“I must open a portal. Once I have, we shall enter it and traverse the in-between back to our world. We left a trail coming here, we’ll follow it back.”
“Okay,” Celine answered, nodding. “Open it.”
“Patience, Celine. This is intricate work,” Marcus responded.
Celine held up her arms, signaling surrender. Marcus sighed and began his work. He removed chalk from his pocket, tracing the etching in the stone. He ground the rest up and blew it toward the cliff wall at the rear of the beach. It settled over an invisible portal, marking the edges. Marcus stretched his hand out toward the chalk-rimmed portal. He twisted his wrist, grasping and rolling away the invisible barrier closing the portal.
“It is open. Time to go, Celine,” Marcus said. He grabbed her hand, tugging her toward the portal.
Celine grasped Damien’s hand, pulling him as he grabbed Michael’s arm, dragging him with them. They entered the portal, passing from Alterra to the in-between. Blackness surrounded them as the portal closed behind them. Damien shivered as the coldness struck them. Celine kept a firm grasp on his hand. “Don’t let go of my hand, D,” she warned. “And don’t let go of Michael.”
Damien nodded, tightening his grip on Celine’s hand and Michael’s arm. “How far do we have to go?” Damien asked, still shivering. Michael trembled against the cold as well.
“It didn’t take us too long,” Celine assured them. “Stay strong, it’s almost over.”
Marcus continued to navigate them through the blackness. Celine noted the tiny traces of their last trip through the in-between that he followed. After twenty minutes, they approached a shimmering rainbow. Celine figured it was their own time band, given that their trail ended.
“This is it,” Marcus confirmed. “As you realize, this will not be comfortable. You may want to warn your friends.”
Celine nodded. “Okay, this is our time band. We just need to pass through the kaleidoscope and back into our time band. It’s not an easy transition through. It will be painful. Whatever you do, do not stop walking until you are through.” Michael and Damien nodded. “You two go first. We’ll come behind you.”
Damien shook his head. “No,” he argued. “We’re not leaving you here with him. No way.”
“Damien, please. We can’t go together. You must go first. I won’t leave you here.”
“Celine, no! He could… abscond with you to another time band and we’ll never find you.”
Marcus rolled his eyes. “I am not going to abscond with anyone.”
“See!” Celine said.
“See what? He’s a serial liar. Who just kidnapped you, I might add,” Damien countered.
“Even if he did, he gave Gray a concoction to pull me back if anything happens. So, even if that happens, you could get me back!”
“Yeah right, like I believe that,” Michael said. “He probably gave Gray something to make sure you disappear forever.”
Celine sighed, frustrated. “Even if any of this is the case, it is still safer for me to go last. I can come back from an Alterra realm on my own. You cannot.” Damien and Michael glanced at each other. “Don’t even start. No more arguing. You’ll go through the portal first, and that is final.”
“But…” Damien began.
“No! No buts.” She turned them toward the rainbow wall. “Go!”
Michael and Damien glanced at each other. “Rock, paper, scissors?” Damien asked.
“Sure,” Michael answered. “Loser goes through first.” They extended their arms, pumping them three times before revealing their choice.
Marcus stared at them, a bizarre expression on his face. “What in the world are they doing?” he asked Celine.
“Playing ‘Rock, paper, scissors’ to figure out who will go first and who will go last.” She glanced at him. He continued to wear the confused expression as he stared at them. “It’s a game. Like flipping a coin.”
“Aw, come on!” Damien exclaimed after losing, his scissors broken by Michael’s rock.
“Good luck, buddy,” Michael answered, clapping him on his back. “See you on the flip side.”
Damien nodded to him. “See you in the real world.” He turned to Celine, “See you in a minute, right?”
Celine nodded to him. “See you soon, D.”
Damien turned toward the shimmering rainbow barrier. He took a deep breath, swallowing hard. He lifted his foot, taking his first step toward his world.
Present day, Bucksville, Original Timeline
Millie leapt from her seat across the room.
“What’s wrong?” Gray questioned.
“Something is happening,” Millie answered. She raced to the monitors near Damien, reading them. His heart rate is spiking as though he’s experiencing severe pain. But his temperature has raised slightly.”
Moments later, Alexander entered. “Millie, something is happening with Michael,” he reported.
“Is it his heart rate?”
“Yes,” Alexander confirmed. “It’s spiking.”
“So is Damien’s. Let me check Michael’s temperature.” Millie disappeared from the room with Alexander. She returned moments later.
“Well?” Gray asked.
“Michael’s temperature is rising, too.”
“What does that mean?” Gray asked.
“Could they be returning?” Alexander suggested.
“What about Celine and Marcus?” Gray questioned.
Millie checked their vitals. “No change in either of them.”
“Something’s wrong,” Gray replied.
“We don’t know that,” Alexander answered. “She would have sent Michael and Damien first. She’d never have left either of them with Marcus.”
“No, she wouldn’t,” Gray agreed, tightening his grip on the red vial. “Even if it meant her own demise, she wouldn’t have.” He glanced at the vial.
Alexander noticed his gaze. “Don’t, Gray. We don’t possess any information about the contents of that vial, nor can we trust it does what Northcott says it does. Give her time.”
Gray shook his head, disagreeing, but relented. “Fine, but if there is even the slightest indication that she is in distress, no one will stop me from using this.”
Gray paced the room while Millie kept a close watch on the monitors, scurrying between both rooms to continue to monitor both men. Within fifteen minutes, nothing had changed except the temperatures of Michael and Damien, both continuing to rise.
Gray rested his eyes on Celine, still motionless in her chair. She showed no signs of return, no increased heart rate or rising temperature. His fingers tightened on the vial containing the red liquid.
Twenty more minutes passed. The tension in the room grew thick. Finally, Damien began to groan. “Damien?” Gray questioned, racing to his bedside. “Damien, can you hear us?”
“Easy, Gray,” Millie cautioned. “He is becoming more responsive. I’d say he’s returning to us but let his body do it on its own time.”
Gray glanced across the room. “What about Celine?” he cried. “There’s no change in her. Something is wrong. She can’t still be there. There’s no reason for her to be. She should be returning, too.”
“I’m beginning to agree that something is off,” Alexander chimed in. “Michael’s condition changed moments after Damien’s. If it indicates their return, most likely, Celine followed after them, or should have. But, perhaps, we are misinterpreting the situation.”
Gray stared at the red vial in his hand. “I have to use it,” he surmised.
“Gray, no. What if they are not returning? If you pull Celine back before she’s achieved her goal of rescuing Damien and Michael, it could be disastrous!” Alexander cautioned.
“Both Michael and Damien appear to be improving. It stands to reason they are returning. Then, Celine should be, too. She’s not because something is wrong.”
“Gray, we have no clue either of those are the case. Nor do we have any idea what’s in that vial!” Alexander w
arned.
Gray weighed the options. “We may have no choice. If we allow Celine to slip away, we may lose her for good. And if she disappears, we’ve doomed Michael and Damien, as well,” Gray assessed. He uncorked the top, approaching Celine.
“Gray, wait,” Alexander advised, barring Gray from accessing Celine’s limp form. “What if it doesn’t draw her back?”
Gray glanced between Alexander and Celine. “What’s the difference? She’s not coming back now as it is.” He pushed past Alexander’s arm. He yanked Celine’s hand from Marcus’, tilted her head back and poured the red liquid down her throat. Alexander approached, and they waited with bated breath for her to recover.
Across the room, Damien groaned again, thrashing his head back and forth on the pillow. Without warning, Celine gasped, shooting upright in her seat. Her eyes opened, and she choked to catch her breath.
“Celine!” Gray shouted, racing to her side. “Celine, are you all right?” He cupped her face in his hands, staring into her eyes.
Celine caught her breath. “Yes. I’m fine. Damien?”
“Not awake yet, but he has been becoming more responsive,” Millie reported. “And his body temperature is rising, as is Michael’s.”
“He should have been back before me,” Celine answered, her brow furrowing with concern. She leapt from the chair, rushing to his side. She took his hand in hers. “D? D, come back!”
Marcus gasped, awakening a moment later. He glanced around the room as he caught his breath. “Isn’t anyone going to welcome me back?” he asked, standing from his chair.
“No,” Gray answered, grabbing him by the collar. “I had to give Celine the red vial to revive her, and neither Damien nor Michael are back yet. What have you done? What the hell are you trying to pull, Northcott?”
Marcus pushed Gray away, slamming him against the far wall. “I have done nothing,” he responded. “The red vial worked as intended, did it not? I have no idea why the others haven’t awoken.”
Gray leapt to his feet, ready to attack. “Tell me why you and Celine remained unresponsive when Michael and Damien were already in the process of returning?”
“Stop it!” Celine shouted.
“Yes, please stop,” Mille answered. “This may be for the best.”
“For the best?” Celine queried.
“Yes. Their temperatures are rising, but their heart rates are high, and they are still below their normal body temperature. This may be their bodies’ way of protecting them. Like a coma. They may only awaken once their bodies have normalized.”
Celine nodded. Gray straightened his blazer, shooting a menacing glance at Marcus as he approached Celine, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Let’s hope Millie is correct,” Gray said to her. He turned to Marcus. “Your work is finished here. You should leave.”
“I’d prefer to stay to see my work through until the end,” Marcus countered.
Gray began to answer, but Celine responded first. “Let him stay. In case we need him,” she murmured, her eyes remaining fixed on Damien.
Marcus stalked to the armchair, taking a seat as he smirked at Gray. Celine squeezed Damien’s hand. “Come on, D,” she whispered to him. “Wake up.”
They spent another twenty minutes on edge before Damien began to groan. Celine gasped, inching closer to him. “D? Damien?” she prodded. He continued to moan, moving his head back and forth on the pillow. Within a few moments, he opened his eyes. “Damien?” Celine questioned. “Can you hear me?”
He glanced around the room, focusing on Celine. “Hey,” he breathed, his voice soft and shaky.
“Hey,” Celine answered, a smile crossing her face as tears formed in her eyes.
“I had the weirdest dream,” Damien muttered.
“I’ll bet you did,” Celine answered.
“Is it cold in here or is it me?” Damien questioned, shivering.
“It’s you,” Celine assured him. “Your body temperature dropped. We’ll get you another blanket.”
Alexander burst through the door. “Michael is awake.”
“I’ll go to him,” Millie answered, following Alexander to Michael’s room.
“Michael?” Damien questioned, trying to sit up.
“It’s all right, D,” Celine assured him. “Rest. It’s fine. You need to recuperate.”
“But…” Damien argued, glancing around. His eyes grew wide. He gasped, stuttering and pointing toward Marcus. “Ah… Ah… Ah… bad guy… him… Duke… there…” he gasped out.
Marcus rolled his eyes at him.
“Yes, D. We know he’s there. It’s all right. Don’t panic.”
“But… but…” Damien stammered.
“D, it’s fine. He’s here because he helped us. You and Michael were trapped in Alterra, an alternate reality. We needed to retrieve you from there. Marcus helped us.”
“Helped? Him?!” Damien exclaimed.
“Yes, Marcus helped us,” Celine responded. “Relax, D. Everything is all right.”
Damien glanced around, staring at Marcus for a while, a frown on his face. “Everything is all right? You sure? Like everything is normal, right? You married Gray in the 1700s and you were Josie and everything, right?”
Celine smiled, patting his hand. “Yes,” she answered. “Yes, you’re back in normal time. I married Gray after you helped me that night in Martinique. I was Josie, you’re my cousin. My adopted mom’s name is Monica. Convinced?”
Damien laid his head back on the pillow. “Just making sure.” He shot a glance toward Marcus.
“Do you mind if I go check on Michael for a moment?”
“No. In fact, I’d prefer you did then let me know how he is.”
“Okay,” Celine agreed, kissing his forehead. “Be right back.” Celine exited the room, heading next door to Michael’s room. Alexander greeted her as she entered.
“Hey,” she said to Michael. “How are you feeling?”
“A little fuzzy. Like I was dreaming. Something tells me from everyone’s reaction, I wasn’t just experiencing a long nap with a creepy nightmare.”
Celine shook her head. “No such luck, sorry.”
Michael stared at the ceiling for a moment. “How’s Damien? Were we really in another time band?”
“Yep,” Celine assured him. “That pulse sent both you and Damien all the way to Alterra, an alternate time band. Damien’s doing okay, he’s awake and recovering.”
“Wow,” Michael replied, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m glad we’re back. I hated it there.”
Celine chuckled. “Things were very different, huh?”
“Very,” Michael assured her. “I’m glad to be home.”
“And we’re glad to have you back,” Celine declared, squeezing his hand. They sat for another moment before Celine excused herself to return to Damien’s room.
“Hey, tell him I said hi.”
“Will do,” Celine promised. She returned to Damien’s room.
“Well?” Damien inquired as she entered the room.
“He’s okay,” Celine answered, climbing onto the bed with Damien and covering him with another blanket. “He was concerned about you. He has a hazy memory, too.”
“Yeah, about that,” Damien responded. “It’s coming back to me. It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
“No,” she responded with a shake of her head. “Sorry, D. That was all real.”
“And it was some kind of alternate reality?”
Celine nodded her head. “Yes. It was a different time band, one where things happened differently than they did here. Different choices were made, different events were set in motion.”
Damien nodded as he spoke. “You aren’t kidding,” Damien agreed.
“Do you remember everything that happened?” Celine asked.
Damien nodded. “Yeah, yep.” He glanced at her.
“We don’t have to talk about it,” Celine assured him.
“It’s okay. I just… it was really weird. You were so weird, nothi
ng like you. I’m so glad to be home and back with the real you,” he replied, reaching out to embrace her.
Celine pulled him into her arms. “It’s okay, D. You’re home now.” She hugged him tight.
They sat for a few more minutes together, Celine held Damien’s hand. “Well, it appears all is well,” Gray said. “Which means you can leave.” He pointed to Marcus.
Marcus stood. “Why, thank you, Marcus, for saving the lives of my loved ones. I am so grateful for your help,” he mocked.
Celine kissed Damien’s cheek and climbed off the bed. “I’ll be right back, D. Try to get some rest.” She walked toward Marcus. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.” She squeezed Gray’s arm. “Stay with Damien, please.”
“Celine…” Gray began.
“Gray, please,” she answered.
He kissed her forehead. “All right. Don’t be too long.”
“I won’t be,” she promised.
Celine and Marcus departed the room. They navigated through the halls and downstairs to the foyer.
“Well, I suppose I am once again persona non grata in these halls now that my services are no longer required,” Marcus mentioned as they approached the door.
Celine gazed at him. “Thank you, Marcus.”
He glanced to her. “I’ll never understand what it is you see in these individuals, Celine. They are most irritating.”
She took his hand. “I mean it. Thank you. You saved their lives. And that means a lot to me. I appreciate your help. I will never forget it.”
He didn’t speak for a moment. “Well, it did remove me from that dreadful Shadow World, so I suppose it was to my advantage. Looks like I am free to roam the Earth again.”
Celine held back rolling her eyes at his response. “I suppose this is as good a time as any to tell you,” she said.
“To tell me what?” Marcus inquired.
“You aren’t exactly free.”
He furrowed his brow, turning to face her. “What do you mean?”
“When I spoke with the adjudicator and it agreed to allow you to return to Earth…” Celine paused.
“Yes?” Marcus prompted.
“It gave me the marker for your soul.” Celine held up the black stone representing her possession of his soul.
Gone: A Shadow Slayers Story (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 3) Page 32
