Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (16 page)

“Now wait a minute!” retorted Myles. “I’m not leaving her side. I got her this far, didn’t I?”

“No, you didn’t,” the dragon answered. “The Master is the one who got her this far. He was the one guiding her to this place.”

Then Gabriyel stepped aside to reveal a massive wall of fire behind him. “Myles, your flesh will burn up if you try to pass through that wall, but Kasey’s will not. Beyond that wall lies the realm of the King of Kings, and He’s waiting there, where she’s needed. It will be safe for her there. This is not the path you’ve chosen, Myles, so you must go your own way.”

Myles looked at the wall of fire, then back at Kasey. Though he was still angry, he could see that her glow was as strong as the glow that came from the fire and was almost as strong as the glow that came from the dragon. “Is this what you want, Kasey?”

“Who am I to question it?” she responded. “I’ll go.”

Myles nodded. “I don’t ever make promises, but I’ll make you one today. Kasey, I’ll find you. I promise.”

Kasey gave him a big smile. “Myles, thank you for everything. Thank you for rescuing me from myself. There’s no need to make such a promise.”

“I want to. I believe that there’s more for you and I to do together. I will find you.”

Kasey kissed Myles on the forehead. “Okay, until we meet again then.”

“Until then.” Myles watched as Kasey fluttered through the fire, without so much as a hint of pain, and disappeared. He shook his head in amazement, looked back at Gabriyel, and sighed. “You know…” He shook his head. “I happen to stumble upon Miss Right and what happens? You and your Master send her away.”

Gabriyel lowered his head toward Myles. “You will see her again, Myles Callahan. Just remember, though, you have to be Mr. Right in order to get her. Do you believe that you are what any woman would describe as Mr. Right?”

Myles laughed nervously. “No. You have a point there. I may not deserve her, but I’ve claimed her.”

Gabriyel turned away from Myles and began to breathe an almost liquid blue fire. The fire seemed to rend the fabric of reality as it peeled away what he could see like a torn poster. It exposed other places. Gabriyel turned back toward Myles. “I can send you back to Omar, or I can send you back to Earth. The choice is yours, Myles.”

Myles considered what it would be like to just return to Earth and get out of this crazy dimension. But then he thought about Kasey. His dream, the open-handed way he had saved her, her transformation, and most of all, that deep attraction to her, all told him what he really wanted. “Well, don’t you already know what I’ll choose?”

“Yes, I do.”

Myles threw up his hands in frustration. “Then why do you ask me?” “Because you must tell me your decision.”

Myles nodded and said, “I made a promise to her that I would find her. I’m not going back to Earth.” The tear in reality rippled and changed until a clear scene came into focus. Where there had been a black nothingness, he could now see the fountain in the center of the city back in Pneuma Karpos. Crowds of people in the plaza stared at Gabriyel in amazement and fear. A few Musterlings began to approach the tear as if they didn’t believe what they were seeing, but Gabriyel breathed the blue fire again.

Gabriyel turned to Myles. “Go!” Myles picked up the motorcycle and hurried toward the tear. He looked back at Gabriyel and stepped through the opening. As he did, it immediately closed behind him, and cheering Musterlings surrounded him. He was home again.

~*~

After their meeting with Ischus, Omar and Sebastian had gone back to their place and slept soundly. With so much on their minds, they never noticed that Myles had left them. When they awoke, they realized that Myles had taken the motorcycle, but he hadn’t taken the bags.
That, at least, was something
. Omar didn’t like the idea that a supposed ex-conman was wandering the tunnels of Musterion with two billion dollars’ worth of equipment. He admitted to himself that he was a little concerned about Myles and his mission, but he decided to trust Myles and his unusual talents.

Omar pulled his laptop from one of the bags and saw that the batteries were only half charged.

Sebastian started to wake and looked over at Omar with curiosity. He studied him, trying to figure out what he was doing.

Omar noticed Sebastian staring at him. “I haven’t taken samples or studied the environment at all since I’ve been in Musterion. With this machine, I can analyze any part of my environment. However, it won’t work for much longer if I can’t get the power pack that runs it recharged.”

“What kind of power does it need?”

Omar popped out a side tray from the laptop and put some samples of the tunnel moss in the tray and shut it. “It runs off solar power. Unfortunately we’re enclosed in the tunnels of Musterion, so there's no sunlight.”

Sebastian smiled. “You have about as much to learn about Musterion as I have to learn about science. There are places where Musterion opens up to the sky. Don’t you remember Sarx-Ergon and the beautiful, starry night sky? Perhaps on Earth it doesn’t work the same as it does here, but there’s a period of time each day where the sun comes out there."

“It’s the same way on Earth. The difference is that we get the sun anywhere on Earth, not just in a ruthless, violent city where everyone wants to kill us. After the fire and the disappearance of Ragal, I really don’t think returning to Sarx-Ergon is an option for us. So unless there’s another place with an open sky above that’s a lot friendlier, we remain without options.”

Sebastian’s face began to brighten, and his body began to glow as it had that night they first saw him. Omar could see a strong emotion coming over him, and it was obviously a happy one, because his color turned to bright yellow. He looked like he was trying to imitate the sunshine. “There are, in fact, many places here in Musterion where the sky is open. About a day’s travel from here is a place where we go to find vegetation and animals for food. You can see starlight that shines through brightly. Several moons are on display. I won’t spoil it for you, but the view is breathtaking."

Omar understood why Sebastian had started to glow. He was now instructing the instructor. “Sebastian, I think you’ve found a solution to our problem. We’ll definitely have to go there.”

Just then the laptop beeped, and Omar’s eyes widened as he read the results. “This moss…I was wondering what the source of light in the tunnels was and it seems that I’ve found it. This moss is definitely giving off light, but it doesn’t glow or radiate like normal light sources.” Omar just stared at the readouts, trying to understand what they revealed.

Sebastian grabbed some of the moss and took out a knife from his belt. He made a small cut on his forefinger and ate some of the moss. To Omar’s amazement, the cut healed right up. “For some reason the Gabad and the Miyka are healed by ingesting the moss. But if a Kalat ingests it, he's as good as dead. The Kalat are much stronger than any of the other races of Musterion, but this moss has kept us dominant over them. They know that if we ever went to battle, the Gabad warriors would have an instant way to heal themselves when injured. This has kept them civil for hundreds of years, but I fear that it won’t last much longer. Your arrival here has really provoked them.”

Sebastian drew a map of Pneuma Karpos, and Omar tried to explain how the laptop worked. They continued talking through the evening about science and what life was like on Earth.

As the evening drew to a close and their conversation died down, they discussed where Myles might be, but they couldn’t decide if they should worry or just accept that Myles was an unpredictable character. They were leaning in the direction of his unpredictability when they heard a commotion in the square below them. Omar and Sebastian left their hideout to see what all the fuss was about.

Having wings made it easy for them to step out of the hole and fly down without anyone seeing where they came from. As they both spiraled down to the square, Omar couldn't help contemplating the fact that he was no longer even human, gliding to the ground of a foreign planet comprised almost entirely of tunnels and populated by beings even stranger than what he had become.

A man stood in the middle of the square. The man's face resembled the statue of Nekar in the city hall. His hair was matted, his clothes were torn, and he had fresh cuts and bruises on his body, but otherwise he seemed to be Nekar. He commanded everyone’s attention like a seasoned general preparing his troops for battle. This man did not look crazy at all.
Could this really be Nekar?

“You must all listen to me!” Nekar shouted. “Do not enter the Maze of Musterion! Stay in the Core! Something evil had invaded the maze. It’s more powerful than any of you can battle by yourselves. I almost didn’t survive to come here. You’re safe here. The Core is protected.”

Chara, a female Nepsah and member of the Council of Seven, flew up above the crowd and cried out, “This man doesn’t lead you. Don’t let him strike fear in your hearts without even questioning his motives. He’s dangerous. “Nekar, I know you were a member of the original Council of Thirteen. Much has changed since then. Look at you! How could you expect us to trust you? You abandoned us long ago. Children are robbed of their voices after an encounter with you. You even kidnapped a child from the Kalat, of all the people to provoke. Why should we heed your warnings now? On what authority do you stand, old man?”

“Little one,” Nekar soothed, “I have never abandoned the Musterlings. I have protected you all these years. I left the Book in the square for you to read. You had to decide if you believed it or not. Those children lost their speech because they saw the terrible evil I’ve been protecting you from. The Kalat child did not belong here. A Raphad has taken her from Musterion to Soterion. She is now the daughter of a king.” Nekar stood a little straighter and met Chara's eyes. “Most of all, I don’t speak on my authority, but on the authority of the Master, the true and living God of the Book that I gave you.”

Chara blinked in shock but managed to regain her composure. “I’ve never heard of a Raphad here in Musterion.”

“He came from Soterion at the Master's command. The Master told me to give him the child.”

Omar cut in. “Who is this Master? You’ve seen him?”

Nekar pierced Omar's soul with his gaze. “Your questions are spoken from a hard heart. I will not answer them. You have years of struggle, until your hard heart is crushed and tender enough to hear the truth.”

Omar blinked as he tried to recover from this accusation. His anger boiled.
This mad man doesn’t even know me!

Ischus winged his way above the crowd, taking control of the gathering. “Nekar, do you say that you speak for the Master?”

“I do,” Nekar replied.

“Do you believe that the Master wants us to stay here in the Core and not enter the maze?”

“Yes. That’s the truth!”

Ischus raised his hands. “Very well, then. None who follow the Council of Seven are to leave the Core without asking my leave. If Nekar says that there is danger, we will accept his word. It is better to err on the side of caution.”

Guards began to disperse the crowd. “Nekar,” Ischus asked, “will you come back with us to city hall so we can discuss this more privately?”

Nekar seemed to be listening to a voice no one else could hear.
The Master's, no doubt,
Omar mentally sneered.

Ischus invited Omar, Sebastian, Chara, and the other members of the Council of Seven to the meeting. When they arrived at city hall, Ischus set some Am ‘Mayim to stand guard. He led the way into his secret chamber where they found King Thalassa of the ’Am Mayim waiting for them. Nekar walked over and embraced him as an old friend. After each of the others paid their respects to King Thalassa, they all sat down and began their discussion.

“What does this all mean?" Ischus asked Nekar. "Can you tell us anything? I know that the Master can be…well ... cryptic ... and he reveals things in his own time. But I need you to tell me whatever you can so that we can protect our people and act wisely. Wait…! Where’s Myles? Hasn’t he returned yet?”

Omar shook his head. “He left while we were sleeping last night. We haven’t seen him since then, and I’m beginning to worry.”

Nekar cleared his throat. “Myles is in the space between places in a time between times. You won’t see him again soon, probably not for weeks. Gabriyel is protecting him for now.”

Ischus asked, “And who is Gabriyel?”

“Gabriyel is a large dragon who serves as the messenger of the Master.”

Chara couldn’t contain herself any longer. “It’s a trick! Dragons can’t be trusted. The Great Red Dragon is a shape shifter and a deceiver!” She flew into Nekar’s face shouting, “What have you brought on us?”

“Silence, child." Nekar slapped his hand on the table, but his voice was gentle. "Chara, you must decide once and for all. Trust me or discard me. Make your choice. Stay and listen to what I have to say, or leave.”

Chara backed up, wings drooping. “I’m sorry. I’ll trust you, and I’ll listen.”

The whole mood in the room grew calmer with Chara’s apology. Nekar looked around the table. “Ragal is dead.” Chara muffled a gasp. He quickly continued. “She has become Kasey Phoenix. The curse of the Kalat has been lifted from her, and she’s now a Miyka.” Ischus, since he was also a Miyka, seemed to be more interested now.

“Kasey has passed through a portal made by Gabriyel. She has trials ahead of her in a world beyond what any of you have seen, but I’m sure she will learn much. I’m confident enough in the ways of the Master to promise you that she will return when Myles returns.”

Omar bit his lip. All of this talk about the Master annoyed him. He wouldn’t be surprised if the Council of Thirteen had never made it out of the maze, and they were now posing as the Master, with Nekar as their front man. Omar didn't trust Nekar.
It's not right to deceive people and use them through religion.

Ischus sighed. “Nekar, what is this evil you’ve talked about? How do we fight it?”

“You cannot fight this evil alone. You will need both Myles and Kasey to return first. You can’t kill it. It must be expelled. I’ll tell you more when the time grows near. But be on your guard; those who disobey you and leave the Core will be infected and become its slaves. It might enter the Core, but it can’t harm you here. It will bring strife and division, tearing apart the peace that you’ve tried to keep. It will go first for the Council of Six because they don’t believe. Don’t communicate with them anymore. There’s no use in trying. I’m telling you from the Master, there will be war in Musterion. That’s all I can tell say.”