Laird stepped out of the hub’s control room after carefully hiding Jory’s device and waited for the others to notice. They were busy looking around the sparse metal room wondering what was going to happen next. When she cleared her throat in an obvious attempt to get them focused on her, they stopped talking and stood in front of her. “Thanks for waiting. It’s time that each of you go your separate way. Are there any questions?”
“I don’t understand why you are being so secretive.” Alin crossed his arms and stared at Laird.
“Maggie, could you come closer and stand in front of me, please?” Laird had hoped to skip a demonstration but knew the group needed to better understand the upcoming danger.
Maggie looked at the others and then slowly moved to where Laird directed.
“Turn around and face your friends.” Laird motioned kindly while trying to remain calm.
“Why?” Maggie pursed her lips and squinted at Laird.
“Alin asked a question, and you are going to answer it for him.” Laird grabbed Maggie by the shoulders and turned her around roughly. “Okay, thanks. I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer it truthfully.”
Maggie tried to squirm free, but Laird held her in place.
“Ready?”
Maggie nodded.
“Good. Tell everyone here what you really think of Fixx.”
Maggie’s body shook as she tried to stop from laughing out loud. “What kind of question is that?” Maggie looked at Fixx who was grinning.
“Fine.” Laird closed her eyes and gripped Maggie tighter.
“I think I can learn to love him.” Maggie heard the words coming out of her mouth but couldn’t stop speaking. “But he needs to grow up first.” She wiggled out of Laird’s grip and fell to her knees.
“Does that answer your question, Alin?” Laird saw the others were not happy with the performance, but no one spoke up. “Maggie, please forgive me.”
Fixx helped Maggie up and winked at Laird.
“Lucan might be able to break the bond, Dack can’t be controlled, but the rest of you are vulnerable. Even I am at risk. We are at war with the Alkaskre, so you need to know what you are up against.”
“So what can you tell us?” Lucan asked.
“Fixx and Maggie need to bring back something from their world.” Laird took a small plastic card from her pocket and handed it to Fixx. From another pocket she handed Maggie a needle-shaped piece of the Way from her home. “Push yourselves to the king, give him the card, and bring back what he gives you.”
Fixx and Maggie put the items away. “I will behave if I have to,” Fixx confessed, and Maggie blushed.
“The rest of you need to rescue Alix and Orex. Once everyone is here, we can discuss what to do next.” Laird put her hands on her hips and waited. “Any other questions?” She could tell they all wanted to know more, but no one spoke up. “Ghera, I need to talk to you in private.”
Ghera frowned and followed Laird away from the others.
“You don’t want me to go, do you?” Ghera said.
Laird looked at Ghera and shook her head slowly. “Have you really changed?”
Ghera didn’t understand the question but had something to say anyway. “I want to go home when this is over. Not where Theterm put the rest of my kind. I want to go home. Is that something you can do?”
“No.” Laird shrugged. “There is one that can make that happen though. He is the only one that knows the name of the Way. Now I want to tell you something, and that is why I asked if you have changed. I know you still have the medicine the others have taken.”
Ghera looked shocked but then sneered. “So?”
“I am counting on you using it to get what you want, so do not waste it. There will be good uses for it, but wait, you’ll know when the time is right.” Laird could tell Ghera did not understand. “That is the last one, so use it selfishly.”
“You can count on that.”
Laird smiled. “Good, you might get home.”
Laird walked over to the others, and they watched her open a Way to observe. When they looked through, it was snowing heavily and the landscape was blanketed beautifully.
“You can see the house in the distance, but I am not sure if Alix and Orex are the only ones there, so be careful. Ready?” Laird said.
“I think so,” Lucan said looking at Alin and Ghera.
“Good.” Laird closed the Way and opened it again so both sides could use it. “Make sure this Way does not get closed, do you understand?”
“Why?” Lucan asked.
“The snow is all gone.” Alin pointed and the others looked. “How much time has passed?”
“You all need to go now.” Laird pushed Ghera through the Way. “Remember to bring back everything they took with them too.”
She turned toward Maggie and Fixx after the others were gone. “Now, it’s your turn.”
“I’m ready, how about you?” Fixx looked at Maggie.
“He’s going to get on my nerves the whole time because of your little stunt,” Maggie muttered to Laird. “You owe me one.”
Laird opened another Way to observe Fixx and Maggie’s world.
“Something is wrong. That’s not our world.” Fixx stuck out his tongue. “Is that water?”
“Our water was not brown and bubbly like that. What’s going on?” Maggie looked at Laird. “Did you get it right?”
Laird tapped her nose and whistled shrilly. “They did it.”
“You said the Alkaskre were trying to destroy our world, what did they do?” Maggie demanded.
“It’s only a guess, but they probably raised the temperature enough to melt the ice your world had across the globe. I have seen them do that before. We can’t keep the Way open or the water will flood this place.” Laird clenched her fists and then relaxed. “It won’t matter.”
“What?” Maggie asked.
“Your world’s time flows so much faster, so it’ll be okay to close it. When you are done, use our bond to tell me, and I’ll open the Way for you. Make sure you can do it now. Okay?” Laird waited.
Can you hear me? Maggie made a strange face while she was trying.
Laird laughed. “You can practice doing it so no one will know by your expression.
“What was that anyway?” Fixx asked closing one eye and shaking his head while puffing out his cheeks.
You are right, he will be annoying the whole time, sorry.
Maggie snorted, and Fixx pointed at Laird. “What are you saying about me in that empty head of yours?” He scuffed his foot on the ground and huffed. “Great, now you both have another way to make fun of me.”
Laird kneeled down in front of Fixx. “Please stay focused so we can all meet back here soon, okay?”
Fixx sulked.
“Anyway, you can pass through now, and I’ll close it,” Laird said.
“How deep is that nasty stuff ?” Fixx asked, very concerned.
“It is probably only up to your waist.” Laird guessed, trying not to sound concerned.
“Great.” Fixx took a couple of deep breaths and walked through the Way with Maggie right behind him.
As soon as they crossed, Laird shut the Way. Is everything okay? Laird asked.
This is so disgusting, Maggie replied.
I will wait for you to tell me to open the Way, Laird concluded.
“I wish the water was only waist-deep.” Fixx looked around nervously. “Can your feet touch the bottom?”
“No, but that doesn’t matter.” Maggie swam closer to him. “We can push ourselves to the king and be done real fast. Ready?”
“What if that place is underwater too?” He felt something hit his leg. “We have to get out of here quickly.”
“I agree, but where then?” She saw bubbles starting to surface all around them. “Fixx, what is that?” She pointed and he turned to see. “Where do you want to go?”
“Have you ever gone to—” Fixx disappeared underwater.
Maggie began kicking wildly, trying to feel for him. “Fixx, this had better not be one of your little jokes.” She turned frantically for any signs of him. “Come on, Fixx, this is not funny.”
More bubbles nearby made her hopeful until something else appeared. In front of her stood something that looked like her kind, but bloated and deformed. Its mouth was moving, but muck poured out instead of words. Moving slowly toward her, it reached out, trying to grab her with gray wrinkly fingers. She moved away but heard splashing behind her. Another thing surfaced, and she knew it was time to leave.
She put her hand in her pocket and carefully removed the scraping from the Way that Laird had given her. To her left, she saw Fixx emerge, gasping for breath while punching something in the water. For the briefest of moments, she believed everything was going to be okay until something pulled her underwater. Not being ready, she screamed, filling her lungs with the filth and debris from the brackish water. The needle she was holding sunk slowly when her grip failed.
Fixx pushed one of the things off him and dove where Maggie had gone under. He grabbed something and pulled hard until he was above the water again. She was now floating on her back unconscious but unharmed. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a throwing knife and splashed the water aggressively. “Back off,” he snarled at the other things that were slowly closing in on them. “Wake up and get us out of here. Please,” he said softly to her.
A loud boom made him flinch, and he saw one of the things sink slowly back into the water. The others paused until another one dropped following a similar noise. Without further incident, the rest backed away and disappeared into the darkness of the nauseating water. He turned and could see something was approaching.
“I was hoping it was you,” a voice called. “I’ve been waiting a very long time.”
Fixx smiled when he saw Omeran paddling toward him on a raft. “Where are the others?”
“It’s just Maggie and I. Help me get her out of this water.”
Omeran leaned over and pulled Maggie while Fixx pushed her onto the raft.
Fixx climbed on and then breathed deeply. “What are those things?”
Omeran took off his thick glasses, wiped them, and put them back on again. “They are what’s become of our people.” He blinked a few times and then sat down. “We need to get out of here before the Alkaskre spot us or those things regain their courage.” He handed Fixx a paddle, and they set off toward safety.