by D. H. Dunn
He took a step back, putting his hands up. “Whoa! No, this is not about me. I just want―”
“You just want to help them,” Nima finished for him with a laugh. “That is what makes you happy, helping people. It is your gift, Drew. It is about you. You are going to help and make a difference. That is what makes you feel alive, and I love you for it.”
He pulled Nima in for an embrace, his grip so tight for a moment she had difficulty breathing.
“You saved me, little sister,” he whispered into her ear. “You pulled me up and out.”
“Be happy, big brother,” she said back, kissing him on the cheek as he slowly released her. “You deserve it.”
Nima turned toward the long passageway, the dark shadows of its lengths beckoning.
“Let’s get going,” Nima said. “We all have somewhere to go.”
28
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”
—Edmund Hillary
Drew paused for a moment in the antechamber, Upala and Merin already pushing ahead to the next room. He watched Nima and Pasang run down the hallway to their left, the floor lined with the same rubble of books and furniture most of Upala’s stronghold seemed to contain.
Pasang was in the lead, showing more confidence than Drew had ever seen in the boy before. The man, Drew corrected himself. Pasang had emerged from his time in the Under altered. Much like a sailor fresh out of boot camp after his first battle. The scared look in Pasang’s eye was gone now.
Nima was close behind her brother, her hand clutching the pocket that held the crystal Upala had given her. Her head darted from side to side as she checked the many passageways leading to other rooms in the complex. The portal back to Nepal was ahead of them, the road back home.
Had he only known her for a few months? It seemed now to Drew that he had known Nima all his life, and seeing her small form dwindling in the distance made him feel empty. At least she would be going home.
Home for them, but not for Drew. Sometime during the descent, he had made his decision, and he was surprised at how at peace he was with it. He would never see his father again, never have an opportunity to explain, assuming the old man would even listen. He’d never sit by Artie’s grave, or his Mom’s.
But it was all right. With Upala and Merin there was an opportunity to start over, to help them rebuild their home. Maybe in the process of that, he’d find one of his own.
He glanced one last time at Nima as she ducked into one of the rooms with her brother in tow. Drew couldn’t let go of the fear he felt for her, if only there had been time to escort her. She was, after all, his little sister.
“Drew.” Upala’s voice, sounding like bells echoing through the walls. She and Merin were waiting by the passage to the next room, something Upala had referred to as the mirror room. The portal to their world, Aroha Darad, lay just beyond.
Upala was not as he remembered her, not completely. She was just as beautiful as she had been that night in Kathmandu, and the same mixture of strength and need was there. She was a woman who could help and be helped, two things he had needed. Still needed.
But there was a new pain in her eyes as she looked at him across the room, waiting by the doorway with Merin. It was a pain that was familiar to Drew, one he had seen in the mirror many times. Guilt and remorse, companions as loyal to Drew in their own way as Nima had been. Maybe he could help her learn to live with her demons, and she might do the same for him. Anything was possible.
He was not sure what lay ahead for him and Upala, but Drew was certain of what was behind; memories of the dead he couldn’t save and of the living he could no longer face.
Upala and Aroha Darad were unknowns, but they represented a future with options. A chance to atone for his crime, if such a thing were possible.
Now all that lay between Drew and that possibility was Kater.
Upala and Merin were both crouched by the doorway, peering into the mirror room. Drew did the same. The room was not dissimilar to many spaces he had seen in the Under. Like all of Upala’s library, it was littered with damaged books and bookcases, shattered wooden tables and chairs. It was also riddled with dozens of portals, on the floor and ceiling as well as the walls.
What Drew hadn’t seen before, what was new was what the portals showed, that which made it obvious why Upala called this the mirror room.
Every portal was open and active, and each seemed to show a different view of the room itself. To Drew, most of them appeared designed to translate directly to another portal only feet away. Even in the low light, it was difficult to look at. His eyes were constantly tricked into seeing reflections of other sections of the room.
“Why?” Drew asked turning back to the pair, shaking his head to clear his vision. Noting both Upala and Merin had kept their voices low, he did the same.
“If you are asking why we wait,” Merin said, “I suspect Kater is waiting for us in that room. My queen―” Merin stopped for a moment and took a breath. “Upala suspects her brother has not had enough time to study how to open the portal back to Aroha Darad. This room, however, is a direct path to the portal.”
“So, ambush us here,” Drew whispered, sneaking another look into the mirror room. “It’s the perfect place. Three against one evens the odds a bit though.”
“Perhaps your question is, why did I make this room,” Upala added, pulling the hood of her cloak forward, over her head. Drew wondered if she were cold, or if she did it to avoid eye contact with Merin. “This was my first attempt at creating my own portals, rather than uncovering those that existed naturally. The best I could manage were portals that reflected an area only an arm’s length or so away. I found it easier to increase the distance if the target of one portal was another and―”
Drew held up his hand. “I get the idea. All right, so if Kater’s in there, what’s our best move? Upala, we’ve seen your brother’s abilities: shields, fire from his hands. Can you do the same?”
Upala looked down, her face retreating even farther into her hood. “I have never succeeded in summoning the flame. Not with any real effect or potency, I’m afraid. Were I less exhausted I could summon a shield to protect us, but in my current state it would be folly to trust my protection.”
She looked past Drew into the maze of portals. Some showed Upala’s face staring back at him. Her eyes looked haunted as she looked across at the efforts of her labors.
“Kater has always been more of an aggressor than I,” she said quietly. “My time spent researching was perhaps more poorly used.”
“Then our best strategy is to simply run through,” Merin said, her tone thin and razor sharp. “You and I both know the way, Upala. If your brother is in there, he may be unprepared for us. If he is not, we do not waste time here when either he or Vihrut might disrupt us.”
“Good a plan as any,” Drew said. He was anxious to move, to act. If the path to Aroha Darad was only a short dash away, better to move and deal with what they found than sit and debate. All they were doing was giving Kater more time.
He smiled to himself, knowing Nima would have already been through the door if she were there.
Merin put her hand on Drew’s shoulder. “Drew, your decision. To come with us, I mean. If Kad were here he’d know what to say. For myself, I don’t know how to―”
“Don’t worry about it,” Drew said, cutting her off with a smile. “It’s what I want.” Merin looked back at him for a moment, then gave him a grin in return. In that moment, she reminded Drew of her husband. He looked forward to meeting their children.
“Let us be on, then,” Upala said. She lowered her head and ran into the room, Merin and Drew right behind her.
They ran forward, each of them taking care to avoid slipping into the many portals that lined the floor of the room.
For a moment, Drew wondered why Upala felt the need to place the gateways in such inconvenient locations. Perhaps they had moved during her library’s descent into the Under? A question for another
time, reminded himself.
More than once he glanced sideways or up into the ceiling, looking for Kater, only to see his own image looking back at him from another perspective. The disorientation was sending his stomach into knots of nausea. He slowed his pace, his eyes bouncing between Upala’s back and the floor to avoid falling into a stray portal.
When Kater’s attack came, he was barely aware that it had happened. He was running, then suddenly he was on the ground laying amongst an overturned desk. His right arm was burned, a red handprint marking his bicep.
There was a second crash while he was still struggling to regain his senses, the twin voices of Merin and Upala crying out in unison.
He pulled himself up, trying to look through the maze of bookcases and portals to find the old man. All he caught was a glimpse of Kater’s leg passing through one of the gateways to his left and a hint of familiar laughter.
“He’s here!” Drew yelled out, searching the room for Merin and Upala.
“Upala is injured!” Merin yelled back. He found them quickly. Upala was pinned under a heavy bookcase. Merin was holding the wooden structure up as best she could, while Upala pushed a shield of glittering red dust around them both.
“I can keep this weight off Upala, but I cannot get her out!”
Drew gritted his teeth. Just as Kater had planned it, no doubt. Incapacitate the only member of their group he had reason to fear, and then deal with the “ants,” as he had called them. It had worked even better than Kater had likely hoped, keeping Merin occupied in the bargain.
He stood and scanned the many pulsing ovals around him, knowing Kater could be inside any of them. He could attack from above or below. Drew was so disoriented he could barely stand, the effect of the windows back into the room being present everywhere he looked.
He suspected Kater was still injured from his clash with Vihrut, but the old man could just wait for a break in Upala’s concentration to finish his sister off.
Tired as she was, he was surprised Upala could raise her shield at all.
As Drew’s stomach continued to churn and boil, he reminded himself of the advice he had given Artie on his brother’s first day out to sea. “Focus on the horizon. Find something to steady your vision.”
Drew scanned the room, both for his adversary and for opportunities. He looked from one portal to the next, and a pattern began to emerge. Perhaps Kater had given him a gift after all, an opportunity he could use. Now he just needed to get the old man to come out and face him.
Slowly he walked forward, keeping his eyes on the portals above and below him. To his right, there was a gateway embedded in the wall, to his left, a stone column. He stepped around a portal on the floor, making sure not to look at its twin directly above him.
Kater was being coy. He had the advantage, but Drew suspected he was still wary of Upala. He was being strategic, hiding and waiting for his moment. The stakes were as high for Kater as for them, he was fighting for his own survival, after a fashion. Drew needed to take control of the tempo and draw Kater out.
It was time to do what he did best, keep the focus on him. He’d just pretend Kater was Jang.
“Hide and seek doesn’t seem to be your style, Kater.” Drew listened as his voice bounced around the room, echoing off the walls and bookcases. The many portals around him throbbed and pulsed, but there was no response.
“Drew, what are you doing?” Merin called. He could see her arms shaking as she struggled to hold the heavy bookcase off Upala. Even through the red brilliance protected them, Drew could also see the exertion that keeping the defense up was having on Upala.
“Calling out a coward, that’s what I’m doing!” Drew yelled back. “Gave his big speech about how he’s some kind of god and we’re all just bugs, but that’s not what I’ve seen.”
Then Drew caught a glimpse of Kater, the flame from his hands catching his eye. Kater ran from one portal to another off to Drew’s left. Maneuvering, hiding. It was a sound tactic, but Drew needed to get him to stop thinking.
“Kater told me how he’s going to be a big hero back home, spend his life getting ready for the great return of the dragons. Is this how you will fight them, Kater? From the shadows like a coward?”
“Silence, Adley! You insect!” The booming voice was unmistakable, though Drew couldn’t pinpoint the location. Kater’s words seemed to come from everywhere at once, still keeping his distance.
While he could feel the old man losing his cool, Drew needed to push harder. “Some hero! I mean, what has Kater really done, Merin? Kater didn’t kill Kaditula. That was a brave man sacrificing himself. That’s a hero. He didn’t kill Perol, that was a poor, betrayed woman being loyal to her troops. He didn’t kill Wanda, Wanda gave her life to stop him and free his sister.” His voice broke for a moment as he thought of Wanda. “Sacrificing herself for the people she loved. That’s a hero, Kater. But who do you love? Who would you sacrifice for?
Drew cried out, a sudden searing pain in his shoulder. He jumped away from the pain, feeling fingers grasping at his flesh but failing to gain a hold.
He whirled, but there was no one there. Nothing except another burning hand print on the remains of his shirt. His skin burned underneath, but Drew smiled. It was working.
“He answers!” he cried out, clapping his hands. His shoulder hurt like hell, but he’d been in pain before. He’d live. “The god deigns to communicate, and yet again fails to make his point! You’re no god, Kater. You are the insect, living in fear of us. You may have power, but we have courage. You threw Jang to his death, but when you fell, who saved you? Me! I saved your ass from becoming just one more body rotting in this hole!”
Drew turned toward Merin, taking one step forward. He kept in his mind where everything was. The portal in front of him, where he hoped Kater would come from, and the alignment of the two behind him.
“The bug saved the god, and now the god hides from the bug! Dragons? That’s a joke. You won’t even face me! You’re just wasting our time. Come on, Upala, let me help you with that.”
One more step, that was all he could afford to move away from his chosen spot. When the portal in front of him flared to life, he almost let out a sigh of relief.
Kater charged forward, flames pouring from his hands like a deluge. Drew could make out spittle steaming on Kater’s beard as he screamed in rage, whatever words he might have been saying lost to Drew in the roar of the conflagration rushing at him.
He was almost upon him. Drew reminded himself one last time where all the key elements were. His left and right feet were placed correctly, his arms out feinting a block. The correct portals directly behind him, the ones that had shown him the opportunity. The way out of this mess. One portal on the floor and one on the ceiling, each showing an exact image of the other.
Then Kater was on him, into Drew’s arms and crashing into his chest. The heat was incredible, he screamed as the flames burned against him. He could feel his clothing and flesh singe as he turned his face away in an effort protect himself.
Kater had expected him to stand his ground, the old man had run at him with all the force he had. Drew angled his body as he had done many times in high school football, the blocker choosing not to block, but, rather, redirect.
Kater was caught unprepared as Drew twisted away from the collision, his arms making sure Kater’s motion continued in the direction he wanted him to go.
With all his might, Drew threw Kater directly into the portal in the floor behind them. He pushed the old man down with all the strength he had, then jumped clear, never taking his eyes off Kater.
No sooner had Kater’s legs fallen into the pulsing oval on the floor, then they appeared in its twin on the ceiling. His body made a rapid descent into the floor, then through the ceiling and back into the floor again. Kater began to yell, the words unintelligible as each pass the man made increased the speed of his fall.
Within seconds, Kater had become little more than a screaming shape passing so ra
pidly between the two portals that Drew could not even discern that a person was present inside the blur of motion.
The pitch of the man’s scream went higher and higher until Drew could no longer hear it, the sound of Kater’s fury replaced with a steady throb of the two portals processing his body in a near constant transfer.
Drew turned away, trying not to consider the prospects of how long the portals might keep passing Kater between them.
He rushed over to Merin, Upala having dropped her crimson shield as soon as she saw him. With an effort, he helped Merin push the heavy bookcase off the injured woman then assisted them to their feet.
“Are you all right?” He looked Upala over, seeing no severe injury though she was covered in a myriad of cuts and bruises. “What I did to your brother, I am sorry. I wish there was another way.”
Upala shook her head. “I am fine, thanks to the two of you. Any injures I have should be restored when we return to Aroha Darad. My wounds are nothing compared to what you both have lost.”
Merin bowed her head as Upala looked over to where the blurred form of Kater was nearly transparent with movement between the two gateways.
“I cannot weep for my brother, Drew,” she said. “He brought himself to this point. I thank you for delivering us from him.”
Drew took one last look at what had now become a column of motion between the two portals. He could see short bursts of flame flying out, Kater still attempting to escape.
“Your brother,” Merin said, “can he escape? Will he perish in that state?” She peered at the form with an expression Drew suspected was satisfaction. He thought of Kad and Wanda, the feeling easy to understand.
“I cannot know,” Upala said. She looked at Kater’s translocating form, sighing and shaking her head. “I suppose he would live infinitely there, if not for the Under’s corruption. I suspect when that corruption permeates my library and reaches the portal, he will be shredded as they disintegrate.”
Drew shivered, thinking on the outcome. Kater was a bastard and deserved no better, but it was still a grim fate. Upala turned away from the sight, strength returning to her voice.