The Whirlwind, page 10
part #3 of Imager Chronicles Series
Nathan reached out the canteen, waiting for Denise. She looked at him, then at Josh. Finally, she nodded and held out the Bloodstone.
Nathan poured the water. Its liquid letters and words splashed onto the Bloodstone, which immediately began to crackle and hiss. Denise winced at the growing heat, but she hung on. She watched in terror as the Bloodstone began melting in her hand. But she hung on.
Slowly, a small cone of wind sprouted from the red liquid.
“What’s happening?” Josh cried as he strained for a better look.
“It’s the Bloodstone,” Nathan shouted. “It will make you perfect. And that Whirlwind, it’s Imager’s Breath. It will—”
“Liars,” a voice calmly interrupted.
Suddenly Denise saw Bobok’s reflection. He was inside the mirror that was crushing Joshua from the front.
Before she could respond, the Illusionist called to him from the other mirror, the one crushing him from the back. “There is only justice here, dear heart. Perfect justice. Here you receive exactly what you deserve.”
“That’s not true!” Denise shouted to Josh. “The Bloodstone will absorb your wrong—it will make you perfect so you can be filled with Imager’s—”
“Most illogical,” Bobok said to Josh. “In a rational universe one does not receive something for nothing. One must pay for what one has—”
“He’s wrong!” Denise cried.
“It would go against all the laws of physics,” Bobok quietly reasoned. “As a scientist, you know the need for absolute cause and effect. If there is but one exception to this logic, the universe would unravel. There would be no order. No justice.”
Josh turned his eyes to Denise. The mirrors pressed tighter. “He’s right,” he moaned, clenching his eyes against the pain, trying his best to stay conscious.
“No!” she cried. “He’s done nothing but lie to you from the start, why do you believe him now?”
“Because . . . it’s logic,” he groaned. “Someone must pay for my—”
“That’s just it!” Nathan shouted. “Imager has paid! The Bloodstone will absorb your wrong, it will take your punishment.”
“Dear child.” Bobok turned to Nathan in his kindest voice. “You have such great insight. If you would use it to its fullest potential, there’s no telling what you could become. Why, with the proper training you could be one of the wisest, most sought after men in your kingdom.”
Denise saw what was happening and immediately shouted, “Don’t listen to him, Nathan! He’s trying to seduce you like in Fayrah!”
But she was too late. Bobok had obviously remembered his weakness, and had gone for it. Nathan was already staring into the mirror, already being drawn into it by the creature’s smooth, praising words.
“Do not let such a great mind as yours be wasted. Come, boy, come closer to the mirror. Take a deep look at yourself and see all that you could—”
“Don’t listen to him!” Denise shouted. “It’s a trick!”
But Nathan continued to listen . . . and continued to look.
“That’s it,” Bobok purred, “look deep. Deeper still.”
“Nathan!”
Scenes from Nathan’s own life flickered upon Bobok’s mirror. Denise was beside herself. What could she do? She looked at the liquid Bloodstone still in her hand. Then, suddenly, without hesitation, she shoved it straight toward the mirrors, right at Bobok’s reflection.
“Put that away!” Bobok screamed as he raced to the far end of his mirror and cowered.
The cry startled Nathan, seeming to break the spell. He blinked once, twice, then turned back to Denise.
Good. He was back.
Quickly, she reached up and tried to dump the remaining liquid Bloodstone over Joshua’s heads. But the liquid would not fall. It clung to her palm. She turned her hand completely upside down and shook it. Still nothing. It hung like glue. It was still liquid, but it would not fall. The Illusionist broke into mocking laughter.
“What are you doing to it?” Denise demanded.
Bobok joined the Illusionist as their laughter reverberated back and forth in the mirrors. “Fool!” he taunted.
The communicator gave a crackle followed by Aristophenix’s voice. “Denise—the decision must be Joshua’s, not yours. He cannot be re-Breathed unless it’s his decision!”
“Did you hear that?” Nathan shouted to his brother.
But Josh’s pain was too great. He was losing consciousness. “Joshua!” Nathan reached over and shook him.
Josh mumbled something but his eyes had closed.
“We have won!” the Illusionist shouted to Bobok. “Dear and trusted friend, the victory is ours!”
“Pity, to have only one destroyed.” Bobok shrugged, as much as a blue orb can shrug. “But one is better than none.”
“Josh, you got to listen to me!” Nathan shouted. “We can’t do this for you. It’s got to be your decision! Josh! JOSHUA!”
“Joshua O’Brien!” Suddenly, Denise was in his faces (both of them) and shouting at the top of her lungs. “You are the stubbornest person I’ve ever met!”
Josh stirred slightly, barely opening his eyes.
“This is killing you!” she yelled. “Don’t you see that? You’re being smashed to smithereens!”
“It’s what I . . . deserve.”
“The Bloodstone can change that! Imager paid the price!”
His eyes started to close.
“Don’t do this! Don’t you go and die on me, Joshua O’Brien!”
The boy struggled to open a single eye.
“All you have to do is trust it! I know it doesn’t make sense. I know it’s not logical. But maybe there’s another type of logic here, a deeper logic. If you’d just . . . ” Suddenly Denise’s eyes welled with moisture. She hated it when that happened, but there was no way to stop it.
“Please don’t leave us . . . Please, I need you.” The tears spilled onto her cheeks. “Who is going to help me with my math? Who’s going to stop me from beating up all those guys at school?”
“Stop that!” the Illusionist shouted. “Stop that crying this instant!”
“Josh, please . . .” Her throat tightened. The tears continued. “I know it doesn’t make sense. But you got to trust the Bloodstone . . . ”
“Stop her!”
“It’s the only way . . . ”
“Stop—”
And then the most curious thing happened. One of Denise’s tears fell from her cheek. A single tear of her love. Love . . . something that the Sea of Justice had apparently never experienced. Because, as that tear fell onto a small mirror near her feet, the mirror suddenly gave a sharp and violent CRACK!
Everyone jumped in surprise.
Then it cracked again. Then again.
“Stop it!” the Illusionist screamed.
Then the entire mirror exploded. Dozens of pieces flew in every direction, some landing on other mirrors. Then those mirrors began to crack—and again, and again . . . until they, too, exploded!
“You’re destroying justice!” Bobok cried.
Denise and Nathan watched in amazement as more mirrors cracked and exploded, sending hundreds of pieces onto hundreds of other mirrors, which also cracked and exploded. Somehow, without even knowing it, Denise had started a giant chain reaction.
“Joshua!” Nathan shouted. “Joshua, we got to get out of here! Joshua, can you hear me?”
Josh mumbled something.
“Do you want us to pour the Bloodstone on you?”
“Stop it!” the Illusionist screamed. “Stop it!"
“Joshua!” Denise cried. “Do you want to be re-Breathed? Joshua?”
Again Joshua mumbled. It might have been “yes,” she couldn’t tell. She turned to Nathan questioningly.
“Try it!” Nathan shouted over the exploding mirrors. “He might be saying yes. Try it!”
Denise raised her hand over Josh’s heads to pour the liquid Bloodstone. And this time it worked! This time the liquid fell from her palm and onto one head, and then the other.
It wasn’t much but it was enough. Slowly, it ran down his faces, dripping onto his shoulders. As it did, Joshua began to grow transparent. As the red liquid flowed down his body, all of the darkness, all of the wrong he had ever done was drawn to the surface and into that liquid.
And where the Bloodstone flowed, the Whirlwind followed. Instantly, the wind picked up all around him, completely engulfing him.
“BREATHE IN!” Denise shouted over the roar of the wind and the exploding mirrors. “YOU’VE GOT TO BREATHE IN!”
Josh’s first breath was thin and shallow—but Denise saw some of Imager’s presence enter him. And with that entrance, the mirrors pressing him were pushed back slightly. He tried again, taking a deeper breath. More of Imager entered and the mirrors were pushed back further.
“WE’RE UNDONE!” Bobok shouted over the kingdom as it continued shattering and exploding.
Josh breathed again, then again, deeper and deeper, filling himself more and more with Imager’s Breath. As he did, he continued to expand until the two mirrors pressing him began to crack.
“Help me!” the Illusionist shrieked from her cracked reflection behind him. “Help me!”
But there was no help for her or for her ice-blue friend.
Joshua took another breath. More cracks.
“We’re ruined!” Bobok screamed.
And then, with Josh’s deepest breath, the two mirrors exploded in all directions. The dreaded Bobok and Illusionist shattered into billions of pieces of mirror. Billions of pieces of light.
“AGHHHHHhhhhhhhh . . . ”
Denise looked on. Apparently evil does not die easily. It took a long moment for their anguished screams to finally fade. But when they had, they were gone. All that remained was a sparkling cloud of dust that sprinkled down upon the kingdom.
And from that downpour of glittering dust, a new and different Joshua stepped forward. No longer was he some pathetic two-headed feathered freak. Now he was a man, a mighty man. And in each of his strong arms he carried a clay pot filled to the brim with water—but not the water of earth. This was the water of liquid words and letters.
The mirrors continued shattering and exploding around them. The Sea of Justice was being destroyed—all from Denise’s single tear. All from her love.
“Hurry!” Joshua shouted to Nathan. “Cross-dimensionalize us. This whole place is going to blow! Hurry!”
Nothing more had to be said. Nathan pulled out the little box and pressed the four buttons.
Beep . . .
Bop . . .
Bleep . . .
burp . . .
Chapter 13
The Greatest Adventures of All
The good news was that Nathan was a better shot with the Cross- Dimensionalizer than Listro Q.
The bad news was, he was still a beginner.
“Great,” Joshua whispered in the dark. “Where’d we land this time?”
“Miye moph moow,” Denise replied. It was supposed to be, “I don’t know,” but it’s hard talking when somebody’s kneecap is in your mouth. Wherever they were they were definitely tumbled and crammed in tightly together.
“Here,” Nathan said, “Just let me move my—”
“Ow!” Josh cried. “Your elbow’s in my eye!”
“Oh, sorry.”
Denise was the first to get an arm free. Unfortunately, she hit some sort of faucet and suddenly—splishhhhhhhhhhh—all three of them were soaked with water.
“Denny!” Nathan cried.
“It’s our tub,” Josh groaned. “We’ve landed in our tub.”
“Oh, no . . . ”
“Oh, great . . . ”
“Oh, brother . . . ”
The complaints soon gave way to giggles as the three finally untangled themselves and dragged their dripping bodies out of the tub . . . just as Aristophenix, Listro Q, and Samson entered the room. Apparently, they’d heard the commotion from Josh’s bedroom and raced down the hall to join them. Although the kids were soaked, there were still plenty of hugs to go around.
Part of Denise was glad to be back in her regular clothes—her regular sloppy jeans, her regular sloppy sweatshirt, her regular sloppy everything. But a small part of her was already missing the bridal gown. “I still don’t get why we were dressed up like that,” she said. “Nathan like a knight, me like a bride, and Josh like a . . . a—”
“A water bearer?” Aristophenix said.
“Yeah,” Denise nodded. “What does all that mean?”
“In time you will know
Imager’s plans will be clear
As you continue your journeys,
And explore His frontiers.”
“You mean there’s more?” Nathan shot a dubious look at Josh and Denise.
“Choice is it of yours,” Listro Q answered. “But many more adventures there are waiting for you.”
“You don’t mind if we get a little rest first, do you?” Nathan asked.
The group chuckled. It was true. It hadn’t exactly been the easiest of journeys—two days and nights without sleep, running and searching for perfect people, struggling through various realms of perfection—not to mention blowing up a kingdom or two.
Denise turned to Aristophenix. “Now that we’re re-Breathed, I thought the adventures would be over. I mean, from the beginning wasn’t that what Imager wanted—for us to be re-Breathed?”
Aristophenix and Listro Q traded amused looks.
“No and yes,” Listro Q said.
Aristophenix explained:
“Being Re-breathed is by
No means an End.
It’s only now
The Real adventure begins.”
“But Bobok and the Illusionist?” Nathan asked. “They’re both gone.”
“Right are you,” Listro Q nodded. “Dust, became they.”
Nathan let out a sigh of relief.
So did Josh.
Come to think of it, so did Denise.
“But same and different enemies, now have you.”
“Same and different?” Nathan asked. “Like how?”
Listro Q grinned. “In time, friend my, in time.”
“Don’t worry ‘bout them bad guys,
‘Cause we’ve all seen your tapestries.
If you stay close to Imager,
They’ll meet the same, uh, catastrophes.”
The group groaned.
Samson commented and Listro Q quickly translated. “Perhaps leave we should now for home, before any worse get his rhymes.”
Of course there were the usual “do you have to go’s” and “can’t you stay a few more minutes,” but eventually reason won over. Everyone was just too exhausted. Besides, the sky outside was turning pink. Dawn was well on its way. And with dawn would come grownups. And with grownups would come thousands of questions. Questions they’d be happy to answer in time. But not just yet.
“Sammy Boy is right,
It’s time that we go.
Listro, punch in them coordinates,
Let’s get on with the show.”
Nathan tossed the Cross-Dimensionalizer over to Listro Q.
“Wait a minute!” Denise said. “The Bloodstone, where is the Bloodstone?”
“In the Sea of Justice,” Listro Q answered. “Or where used to be the sea.”
“It didn’t get destroyed with the mirrors?”
“A symbol of Imager it is, impossible to destroy is it.”
“But without the Bloodstone,” Denise protested, “how will we signal you for another visit?”
Aristophenix grinned.
“We’ll be here and around,
We won’t be long parted.
‘Cause like we’ve already stated;
Your adventure’s just started.”
Josh coughed slightly and cleared his voice. “Listen, guys, I just want to say . . . you know, thanks.” He glanced at the ground, a little embarrassed.
Each of the group nodded, seeming to understand.
“I tell you . . .” He took another breath. “I really learned my lesson. No way am I going to go around always trying to be Mr. Super-popular.”
“Yeah, right,” Denise smirked.
He gave her a look, then broke into a grin. “Well, at least not all of the time.”
Everybody chuckled.
“We’ve all got stuff to work on,” Nathan admitted.
Listro Q agreed and added, “But inside you now is Imager’s Breath. Happen will changes.”
It was Josh’s turn to slowly nod. He seemed to understand.
Finally, Aristophenix signaled Listro Q to enter the coordinates. More hugs were given and goodbyes exchanged until the furry, bearlike creature cleared his throat and left them with one final poem:
“We best be a-movin’,
It’s really time that we go.
Our beds, they’re a callin’,
So bye-bye, see ya later, tally—“
Beep . . .
Bop . . .
Bleep . . .
burp . . .
And, just like that, the Fayrahnians were gone.
Joshua, Nathan, and Denise stood looking at one another. It was hard to believe that it was over—that they could actually get some rest—and that things would finally return to normal.
Well, okay, so two out of three isn’t bad. They were right about it being over and they were right about getting some rest. But as far as things returning to normal? Well, let’s just say Aristophenix was right when he promised that now they were ready for the real adventures to begin . . .
A preview of
Book Four:
The Tablet
The Signal
“Dennnyyyyyy . . . ”
Denise Wolff twisted and turned in the chair beside her mom’s hospital bed. For the third time that night she dreamed of how her mother had fallen off the ladder. For the third time that night she saw her tumbling like a Barbie doll from their second-story window. And for the third time she heard the crack of shrubs and the sickening thud of her mother hitting the ground.
