Aetherial Annihilation, page 6
"There are probably a lot of people who need your help," I told her. "Can you use the lounge up here as a makeshift medic station?"
She wiped tears from her eyes and nodded. "How many did we lose?"
I shook my head. "Three so far. I'm going downstairs to check on the others."
The lower deck situation wasn't as dire as I'd feared. Many of the people were strapped onto a long leather couch in the lounge by a length of sturdy rope. Thankfully, all the furniture appeared to be bolted to the floor, though glasses had shattered, and the odor of spilt alcohol rose from liquid on the floor. Several people had bruises and cuts where their heads had knocked against their neighbor, and one person who hadn't gotten seated in time had a broken leg.
"Rope always comes in handy on a ship," Reese said, loosening the knots of the rope he'd used to secure himself to a separate chair.
"He saved our lives," Harley said, rubbing a cut above his eye, "though I still can't believe the ship didn't break apart."
"I want to give the builders a medal." Reese patted the bulkhead and looked out the window. The fog was already lifting, revealing a sea littered with dead marine life. "Wonder if those fish are cooked to order," he mumbled.
Even though they'd been boiled in the water, I didn't want to chance eating any of them. Malaether crucibles didn't leave behind radiation, but that didn't mean the meteor explosion hadn't.
"Was it a nuke?" A man asked.
"We'll let the government figure that one out." Reese turned from the window. "Does the ship still work, Justin?"
I shrugged. "Don't know yet." I turned to the others. "In the meantime, if you need treatment, the doctor set up a makeshift ward on the upper deck." As the injured filed out, I walked over to Reese. "There are three more bodies—two upstairs, and one in the control room. Can you see to them?"
He snapped a salute. "You got it."
"I'll go to the bridge and see if the captain has stopped wetting his pants," Elyssa said. "The sooner we get moving, the better."
We were underway within half an hour.
Several hours later, we docked at the port in the city of Myeik. Unlike the other coastal towns, it had been shielded from the brunt of the tsunami by the islands off its coast. Refugees flooded the harbor and stranded ships and boats clogged the port.
A flustered official directed us to a large fenced in area where a mob of miserable people waited for food and medical attention.
"I'm not going in there," I told Elyssa. "We've got to get to Bangkok."
Reese produced a cell phone. "Just so happens I have a buddy who runs a charter plane company for tourists. I might be able to call in a favor."
"That would be wonderful," Elyssa said. "How long do you think it'll take?"
He shrugged. "Let me find out."
Harley approached us. "Something tells me you two are off to save the world again."
I sighed. "No rest for the weary."
"Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye." He shook Elyssa’s hand and mine. "Take care, you two. And if you're ever out this way again, I want to treat you to a beer."
"Sounds amazing." I really liked the guy.
Elyssa hugged him. "Take care, Harley."
He smiled shyly. "Don't let this princess out of your sight, Justin. She's a keeper."
I slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Harley nodded. "Well, until next time." He turned and walked into the refugee camp.
Elizabeth hugged each of us. "We all owe you our lives." She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "I can't wait to go home and put this nightmare behind me." She turned to Reese and gave him a slip of paper. "If you're ever in New York, call me."
A broad grin stretched Reese's face. "I haven't been there in a while. Sounds like I have a good reason to go now."
She smiled. "Well, then, I'll look forward to it."
After she left, several more people approached and expressed their thanks. The mother and father of the children we'd saved gave us their number and told us to come by anytime.
"We'd all be dead if not for you," the mother said.
"Demons are awesome!" The boy chimed in.
The mother rolled her eyes. "I heard a lot of rumors on that roof. I think you're angels."
When the crowd departed, Reese walked away and made a call on his cell phone. He spoke for several minutes, and returned. "My buddy said he can get us tomorrow. Until then, maybe we can find a place to eat that's better than the gruel they're serving in there." He took out his wallet and counted some bills. "This should be plenty."
Unfortunately, Elyssa had no money in her purse. "We'll pay you back."
He pshawed. "Nah, it ain't a big deal. Besides, I figure I owe you."
"You did a lot too," Elyssa said. "And we're grateful."
We found a small restaurant, ate, and located a questionable looking hotel. I crawled into bed and fell asleep before my head hit the dingy pillow.
Reese's buddy, Nathan, landed at the tiny airport the next day and flew us to Bangkok. I slept most of the ride, hoping to give my injuries a chance to heal. Once there, Reese handed us some cash to hire a taxi and gave us his number.
"Call me anytime. If you ever feel the urge to tell me more about whatever secrets you're keeping, I'm all ears." He ran a hand down his face. "I think I'm gonna go back to the States, rest, and then pay that pretty doctor a visit."
"Sounds like a smart plan," Elyssa said. "Maybe when we visit, we'll see the both of you." She hugged him. "Take care, Reese."
"You too." He saw us to the taxi and waved as we pulled away.
The Obsidian Arch was hidden deep beneath a parking deck about twenty minutes from the airport. Our footsteps echoed in the eerily empty way station. A sign on the ticket booth declared, Closed until magic crisis resolved.
Like most way stations, this one had a stable, and behind it a hidden door to the control room. We went inside and found an arch operator sitting in a chair and reading a book titled, How to Be a Nom, for Dummies.
He glanced up and frowned. "What the hell? Didn't you see the sign?" His head jerked back and recognition set in. "Wait a minute, are you Justin Slade? Elyssa Borathen?"
"That'd be us," Elyssa said dryly. "We need to get back to Queens Gate."
"But we were told not to use the arches." His forehead creased. "Do you know something I don't?"
"From what I understand, the Obsidian Arches will work." I sighed. "Can you give it a try?"
"Let me contact Queens Gate." He took out an arcphone and argued with someone for a few minutes. "Okay, they're willing to try it, but won't take the blame if you end up in the Gloom or blown all over creation."
I didn't relish the thought of being trapped in that strange place, but I'd lost my passport, and taking a plane home would create a lot of unwanted complications.
"We've got to take that chance," I said.
He shrugged. "Are you working on solving this aether problem?" He held up the book. "If you don't get things working right again, I'll have to find a stupid nom job, probably working at a fast-food restaurant or something awful like that." His shoulders slumped. "It's about all I'm qualified for without magic."
I felt his pain, though I at least had my demonic powers to fall back upon. He walked to the raised platform at the front of the room. A large world map with markings for each Obsidian Arch in the world stretched along the front wall. In the center of the platform stood a raised block of stone with a large gray orb atop it: the modulus. It allowed the operator to power on the arch and select which waystation to target.
"We'll head to the arch," I told him.
"Good luck." He managed a half smile, but it quickly faded.
Elyssa snickered when we left the control room and walked toward the towering Obsidian Arch in the center of the cavern.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Just imagining robed Arcanes flipping burgers." She quirked her lips. "Life without magic would be pretty depressing. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this."
A low hum filled the cavern, building in volume and rising in pitch as the arch powered up. The expansive silver band around it flashed as it closed, trapping magical energy within it. The process usually only took a moment or so, but this time it took a lot longer than usual. After a long wait, arcs of aether flashed across the arch columns and the middle flashed. An image of another way station appeared on the other side.
"Looks clear," Elyssa said in a hopeful voice. "Let's pray we don't get zapped."
We raced forward to the massive gateway, hesitated at the threshold and looked at each other, then dashed through.
My skin flashed hot the instant we crossed over and I thought we might end up vaporized. Instead, we stepped into the Queens Gate way station deep below London and shared looks of relief.
"That kinda hurt," I said, looking at my skin for signs of burns.
Elyssa checked herself as well. "Looks like I'm all here, except—" Her eyes widened. "I'm missing a toe!"
"What?" I dropped to my knees as the hum of the arch wound down, and inspected her feet. She wore sandals so it was plain to see she still had all her toes.
Elyssa burst into laughter. "Gotcha!"
I rose and gave her a dirty look. "Not funny." I had to admit, it was a bit humorous, and god knew we both needed a laugh after what we'd been through. "Let's go talk to Shelton."
We walked across the wide space to the large pair of doors at the entrance of the pocket dimension of Queens Gate. Though I'd been through them many times, it was still somewhat wondrous stepping through into a whole new world.
We opened the doors and stepped onto a brick paved road. A wide valley stretched before us, cliffs towering on all sides. Atop the cliff to the right sat the Science Academy, a silver gleaming citadel dedicated to mad science. Out of sight on the cliff to the left, a plateau showed the towering spires of Arcane University. The city of Queens Gate nestled in the green valley between the two cliffs, and far behind it rose another mountain.
I called Shelton and had him open an omniarch portal. I didn't feel like hitching a ride on the sky car up to the university and hiking to the secret tunnel near the Dark Forest at the back of the university.
"You're here?" He whooped. "One portal coming right up."
A moment later, a nice proper portal without deadly static sliced open the air before us and we exited in a large room where the smaller sibling of an Obsidian Arch stood.
Shelton gave me a hug. "Great to see you, man." He traded hugs with Elyssa and kissed her on the cheek. "I wasn't sure you'd make it."
Bella, a petite Colombian, embraced us and kissed us on the cheeks. "We were so worried. Harry couldn't concentrate when we played Scrabble, and I won every game."
"You always win, woman." Shelton flashed a smile. "Let's go to the mansion and relax. I gotta hear what happened."
I almost broke into tears at the thought of being home among family.
It was great to be back.
Chapter 7
Over cupcakes and milk, Elyssa and I took turns telling the story.
"Holy Mary, mother of midgets." Shelton ran a hand down his face. "So destroying these things is like setting off a nuke?" He grabbed another cupcake and bit into it. "How are we supposed to counter them?"
"Perhaps we could move them and fire them into space," Bella suggested. "The only other option is disabling them somehow."
"I need to speak with my father, but the aether lines are down outside the pocket dimension." Elyssa looked doubtfully at her phone. "I have a signal here, but only get an error message when I try to call."
"We might have to go topside so you can use the nom cell towers," Shelton said. "Or, I guess we simply go to Atlanta."
"That seems our best bet," I said. "No sense hanging around here." I stood, stretched, and cracked a yawn. "I'd like to get a good night's sleep first."
Shelton slapped the table. "It's settled then. Tomorrow we head to Atlanta." He stood and rubbed his hands together. "Just when I thought things were getting boring, we're back in the saddle."
"I really thought ending Daelissa's conquest would be it for a while." My lamentation was greeted by sad nods.
"It never ends." Bella collected the cupcake platter and stacked the empty cups on it. "The Overworld government is still in shambles, and the lack of magic is making everyone grumpy."
"It definitely puts a damper on things." Shelton snatched a half-eaten cupcake from the plate and wolfed it down. "On the bright side, Ryland and Stacey had a litter of kittens or pups, or whatever you call baby lycan and felycans."
"They're called babies, Harry." Bella gave him an admonishing look. "They moved to a nice house in Atlanta, but I haven't heard much since the baby shower."
"I got the message from Stacey about their twins," I said. "I wonder what kind of morphs they'll be."
"We have a few years before discovering that." Elyssa stifled a yawn. "I'm ready for bed too. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, dear." Bella vanished into the kitchen.
Shelton clapped me on the back and elicited a groan from me. My muscles were still plenty sore.
"Oops, sorry," he said. "It's good to see you again, man. Got a second?"
I nodded.
"I'll be upstairs in our room," Elyssa said with a curious glance at Shelton. She walked upstairs and left the two of us alone.
Shelton motioned for me to follow him and went down the hall and into the war room, a large place with only a conference table and chairs. He closed the door behind us and produced a small box. "I'm gonna pop the question to Bella." He opened it to reveal a bright opal ring.
I slapped him on the shoulder. "Congrats, dude! When do you plan to do it?"
"Well, I've been looking for the proper romantic moment, you know?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I want it to be memorable, but I'm not that great with this stuff."
"I'm sure she'll be happy no matter how you do it." I tried to think of something or somewhere he could do it, even falling back on my favorite movie of all time, The Princess Bride. Taking her out for a ride on white horses didn't seem to be Shelton's style, and I came up short on ideas. "Um, maybe take her for a carpet ride and have a picnic somewhere nice."
He chuckled. "Yeah, that could work, but it might be kinda cliché." He shrugged. "Maybe you could ask Elyssa for some advice."
"Sure." I looked at the ring. "Sometimes, simple is best, though. Don't go overboard."
He ran a finger over the opal. "Yeah, I definitely don't want to mess this up."
"I don't think it's possible. You know she'll say yes." Another yawn yanked open my mouth. "Let's sleep on it."
Shelton chuckled. "All right. See you in the morning."
I went upstairs and considered taking a shower, but was just too damned tired.
"What did Shelton want?" Elyssa lay atop the covers in only panties and a bra.
My mouth watered at the sight. "Huh?" My mind finally took in her question. "He wants to ask Bella to marry him."
She popped to her knees. "Really? That's great!" Elyssa clapped her hands like a little girl. "Does he have something romantic planned?"
"That's what he asked me for advice about." I shrugged. "I couldn't think of anything."
"Hmm." She tapped a finger on her chin. "I'll help you come up with something. In the meantime, I just want to cuddle and go to sleep."
I stripped down to my boxer briefs. "I am totally down for cuddling." I crawled into bed next to her and ran a hand up her smooth, muscular leg. "And maybe a little something more."
She giggled. "Sure you're up for it?"
I kissed her. "For you, always."
My phone rang. I groaned, but knew any call coming through couldn't be ignored. I didn't recognize the number but answered anyway. When I moved the phone from the nightstand, the only remaining signal bar vanished. I quickly moved it back in place and put it on speakerphone.
"Hello?" The voice was barely audible through the static on the line.
"Who is this?" I asked.
There was a long silence, and I feared I'd lost the call.
"Justin, hello? It's Nightliss." She repeated herself once more.
"Nightliss?" I jerked upright and sat on the edge of the bed. "Where are you?"
"Oh, thank goodness you can hear me." More static covered what she said next. "…don't know how but I will."
"Repeat what you said."
"I'm in India…finding way home…what's happened to the magic?"
I adjusted the phone a tiny bit to the left. It was amazing I had a nom cell signal so far underground, but it seemed to be limited to this one spot. The signal didn't grow any stronger when I moved it.
"Have you seen the meteors? They're sapping the magic." I leaned over the phone, hoping she was still there.
"I thought so," she said, her voice much clearer. "One of them caused chaos in the village I was visiting. There were men—awful men who tried to take the women. I protected them, Justin."
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"There is no use running from conflict is there?" Despair clouded Nightliss's voice. "It always finds you."
"Are you coming home?" I asked, daring to hope.
"Yes." She sighed. "I do not know how, but I will find a way."
"We'll be waiting," Elyssa said. "We love you."
"I love you too, my friends." Her voice broke.
"Try to find the nearest Obsidian Arch," I told her. "Some of them are still working."
"Let me find the nearest one," Elyssa said.
There was a crackle, and the call ended.
"Damn it." I tried calling the number, but only received an error message.
"Your call cannot be completed as dialed," a robotic voice informed me.
We waited by the phone, but Nightliss didn't call back.
Elyssa rubbed my arm. "I'm sure she'll make it home safe."
I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "I hope so. The Templars need their Clarion."
I woke up the next morning feeling much better. The soreness in my bones and muscles had faded to a dull ache. My ribs felt mostly whole again, and it seemed I was on the mend, albeit slower than usual. Elyssa and I went downstairs, the smell of pancakes and bacon wafting into our noses.
