Depth

by Emily Thompson

  “Is it a doorway to a fairy world?” Jonas asked, his tone remarkably casual.

  “That’s it!” Sato said, snapping his fingers and smiling. “Yes, I think that’s what it says. But that’s absurd, of course.”

  “Which one is that?” Twist asked, his hand already on the controls.

  When Sato indicated the correct one, Twist used the controls to bring up a new image on the glowing glass. Fine white lines appeared to one side, showing a strange-looking device that looked much like a full-length, oval-shaped mirror to Twist. Another control filled a large section of the glass panels with an overview map of the city, with an indicator sitting where the device was now.

  “Ah!” Aden exclaimed happily. “You did find a map of the city! Good work, Twist.”

  “You’re welcome,” Twist said, already heading toward the hole.

  Although Aden was reasonably annoyed when Twist left so suddenly, he didn’t force him to stay. A reminder that the rescue of his missing people—Tasha most of all—was a more pressing concern than the conquest of Atlantis was all it took to silence his complaints. Seeming to come around on this point, Aden went so far as to send a host of Rooks to aid Twist in his efforts and asked that he be notified as soon as a rescue could be mounted.

  Twist had expected Niko to be unhappy to leave the dome of technological wonder behind so soon, but he left without complaint, his attention clearly consumed with Tasha's rescue. Twist led the way down to the ground and into the city, following the map he’d seen. Since the Atlantean streets were laid out in a very regular pattern of long boulevards and alleys that lay in repeated, fan-like angles, it wasn’t hard for him to find his way.

  One of the taller buildings in the city stood like a lighthouse, just off one of the major boulevards. The whole structure of the narrow tower seemed to spiral up from the ground like a living thing, crowned with a wide platform and covered rotunda that reminded Twist a bit of a daisy. Judging by the obvious significance of the tower and its placement, Twist assumed it to be their destination.

  Rodney had been speaking for much of the walk toward the tower, but Twist’s strained attention hadn’t managed to catch much of what he’d said. When Twist stopped before the closed door that led into the tower, from the city streets, he was surprised to find it locked.

  “You see?” Rodney said, finally catching Twist’s attention. “The stories say the Atlanteans left in a hurry, but they still took the time to secure the access points to the city. It’s very likely that they disabled the gate as well.”

  “We could blast this door open,” one of the Rooks suggested.

  “Just give me a moment,” Twist said, already pressing his hand to the lock. It wasn’t a complex mechanism. “Does anyone have a thin piece of metal on them? A hatpin or something?”

  Jonas gave a scoffing sound. “You’re not asking me, are you?”

  Niko produced a small, thin screwdriver from a pocket and offered it to Twist.

  “Lovely,” Twist said. He fit the tool into the keyhole and began to nudge the tumblers into place.

  Rodney went on about a similar tale of people fleeing their home under the threat of annihilation, but Twist kept his mind on his task. In no time at all, the lock gave way, and Twist opened the door. The base of the tower was hollow, while a set of stairs spiraled up along the walls. A few thin windows let in the light of the city outside in long, unusually dust-filled rays.

  The shadowy walls of the tower were scarred by black marks and scorching that could have only been caused by conflict, and the air was scented lightly with the smell of ash and fire. Looking down, Twist instantly recognized the symbol that covered the entire open floor. It was the same invisibility charm that he knew well, but it appeared to have been hastily painted on the floor in livid red paint.

  Rodney gasped. “Good heavens. They must have been under direct attack.”

  “Come along,” Twist said, stepping inside. “The device must be at the top of the tower.”

  “Wait!” a voice called from down the boulevard, along with the growing sound of running feet.

  Twist emerged onto the street to find a large group of people wearing ordinary clothing, approaching with more uniformed Rooks. Aden was at the head of the oncoming crowd. It was only once they came closer that Twist recognized the non-Rooks as the enthusiasts of the legend of the split soul.

  “Have you found the gate?” Aden asked, his breathing heavy from his flight, as he and the others joined Twist just outside the tower.

  “Not yet, sir,” one of the Rooks offered.

  “I think it’s at the top,” Twist said, gesturing to the flowerlike crown of the tower.

  “Good, good,” Aden said, seeming to catch his breath. “I’ve just gotten new information. We can’t mount a rescue. We shouldn’t even open that gate.”

  “Now, see here!” Twist began, his anger boiling up quickly within him.

  “Twist, please,” Aden said wearily. “Just listen to me. These people have just informed me that our charms won’t have any effect in the other world.”

  “Yes, it’s true,” said the woman in black who had first brought all of this madness into Twist’s life. “These charms aren’t enchanted. Fairy is a magical world. Physical reality means almost nothing there. Simply having a charm in our possession won’t make any difference. Only charms bound to an individual by blood magic would have any effect at all inside Fairy.”

  “I can’t send anyone into that world without protection,” Aden said to Twist. “I would only be sending them into peril. Apparently, our weapons won’t have any effect on the creatures of Fairy either.”

  Several of the enthusiasts nodded in agreement to this statement.

  “Then I’ll go myself,” Twist said. “My charm is bound to me,” he said, looking to the woman. “Won’t it protect me?”

  “You’re going to save our people entirely by yourself?” Aden scoffed. “Twist, I know you’re determined, but you’re hardly a trained mercenary.”

  “Of course he’s not going alone,” Jonas said, shaking his head. “My charm is magic too.”

  “Two, against the full might of a host of magical beings, in their own world?” Aden asked, his skepticism clear as day. “Even if they can’t see you, you’ll never be able to defend anyone else long enough to get them out safely.”

  “So you’re just going to give up on them?” Twist asked, his voice cold on his tongue.

  “I dare not, of course,” Aden said wearily. “But until we can come up with a viable plan, it would be irresponsible and reckless to open that gate now. We would only be inviting further attack. We have no choice but to wait.”

  “For how long?” Niko snapped, his voice just as savage and sharp as Twist’s. “If Twist and Jonas can enter that world unseen, right now, then why not at least send them to see what it is we’re even up against? Are you too much of a coward to even look at your enemy? Don’t you care at all what horrors your people are already facing, alone in that world? There is no time to wait!”

  “Hear, hear!” Jonas agreed. “We’ve waited too long already.”

  “I have more than just a few people to think about!” Aden growled back at them. “I have hundreds of Rooks at risk in this city. I can’t afford to let my emotions overtake me. I have to be reasonable. I can’t risk my entire crew for a handful of people.”

  “A handful of people?” Twist asked, aghast. “Myra and Tasha! They aren’t simply two people. They are Myra and Tasha!”

  “Right, that’s it,” Aden said, turning to one of his Rooks. “Restrain these people and take them back to the ship.”

  “What?” Jonas snapped, disbelieving.

  The Rooks moved without hesitation, reaching for them. Twist rushed away from the closest Rooks, raising his walking stick like a sword to defend himself as his heart thundered in his chest. Jonas moved to block the Rooks from reaching Twist, while Niko growled in frustration as two Rooks took hold of his arms. Kima threw a fist at one Ro
ok who tried to grab her, tossing the man back a step with the blow, but another Rook grabbed her from behind, holding her arms against her sides before she could turn on him.

  “Keep them under close guard,” Aden went on. “I’ll call on you once we have a plan,” he added to Twist and Jonas.

  “You rat bastard!” Jonas spat at Aden in rage, tossing blows at the attacking Rooks—who now dodged well away—in a hopeless attempt to fend them off of himself and Twist.

  Kima and Niko both shouted and struggled against their own attackers.

  “You won’t be reasonable!” Aden answered Jonas. “You leave me no choice.”

  Twist’s frantic thoughts focused suddenly on the unbelievable fact that Aden was only fighting them now out of spite. They were moments away from finding rescue for Myra, for Tasha, for all of the Rooks and Sighted people that had been taken away, and Aden was holding them back out of spite. This couldn’t happen. It was too cruel to be true. Twist couldn’t let this man’s ego keep Myra a captive for one more instant.

  A pure, white-hot, unstoppable force of will surged out of the depths of Twist’s exhausted soul. No longer caring about the struggling forms around him, Twist leaped forward with a furious cry, his walking stick held high and the electric point at its tip already alight. Probably thanks to surprise, no one managed to catch him. The sparking point of his walking stick struck Aden in the chest, and the force of the blow knocked him to the ground while his body convulsed with electricity and then fell still.

  Twist stood and stared down at Aden’s unconscious form in bewilderment, the Rooks around him unmoving and silent in their shock. Twist heard Jonas breathe a curse—possibly in approval or possibly in horror—breaking the silence. The Rooks seemed to wake from their stupor at the sound, turning to Twist with hatred in their eyes. A second electrical sound startled everyone. Twist turned just in time to see the two Rooks who had been holding Niko fall to the ground in a whiff of thin smoke.

  “Get down!” Niko bellowed, as the cage of hidden metal and wires under his sleeve unfolded quickly into the shape of a longbow.

  Twist dropped instantly to the ground, but the Rooks clearly didn’t understand how quickly they should have moved. A lick of blue lightning snapped into life, creating the string of Niko’s bow. With amazing speed, he turned it on the men around them and pulled back the string with his other hand. When he released it, the string of lightning flew from the bow in a wave of pure energy. It shot over Twist, striking the men around him instead. They gave startled cries and fell unconscious to the ground. Those who had been shielded by their fellows rushed at Niko in a rage.

  Jonas grabbed Twist’s arm, hauling him to his feet and back behind Niko, just as Niko let another wave of electric fire fly over the attacking Rooks. The man who had grabbed Kima still struggled to hold her, standing as they were, already behind Niko. Jonas threw a fist at the man’s face, over Kima’s shoulder, causing him to release her and stagger backward for an instant. Twist raised his walking stick again before the man could recover, dropping him to the ground with the electric weapon.

  Silence fell suddenly once again, broken only by Niko’s heavy breath. Twist turned to find that everyone but himself, Jonas, Kima, and Niko now lay unconscious on the ground around them. The legend enthusiasts, the Rooks, Aden, and even Rodney all lay in awkward heaps in every direction. Niko’s bowstring of lightning went out, and the bow folded itself back against his arm as he turned to Twist and the others with a roguish smile.

  “That,” Niko said, “was very satisfying.”

  “Are they all dead?” Kima asked, staring about at the piled forms in amazement.

  “No, and they’ll wake up soon,” Niko said, already moving toward the door into the tower. “We must act quickly.”

  “I’ll lock the door again,” Twist said, following him inside.

  Once Jonas and Kima hurried in after him, Twist quickly shut the door behind them and then reset the lock. They then rushed up the stairs that wound around the walls of the tower to find a trapdoor in the ceiling at the top, which was also locked. Twist opened the lock swiftly, letting the others through. Slipping through himself, he locked the trapdoor behind them. “That will at least slow them down.”

  Once the trapdoor had been locked, Twist stood up to take in his new surroundings. The floor at the top of the tower stretched out around them, just as he’d imagined when seeing it from below. A small and shallow dome stood on thin columns at the center, covering a space not more than ten feet wide. At the very center stood what looked much like an oval-shaped, full-length mirror with a silver frame and stand. There appeared to be wires hanging behind it.

  Niko walked around the mirror. “Damn it,” he cursed, glowering at the back of it.

  Twist joined him to find that the back of the mirror was covered in wires and mechanical devices that he couldn’t possibly identify. The only thing he could understand from what he saw was that many of the wires were hanging loose from their fittings, as if someone had recklessly grabbed handfuls of them and ripped them out.

  “Can you fix it?” Jonas asked Twist, having come with Kima to join them.

  “I don’t know,” Twist said, reaching out a hand. He pushed his Sight into the strange and confusing system that covered the back of the mirror and tried to make sense of what it showed him. Grimacing, he pulled his hand away. “This isn’t a mechanical system. I can see where the damage is, but I don’t understand how it’s supposed to be. Clockwork, I can work out. But this?” he added with a wave of his hand to the system of wires, unmoving metals, and collections of chemicals.

  “Wait, you can’t fix it?” Jonas asked in disbelief.

  Twist looked to him, growing concerned himself. “If I had time to learn how it worked, I’m sure I could. But I’ve never seen anything like this. I can see that all these wires should be connected back in, but I don’t know which one goes where, or what they do, or anything at all!”

  “Don’t panic now,” Jonas cautioned, noting the rising fear in Twist’s voice.

  “It’s electrical, right?” Niko asked, wearing a thoughtful frown as he stared at the device.

  “Yes, I know that much for sure,” Twist answered.

  “Where’s the power source?” Niko asked.

  “Can you fix it?” Kima asked desperately.

  “I know electricity,” he said. “I could give it a try. But I’d need to know what’s what. There’s too many connections to try them randomly.”

  “What’s the power source made of?” Twist asked, already pressing his hand to the back of the mirror again.

  Niko explained what he needed, and Twist managed to recognize the device as one of the large, enclosed metal boxes that clung to the back of the mirror. Niko asked more questions, while Twist supplied what answers he could. Soon, Niko began to reconnect the wires, melting the soldering back into place with a tiny electric fire that he called to life from the contraption that clung to his arm under his sleeve. They worked together quickly, sparing no words for anything but their task. Kima and Jonas remained quiet, watching with bated breath.

  Slowly, Twist began to understand the contraption himself. His thoughts wound through the system with more confidence as he learned to follow Niko’s implications and unspoken assumptions. It felt like very little time at all before Niko moved away and asked Twist to bring the power source to life. Having had the time now to recognize it and see its similarity to those inside the panels in the rest of the city, Twist complied easily. The back of the mirror pulsed with life instantly, giving off a soft hum and a patchwork of tiny blinking lights.

  “I have the most useful friends on the planet,” Jonas announced to Kima. She nodded, while Twist allowed himself a tiny moment to enjoy the praise.

  They all stepped around the mirror to look at its face. Twist frowned, disappointed to see that the mirror glass seemed utterly unaffected. It still reflected his own image, and those of this friends, like any mirror would.

  �
��It didn’t work?” he asked Niko.

  Rather than answer, Niko pointed his small screwdriver at the face of the mirror and slowly pressed it forward. Despite Twist’s expectations, the mirror didn’t hold the screwdriver back when the little shaft of metal reached it. Instead, the tip of the screwdriver slipped effortlessly past the surface of the glass, sending a small ripple across its surface like that of a perfectly reflective pool of water.

  Niko smiled at Twist. “It works.”

  “Fantastic,” Jonas marveled with a grin. “Well, shall we leap recklessly into the breach, then?”

  Twist readied himself to step forward into the unknown, steeling his fear against his longing to save his love. For an instant, as his thoughts focused on her so completely, he thought he saw a vision of her lovely, childlike face. With a sudden gasp of understanding and surprise, he realized that it was no vision at all.

  Myra’s spirit emerged from the face of the mirror in a rush and leaped into his arms. A shiver broke over Twist as her chilly, ghostly form met his, seemingly solid against his Sight. In his bewilderment he clung tightly to her, impossible or not. Myra left out a cry of delight, her emotions now hidden from his Sight in her spiritual form, and she nestled her face beside his, her arms holding him just as tight as he held her.

  “Oh, darling!” she said, breathless with joy. “I was so worried for you!”

  “Myra?” Jonas asked, staring at her in confusion.

  “What?” Niko asked, frowning.

  “It’s Myra’s spirit,” Jonas said, pointing to her.

  Without Sights to help them, neither Niko nor Kima could sense her at all. Jonas explained what needed explaining to them while Twist struggled to contain his joy and relief enough to speak.

  “How…?” he attempted.

  Myra looked back over her shoulder—neither releasing him nor moving away—to look at the mirror. “Did you open that?” she asked, turning back to him. “I couldn’t find you anywhere. I looked all over. And then suddenly, just a moment ago, I knew where you were and came here as quick as I could.”