a human worker needed transport back to the Uberall compound, he’d jumped at the chance to drive him.
“What’s your name?” Dillon said as the Armagost Farms truck belched and hissed into motion.
Normally a worker human would ride in the bed of the truck behind the cab, but since he was the only passenger, he invited the stooped, graying man to ride in the passenger seat.
“Joe.”
“Joe what?”
“Don’t remember. Been so long since anyone asked I’ve forgotten.”
“What do you remember?”
“I remember living on the other side. I remember walking down Forty-Fifth Street in New York City one summer night, and the next thing I knew I was lying in a field in this antechamber to hell.”
Dillon had heard that story before. It had happened to Ambrose and Amelia, and probably to Cal as well, though he was too young to remember at the time.
“What did you do in Humania?”
“I think I might have been a judge, but I can’t be sure that’s true. I’ve worked those fields of hell-flowers for so long, my other life seems like a dream.”
“How come you’re going to the compound?”
“Can’t work the fields anymore,” the man said. “My back just won’t take it.”
Dillon stiffened. That wasn’t good.
“Can’t you work the farm kitchen?”
“Already staffed. But that’s all right. The Uberalls need help in their kitchen. I don’t know a thing about cooking, but I’ll do whatever it is they want me to do – chop, slice, dice, not matter to me as long as I don’t have to keep bending over those bushes.”
Well, that was good news about a job. No retirement home for worn-out humans. When you stopped being useful, you went to the carvery. Eventually they all ended up in the carvery. And stringy ones like this fellow came out as ground meat. It made Dillon sick.
Dillon pulled to the side of the road and stopped the truck.
“What’s wrong?” the man said.
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