Fabled (25 page)

“How come the royals aren’t using the two of you to figure out a way to open the portals up?” I leaned in and whispered.

“Once a person approaches death, the portals sense it. In Mezzanine, nothing dies. It’s the law of nature here. The portals will no longer let us out. It knows we would die on the other side,” Jacob said and patted his brother on the back.

“It is impossible. I’ve tried. After residing here for decades, I felt like life wasn’t worth living without my family. My wife refused to come with me. She said it was unnatural and immoral for humans to live as immortals. She and my children stayed behind and are no doubt buried beside a headstone that marks my empty grave,” Wilhelm choked. He turned his head for a moment but quickly regained composure.
 

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“We record our podcasts thanks to the help of certain people on the other side.”

“There are other portal jumpers?”

“Of course. There are many; we assume. Few of them we’ve had contact with over the years, including the one who’s owner of the property through which your portal is located. She’s well advanced in years by now, but I’m hoping she’s still alive. Her grandson is the one who left all the equipment on the other side of the portal for us with careful instructions on how to create the podcast. It took some practice, but we’ve been successful releasing information into Time for a while now. The gentleman reaps the financial benefit from the endeavor, and we ensure the stories are told as they progress here in Mezzanine,” Jacob said.

“Wow. How do you get access to electricity and internet?”
 

“We have a disclosed location in which we’re allowed access by the royals. They monitor the world through channeling.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Through magic,” Jacob clarified. “They can recreate technology with their power. They prefer not to because they consider it conforming to the royals’ ideas and lifestyles of Terra. They believe their power is greater because of the lack of shared information with their people.”

Wilhelm coughed and gave Jacob a warning glance. Jacob crossed his legs and leaned back into his seat in apparent frustration.

“Now that we’ve answered your questions, we hope you’d be so kind as to answer a few of ours.” Wilhelm smiled.

“These will be on the podcast?”

“Of course. The world needs to know about the mysterious Rowena.”

“Wait. I need to ask one more question. I have to know. How did you do it? How did you force the portal open?”

Chapter 27

Wilhelm leaned in close and whispered, “That information is classified. You’ll understand why soon enough.” He cleared his throat and continued in a normal voice.

“Start from the beginning. How did you arrive in Mezzanine?”
 

I explained to them how I got there.

“You understand that for the safety of Mezzanine, we will not be allowed to disclose everything to the public?” Wilhelm interrupted. I nodded. “Censorship is a double-edged sword. Though it cuts both ways, one way almost always hurts less.”

I dodged the questions about whom I was with during my stay here and avoided using names altogether besides the two creepy twins who first captured me, the Tresels, and Madeline (since everyone already knew about her).
 

After saying all I was going to about “my story,” Wilhelm began asking me other questions.

“What are your thoughts about immortal life in Mezzanine?”
 

I said the first thing that occurred to me. “It’s unnatural.” Wilhelm gave me a quick grin and professionally continued his questions.

“What has been your strangest experience in Mezzanine so far?”

Me,
Julia snickered in my mind.

“The separation between authority and commoners, I suppose. Where I’m from there isn’t such a distinct barrier. We vote in our governing authorities. They aren’t chosen by birth.” Immediately I thought of the disgusting, perverse Dekel and how terrible he’d be as an absolute ruler.

“Last question. Do you think you’ll ever return home?” His face and voice grew serious in tone. Jacob sat up to listen.

“I don’t know,” I answered.

“Our time is up, Rowena. It’s been a pleasure. We hope to meet you again,” Wilhelm said solemnly as he stood.
 

“Remember, what we don’t reveal is sometimes for the greater good,” Jacob whispered and walked out the door.

“Best to you,” Wilhelm said and followed him.
 

I nodded politely and watched them walk away. My stomach churned as fear overwhelmed me. I wished they could stay. Something about their presence was comforting. Dresdem walked in and closed the door. I saw Wilhelm glance back at me one last time. Panic raged within me and in a second my body had divided itself and was standing next to Wilhelm and Jacob in the foyer of the castle.
 

I startled them.

“What are you doing?” Jacob leaned away nervously.

“Don’t leave me with them,” I whispered.
 

Wilhelm looked around anxiously. “Why aren’t they following you?” he asked.

“It’s a trick. They want to see if we’ll help her,” Jacob said.

“No. I’m here. Or I think I’m here,” I said, trying to keep focused. Then I lost myself and was sitting right in front of Dresdem again, who was pouring himself another glass of brandy. I forced my thoughts back on the brothers, and I was there.

“Where’d you go? You disappeared right in front of us.” Wilhelm’s face grew pale.

Jacob laughed quietly to himself. “She’s a projector.” Wilhelm looked at him with wild eyes and back at me. He pulled me into the recess of a nearby doorway.

“Listen, don’t let anyone know you can do this. But practice it; perfect it. It will prove useful for you in time. Just be careful,” he whispered.
 

“We have to go,” Jacob said. They both placed their hats on their heads and left.
 

“Did you hear me?” Dresdem asked with animosity growing in his voice.

“I’m sorry. What were you saying?” I answered him.

He pulled at the bottom of his vest and straightened himself. He regained his composure and repeated. “Tomorrow we will take you to your portal, and you will open it. We will do this every day until you’re successful. Are we clear?” His eyes were black and forceful − the very epitome of power.

“Off with her.” He waved his arm and Nurse appeared at my side. She took my arm and escorted me back to my room.

“Why’d you have to go and make him angry? You stupid girl,” she said.

“I didn’t mean to. I was… distracted.”
 

“You’re not making your life any easier, you know. He refuses to have you down anymore. What’s more, he’s angry with the brothers for keeping you over the designated time,” she said as she helped me out of the dress.

“They left when the last grains of sand emptied the timer, I thought.”

“On time is late. Mr. Dresdem is a precise man, and he will have them punished for invading his time.” She yanked the tiara out of my hair.

“OW! What did you do that for?”
 

“Trust me. I won’t be the only one inflicting pain if you keep up your poor behavior.” She took the borrowed items and stomped out the door. The key clasped the lock and once again I was alone in my little tower.
 

I couldn’t help but stare out the window. I watched as the roadmen suffocated every lamppost and as the residents’ windows became dark revealing nothing but empty gray skies above. I kept my eyes on Mack and Cilla’s place. One of their windows still glowed in the night. I hadn’t seen anyone come and go. Of course, something could have happened while I was at dinner, but not knowing worried me.
 

My eyes became heavy as sleep came upon me. I struggled to stay awake. The entire town was dark now. I got into bed, blew out my candle and for some reason, took one more look back at the blacksmith shop. Castle guards stood at the door. I rushed to the window, thinking I could somehow get a better look.
 

What are they doing?
My stomach turned, and I began to feel nauseous.
 

This can’t be good.

I tried not to blink. Two of them were at the front door and others went around the back. They had them surrounded. They knocked. Someone answered the door. I strained my eyes but couldn’t see who. The guards forced their way through the door. I grasped the window’s bars and began to cry. I felt helpless and guilty for ever involving them in all of this.
 

The guards brought three people out of the house after a few minutes. They each had sacks placed over their heads, and their hands were tied. I knew one of them had to be Cilla because I saw a dress, and I assumed that another was Mack. But the last one had me stumped. I couldn’t make out any distinguishable features in the distance.
 

“No,” I screamed into the darkness. The guards approached the castle gates. They were going to be housed somewhere within this enchanted prison.
 

I cried myself into exhaustion that night. Words couldn’t explain how terrible I felt for ruining so many people’s lives.
 

If I had never tried to escape the Tresels’ home, maybe none of this would have ever happened. Maybe Madeline would have been miserable, but at least she wouldn’t have to live on the run forever. Cale would’ve never needed to rescue Madeline from Dresdem. He would have saved her and could finally be building a life with his love. If I hadn’t brought Mack and Cilla into this, they’d still be in their homes. And what about Humbert? And Chester? If I hadn’t met him, he would be comfortable in his little cottage with in-door plumbing.

“Wakey, wakey! Get up,” Nurse said as she pulled the sheet off of me. “Today you will travel with Mr. Dresdem. He’s requested that you receive your breakfast here.” She sat a tray with a scone and some juice on the bed. “Eat up.” She hurried me.

I ate as instructed, had my cold bath, and went back into the room to await further instructions.

“Put this on,” she said throwing some clothes my way. “They want you to ‘fit in.’”
 

It was a long, full blue skirt with a white button up top with a belt. I put it on, secured the belt around my waist, and looked in the mirror.
 

“I look like someone out of an old Western movie,” I said. Nurse looked at me in confusion, which made me smile a little.
 

I followed her down the stairs and met Dresdem and Dekel in the front foyer. They were clothed in cool linen, which made me a little angry since I was forced to wear yards of skirt, and it was still flaming hot in the middle of the day.
 

“Don’t you look nice,” Dekel said while he mapped me with his pensively perverse eyes.

“Time is wasting.” Dresdem took my arm.
 

We walked out of the house and down the steps. Dresdem snapped his fingers and a horseless carriage appeared. He hurried us inside.
 

“Carter?” he called. A man appeared.
 

“Yes, sir?”
 

“Join us.” The man hopped on the seat in front of the carriage, shaking us. Dekel had taken the opportunity to sit next to me, and every bit of turbulence made me bump into him, which he liked a little too much.

Within moments, we were flying. I don’t mean like thirty thousand feet in an airplane flying. It was more like thirty feet, just high enough to clear most obstructions. The taller ones were simply avoided. Dresdem’s magic drove us, but he never so much as glanced out the window.
 

We were all silent during the trip. It only took about an hour to arrive. I wanted to know what happened to Mack and Cilla but was too afraid to ask.
 

When the carriage landed, a feeling of doom washed over me. Everyone I’d grown to care about in Mezzanine was now in danger of Dresdem, and a part of me just wanted to run back home and be with my family again. I wanted to take the cowardly way out. But there was another part of me that knew I owed it to them to help them, even though I didn’t know how to.