Wysteria, page 45
Will reversed directions and dashed back to Emily. “Whose side is he on?” she asked him, staring at Daniel through sleepy eyes.
“Ours,” said Will. “I’ll explain when we get home.”
Glancing back across the room, he saw that the wall surrounding Charlotte (‘unstable’, with Nathan gone) was now vaporizing.
“Keep an eye on the door!” she yelled to Daniel, as she jumped from her icy cell and hurried over next to Will.
Will turned and looked down at the stubborn chain. Again, he swung at it with Anton’s heavy sword. Again, there was a shower of sparks and splintered stone. But the iron links held.
“He’s not dead, you know,” said the battered guard, cackling in his chair. “He just had to ditch your little arrow. He’ll be back any moment now.”
Will struck again at the chain.
“Go ahead – keep trying,” the man said. “It’s good steel . . . , but it was meant to cleave flesh and bone – not iron.”
Will raised the weapon once more. “You’re right,” he said.
The unfortunate Drifter seemed to realize his mistake, for as the sword descended, he shrieked and tried to pull away. But the blade found its mark, severing the man’s arm several inches above his wrist. His wagging tongue had cost him his hand and given Emily her freedom.
Staring first at his still-shackled hand lying on the floor, then at his mangled arm, the guard screamed and jumped to his feet. Charlotte stepped in and held her dagger to his throat, ordering him to sit or suffer worse.
Will took Emily by the arm. “I’ve got her, Daniel!” he shouted. “Jump!”
But as Daniel smiled and gave him a nod, three more men burst into the room. One made straight for Daniel, tackling him to the ground, while the other two charged at Will.
Charlotte turned and jumped between her friends and the oncoming attackers.
“Go, Will!” she cried, over her shoulder. “Now!”
Though it went against all of his instincts to leave his comrades behind, he had to get Emily to safety. As her guard had said, Nathan would soon be reappearing, more furious than ever.
“Don’t worry,” said Charlotte, “we’ll be right behind you!”
Then, watching her move forward to meet the enemy, he Jumped.
CHAPTER XXXXII
With Anton’s sword in one hand and Emily in his other, Will allowed Wysteria to call him home. . . . But something was wrong. Though he moved into the Darkness, he remained there, suspended, unable to break free of Nathan’s World.
What was holding him back? Certainly not Emily. And he’d Traveled with Relics before – even unfamiliar ones, like Jeremy’s Dagger. Even so, he considered letting go of the sword. It was Anton’s, after all. There might be some ‘tie’ between them.
“. . . It’s the guard’s hand!” he suddenly realized.
Should he fall back into the dungeon and remove the severed hand from its steel cuff? No – he couldn’t take the chance. Nathan might well have returned by now.
. . . He might have no other choice, however.
Will had been ‘aiming’ for his balcony. It was where he and Emily usually landed when they returned from one of their excursions. Perhaps if he focused his attention on his Anchor, the pull would be stronger. “But strong enough?” he wondered.
Holding tightly onto Emily, he filled his mind with thoughts of the fountain – not merely its image, but the sound of its gentle rain, the feel of the effervescent water running through his fingers, the wonder he felt when he first saw it, the day Iris had shown him the way . . . , the day Wysteria was born.
The tug-of-war began, his Anchor fighting to reel him in, while Nathan’s World held fast to its ‘property’. Will’s mild discomfort quickly became intense pain, as he felt himself being stretched – first taut, then to his limit . . .
Then something snapped, and Will flew through the Void. There was darkness and motion, and a moment later, he found himself in the square, next to the fountain, with Emily, the sword, the shackles . . . , and the Drifter’s hand.
Taking care not to release her, Will set down his weapon and gently laid Emily on the ground, placing her head in his lap.
“Are we home?” she asked, straining to peer at her surroundings.
“Yes, my love,” he told her.
“Good,” she sighed, letting her heavy eyelids fall shut.
Emily needed to return to the Waking World and sleep soundly in her bed. But their enemies – perhaps Anton, who knew the way here – could be close behind them. The dark entity that had stolen her away might still be lurking in the Twilight, ready to Snatch her again.
In fact . . . , someone was here. But as Will reached for the sword, he recognized the vibration as Jeremy’s.
The signal waned, then grew stronger. And seconds later, their Immortal friend stood in front of them.
Jeremy smiled, looking relieved to see them here, both in one piece. His eyes then followed the chain, from Emily’s wrist to the lifeless hand.
“So it was a chain, not a rope,” he observed.
“Yes,” said Will. “. . . I had to improvise.”
“And Charlotte?” he asked.
“She’s still there, as far as I know,” Will answered. “They were holding off the guards while we made our escape.”
“They?”
“Yes,” he said. “She and Daniel.”
“Daniel? . . . The bounty hunter?”
“Our Scout,” said Will.
He quickly explained how Daniel had become part of the operation.
“Not only did he scout the location for us, he escorted us there,” Will told him. “. . . Without his help, I doubt I could have gotten Emily out of there.”
Will lifted Emily’s head from his lap and laid it carefully on the ground. He took hold of the chain, then stood. “Can you watch her?” he said. “I have to go back for them.”
“Can you get there – unaided?” Jeremy asked.
Will had forgotten that he no longer had a guide. Even if he were able to Jump from Wysteria, it was doubtful he could find Nathan’s World on his own.
“Maybe not,” he said. “But I have to try.”
Jeremy nodded. “Yes . . . , I suppose you do.”
Will reached down and picked up the sword. Jeremy eyed the weapon quizzically.
“It’s Anton’s,” Will explained. “Or it was.”
“. . . A good trade,” he remarked.
Jeremy then looked at the severed hand. “Are you going to return that to its owner?” he asked him.
“I wasn’t sure how that worked,” said Will. “. . . Yes, I guess I should let him have it back.”
“. . . You shouldn’t have been able to do that, you know.”
“You mean, cut it off?” Will asked.
“No,” Jeremy replied, “leave Nathan’s World with it. . . . You never fail to surprise me.”
There was no time to think about that now. As each second passed, Will became more worried about his friends. He started to hand the chain to Jeremy, but paused . . . , for he felt it – the slight disturbance. And two vibrations.
“Charlotte?” Jeremy asked.
“. . . Yes,” he said, “. . . and someone else.” (Will hoped it was Daniel, not another Drifter she had taken for a ride.) “They’re . . . in the castle – the balcony, I think.”
“We can go to them,” said Jeremy, offering Will his hand.
“. . . No, they left.” Will turned and looked behind him. “. . . They’re coming,” he said, as both of his comrades materialized near the southern gateway.
“Thank God!” cried Charlotte, breathing hard and holding the blood-stained dagger in her hand. She ran over to them and dropped down next to Emily. “When I didn’t see you at the castle . . . .”
“. . . So you made it,” Will said to Daniel, who now approached.
“Barely – and thanks to her,” he replied. “She was a holy terror back there!”
He looked exhausted. His face was bruised, and he walked with a slight limp. Charlotte, too, wore scars of the struggle – she was bleeding from her lip, and there were bruises on her arms.
“I’m glad you offered to hang around,” said Will. “Your timing was perfect.”
“I missed the first few minutes of the fight,” Daniel told him. “After I dropped you off, I checked on the guards in the hall. Two more had joined them. Rather than warn you, I tried to buy you more time. I Jumped into the hall around the corner from them and made a commotion – yelling that there were trespassers upstairs, that Nathan needed all hands. Then I ducked into one of the rooms.
“I heard them run past the door, but then they stopped. Anton ordered two of the men to see what was happening, while he and the others headed back to their post.”
Daniel’s quick thinking had bettered their odds, and the time he’d bought them was precious.
“I’d love to stay and chat,” said their Scout (and twice-savior, it now appeared), “but I need to shed this body.”
“I understand,” said Will. “Please come back tomorrow. I’m sure Emily will want to thank you, once I tell her everything you’ve done.”
“No thanks needed,” he replied. “But yes, I’ll come by. I want a chance to apologize to her for my earlier misdeeds. . . . I may take tomorrow off, though.”
Charlotte stood up and gave Daniel a hug, telling him that they would talk soon, as well.
Then, saying goodbye to his new friends, and with a nod to Jeremy (who’d remained silent during their conversation), Daniel returned to his bed.
“. . . You were indeed fortunate to have found him,” Jeremy remarked, when he’d gone.
“I’m glad we decided to trust him,” said Will. “It was a tough call, at the time. But it seemed to be the only —”
Will stopped, hearing a rumble, like distant thunder. Then the ground shook. The sky began turning an eerie shade of green, and a palpable clamminess filled the square.
“. . . What’s going on?” Charlotte asked, uneasily.
“I . . . don’t know,” said Will. Something was disrupting his World, but what it was . . . .
“You should leave, dear,” Jeremy told her. “She is coming.”
“Who?” she asked.
“I suppose it’s just as well,” he said, a faint smile on his lips. “The matter has to be settled.”
“. . . Eris,” pronounced Will.
“Yes,” said Jeremy. “The Queen, herself, has come to call on us.”
“I don’t care,” Charlotte obstinately declared. “Goddess or no, I’m not leaving Emily.”
“As you wish,” he said, making no attempt to argue with her. “But you’d best shield your eyes – both of you.”
Before Will could heed his advice, there was a blinding flash, followed closely by an explosive gust of wind. A towering column of dark vapor appeared, spinning wildly and throwing a frenzy of sparks into the surrounding air.
Will lowered his head and covered his face until the tempest subsided. Then, raising his eyes, he beheld the Goddess of Discord standing before him, her long, black curls falling past her ivory shoulders and onto her luminous gown of deep royal purple.
“Quite an entrance,” said Jeremy. He smiled, then bowed deeply. “. . . My Lady.”
“. . . Jeremy,” said the Goddess, piercing him with her dark eyes. “I should have guessed you had a role in this treachery.”
“He had nothing to do with this,” said Will.
“Was I speaking to you?” she snapped at him.
Eris stared at Will. Then her scowl slowly turned to a smile. “So,” she said, sauntering closer to him, “you are the Gifted young Dreamer who has caused so much trouble for my subject, Nathan.” She then looked down at Emily. “And this must be the girl – the ‘Helen’ of this conflict.
“. . . Yes, she is a pretty one,” she said, studying Emily’s sleeping face. “Will they someday sing of the war fought over her?”
The Goddess cast her eyes on Charlotte. “. . . Now, who is this one?” She stared at her for a moment, then glanced at the dagger in her hand. “Ah, I see – the loyal friend.
“And there was another, I hear. . . . Hiding, is he?”
“He’s gone,” said Charlotte. “He was just a Scout.”
“Is that what they call assassins now?” Eris countered by asking. “A guest who deals a mortal blow to his host? Is there a more heinous crime in these Realms? . . . No matter. Nathan will track him down.”
“May I speak . . . , my Lady?” Will asked, respectfully (unsure by what title he should properly address her).
“. . . Yes,” she said. “You may.”
“It’s not for me to question the judgment of a Goddess,” he began, phrasing his words carefully. “My concern is with the information you may, or may not, have been given.
“. . . This all began when Nathan’s men entered my World and attacked us.”
“I questioned these men myself,” Eris replied, “and I cannot be lied to. The fight began because she slandered their Prince. They cannot be faulted for that.”
Will collected his thoughts before he answered. This was the most dangerous opponent he’d faced; and against her, his words were his only defense.
“. . . What they said might be true,” he continued, “but there is more to the story:
“Two men, ‘guests’, entered my home. I found them here, in this very square, destroying my property and assaulting my people. I approached them and asked them to leave – directly and without threats. But they refused – a clear violation of my rights as a ‘host’. They also insulted Emily, referring to an earlier incident in which she had rebuffed Nathan’s advances. Only then, did she lose her temper and respond to their rude slights, in kind.
“One of the men took offense and tried to Snatch her . . . , and I stopped them.
“At no time during this episode was your name invoked,” Will pronounced clearly.
The Goddess’s fierce demeanor seemed to soften as she listened to his version of the confrontation.
“. . . You’ve spoken the truth,” she responded, after giving his words some thought. “And your ‘concern’ was warranted – for some of these facts were not disclosed to me.
“. . . Many great wars have been caused by trivial incidents, often simple misunderstands. Perhaps that is the case here.”
(Will began to feel hopeful that he’d been able to placate the Goddess.)
“. . . However,” Eris continued, her stern expression returning, “once the battle lines are drawn, and the armies are engaged, the cause . . . becomes irrelevant.
“Causes can be debated . . . , but wars must be won. . . . And this is now a war.
“You have my respect. You fought bravely. . . . But now . . . , you must surrender. If the girl is returned to Nathan, you will live in peace – with this one, if you wish,” she said, tossing her chin disdainfully at Charlotte. “She is pretty enough . . . , and I can see this would please her.”
Jeremy then tried to intercede. “This is not justice!” he protested. “Certainly you can’t expect —”
“And you, my old friend!” she said, angrily cutting off his objection. “I don’t know what part you played in this, but we had an understanding. You were not to interfere in my affairs. . . . And yet, here you are.”
Since his attempt at diplomacy had failed, Will now asserted himself. “I will never return Emily to that madman,” he adamantly declared.
Eris turned and looked him in eye. “Then you will have no peace!” she said.
“You have invaded a Kingdom under my protection! You have assaulted my subject! And now, you directly defy my authority!
“I offered you amnesty, but you have chosen your fate.
“Not only will Nathan continue waging his campaign against you, with my blessing and with any aid I can give him, I will use my Divine power to nourish the slightest seed of Discord in your lives, magnifying it a thousand-fold – in all the Worlds you inhabit!
“These are my words! This is my curse upon you!”
But just as the Queen of Chaos finished her ominous speech, Will felt a soft breeze blow through the dank air, and again the ground trembled. A few feet from where Eris had emerged, a swirling, multi-hued cloud formed, growing steadily brighter as the gleaming flecks of light drew together and took solid form.
“Who is she?” whispered Charlotte, as Will’s Divine Guardian, Iris, appeared before them, now as the true Goddess she was – dazzlingly beautiful, arrayed in a flowing white gown, her golden locks surrounded by a halo of iridescent light.
“What brings you here?” said Eris, addressing her radiant kin.
“Cousin,” Iris greeted her. “Stirring up trouble, are we?
“This is none of your affair!” she shot back, indignantly.
Iris smiled. “In fact . . . , it is,” she replied.
The dark-haired Deity seemed puzzled by her response. She looked at Will, peering into his eyes for a moment. “. . . Ah,” she said. “. . . I had heard he might have a Benefactor of high birth. But the Rainbow Goddess, herself? . . . Curious.”
Eris then shrugged. “Why you choose to care for this mortal is beyond me. But you have no more claim on him – no more say in his fate – than I, dear cousin.
“That may be . . . ,” Will’s Angel conceded, “but I am not here to protect my charge. Today, I have come . . . as a Messenger.”
Eris was silent for a moment. “. . . I see,” she said, drawing a deep breath. “. . . And the message?”
“. . . This feud is over,” Iris pronounced. “These are his words. This is his will.”
“What!” said Eris, her eyes fuming. “He cannot do this!”
“Is this is the reply you wish me to deliver?” Iris calmly asked her.
“. . . No,” she answered, pushing down her anger. “. . . It will be as he says.”
“You will inform Nathan?”
“. . . Yes,” she said, grudgingly.
“Perhaps you should hurry,” the Royal envoy advised her, “lest your mischievous child proceed further with, what are now, high crimes.”
Eris looked at the three mortal Dreamers and simply shrugged, as if their fates no longer concerned her. She then approached Jeremy.
