by Z. M. Wilmot
Chapter Nine
“The waxing crescent? Of the lunar cycle?” Henry now sounded as confused he was worried. “Do not most supernatural things happen upon the full moon?”
“Only in storybooks and songs. The massacre that I mentioned earlier took place during that point during the lunar cycle, which leads me to believe that some phenomenon occurs during the waxing crescent that I have not previously observed. If what happened those ages ago is typical, then during the lunar crescent, the beings of the Parallax experience a surge in power, and perhaps the bridges expand or extend all over – though the latter is unlikely, as if it was true, then humanity would long past have ceased to be. But nevertheless, if they are to strike a final blow against you, it will be then.”
Henry leaned back. “But what can we do?”
Reinhouer stepped forward and placed a hand on Devalier’s shoulder. “Not panic. We can pull through this. The first thing that needs to be done is repair of the device – it is absolutely essential for our continued existence that I complete that today. In fact, let us continue our discussion up there. And if you wish, you may step outside for a few minutes and bring in the cushions and armchair I purchased.” Devalier, not surprisingly, fearfully declined the professor’s offer, and they both walked up the staircase and into the room containing the apparatus. Reinhouer immediately set to work, but Henry remained silent for several minutes.
When at length he did speak, it was with a question. “Professor?” Reinhouer looked up from his work. “I think you’ve been hiding things from me, as well. You have not shared all that you know about the Parallax, I can tell, and you are very definitely not being truthful with regards to what happened to Sebastian Korig. What really happened when he died?”
Reinhouer sighed deeply and continued working. After a pause of several moments, he spoke, softly. “He died of unknown causes, like I said – that I did not lie about. He was attempting to do something neither of us had attempted ever before.”
“And what was that?” asked Henry.
“Entering the Parallax. This machine has other capabilities beyond that which I have told you of. One of the first things Sebastian did with it upon its completion, scarcely a year before I joined him, was attach a small device to the bottom of the apparatus.” Siegfried reached beneath the apparatus and pulled forth what looked like a gold and platinum knife embedded with spherical diamonds. Wires flowed from the bottom of the hilt to somewhere within the device. “This blade, when turned on, has the ability to slice a temporary hole in the walls between us and the Parallax. It lasts only for a few seconds. One can then step through the hole into the Parallax itself, but they cannot bring the blade with them, and so must have a companion to slice the air on the opposite side periodically, to give the explorer a chance to return to our reality.
“The night that he died, we tried it for the first time – before we had been too scared to attempt it. Spurred on by alcohol and friendly competition, Sebastian decided to attempt it, and rather than dissuade him like I should have, I agreed to be his companion in the process.
“At first, it seemed to work just as we had planned – the air opened up, and revealed to our own very eyes the images we had before seen through the device. Korig gave me a confident smile and stepped through the crack in the air, and it closed behind him a second later. Then I had nothing to do but wait… after half a minute or so, I realized that I could don the device itself and watch the Parallax with my own eyes, and therefore be ready when Korig returned.
“And he did return eventually… I don’t know how far he wandered off, but when I put the helmet on, I found that I could not see him anywhere in my field of vision. I was still confident in Korig’s abilities to return on his own, and so was not overly worried. I should have been.
“It was getting to be nigh on an hour before he stumbled back into my field of view. You saw how the Parallax looks around here – it’s a vast open plain, with miles and miles of grey dust everywhere. So when I saw him clearly, you can imagine how far away he could have been. He was walking oddly, too, like he was hurt in the leg… I tried to run over to him, but my physical body was still in our world, and in the Parallax, my physical location was slightly above the ground. As I ran forward, still under the influence off what I had consumed earlier, I found myself hitting an obstacle I could not see with the helmet on: the wall of the house. It hit me pretty hard, even through the helmet, and I collapsed to the ground. I found then that the cords were strangling me, and I began to choke. Then I passed out, and I’m still not entirely sure how the cords and I became disentangled. I woke up an hour and a half later, and it took me a few moments to realize what had happened.” Reinhouer looked thoroughly distraught and had stopped his work, choosing to instead sit idly on the floor, staring out into space with a sad look in his eyes.
After a few moments, he continued. “The helmet had fallen off when I hit the wall, so I put it back on, and saw Korig lying on the ground before me. Thank god my location in this dimension was only a foot or so above the ground of the Parallax, otherwise I might not have been able to get him…” After a brief pause, he continued. “As it was, after a few tries, I was able to drag Korig through the hole before it closed up again, after cutting open much of the floor of this room.”
Siegfried took a deep breath. “He was dead by that time… his left leg was cut, but not badly. He had, from what I could see, no signs of any fatal injury. It looked like he had just died.
“The coroner found nothing wrong with him; the cut on his leg was not infected, he hadn’t died of thirst or hunger, or a heart attack, there was no expression of fright, there wasn't anything… he was just dead.”
There was silence between the two of them for several minutes before Reinhouer got back to work. “But that’s the past, and it’s hardly relevant now.”
“Hardly relevant?” Henry’s voice was low and shaking slightly. “Why didn’t you mention this before? We could have used the blade! We could have stepped into the Parallax and hunted down the monster cursing my family!”
Reinhouer stared up at Devalier as if he was mad. “Listen to yourself – do you even understand what you are saying?”
“I understand perfectly well, old man – all this time we've had the chance to bring the fight to the daemons of the Parallax, and you’ve kept it hidden from me! What possessed you to ever do that?”
“The spirit of wisdom, child!” The professor stood angrily. “Think about what you’re suggesting! We would be fighting these beings, who have shown themselves to be significantly more powerful than us humans, on their own territory, where they have a clear advantage! Tell me, how much do you know of the Parallax? Could you make use of its terrain to help you combat these beings? And with what weapons? I certainly have nothing of use in this house!”
“We would both go – we can rig something up, maybe with this magic wood you claim to have built this house from, and we’ll use your knowledge and my strength to beat whatever it is that’s hunting me!”
“You’re letting stress speak for you,” Reinhouer stated calmly. “Take a few deep breaths and think over what you’ve said; it is madness. Were you listening to me? Only one of us could go, so we would have to choose between my knowledge and your strength – and my knowledge is not so vast as you think it to be. Besides, do you have any idea as to what this daemon of Gorey’s Hollow even looks like?”
Henry opened his mouth to speak, but wisely shut it before another sound came out. He shook his head slowly, mute. The professor walked forward and hesitantly placed an arm upon the young man’s shoulder. “I know how stressful this must be,” he said kindly, his voice gentle and free of wrath. “That is why I did not reveal the existence of the blade to you before – I feared that it would cause you to think troubled thoughts like those that just passed through your head. You are young, Henry Devalier, and full of intelligence – but not yet of wisdom. You have been put in a very bad situation, and though I admit that
there could be a better savior, I am currently the best you have.”
His change of mood now complete, Henry nodded glumly, shame filling his features. “I’m sorry, professor…”
“No need for apologies.” Reinhouer smiled grimly. “No time, either. We have three days to prepare for the coming of the waxing crescent. The most important thing for us to do is obtain knowledge – knowledge, in the right hands, is more powerful than any blade or cannon. May I suggest, with your permission this time, that we inspect your family archives once again?”
Henry nodded again, then paused, cocking his head. “We? It is a bad thing for me to exit the house for too long, remember?”
Reinhouer shook his head slowly. “That was before we had knowledge of the waxing crescent. Now, we both need to work together as quickly as possible if we are to have the necessary time to prepare.” An unspoken, silent thought hung between the two of them: If anything can be done at all.
“Let us depart immediately, then,” suggested Henry. Reinhouer shook his head a second time. “Let me finish repairing the device first – it should take me not much longer. Meanwhile, why don’t you get the furniture out of the car? You won’t fit if it stays there.” Henry nodded and rushed down the stairs, while the professor sat back down and continued his work on the device.