by Bryan Cohen
The gatekeeper gestured back to her army of giant lizards. They began to move forward.
"Wait!"
Even the lizards halted in their tracks from the shrill sound of Christina Finley's voice. "We surrender. On behalf of the university, we surrender. Can we discuss the terms of our peaceful ceasefire?"
One of the Draconfolk gave what seemed like a confused gurgle and turned toward the gatekeeper.
Natalie stepped forward. "Erica told me the gatekeepers were fierce, brave and honorable warriors. Let's be diplomatic."
The gatekeeper didn't even pause to consider the offer before bursting into laughter. "Oh, my poor girls. That was a completely different person."
Natalie's stomach squeezed. "I know that your old memories are in there. A part of you wants to keep us all alive."
The gatekeeper gave her squadron a smirk. "It's easier for someone with my strength to suppress those pacifist thoughts." She waved the Draconfolk ahead. "Remember, it's not personal. Just politics."
As the gatekeeper and the Draconfolk moved toward them, Natalie and Christina backed up until they found themselves against a tree. The bark that made Natalie's back itch was the least of her troubles. They shared a glance.
"You know, Dormer. I always held out hope you'd be my sister someday."
Natalie let out a nervous laugh. "Thanks. Me, too."
The gatekeeper crunched through the leaves and got within striking distance of Natalie and Christina. She held up a fist to stop their progress. The gatekeeper drew back her staff and prepared to strike.
"Goodbye, ladies. I'll send Ted your rega–"
A bullet zipped through the air and clipped the gatekeeper on the shoulder. Blood spattered across the leaves below. Natalie looked behind her and saw what looked like the entire school riflery team brandishing their weapons.
The student leading the pack wore a confident smile. "Ma'am, step away from our recruit and we won't fire again."
The gatekeeper lifted her staff into the air, but before she could slam it into the ground, another bullet cut through the air and hit her arm. She screamed and gestured for the Draconfolk to move ahead. Natalie's eardrums hummed with the sounds of gunfire. She watched as several of the lizards took bullets to the chest and arms. As a few of the creatures got close, another wave of students came through, this one comprised of martial artists and wrestlers. Two heavyweights tackled one of the lizards to the ground and started punching it, while five kickboxers surrounded another and assaulted it until the creature collapsed. Natalie was amazed to see so many incredible athletes surrounding her, and the gatekeeper and her small battalion were quickly overmatched.
Christina pulled at Natalie's shirt. "We'd better get outta here."
Natalie nodded, but as they charted a safe path, she heard an exchange between one of the Draconfolk and the gatekeeper.
"No. We're holding them back until the rally."
That was all Natalie could make out as Ted's sister pulled her out of the forest. As she made one last turn back, Natalie watched as the gatekeeper and the one uninjured Draconfolk jumped into another blue portal. When one of the wrestlers slammed the final standing creature to the ground, the group of athletes cheered and exchanged high fives.
When Natalie and Christina exited the woods, they gave each other a big hug. Natalie pulled away first. "What was that, some kind of ‘athletes in trouble' phone chain or something?"
Christina laughed. "Something like that. You alright?"
As far as Natalie could tell, her arm had stopped bleeding. Aside from being shaken up and prepared to die, she was as put-together as ever. As Natalie nodded, she saw Sam limping out of the forest. He had a large gash on his leg, but it didn't appear to be life-threatening.
"Harmless Sam!" Christina ran toward him. "Are you okay?"
The adrenaline seemed to have cut down on Sam's level of intoxication. "Yeah, stupid scaly bastard."
Christina's look of concern was something new for Natalie. "We should take you back to my room. Patch that up until the paramedics come."
He agreed and the three of them tried to recover in Christina's dorm. Natalie's temporary bunkmate fashioned a tourniquet from an old Treasure High long-sleeve tee and wrapped it around Sam's leg. They sipped water and waited for an ambulance to arrive.
Natalie ran the words of the gatekeeper over in her head. Christina, now in full caretaker mode, felt Natalie's forehead.
"You're quiet. Are you gonna pass out?"
Natalie brushed Christina's hand away. "No, I'm just thinking. Why would she say killing us was just politics?"
Christina checked Sam's wound. "I don't know. Maybe she was just trying to be quippy."
Natalie shook her head. "No. I heard her talking about a rally with one of the lizards. Do you think she meant a political rally?"
Sam cleared his throat. "There's a rally coming up in Pennsylvania. It's a home pride thing for the senator."
The two girls looked at Sam. He shrugged. "What? I'm a poli-sci major."
That's when it all started to make sense. Natalie's mind felt like a puzzle that had just been put together. She talked it out before the pieces could no longer make sense. "The attacks have been in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida." Natalie looked into Sam's eyes. She smiled. "You know what all of those have in common?"
Sam gave her a cockeyed glance. "Farming?"
She rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should change your major. They're all battleground states in the election. Toss-ups. Kable needs to win them if he's going to beat Blake."
Christina squinted at Natalie. "You're saying Senator Kable is working with the gatekeeper and staging attacks to try to win an election?"
Natalie smirked. "It's probably not the most underhanded thing anyone's ever done to get into office." She started to pace around the room. "I need to get back home, stat."
Christina pouted. "What about your visit? You haven't even met most of the team yet."
Natalie began packing her bags. Her shoulders and neck felt tense, but she knew this was the only possible solution. "If we let Kable get away with this, who knows if there'll even be a school next year."
Chapter 42
Jennifer gripped the inside of the car door as tightly as she could. While she was the one who'd convinced her father to drive away from the facility with Redican in tow, she hoped the man wouldn't find his way into her mind again.
"There was a text message that said Erica was in Japan." Sheriff Norris glanced up into the rear-view mirror. "Is that where she really is?"
Jennifer looked in the mirror as well. Dhiraj was pressed against the left window, as far as he could possibly be from Redican. The former substitute teacher seemed to enjoy the uncomfortable personal space.
Redican laughed. "I'm not a GP–" He went completely silent.
Jennifer turned back slowly to study him. He looked like a robot that'd been put into sleep mode.
Dhiraj waved his hand in front of Redican's face. "Looks like we got a dud. Should we take it back?"
Jennifer was about to tap Redican on the shoulder when he burst back to life. Dhiraj let out a tiny yelp.
Redican ignored Dhiraj's girlish squeal. "No. I'm not sure how I know that, but no. She's much closer than that."
Jennifer felt relieved and more anxious at the same time. Using Redican to find Erica had been a good idea so far, but there was no way to know what the consequences might be.
"Where?" Jennifer's voice came out like more of a squeak than she'd intended.
Redican shook his head as if trying to get something loose. "An hour and a half away. Two, tops."
Redican gave the sheriff driving directions a few moments before each turn. They found themselves back on the highway before long, and Jennifer watched as the former teacher became less mechanical.
"Looks like my brain is mine again." He snorted. "For the time being, at least. Perhaps we can play a car game in the meantime?"
Dhiraj gave a hesitan
t laugh. "You don't seem like the license plate bingo type."
Redican smiled into the mirror. "I've got a different game in mind. It's called Secrets."
Before Jennifer could reply, she felt Redican invading her mind once again. It was much stronger than the sensation had been inside the facility. She knew he was getting stronger. It was like dozens of thoughts were being called up at once without her permission. She saw a childhood carnival with Erica and Ted, the moment she fired the bullet that clipped Deputy Daly's ear, the angry mob trying to break through the front door of the office building, and multiple other memories at once. Her head felt heavy and hot with more thought processes going on at once then she ever thought possible.
Sheriff Norris noticed his daughter's discomfort. His voice filled the car. "Leave her alone!"
"Stop it!" Dhiraj shoved Redican into the other side of the car.
Jennifer felt the tension leave her head as she slumped back against the chair. There was a sharp sting at the base of her skull.
"Owww." Jennifer tried to massage the soreness away with her fingers. "What'd you do in there?"
"I was just gathering some information for our game." Redican looked more vibrant than before, as if he'd sapped some of Jennifer's energy. "Who'd like to go first?"
"This isn't funny!" Dhiraj fumed. "Stay out of our heads."
Redican took on his best teacher voice. "Dhiraj, can you honestly say you don't want to learn your girlfriend's secrets? There are some good ones to choose from."
Jennifer wanted to turn around and put her hands around Redican's throat, but she felt so lethargic from having him in her head, he probably would've dodged any kind of attack.
Sheriff Norris' voice shook with anger. "You're here for one reason, Redican. If you don't stop, I'll put you in solitary for the rest of your life."
Redican rested his arms behind the back seat, stretching out as wide as he could, as if he owned the place. "You can't do that, Sheriff. You need me. Just like your daughter needed to be suspended from field hockey."
Jennifer felt her stomach drop.
Dhiraj looked confused. "Is that why you were home the other day?"
She turned toward the back. "What other day? Were you spying on me?"
"I must've been," Dhiraj said. "How else would I have seen you hang up on me?"
Jennifer shook her head and looked to her father for support.
He wore as dour an expression as Dhiraj. "What'd you do to get suspended?"
She smacked the dashboard. "I got a little overzealous protecting a teammate."
Redican chuckled. "Overzealous? You gave the girl two black eyes." He turned toward Dhiraj. "Personally, I think field hockey could do with more fighting. Don't you agree?"
Dhiraj swung his fist at Redican's face. The former teacher juked at just the right moment to avoid the punch.
"We've come to blows already? There are so many more secrets to share." Redican resumed his deep concentration.
"We'll take you right back, Redican, I swear–"
Her father abruptly cut off and stared straight ahead.
She touched his shoulder. "Dad?"
The car drifted out of the lane ever so slightly. She whipped back around to see Redican staring at her father.
She screamed. "Your stupid game is so important you have to mess with the person driving our car?!"
Redican smiled through the strain before relaxing. Sheriff Norris jerked the car back into the lane, gritting his teeth. Jennifer looked back at Redican, who appeared even happier than before.
"What a thing to keep from your daughter." Redican licked his lips. "And I thought lawmakers were always honest."
Before her father could speak, Jennifer felt the words leap out of her throat. "I don't want to know. If there's anything my dad isn't telling me, there's probably a good reason."
Her father smiled over at her, though she could tell he was doing it through the same sharp pain that she was feeling. "Thanks, honey."
Redican laughed. "What an adorable father and daughter. It's a shame I won't get to see you two when you move to the west coast."
Dhiraj choked on his saliva. "He's kidding, right?"
Jennifer's head whipped over to her father. Her hand started to shake.
"Move? Why would we move?"
Sheriff Norris glared at the rear-view mirror before attempting to console his daughter. "Nothing's in stone yet. I've just been applying for jobs in other cities that might pay more. It's all very prelim–"
Before Jennifer had a chance to respond, Redican's voice became robotic once again. "Take this exit on the right."
The sheriff's car was in the far left lane when he got the notice. With the skill only a lawman could possess, he merged through two lanes, snuck in between two cars in the third and sped ahead of one more before merging into the exit. As they got off the highway, the car pulled onto a high-end residential street with large houses and gardens that were more like art than shrubbery. Jennifer didn't recognize where they were in the slightest.
She looked over at her father. Jennifer never lost trust in her father's driving, but the possibility of them moving during her senior year made her question him about more pressing matters. She looked back at Redican, and the happy-go-lucky baddie who'd just taken a tour through their memories was gone, replaced by dead eyes and a stare.
"I was going to tell you if anything materialized." Sheriff Norris coughed. "I thought with a new job I could help you pay for college."
Jennifer put her hands over her eyes. "Dad, all my friends are here. Dhiraj is here. And I'm a senior!"
"But with college coming–"
In the midst of the conversation, Jennifer barely heard the click of Redican undoing his seatbelt. As the vehicle chugged along at 20 miles per hour, Redican opened the car door. "Erica's in trouble. I have to help her."
With that, the man rolled out of the moving vehicle.
Chapter 43
Ted's blood boiled as he watched Yoshi from across the room. The man had betrayed Erica and the entire light soul cause. If he'd been chosen as the living soul, maybe Ted wouldn't have had the burden of heroism, but the world would be in grave danger. It would've been like Adam, the living soul Erica needed to put down, all over again.
Ted circled to his left. "Did Senator Kable put you up to this?"
Yoshi slid his feet in the opposite direction. "I'm tired of following plans. The elders told me I was strong enough to be the living soul if I continued to follow the plan. No more plans."
Yoshi rushed Ted as soon as he finished speaking. Ted put up his hands and tried to push away Yoshi's first kick. The samurai's foot blew right by Ted's powers and into the side of his face.
Ted attempted to push off his feet and into the air. No such luck.
Yoshi grinned. "I suppose I've caught you on an off day. How fortunate."
The samurai ran for Ted again and swung his feet forward. This time, Ted slammed his wrist into Yoshi's ankle to block the kick. He scrambled backward.
The fight. The fight and the blood loss. I'm just too weak.
Ted looked around the dimly lit room. A beam of light shined down on a long metal pipe. He dove toward it and lifted the weapon into the air. It was heavy, but thankfully Erica's training had been focused on more than telekinesis alone.
Ted lifted the pipe like a sword, as Yoshi removed an actual sword from his sheath. The samurai whipped his weapon through the air and moved toward Ted. Yoshi swung the blade, and Ted brought up his pipe to meet it. The clanging sound reverberated throughout the room. Yoshi pushed back, but Ted held his ground.
"You know, Kikuchiyo wasn't my true friend." Yoshi leapt back and came in for another blow.
Ted felt the strain in his back as he repelled the strike.
Yoshi chuckled. "Kind of like how Erica doesn't really love you."
Ted's adrenaline doubled at the insult. "You don't know anything about us!"
He used his anger to go on the offensive
. The pipe slammed into Yoshi's sword hand. The man let out a yelp of pain as he dropped his weapon, but he swiped the hilt out of the air with his opposite hand, almost like a reflex.
Ted swung his pipe again.
Yoshi parried with ease, despite the change of hand. He took a massive slice out of Ted's weapon with his sword, the blade lodging itself halfway through the pipe.
"When you die, she'll move onto her next mission so fast, it'll be like you never existed."
Ted screamed and put all his might into tossing the pipe across the room. Yoshi didn't expect the move, and his sword remained lodged in Ted's weapon as it flew into the adjacent wall. Ted took advantage of Yoshi's lapse in concentration, ducking under a half-hearted blow and jamming his fist in the samurai's abdomen. He let four more punches fly – two in the chest, one in the arm and one in the head. Yoshi went down to one knee.
"Maybe she only loves me because I'm the living soul. So what? It's more than you'll ever be."
Before Ted could react, Yoshi kicked with alarming speed at Ted's knee. He felt something tear inside, sending a shockwave of pain through his left leg. Ted pushed off his good leg and sent himself as far away from Yoshi as he could. The stabbing sensation in his knee repeated itself every second as he hobbled on one leg.
Yoshi stood up and walked slowly toward Ted. The hero hopped backward with each step the samurai took. Yoshi made a running motion, causing Ted to plant both feet. The pain forced Ted to fall down, his head nearly hitting the wall behind him. He scrunched up his face and did his best to ignore the agony.
Yoshi's smile was now firmly planted. He took a jog to the other side of the room to dislodge his sword from the pipe. His gait seemed to mock Ted's injury.
"The light souls will have no other choice but to give me the power. I'm the only one who can stop what's coming."
Ted used his hands to scoot backward. He rested his neck and spine on the wall behind him. Yoshi moved into position to deliver one final deathblow. Ted prayed that his powers would come back to him.
Please. Please let me have something left.