by R. L. King
Jason pulled up a chair, carefully nudged a couple stacks of papers away to clear a space on the floor, and sat down across from Stone. “What have you figured out so far?”
Stone’s bright blue gaze came up; he looked simultaneously manic and very tired. “You want the short, glib answer, or the long, informative, stupefyingly boring answer?”
“Um...how about the short one? I don’t think I’ll be able to follow the boring one anyway.”
“All right, then: short answer.” He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. “Near as I can determine from my highly imperfect understanding of Daphne’s notes, the reason they tried to set up two portals instead of one was because they thought that if they constructed them properly, they’d support each other. Rather like how when you’re building a house of cards, you lean one against the other and they hold each other up.”
“So that’s how they thought they could make them stick around longer?”
“Right. Well—that, and their whole purpose with the project was to come up with a way to create gateways to places where there wasn’t already a portal. Think about it—how useful would it be to be able to use the Overworld to travel to anywhere, not just the locations of the previously existing portals?”
“So you’re saying these two portals are connected?” Jason glanced around at the various papers and diagrams, but he couldn’t make a bit of sense out of any of them. “This one, and the one that’s near Vegas? So if we could go through the one here, we’d come out there?”
Stone shook his head. “I don’t think they are, and I think that’s the problem. Again, this is based on a very sketchy understanding of some pretty complicated formulae, but probably the easiest way I can see for this whole experiment to go pear-shaped was if they failed to properly connect their conduits. If I might be allowed to exceed my quota of tortured metaphors for the day, it’s rather like trying to hook up the dishwasher so it vents the dirty water into the sink, but instead you end up connecting things wrong so it ends up spewing it out through your showerhead.”
“But—” Jason said slowly, struggling to wrap his mind around the concept, “—wouldn’t they have noticed that? I mean, if your portal ended up pointing at Outer Mongolia instead of Los Angeles, wouldn’t you see that and be able to fix it?”
“Not necessarily. Remember, in order to construct the gateway, they’d have needed to have people at both ends, because they’d need to bring both ends into existence at roughly the same time in order to connect them. Otherwise, they’d risk having one of the portals fizzle out before the other one was ready. I’ve seen nothing to indicate that more than the four of them were involved, so that limited them. I’m guessing they probably had two of their team in Vegas and the other two here. And if the portal here is in a cave out in the middle of the great bugger-all, chances are the other end is equally remote and well hidden, since they didn’t want anyone stumbling onto what they were doing until they had it right. Unless there’ve been advances in technology I’m not aware of, that means their communications were primitive at best, or more likely nonexistent. Even if they had access to those new cellular phones I’ve been hearing about, those things aren’t completely reliable, especially inside a cave. So to an extent, I think they were working somewhat blind.”
“Why do you figure they set them up so far apart? Wouldn’t it be safer to—I dunno—try porting from the kitchen to the bedroom, instead of halfway across the country?”
“Who’s to say they didn’t do that first?” Stone asked. “Although one would think that if they’d shown any success—” he added, indicating the notebooks, “—they’d have documented it somewhere. Either there’s another notebook I don’t know about, or they did actually try their maiden voyage as a cross-country jaunt. Unless we find any other documentation, though, I doubt that’s something we’ll ever know, since all the principals are almost certainly dead.”
“This is the short version,” Jason said with a wry grin. “I’d hate to hear the long one.”
“Well, you did ask.” Stone leaned forward again, dropping the two front legs of his chair to the floor with a thump. Regarding Jason with a raised eyebrow, he asked, “So—did you come to see me for a reason, or were you simply gagging for a lecture on magical theory with a side of portal science?”
“Oh—right, I almost forgot. Prudence told me to come get you. They’re having a big Christmas Eve celebration starting in an hour or so at the main hall, and everybody’s invited. It’s gonna be dinner, and then a concert. They have sort of a house band, and some other people who perform, too. Sounds like it’ll be cool.”
“Jason, I—” Stone gestured at the drifts of papers. “I’ve really got to keep working on this—”
“No excuses, Al. Everybody’s gonna be there, and Prudence said you’ll offend them if you don’t show up.”
Stone raised an eyebrow. “Did she really?”
“Well—okay, no. But come on—we’re their guests. It’d be pretty rude to stay here in your cave and ignore their big party, wouldn’t it?”
“Fine,” he said with a sigh, standing up. “I suppose I could do with a break—maybe something will bubble up in my subconscious while I’m stuffing myself with turkey. Give me a bit to make myself presentable, and I’ll meet you there.”
By the time Stone arrived at the main hall, clean-shaven and having changed clothes and wrestled his hair into some semblance of submission, Jason and Verity were already there, along with most of the Harmony residents.
The place had a newly festive air, with a large, brightly lit Christmas tree in one corner of the room, handmade decorations, and mismatched tables covered with cheerful red tablecloths and merrily flickering candles. A stage had been constructed at the opposite end of the hall from the kitchen, and several of the residents were setting up instruments as the kitchen workers began carrying large trays and dishes of food out to place on the long head table. The whole place smelled of roasting turkey and spices.
Sykes waved when he saw him. “Good to see you made it,” he said, smiling. “It’s just not right to be working on Christmas Eve, no matter how important it might be.”
Jason waved Stone over to a small candle-bedecked table occupied by himself, Verity, and a young woman with spiky hair. There were two empty seats; Sykes hustled him over and indicated for him to sit down.
“This is Zoe,” Verity said, nodding toward the young woman. “She’s in the band that’ll be playing later.”
“Pleasure,” Stone said, and sat down.
Zoe grinned. “Same here.”
People drifted around the room for half an hour or so, forming and re-forming into little groups while they waited for the latecomers to arrive. When everyone had finally migrated to their tables and taken their places, Joshua stood up at the front of the gathering and raised his hands for quiet.
After the hubbub died down, he smiled beatifically at them all. “I know you all want to get started on our wonderful feast, but I just wanted to say a few quick things first. To start, of course, let us all join hands around our tables and give thanks to the Universe for the bounty we’ve been provided.”
Stone, Verity, and Jason exchanged glances, but shrugged and did as directed, forming a circle around the table with Sykes and Zoe.
Joshua went on for a brief few minutes, offering his prayer to the Universe, which the other Forgotten echoed solemnly. He then moved on to thank those who had prepared the meal, the animals and plants who had given their lives to provide it, and all of the Harmony Farms members for creating a community he felt proud to be part of. Again, the Forgotten echoed his sentiments, nodding and smiling.
“And finally,” the old man said, “I want to thank the benevolent Universe for our guests, whom it has seen fit to direct into our path. I am sure all of you will join me in hoping that they are successful in what they seek to do, and I hope also that we can give them whatever help they need in order to do this.”
Murmurs rumb
led throughout the room as people around tables nodded and snatched glances at Stone, Jason, and Verity. The latter two, on their various trips around the compound and conversations with its residents, had the impression that most of the Forgotten did not have much hope that they could complete their mission, but they were in support of it and would help as best they could. It was something, anyway, and in the long run, help would be more valuable than hope.
“And now,” Joshua was saying, “Let us enjoy our magnificent feast!” He stepped back, and motioned them toward the serving table.
Most of the Harmony Farm meals were tasty, wholesome, and simple, but the cooks had obviously put extra effort into the holiday feast. The tables were laden with turkeys, dressing, salad, potatoes, various vegetables, cranberry sauce, fresh-baked bread—no part of the traditional Christmas dinner was absent, and everything was available in abundance.
“Everything looks wonderful,” Verity said, her eyes wide like a little girl’s.
Jason grinned at her, happy to see her feeling so good. He felt pretty good himself, despite the specter of the Evil and their malfunctioning portal hanging over their heads. His knee was almost back to normal, he was with people he liked, it was warm, and the food on his plate smelled delicious. For a few hours, he decided he would just put the Evil out of his mind and enjoy a peaceful Christmas Eve.
As the main course began to wind down, and the kitchen helpers began to bring out homemade pies and big urns of coffee, Zoe rose from the table. “Gotta go,” she said, nodding toward the stage. “Need to finish setting up.”
Half an hour or so later, when no one could eat another bite and everyone had settled back to drink coffee and start digesting the vast meal, somebody shut off the Christmas carols, and Sykes got up on the stage.
“Ready for something a little more exciting?” he called. There was a general cheer of affirmation.
“That’s good, because they’ve got some awesome stuff for you tonight!” He stepped aside, indicating the stage. “Friends—the Seekers!”
The cheering got louder as the band took the stage. It consisted of Zoe, who grabbed a microphone and took her place at the front of the group; Jimmy the tow-truck driver on guitar; Duke, an older man who ran the “smoking supplies” shop in Highland on bass, and Spike, the goofy bike-shop owner, on drums. They counted down and launched into a spirited folky rock tune that was more rock than folk, and the crowd responded with enthusiasm.
The band continued on, playing several more songs in quick succession. Zoe had an excellent voice, rough and bluesy; she and her fellow band members had obviously played together for a long time.
Jason leaned back in his chair and grinned. “Pretty good, huh Al? Right up your alley. Aren’t you glad you let me drag you over here?”
Stone nodded. “Indeed.” He still looked somewhat preoccupied, as if continuing to try to make sense of the portal formulas even now, but Jason could tell by his foot tapping under the table that he was enjoying the music.
The Seekers finished their set and took a short break; someone turned the Christmas music back on in the meantime. Zoe came back over and plopped down in her seat with a big glass of water, breathing hard. She grinned at the visitors. “What’d you think?”
“It was great!” Verity said, her enthusiasm clear. “You guys are fantastic! I wish I could play or sing like that. Or at all,” she added ruefully.
“Aww,” Zoe said, “You could learn. What about the rest of you? Any of you play?”
Jason shook his head. “I’m more of a listener than a player.”
She eyed Stone. “You?”
Stone shrugged. “I used to play guitar when I was at University. Not for a long time, though. Kind of gave it up.”
Zoe nodded, a wicked gleam growing in her eye that Stone missed completely, but Jason and Verity didn’t. “That’s okay,” she said. “Hey, I gotta get back, but I hope you guys like the rest of the show.”
The band started their second set, playing a couple more songs, and then they began calling out various members of the audience to come and jam with them. Prudence, it turned out, played the flute, and Sykes took his turn on the drums for a song while Spike stepped off to have a smoke. Exhausting their repertoire of original songs they began to play bits of everything from the Grateful Dead to Jethro Tull to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, as various members of the audience drifted in and out to jam with them for a while before returning to their seats, trading or borrowing instruments or bringing their own. The group didn’t end a song so much as segue into the next one, creating one long, exuberant jam session.
Stone, idly nodding his head and tapping his foot as he half-listened, half-continued focusing on the portal problems, didn’t hear Zoe when she called his name. Jason poked him in the arm. “Hey, Al, Zoe’s calling you!”
He snapped his head up. “What—?”
“Come on up!” she called, beckoning, with a wide grin. The band was still jamming behind her, the dancers still swaying in front of them.
He shook his head as he realized what she wanted. “Oh. No, I’m not—”
Verity pushed on his arm. “Go ahead, Doc. It’ll be fun!”
“They’re not gonna take no for an answer,” Jason said, grinning too. “Go on.”
Stone sighed, allowing himself to be shoved forward. “All right, but just for—” he started, but the rest of his words were lost in the encouraging cheers from the crowd.
Jason watched while Jimmy handed Stone his guitar and leaned in to consult with him for a few seconds, then quickly relayed something to the other band members. Smoothly they shifted from the Grateful Dead to Pink Floyd. For several seconds Stone just stood there holding the guitar, looking completely out of his element, but slowly old habits appeared to come back to him. He tried out a couple of experimental chords, and with surprising speed he had synced up with the rest of the band and was holding his own in the jam. Sure, he sounded rusty and missed a chord here and there, but as the song went on, he loosened up and by the time it ended he actually looked like he was enjoying himself. He even allowed them to talk him into staying up there for another song, his transition from Floyd to Zeppelin almost as smooth as theirs. By the time he handed the guitar back to Jimmy with a nod of thanks, he was sporting a sort of fierce grin that Jason had never seen on him before. The crowd applauded loudly as he made his way back to the table and the band moved into something by the Rolling Stones.
“Al! Why didn’t you tell me you could do that, man?” Jason yelled over the music, clapping him on the back.
Stone shrugged. “You didn’t ask. And honestly, I didn’t think I still could anymore. It’s been years since I did anything but dabble.” He was breathing a little hard and paused for a long drink of water. “You know, if we get through this whole portal mess, I might just take it up again. That was fun.”
Verity laughed. “See, I knew you weren’t just a cranky old mage!”
He gave her a dirty look. “You’re so going to pay for that when we get back to lessons, you know.”
“It was worth it to see the look on your face.”
The evening went on, the crowd got mellower, and the music slowed down. The jam went from rocking to more easygoing, drifting around through random chords to form a sort of trancelike background to the festivities. Between the haze of smoke hanging over the room, the slowly flashing lights of the Christmas tree, and the rhythmic swaying of the dancers, it became very difficult to concentrate on anything but the music. Stone, who hadn’t been sleeping much as he had been spending all his time studying the portal notes, was nodding off himself, and Verity wasn’t far behind.
“Can’t take you guys anywhere,” Jason joked, leaning over to prod Stone’s arm. “You—”
Someone screamed.
Instantly Stone and Verity snapped fully aware, looking around in confusion. Around the room, others were doing the same. It took the band a moment to figure out something was up, at which point they ground to a stop and
they too joined in looking for the source of the scream.
It wasn’t hard to find. Off to the far side of the room near one of the larger tables, a small cluster of people gathered around something the rest of the craning crowd couldn’t see. Jason, Stone, and Verity shoved their way through the crowd to find Prudence trying to move everyone back. “Give him air,” she was calling. “Just stand back.”
The three of them reached the front of the group and quickly discovered the source of the disturbance: Joshua was on the floor, twitching and moaning like he was having some kind of seizure. Somebody had rolled up a jacket and put it under his head.
“Holy shit,” Jason said. “Somebody call 911.”
To his amazement, Prudence shook her head. “No. He’ll be all right in a few minutes. I’ve seen this before. Just stay back and give him some air.” She watched him closely.
“Are you sure?” Jason demanded. He’d had some first-aid training back in his days as a police cadet, and this certainly looked like some kind of seizure to him. “We shouldn’t take any chances.”
But Stone crouched next to the writhing old man, a few feet away, studying him intently. “Prudence...” he said softly, “You said you’ve seen this before. Was the last time a month or so ago?”
She glanced up at him, met his eyes for a moment, and nodded.
Stone took a deep breath and stood. “That’s it, then.” He turned to Jason and Verity. “Get your warm clothes and your gear. It’s time to go to Decker’s Gap.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Al, do you even have a plan yet?”
Jason, Stone, and Verity were back in their cabin, shrugging into heavy jackets and lacing up sturdy, insulated boots. Stone stuffed his pockets full of crystals and other magical paraphernalia he’d received in the shipment from Madame Huan. He didn’t answer Jason’s question, so he tried again. “Al? Do you know enough yet to close the portal?”