Dack stood up and took a deep breath. He looked around his tiny home and smiled fondly at all the familiar sights. Slowly opening the door, he looked out and saw something hovering over Theterm’s keep. A grin formed on Dack’s face at the thought of seeing Theterm again. It had only been several days, but so much had happened in the meantime.
As he approached Theterm’s keep, Dack could see there was a horse tied to a post outside. Knowing that was strange, he removed his dagger and held it tightly as he continued forward. Voices could be heard inside as he neared the entrance. Peering around the corner, Dack could see what looked like a huge spider and a human in tattered clothes, pointing up at the object hanging noiselessly above.
Deciding that he could either safely escape, or push them away with the piece from the Way, Dack walked out into the open and waited to be noticed. Sicar turned quickly and saw Dack.
“Dack has arrived,” Sicar announced to Zara.
“I’m sorry,” Dack said, looking at the pair, “Do I know you?”
Zara moved closer and stopped when Dack made it obvious that he was armed. “I am Theterm’s friend,” Zara blurted out putting his hands up. “You really should put that away.”
“Put your hands down,” Sicar demanded. “He’s not here to hurt us.”
Zara looked over his shoulder at Sicar and then put his hands down slowly. Sicar stood up, wrapped his limbs around himself, and motioned for Dack to come closer.
“I think I’ll stand right here for now.” Dack smirked. “Tell me what you are both doing here.”
“Jory hired us to kill Theterm,” Zara summarized. “This is the second time he’s asked Sicar though.”
“You said you were his friend,” Dack said, pointing his dagger at Zara.
Zara stepped back and smiled. “I am, but he has a lot of apologizing to do.”
“Unless we can figure out how to get him out of that ship, none of our reasons for being here will matter. Any ideas?” Sicar asked.
Dack looked at both of them and decided to put away his dagger. He shielded his eyes and looked up at the gleaming metal object. The glass part of the ship above caught his attention.
“Laird said we should be able to get him out of there. It looks like there’s some sort of window on it.” Dack looked at Zara, who was frowning. “Is there a problem?”
“You are working with someone named Laird?” Zara asked.
“Yes, she is trying to stop Jory. Do you know her?” Dack wondered.
“It doesn’t matter, Zara, let it go until Theterm is out of that thing.” Sicar walked around looking up. “I think the ship is turning slightly up there, like it is watching me.”
“Maybe Theterm can see us.” Dack walked over to Sicar and waved his arms in the air. As he was doing that, there was a gentle hissing sound, and the object descended slowly until it landed.
Zara stood behind the others and watched as Theterm looked at them through the glass. He tapped on it and then shrugged.
Sicar walked around the ship and then crawled carefully on top of it. He banged hard on its hull and examined it closely. “I don’t see any seams. There’s no way inside.”
“What about your venom? Do you think it’s strong enough to eat through the metal?” Zara asked, scratching his head.
Sicar jumped down and stood close to Zara. “If that thing was made of flesh, it might do some damage.”
“What about the glass then? Can you break it?” Zara asked, knocking on it.
Dack motioned for Theterm to step back as he hit the glass with the hilt of his dagger. Although there was an impressive thudding sound, no damage was visible. He tried it several more times until the vibrations made his arm numb. “I don’t think there’s even a scratch on it,” he said, wiping the area he had pummeled.
Zara moved close and looked at the ship. He noticed that there was a thick black strip around the edge of the glass. Pulling on it, he smiled and looked at Dack. “If you can cut through this, then the window will fall out.”
Dack took the tip of his blade and dug under the dark band, and it sliced with little effort. Zara grabbed and tugged off the strip as he waved to Theterm, who was watching with his arms crossed. Zara signaled for Theterm to push on the glass from the inside. Theterm hit it several times with no result.
“It will fall out if he takes the ship up and turns it so the glass is facing down,” Sicar said, examining the exposed edge. “Zara, show him what to do.”
Zara acted out what Sicar suggested, and Theterm understood slowly.
Theterm moved to the chair and sat down. “I want you to take the ship up into the air again.” The chair once again held him in place as the ship floated upward. “I want to see the ground through the window now.”
Slowly, the ship rotated, and Theterm could feel the pressure holding him safely. When nothing happened, he sighed. “I want you to rock the ship back and forth quickly.” There was silence and then a clicking noise as Theterm felt a slow swaying motion that began to intensify. Everything inside began bouncing around violently just before the glass slipped out of its place and fell toward Zara.
Diving out of the way, Zara managed to avoid getting crushed by the window. He took a few moments to get back up, having landed roughly on his side.
“At least it missed,” Zara said, rubbing his hip. “Come on down,” he called to Theterm.
The ship descended again, landing softly on the ground. “Get out of there now,” Sicar demanded.
“Take it easy,” Dack objected. “He’s been through a lot.”
“He’s also put us through a lot,” Zara added. “Do you know what he’s done?”
“We’ve all made mistakes.” Dack moved in front of the ship and watched Zara and Sicar coming closer. “Whatever he’s done, I’m sure he had a good reason.”
“You’ll have to excuse him,” Sicar said to Zara. “His father is a very good liar. This boy has no idea what he’s done.”
“You don’t, do you?” Zara asked Dack.
“Does it matter?” Dack held out his dagger as Sicar came within striking distance.
“It does,” Theterm said, standing behind Dack, still in the ship.
Dack turned and saw that Theterm was breathing heavily.
“I want you to know so that you don’t make the same choices,” Theterm said.
With Dack’s back turned, Sicar took the opportunity to lunge on him and hold him firmly. “Zara, please take Dack’s weapon.”
Zara moved in slowly, quickly grabbed the dagger, and rushed away from the entangled pair.
“Thank you. Now are you ready to listen without waving that thing at us?” Sicar said.
Dack nodded, and Sicar stood up, releasing his grip. “Come out now,” Sicar said to Theterm.
Theterm stepped out of the ship and smiled. “I wasn’t sure if I would ever be free of that trap. It really is good to see all of you again.” When no one commented, Theterm looked at Dack. “I was hoping to talk to you alone, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.”
Zara grabbed Theterm by the shoulders and shook him. “Why did you let them torture me for years?”
Theterm stepped back and stared at Zara. “I thought that what was to be gained was worth it.”
Zara laughed. “That’s it? What about our friendship? Didn’t any of that matter?”
Theterm looked at the ground and then at Sicar. “At that time, nothing mattered more than the approval of Jory and the love of Lyssa.”
“Don’t you mean Laird?” Sicar asked.
Theterm shook his head. “Laird had nothing to do with me tricking Zara into being eaten alive by those bugs. It was a human woman that is gone now.”
“It sounds like Jory is still trying to subtly manipulate us all. He told us that Laird was behind everything.” Sicar looked at Zara. “You said Laird was there, right?”
“Laird was around, but she wasn’t involved,” Theterm insisted. “Jory is still trying to protect Lyssa. He thinks she is still alive and has devoted his life to trying to find her.”
“Where did she go?” Dack asked.
Theterm looked at Dack and sighed. “She claimed that there was a world where time doesn’t flow at all. I believe she is there with no chance of returning. Jory is obsessed with finding the Way to that place. He was holding me prisoner, searching my memories for any clue to that world.”
“What else do you have to say for yourself?” Zara demanded.
“I don’t know what else to tell you. You and I were great friends, but I followed a path that took us in different directions.” Theterm frowned. “What the Alkaskre offered me was a chance to rule this world. It turns out that was all a lie.”
“Is everything you told me true?” Zara asked.
“Yes, this island was once the only place where anything could live. Lucan told me that others are out there trying to rebuild everything that was destroyed, but this world will never be the same again.” Theterm put his hand on Zara’s shoulder. “All our friends and family have been dead for well over one thousand years. I saved as many as I could.”
Zara pushed Theterm’s hand off of his shoulder. “What’s the point then?”
“Point?” Theterm laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“Why did the Alkaskre use me to create that medicine and”— he pointed at Sicar—“him? If there’s nothing to return to, then what’s the point?”
“This is just one world, and that’s what the Alkaskre do. They take what they want and leave behind a ravaged planet once they have it,” Sicar added. “Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“That’s why we are working with Laird. She plans to stop Jory who has been leading the Alkaskre along this dangerous course.” Dack rubbed the back of his neck. “We can use all the help we can get. Are you willing?”
“Then what?” Zara pointed the dagger at Theterm. “Who pays for all this mess?”
Theterm stepped forward so the tip of the dagger touched his chest. He looked at Zara and then at the dagger. “I’d rather have you kill me then Jory.”
Zara stepped back and put his arm down, still angrily clutching the dagger. “We both know I’m not going to do that.” Zara looked at Sicar. “What are we supposed to do?”
“I promised Jory I would hunt him down if he lied to us. I say we help them.” Sicar crouched low and flexed his legs. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a challenge.”
Zara dropped the dagger and began to walk away.
“Where is he going?” Dack asked.
“I’ll talk to him,” Theterm said as he hurried to catch up with Zara. “Zara, please wait.”
Zara stopped but did not turn around. “I need time to think.”
Theterm caught up with Zara and faced him. “We don’t have time. We need to leave before someone finds us.”
Zara coughed and scratched his arm. “You’ve changed.”
Theterm tried not to laugh. “I’m sure I have. We both have.”
Zara shook his head. “No.” He pointed at Theterm. “What happened to that kid I knew that didn’t care about what others thought of him? What happened to you?”
“Power.” Theterm shrugged. “Being able to open Ways to other worlds is such a rush. I got caught up in it all. I fell in love with Lyssa. I wanted to prove I wasn’t afraid to do whatever it took to please Jory.” Theterm sighed. “I killed everyone we knew.”
Zara folded his arms. “I knew that already.”
“Then what are you talking about?” Theterm said angrily.
“You have become a liar too. Can I trust you?” Zara looked at Theterm in disgust. “Out of everything you have done, or could do, that is honestly the hardest for me to overlook.”
“I don’t know what to tell you.” Theterm kicked the dirt. “I am sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Zara walked away from Theterm and toward Dack. “Dack, what do we have to do now?”
“We should get back to the Way and then meet up with the rest of the group. Are you feeling okay?” Dack pointed at Zara.
“Sure. What do you mean?” Zara furrowed his brow.
“It looks like you are bleeding.” Dack motioned for Zara to check his hip. “Did you cut yourself when you dove to avoid that glass?”
Zara stopped and looked at his jumpsuit. There was indeed a growing red stain near his pocket. He put his hand inside and pulled out two small blinking globes covered in a sticky goo. “These must be the things Jory gave me.” He successfully dropped them after violently shaking off the gummy substance. After rubbing the rest off on his tattered clothing, he smiled at Dack. “Pretty disgusting.”
“Jory gave those to you?” Dack asked.
“He told me to crush them when we found you.” Zara looked at Sicar. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize they broke.”
“Theterm, we need to get back to the Way now,” Dack called. “Jory knows where we are.”
Theterm turned and looked at Dack. “How?” He began to join the others when he saw something fly past him and land on Zara. As he watched him react, more entered the keep from every direction, all headed for Zara.
Sicar sprang into action and began helping Zara fend off the growing swarm. “What’s the fastest way out of here?” Sicar yelled to Dack.
“Theterm, you have to come over here now!” Dack swung wildly at the insects while he watched Theterm closing the distance.
Zara fell to the ground to protect himself as Theterm arrived. Dack reached out and touched one of Sicar’s legs and Zara’s back. “Theterm, hold on too,” Dack said as he could feel more of the bugs crawling and biting him. When Dack felt Theterm’s hand holding his arm tightly, he pulled them all to the Way.
Only a few of the swarm had come with them, and Dack quickly ended their lives when he recovered. Sicar took the longest to recuperate from the process and was very disoriented.
“What did you do?” Sicar asked.
“I used a piece of the Way to bring us here,” Dack said as he helped Zara stand up. “Whatever Jory gave you must have attracted those creatures to you.”
“He wants all of us dead.” Zara looked at Theterm. “Is this how he treats everyone?”
Theterm nodded. “I really am sorry.”
Zara smiled. “I know.”
“We need to leave,” Sicar reminded everyone.
“You’re right.” Dack held out his hands, whispered something, and the Way opened. “Once we are safe, we’ll figure out how to get rid of those things for good.”
Laird blinked several times and cocked her head to the right while she stared at Theterm. The control room door of the hub was locked, and they were supposed to be having a private conversation, but Theterm was busy flipping through Orex’s book. He shook his head and handed it back to Laird, who was anxious to hear what Theterm was thinking. He rubbed his chin and stared momentarily at the cube Jory built to step in and out of time.
“I’ve changed my mind,” Theterm said softly.
“They can’t hear us,” Laird said loudly.
Theterm looked at Laird and then leaned against the wall. “Why are you doing this now?”
“Everything is falling into place for the first time. He has been so obsessed with finding Lyssa that he hasn’t been as careful. A little mistake here, a little error there. You’ve seen how many are outside that door lining up to help.” Laird ruffled the feathers on her head and grinned wide. “You’ve collected a very loyal group again.”
Theterm slammed his fist on the wall. “I am done being everyone’s fool!”
“He can’t know that yet. Jory needs to believe that he can still manipulate and control us. Do not make this fail, so close to the end, play your part.” Laird pushed Theterm gently. “Do I have your word?”
“Zara told me that the worst thing I’ve become is a liar. Do you know how hard it was to betray him?” Theterm looked at the cube and wanted to smash it on the ground. “You know I learned that from the Alkaskre.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Laird shrugged. “You are a natural.”
Theterm smiled. “When this is over, what are you going to do?”
Laird grew quiet and looked at the ground. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Theterm laughed. “Now you are lying.” He waited until she looked at him again. “You don’t want me to know, do you?”
Laird shook her head slowly. “All of you need to trust me even if it looks like I’ve betrayed you.”
“I have to be honest, telling me that Lyssa is really still alive hurts the most.” Theterm touched his chest. “I loved her.”
“Loved?” Laird folded her arms. “I’ve given you all you need to go get her.”
“I told you, I’ve changed my mind.” Theterm could tell that Laird didn’t understand. “It’s complicated.”
“You spent years sneaking around behind Jory’s back, trying to keep it all a secret. I can’t imagine what has happened to change that.” Laird sighed. “I’ve spent years trying to help you find her.”
Theterm ground his teeth and clenched his fists. “You told me she was dead, and that Jory was crazy to believe anything different.”
“What’s the difference between what I did and what you did on Storality? At least I’ve been looking for Lyssa. You stranded Lucan and could have brought him back anytime you wanted.” Laird stepped back when Theterm took a swing at her. “Stop it!” She grabbed his fist and pushed it down roughly. “You know what it means to be Alkaskre.”
“Hypocrite!” Theterm seethed.
Laird whispered something, and Theterm collapsed to his knees in great pain. She opened a glass jar and put it to the back of Theterm’s neck while he was writhing in pain. “I hope this will prove that I only want what is best for you.” After something oozed into the jar, Laird quickly put on the lid and tightened it. Gently, she bent down and put the jar in front of Theterm. “You are now free.”
Theterm gulped air and wiped tears from his eyes. “Can I still open Ways?”
“Do you want to?” Laird stood up again and watched Theterm.
“Why now?” Theterm picked up the jar and looked at its content.
“I answered that question already.” Laird leaned against the wall while running her fingernail along the edges of Orex’s book.
“I meant why did you remove that thing now?” Theterm rubbed the back of his neck.
“You gained all of your friends outside without the fear of control, right? Well, I’ve never been able to do that.” Laird hugged Theterm. “I am sorry we did that to you.”
Theterm released Laird and then held her hands. “It doesn’t excuse my behavior.”
“No, but it helps to explain it.” Laird pulled her hands away. “Why won’t you free Lyssa?”
“She deserves it for her part in all that’s happened.” Theterm felt very sad and tried to convince himself that it was best to move on. “Why don’t you do it?”
“I agree with you, but I wanted you to be happy.” Laird shrugged.
“I’ll be happy when the Alkaskre is no longer being run by Jory.” Theterm pointed at the book and the cube. “What are you going to do with those things?”
Laird picked up the cube, the book, and hopped on to the edge of the hub’s controls. “They’ll be safe up here,” she said, moving a panel in the ceiling and putting both into the darkness. After sliding the open section back into place, she got down carefully. “There’s no reason why anyone would look up there.”
“Where are we anyway?” Theterm asked, looking at the controls.
“I had this place built in secret without any help from the Alkaskre.” She looked at Theterm. “That’s all I can safely tell you.”
“Why?” Theterm asked.
Laird put her hand in her pocket and pulled out two metallic bracelets. “I need you to wear one of these and quietly give the other to Lucan while we are at the council meeting.”
“Council? What do they have to do with all this?” Theterm put on a bracelet and put the other in his pocket. “What is going on? Where are we?”
Laird frowned and shook her head.
She stepped around Theterm and unlocked the control room door. “I can’t tell you that in front of everyone.”
She rustled his hair and exited. “Thank you all for your patience,” she announced to the group. “For those of you that are able and would like to see this plan through, it is time to go.”