Alix closed his eyes and let the sun warm his face. He cautiously took a step, firmly holding the railing. When he thought he went the right distance, he opened his eyes. Inches in front of his feet was a small fountain bubbling quietly. Swimming slowly inside, three large goldfish looked up as he leaned forward to sprinkle some food.
“You are doing great. It’s good to see you aren’t spending another day in bed.”
Alix turned, reaching for the railing. “Who’s there?”
“Sorry to scare you.” Orex moved out of the shadow of the trees surrounding the garden where he was reading. “You are walking much better.” He pocketed his book and watched the fish eating.
“Who are you?” Alix’s face was still puffy from a recent fall, and his vision was blurry. “Come any closer, and I promise you, I will hurt you.” He shook his fist in the air as he tried to locate the voice.
“Alix, it’s me.” Orex moved forward to within feet of him.
Alix squinted and leaned closer. “Alin?”
Orex frowned and put his hands out. “He’s not here, friend. It’s Orex.”
“Where are we?” Alix grabbed Orex’s hands tightly. “Take me home.”
“You are home.” Orex put his arm around Alix and smiled. “Are you ready for lunch?”
“Then you’ll take me home?” Alix shuffled slowly toward the house, leaning heavily on Orex.
“I promise, we will go home as soon as we can.” Orex was breathing heavily by the time they both arrived at the house. “Sit on the steps, and I will get you something to drink.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Alix tapped his fingers on the marble steps while he waited.
Orex went inside and filled two glasses with cold water. On the return trip, a sharp pain in his chest brought him to his knees, gasping for air. Water spilled, glass broke, and he died.
“It’s raining again.” Faith looked out of the window and sighed. “I can’t take much more of this.” She turned and sat down on the only chair in the room. “Are you listening to me?”
Petrose rolled over and looked at her. “Yes, I’m listening.” He stretched and sat up.
“What do you want to do today?” Petrose said.
“Oh, I see. It’s your turn to be sarcastic.”
“You started it by commenting about the rain.”
She stood up and looked out of the window again. “Do you think Farah and Chad are still alive?”
Petrose rubbed his eyes and sneezed. “This cold is going to be the death of me.”
Faith began crying. “If I have to go through this alone, I would go insane. You never answered my question.”
“They are fine.” Petrose hoped he was right. “They must have made it.”
“Made it where?” She turned and sat down next to him. “When will they come for us?”
He looked at her short red hair and then stroked the side of her face. “At least your hair is starting to look good again.”
She knocked his hand away and screamed. “Answer my questions!”
He looked at the floor and frowned. “I already have,” he mumbled. “Every day you ask the same thing, and every day I tell you the same thing.”
“If they split us up again, I know I will never see you again.”
“Stop it, do you hear me?” He locked eyes with her. “Do not let this drive us apart or crazy. Chad and Farah knew what they were doing. It’s only been two weeks. They should be back in a few days with help.”
Faith smiled. “I am so glad you are holding it together.”
“I’m only doing it because you are falling apart.”
“What about the others?”
Petrose scratched his head and closed his eyes. “Four months, right?” He opened his eyes and coughed.
“I think so.”
“Dack would never give up, and neither would Theterm. That bird lady told us so. I have to be honest, I don’t understand all that Whisperers of Lore nonsense, but someone will come.” Petrose stood up and looked out of the window. “At least the rain makes the ground soft.”
They both turned when a small panel on the wall opened. “Do you think the four of you can behave?” The voice was deep and echoed loudly.
Faith walked over to the panel and looked through. “We promise, no more tricks.” She could see the outline of several bodies standing outside of the cell, but it was too dark for any detail. “Please let us stay together.”
The panel closed, and then the door opened. Faith stepped back and held her breath. Farah and Chad’s bodies were thrown into the room. Each was inside a clear bag so that only their head was outside. Around their necks was a thin wire collar that looked painfully tight.
“When the bags dissolve, they will wake up,” a robotic guard voice said flatly.
The door slammed shut, and the lights dimmed.
“Drag them over by the window,” Faith told Petrose after she couldn’t move either one.
Petrose gently moved both by the window and then sat on the chair. “They both look completely human. I thought Farah hated looking like that.”
“She does.” Faith kneeled down and tried tearing the bags. “What are they made of? You try.”
“You heard what the guard said. Sit still and wait.”
Petrose got comfortable and closed his eyes. Faith leaned against the wall and watched over her friends.
Nearly two hours later, Faith heard a hissing noise from Farah’s bag. A small hole near one of the seams was releasing a rather foul-smelling odor. Chad’s bag began doing the same, and within minutes, both bags were noticeably deflated. By the time Faith was able to tear the bags open, Farah and Chad began opening their eyes.
“Wake up, Petrose,” she said as she helped the others.
“They really need a bath.” Petrose rubbed his nose. “Good to see you both. What happened?”
Farah looked at Chad and motioned for him to speak.
“Fine, I’ll tell them.” Chad said as he looked at his hands and shook his head. “There is nothing outside of these walls. Absolutely nothing for miles.” He looked at Farah and pointed. “She thought it was better to return than to die out there.”
Farah cleared her throat and tugged on the new collar around her neck. “We had no choice.” She slammed her fist on the floor and then winced in pain. “That hurt a lot.”
“What happened to your fur coats?” Petrose laughed. “Did you lose them in the escape?”
“Actually, we did,” Chad admitted. “That was the part of the plan that worked. The guards weren’t looking for two humans matching our description. They were hoping to catch a rat and boar. We slipped out in the confusion you two made and kept running.”
“You don’t mind staying like that?” Faith asked Farah.
“I’m not sure why we still look like this. We turned back as soon as we were clear. It must have been something they did to us when we returned. They sure did a lot of testing on us.” Farah looked at her hand that was still throbbing. “Might be this new necklace, but I sure hope it is temporary.”
The small panel next to the door slid open again. “Get ready for work,” the voice boomed.
They all groaned and walked over to the door and leaned against the wall.
“Ready,” they called in unison.
After the panel closed, the door opened, and they walked down a barely lit tunnel with other cell doors lining both sides. There was a guard in front of the group and one behind. After their daily walk came to an end, they waited against another wall.
“I did not miss this.” Chad waved at the security cameras that were watching them.
“This is not going to be easy if I don’t change back,” Farah said nervously. “They already think we aren’t working hard enough.”
“I’ll do what you did and you do what I did. Problem solved.” Chad waved Farah into silence when she tried to protest. “No more talking until we arrive.”
A loud buzzer signaled them to open the door in front of them to begin work.
“Faith, are you ready?” Petrose asked as he held the door open.
Faith kissed Petrose on the cheek as she passed by. “It’s raining again,” she said as she walked outside.
They all laughed and tried to forget how miserable life had become.
“Wake up again.” Jory stood over Theterm’s lifeless body, waiting for him to become conscious.
When Theterm’s eyelids fluttered, Jory smiled and sat down next to him. “Welcome back.”
You must tell them! Theterm opened his eyes and looked at Jory who was furrowing his brow in confusion. Theterm turned his head frantically, trying to look around the room. Where is she?
“Were you dreaming?”
What did you do to Laird?
Jory rubbed his chin and leaned closer. “I haven’t seen Laird since she began betraying me on Storality.”
She was just here. She tried to kill me.
Jory stifled a laugh. “What would that accomplish?”
Theterm found it hard to concentrate. I don’t know. Maybe it was a dream.
Jory poked Theterm on the head. “You’ve been through so much. There is only one more thing I need you to remember, and then I will let you go.” Jory stood and walked over to the machine.
Why did you send me back?
Jory turned and looked at Theterm. “What?”
After all my mistakes, why did you let me return to Storality?
“Nothing really matters.”
What is that supposed to mean?
“I have almost completed Lyssa’s work.”
I do not understand, what does she have to do with this? She’s dead.
Jory closed his eyes and breathed slowly to regain his composure. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Theterm was trying to speak. “As long as you are connected to this machine, you have no hope of opening a Way, so save your strength.”
Well, what about Lyssa?
“Contrary to what Laird might have told you, Lyssa is not dead.”
Theterm smiled. Believe what you want.
Jory slammed his fist down next to Theterm’s head. “I have heard her calling to me.”
In your head?
“Yes.”
Recently?
“Yes.”
Theterm tried to shrug his shoulders with little success. So what?
“When I complete her work, like I said, none of your mistakes will matter. Even if she is dead, I can change that. I can stop her from leaving.”
What do you need me for?
“I need you to remember something you might have forgotten. I told you that already.” Jory reached over to the machine and flipped a switch. “I need you to remember the last time you saw Lyssa.”
Theterm felt his body quiver, and then he was reliving a memory again. This time, he saw Lyssa standing next to Zara.
“I’m back,” Theterm said as he walked across the room slowly. His body ached, and he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the lab.
“What happened to you?” Zara asked. “You look older.”
“He’s been away, isn’t that right?” Lyssa said putting her arm around Theterm’s shoulder.
“You could say that. How’re the experiments going?” Theterm moved next to Zara and looked over his shoulder. “Aren’t you finished with those things?”
“Lyssa made them fly.” Zara could hardly control himself as he held a cage up to Theterm.
Theterm turned his head and pushed it away. “That’s okay, I don’t need to see them that close. How did you do it?”
We can’t talk with him around, he still doesn’t know everything yet. Lyssa pulled Theterm by the arm. “We can talk about that later. We’ll see you later, Zara.”
Zara looked up, waved, and quickly went back to studying the insects.
Lyssa led Theterm out of the lab and into a small room. She closed the door behind them and sat down in a chair behind a large desk. “Have a seat.”
Theterm looked around the office and then sat down. “What is going on?”
“I am working on something big.” Lyssa leaned forward and whispered, “Really big.” She sat back and put her hands behind her head.
“What is it?” Theterm looked at Lyssa and marveled at how beautiful she looked. “Can you tell me?”
“I have been working with two others to control the aging process. Zara is doing the work and doesn’t even know it.” She played with some paper on her desk. “Isn’t that amazing?”
“The fact you are tricking my friend or the end result?” Theterm crossed his leg and tied his shoe. “Is Jory involved?”
“Of course.”
“Who else?”
“Laird.”
Theterm nodded. “I like her. A little bit intense, but nice.”
“We will be entering the final testing phase while you wait to return home.” She folded her hands and stared at Theterm. “There is something you must know.”
Theterm uncrossed his leg and leaned forward. “What?”
“We will need you to help Zara with the last test. It will be very stressful, but with you by his side, I am confident that he will be fine, and the project will end in success. Are you willing to help while you wait?” She smiled, and Theterm could only nod in agreement. “Good.”
“What are you going to do to top that one?”
Lyssa stood up and took a black book down from the highest shelf. Its cover had gold lettering, as did the page edges. “Jory would kill me for showing you this before him, but I do have an idea. Promise never to tell him?”
Theterm laughed. “I try never to speak to him. What is this?”
Lyssa opened the book, flipped through it, and put her finger on a page. “I have found a Way that I want to explore, but you can’t tell anyone.”
“Why?” Theterm tried to see the name, but it was under Lyssa’s finger. What he could view was written in a language he had never seen before.
“I am also working on another project that the others know about, but this piece I was keeping secret. This world, I believe, is proof that it will work.” She looked at Theterm. “Time does not flow there.”
Theterm stood up and tapped the side of his head. “Right. Fast and slow, I sort of understand. Always forward and never backward. Wouldn’t you get stuck if you went there?”
“If the Way was kept open, I could come and go with no problem.” She watched Theterm digesting the information.
“Yes, but then the flow would match. So either both would stop, or both would be the same speed. You would have to open it, hope it didn’t stop in both, go through, and close it.” Theterm scratched the back of his neck. “If there was someone to open it again from this side, you could escape.”
“Who can I trust?” She frowned while she thought.
“Are you kidding me?”
“No, I’m not. Jory already gave you another assignment.”
Theterm sat down roughly on the worn furniture. “Why did you tell me then?”
“I thought you would be interested.”
He rubbed his temples and looked at the floor. “I am.”
“I am working on the aging project to give you back what you lost.” Lyssa walked around the desk and sat next to Theterm. “I have been trying very hard to do everything so Jory doesn’t figure out what is happening.” She ran her fingers through his hair.
“Are you ever going to tell him?” Theterm looked up at Lyssa. “He deserves the truth.”
“He would kill you.”
Theterm stood up and walked to the door. “If you are not going to tell me the name of the Way and you are not going to tell Jory about us, then I might as well go back to my shackles in the dark.” He opened the door and looked at her one last time before exiting and closing the door quietly.
All around Theterm, the memory faded, and he was left with a deep desire to go back and relive those last moments again. He opened his eyes and saw Jory moving over to sit down.
“I don’t know how you managed to fake that memory, but I want to know what really happened.” Jory was obviously upset.
Theterm felt sorry for Jory. She never told you?
“Stop the deception.”
You think I made that up?
“She loved me.”
Theterm sighed. I am sorry you had to find out like this.
Jory picked up a glass and threw it across the room. Shattered pieces flew everywhere as he seethed. “What is the name of the Way?”
She wouldn’t tell me. Didn’t you see it was covered?
“Where is that book?”
You sent me to Storality after I served the rest of my sentence. Zara was one of the few other people I had any contact with. I never saw it again.
Jory stood up and walked to the machine. “How did you trick this?” He tapped the machine and then pulled on some of the wires. “How?”
What part don’t you believe?
“There is no way she would trust you with all that information.”
But she did.
“What about Laird?” Jory moved next to Theterm.
What are you asking?
“Does Laird have the book? Did she ever talk about where Lyssa went?”
Theterm thought about Jory’s questions. Not that I can remember.
“Do you have anything else to tell me?”
I want you to let me go and leave my friends alone.
“I did say something about doing that, didn’t I?” Jory leaned close to Theterm. “That was before I found out you really did not know anything,” Jory whispered. He flicked him on the head, flipped the switch, and left after Theterm was still.