The Channel (The Gifted Book 2)

by C. L. McCourt

  "Is he coming here?"

  "I don't know. He doesn't share that kind of information with anyone. You never know when or where he'll appear."

  The second man yawned. "I need some sleep."

  "Let's go. We'll be told if they check out."

  She followed them until they turned down an alley, a few buildings down the road. The further she got from herself, the weaker the vision became. They passed out of the alley, onto the next road over and turned left.

  It was dark in her room when she opened her eyes. Rhea hadn't really thought a mental walk in a town full of people would be worth the effort. She'd been wrong. She debated on waking Daen but decided against it. By the time they got out of the inn, the spies would be gone.

  The little bit of light provided by the oil lamp allowed her to see the edge of her bed and the stand upon which the lamp sat. It was times like this she wished Luxatra was more like home. If she were there, her hotel room would have a coffee maker and TV. She would relax in front of the television and sip some fresh-brewed coffee after taking a long hot shower.

  Instead, she freshened up with a basin of water and got dressed in the light provided by the small oil lamp. At full wick, the light wasn't bad, but the room still felt dark. She took her time getting ready, knowing the spies weren't outside anymore, and everyone else was likely still asleep.

  Given her options for killing time were limited, she decided she would pass the time reading. She wondered if Luxatra had newspapers. The only way to find out would be to visit the front desk.

  The clerk behind the counter was half-asleep in a chair propped up against the wall when she approached. She almost didn't have the heart to wake him, well, almost. "Excuse me."

  His body jerked forward, and he practically fell to the floor. "What? Who? Oh." He rubbed his eyes after seeing Rhea standing at the counter. "Sorry. What did you say?"

  She tried not to laugh. "I'm looking for something to read. Do you have anything?"

  He straightened his jacket and smoothed his hair. "We have a daily." He reached under the counter and pulled out a stack of newspapers, she assumed. "You're welcome to borrow these."

  The stack had enough papers to keep her occupied for at least an hour so she gladly accepted. "Thank you."

  When she got back to her room, she crawled onto her bed, sitting close to the lamp. It had been a while since she'd read Aduraun and decided it would be good practice.

  Most the news covered personal events associated with the people in the town, but there was one article worth noting. The headline read 'Not Warrior Attacks.' From what she could tell, the paper reported that the recent attacks thought to be from Laundan warriors might not be from Laundan after all.

  Word was spreading, but how far? This was good news, though. With the gossip at the tavern, the birds they sent to the authorities, and now this article, it looked like the word was getting out. Now, they just needed a way to stop the false warrior attacks from happening.

  The night's darkness was starting to lighten outside her window. It wouldn't be long before she would meet her friends and Huntr for breakfast.

  Having read the stack of papers, she pulled out the journal she'd been keeping and turned to the first blank page. Randell had a good idea, about keeping track of the days and moon in the other world. Although Daen said he would keep a record, she decided to as well, starting with recording key events for each day spent in Luxatra so far.

  Day 1 - three days past the full moon

  We stepped into the middle of a hay field, south of our destination. Slept a few hours but needed to escape notice when the farmers came to work the field.

  After writing a few notes for each Luxatran day, Rhea realized the light coming through her window was the start of her sixth Luxatran day. She did the math and estimated she'd been gone the equivalent of eight days in the world of shadows, which meant the moon was no longer bright enough to create a shadow, she hoped.

  Her watch read 2:00 p.m. She was surprised how accurate the watch was, given its age. She'd bought it at an antique shop because she needed a watch she could wind manually. Every time she wore one that required a battery, it would speed up and then burn out. At least she now had an explanation as to why that was happening.

  As she wrote, she kept things vague, in the event her journal fell into the wrong hands. Of course, even if that happened, what were the odds that someone from Luxatra could read English?

  The knock at her door came just as she slipped her journal into her sack. She grabbed the newspapers, intending on returning them, and stepped into the hall.

  Daen was the only one there. "The others went down to get a table. Are you ready?"

  "Yep." Rhea locked her door, and they started for the stairs.

  Daen saw the papers under her arm. "Where did you get those?"

  "The guy at the front desk. I woke up early again and decided to do some reading. Of course, that was after I took a mental walk and saw two spies watching our windows."

  "Spies?" He stopped and whispered, with urgency. "You should have wakened me."

  Rhea looked over her shoulder to ensure they were alone. "They left while I watched. They would have been long gone by the time I got you up and we started to look."

  He shook his head. "More spies, just what we need. Come on, let's tell the others."

  As they walked down the stairs, Rhea handed him the paper that talked about the false warriors. "Read this. My reading skills are a little rusty. I think it's good news."

  Daen paused on the stairs and read the article. "Yep, word is spreading."

  They returned the papers to the clerk and met the others in the dining room. Huntr was taking his seat, and a server was approaching to take their order.

  After orders were placed, Rhea filled them in on the spies she'd seen and what was said, and Daen shared the news they'd read in the paper.

  "I wonder who they have watching us," said Randell.

  Daen glanced around the dining room. There was one other person and a family at the opposite side of the room. "I would guess it would be someone who works here."

  Rhea wondered what it meant to be watched. Was the spy just monitoring their comings and goings or were they also snooping through their things? "Do you think it's safe to leave our things here? We have items no one should see." Then it dawned on her. "Wait, we left our things here when we went to Huntr's. Do you suppose anyone searched our rooms while we were gone?"

  Huntr watched their faces go blank as they each scanned their memories for anything that would indicate their rooms had been searched. "You can't be sure your rooms haven't been searched by just sitting here. Maybe you should inventory your things after we finish eating. Assuming all is there, pack those items you don't want seen or taken and bring them along today."

  They each nodded.

  Rhea tried to remember if anything was missing or out of place when she pulled her journal out of her sack, but she couldn't remember.

  "Is your father-in-law expecting us?" Taulin asked.

  "After I dropped you off last night, I sent a bird letting Taelr know to expect us. He isn't traveling right now, so we should find him home."

  "How far out of town is he?" Taulin asked.

  "It should take us about an hour or so to get there."

  The rest of their conversation was spent answering Huntr's questions about the world of shadows. He'd spent part of the previous night rummaging around in a chest of old books, looking for one he'd read as a child. It was a story about another world, and he had assumed it was fiction.

  It was obvious to Rhea and Randell that the book was old as it spoke of large boxes on wheels that rolled along metal beams laid side by side. The book described the thing as a smoking dragon that roared. Hence, the book was, indeed, part fiction and part truth.

  Randell told him the book described a train and that it carried people and cargo.

  The book also talked ab
out the electric light and the telegraph. Huntr was fascinated to hear the story in the child's book come to life as Rhea and Randell took turns explaining the history and technology of the world of shadows. What they said reinforced what he'd witnessed on their last night in camp, when Rhea pulled a newspaper from thin air.

  Taulin and Bandon (Bandon had finally caved to Taulin's demand to join him) both sat quietly with wide eyes as they listened to the explanations of what Huntr was really reading about.

  33

  Taelr

  After breakfast, they did as Huntr suggested and retrieved the belongings they didn't want to be seen. When Rhea got to her room, she emptied her bag onto her bed and inventoried the items. She hadn't brought a lot, but it was all there.

  She packed her personal items in one of the saddlebags and her journal, pen, water bottle, map, and newspaper in the other, repacking her shadow-world clothes at the bottom of her canvas sack, followed by her extra shirt and bedroll.

  Daen knocked, and she let him in.

  "What do you suppose would happen if someone took my clothes and backpack from home?" She asked. "Would it be like finding evidence of an alien civilization and mess up the belief system, or something like that?"

  Daen glanced down at the open sack on her bed. "I hadn't really thought about it."

  "Most of what I have shouldn't be seen by anyone from here." She picked up the saddlebags as they contained the items most likely to draw unwanted attention.

  Daen picked up the sack and threw the strap over his shoulder. "Let's not chance it. I'll carry it." He turned to leave the room.

  "I'm perfectly capable of carrying it." She reached for the strap, but Daen stepped out of her reach.

  He wore a childish grin. "I know you are. Think of it as payback for saving my life several times. Now let's go."

  It was an argument she wasn't going to win, so she didn't try.

  Before heading out, Daen and Taulin paid for another night in hopes that whoever was watching wouldn't report that they had left town for good, even though each of them had chosen to take all their belongings with them.

  ~~~

  Their first stop after leaving the inn was the message center. Their timing was fortuitous as a bird had just arrived from Queen Jauline for Commander Nauylor.

  The commander read the short message to himself and then slipped it into his pocket. It was as he expected.

  Daen couldn't help notice the concern and distant look on Huntr's face. "Is everything all right?"

  Huntr glanced up as if surprised that Daen was there. "The queen has ordered me to bring Rhea to her."

  Daen glanced out the window of the center, where Rhea was laughing at something Randell had said. She'd exposed her true heritage to save them, and now she was being called before the queen. How were they going to prove her identity if the mark wasn't enough?

  Huntr joined Daen and Taulin as they peered out the window. "I can see from the expression on your faces that you have the same concerns I have."

  Daen nodded. "It looks like she's going to get the answers to her questions." He looked at Huntr who was now watching Rhea. "Randell and I will go with you and Rhea."

  "I will be there for her as well," said Taulin. "Besides, the queen needs to hear from Laundan directly that we are not responsible for these attacks."

  Huntr headed towards the door. "Come. Let's break the news."

  Rhea turned away from Randell when she saw Daen coming towards her. The laughter quickly faded when she saw the serious expressions of Daen, Taulin, and Huntr.

  Huntr informed her of the queen's order.

  "Does this mean we have to leave right now for the palace?" Rhea was more interested in finding the building that she had seen from her vision than facing the queen. She hadn't been lying when she told the commander that she and her friends were on a mission. A trip to see the queen could jeopardize her ability to stop the man with the long, dark hair.

  "We will leave first thing tomorrow in case there is further word from Laundan and Taulomi." Huntr mounted up. "I need to stop by the station and let my men know to ready provisions for our trip while we find out more about the building in your drawing."

  Rhea felt a weight lift from her chest. The commander understood what she felt was important and was going to help her.

  Twenty minutes later, they were heading south out of town. They spent the trip looking over their shoulders and scanning the surrounding countryside, watching for any evidence that they were being followed.

  While others relied on their eyesight, Rhea used her vision to scan out further than they could see. She glanced at her watch. It would be dark soon in the world of shadows, and if she'd estimated correctly, there would be no way for someone to see into Luxatra, let alone travel between the two worlds. But since she wasn't sure, she kept watch, looking for any sign of the veil openings into the other world.

  ~~~

  The door to Taelr's cabin opened as they approached. A tall, slender man stepped out onto the wood-planked porch that spanned the length of the one-story home. It wasn't until they drew closer that the fine lines and gray hairs were noticeable, indicating he was an older man.

  If Rhea were still in the other world, she would guess late fifties, but given Daen was over a hundred and looked not much older than she, she surmised he was at least two hundred, or maybe more.

  "Welcome! Please come in." Taelr waved for everyone to join him inside.

  Huntr introduced Taelr but didn't provide any titles of those in the party. Before they had arrived, he suggested this approach, the assumption being, the less Taelr knew, the less he has to tell if the spies happened along.

  When they entered the cabin, the aroma of fresh baked bread and coffee greeted them. They sat at a large wood-plank table in the main room and enjoyed Taelr's hospitality and stories about his travels through the realms.

  After about an hour, Taelr grew quiet and looked Huntr in the eyes. "Although I appreciate the company, you didn't bring these fine people all the way out here to visit an old man and listen to his tales. What is it you need from me?"

  Huntr bowed his head slightly. "It is always a pleasure to hear of your stories, Taelr. And, in fact, that's why we're here. I'm hoping one of your adventures will help us find something." Huntr looked at Rhea. "Rhea has something she wants to show you."

  Rhea handed Taelr sketch, torn from her journal. "Have you ever seen a building like this on your travels?"

  Taelr studied the drawing, his brow furrowed in concentration.

  Rhea became concerned. His expression said he didn't recognize it. "It's not very good, I know."

  Taelr waved his hand. "It's quite all right. I'm just trying to remember." He tapped the page. "Where have I seen it?"

  Rhea could barely contain herself. She wanted to shout, "Where? Where?"

  Taelr stood and walked to an old trunk on the far side of the room and started to pull out items. A blanket, a book, some clothes, it seemed like he emptied the entire trunk's contents onto the floor.

  When it looked like there couldn't be anything else, he hesitated before reaching in and pulling out a painting. He held the sketch up to the painting and nodded. "I knew I'd seen it before."

  He returned to the table and laid the painting and the sketch next to each other for all to see. The painting was of a beachfront property; at the center was the stone building. The background looked as if the building sat at the base of a cliff.

  "Is this the place?" Taelr asked.

  Rhea bent over to get a closer look. The image the Libraim showed her flashed in her mind. The likeness was too much for the painting to be of another place.

  Daen looked over her shoulder. "Is that it?"

  Rhea nodded before stepping back to allow the others to see. "Do you know where this is?"

  Taelr shook his head. "No, but I know who painted it. He lives not far from here." He turned to Huntr. "You know him, Thaen Cauldr."


  Huntr searched his memory. "Ah. Sure, I remember him."

  Rhea's heart was pounding in her chest. They were so close. "Can we go see him? Today?"

  Huntr shrugged. "We can try, but don't get your hopes up. He might not be there." He turned to Taelr. "In case Thaen isn't home, is there anything you can tell us about the painting?"

  Taelr lowered himself to the bench at the table and shook his head. "He called the painting Solitude. When I asked him why, he just shook his head. He wouldn't say."

  Huntr hesitated before asking his next question. Taelr's home and life had been one of solitude ever since his wife had passed away. Coincidence? "May I ask why he gave it to you?"

  Taelr simply shrugged. "I helped him fix the roof on his house. He tried to pay me but I refused. He wasn't going to let me leave without something that showed his gratitude so he gave me that." He pointed to the painting on the table.

  Rhea's insides were jumping up and down yelling, "let's go! let's go!" but she maintained her cool exterior as she turned to Taelr and bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, Taelr. This means a lot to me."

  He handed Rhea the painting. "Here, you keep it. It means more to you than it does to me."

  "But ... I couldn't."

  He pushed it into her hands.

  "How can I repay you?"

  Taelr laughed quietly. "On your way now. I can tell you are anxious to see if old Thaen's memory is going to be helpful." He motioned towards the door, and Huntr ushered them out.

  34

  Memories

  Thaen lived northeast from Taelr's, on an indirect path back to Cauhill, which was convenient, Rhea supposed. It could have been worse; he could have lived in the opposite direction. They rode at a faster pace compared to their leisurely ride to Taelr's, concerned that the extra trip would delay their return to Cauhill until after dark.

  About an hour after leaving Taelr's, the terrain changed from open grassy plains to a dense forest with a narrow trail, forcing them to slow their pace and ride in single file.