When the last of the soldiers is across, Kai makes one more jump back to the other side. For a moment, I’m afraid he’s leaving me now that I’ve been reunited with my companions. I’m surprised by how much the thought bothers me. I breathe a sigh of relief when he unties the other end of the rope and flings it toward us, then leaps back over to join us.
“No sense wasting good rope,” he says, smiling.
CHAPTER 25
IT’S STILL WELL BEFORE NOON—Kai’s help has saved us half a day or more by not having to wait for the company to hike around the ravine. Dad gathers the Miracles, Lieutenant Gregerson and his three remaining sergeants alongside the roadway for a meeting. The rest of the soldiers form a wide circle around us, keeping watch for any sign of danger.
Kai moves off the road with us, staying by my side. Even though I’m now protected by a company of Marines, I’m happy he’s staying near me. Dad doesn’t say anything about Kai’s presence, but Radar flashes me another wink.
“Our mission is still a go,” Dad tells us. “I’m guessing we’ve got somewhere around two hundred miles to San Francisco. It’s a long walk, but we’ve got almost three weeks to get there.” He focuses his attention on us Miracles. “I think you kids can make it.”
We all nod. Two hundred miles does seem like a long way to walk, but we’re all in the best shape of our lives. Besides, even if we decided to return home, we’d have an equally long trek. So we may as well head north and try to save the world.
“Any questions?” Dad asks.
We all look at one another, but nobody says anything. There’s really not much to say right now.
Dad turns to Lieutenant Gregerson and tells him to select seven men to make up an advance party.
“Stay a couple of hundred yards ahead,” he tells the lieutenant, “but maintain visual contact with the main group at all times. If the road bends too sharply or descends too steeply, wait for us to get closer before you proceed. You can send a couple of men ahead, as long as you can keep both them and us in sight.”
Lieutenant Gregerson nods. “Understood, Sir.”
“Everyone needs to keep a sharp eye out,” Dad continues. “We have no idea what kinds of dangers we might encounter.” He looks at me, and then at Kai. “Leah’s already been attacked by a two-headed cyclops. I’m pretty sure it’s not the only monster around.”
“Speaking of monsters,” Kai says, “may I make a suggestion?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Dad replies. He’s not one of those egotistical officers who’s above listening to suggestions, especially from someone who has knowledge that none of the rest of us have.
“Your bullets are useful against many creatures from my world,” Kai says, “but they will have little effect on some of them.”
Dad nods solemnly. “We know. Vampires, for instance. We managed to get two flamethrowers off the ship, but other than that, we’ll need to use swords.”
“There are others besides vampires to worry about,” Kai cautions. “Wooden spears can be useful. Since we’ve got so many trees available here, I suggest each of your men cut themselves a spear. The Miracles, too.”
“I’m not sure how good I’d be at throwing a spear,” I say.
Kai smiles. “They’re more for stabbing than throwing. A wooden stake can bring down more than a vampire. Keep the spears short—about six feet. They’ll make handy walking sticks, if nothing else.”
“You heard the man,” my dad says. “Sergeants, have all the men cut themselves a spear. Miracles, go make yourselves one as well. Do not wander beyond the perimeter, though. There’s plenty of suitable branches close to the road.”
We all move just a bit farther into the trees. Soon, the woods are filled with the sound of machetes and swords hacking at wood.
Since the Marines are stronger and more skilled with their blades, most of them finish before any of the Miracles do. Eventually, though, we all have sturdy six-foot spears, carved into sharp points at one end. We head back to the highway and set out to the north. Kai is right; the spears do make good walking sticks.
The next two days pass uneventfully. Except for the spectacular scenery, they’re quite boring, actually—not that I’m complaining. After the trials of my first couple of days back on shore, boring suits me just fine.
Kai spends much of his time up in the lead, sometimes walking with the advance guard, sometimes scouting even farther ahead on his own. Every now and then I see him disappear into the woods to scout our flank. I’m happy to have someone with his unique experience and knowledge keeping an eye out for danger, but I also like it when he walks with me, which he does a couple of times each day. I notice that when he does, Radar seems to edge a little bit closer, too.
I know that he’ll protect all the Miracles, but he was sent here specifically to rescue me, so in some ways I feel like he’s my own personal bodyguard. Beyond that, the more time I spend with him, the more I feel myself being drawn to him. I don’t like admitting this even to myself—this is hardly the place for it—but I hope he’s feeling something similar.
During one of our conversations, I ask him what his world is like.
“Our sun is much less bright than yours, so the days on my world are more like your twilight,” he tells me. “And since our moon has less light to reflect, our nights are very, very dark.”
I glance down at Kai’s bare feet. “It must be pretty cold there, then.”
“Surprisingly, it’s not,” he replies. “Our temperatures stay pretty consistent—not too different from what I’ve experienced here the past few days. A little colder, maybe, but not much.”
That doesn’t make sense to me. “How is that possible, if your sun is so much weaker than ours?”
“Unlike your world, much of our heat comes from inside our planet. The core of our world is much hotter and more active than yours. We have a lot more volcanic activity than you. I think that’s probably part of what keeps our skies so dim.”
“It sounds like a scary place,” I say. “Even without considering all the monsters that live there.”
“It can be quite forbidding,” Kai agrees. “But my world is not without its own beauty—though most of it is a more stark beauty than what yours offers.”
For a moment, I fantasize about visiting that other world with Kai and having him show me that stark beauty. I quickly realize how ridiculous such thinking is, so I brush the thoughts away.
“As for the creatures that inhabit our world,” Kai continues, “those of us who are not evil have our own abilities.”
I smile, picturing him leaping across the broken bridge like he was hopping across a narrow stream. He certainly does have some special abilities.
“The mermaids’ speed, for instance, keeps them safe in the ocean,” Kai explains, “and my people’s strength and agility—not to mention our bows and blades—make us a match for most of the creatures in our world.”
His last statement startles me. I hadn’t considered that there might be more people like Kai over There.
“You mean there are others like you on your world?” I ask. The question sounds stupid as soon as it leaves my mouth.
Kai smiles. “Of course. What did you think, that I just sprang from some kind of magical pod one day?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” I admit, still feeling a bit sheepish. “Do you have family back There? A wife? Kids?”
He shakes his head. “I have only a brother, Raj. I think that may be one of the reasons I was chosen. Raj can take care of himself.”
If Raj is anything like Kai, I’m sure he can.
“What about you?” Kai asks. “Do you have a mate?”
I smile at his choice of words—mate. “No. I’m not even eighteen yet. So no, I don’t have a mate. Not even a boyfriend.”
Kai nods. “That’s probably for the best, considering the danger you’ve put yourself into. I’d better get back up front. Your soldiers are fine warriors, but they don’t know everything to look for.�
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Without waiting for any reply from me, Kai jogs up toward the advance party. I feel his absence more keenly than I should—and more keenly than I want to. I hope he wasn’t bothered by my personal questions. And though I don’t like to admit it to myself, I wish he’d shown a little more pleasure in learning that I don’t have a boyfriend. I know I’m thinking foolishly, of course—we are from two entirely different worlds, after all.
Radar edges closer to my side. “You two seem to be getting along quite nicely,” she says. “Do you think he’ll kiss you anytime soon?”
Kiss me? What the heck is Radar thinking? She’s incorrigible. This is not some romantic stroll along the ocean—it’s a mission to save the world, for chrissakes. Still, the thought of kissing Kai stirs something warm inside me.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say. “There’s nothing remotely close to that going on.”
Radar grins. “If you say so.” She moves away and makes a show of taking Jordy’s hand and kissing him on the cheek, as if to show me what I’m missing. Like I said, she’s incorrigible. And I’m already quite aware of what I’ve been missing, thank you.
CHAPTER 26
THE NEXT MORNING, I’m awakened by something dripping onto my cheek. I open my eyes to a world shrouded by thick, gray mist. Overnight, a dense fog bank has rolled in off the Pacific. I’ve seen plenty of morning fogs back in San Diego, but nothing to match this one. The damp curtain has reduced my world to a circle of fifteen to twenty feet. On one side of me, I can see Plush and Lights sleeping close beside each other, on the other I can make out Radar and Doc. The rest of my friends, a bit farther away, are just dark forms, almost unrecognizable. The nearest trees are shadowy columns whose upper reaches have been swallowed by the fog. I know we’re surrounded by Marines, but I can’t see any of them. Kai is nowhere in sight, either.
Another drop hits my face, splattering against my forehead this time. It’s condensation, dripping from an invisible leaf or branch above me. I wipe it off with the back of my hand and sit up.
It’s not dark out, so I know it’s after dawn, but how far after there’s no way to tell. I can hear low mumbles of conversation from some of the Marines, but I don’t know if they’re twenty feet away or a hundred. The heavy mist seems to mute all sound, making it seem like they’re whispering. And who knows, maybe they are. With visibility near zero, no one would want to draw unwanted attention.
Kai materializes out of the fog and squats down beside me. His long hair is dotted with droplets of mist, making it look like his locks are studded with tiny jewels. I wonder how he knew I had just awoken—is it possible his eyes can pierce the fog? More likely, he was somewhere nearby and heard me sit up.
“Good morning,” he says, keeping his voice low. He’s smiles at me, but I think I see a worried look in his eyes.
“Hi,” I say. There’s something about the fog that makes me want to speak quietly as well. “I have to ask—can you see through this stuff?”
Kai shakes his head. “No. I can see Radar over there, but that’s about it. We have fog on my world, but nothing like this.”
“I’ve never seen it this thick, either,” I tell him. “But I think this part of California is more known for its fog than San Diego.”
“I don’t like it,” he says. “We’re nearly blind, but there are creatures from my world who don’t need sight to hunt.”
I don’t like the sound of that. Of course, there are animals in our world who hunt by smell, so I shouldn’t be surprised that some predators from his world don’t need to see. Now I understand why we’re speaking so softly.
“You should tell my dad,” I say. “So he can take extra precautions.”
“I already did. He was way ahead of me. He tripled the sentries, and has them keeping guard in pairs. No one is alone. And they’re under orders to remain as quiet as possible.”
I smile. “That’s my dad, ready for anything.”
As if he heard us talking about him, Dad appears out of the mist and sits down on a rock next to Kai.
“Kind of spooky, huh, kiddo?” he says to me.
“Yeah, definitely.” I glance around again, but the mist remains as thick as ever. “This is way worse than anything in San Diego.”
“It’s not all that unusual for this area, though,” Dad says. “Your mother and I drove up this way on vacation one fall, back before The Incident. We had two mornings like this one—could barely see five feet in front of us. Both times, the fog was gone by noon, burned off by the sun. The afternoons were sunny and beautiful.”
It’s hard to imagine a morning like this turning sunny and beautiful, but the same thing usually happens in San Diego, so it makes sense.
“We won’t be doing any traveling until this thins out,” Dad continues, “so if you want to catch a bit more sleep, go right ahead.” He looks around at the other Miracles, all of whom are still sleeping. I guess they don’t have water dripping onto their faces. “Your friends seem to be catching up on some.”
“No, I’m fine. I think I’ll have some breakfast and then sharpen my machete.” I look at Kai. “I guess you won’t be bringing us any fresh meat this morning, huh?”
He smiles. “Not today. Maybe for dinner.”
“I guess dried fruit and an energy bar will have to do, then.”
Kai stands up. “I want to go scout our perimeter again.”
“Why bother?” I ask. “You said you can’t see anything.”
“No, but I can hear. And sometimes I can sense when others from my world are near.” He melts off into the mist before I can ask him about that.
Dad reaches into his pouch and pulls out an energy bar. “Looks like it’s just you and me for breakfast, sweetheart,” he says, smiling. “I hope you don’t mind.”
I return his smile. I do wish Kai would have hung around longer, but breakfast with my dad is a pretty good backup.
As Dad predicted, the fog is gone shortly after noon, leaving behind a sparkling blue sky and cool but pleasant temperatures. No monsters have attacked out of the mist, so the only effect of the fog was a delay of a half a day in our journey. Since we have time to spare, the lost hours shouldn’t matter—as long as we don’t encounter any more serious delays in the upcoming days.
The rest of the day is a repeat of the previous one—lots of walking with a few short breaks interspersed among the miles. Even the beautiful scenery is beginning to lose some of its allure. No one complains about the monotony, though, because we all know that any break from the routine would probably entail a good bit of danger. Dull may not be much fun, but it’s very safe. And safe and dull beats anything else we can think of.
CHAPTER 27
HEAVY FOG GREETS US again the next morning. No water drips onto my face today, so I’m able to sleep a little later. After that, the drill is pretty much the same: wait quietly for the fog to burn off, which it does a bit earlier today. Then it’s back on our way north.
Today brings us a couple of changes in the landscape through which we’ve been travelling. The highway has curved inland a bit, so for the first time since I was beached, the ocean is out of sight and sound. Also, the woods have begun to thin out, until I can no longer really call them woods. I don’t know if it’s because we’ve moved away from the sea or because we’re getting further north, but the land is now rolling hillsides dotted with trees and shrubs. Most of the soil is covered by foot-high grasses rather than forest. At the crest of some of the hills, the ocean is visible as a thin strip of blue-gray off in the distance. Also visible now and then in the distance are the first houses I’ve seen. They’re widely scattered and usually perched on top of the taller hills. A few are merely burned out shells, and the rest have an abandoned look to them. I don’t want to think about why the homes were burned.
After being hemmed in by trees, cliffs and steep ridges, the open-space is kind of disconcerting. Worse, however, is that without the woods we have lost our cover and now must walk exposed to any watching eye
s. Dad considers switching to travelling by night, but Kai dissuades him. Too many creatures from his world can see as well in the dark as they can in daylight. A few of them see even better at night. By journeying during the day, at least we’ll have a chance to see any foes before they attack. It’s possible we’re being watched even now from one of the houses, but I doubt it. If we are, whoever or whatever is watching leaves us alone.
Dad sends patrols out on either flank and orders the advance guard to move a bit farther ahead than before. The rest of us remain bunched together, with the Miracles as safe as we can be inside a ring of soldiers. Kai alternates between walking with me and darting off in all directions, looking for any signs of danger from his world. He spends much more time scouting than he does here back in the group.
Surprisingly, he’s not out scouting when he spots the first sign of a threat—he’s walking right beside me.
“Uh, oh,” I hear him mutter, more to himself than to me. I don’t like the sound of that at all.
I turn and see that he’s looking up into the sky. I follow his gaze upward and see two black forms circling high above us. They’re too far up for me to recognize, or even to guess at their size, but something about their shape tells me they’re not birds—at least not any kind of bird I’ve ever seen.
“What are they?” I ask worriedly.
“Wyverns,” Kai replies, keeping his gaze fastened upon the two creatures.
I don’t really know much about wyverns. From books, I know they’re kind of like miniature dragons. Where dragons are concerned, though, miniature does not necessarily mean small.
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