by C. S. Harte
“Brilliant! You were always one to make an entrance, Jochi.” Helen smiled.
“The devil is in the details, as they say,” Jochi grinned.
“I’m glad that you could honor me with your presence today.”
“Even though I may not reply to all your questions, I am always listening.”
He stared at Helen’s book. “May I?”
She handed it to him.
“David Copperfield. Does it remind you of your children?”
“Sometimes, I suppose.” Her face showed a pained expression.
He waved his hand over the weathered book, restoring it to mint condition. Jochi returned her book and sat down.
She smiled. “Thank you for this kindness. Before we get to the main subject on both our minds, what news do you have of my children?” Helen unconsciously clutched her chest.
“They have been taken by the Blue Horde as we feared. My shadows have confirmed this to be true.”
A slacked expression fell on Helen’s face. “Bloody Hell!” Helen jumped from her seat and paced around the bench.
Jochi remained expressionless.
“Do you at least know their talents?” Helen said through clenched teeth.
“Amelia is a Mender. Benjamin is Photokinetic like you.”
The tension began to drain from her body. She had always known her children to be special after all the hardships they've endured. They were fighters, and would not forget their mother and the sacrifices she made for them. “A Mender and a Photokinetic like me.” Helen smiled the way a mother would when thinking prideful thoughts of her children.
“You should be proud. It is rare for a gifted mother to produce one gifted offspring, let alone two.”
Her smile quickly became a frown. “Unfortunately, their gifts have put them at odds with this house.” Helen released a pent up sigh. “Do you know where they are keeping their bodies?”
“That I cannot answer for you.”
Helen shrank inward. Her face appeared wracked with guilt and concern. “I see. Thank you, nonetheless.”
Jochi nodded at Helen. He turned his attention to the crystal garden and smiled. The spectacle of his creation still twinkling.
Helen struggled to control her emotions, wrestling to maintain her mask of composure. She was, after all, in the company of a Creatore. Her left hand began to shake. She grabbed it with her right. Her eyes became unfocused and distant as streams of memories poured into her consciousness. Her mind drifted to a previous chapter of her life, before the notion of gifteds. When Benjamin was five, he was one of many struck by tuberculosis. Helen was told to make funeral arrangements as his death would be imminent. Amelia did not fare much better. She was born eight weeks premature and severely underweight, spending the first two years of her life on the doorsteps of death.
Helen rubbed her head trying to slow an intensifying headache. Her face strained as the agony became more intense. “Are you doing this?”
“I thought remembering your kids would make you happy.”
Helen squeezed her eyes shut. “It is, but the memories are coming too fast.”
Jochi waved his hand across the crystal flowers. They transitioned back to their former, organic state. “Forgive me. It was not my intent to cause you pain.”
“No, it’s fine. Give me a moment to recover.” Helen relaxed her breathing and changed the subject. “You have shown yourself to Kayla, but not to anyone else. Do you see something special in her? And why does she think you’re a gardener?”
“I show myself to people as they expect to see me. She was in a garden, she figured I was the gardener.” He smiled. “I do sense something in her. This peaked my curiosity, so I decided to see firsthand.”
Helen nodded. “You knew she was a Telekinetic, an already exceedingly rare talent. Was there something else special about her?”
“When I gazed upon her, there was an unusually bright aura surrounding her Chi. She is like a caterpillar in a cocoon. I am curious to see what she would look like as a butterfly.”
Helen placed a hand over her mouth and gasped. “Do you think she’s a Creatore? How is that possible?”
“I would not go so far as to say she is a Creatore. But she is special in some unrevealed way.”
“This is indeed remarkable.”
“How many talents has she manifested thus far?”
“Only one that I’m aware of. She’s still very far from mastering Telekinesis. Do you expect Kayla to exhibit more than one talent?”
“I have lived a very long life and have seen many things. Thus few things can be of a surprise to me. I do not know if Kayla will manifest more than one talent. She would become very powerful if she does, deciding the fate of all gifteds everywhere.”
Helen’s finger touched her parted lips. “Oh, my. Let’s hope she becomes a butterfly and not something… dangerous.”
“What have you learned about her so far?”
Helen rubbed her chin. “Well, she is a curious, intelligent, caring and kind young woman. If not sometimes awkward and clumsy. She wouldn’t dare admit it — she is lonely more often than not and seeks the acceptance of those around her. None of these qualities are uncommon in teenage girls. I do see a hidden strength in her. Not just from her rare talent. You can see this from the way she perseveres through the many hardships she’s endured in her young life. And she has a deep well of empathy, caring more for those around her than for herself, even when most of the people she has known has been anything but empathetic to her.”
Jochi lifted himself from the bench and walked to the first row of flowers. “Kayla's talent seems most potent when her mind is stressed. I have something that you might find useful to help nudge Kayla out of her cocoon.”
“Any help is always appreciated.”
Jochi picked a rose from its stem, inhaling its scent. He crushed the rose in his hand, squeezing until it became a fine dust which he sprinkled into an open plot. Instantly, a miniature apple tree grew from the soil. On it hung a single golden apple. Jochi plucked the apple from the tree and gave it to Helen. “Food for thought.” He laughed at his own joke.
The tree shriveled, returning to dust, leaving no indication it was ever there.
“Give this to Kayla when you feel she is ready.”
“I will.” Helen stared at the golden apple, examining every angle. “Before you leave, I have one more question about my—“
Jochi disappeared before Helen could ask her question.
Helen shook her head. “I suppose I should be used to not having all my questions answered at this point.”
26
“Anyone have any idea how to get over there?” Kayla asked. She peered over the edge, seeing the darkness of the canyon staring back at her.
As Helen described, the Ice Fortress was in the center of a giant maze. What she failed to mention was that the Ice Fortress and maze sat on a floating island inside an equally immense cavern, like a giant underground city carved within a mountain of ice.
“I see a pedestal on the other side. It probably has a button that will activate the bridge,” Haley said.
“We still need to get to the other side,” Emily said.
“Victor, could you run fast and jump over this thing?” Jaime asked.
“I don’t think so. The other side looks higher, and we’re about 1000 meters apart,” Victor said.
Jaime threw his hands in the air. “I’m ready to port. Anyone else?”
“Kayla, couldn’t you use your Telekinetic powers to float us over?” Maria asked.
“I’m willing to give it a shot if someone volunteers. But the most I’ve ever consciously done with my powers is make a sakura blossom float in the air.”
Maria shook her head. “No thanks.”
“Maria, could you throw us over there?” Victor asked.
“I never threw something so far, and none of you are what I would consider aerodynamic.”
“Victor, what if you run full speed o
nto Maria and she gives you a boost? Maybe the combined speed and boost from Maria would be enough to get you over there,” Kayla suggested.
“That’s the best plan so far. Insane, but best so far. Even if it doesn’t work, I kinda just wanna see it happen,” Jaime said.
“How heavy are you Victor?” Maria asked.
“60-65 kilograms.”
“I think I can do that.”
“OK, blame Kayla if I don’t make it,” Victor said jokingly.
“I’ll try to use my Telekinesis to guide you. I’ve never tested my range, but hopefully it’ll reach you,” Kayla said.
Victor winced. “Maybe you don’t test on me.”
Maria stood with her back to the edge of the cliff and locked her hands together between her thighs. "Ready!"
“Let me go over this in my head,” Victor said as he closed his eyes. “OK, I’m ready too.” He gave a slight nod at Maria.
Maria returned the nod.
Victor ran back towards the middle of the tunnel, giving himself room to build speed. Like a bullet, he shot forward, jumped onto Maria's hands, and flew over the chasm.
Maria nearly fell backward into the chasm from the force of Victor’s jump.
Jaime with his quick reflexes, corralled Maria before she tipped over. “Whoa! I got you.” He smiled.
Maria hugged him. “Thank you!”
Kayla followed Victor’s flight path. She decided against using her talents to help him, not trusting her abilities.
Victor swung his arms and legs wildly as he made his way to the other side. His momentum was too weak to carry him to completion. He smashed into the other cliffside, several feet below the top. The impact with the wall knocked the breath out of his lungs, but was able to grab onto a rocky outcrop, preventing his fall into the depths below. He struggled to climb up, unable to find handholds to use in climbing.
Kayla gasped at the sight but did not hesitate in action. She imagined steps popping out of the cliffside and slammed her palm onto the ground. Rectangular blocks popped out around Victor, forming stairs, leading him to safety.
Victor shifted his body onto the steps, using them to crawl upwards. He dropped to his knees and let out a big breath before giving everyone a thumbs up signal.
Loud cheers erupted around Kayla.
Maria lifted Kayla in the air. “Awesome, Kayla! Really quick thinking!”
Jaime high-fived Kayla. “You saved the mission!”
Even Haley and Emily offered Kayla a smile and a pat on the back.
“That was easily the coolest thing I’ve done in my life. No pun intended,” Kayla smiled from ear to ear.
Victor pushed the bridge button.
Blocks of ice dropped from the ceiling to form a makeshift bridge connecting the two sides. Each block was exactly one meter in width, wide enough for one person at a time.
Kayla gulped. “That’s a super narrow bridge. No handrails or anything?”
“Don’t sweat it. Literally, don’t sweat too much, you might slip,” Jaime said. He placed one foot on the bridge, transferring his weight onto the block. “Seems stable. I’m just gonna run this. See you on the other side.”
Emily and Haley followed. Maria waved at Kayla, going next.
“This is crazy,” Kayla muttered to herself.
“The maze is much bigger in person,” Maria said.
“The maze isn’t big, you’re just small,” Jaime said.
Maria sneered at him. “I may be small, but I can kick your butt.”
“I’m just kidding, don’t hit me please,” Jaime begged as he shrunk in size.
“OK, kids. I don’t want to stay here forever,” Victor said. “There are two entrances to the maze. I tried to scout each entry, but every path I went lead me back here. It seems Masa won’t let me scout. I guess that would be too easy.”
“So we split up. At least one group will reach the fortress,” Haley said.
“Me, Haley, and Jaime in our group,” Emily said.
Victor shook his head. “I don’t recommend that. You and Haley have the same skill set. It would be better to split you two up.”
Emily stomped her foot. “Fine, me, Jaime, and Victor then.”
“You guys OK with that?” Victor asked the remaining three.
“Yeah, whatever,” Kayla said, shrugging.
“Ok, we’ll take the right path,” Victor said. “Good luck!” He gave a hug to Kayla, Maria, and Haley.
Jaime did the same.
Emily did not.
Kayla’s group entered the left entrance of the maze. Once all three members were inside, a solid block of ice dropped behind them, sealing them inside, eliminating any possibility of help.
“I guess we move forward,” Maria said.
A loud ringing sound emanated from above.
Everyone gazed upwards.
Projected into the ceiling of the maze was a clock counting down from three hours.
“Well that escalated,” Maria said.
“I guess Masa is getting tired of waiting for us,” Kayla said.
“How would you know?” Haley snapped at Kayla. She ran ahead of the group.
Maria raised her eyebrows. “I’m sensing a weird tension between you two.”
Kayla shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
They ran after Haley, making sure she didn’t get too far ahead.
“There she is,” Maria said.
Kayla saw Haley at a turn in the maze. She was slowly backpedaling. Her neck craned up looking at something very tall.
Haley sprinted back to Kayla and Maria. She summoned a sword with her talent. “Get ready for a fight,” Haley said, breathing hard.
Maria got into her fighting stance. “What are we fighting—“
A deafening roar came from behind the corner.
“Dragon! It’s a dragon,” Haley said.
“Like a REAL dragon? Is that possible?” Kayla asked.
Before anyone could answer, the floor beneath them vibrated. A small tremor at first, growing to earthquake-levels of intensity. Loud crushing sounds originated from behind them. They turned around and saw the maze walls squeezing shut.
“We have to move. We’ll get squished if we stay,” Haley said.
“I guess we run towards the dragon.” Maria gulped.
“I wonder how the other team is doing,” Victor said.
“Probably not well, since Kayla is over there,” Emily said with a distinct note of vitriol.
“C’mon babe, she’s not a bad person,” Jaime said.
Emily ignored the comment. She picked up her pace and walked ahead of the group.
Victor looked at Jaime.
Jaime shrugged his shoulders.
A loud bell rang behind them.
“Look, there’s a projection of a digital clock in the ice ceiling,” Victor said, pointing at the dome of the cavern.
“Three hours. Not much time,” Jaime said.
“Let’s keep moving,” Victor said.
They both ran to catch up to Emily.
When they turned a corner, an unexpected sight stopped them in their tracks.
Emily was trapped in a large dome which was quickly filling with water. She summoned a Chi axe, hacking away violently at the walls. The barrier withstood each blow without issue.
“Jaime! Fire!” Victor ordered.
“On it.” Jaime held out an open palm. A stream of flames shot out of his hand as he tried to burn a way out. Jaime’s fire seemed to be slowly melting the barrier but nowhere fast enough compared to the rising water level.
“This isn’t going to work in time, think of something else,” Jaime shouted.
The water reached Emily’s head. She held her breath as panic set in her eyes.
“There must be a release switch somewhere,” Victor said.
Jaime increased the intensity of his fire stream. His stream abruptly ended when a strong tremor shook him off his balance.
Rapid crushing sounds filled the
air.
Victor's eyes bulged as he turned around. “The walls are closing in fast. We have to go. We can’t help Emily.”
“I can’t just leave her here!” Jamie said.
Victor ran to Emily and placed his hand on the dome. “Use ‘porta.’ Can you hear me? Port out of here. We can’t help you.”
Emily shook her head.
Victor stared back at Jaime. “We can’t help her.”
“WE HAVE TO TRY!” Jaime yelled.
The walls behind them closed faster. They had seconds before the maze crushed them all.
27
A towering white dragon stared at Kayla’s team. Its massive size rivaled that of a blue whale.
“If you had told me dragons were part of this simulation, I probably would not have joined,” Kayla said.
“This is new,” Maria said, taking a step back.
“At least the walls behind us stopped closing in,” Haley said.
Kayla looked back. “Go forth or die apparently.”
“Anyone want to share some tips about dragon fighting?” Maria asked.
“Why is it just looking at us?” Haley asked.
Kayla tapped her fingers on her chin. “It’s unfortunate no one can blink or make themselves invisible here.”
“I don’t suppose we can just walk past the dragon. We must seem like ants to it. Maybe it won’t see us,” Maria suggested.
“It’s worth a shot. Your idea. You test it.” Haley nudged Maria forward.
“Please tell me one of you have some sort of shield ability,” Maria begged.