The Dystopia Spell (Multiverse Mashup Book 1), page 12
He nodded and sat in the grass, leaning up against the exterior wall of the maze. The teens settled in around him.
“My name is Valerian Whisperfoot. I am a Gray Elf, as well as…this grass is very strange…as well as a powerful wizard. I hail from the Meadowlands in a country called Kelaria, though I suspect that name means nothing to you. If you do not speak the normal Human tongue, we must be far from my home indeed.”
Several of the kids exchanged looks, but nobody interrupted. Between me, the dog, and the merfolk, they were clued into the whole parallel universe thing, but Valerian hadn’t yet figured it out.
“I haven’t seen the beautiful glades of my home for many years. Unlike most of my people, who are content to spend their lives in isolation, I had a desire to see the world, and a yearning for excitement. After I completed my basic studies in the use of magic I set out for the nearest human city. In a tavern there I met others like me, a band of adventurers of many races and classes. Though an unlikely group, we set out to seek our fortune together, and several years of battling evil have seen both our experience and our wealth grow. Just yesterday we defeated a dark lich that had been terrorizing a small halfling settlement. We confronted the undead monster at the heart of a dank dungeon, battling many foul beasts along the way, before slaying the abomination that ruled them. I had only just refreshed my spells for the day and was preparing to meet my comrades to break our fast when I felt a strange sensation, as if I were being pulled from the inside. I was no longer in my comfortable, if small, room at the halfling’s inn, but rather in this strange dungeon behind me. Those flying metal constructs attacked me with their dagger-whips, and I defended myself. I used up all my freshly renewed fireball spells to destroy them, so I hope the battles are over for the day.”
“So you were bluffing when you threatened to fry me?” I asked.
He grinned. “I’m quite competent with my dagger, if it had come to that.”
The teens started peppering the new visitor with questions about his world, and he was more than happy to entertain them with stories of his exploits. I was relieved to see them forgetting their troubles for a while, but I noticed Kud sitting apart from the rest, a seriously glum expression on his face.
Nothing in the elf’s story gave me any more hints about what had brought him here, so I walked over to Kud and sat down. “Talk to me.”
He looked up. “Huh?”
“What’s wrong, Kud?”
He shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Spill it. You worried about Skreet?”
He looked at the wall of the maze, which now blocked our view of the first part of the Gauntlet, where we had left the merfolk. “Yeah, but it’s not just that. Forget it, it’s stupid.”
“It’s obviously not stupid, if it’s got you this upset.”
He paused, struggling for the right words. I looked up at the sun and waited.
“I’m the only...” He stopped. He was fighting back tears. “I’m the only kid left.”
“You’re not the…” I cut myself off, realizing what he meant. I thought of them all as kids, but Kud was the only survivor from the younger, smaller contestants. “Oh.”
“The rest all got shot or ran off on their own and didn’t make it out.”
“Oh, buddy.” I put my arm around his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
He leaned into me and sobbed. I didn’t say anything – he was feeling guilt and grief all mixed together, and no logic was going to draw him out of it.
A few of the Contestants noticed us, but they let us be. Some broke away from the crowd gathered around the elf to sit alone, Kud’s grief triggering emotions of their own.
After a few minutes, Kud quieted down. He rubbed his eyes and nose with his sleeve. “Sorry.”
I rubbed his back. “Nothing to apologize for.”
I took a deep breath. And if it trembled a little, I don’t have anything to apologize for, either.
An angry shout disturbed the quiet. Doric and Ryoh were standing next to one of the Shelters, arguing. Ryoh gave Doric a light shove, and the larger teen balled up his fists in response.
“Uh-oh,” I said. “Goofus and Gallant are at it again.”
“Go ahead,” Kud said. “I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
I gave his back one last pat and stood up. As I approached the Shelter where the boys were fighting, I started to hear what they were fighting about and instantly felt dumber by osmosis.
“It’s salt and ground tukorah root!” Doric was shouting.
“It’s not!” Ryoh shouted back. “It’s County Three all-spice!”
“That’s what County Three all-spice is! You think because I’m from a poorer County I don’t know what County Three all-spice is?”
“No, I think because you’re a giant idiot with faulty taste buds you don’t know what County Three all-spice is! It has parsley in it, moron!”
The boys were nose-to-nose, bashing their chests together, although it was more like Doric’s chest bashing against Ryoh’s chin. I put a hand on each of them and pried them apart, sliding in between.
“Guys, stop,” I said. “This is the stupidest argument I’ve ever witnessed, and I read internet comment sections.”
Doric reached past me and flicked Ryoh’s shoulder. “This snot thinks the chicken they’re giving us for lunch has County Three all-spice on it, but it only has...”
“It does!” Ryoh shouted.
“You’re not arguing about spice,” I said.
Doric’s face was red. “He thinks because I’m poorer than he is I don’t...”
“I didn’t say it like that!” Ryoh blurted out.
I kept my voice calm but tightened my grip on their shoulders. “I know you’re not arguing about spice, because half of your friends just died and there’s no way you’d be screaming about something so trivial when the other half of your friends are grieving.”
This quieted them down. They both stepped back, shooting abashed looks at the rest of the group. The storytelling session had ended and the Contestants had scattered. Most were looking at us. Valerian and Astrith were sitting together. Astrith frowned, shook her head, and looked away.
“Sorry,” Doric muttered.
“Yes, sorry, Jed,” added Ryoh.
I sighed. They apologized to me, not to each other. “Truth bomb, guys. You don’t dislike each other because you’re rich and you’re poor, or because you’re bigger and you’re smaller, or because you can or can’t detect the taste of parsley. You’re mad at each other because you’re both in love with Astrith.”
They both stammered incoherently for a moment. It was adorable.
“You’ve got it wrong, Jed,” Doric said. “Astrith and I have been best friends since we were kids. She means more to me than anyone in the world, but I don’t...”
“I just admire her, that’s all,” Ryoh said. “She’s a born leader, she inspires me. I’d be lucky to...I mean, if she...”
“Yeah,” Doric said, nodding. “If she...”
“Stop right there,” I said. “There you go. ‘If she.’ Her choice. So stop fighting over her like she’s a prize you can win if you display enough testosterone.”
Doric’s tanned cheeks turned crimson. “I like you, Jed, but you’ve got it all wrong.” He nodded at Ryoh. “He’s the problem, not...any feelings I might have.”
“Yeah.” Ryoh folded his arms. “Yeah. He’s right. I mean, not about me being the problem, but...”
I rubbed my eyes. “Okay, fine. That’s about as much teen drama as I can handle for the day. You two want to keep hating each other, knock yourselves out. I came over to talk to Ryoh, anyway. Doric, can you give us a minute?”
“He’s all yours. A minute talking to him and you’ll see how stuck-up he is for yourself.”
“You...” Ryoh’s mouth tightened. He thrust a hand into his pants pocket. “You son of a...”
I pushed him towards the Shelter. “In.”
The door was standing open and Ryoh ducked inside. I followed him, pulling the door shut to give us some privacy. Enough daylight shone in around the edges that we were able to see each other.
Ryoh sat on one of the cots. “Sorry, Jed. He just makes me so...”
I sat next to him. “I don’t care.”
“And I’m not rich! My County gets fed a little better because…”
“I said I don’t care. That’s not what I want to talk to you about.”
“What, then?”
“I need you to give it to me.”
His hands tensed, clutching the blanket on the cot. “Give you what?”
“Whatever you used to summon the dog, the merpeople, and the elf.”
He laughed sharply. “What makes you think…?”
“The people running this show have been listening. They know who I am and why I’m here. They know you have something on you that summons magical beings, and they’re probably very interested in getting their hands on it. That’s why the drone didn’t kill you. Somebody must have been afraid they’d lose it if you got chopped to ribbons, so they jumped in at the last minute to save your life.”
His boyish face grew still. He was trying not to give anything away while he thought about what I had said. “But…” he started. “If I had something like that…and it’s saving my life…why would I…”
“Well, for one, because the drone was going to spare you and kill Doric instead, and as much as you pretend to hate him I don’t think you would have wanted that.”
He blushed and looked down. “No. Sorry.”
“If I have it I can use it as bait. Maybe as a bargaining chip, to save you all, if I have to.”
He looked at me sharply. “You’d give something like that to the Hedonites? To the people who oppress us, who kill us?”
I took a breath. “If I had to. Yes.”
I was lying. I wouldn’t give it to them. But if the Hedonites were listening, they didn’t need to know that.
“Mostly,” I continued, “I need you to give it to me because I need you to stop using it.”
“But it’s saved our lives!” he protested. “Everything that’s been summoned has helped us! The merfolk, Valerian, even the dog had us all awake and out of our Shelters when the ground gave way. Why shouldn’t I keep using it?”
“Because at some point it will destroy your entire world. This artifact is weakening the barrier between your universe and the other. You might be able to use it a thousand more times without consequence. Or it could happen the next time you use it. But at some point, the hole between this world and the next won’t close. The two worlds will be drawn together and annihilate each other. Everyone you have ever known will die. Everyone on this world, everyone on that world. And not just that.” I pointed up. “Every star in the sky will burn out. Everything, everywhere will die. In this universe, in that one, and maybe in others. These cataclysms can spiral out of control and draw in other realities entirely, killing everyone there, too. The loss of life could literally be infinite.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’ve seen it happen, Ryoh. I’ve watched it happen. I won’t let it happen again.”
His jaw was hanging open. He looked down, then pulled the necklace he was wearing out from under his shirt. I got a better look at it – an iridescent wing, like from a large dragonfly. He lifted the chain from around his neck. I held out my hand and he dropped it into it. The wing looked delicate but it was as strong as glass. I put the slender chain around my neck.
This wasn’t it. I knew this wasn’t what I was looking for. When the drone threatened him, and Valerian had appeared, Ryoh had put his hand in his pocket, not to his neck. When he was angry with Doric he had put his hand in his pocket again. Whatever the object was, he still had it.
I screwed up. Every word I had said to him was true, but the scale was too big. How could a teenager comprehend death on an infinite scale? He was trying to keep his friends alive. That was what mattered to him.
But I couldn’t say it. Not out loud. If he wasn’t going to give it to me, then it was better that the Hedonites thought I had it.
“Thanks, Ryoh,” I said.
He just nodded, his lips tight. I stood up and went for the door, then paused.
“Gimme a hug,” I said.
He looked up in surprise. “Huh?”
I turned back and extended my arms. “We just had a moment. I’m feeling emotional. Gimme a hug.”
“Uh…okay…” He stood up and stepped into my embrace, giving me an awkward pat on the back. I ignored the flare of pain from my cuts.
He tried to pull away, but I held him tight. “Giving me the artifact,” I said. “It’s the right choice.”
As I pulled back, I slid my hands down and patted him on the thighs. I made it look as natural as I could, although I’m sure the people watching on the Broadcast thought I was a complete perv, getting creepy with a teenager. But I patted him a little harder on his right side, on his right pocket. Not enough to be noticeable, but enough that I could feel he had something in there, some small object, and enough that he knew I felt it. He stiffened.
I broke away.
“Jed…” he started.
“It’s all right,” I said, cutting him off. “We’ve said everything we need to say.”
I wasn’t going to take it from him by force, except as a last resort. And I didn’t want the Hedonites to know he still had it. But I’d be damned if I was going to let this kid think he had gotten one over on me.
I stepped out into the sunshine, leaving Ryoh to think about what had just happened. Astrith and Valerian were still seated on the grass near the exit from the maze, and I jogged over to join them.
“Everything all right?” Astrith asked me.
“Peachy.” I sat down next to them, stretched out my legs and leaned back on my elbows. “Just having a heart-to-heart with the boys.”
“Is that Ryoh’s necklace?”
I nodded. “Turns out, Ryoh’s our culprit. He’s the one who’s been summoning our new friends.”
She sat bolt upright. “He what? Ryoh?”
“Ryoh?” Valerian asked. “The slight one, who was fighting with the one built like a blacksmith?”
I was concerned the elf might go for his bags of tricks now that he knew who had brought him here, but he seemed more curious than angry. “Yeah, that’s him.”
“Ryoh?” Astrith repeated. She looked at the Shelter, from which the teenager was just emerging. He looked over at us, then down at the ground. “But…why?”
“He wanted to help. Don’t be too hard on him.” I lifted the wing. “Besides, he turned the source of contamination over to me when I confronted him.”
“He summoned me with this?” Valerian reached out and took the wing from me. I leaned forward as he tugged on the chain. “But this looks like a wing from some fairy child, it has no inherent…”
I snatched the wing back. “Yeah, right, wing of a fairy, magical creature, magical powers. We got it. Problem solved.”
“Why would he take such a risk?” Astrith asked. “You told us all how dangerous…”
“He was hoping to save lives,” I said. “Probably yours, in particular, if I were to guess.”
She sighed. “That’s no reason.”
“Young love. It’s not bad, as reasons go.”
“This boy is in love with you?” Valerian asked her.
“They both are,” I answered. “The pretty boy and the slab of beef. She’s spoiled for choice.”
The elf smiled. “A classic story. And you are torn between them?”
She scowled. “I don’t like to talk about it. It’s nothing that can’t wait until Hedon has fallen and our people are free.”
A shout from the Shelter attracted our attention – Doric and Ryoh, fighting again.
“In all seriousness,” I said, “you should probably resolve this now, while we have the time. We need to stick together in this last Challenge, and right now they can’t focus on anything except their jealousy.”
Valerian nodded. “I agree. Unrequited love is a distraction on a quest, but honest heartbreak can give you focus.”
“I don’t want to break either of their hearts!” Astrith protested. “I…I have feelings for them both. Ryoh and I, during the Trials, there was this intense connection, an attraction. It was instant. But Doric…I’ve known him forever, he’s always been there, my feelings for him run so deep…I can’t imagine him not…” She shook her head. “I can’t choose. That’s why I’m avoiding talking about it.”
I hated to smile at her evident unhappiness, but I couldn’t help myself. In the two days I had known her this was the first time she looked and sounded like a teenager instead of a rebel freedom fighter. “So don’t choose,” I said. “Tell them both how you feel and see what happens.”
She looked skeptical. “Won’t that get them fighting more? I mean, there’s two of them and one of me. I have to choose at some point.”
“How old are you again?”
“Eighteen.”
“Eighteen. Exactly. Why should you have to choose at all? Choose them both and tell them to deal with it. Man, when I was your age – which was not as long ago as you all seem to think – I chose anyone and everyone I could.”
She stared at me for a moment, then looked at the arguing boys, then back at me. She smiled. “Thanks, Jed. You’re right.” She stood up and dusted herself off. “I choose both.”
She ran her hands through her long black hair and sauntered in the direction of her two paramours.
I sat straight up. “Did I just tell a teenage girl to have a three-way?”
Valerian laughed. “If that term means what it sounds like, then yes, you did.”
I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled after Astrith, “I meant…like…kissing…”
I lowered my hands. She wasn’t listening. She led Doric and Ryoh into the Shelter, kicking the door shut behind them.
I sighed. “Oh, well. I’m not their dad.”
I lay back in the grass and looked up at the sky. Valerian leaned over me. Some of his long silver hair draped across my cheek.
“You are remarkably progressive in your views, for a human,” he said.
