Withhold

by Andrea Pearson

  The moment she made contact with it, a gentle breeze tickled over her. It was pleasant, familiar, and welcoming. It brought comfort and happiness, making her eyes fill with tears. How she needed that comfort!

  It didn’t take long for the pain to return, though, and craving another respite, Nicole reached for the next symbol, also close. Once again, warmth rushed over her, but instead of a gentle breeze like the first symbol, feathery dust tumbled across her hand, face, and body. It wasn’t unpleasant, even though dirt should have been, and it didn’t seem to stick to her. She was able to shake it away easily. Again, the comfort was short-lived, and her pain came back.

  The next symbol was just out of reach. Nicole tried to grasp it, and her headache increased. She hesitated, shocked, unsure what to do. She contemplated the symbol for several moments, her pain and headache increasing, making it difficult to think. This one wasn’t glowing like the first two had. Should she leave it alone, or should she continue trying to get it?

  Something about the symbol beckoned her, invited her to come. And realizing she might regret it, that she might be foolish for doing so, Nicole stretched for it once more. Pain flooded her system, making her gasp, but it was only intense for a brief moment before her fingers finally touched the symbol, drawing it toward herself. She felt power rush into her brain, heart, and soul while water sprinkled over her. It didn’t leave her wet—it was almost as if it hadn’t touched her, even though she’d felt it.

  Nicole’s mouth dropped open. She knew what the symbols represented. They were the four elemental powers—they had to be. Staring at that last symbol and knowing that it represented Fire, Nicole wondered if she touched it and pulled it to herself, would she be granted the power it represented? Had the other symbols given her the other elemental magic? Was that why Water had been more difficult than Wind and Earth?

  The pain was returning, but Nicole forced it to the back of her mind. She would get that last symbol!

  Preparing herself mentally, she stretched as far as she could. It was much farther than the others. She reached again, straining. The pain pushed itself to the forefront of her mind, and her eyes began watering. Her head pounded. Her tendons and ligaments began to burn painfully. Then the migraine that encompassed her entire body returned, and she screamed at the intense pain.

  Still, she persisted. The opportunity to grasp her powers was here, right now, and there was no way she’d miss it, regardless of how much it hurt.

  The headache was blinding. She couldn’t see the symbol anymore. Still, she stretched. Her muscles started cramping, her lungs felt like they were about to burst, and her heart constricted, making it feel like something was squeezing her chest. She began to pass out, lights flashing in her eyes.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Blackness and pain collapsed over her at the same moment Nicole grasped the edge of the symbol, pulling it closer.

  The power embraced her body and soul. Fire rushed over her, making every inch of her tingle. The pain was washed away immediately after, giving her an enormous rush of endorphins.

  And suddenly, she was awake, her body and mind energized, her heart invigorated. She whooped in excitement.

  “That was amazing!” she exclaimed, or at least tried to. Nicole frowned—even though she felt alert and attentive, her body was sluggish to respond. She hoped that would wear off soon.

  “You’re awake!” Lizzie said, dropping to her knees next to where Nicole lay on the couch.

  The Fat Lady, Akeno, and Jacob hovered at the edge of the room.

  “Keitus has fully enslaved earth—all dimensions of it,” Jacob said.

  Nicole couldn’t think about Keitus right then. She had to know if what she’d seen—what she’d done—in her dream or vision had been real.

  Her magic obeyed her the moment she knew what she wanted. A fire lit right in the middle of the air above her. Nicole felt a grin stretch across her face. She was a Silver now!

  When Lizzie looked up and saw the fire, she gasped. “Holy cow, woman!” she said. “What happened while you were unconscious?”

  Nicole thought about it. The amount of work, the pain she’d gone through to get those last elements must have equaled the pain and work she would’ve had to do in real life, but over a much shorter period of time. She’d definitely earned it. She whispered a thanks first to Onyev and then to Keitus. There was no way he would have been able to predict that by stealing her magic, he would make her a hundred times stronger. She knew her mastery of all the elements was perfect. The way they danced in the air around her, practically begging her to command them—none of that had happened before. This was so amazing.

  “I—I think I’m a Silver now,” she said.

  “That’s so cool,” Lizzie said.

  “Where are Austin, Coolidge, and the others?” Nicole asked.

  Jacob rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting her gaze. “I’m unable to see earth, except briefly here and there. It seems Keitus is using his powers to hide the entire planet from my vision. But what I have seen has been horrible. People are being enslaved, tortured, and killed.”

  Nicole didn’t want to ask the question, but it tumbled out anyway. “What does this have to do with Austin and Coolidge?”

  Lizzie regarded Nicole with serious eyes. “They insisted on going back to fight.”

  Nicole’s heart stopped beating and she felt the blood in her veins stop. “No! They’ll be destroyed! I need to see what’s going on. Now!” Why had they gone back? What could they gain by fighting?

  Jacob made a calming motion with his hands. “They’re fine—I was able to pierce Keitus’s blocks a couple of hours ago. But we have to get help. The last thing they said was to recruit as many Silvers as possible. We need to start doing that.”

  Nicole shook her head. “They shouldn’t be fighting. We have to get them out of there.”

  “What we need to do,” Lizzie said, “is find more people who can support us—help others before everyone friendly is enslaved. Not just so they can fight Keitus with us, but so we can approach the Great Ones without worrying we’ll be fried.” Lizzie looked at Nicole. “Because I know that’s high on your agenda.”

  Nicole nodded. Lizzie was right. Their team wasn’t strong enough—they needed more power and knowledge before they even tried talking to the Great Ones. And how would they go about doing that, anyway? No one had ever given her instructions on finding their dimension.

  “I’ve been searching for friendly magical people,” Jacob said. “Those who would be powerful enough to help in some way, and I can’t find any that haven’t been enslaved already.”

  “What about that Silver on the other planet?” Lizzie asked. “He was close to Restarting. Maybe we could trigger his Restart, stay around to make sure he doesn’t die when it happens, then have him help us.”

  “No,” Nicole said, shaking her head, even as her heart warmed at the idea. Why did it warm? Was it what they were supposed to do? Her thoughts raced to follow Lizzie’s. She knew she’d have to approach the Great Ones eventually—she knew it. And the Silver was a slave of the Agarchs, who were servants to the Great Ones. Would he know how to find their dimension?

  Still, she continued her argument. “It’s too much of a risk, especially if his Restart ends up being a bad one. We need people who can help us now.”

  “Have you considered that maybe he needs us?” Lizzie asked.

  Onyev’s words from earlier sprang into Nicole’s mind, and she closed her eyes, picturing the old Makalo and the concern on his face as he advised her to help those who needed her. He’d said she was the only one who could offer that help.

  But maybe it wouldn’t be one-way. Maybe the Silver would be able to help them too. Even though she hated putting off finding and bringing Austin, Coolidge, and the others back, she knew Lizzie was right. They needed to rescue the Silver. She decided not to voice her feelings where the Great Ones were concerned.

  “If we take him to Onyev,” Nicole said, �
�do you think he could trigger a Restart?”

  “I’m not sure.” Jacob glanced at the Fat Lady. “Do you know?”

  She shrugged, her actions back to normal speed. Nicole noticed that she wasn’t holding the walking stick anymore. “Arete magic is very different from what we have here. Onyev might not be able to help.”

  “But he helped me get my powers back,” Nicole said.

  “It’s definitely worth a try,” Jacob said. “Let’s at least get the Silver out before Keitus controls his world too. We might be able to heal him and get his help physically, if not magically.”

  The others agreed, and they started getting ready to leave. Only the Fat Lady would stay behind.

  The sooner they rescued this guy, the sooner Nicole could find Austin.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jacob opened a link from the Fat Lady’s cabin to a very familiar door that Nicole had hoped she’d never see again. She stepped through to the other world, feeling butterflies swarming in her stomach. The nervousness only partially subsided while she, Lizzie, Akeno, and Jacob came up with a plan. They would approach the compound quietly, watching for Agarchs. Akeno would set up doors everywhere while Jacob Time-Saw as Nicole and Lizzie went to find the Silver. The moment Nicole and Lizzie had him, Jacob would open a link to the closest door, pull them through, then take them all back to the Fat Lady’s cabin.

  Jacob stayed behind, near the door they’d come through, and Akeno set off on his own to begin enlarging doors. Nicole and Lizzie followed soon after, moving through the underbrush. After making sure the way was clear, they headed down the path that led to the compound.

  Nicole’s eyes widened as she took in the scene before them—what awaited them. Groups of monsters were everywhere. It was easy to see that those groups were organized according to rank as they prepared for battle. She shouldn’t have been surprised that Keitus would be commanding the monsters in this dimension.

  She and Lizzie stepped off the path and dropped to their knees near a dirt pile where they could watch the compound without being spotted. The last time Nicole had come to this place, she’d gone through the dirt to reach the buildings. Would that work again? She pushed outward magically, sensing the little village. Her reach had grown so far—she could feel the entire compound and all of the magical creatures in it. Holy cow—that was huge. Last time, she’d struggled with sensing that there were magical beings in this place.

  Closing her eyes, forcing herself to focus, she narrowed in on the dirt itself. The monsters must have anticipated another arrival because they’d hardened it a ton since the last time she’d been there. It wasn’t soft and moist anymore, and without knowing her new magical limits, Nicole wasn’t willing to waste time trying to push through it.

  Aware that Lizzie was waiting for her, she briefly considered rushing the compound with a surprise elemental attack. But again, not knowing what her magic could do—how far she could push it—was a huge detriment. Too many of the monsters were powerful and possibly more advanced. It was too much of a gamble.

  Nicole glanced at the clouds. They weren’t the usual rust red she’d come to expect on this planet. Instead, they were a blackened brown, and she wondered how much control Keitus already had here. Her powers let her know that the clouds held hardly any moisture at all—what did they consist of, if not water?

  Nicole watched as Akeno continued setting up doors around the perimeter of the city, and she could sense Jacob’s magic behind her as he Time-Saw. She and Lizzie needed to get going.

  “What’s the plan?” Lizzie whispered.

  Nicole shook her head. “I’m not sure, honestly.” She looked at her best friend. “Do you have any ideas?”

  “Well, kind of,” Lizzie said. “I mean, look at all those huts. There are creatures about our shape and size going in them in underclothes and coming out fully armored.”

  Nicole narrowed her eyes, thinking through Lizzie’s implications. “Kind of like Lord of the Rings?”

  Lizzie grinned. “Exactly.”

  “Which hut should we go into?” Nicole asked, grateful she wasn’t alone in making plans.

  “I think we should try that one.”

  Lizzie pointed subtly, and Nicole was surprised to see the hut she chose wasn’t the closest.

  “Why that one?”

  “Because it’s being used, but nowhere near as often as the ones closer to us. I know it has armor in it ’cause I’ve seen at least two demons enter and exit. But I’ve only seen the two, so I know it’s not busy.”

  Nicole watched the hut for several moments. “I like it. Let’s go.”

  She waited until the majority of the monsters were looking in a different direction, then she created a dust storm with enough dirt in it to mask their figures as they dashed across the field toward the hut. At the same time, Nicole made other dirt devils on either side of them, wanting it to look like they’d happened spontaneously.

  Nicole’s heart pounded, more out of fear than exertion, but she and Lizzie reached the hut fine. They were out of breath and covered in dust and sweat when they ducked into the leather enclosure. She expected to find monsters inside, but no one was there. The two girls quickly rummaged through the available pieces, selecting ones that were roughly their size, then helped each other with ties and buckles.

  The armor was heavy—very heavy—and it stank like body odor, blood, and sewage. Nicole’s stomach curled, and she had to take shallow breaths to limit the amount of stench that entered her nose.

  Before leaving the hut, Nicole pulled what water she could from the air and mixed it with dirt, then she and Lizzie spread the mud on their arms and faces, trying to disguise the fact that they were human.

  Once they were fully covered in mud and armor, Nicole mentally searched for the Silver. She found his pulse almost immediately. He was close to the main hut, about halfway across the compound from where she and Lizzie were.

  Nicole gave Lizzie’s hand a quick squeeze, then they started toward that hut, blending in with the other creatures that milled around the compound. Nicole recognized the Silver soon as she saw him. She couldn’t believe it was possible, but he was even more emaciated now than he had been the last time she’d seen him. He was skin and bones. His lips were cracked and bleeding. His skin was flaking, and several patches of his hair had fallen out.

  Onyev had told Nicole to trust her feelings and instincts, and looking at the Silver now, she knew they’d made the right choice in coming here to rescue him. There was something about him that told her he was important, that he would be integral to the future of Aretes on earth. She didn’t know why she hadn’t sensed that the first time she’d met him, nor why it was important for her to know now, but she appreciated it just the same.

  Not waiting to see if the Silver would react to their appearance or call for help, Nicole commanded some of her magic to silence him, then she grabbed him by the arm, pulling him toward the door of the main hut. She hoped Jacob was watching and would be ready.

  The Silver struggled until his eyes landed on Lizzie. Then he froze, his mouth hanging open, as he stared at her. Recognition flooded his features.

  Nicole paused. Why was he looking at Lizzie like that? He’d never seen her before—Nicole was sure of it. Her best friend hadn’t been to this world before. Not only that, but Lizzie was covered in armor and mud. How did this man recognize her?

  Lizzie flushed under the attention, but didn’t say anything as she grabbed the Silver’s other arm and pulled him with Nicole.

  They made their way to the door. After everything Nicole had been through on this world, she expected to have a great deal of difficulty in getting out again. But nobody seemed to notice them. Nicole wondered if she and Lizzie had even needed to disguise themselves at all.

  The Silver was easy to subdue, and his strength fled his limbs quickly after Nicole and Lizzie began pulling him. Instead, the girls found themselves half carrying him as he lost energy. Nicole’s heart clenched as she thoug
ht of what he’d gone through. The poor guy.

  The door popped open just as they reached it, and Jacob ushered them through. He raised his eyebrow, staring at Nicole and Lizzie.

  “We had to blend in somehow,” Lizzie said.

  Jacob looked back at the compound before he shut the door. “Something tells me you didn’t need it.”

  “That thought crossed my mind as well,” Nicole said. “We could have gone in there wearing Cinderella dresses and I don’t think it would have mattered. They didn’t pay us any attention.”

  Jacob keyed them to the Fat Lady’s cabin, and Nicole and Lizzie led the Silver down the hall into her living room, where they helped him to the couch. He took one look at his new surroundings and slid to the floor, his head in his hands.

  Nicole and Lizzie looked at each other. What now? Why had they felt so strongly that he needed to be rescued?

  Jacob didn’t seem too concerned with the Silver. Nicole wondered if he was giving the man space. Nicole touched the Silver’s shoulder and said, “Are you okay?”

  The man shook his head, and Nicole gasped. Had he understood her? She hadn’t thought he actually spoke English.

  He collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Nicole dropped next to him, feeling for a pulse. It was faint. She looked around for Akeno, but he wasn’t there.

  Nicole jumped to her feet. “Where’s Akeno? Did we leave him back on the other planet?”

  “No,” Jacob said. “His parents got a Minya through to us—they needed his help, so I keyed him to Taga Village. He has to take care of his own people.”

  Nicole knitted her eyebrows, staring at the Silver. “We’ve got to heal him. Do you have any sap?”

  Jacob shook his head. “Not enough—we’d have to cover his entire body. What he needs is to be shrunk and put in a Minya container.”

  “That’s what I was hoping would happen, but without Akeno . . . What do we do?”

  “The best we can. I’ll give him a quick examination and take care of any injuries he has, but—”