Jack Staples and the Poet's Storm

by Mark Batterson

  Alexia turned to peek up through the crack in the bleachers. Jack also looked. His mother watched her boys with a look of pure love. Jack grabbed Alexia’s hand and met her eyes. She nodded, then both children turned and ran toward the tent entrance. They crawled from beneath the bleachers into the pouring rain and almost ran into Arthur and Mrs. Dumphry. Inside the tent, horrified screams erupted. Jack turned to see the younger Alexia lying on her back between the two beasts.

  “Where is the Odius?” Mrs. Dumphry’s voice was tight.

  “I don’t know,” Jack said. “But it’s not here. It disappeared in a burst of light just before it attacked me. I mean, before it attacked the other me.”

  Mrs. Dumphry’s eyebrows climbed. “Thank the Author. We will discuss it later, but we’ve been here far too long already. We must get back to the future before something else goes wrong.”

  Screaming men, women, and children poured from the tent. The lions roared as they stalked through the terrified crowd. A man stumbled into a lamppost, snapping it in two. The glass cylinder shattered, sending fiery oil onto the tent walls. Jack and his friends ran into the darkness as the circus tent erupted in flames.

  Alexia’s heart broke. She ran alongside Jack and the others, leaving her circus friends—and leaving Megan Staples. Could she really be my mother? The thought tumbled through her mind. She was furious with Jack for keeping it from her, but could he be mistaken?

  Andreal and Wild were waiting in the trees. Both had weapons in hand and were standing back to back as if expecting an attack at any moment. Rain poured down and lightning streaked the sky. In the valley below, the circus tent sent flames reaching into the darkness.

  “Child,” Mrs. Dumphry said to Jack, “you must take us back to the present, yet not to where we left. Bring us to the Great Oasis I told you about.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Jack said, “but I don’t know if it works like that. I’ve never been to the Great Oasis, and I don’t know where it is. But I’ll try.”

  “It is all I ask.”

  “Everyone grab hands and don’t let go!” Jack yelled to be heard over the pouring rain.

  Alexia stepped between Wild and Jack and grabbed their hands. A hundred emotions boiled inside her. Why must I go back? Why can’t I stay and talk to Megan Staples? She tightened her grip on the boys’ hands.

  “I hear it!” Jack shouted. “I hear my note! Get ready.”

  Alexia made her decision. She twisted her wrists and let go of both boys’ hands, but their feet had already left the ground. Jack and Wild cried out. Wild lost his grip immediately, but Jack managed to hold on a few seconds, then … “No!” His fingers slipped from her wrist, and Alexia Dreager tumbled into a world of darkness.

  Chapter 5

  A Timely Meeting

  The band of Awakened exploded through time as Alexia hurled from Jack like a stone from a sling. Jack gritted his teeth as he tightened his grip on Arthur’s hand, but the circle was broken. Each member of the Awakened trailed behind Arthur, and every one of them was screaming.

  Jack groaned as the others whipped about like a kite on a string. Wild and Andreal were the first to go. They launched into the darkness and were quickly followed by Mrs. Dumphry. All had vanished except for Arthur Greaves, who still clung to Jack’s hand.

  Alexia fell from the sky and crashed through a layer of ice, plunging beneath frigid waters. Her mind turned somersaults as she sank slowly downward. Unsure where she was or how she’d gotten there, she finally began kicking toward the surface, her cloak and clothes weighing her down.

  She wanted to scream as she neared the surface. A layer of crystalline ice lay between her and the much-needed oxygen on the other side. She pounded at the frozen ceiling, raging at the moonlight taunting her from above. Her lungs burned, her movements slowed, and Alexia felt herself losing consciousness. How could I be so stupid? Her mind had cleared, and she knew it was her fault she was there. She’d made a terrible choice, letting go of Jack’s hand. Her fingers slid along the ice, searching for any sign of weakness. After everything I’ve been through, I’m going to drown, and it’s all my fault! Alexia stopped her searching and stared up at the full moon. It was beautiful. She sank into the darkness as something moved above the ice.

  A cloaked figure began beating at the ice with a sword. You’re too late, Alexia thought. Whoever you are, you’re too late. She gasped for breath and inhaled. Her body jerked as frigid water spilled into her lungs.

  Dirt and stalks of maize flew as Jack tumbled across the soft ground. When he finally skidded to a stop, he didn’t move for a long time. He lay flat on his back somewhere in a maize field, gasping for breath and staring at the blue sky.

  “Oh no!” he moaned. He sat up and pressed a palm hard against his forehead. “Oh no!” he said again.

  “Are they … dead?” a voice said. Jack turned to see Arthur Greaves sitting on the ground.

  “I let go,” Arthur said. “I couldn’t hold on. They were too heavy!” He pulled himself up to stand beside Jack.

  Relief flooded Jack at the sight of his best friend. But where are the others? “Alexia!” he shouted. “Can you hear me? Mrs. Dumphry! Wild! Andreal! Where are you?”

  Arthur let out a long breath. “The question is when are they? If they’re alive, are they somewhere now, in our time, or are they back in the past?”

  Jack hadn’t thought of that.

  “Is traveling through time like traveling on a steam train?” Arthur said. “If you step off the train before you arrive, are you somewhere between when you left and when you were going? And if so, where in the world would you be?” He began pacing. “Or does it even work like that? We were time traveling, after all. Alexia and the others could be somewhere a thousand years ago, or maybe even a thousand years in the future. Or maybe they’re—”

  “You’re not helping!” Jack held up his hand. “I don’t know the answer to any of it. I don’t even know where or when we are! But we need to—”

  “I would not move if I were you!” a gravelly voice called from somewhere nearby. “You are surrounded, and there is no chance of escape. Who are you? How did you come to be here?”

  “I think I can summon the lightning,” Arthur whispered. “I can feel it. It doesn’t always come when I want, but I think it will now.”

  “You will answer my questions, or we will be forced to strike you down!” the voice called. “Are you dark servants, or do you follow the Author?”

  “My name is Jack Staples, and I am one of the Children of Prophecy. Come out of hiding, and you will see the proof in my eyes. My friend’s name is Arthur Greaves, and he is not someone you want to anger. Threaten us again, and you will regret it.”

  “What are you doing?” Arthur whispered. “We don’t even know where they are or how many are out there.”

  “Whoever it is,” Jack said with a smile, “they must be friends. We’re in an Oasis. Can’t you feel it?”

  Arthur’s jaw dropped. “You’re right! I can’t believe I didn’t notice.”

  Jack inhaled. The air was impossibly fresh and invigorating to breathe. Besides that, they had landed hard, yet the ground had been incredibly soft. It was as if the earth had anticipated their arrival and cushioned itself. It was probably the only reason they hadn’t broken any bones.

  For a long moment, the voice was silent. Jack was beginning to wonder if anyone was still there, when he turned to see a very old man standing directly behind him. The man wore a brown cloak and carried a knobby walking staff. He had long gray hair and his thick beard went well below his waist. The last time Jack had see him was in the Council Chamber in the ruins of Agartha. He was a member of the Council of Seven.

  “Honi?”

  “It is good to see you again, Jack Staples, and you, too, Master Greaves. Welcome to the Great Oasis.”

  Alexia’s eyes shot open. Somethin
g slammed into her chest again. She tried to breathe, but the icy water kept spilling out. She rolled onto her stomach and rose to her hands and knees, then finally gasped and filled her lungs with much-needed air.

  “Whoa there, girl. You swallowed a lot of water,” a man’s voice said from just behind her. “You’re going to be all right.” A hand gripped Alexia’s shoulder. “You just need to take it easy for a—”

  She moved instinctively, twisting around to slam her fist into the man’s gut. He let out a surprised grunt but didn’t move back.

  “That’s one way to thank us for saving your life,” he said.

  Squatting beside the man was a boy. He looked to be close to her age and had a familiar face.

  “Do I know you?” she croaked. The boy had dirty-blond hair, blue eyes, and a few whiskers on his chin and upper lip.

  “I don’t think so,” the boy said. “I would have remembered if we’d met before.”

  “I’m sorry.” Alexia coughed loudly, then turned to the man. Her throat was raw, and intense cold was seeping into her bones. Wherever she was, the world was blanketed in ice and snow. “I acted without thinking. Thank you for saving me. How did you find me?”

  The man shrugged out of his cloak and placed it over Alexia’s shivering frame. “It was Parker who saw you fall. He arrived first and pulled you out. And though I’d love to hear your story, I think we need to set a fire and get you warm first.”

  Alexia blinked. It can’t be. She stood to get a better look at the man and the boy standing on the edge of a frozen lake. She knew who the boy reminded her of. He was the spitting image of her father … And he has Mother’s eyes, she thought sadly. No … he has his mother’s eyes.

  The man’s hair was raven black, just like hers, and she had his nose. “If he is Parker,” she said tiredly, “then you must be Mr. Staples.”

  The man stiffened, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. “How is it you know our names?”

  “Because you are my father,” Alexia said, “though I didn’t find out until a few minutes ago.” She was far too exhausted to understand what she was feeling. But seeing her father’s face on Parker was all the proof she needed. Madeleine and Lloyd Dreager were not her birth parents; she was a Staples. “I also know that you have the Poet’s Coffer. I know this because I helped give it to Parker just a few minutes ago.”

  Alexia dropped to the ice. All she wanted was to close her eyes and sleep. The cold saturated her bones, and her teeth began to chatter. Mr. Staples gathered her in his arms.

  “You’re going to be all right, my girl,” he said. “I promise. Everything is going to be all right.”

  Alexia closed her eyes and fell into a fitful sleep as James Staples carried her into the woods.

  Chapter 6

  One Member Short

  Jack could barely make himself pay attention. He and Arthur had made it to the Great Oasis, but for all he knew, everyone else was either dead or scattered somewhere, or some-when, else. And he and Arthur weren’t in the present but were still somewhere in the past, because the sun shone dazzlingly bright. The Assassin’s Shadow had yet to swallow the sky.

  Honi wasn’t the only member of the Council of Seven at the Great Oasis. He’d brought Jack and Arthur to the Council Tent to meet a young woman with auburn hair and penetrating almond-colored eyes. Jack remembered seeing Sage in Agartha and thinking she was far too young to be on the Council. She couldn’t be much older than he was.

  “You have no idea if Alexia or the others are alive?” Sage asked for a second time.

  “I don’t know any more than I told you,” Jack said. “I don’t even know how I lost them. Maybe I wasn’t concentrating enough or something.”

  “It’s my fault,” Arthur said. “I couldn’t hold on. I wasn’t strong enough.”

  “We are not assigning blame, Arthur,” Sage said. “We are merely trying to learn what happened. I don’t think your friends are dead. But there is nothing we can do about it now. The Last Battle will soon be upon us. We must continue to gather the newly Awakened and fight the Assassin with every bit of strength we have.”

  “We can’t just leave them behind,” Arthur said.

  “And what would you have us do?” Honi stirred the fire with a stick. “We don’t know where to look. Until we learn more, our friends must fend for themselves.”

  Arthur opened his mouth but shut it again. Jack also wanted to help his friends, but he knew Sage and Honi were right. What could they possibly do?

  “Master Staples”—Honi gave his attention to Jack—“what do you know of Mrs. Dumphry’s plans? How much has she told you?”

  “We were to give the Poet’s Coffer to Parker and then come back here. She didn’t tell us anything else.”

  “It is good to see you again, Jack.”

  Jack turned to see a tall, older man he immediately recognized.

  “King Edward!” He ran to the king. “What are you doing here?”

  “After Miel’s betrayal, the Council of Seven was one short. I was given the great honor of taking her seat.” The king smiled warmly. “I’d hoped our paths would cross again, but I hadn’t thought it would be so soon.”

  Arthur watched the king with wide eyes. “You weren’t joking, Jack. You do know the king!”

  “Among the Awakened, I am no king.” King Edward smiled. “I am merely Edward. When the palace fell, I gathered as many Awakened as I could and came here.”

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” Jack said. “I didn’t know the palace had fallen.”

  “It fell the night you went through the World Portal. But in the war between darkness and light, palaces and titles are meaningless. I will miss my old home, but what matters most is in here.” The king thumped his chest just above his heart. “So, where are Mrs. Dumphry and the others? And I can’t wait to meet Alexia. I assume she came as well?”

  Jack felt his throat tighten. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know where they are. I don’t even know if they’re alive. I think I may have killed them all by accident.”

  “Ah, my dear boy”—the king chuckled—“the most powerful Shadow Souled on earth have been trying to kill Mrs. Dumphry for thousands of years. I doubt you were able to do it by accident. Yet I see there is a grim story here that needs telling.” The king sighed as he sat beside Jack.

  Jack nodded. “It all started when Arthur showed Mrs. Dumphry the Poet’s Coffer.” He could see the king was surprised, but he kept going. “We decided the best place to hide the coffer was in the past. That way the Assassin wouldn’t be looking for it, because it would also still be in his throne room. And by the time he knew it was stolen, it would already be somewhere far away.” Jack launched into the story for the second time since arriving at the Great Oasis.

  Alexia opened her eyes to darkness. She didn’t move as she listened to the world around her. Besides the wind and the hooting of an owl, she could hear the steady breathing of someone sleeping nearby. How could I have been so stupid? She berated herself. I could have died. I could have killed the others! She hadn’t been thinking about the consequences of letting go of Jack’s hand while traveling through time. Just before Alexia let go, she’d had a stray thought about Mr. Staples, wondering if she’d ever have the chance to meet her birth father. Is that how I came to be here?

  She crawled from beneath the thick blankets, her eyes still adjusting to the dark. She saw the shadow of someone sitting nearby. We’re in a cave, she realized. The ground was smooth rock and stars shone through the cavern mouth.

  “Is there a reason you’re trying to sneak up on me?”

  Alexia tsked irritably. She’d been perfectly silent, yet still the boy had known she was there.

  “How are you feeling?” Parker asked.

  Alexia sighed, then walked over to sit on a rock opposite him. “Much better,” she said. “Thank you for saving me.”
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  “Of course,” Parker said. “I’m just glad I got there in time.”

  For a long moment, Alexia and Parker stared into the darkness. The night sky was filled with so many stars, it was breathtaking. They were in a cavern on the side of a mountain.

  Everything about this is strange, Alexia thought. She had a hundred questions for Parker but couldn’t think where to begin.

  “So what were they like?” he asked.

  Alexia blinked. “What were who like?”

  “My birth parents. I’ve often wondered about them, but Mother and Father never met them.”

  “So you knew?” Alexia asked. “That we were switched at birth?” She realized Parker must have almost as many questions as she did.

  “They told me a little over a year ago. It’s really strange, you know, because I love them. They are the best parents I could imagine. Yet I often find myself wondering what my birth parents were like.”

  “They were … they were the best parents in the world.” Alexia’s heart felt heavy. “They were strong and courageous, and all I ever wanted was to be like them.”

  “I feel the same way”—Parker nodded—“but it’s nice to hear.”

  “You look like Father,” she said without thinking. “Except you have Mother’s eyes.”

  Parker smiled at that, but after a moment, the smile faded. “I’m sorry …” He stopped as if unsure how to continue. “I was only told they died a few months ago. But I felt terrible for you. I can’t imagine losing a parent.”

  Alexia stiffened as tears sprang to her eyes. He doesn’t know!

  “Parker”—she reached out and grabbed his hand—“I don’t know how to tell you this, but … your mother died a week after you and your father left. The Assassin came to Ballylesson, and she died saving me and Jack. I held her hand in the last moments.”

  Parker was silent. A long time passed as Alexia held his hand and waited. She knew what he was feeling and that there was nothing she could say.