The portals, p.18
The Portals, page 18
part #19 of Survivors Series
“Or something. Let’s see where this brings us,” Slate said. “Then we can decide.”
Jules agreed and activated the Shandra. She almost laughed when they returned to the world of gigantic mushrooms. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What is going on here?” Flim grabbed his sword, swinging it in the air. “We are supposed to be finding the First World!”
“Settle down,” Jules told him. “We will, but not this way.”
“We’ve wasted days. The other teams…”
“Nix doesn’t care about the prize as much as gathering data. Right now, he’s sitting behind a desk, grinning as hundreds of planets details are sent to him. I have to figure out how the Arnap are involved,” Jules said. “Uncle Zeke, what would you do?”
They stood on top of a mushroom, a hundred feet above the loam-covered ground.
“We have a few options. Go to Zecos Three and confront Nix. If he’s even there.” Slate glanced at Jaeke. “Travel to the Institute and regroup.”
“Or we visit Banod and see Regnig,” Jules added.
“We must continue the search!” Flim shouted.
“No one is stopping you,” she told him, and the hair-covered man flinched.
He shoved his sword away. “I will wait.”
“What do you think, Jaeke?” Jules got the detective’s attention.
“I must find Anlise. Which choice will increase those odds?” Jaeke gazed at the crystals.
“Suma?” Jules asked.
“I can’t give up, but, Jules, this is too much. We haven’t seen a trace of Hugo. I think we should focus on him. He’s your family,” she said, reminding Jules of the Deity’s earlier message.
Jules reached for her Communicator and activated it. “Come on, Papa. Answer.”
_________
Karo carried Regnig to Banod’s Shandra. The guards stationed there had come from the Institute, and I nodded to the ten soldiers as we passed by them.
“No one is supposed to use this,” a Bhlat woman told me.
“I don’t care,” I said. “I made the rules, and I’m going to break them. Don’t let anyone else through, though, understood?”
The soldier glanced at the rest of her companions, and one of them came forward. “Don’t worry, Mr. Parker. We won’t fail you.” He smiled.
“What’s your name, soldier?” I asked.
He stood taller. “Barry, sir.”
“Barry, you’re doing a great job.”
Karo held Regnig like a ragdoll, his cloak draping from his skinny body. His breaths were ragged, his feathers falling from his wings.
Where are we going?
It was the first time he’d spoken to us today. “I have to help you.”
How?
“By demanding something within the portals. In the Void.”
This is too dangerous. I am better to die at home, Dean.
“I’m sorry.”
I went to the portal table, selecting the Institute as my destination. It had a Shandra Valincin on it, and that was my best chance.
“Are you coming, Karo?” I asked, but he remained on the outskirts of the circle.
“No, Dean. This is your task. I will only weigh you down.” I took Regnig from Karo’s outstretched arms. He was so light.
“Wish me luck.”
“I don’t think luck will play any role in this, Dean. But I believe in you.” Karo stayed with the soldiers, and I noticed the crystals glowing as I rested my hand on the table. The lights strobed, indicating there was an issue with the network. Before they failed and left me stranded on Banod, I departed.
Bright whiteness surrounded me as I floated, with Regnig secured tight. I was within the Void, the place between the portals. “It’s time to give you my answer!”
A figure slowly glided toward us, and I recognized him as my father once again. “Dean Parker. I was beginning to worry you’d forgotten our bargain.”
“I didn’t. Bring me to the First World. I will inform you of my decision.”
The Universe’s gaze remained on Regnig. “He’s gone.”
I glanced at my friend, seeing he was no longer breathing. “Bring me to the First World, damn it! I have your answer!”
The entity disguised as my father nodded once, and we vanished.
The cliffs were much the same as my last visit. Over the ocean, the skies were clear and bright. Inland, a storm brewed; angry black clouds stayed low, covering the distant mountain peaks. I could feel the power emanating from it, and worry gnawed at my gut.
“It’s time, Recaster. Which path do you choose? I have granted you a year to decide.”
“The Cosmos want Regnig,” I said, and the figure’s eyes grew wider.
“Is that so?”
“I think… they sent a message, implying he was chosen. He is the guardian we all need. Regnig cares about helping more than anyone, and…”
“He is dead.”
I held Regnig and pulled him tighter. “Save him.”
“I cannot.”
“Why? Make him the Recaster. He accepts the title.”
“It’s too late.”
“Save him!” I repeated.
My father’s face shifted, the features vanishing. “You have the power to do so yourself.”
I realized what he was suggesting. I watched Regnig, and made the hardest decision of my life.
Lightning sprang from the mountains; the thunder that followed cracked so loudly, it made me jump. “Fine. I accept. I’ll be the Recaster.”
“As you wish.” And he was gone.
I remained still, with Regnig in my hands. I expected some big dramatic event, but nothing happened. Within me, there was a difference, and I recalled transporting myself without a portal when I fought the Planner.
The words of Regnig’s prophecy rang through my mind.
There will be one to flap his wings on the edge of the universe. A guardian for all times. From the depths of the pool of life, he will emerge. The torch passes, but the objective remains. Change the Universe, my perfect Shaper.
I hefted Regnig higher. “Take me to the Pool of Life!”
EIGHTEEN
“What is it?” Anlise whispered.
“That’s a Deity,” Hugo said.
The bald being was twice as tall as the Protectors, his skin a dark gray, his eyes white as snow.
Two others emerged from forest, the storm raging above. One was a female, a horn rising from the center of her forehead. The last was a thickset man, and he was slightly shorter than the other pair.
“This is insane. Are we dreaming?” Malir asked.
“Nope.” Hugo was relieved. Jules was one of them, so how bad could they be?
“Hugo Parker. How did you come to the First World?” the lead asked.
“The Protectors brought us,” he answered.
“That is good,” the woman said. “Where are they?”
“I’m not sure. They were right behind us.” Hugo looked over his shoulder, like their army might appear.
“We knew it was time. Where is the other?”
“Jules?” Hugo asked.
“Yes. Though we know her as Zaera.”
“She’s not here.”
The Deities spun around, looking toward the mountains. “The Recaster has arrived. We must depart.”
“Wait!” Hugo shouted, but they were already running. The Recaster?
Casidy chased after Hugo. “We can’t seriously go with them.”
The gods moved quickly, despite their enormous height. Hugo struggled to keep pace. He didn’t bother to see if the rest of the team was coming. He needed to learn what had these Deities so agitated.
Hugo started up the mountainside, finding the terrain harder to navigate, but he pressed on, using tree branches and shrubs to aid his ascent. Finally, he crested a ridge and found level ground.
The three gods gathered at the edge of a pool of water, watching the calm lake.
He panted as he went beside them, squinting at a small ripple in the center of it. “What are we looking at?”
The stocky god smiled eerily. “I think you will be surprised.”
“Live!” Someone stood in the pool, holding a cloth in his hands.
“Dad?” Hugo muttered, seeing a soaked Dean Parker. He realized it wasn’t just a bundle of fabric; it was Regnig.
_________
“Live!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. I’d done what they asked. This was the Pool of Life. I was on the First World. I’d accepted the title of Recaster when the Universe had denied my claim that Regnig could take the role. In the end, there was no other choice. Regnig would survive, but I would be torn from my family. Maybe this was my fate.
“Live,” I whispered, holding my friend to my chest.
When I thought it was fruitless, his claw grasped my arm, digging into the flesh. His beak flew open, his tongue shooting out.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
I heard the cry of anguish in my mind and set him down. He sank to his waist in the shallow water and stared at me. The redness had faded from his eye, and he blinked.
Dean? Where are we?
“The First World,” I told him.
Am I dead?
“Not any longer.”
Am I the Recaster?
“I don’t think so.” I began to drift into the air, and finally looked past Regnig to the lake’s shoreline. Three gigantic beings watched us, and beside them was a young man. “Hugo?”
Dean, you’re fading.
I stuck my hand out, seeing through the skin and bones. “Take care of them for me, Regnig.”
I’m not certain I can.
Something pulled on me, a tug from an unseen focal point. I floated over the water and tried to fight it.
I tried to shout at my son, but I wasn’t certain if he heard me. “Hugo, I love you, son.”
Hugo ran into the lake, water erupting with each step.
And I was gone.
Returned to the Void.
“Is that what you were hoping for?” the Universe asked.
I blinked my eyes open, seeing my father again. “I had no choice. Regnig should have the title, not me.”
His appearance flickered, and for a moment, I saw the smooth gray face beneath my dad’s visage. He had no eyes, nose, or mouth.
“Perhaps we can come to an arrangement,” he said.
We floated in the Void, the white light surrounding us. “Are you serious?”
“There is something unfolding. These circumstances could change the trajectory of everything you’ve worked for, Dean Parker.”
“What is it?”
“Nix Benah is a deceiver.”
“How bad is it?”
“He has spent decades preparing for this. Since the moment those hybrids fled to Seqor.”
“Hybrids?” Jules had mentioned the Protectors on Seqor. A pair of hybrids who claimed no knowledge of the Event, as they’d left before the strike unfolded.
“They were both stationed on Earth before the Kraski attacked. You even met the one who now calls himself Lance,” my father said.
“I did? Where?”
“You knew him as Bob.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Bob? That was Mary’s husband. But he died.”
The figure slowly shook his head. “False. Lance killed one of his counterparts, leaving the corpse for Mary to find.”
My mind reeled. “What are they doing?”
“Lance was a close ally of Lom of Pleva. His benefactor sent him to Seqor to meet Nix Benah.”
“And the Arnap.” I was starting to piece the narrative together. “What is it Nix and the Arnap seek?”
“To destroy Earth. New Spero. Haven. For starters. They won’t stop until they own the Alliance. Nix will do anything to secure your worlds, but he has a larger goal in mind. To become immortal.”
“What can I do?”
“Your daughter is being distracted. She was dispatched on a fool’s errand.”
“But I sent her on that mission!” I struggled with my pocket, trying to find the Communicator. It was missing.
“Another trick. The book was planted in Regnig’s library by my opposition. There is no mythical quest to find the First World,” he said. “This conspiracy runs deep, Recaster.”
I stiffened at the use of my title, feeling tension extend through my limbs. “What took him so long? Why did he wait? They could have attacked us before we built the Alliance.”
He stared at me, his mouth a grim line. “They have figured it out.”
“What? Figured what out?” I had to keep the Universe talking.
“The Deities were a threat.”
“Were?”
“Perhaps you should watch.”
He waved a hand, and a borderless screen appeared beside us, stretching in all directions, giving us a view directly above the Pool of Life. Regnig was there, and I spotted Hugo rushing to the old Toquil, only Regnig didn’t look old any longer. I touched my own face, recalling a similar experience. Perhaps we shared more than I realized.
I recognized the people with Hugo. Malir and Casidy stalked the area, the Gretiol heir holding a gun as they searched the shoreline. The Deities were present, watching Regnig. And there was someone else. The woman Hugo had joined with. Jules thought it was Anlise Benah.
No one was paying attention to her but me. She typed on a wristpad, continually glancing over her shoulder, then at Hugo. The ground shook, ripples shooting from across the lake.
“Hugo, get out of there!” I shouted, but my warnings fell silent.
_________
Hugo glanced up, thinking he’d heard his dad’s voice calling, but there was nothing but the storm overhead.
Something is happening. Regnig moved quickly, his legs unencumbered by pain, from the looks of it.
“It’s probably just the weather,” Hugo said as they approached the others at the edge of the small body of water. “Where’s Anlise?”
Malir spun around, pulse rifle raised. “She was right here.”
The entire ground rocked, nearly knocking Hugo off his feet.
Light shone above them, flashes of energy from the clouds. A massive symbol materialized, and the Deities bellowed.
Hugo had seen this before. A circle with an X through it. “The Zan’ra.”
They are gone.
“But their knowledge could be easily stolen,” Malir said.
“Who does this?” the big bald male said.
“Areel, they have trapped us!” the woman yelled.
“Manolar, gather your wits,” the stocky one told her.
“Do you want to be separated again, Erposh?” she asked.
Hugo studied their interaction.
Areel lashed out at Hugo, nearly squeezing the air from his lungs. “What have you done?”
“It’s not me!” he managed to croak.
“It’s her.” Malir aimed his gun at Anlise, who stood fifty yards away in the treeline. The symbol remained within the storm clouds.
Erposh rushed for her, his huge lumbering feet barreling into the ground. He struck an invisible barrier, repelling backwards.
“You cannot stop me, gods,” she said.
Hugo tried to gather his wits. Regnig was here with his father, but his dad had vanished. The Protectors had brought them to the First World, but didn’t join him, and now the woman they’d teamed up with to find this place had turned on the Deities. If she’d obtained this technology, she…
“You’re in on it,” he muttered, and Areel set him down. “Anlise, you betrayed us!” He walked toward her. “You were never working against your father. You’re with him!”
She nodded, her face contorted into a sneer. “He always told me your people were weak and simple. No one ever conquered the universe with altruism. It’s a flaw, and a terrible one.”
Malir fired his gun, but the pulse disintegrated into her shield.
“My father anticipated the Deities. We were astounded by the rumors from your part of space. Gods and Zan’ra. Wormholes and Recasters. It all seemed like a fable, one I personally didn’t buy into. Now that I see you, and this… My father will be thrilled to take the Protectors as well.” She grinned at this.
“That won’t happen,” Hugo said. “He’s not worthy.”
“My father is the worthiest man there is. When he’s done with your people, he’ll live among the gods forever,” Anlise said.
“Why are you doing this? You said he’s evil,” Casidy pleaded.
“He’s not evil. He’s ambitious.”
“They’re going to attack the Alliance,” Hugo whispered to Malir. “What can we do?”
“Figure a way out of here,” Malir told him. “Deities, you must be able to fight this.”
The trio glared at the flickering lightning and the cursed symbol restraining them. “We cannot. There is only one that can free us.” Manolar met Hugo’s gaze.
“Again,” Areel muttered.
“Jules…” Hugo glanced at the center of the lake. He splashed toward the small floating object with desperation.
The Communicator must have fallen from his father’s pocket. He flipped it open, turning it so the water-logged device drained. The lights still operated, and when he tested the tool, it connected with its paired partner. “Jules?”
He waited, not instantly receiving feedback. Hugo touched the icon. “Jules, it’s me, Hugo.” He peered at the bright symbol hanging in the clouds, trapping the Deities inside its boundaries.
“Hugo! Where are you?”
Anlise was at the treeline, gaze set on the skies. That meant one thing. She was awaiting company.
“We made it to the First World…”
“Is Papa there?”
Hugo clenched his teeth and inhaled. “He was…”
“What do you mean, was? Where is he? Is Regnig okay?”
“Ju, we have a bit of a problem.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Would you stop interrupting?” He expected a retort, but luckily, his sister paused, letting him speak. “This is going to be tough to believe, but hear me out. A lot has occurred since we last talked.”
_________
Jules listened intently, forcing herself to stay silent. It was quite the tale, involving giants, Deities, and Papa. Most importantly, Hugo was alive and well, as was Regnig, but where had Papa gone? And what was her next move? She still couldn’t travel to the First World. Hugo had made it without the use of a symbol. These Protectors were the key, but he’d lost them along the way.
