“They’re still working on their army, you say?” Orville asks.
I nod.
“Then, we should attack them before they’re ready.”
~ 27 ~
THE CROWD AGREES. I look around and see a village united, old and young, male and female, powers and no powers, humans and creatures. This is Vittoria.
Orville addresses the gathering. “Sleep now, friends, for tomorrow we leave our home in order to save it.”
They all disperse, and Nick and I lead Harmony into the house where we sit around the kitchen table. The youngest linger. They want to know more about Harmony. They want to see her eyes.
“Let’s go, munchkins.” Maddie whisks them upstairs and Orville shares the plans they’ve made in our absence.
“Ah . . . how long have we been gone?” I ask.
“Several long, anxious days,” my father says, and then his eyebrows draw together and he closes his lips tightly—his serious face.
“Merts and their team have prepared quite an arsenal of arrows for every bow,” Orville says. “We’ve sharpened shovels and other scrap metal into fearsome weapons. Your father knows a lot about combat from past studies and has shared tactical ideas for both offense and defense. Our drills have been hasty, but we will have an advantage if we take them by surprise. The young ones, with Chimney and Maddie, have been gathering food for days and are ready to support our march. The weather has been comfortably warm through the nights.”
“Wait a minute,” I stop him, “we’re taking the kids?” The idea startles me.
“It wasn’t our initial plan,” Mac says, “but as they pointed out to us, most of them have helpful powers. Not a single one wants to stay behind.”
“Not even Eenie and her kittens?”
“Not even Eenie and her kittens. She won’t hear of Thunder going off without her, and the cubs are nearly Thunder’s size already.”
“It’s true,” Teresa says. “You know of Jack’s uncanny strength, and what Katie did to that wave before it hit Bridger’s wall, well . . . the truth is, we’re all in this together, and we’ve chosen to stay together, for better or worse, and we’ve been through plenty of worse.”
Nick takes my hand under the table, and I see Harmony smile.
“Harmony,” Orville speaks softly and places a hand lightly on her arm, “have you heard anything helpful? We have planned for several days travel, but we’re hopeful the voices you hear will prepare us for what we’ll face when we arrive.”
Harmony turns toward Orville’s voice. “The sword arms are working in nearly every beast and they’re moving as Lilith wants them to move. Something about conducting drills. And Blanche says the army should be returning to the lab soon.”
“Sword arms?” Orville asks. Riku strokes his arm distractedly.
I explain how Harmony was afflicted with the mechanization, but only Nick and Harmony and Kumugwe know how I was able to deactivate her.
“And the flying creatures sound vicious,” she says. “They have several, maybe five or six. And other voices. Mean voices. Lots of different people besides my sister, who sounds like a very young girl—how can that be?—and Blanche, who sounds . . . uneasy. They’re not ready, but I saw what the scientists were able to do during my short time in their submarine.” She frowns, and I know she’s remembering how they abused Zoya. In a whisper, she says, “They should have to pay for what they’ve done.”
“They will, Harmony,” I say. “We’ll stop them, and we’ll stop whatever army they’re gathering.” I think about Bridger and how everything around him must horrify him.
My father nods his agreement. “She’s right. An army controlled by fear and mechanical devices can be defeated.”
“If we’re planning to move out tomorrow, then let me find the exact location of the lab,” I say. “The ravens gave me an image of where they are, and I recognized some of the surroundings. They’re somewhere east of the cave, Orville. You remember the cave, right?”
He smiles a sad smile. He remembers.
“No! It’s too dangerous,” Nick says. “It’s dark and those flying things and—”
“I can see in the dark. I can fly fast and high, and they’ll never be expecting me. I need to do this, Nick. We need to know how far down the coast they are. I’ll be back before you’re asleep, I promise.”
I take his hand and he frowns at me for an instant, but then his eyes soften.
“It would help to know where they are,” he says.
“And hey,” I try to sound upbeat, “I have this nifty spear. What could go wrong?”
Harmony snaps her face toward me and without a word, tells me never to ask that question. Her demeanor is unsettling.
“Oh, and before I leave, have you talked about traveling in different ways?” I ask.
“Different?” Riku asks.
“Yes, like, not just on land. Do we still have all those boats Bridger made before I threw this spear into the water?” It’s strange that the spear is mine. I look across the table and notice my father nodding at me with a satisfied grin on his face.
“Yes, they’re behind the last house at the end of the road,” Mac says.
“Well, based on where I think the lab is, it’s not far from the water. Orville and I are the only ones who can fly, so we’re limited by how many we can take by air. The animals and some of the humans can travel by ground, and some of the older villagers could escort the younger ones by water. We should use everything that could be an asset along the way.”
“By land, sea, and air. That’s my girl! Yes, Celeste, we’ve talked about this in our planning.”
“Oh! Of course you have!” I feel a little foolish, like I’ve just told an English teacher how to punctuate a sentence. “And I’ll know more after I find the lab.”
“My, my. You do remember some of what I taught you during our camping trips.” Dad’s eyes look wistful.
“More than you know, Dad.”
What would I have done without his compass lessons, his astronomy lessons, his campfire cooking lessons? I cringe when I recall skewering the rodents near the cave after Orville rescued me from the sandcastle. I see Harmony’s eyebrows rise high above the scarf, and can only imagine she’s recalling the same experience through me. Now that she knows me, she must feel guilty for nearly killing me in there. She didn’t know any better, though. She’s just a child raised by creatures of the water.
“Okay. Off I go, then.” I stand up and Nick stands with me. We’re still holding hands. Dad raises one eyebrow.
“Be watchful, daughter. And return as you promised.”
They all stand as Nick and I leave the room, except for Harmony, who’s no longer smiling. Nick walks with me outside and stops me in the middle of the road.
“How about Omega?” he says.
“Omega what?”
“For your spear’s name. I remember something about Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Something to do with foreign letters. Omega’s the last letter. Let this spear help you bring an end to our troubles.”
“Omega. It’s perfect. Thanks, Nick.” I’m afraid to look into his eyes, but I do. And when he looks into my eyes, I know what will happen next.
The tingling starts before his lips touch mine, and when I feel the heat in his eager kiss, I start to melt.
~ 28 ~
WHEN HE PEELS AWAY from me, it hurts.
“Celeste? Celeste? Open your eyes, Celeste. Come on! Please, breathe!”
Why is he shaking me? Why can’t I see him? Oh, yeah. I should open my eyes . . . and I should breathe.
“Holy moly!” I say. “What happened?” I’m on the ground, collapsed in Nick’s arms. He holds me like I held him when Ryder and I healed his brain. “Did I hurt you?” I can’t bear to see him hurt again.
“No, no . . . well . . . not really.”
“What do you mean, not really?” I break from his arms and stand up, but I feel dizzy and disoriented for several moments. He jumps up to s
teady me.
“I’m fine. I’m fine, really,” he says, shaking his head. “It’s just that when we, you know, kissed, I kinda felt like I lost you for a while. It made my heart squeeze a little, and then I felt you falling. It was almost like you were falling out of me, and taking tiny pieces of me with you. It felt like an ache, but I’m fine. Are you okay?” He brushes the hair from my face and then pulls me back into his arms.
It’s awkward hugging him with a spear in one hand, but I guess that means I didn’t drop it when I fell. Maybe it didn’t let me drop it.
“Yeah, yes, I think so.”
“You shouldn’t go. We’re not in any immediate danger—you said so yourself—and I can’t even remember how long it’s been since we’ve slept. Stay. Please.”
But I couldn’t sleep even if Harmony sang me her most soothing lullaby. “I can’t. Every moment we wait gives our enemies more time to grow their army.”
Enemies. What a strong word for people I’ve never even met. How could there be enemies anymore among those who survived The Event?
But Harmony’s parents didn’t just survive The Event, they caused it. At least that’s what I’ve been led to believe. And if it’s true, then I have to find out why. And I have to know we can stop them from creating more havoc on the planet.
“I’ll be back before you’re asleep. Watch out for Harmony, will you?”
“You know, if I thought it would keep you here, I’d stop time right now. How is it that you’re immune from my power?” It’s a question with no answer expected. He smiles and doesn’t let go.
“Maybe I wish I wasn’t,” I say, and I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. He’d be able to stop me, then, and maybe I wouldn’t feel so compelled to keep leaving him, to keep searching for answers.
It would be an easy choice to wait until the army comes to us and have Nick stop time before they attack, but I’m not convinced the fluxes have completely ceased. I get the impression no one is convinced, which means we can’t count on consistent powers.
And what if the enemy is immune too?
I disengage reluctantly and take a small step away from Nick’s warmth. “All right, then, Omega,” I say in a theatrical voice, holding the spear up to the sky, “take me to their leaders!”
“Very funny,” Nick says, and he takes a small step back as well. “Stay away from their leaders. You’re just going to find the lab, remember?”
“I remember. See you soon,” I say, and lift into the sky.
It’s peaceful up here in the atmosphere. I’d forgotten how everything appears more beautiful. It’s dark below me, but the stars above cast intricate shadows on the planet and reflect glowing ripples on the water. I could lose myself up here.
I did, for a while, with Odin.
The thought of him makes me wary, and I search the sky for his ravens. They took me to him a lifetime ago, and I could have stayed there in Asgard—or Oblivia, as we once called the majestic place far removed from this planet. I could have eaten my fill without labor and played with the wolves, slept in buoyant clouds and delivered rain where I chose to. I could have lived forever in the brilliantly striated clouds in the heavens and done whatever I pleased.
Why did I want to escape? And why am I holding this spear? Where am I? In my confusion, I start to fall.
“Celeste!” I hear Harmony’s voice in my head. “The laboratory. Find the laboratory and return to us. Nick is drowsy.”
Of course! I escaped for Nick and for the others. Being in the atmosphere like this plays with my head, but I’m no god, and I have no desire to live a god’s life.
What’s a life with little fear of death? Knowing we’ll die someday makes every moment more meaningful. And what’s the value of anything if everything can be possessed? What’s real in a realm where everything is just a game?
I get control of myself and descend until I’m closer to the planet’s surface, where I recall the last vision the ravens shared with me. The submarine was grounded on a beach a distance east of the village—beyond the cave where I recovered from starvation and lost friends—and I could see a structure not far from the water’s edge. That’s where I’m going.
I study my spear as I fly. It needs a purpose. I probably shouldn’t put off this decision, but what should I ask of it? Does it work like a magical lantern holding a genie? Will I get three wishes? And if so, what wish would be the most helpful to me, and to my community, if I’m allowed only one?
“Omega?” I address the spear as if it’s listening. “I’ve chosen a purpose for you.” It might be my imagination, but I feel it vibrate in my hand. Harmony was right. It’s waiting. “You must never allow me to use you for a selfish purpose. Do you accept?”
The waves of orichalcum in Omega’s shaft glow brilliantly and I feel happy inside. It answered my question. It feels alive in my hand, and I’m struck by the sensation this spear has always been mine.
I pass over the collapsed cave, the burial ground for Floyd—the loveable boxer who ran with Ranger’s pack on the other side of the big water until I brought him to this side—and two of Eenie’s kittens. A wave of sorrow replaces the happy feeling I was enjoying.
“Please tell me they didn’t suffer,” I say to Omega, and it glows again, though not as brightly, and the burden of my sorrow lifts from me. “Thank you,” I whisper.
Not too much farther down the coast, about a day’s walk, an unnatural shape captures my attention. It must be the laboratory. It looks a little blurry, almost like there’s a heat mirage around it.
I hover, and I grip Omega more firmly. I scan the space above the structure for fliers, but see none, so I advance slowly. I could go back to the village—I’ve found what I came looking for—but the more information I can take back, the more prepared we’ll be to face whatever’s in there.
I’ll just fly above it and dissolve myself to infiltrate the building, the same way I got through the cracks in Kumugwe’s castle when I first dispersed. After all the times I’ve done it, this transformation feels natural to me.
But what about Omega?
“Omega, can you transform your particles to go through tiny cracks in solid objects? This is something I can do, and I need to do it once we’re over the building.”
Omega shakes in my hand and turns icy cold. I guess that means no. As much as I hate to do it, I retreat a distance from the building and bury Omega under sand and some loose brush.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” I half expect Omega to rise up and fly to my hand, and I’m a little disappointed when it doesn’t.
When I’m over the building and look down at it, I notice the same blurry illusion I saw from the ground. I’ll get a little closer before I dissolve. Nick was right about my needing sleep.
“Y’OUCH!” I slap my hands over my mouth, but what the heck just happened? It’s like I’ve flown into a wall, but I can’t see one. I’m standing on a surface I can’t see either. This is not good. I should leave, but I’m so close.
I walk cautiously, sliding my hand along an invisible wall on my left, when the surface below my feet ends without warning and I fall to a level closer to the rooftop. This is disconcerting.
I feel for the wall to my left on this level, and then walk more cautiously, sliding one foot at a time to my right, my right hand searching for an unseen barrier on the other side of this blurry passageway. It takes a while, but I find it. I shuffle along this wall until I feel it turn a corner, and then another. And then I realize my mistake.
I’m trapped in an invisible three-dimensional maze.
~ 29 ~
I HAVE TO GET out of here. I leap into the air, forgetting about the invisible barrier above me, and smack my head hard. Sitting in a heap on another surface, I chastise myself for being so reckless.
Backtrack. That’s what I’ll do. I try to remember the turns I’ve taken, but I’m already turned around, and I can’t feel or see the wall I followed on this level. Am I even on the same level, or could I have falle
n through another hole after my hasty escape attempt? It seems like I’m closer to the rooftop.
Panic rises from my gut. It tastes like burning saltwater.
Where are you, Celeste? Harmony’s voice startles me. He’s asleep, and you’re not here. They’re all asleep. All but me. They tried to stay awake, but these topside bodies are so very weak. You promised you’d return before they fell asleep. Aren’t promises things you’re supposed to keep?
Her words make me feel uneasy—everything about my current situation makes me feel uneasy—but if I can hear her, she can probably hear me too. I close my eyes and answer her.
Yes, Harmony. Promises are things you’re supposed to keep. And I’d be home right now, but I’m trapped over the laboratory. I must sound crazy. Please be patient. I’ll find a way out.
She doesn’t answer, but I hear her whimpering.
I will, I—don’t say promise—I’ll find a way and I’ll be there before they wake up. I wish I sounded more convincing, but all I can see when I look above me is a dark blur, and I can’t keep hitting my head. The fastest way out might be down, through holes in the surfaces beneath my feet. And if I’m honest with myself, I’ve already made the decision to get inside the lab.
Invisible barriers thwart me constantly, and every time I fall through a hole I’m unprepared. Fortunately, my blundering doesn’t seem to make any noise in here. My eyes are wide open, but I might as well be blind in this disturbing maze.
What if I dissolved? Could I seep through these passageways faster, or would my particles become hopelessly scattered, disjointed to the point of not being able to regroup back into me because—where would I be? I don’t even know where I am.
I can’t take that chance.
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