by D. N. Leo
Chapter 16
On the other side of town, Zach held the wheel. Tadgh was in the front with him, and Madeline and Ciaran sat in the back. They were heading toward an old gold mine outside Ballarat, a small historic Victorian town.
Ciaran obviously needed more than an hour to recoup, Tadgh contemplated. Otherwise, he would never have let Zach take the wheel.
Tadgh couldn’t drive because if he did, they would never get to the site in time. He worried about Jo. But he had a feeling that she would be fine. She was smart and resourceful. She knew how to handle herself—even if he had to go through the Daimon Gate with Ciaran as the successor of Sciphil Nine and leave her alone on Earth.
Tadgh shook his head. He worried about Ciaran more.
His brother sat in the back, saying nothing. That was a sign that Ciaran was utilizing every waking moment to regain his strength. Tadgh regretted that his action had caused so much trouble. He wondered how much longer it would be until he had even a fraction of the maturity his brother had.
Madeline pulled Ciaran so that he leaned on her and lay his head on her shoulder. She liked the feel of their bodies together. Leaning on her shoulder, Ciaran nuzzled into the nape of Madeline’s neck. He kissed her neck and gave it a little bite. Madeline chuckled. She turned his face toward her and kissed him.
An hour later, they were at the site. It was forty minutes before sunset.
"Do you see the gate?" Ciaran asked.
"Well, that's the gate of an old gold mine. I assume the Daimon Gate will be a bit grander," Zach said.
There was nothing around them except the bare hills. The cattle were quietly heading home, single file. Everything seemed to be settling in preparation for the sunset.
They got out of the car.
Tadgh looked at Ciaran as if he wanted to say something. Madeline saw the hint and went to talk to Zach.
Ciaran stood leaning against the trunk of the car. Tadgh approached. "I'm sorry about what I said and did at the mansion, Ciaran. I don't know what got into me."
"Don't worry about it. I know what it feels like to be left out."
"What?"
"You knew you were susceptible to Kyle's mind tricks. Nobody wants to be the weak link, Tadgh. I understand that. And the fact that I threatened to send you home didn’t help. I’m sorry for that. But I wish you’d told me."
Tadgh nodded. "Should’ve, could’ve, didn't."
"I suppose I'm not exactly easy to talk to."
"You've got that right." Tadgh chuckled.
"Let's leave that behind us, shall we?" Ciaran gave Tadgh a pat on the shoulder. "You're my little brother. It's my job to look out for you."
The air cooled down quickly.
The opening time was approaching. The sun began sinking behind the hills.
They got back into the car. Ciaran took the wheel this time. They lowered the car windows to feel the movement of the air.
It was coming.
The air thickened. They heard a rumbling sound. But there was no sign of a storm.
The rumbling sound came from behind them.
"Kyle's here,” Madeline said. She could sense him.
Ciaran looked in the rearview mirror and saw a line of cars coming toward them.
"I suppose they’re real cars with real people,” he muttered to himself. Ciaran put the car into gear quickly and turned around in the blink of an eye.
"Ten against one, coward,” Ciaran said. "Got your guns ready, people?" Ciaran asked. Before getting a response, he turned the steering wheel and drove in a circle. He fishtailed and smashed into one of the cars at the far end. Before the car driver could register the impact, Zach took him out with a bullet.
Ciaran continued to drive in a circle. The nine cars left made a bigger circle so that Ciaran could not break away. Bullets rained on them, but most missed the car because of the speed at which Ciaran was driving.
"Get two more will you?" He charged at one car and swirled his steering wheel in the last second to sneak in between the two running cars. Before they could react, Tadgh and Zach took down the two cars.
Cars drove around and around at incredible speeds. Dirt and grass flew everywhere. Ciaran was too fast for the other cars to see or anticipate his location. They couldn’t even see which way his car was facing, let alone shoot at it.
Ciaran drove head-on into a car. He said to Madeline, who was sitting in the front with him, "Can you take him down before we hit?" It was a rhetorical question. Regardless of whether she could do it or not, he maintained his head-on path and assumed she could shoot the other car.
Madeline pointed the gun and shot, taking the driver out.
"Two sides, Tadgh and Zach."
Ciaran maneuvered in an S around and behind the six remaining cars. As soon as he got close enough, Tadgh and Zach fired.
In the grass and dirt, and amid the chaotic sounds of car engines, they took the remaining cars out quickly.
Ciaran stopped the car. Madeline got out without realizing that a man behind them had stood up and grabbed a gun.
In the blink of an eye, Zach sent a sound signal into the man's head. He grunted out a sound, grabbed his ears, and had his head blown off by a bullet from Tadgh's gun.
The air thickened and started whirling.
"The gate is opening,” Zach said.
They checked their daggers and headed toward the gate of the old gold mine. The air in front of it stirred more strongly. The wind circle sucked in objects from the immediate area and ejected them in all directions.
In the strong wind, blue and white light beams swirled around like gigantic cylinders. It was similar to the tornado Juliette had created, but this one was colorful and much bigger.
"What now, Zach? Should we just walk right in there?" Ciaran asked.
"Wait. Ayana has to take us in."
In the middle of the wind circle, Ayana appeared, a gracious smile on her face. She stepped outside the circle. "Welcome to you all. Follow me."
Before they could take a step, Ayana swung her sword and pointed at a dark corner. "Come out," she said.
A whirl of black dirt and wind came. It created a blade of wind and knocked everyone on the ground except Ayana.
Kyle appeared. "Thanks for opening the gate. Long time no see, Ayana. You are still as beautiful as ever."
Kyle swung his arm at Ayana. Ayana pushed up her sword to block. The wind circle shrank instantly and started to collapse on her. Ayana stabbed her sword into the ground and regained her stance. The circle opened again.
"You are quite busy, I see." Kyle smirked. "Let me give you a hand to get rid of some uninvited passengers for the gate."
He charged toward Ciaran with an enormous black sword. Ciaran pulled out his daggers and blocked the sword. Tadgh kicked at Kyle and pulled his daggers out as well. Zach charged at him with two daggers pointing straight toward his heart.
Kyle swung his sword, throwing Ciaran several feet away. Tadgh's legs were still numb from his kicks, which apparently did no damage at all to Kyle.
Kyle swung his sword at Zach in response to his attack. Zach's daggers were blown away, and he fell on the ground rolling.
Kyle stepped toward Zach. "I only want the LeBlanc brothers dead. You are a guest of the gate, so I'll spare your life."
"Fuck you,” Zach said.
"You’re welcome."
Then Kyle roared in pain. Madeline had stabbed her two daggers into his heart from the back. He swung around and threw Madeline away.
"Kids, run inside. I'll close the gate,” Ayana called out.
Madeline, Ciaran, Zach, and Tadgh stood up and raced toward the gate.
Kyle roared again. He pulled the two daggers out and threw them at Madeline.
They made impact. Madeline fell. Blood pooled quickly on the ground around her.
"No, no, Ayana, I can't let her die,” Ciaran yelled. He held Madeline in his arms.
"Take her inside. This is the transitional zone. Take her inside the gate
. The dimension will change, and she won’t die,” Ayana said.
Ciaran carried Madeline, charging against the wind toward the gate.
Kyle reeled away.
Zach and Tadgh ran toward the gate.
From the darkness, Kyle came back, holding Jo in front of him as a human shield.
"The girl will die if you take her inside the gate. She can't protect you, Kyle,” Ayana said.
Zach and Tadgh turned around.
"No, you two must come inside. I can't hold this open any longer,” Ayana commanded.
"I have to get Jo," Tadgh said.
Kyle pushed against the wind toward the gate.
"The girl will die. Uninvited guests will die by the light of a thousand lightning bolts. Don't do that, Kyle,” Ayana said.
“Let me in, or I’ll kill her right now.”
"You're beyond redemption."
Kyle merely put on an evil smile.
Jo looked at Tadgh. She saw him trying to run toward her, but he was being held back by Zach. She saw Madeline being carried by Ciaran, who was racing madly toward the gate. Zach dragged Tadgh, trying to make it to the gate. Jo wanted to smile at them, but she could not. She wanted to tell them not to worry, but her body would not obey her. A sensation ran down her spine.
Then Zach pulled Tadgh inside.
Kyle pushed in.
Ayana withdrew her sword and disappeared.
The door shut.
Darkness.
Chapter 17
Ciaran drew in the fresh air and opened his eyes. His face was pressed against the wet, cold grass, and his hands gripped a bunch of wildflowers. Fear flooded back into his mind. Madeline! He scrambled to his feet.
A few feet away, Madeline lay on the ground, staring into the big eyes of a young deer. The light brown deer with white dots on his back was licking her face. Ciaran felt delirious. He shook his head.
The gate opening had happened so fast. He couldn’t recall the events. But he didn’t want to recall anyway as that would include the scene of the two daggers stabbing into Madeline.
He couldn’t take that pain. Not again. He now understood what it had felt like for her at Fountains Abbey when he was shot. It was the most helpless feeling he had ever experienced.
Madeline sat up. The deer ran away. The two daggers now lay beside her. Neither her blood nor Kyle's was on them.
Surrounding them was a tall grass meadow wedged right against the edge of a forest. Madeline looked around. Before she could register the new world they had entered, Ciaran planted a kiss on her lips.
A few feet away, Zach and Tadgh sat up. "We're inside the gate,” Ciaran said.
"Now we just have to get out the other end, don't we? Piece of cake," Zach said sarcastically.
Tadgh glanced around. Ciaran knew he was looking for a sign of Jo. "Do you know where to find Jo, Ciaran?" Tadgh asked.
"Kyle and Jo would be here, too. In this dimension. The Daimon Gate is a dimension, a world in and of itself," Ciaran responded.
"Ayana said she could be . . .” Zach stumbled on the words.
"No, Zach. She's not a guest of the gate. But Kyle wanted to use her as a human shield. He’d have a way to keep her alive. I don't know how, but I’m sure she is not dead as a result of entering the gate," Ciaran reassured.
"But . . .” Tadgh protested.
"Tadgh, I know you’re worried. Everyone here is. But we have to survive to find her. If you have a better solution, I'd be happy to listen,” Ciaran stated firmly. He had to stay firm to calm Tadgh’s nerves. He needed to take the whole group through this alive, and there was no room for error.
Tadgh said nothing.
"So what are we dealing with here, Zach, based on your training?" Ciaran asked.
"Well, it's not a hologame. So we could die for real or get lost in oblivion forever."
"So the challenges will come to us?" Ciaran said.
"Exactly."
"What about the duration?" Tadgh asked.
"I think we have dimensional time in here. Which means we could spend a long time in challenge, but to the world outside from both ends of the gate, it would be just a short moment,” Ciaran said.
"In my training, Ayana showed me a range of scenarios of obstacles and dangers based on my past experiences. For example, I have aquaphobia. There was a scenario where I had to fight a bunch of stupid fish underwater. The idea is to conquer your fear."
"You don't swim?" Tadgh snorted.
"I do—and quite well if you must know. But it doesn't make me like diving. You don't have a phobia?"
"He has tachophobia, a fear of speed,” Ciaran said.
“Thank you for advertising it, Ciaran!" Tadgh protested.
Ciaran shrugged. "The more we know, the better we can plan, Tadgh. And you, Madeline?"
"I don't have a phobia. Not that I know of. And you?"
"Same." Ciaran smiled and winked at her.
"Is it going to be a combined scenario? Everyone's fears combined into one challenge? Should we list our fears and plan how to deal with them?" Madeline asked.
Ciaran smiled. "I wish it was that simple. Juliette said this is similar to an alchemical transmutation process. In principle, if we pass the gate, we will be purified and become better people. It's like making gold."
"Dandy, cleanse me!" Zach mumbled.
"Making gold is possible. Making me a better person is a fantasy,” Tadgh stated.
Ciaran contemplated and said, "We have to take one thing at a time. In principle, if it's an alchemical transmutation, we are looking at three general stages—Black, White, and Red. I assume you don't want the ancient terminologies such as Nigredo, Albido, or Rubedo..."
"No, no, thank you. English, please! I can deal with some French maybe but nothing weirder than that," Tadgh said.
"In the Black stage, there will be a lot of heat. It's called the calcination process. You can work it out from the word."
"Burn us to ashes,” Madeline mumbled.
There was a rumble underground, and the ground shook.
"Shit. What's that?" Zach said.
“Welcome to Nigredo,” Ciaran muttered and grabbed Madeline’s hand.
The sound came from the right at the far end of the meadow. Ciaran pointed toward the bush on the left.
"This will fall. Run!"
Chapter 18
They charged toward the forest. The meadow collapsed and peeled off, layer by layer, right behind them.
In the jungle, they could smell wood burning.
"This is definitely the calcination stage,” Ciaran said while running. Then he stopped. Everyone else stopped, too.
"We can't run aimlessly." Ciaran concentrated. He spoke quickly, "There will be fire everywhere. We are looking for the sign of a salamander. If we see it, that means we have passed the black stage."
"There." Madeline pointed toward the right where they saw the shadow of a reptile tail.
They ran toward the retreating shadow. Trees on both sides and behind them burst into flames. The fire did not blow in the wind. Instead, it was restrained within the trees, making them gigantic burning coals.
They turned the corner where the shadow of the tail had reflected before them and faced burning walls of fire.
It was a maze of flames.
"Oh, no, not again," Zach mumbled.
"What?" Tadgh said.
"I was put into a maze before. It wasn't a burning one. But it was tricky."
"How did you get out?" Ciaran asked.
"I couldn't. My friend worked it out. But there will be moving walls and moving paths,” Zach said.
"Tadgh, your job. We’re looking for signs of water. Not earth or air. Water. If we keep seeing fire, we’re heading in the wrong direction." Ciaran pointed toward the burning maze.
"Me? What if I get it wrong?" Tadgh exclaimed.
"You won't. You're good at this. Work it out."
Ciaran speculated the answer was on the right. He was not as good at matrices as
Tadgh, but he knew enough.
Tadgh thought and then pointed toward the left. "Three blocks, left, left then right."
Ciaran had a strong feeling that Tadgh was wrong. But he had given his brother the task. He had to follow through with it. "I'll check it out," Ciaran said.
"No, Ciaran, I'll do it," Tadgh said.
"I lead the group. I'll check. You stay." Ciaran grabbed Madeline and kissed her quickly. "I love you,” he whispered and darted to the left.
Madeline knew it was a goodbye kiss. She saw it in his eyes. She knew he thought it was the wrong direction. But he followed because Tadgh had said so. He did it to show his faith and confidence in his brother. Madeline felt a lump in her throat and prayed that her instinct was wrong this time.
As soon as Ciaran turned the corner, the firewall moved and closed the path.
"Fuck!" Tadgh said. “Wrong path.”
Ciaran saw the wall close behind him. He kept running in the direction he feared was the wrong way. Deep down, he knew he'd pull this off.
Left. Left. And right. And a dead end.
The last wall closed behind him, enclosing Ciaran in a burning corner with his ophidiophobia, fear of snakes. It was a phobia so ordinary that Ciaran had never cared to admit to it.
He had never let the fear defeat him. He had attacked it with a ferocity, and no one would ever have known that he had a phobia at all.
From a corner, a snake rose slowly. Despite the heat from the walls, Ciaran felt a chill run down his spine.
"Not now,” Ciaran mumbled to himself. He would not freak out. He would do what he had done before—he would kill the snake.
Ciaran pulled out his daggers. He could do this with ease. Two swings in opposite directions, and the snake would be sliced into pieces.
But Ciaran recognized that this was no ordinary snake. It was a legendary gatekeeper, a serpent with a red snake body and a wide-jawed dragon’s head.
It rose as high as Ciaran's head. It slithered around, back and forth, watching him. It went around him and stopped in front of him.