Rob looks back as he runs. He sees the four Screamers and Layvon enter into the hall behind them. He yells as he runs trying to keep up with the faster Kynar. He sees the ceiling ahead of them fade to mist and knows what to do. Kynar and Rob run under the mist and instantly rise up into the ceiling. They enter into a square room. Kynar pushes Rob hard and he stumbles back into a wall just as two Screamers rise up through the floor between him and Kynar.
Rob watches as Kynar stabs one of the Screamers but it does not kill the being. The Screamer roars out as it grabs Kynar and tosses him backwards. The second Screamer turns to Rob and speaks in a cold loud whispery voice. “Stay!”
Kynar dodges the charging Screamer, knocking the larger being’s arms up then he spins around him stabbing the weapon in and out of the Screamers back. The Screamer falls to the floor. Kynar ends his motion to position himself staring at the remaining Screamer in front of Rob.
Layvon and the other two Screamers rise up through the floor and Rob doesn’t move. He watches as one of the Screamers knocks Kynar backwards to the floor.
“You should have traded old Allumn,” Layvon says. He and the other Screamers step forward to stand aligned. All four stand in front of Kynar as he gets to his feet. He holds his weapon ready to defend. “Your foolish pride shall be your end.”
Two cloaked beings, one larger than all in the room and the other as small as Rob, rise up through the misty floor behind the Screamers.
“Now we can take them!” Kynar says. He charges at one of the Screamers and stabs it in the chest as it looks back. He spins around and stabs it in the stomach before it can react.
“End them!” Layvon commands. He knows who they are and he knows that he cannot survive a battle with them. He does not hesitate to lower through the floor exiting the room as the three Screamers charge the two beings.
The large cloaked being raises a hand size weapon that fires two blasts of air. The attack slams the two remaining Screamers backwards through the air violently pounding them into the wall ending their lives.
Rob stands without movement as the two beings in the middle turn to him. The smaller one raises both hands and pulls back its cloak to reveal its identity. Rob struggles to say the name as his eyes widen from disbelief, “Grandma?”
“Oh my poor Rob,” Grandma says.
“You,” Rob struggles to talk, “you’re alive? You, you look the same. It has been eight years and you still look the same.”
“Eight years,” Grandma smiles, “well that is a shame. It has not been that long here. What a waste of time.”
“Ann?” Rob asks. “What about Ann?”
“We,” Grandma says. She takes a breath because she knows that she has to say a lot to her grandson and that it is going to be hard for him to understand. “We could not get to her in time.”
“What?” Rob asks. He will not accept the answer easily. “What do you mean? Where is she?”
“Understand me my grandson,” Grandma says. She steps forward and hugs him tightly. “We cannot travel outside the city just yet. We have to stay hidden within its walls for now. There is a safe area where the Screamers cannot reach us.”
“No,” Rob says. “What do you mean?” He only wants to go after Ann. He doesn’t want to hear anything else. “Why?”
“Your son,” Shanawl says.
“James?” Rob asks. Those are the only words that could get Rob’s attention.
“Yes,” Grandma says. She smiles at her thought, “The young great grandson that I have never met.”
“We must leave,” Kynar demands. He nods to Shanawl.
“We have another surprise for you,” Grandma says.
Shanawl raises her arms and instantly areas of mist appear beneath their feet. Shanawl, Kynar, Grandma and Rob lower through the mist vanishing from the room. A second later, the four rise up to stand in the middle of a large dome shaped room. Rob steps forward as he scans the area not knowing what to say. He turns back to the others.
“What was that?” Rob asks. “We didn’t just drop down to the hall?”
“Shanawl is powerful Rob,” Grandma says. “She can travel us anywhere throughout the city of Typol. Like here to the safe area.”
“Rob,” Shanawl interrupts, “we are deep within the city of Typol.” The large cloaked being steps forward as she speaks. “This area is protected by powers you do not yet understand. So for now, know that the Screamers cannot penetrate the area’s walls.”
The Safe Area is a large dome shaped room that is different from the others. The ceiling is a dull white surface that reflects off the floor and walls creating a dark gray tint to the air. The area is fifty yards across and reaches a peak height of fifty yards in the middle.
“Rob,” Grandma says. She points her grandson to stare in the other direction.
Rob turns around and his eyes widen. He sees someone he was not ready to see. His voice cracks as he speaks. “Tom.”
Tom has been gone from his world for years yet he has not aged. He looks to still be in his early twenties as he was when Ekabar took him. He sees the emotion on Rob’s face. Tom smiles, “You look older.”
CHAPTER 11
It has been eleven years since the attacks when James’ mother and father were taken. The remaining Vauns decided to gather for only one reason. The nineteen-year-old James has requested the emergency gathering. They are outside, in an open field during the middle of the day. The Professor and Rachel have been locating new Vauns and several of them are present. James and the Professor are the last to show up, and Rick, Jeff, and Rachel are the first to greet them.
“Good, this is a good turn out,” Professor says.
“They don’t want to stay,” Rachel says.
“They know that there cannot be an attack in the sunlight but they still don’t want to be here,” Jeff says.
“Most are here because of your father,” Rick says. “They know if they would have asked him for help, he would have come.”
“I won’t make anybody wait any longer,” James says. He takes a breath then speaks loud for all to hear. “I called everyone here because we found it.” He pauses. He knows they understand what he is talking about. “With the help of Rachel’s dad and the Professor we found it. We found a way to get to their world. If our loved ones are still alive we can bring them home.”
“My father contacted me two weeks ago and told me my mother had passed away,” Rachel says. She keeps her focus and does not allow the sadness to show on her face or in her tone. “It was the first time that he has talked to me since they disappeared.”
Several of the Vauns lower their head in acknowledgment of the death but they listen with intense focus as Rachael continues.
“He will not travel here,” Rachel says. She shows her dislike in her tone. “He says it is not safe for me to be with him.”
“Where has he been?” Jeff asks.
“Alaska,” Rachel says, “near Barrow.” She pauses. “Actually he has houses all over but he is currently in the glass house in Alaska. He said mom would not go there, too disorienting for her. But that is where he is right now?”
“Glass house…?” Jeff asks. He knows that Rachel’s family has money but he has never heard of a glass house, “Really?”
“That’s crazy,” another Vaun says.
“Yes,” Rachel says, “but that’s my father. He stays there during the season when there is no sunset. He says ‘let them try to break through the sunlight’.”
“Wow,” Jeff replies.
“So your dad told you how we can travel to their world?” a Vaun asks.
“Yes,” Rachel says.
“It is simple,” James says.
“We just ask the attacking Fearlings or Molawners to take us,” Rachel says. She sees the reaction on their faces. She knows that this idea has been discussed many times between the Vauns. “Or we let them take us. It doesn’t matter how.”
“Simple,” Professor says, “it is not simple. Not in any way shape o
r form. There are some things that are out of our control.”
“What?” Jeff asks. “What happens? We say take us, and they do, then what?”
“That is a good question,” Professor says. “That is one of the things we don’t have control over.”
“My father told me everything he knows,” Rachel says. Her tone shows her belief in the words that she speaks. “Not all of our Fearlings or Molawners are from the same world. When they take us we go to the world where they are.”
“What?” Jeff asks.
“What happens when we are taken?” a Vaun asks.
“It is different on every world,” Rachel says.
“Different?”
“Yes,” Rachel says. She looks back to James and speaks with compassion. “The place that Rob and Ann were taken is different than where Nancy was taken.”
“Do we know what happened to them?” Jeff asks. Images of when his five-year-old brother, Chris flash throughout his thoughts, “Or what happened to anybody that has ever been taken?”
“No,” Rachel states.
“But we will,” James hopes.
“That is why we have called for this gathering,” Professor advises. He knows that they are all scared and that most of them do everything that they can to avoid darkness of any kind. “We are going to call them, all of them at once.”
“What?” a Vaun asks. Most do not have any intentions of helping Rob and the others. They are all too scared. “After what happened last time we decided that we would never do that.”
“Yes,” Professor says, “yes but that has changed.” He smiles, “So that decision is no longer relevant. We and by we I mean James, Rachel, Rick and I have decided that we are going to do this. That we are going to allow Ekabar to take us.”
“There is a war in their world,” Rachel says. “To use my father’s words, ‘this war is now bleeding into our world’.”
“What?” Jeff asks, “A War? Why haven’t any of our Fearlings or Molawners ever said anything about this war? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“We have all made the most common mistake there is,” Professor says. He takes a breath then half-smiles. “We assumed. We just assumed that they were telling us everything. We assumed that we were asking the right questions but we weren’t. It is just that simple.”
“What does our world have to do with their war?”
“Nothing,” Professor says. He stares at the Vauns standing around them, “Nothing at all.”
“Then why?”
“They are not Fearlings or Molawners in their world,” Rachel says.
“They are called Allumn,” James interrupts. “All of them are. They are only Fearlings and Molawners in our world.”
“In their world they are very powerful and they are being hunted down by others,” Rachel says.
“They are being hunted down to be slaughtered,” Professor says, “Some are being hunted to be enslaved or to have their power taken. There are many reasons.”
CHAPTER 12
At the same time of the gathering twenty miles away Stewart paces in his mom’s kitchen talking to her as she sits at the table.
“You are not going with them!” Julie demands. She does not like the idea and she will not allow it. “Do you hear me?”
“Mom,” Stewart says. He pauses then looks into her eyes with compassion. “Mom, I am going with them. James is my friend. I will not let him do it without me. Dad would have done the same thing for Rob.”
“Yes,” Julie says. Her emotions are getting the best of her as she talks and it shows in her eyes. “Yes, your dad would have and he did. That is why you have never met him.” She wipes her tearing eyes. “If you think that I am going through that again then you are wrong. I am not. You cannot go with them.”
“Mom.”
“No. It is crazy. It’s suicide!”
“No,” Stewart says. He turns away and speaks with his back to his mom because he cannot handle looking into her eyes. “You are wrong. And I am going.”
“You understand what you are saying to me don’t you?” Julie says. Her tone angers a bit as she finishes her thought. “You are saying to me that I have less than twenty four hours to spend with my son. After tomorrow I will never see you again, just like your father!” She stands and walks to her son. She turns him to face her. “No, I will not say goodbye to you too.”
“Mom,” Stewart says. “What if we can find dad? Did you think of that? I love you but I am going.”
CHAPTER 13
Rachel, James and Professor have been discussing their plan with Jeff and the other Vauns. Rick stands quietly. He knows the new information and he does not like the fact that James and Rachel are going to attempt to travel to the other world. He thinks that it is a bad idea but he will not let them go by themselves. He is also curious to see if any of the other Vauns are brave enough to join them.
“Now, we are going there,” James says. He shows no fear in his tone. “This gathering is only happening because the Professor and Rick think it is a good idea. I don’t. I also don’t care if any of you join me. I am going.”
“This is crazy,” Jeff says. He believes everything. He just does not like the idea. “You said that there are worlds where as soon as we arrive we will be killed. It doesn’t matter that our protectors will be there. Why do you think we can survive going to Ciren?”
“We have a plan,” Rachel says.
“Listen,” James interrupts. He steps forward and has everyone’s attention. “We called everyone here to give everyone a choice.” He scans the faces of those in front of him. He sees their hesitation, their fears. “We are going to travel to their world and we are going to bring our loved ones home. We just want to know if any of you want to join us.”
“Yes,” the Professor says. “Choice, it is your choice.” He looks back to James as he finishes his thought. He hates that he was unable to protect James’ father, Rob or Grandma. “We have a plan to rescue James’ loved ones.”
“Your plan is to have a large black tent set up at Rick’s farm,” Jeff recounts. He shakes his head with dislike of the idea. “You are going to pin the Fearlings and the Molawners in this tent, using the outside sun light?”
“Yes,” Professor says. He speaks with confidence about the plan. “It will be dark enough for the Molawners but not for the Fearlings.”
“The sun will keep them in the tent,” James says. “They cannot penetrate through the sun’s light.”
“Yeah,” Jeff says. He is not complaining he is just referencing a fact, “Every time we say that they cannot penetrate through a type of light we are proven wrong.”
“Yes,” Professor says. “But they really cannot penetrate through the sun. That is true this time. They just cannot.”
“That part of the plan is safe,” Rachel says. She smiles as her tone slightly mocks her thought, “Unless there is a storm.”
“Rachel,” Professor says. “Rachel, that is not funny. The weather says it’s going to be clear skies tomorrow. No Storms.”
“Might rain tonight,” James says. “But the Professor is right. Tomorrow they are calling for clear skies.”
“Even if there is a storm,” Rachel says, “it will still be light enough so we don’t have to worry.”
“That is what we are going to do,” James says. He doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. He is ready to end this gathering. He has to prepare for tomorrow. “We called this gathering to tell you all everything that we know and we have done that.”
“Yes we have,” Professor says, “well most of what we know.”
“We told you all what we are planning,” James says ignoring the Professor’s interruption. “Now it is your choice. Nobody will be mad at any decision you make. You have the night to think about it.”
“We will see you tomorrow if you choose,” Rachel says. Her tone is sincere and direct, “If you are not there, then stay safe.”
CHAPTER 14
There is no physical form withi
n the blackness. Only voices can be heard and currently there are four beings talking. From where they are, the Allumns can consciously reach out to this void and communicate with those they are connected to.
“Prevent them,” Kynar says.
“We cannot,” Hydron says.
“Our Vaun does not listen,” Drawk says. “He seeks only his parents and there is no stopping him.”
“He is nearing our location,” Kynar says.
“Protecting the Vauns has made our location known,” Shanawl says. “We can no longer hide.”
“I will provide the time,” Kynar says.
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