by John Corwin
"I'm guessing it stays open until you close the connection," I said. "Otherwise you might strand yourself."
He grunted. "Good point."
"Maybe we should leave it open for now," Adam suggested as he walked around the arch. "Just to be sure your theory is correct."
"Considering the Cyrinthian Rune bounced between the two ends of this arch for so long, I believe it would stay open indefinitely," Cinder said.
I examined both sides of the portal to see the same image of the arch room. Apparently, it was possible to walk in from either side and end up in the same place. Excitement rushed through me. "You know what this means?" I said. "We have a blank ticket to go anywhere."
"I can go to Colombia and visit my friends whenever I want," Bella said, a smile brightening her face. "I've really missed my pink house."
"Everyone can come straight here," I said, thinking about my other friends. All I had to do was open a portal at their end.
"How would that work?" Adam said. "Do you need to visualize where you want the arch to open? What if you've never been there before?"
"Good question," Shelton said, eyeing the thing.
"We should test that next," Bella said.
"Agreed," I added. "It won't do us much good if we haven't been somewhere before."
"And what if the places look almost identical, like control rooms?" Shelton said.
I felt a frown tug on my lips. That was a really good question. "Maybe minor details would help," Elyssa said. "Like the stable looks different at the Grotto than the one in Queens Gate."
"Yeah, but we don't want to open a portal in plain view of people who aren't in on our little secret," Shelton said.
"Let's figure out if we can open a portal somewhere we haven't been," I said.
Shelton grunted. "Let's see if you can turn this one off first."
I looked at the arch and thought, Disconnect. It folded in on itself like an accordion, seemingly disassembling itself at the molecular level before vanishing. I made duck lips and gave Shelton a top-that! look.
He rolled his eyes.
"Mind if I give it a try?" Adam said as we walked back to the arch.
Meghan gave him an alarmed look. "I don't know if you should."
"I'll be his arch buddy," Shelton said.
She raised an eyebrow. Her lips trembled as if she really wanted to say something, but held it back. "Fine."
"Let's try to replicate Justin's feat," Adam said, fastening the rope around his waist.
Shelton nodded, and closed the circle.
I explained how I'd imagined the connection between rooms to Adam. After staring at the arch for a moment, the destination portal appeared in roughly the same spot mine had. Adam and Shelton high-fived before stepping through and emerging at the other end.
It took Adam a few seconds to shut down the portal. He and Shelton walked back, talking excitedly.
"Would someone need Arcane abilities to use the omniarch?" Cinder said.
"Probably," I said. "Then again, if you can close a circle, maybe that's all there is to it." I felt certain a golem couldn't do even that, but didn't want to voice my opinion to Cinder. It might hurt his feelings.
And so began the experimentation. Several hours and a few pizzas later, we figured out a few things. If we visualized a specific location, the portal would open there. Sometimes, though, it would open in a place that looked similar but was actually someplace completely different. Bella opened a portal in the front yard of her Colombian home, gave an excited squeak, and retrieved her favorite teacups. I taught Elyssa how to close a magical circle and she opened a gateway in front of her parents' house, much to the surprise of a patrolling Templar who nearly nailed me with a Lancer dart.
We even let Cinder take a stab at it, but he couldn't close the circle or cause the arch to do anything. I felt really bad for him as he stepped back outside the circle, his face betraying no emotion, but his voice sounding glum.
"It appears you were right, Harry," the golem said, looking at the omniarch. "My spark is not a soul."
Shelton patted the golem on the back. "Nothing to be ashamed of, man."
"I do not feel shame," Cinder said, tilting his head slightly. "Although, I do feel an overwhelming sense of disappointment at my inadequacy."
Next, we tried opening the portal in places we hadn't been. In one case, it opened into a black void. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be a vacuum, because the air didn't rush out of the room and sweep us to our doom, but Shelton and Adam nearly crapped their pants. Bella told them to send a globe of light through.
"This is freaking me out," Shelton said as a glowing ball floated from his wand and into the void.
Something growled in a tone so deep, the air vibrated.
"Disconnect!" Adam shouted in unison with Shelton.
The omniarch flicked off.
The two men wiped sweat from their foreheads and staggered out of the circle on weak knees. Shelton, the whites of his eyes still showing, pointed back at the arch. "I will never use that thing again without knowing the destination."
Nobody disagreed.
"Would a picture of a location be adequate?" Cinder asked.
"I ain't gonna test it," Shelton said.
Elyssa and I took places inside the circle, making sure to firmly fasten the rope to our waists.
"Try this one," Adam said, showing me the picture of a snowy mountain top. "It's the top of Mount Everest."
I stared at the picture, noting the permanent landmarks as opposed to the snow and other fluid elements which could change. If, for example, I imagined a grassy field, the arch might open in any of a zillion places. If I knew of a grassy field with a red fence, that might cut it down to a few thousand. But a grassy field with a particular boulder in it might land me in the right spot. Unique landmarks seemed necessary.
I concentrated on the arch, envisioning the destination. It hummed and flickered. Snow swirled through the opening and freezing air stung my cheeks. A man in a yellow parka stood outside a domed tent, staring at us open-mouthed. He yelled in another language, and someone else poked their head out of the tent.
Disconnect!
The arch blinked off.
"I'd say it works," Shelton said, "Although it's kind of cheating to get to the top that way."
"Those noms are gonna be scarred for life," Adam said with a chuckle.
Elyssa gave him a disapproving look. "It's not funny. Now I'll probably have to let the Custodians know so they can bring them in for rehabilitation."
"Nah, they'll be fine," Shelton said. "There ain't much oxygen up there, so he'll probably chalk it up to hallucination or something."
"That's true," Bella said.
Elyssa mulled it over for a moment before nodding. "I hope so."
As they continued to discuss the merits of nom rehabilitation, I opened the file Lornicus had given me—this time using my phone—and scrolled through the map. "Nookli, zoom into first person view," I told my phone.
"Justin, there are three Indian restaurants nearby. At which one would you like me to schedule a reservation?"
I took a deep breath, holding back a choice curse word, and repeated myself in concise tones. This time, Nookli got it right. The first-person perspective allowed me to view the control room at El Dorado in much better detail. Even better, the imagery had apparently been taken with a camera, or the magical equivalent—an ASE perhaps?—so it was as good as having a picture. Unfortunately, the control room looked identical to the other two I'd seen at Queens Gate and the Grotto.
The Alabaster Arch wasn't a good reference either since the control room at Thunder Rock had one. On the other hand, it narrowed our odds to one in five of landing the right one, provided there weren't more Alabaster Arches than we'd calculated.
"Project image," I told Nookli. The phone complied, creating a holographic image of the control room for all to view.
"I see what you're doing there," Shelton said. "Good idea."
&nb
sp; "Gotta find a unique marker," I said. "Otherwise, we'll end up at the wrong city of doom."
Adam shuddered. "Or a monster void."
"What was that dark place?" Elyssa asked.
Nobody answered.
"Imagine if we let something loose," Bella said. "What if that growly thing came through?"
"New rule," Shelton said, "No using the arch unless you're absolutely sure you can picture the location."
"Or using the arch without a companion," Elyssa said, giving me a pointed look.
"I believe I see something," Cinder said, pointing toward the upper right corner of the world map on the wall in the front of the control room.
I zoomed in on the area, and found a symbol. "That's not Cyrinthian," I said. "At least not a symbol I recognize." By now, I'd memorized the alphabet and could read a little bit of the language, though I understood very little.
"I don't recognize it either," Nightliss said.
I looked at my companions, but everyone seemed mystified. The symbol looked simple enough, a thin vertical line with a vertical wavy line running back and forth through it, each end terminating with a dot.
"Maybe it's not supposed to be a letter or number but like those icons you see on road signs," Adam said, peering closely at it.
"Then this one means watch out for snakes," Shelton said with a snort.
"It might be the landmark we need," I said.
Adam shrugged. "Give it a try."
Elyssa and I took our positions. I visualized the world map in the control room as if looking up at the symbol. The arch hummed. Images flickered past, each one with a world map in it. I caught a glimpse of symbols in the corner of the map walls, but they flashed past too quickly for me to determine if they were all the same. The slideshow halted before a world map with the exact symbol in the corner. I looked through the arch and noted with some alarm the exit was just to the side of the white-veined columns of an Alabaster Arch.
"We did it!" Elyssa said, clapping her hands together and peering through. She took an ASE, spun it in mid-air, and motioned for it to go through. It proceeded onward, drifting around the room.
I stuck my hand through the arch. When nothing severed it, I poked my head through. The control room looked just like the one at Thunder Rock. I wondered if all of the control rooms with Alabaster Arches had the strange symbol on the world map. I scoured the room with my eyes, looking for any nasties that might be lurking nearby, but the place looked empty. I noticed the exit door was closed, so I couldn't send the ASE outside to be sure we had the right place—at least not without stepping into the room and opening it.
"Should we?" I asked.
Elyssa twisted her lips, giving the room a thorough visual examination. "I think we need more preparation. We need food, water, flashlights, and other survival supplies before we risk setting foot in there."
"But it's already lit," I said. A yellow glow suffused the room, much as it did in the other arch control rooms I'd been to.
"The cavern area in El Dorado wasn't well-lit," she reminded me.
"We could look through the door," I said. "Just a little peek."
"No," she said, setting her arms akimbo. "Not until we're prepared for anything. I'm not willing to take one more step. If you try, I will knock you out and drag you up the cellar stairs by your feet."
I gulped. My girlfriend was a grade-A certified badass with a litany of ways to take down even the biggest supernatural. "Sure thing, honey. Whatever you say."
I heard Shelton snicker behind me.
"Let's call it a day," I said, noticing it was nearly two in the morning. Man, had it been a long day. Kidnapped, returned, and now this.
"First thing in the morning?" Adam said, eyes bright with excitement.
"Make it after eleven," Shelton said with a groan and a stretch. "I gotta get my beauty sleep."
"I'm sure that's all you need," Adam said, winking and looking at Bella.
Bella laughed as Shelton turned a shade of red.
I reluctantly shut down the arch after giving the ASE instructions to record every inch of the room just in case there were hidden dangers. Even though I desperately wanted to go through, I knew Elyssa was right. Tomorrow we would be ready. Tomorrow we would find the secret Lornicus wanted us to find. Tomorrow I would be one step closer to saving my Mom and bringing her and Ivy home.
Chapter 6
Despite my excitement, I slept like a baby and woke up ready to go. Shelton joined me in the large dining area a few minutes after I'd arrived. Elyssa entered, sweat glistening on her body, twin sai swords sheathed across her back. She leaned over the table and pecked me on the lips.
"I just finished morning practice. I'm gonna shower, and I'll be ready." I couldn't take my eyes off her limber form as she jogged up the stairs in her tight-fitting yoga pants and sports bra.
"You're drooling," Shelton said, and took a sip of coffee.
The corners of my mouth twitched up in a smile. "That's a good thing, right?"
He snorted. "Yeah. Guess so."
By ten a.m., everyone was gathered in the den. Adam lugged in a duffel bag full of lighting gear, some of it powered by aether, some of it by battery.
Cinder watched the proceedings with great interest as he usually did from a seat with a view of the entire room. The golem did his best to mimic facial expressions, and even had a room of mirrors upstairs so he could judge his performance.
Maybe I should send him to acting school.
Once everyone was assembled, we double-checked our supplies, and made sure each person was outfitted with a miner's headlight, a magical glow stick, and a vest with bright LED lights all along it in case of an emergency. I noticed Nightliss sitting at the table, eyes pensive.
"Are you coming?" I asked.
She shook her head sadly. "You told me Daelissa could not go near the cherubs without becoming extremely weak. I'm afraid they will have the same effect on me, and I don't wish to burden you." Her lips twisted. "I am also not quite up to fighting anything yet."
"I understand," I said, giving her an understanding smile. "Unless we all die, we'll be back soon."
"Don't say that," Elyssa said, batting me playfully on the shoulder.
We went downstairs to the omniarch. Using the same precautions as before, I connected the arch to the control room with the weird symbol. The image of what we supposed was the El Dorado control room flickered into view between the columns. Elyssa recalled the ASE from the other side, and told it to show her the activity log. It had nothing to report.
"That's one of those special ASEs the Templars use, right?" Shelton said.
"Yeah," Elyssa replied.
"So, if it even caught a hint of movement, it would have noted it in the activity log."
Elyssa nodded.
"Ain't it kind of strange there's nothing on it? Not even a cockroach?" He took a sip from his travel mug. "I'd expect there to be something living down there."
"Lots and lots of cherubs," I said. "I doubt they all moved out after we captured Vadaemos."
"I don't think even bugs want to be near husks," Adam said. "Insects and animals sense when there's something wrong and flee on instinct."
Shelton didn't look convinced. "Glad I'm wearing my adult diapers today," he muttered darkly.
Elyssa and I stepped through at the same time—that was the deal we'd made the night before. I sniffed the air. Took in a breath. It was a bit musty, but otherwise seemed normal.
The control room looked virtually identical to the others I'd visited, a huge rectangular room carved from the surrounding stone. A dull yellow glow suffused the room, its source as much a mystery as the creators of this place. A world map ran the length and height of the large front wall, a slightly raised platform situated before it. At the front of the platform, a gray sphere sat atop a pedestal. Arch operators—Arcanes who were tasked with the daily operations of Obsidian Arches—called the sphere a modulus. It would rise from the pedestal and allow them to se
lect the destination for the Obsidian Arch. On the right side of the world map was a rather plain-looking metal door which led to the cavernous way station where an Obsidian Arch usually sat, though I didn't remember seeing one the last time I'd been in El Dorado.
We stood in an aisle just behind the control platform and between rows of smaller arches, each one of identical size—roughly ten feet tall by twenty wide. Cyrinthian symbols to the left of the world map corresponded to symbols on the floor in front of these smaller arches, each one presumably linked to a specific location. The main difference between this control room and the ones I'd seen in the Grotto and Queens Gate stood to our right—a large black arch veined with white. An Alabaster Arch. If Daelissa repaired the Grand Nexus, this arch would open to the angel realm.
Elyssa and I waited a moment, ready to retreat through the arch in an instant should anything attack. Elyssa dispatched sentry wisps, little balls of light that would flit around the room and emit alarms if they noticed hostiles. She'd obviously raided the Templar armory for a rainy day.
After touring the room and determining it was safe, we signaled the others to come through. Adam and Shelton, staffs held at the ready, walked over to the exit door and inspected it.
"Many of these arches appear damaged," Cinder said, surveying the room.
I joined his gaze and saw broken structures just as I had in Thunder Rock. Only a handful of the numbered arches remained standing. The row of omniarches to the side of the room seemed mostly intact.
Shelton pulled the lever on the door, and opened it a crack. Beyond lay pitch black. He gulped, and shut the door. "I haven't felt like this since the first time I went to a haunted house," he said.
Adam unpacked a couple of industrial-sized magical glowballs, and activated them. They hovered in the air, casting bright white light in all directions.
"Before we step into the unknown," I said, "maybe we should look at the arches in here. Maybe activate the Alabaster Arch and see if it works."
"Hey, anything to delay going out there," Shelton said, jabbing a finger toward the control room door.
I ran a finger along the surface of the spherical modulus on the pedestal in front of the world map. Stars located all across the map—each one indicating the location of an Obsidian Arch, lit in succession. If I wanted to request a connection to a particular arch, I would flick my finger once the appropriate star lit, and wait for the arch operator on the other end to verify.