“Do you hear that?”
Josh stopped and held his breath so he could hear more clearly. He heard a hushed rumble that sounded somehow familiar and yet inexplicable. “What is that?”
Travis went visibly pale. “It sounds like flippin’ Niagara Falls.”
Josh listened again and nodded. “Yep. That’s definitely a waterfall. So I think we can safely say we’re no longer in Windsor. Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
They walked through the strange woods for another ten minutes before they reached the banks of a river. It was easily as large as the Detroit River, several kilometers wide. Unlike the river that ran between Windsor and Detroit, this one glistened a translucent blue. It reminded him of the waters along the beachfront in Bermuda. It smelled salty, too.
“Over there,” Travis said.
Josh glanced at him and then turned toward the waterfall.
“Whoa.”
For a moment, he found it hard to breathe. It was one thing to come to grips with his situation mentally. Actually seeing the waterfall and everything around it was an altogether different matter. It was easily one of the most imposing physical landmarks he’d ever seen. Before him, an escarpment covered with foliage shot up over five hundred feet. A section of the greenery gave way to rocks and grassland, as if the forest there had burned to the ground years ago and was only slowly coming back to life. Above the escarpment, birds with large, green beaks and leathery wings circled above the trees. The fact he could make out their wings and beaks from such a distance suggested they were as big as elephants.
The waterfall ran like a slash of blue and white down the face of the cliff. It slammed into the river below, hiding the base of the escarpment behind a roar of mist and noise. The only thing he could compare it to was Niagara Falls, but he’d never stood in the shadow of anything like this.
“Dude, where the hell are we? Is this Africa?”
Josh blinked. “Africa? Are you on drugs? Does this look like Africa?”
“Well, kinda.”
“No! This is not Africa. This isn’t anywhere on Earth.”
Travis punched Josh in the chest again. “Now who’s the one on drugs? If we’re not on Earth, where are we?”
“Maghe Sihre.”
The cousins turned as one at the voice, their hands clenched into identical fists. At the edge of the woods stood a strange-looking figure. He was a tall man with braided gray hair that hung down to the middle of his back. He was pale, with a complexion that could pass for Caucasian until you noticed the green tinge to his flesh. Ridges along his neck reminded Josh of vestigial gills, like he’d seen on aliens in Star Wars. His fingers also seemed unnaturally long and slender, but these things were only noticeable if you were watching closely. At first glance, he was just a man standing at the edge of the woods, dressed in green leather and a thick black traveler’s robe.
“Is that the guy you saw?” He asked Travis the question over his shoulder; he kept his eyes on the stranger.
“How should I know? It was dark, remember?”
The stranger took a step forward. Travis flinched. Josh did not. “I’m afraid there won’t be time for introductions. Not today. You are here because I made a promise, Joshua. Your father is a very powerful creature and he’s worried about you. He’s concerned about the way you slaughtered his employees.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Now it was Josh’s turn to step forward. “My father isn’t a powerful man and he definitely doesn’t have Edimmu as bodyguards.”
“Who exactly do you think your father is?”
The stranger was smiling now. He crossed his arms over his chest, giving Josh the first clear sight of the source of light they’d been following. A simple gold ring on the man’s left hand shone brightly even in plain daylight.
“I know exactly who my father is. You have one minute to explain who you are and why you’ve brought us here.”
“And how,” Travis added abruptly. “Tell us how you’ve brought us here.”
“Or what?” The man laughed with what sounded like genuine humor. “Oh my, Joshua. You are so much like your father. Always throwing around meaningless threats. Tell me, do you actually believe I’d let you get close enough to lay a finger on me?”
Thorny vines shot out from the darkness of the woods and wrapped around Josh’s and Travis’ wrists. Before either of them could react, the vines lifted them off the ground. Pain seared through Josh’s confidence. He couldn’t see Travis but he could hear him screaming. Blood dripped down his forearms. He felt completely helpless.
“Ah, silence.” The stranger walked away from the edge of the woods and stood below them. Only then did he realize how far up in the air he was. His knees were level with the stranger’s head. “Not even a whimper from the demon son. So tell me, Josh, what do you know about your father? What do you remember?”
Josh tried to answer but the pain from his wrists made it hard to concentrate. He saw a flash of light from the gold ring and his mind went blank.
The stranger smiled. “Just as I thought. You know nothing. We have big plans for you but you’re a little too, shall we say, unpredictable. That nonsense you pulled killing all those Edimmu, well, we just can’t have that. The alliance is far too new for in-killing. Unfortunately, we need you. Killing you isn’t an option. For either side. Fortunately, I have an alternative. With this ring I slip into that pretty little brain of yours. I can repress all memories related to the Edimmu, your powers, and who your real father is. As an extra bonus, I’m going to make you forget about me, too. When the time is right, and only when the time is right, I’ll make you remember. By then, it will be too late for you to stop what’s coming.”
There was a flash of light and a sensation of falling backwards. Then Josh woke up in darkness. It took his eyes some time to adjust. He realized he was in a forest lit by moonlight. His shoulders ached as if they’d nearly been pulled out their sockets. His wrists were mangled and bruised, covered in still-wet blood. He stood and looked around. His cousin Travis lay crumpled in a fetal position nearby. Nothing else looked familiar.
“What the hell happened?”
***
Josh woke up in his room. Garnet stood beside his bed.
“What the hell happened?” She asked as she chewed the fingernail on her right baby finger. “Did all the stress finally catch up with you?”
Josh sat up quickly and grunted as hot searing pain shot through his head. He fell back to the bed and looked at his wrists to confirm that they were still in perfect shape. Then he sat up again, slowly this time. “There was a man. I have to speak to Wisdom. There was a man in the building. He has to know.”
Garnet stared down at him, her face slowly fading from condescension to fear. “You’re telling the truth. I can feel it. How did he get past security?”
“Forget that.” Josh gripped her by the wrists. “What I want to know is how he got past Wisdom.”
Chapter Fifteen
Wisdom stared out the window and watched the light from the sunset bounce and beam off the pillars of glass and steel. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he should be doing something. Since heading back in time, these were the hardest times. Nothing he did now mattered. Going through these days the first time, he’d believed, like most, that our every action is vital, that every choice could fundamentally alter our reality.
Now he knew better.
Nothing he did in the next two days would have any bearing on whether or not Propates won. Nothing he could do would help keep Echo alive or reduce the chance that the Council of Peacocks would subvert his students. He knew this based on the evidence he’d collected. Hard facts. But he still didn’t like it.
The intercom buzzed.
“Yes, Shirley. What is it?”
“Sorry, sir, but you have some messages. Is it safe to come in?”
Wisdom groaned. “Yes, yes. I’m not going to hit you. That was one time, like five years ago. Let it go.”
“Which I grew back for you. This may surprise you, Shirley, but I’m not always in control of my temper.”
“You don’t say. You received twenty messages this morning. Shall I go through them alphabetically or by phone number?”
“Neither. Just tell me the important ones.”
“Very well.” Shirley sat down in one of the chairs facing Wisdom’s desk. “That reporter, the one from People, called again for the tenth time. Her deadline has been moved up and she wants to reschedule. What should I tell her?”
“Tell her too bad. I’m a busy man and she either makes the appointment or not. Next.”
“Your broker called. He’s got those stocks you were asking about. Are you sure about Livedore, sir? Last night I saw this documentary on them and…”
“I’m sure. I’m going to make a mint. Trust me. Any word on that other matter? The three men I asked you about?”
Shirley shook her head. “Not yet, but you did get a fruit basket from David Cameron. Shall I send it in?”
Wisdom rolled his eyes. “No. I don’t want a bloody fruit basket from the bloody Prime Minister. And who sends fruit baskets anyway? Why not send me a car or a watch? No, I get a fruit basket. Maybe I should kill him. That could possibly alter the fabric of time enough.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Shirley said. “But you’re raving again. Should I get you some Turtles?”
“No. Wait! Yes. Get me a platter of several types of chocolates, but mostly Turtles. And you may as well send in the chocolate oranges from the bloody fruit basket.”
“How did you know?”
Wisdom smirked. “Come on, Shirley. How long have you worked for me? I know things. It's the reason David bloody Cameron tries to be nice to me. He should try a little harder, if you ask me. And get me that detective from New York on the phone. I need to track down those men.”
Shirley nodded and left. When the door opened seconds later, he expected to see his chocolate. Instead, he was surprised to see Garnet and a rather pale-looking Josh.
“What are you doing here?” Wisdom had always been sensitive to the vibrations of time. He could instinctively sense important fluctuations in history – times when something significant and rare was about to happen. It had helped him stay alive and remain a person of power for thousands of years. He sensed it now, in a moment experience had taught him should be completely free of importance.
“We have a security issue.” Garnet turned back to shut the door. Shirley tried to walk in with a tray filled with Turtles and chocolate oranges. Garnet took the tray and shooed her away. She handed the tray to Josh, then closed and locked the door. “Josh has a story to tell you.”
They sat around Wisdom’s desk while Josh told the story of the mysterious stranger with the gold ring and the trip to another world. In the course of the telling, Wisdom ate the majority of the Turtles with alarming speed. Only when Josh finished did Wisdom stop reaching for the treats.
“Did you sense anyone in the building?”
Wisdom focused on Garnet as he answered her question. “No. I didn’t. Up until right now, this moment, I believed I’d encountered just about everything you could experience on this world. Once again I have proof that I’ve just been stupid. I don’t know how, but something has changed. This was not supposed to happen. Garnet, I need you to contact the head of security and bring him here. I have some arrangements to make.”
“So you believe me?” Josh reached for the tray of Turtles. Wisdom raised an eyebrow and Josh withdrew his hand.
“Yes, I believe you. This flash of light you saw, the glow of the ring, I’ve seen it before. Not here, but in Niagara Falls. Long story and I have no intentions of telling it. But yes, I believe you... Now I just have to find out what it means.”
***
There is an old saying that a wise man knows much but says little. So it took more than a little arrogance to portray oneself as the embodiment of Wisdom. It was not the name he’d been given at birth, but he had been known as Wyndam Wisdom for at least the last three thousand years.
Of course, there is a second part to that old saying: a fool knows little but says much. Wisdom had to admit now how foolish he’d been. Since gaining his freedom he had been reckless and brash, conceited and short sighted. If he’d thought things through with the foresight his name implied, Echo would still be alive.
Wait.
“Echo still is alive.” Wisdom shook his head and opened his eyes. He’d fallen asleep on the leather sofa in his office, something he never did. It seemed like a very long time since he’d slept anywhere at all. “Still alive,” he repeated: a mantra. If he wanted her to stay that way he couldn’t afford to sleep. Maybe if he tracked down this off-worlder he could alter events enough to prevent the murder of the only woman he truly cared for.
He spent the next hour and a half making phone calls and signing papers experience told him could not wait. He returned to his living quarters and changed into a well-cut Sean John suit in shades of crimson and scarlet. Then he called Elaine in Hong Kong and told her what he planned to do.
“You know this is insane, right?” Her voice came in clearly over the speakerphone.
“No more insane than time travel.” Wisdom smiled and ate a Turtle from a second tray of chocolates Shirley had just brought in.
“But isn’t this different? When you traveled back in time, you knew what was going to happen. You knew all the players. Wisdom, you know nothing about this guy or the planet he comes from.”
“That’s precisely why I’m going.”
“What if he hurts you? Or kills you? What happens to Echo and us if you’re not here to stop Propates?”
The smiled dropped from Wisdom’s face. “Trust me when I say this, Elaine. I’ve tried everything else. Everything. Obviously the Council of Peacocks has been working on levels I never even conceived of. Turns out I only thought I knew my enemy. I don’t even know what battle I’m in. How the hell can I win the war?”
“You're not taking anyone with you, are you? Not even me?”
Wisdom shook his head. “No. You’re going to be needed here. Echo will come for you soon. She won't want your help but she’ll need it. When you see them you'll know why. Just know I tried to save them. I made a choice. They lost.”
“See whom, Wisdom?”
With a sigh, Wisdom turned to the window. “Just know I’m sorry. If everything goes well, I should see you in a few days.”
“And if things don’t go well?” Elaine did a masterful job of hiding the tremor in her voice, but Wisdom had known her too long to be fooled.
“I can’t believe you need to ask,” he said. “You have seen me, haven’t you? Big man, big muscles, major voodoo? I can take care of myself. Just don’t sleep with him this time, okay?”
The other side of the phone connection went silent for a moment. “Sleep with whom? Wisdom, I…”
Wisdom cleared his throat. “Forget I mentioned it. Maybe it’ll be better if you do bed him, anyway.”
Wisdom hung up the phone, stood and walked to the center of his living room. With a gliding wrist motion, he distorted space-time. A glowing oval of light appeared beside him and he stepped through the portal.
***
He emerged in a vacant hotel room in Niagara Falls. It was the same one he had confronted Propates in, back in a future he hoped no longer existed. It seemed the only logical place for him to start his search for the off-worlder. At least here, he could catch the scent.
After he left the hotel, it didn’t take him long to find the alley where he’d seen the glint of gold and the moving shadow. He stretched out his consciousness, seeing layer upon layer of reality with his mind. There was no physical trace of the off-worlder. Fortunately, being here was enough for Wisdom to reawaken the sensation of being watched. He held the sensation, and breathed in. He had the
scent. Now all he had to do was follow it back to the source.
Wisdom warped space-time again and stepped through a disc of light. He traveled from Niagara Falls to Ojibway Park in Windsor. It was late summer, the trees still at the height of strength and beauty. He breathed in the rich oxygen of the woods and tried to remember how long it had been since his last visit to a natural area. Unable to do so, he closed the teleportation field and stretched out his senses.
“Where are you?” He spun in a slow circle trying to pinpoint where the scent of the outlander was strongest. Presumably, it had been many years since the stranger had made an appearance here. To Wisdom’s sense, time was only a thin barrier. Beneath the tranquility he originally felt, there was deep anger in the woods. He stopped spinning and unbuttoned his suit jacket. Something was very wrong with these woods. The trees screamed out with rage. The underbrush murmured secret plots to the ground. The air tasted of sulfur and burning coal.
He cursed under his breath and withdrew his senses. He clenched his fists and slowly walked to a clearing 100 yards away. In the sunlight, it was difficult to see the figure at first. Thankfully, Wisdom knew how to see the invisible. Before him, standing fourteen feet tall, was a bipedal incarnation of fire. Thick legs like tree trunks and bulging muscular arms gave the figure an undeniable impression of menace. His flesh curled and flickered in slow flame, like superheated gases or the shimmering of an oasis in the distance. Despite being translucent, the figure implied solidness. His presence was over-towering, like a mountain. The look of pity on his face was enough to shake Wisdom's resolve.
“What are you here for, father?”
“Oh, it’s not what I want that matters.” His father spoke in a voice like static and the burning of tree sap. “You came here looking for something. What was it?”
“Not you. Go back to your Hell. I’m more powerful than you remember, and I don’t have time for this.”
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