“What’s a matter?”
“Do you think I can have a hug? I feel like I need a hug,” I was scared. I didn’t want to go back to Limbo again.
Again he chuckled. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. “You can do this Abigail.”
I took a deep breath letting go. “See you soon,” I paused. “With Chase.”
“That’s right.”
I turned, starting towards the stairs with a quick pace. When I got to the top I turned to see a small burst of purple light behind the wall and then shoot up into the sky quickly forming a barrier around the town.
Go, Abigail. You have to go.
When I got to the bottom of the stairs I expected a fight but instead was greeted with a rainy morning on Earth. I squeezed the watch in my hand just in case I was hit with a surprise attack. But as I walked slowly through the woods I heard nothing… at all. There were no sounds of birds or rustling of leaves. You could hardly even hear the few raindrops that were hitting the leaves.
What is going on? I thought there was going to be an attack?
Suddenly there was a massive crash that shook the ground under my feet.
The doors. They’re coming.
I hadn’t realized how close I was. I was hypnotized by the silence. I ran behind a large tree kneeling down. Moments after a stampede of what looked to be about fifteen men armed to the teeth went storming through the forest. Heading straight for Ether I could only assume.
Oh no. Ryan. Owl, let him know they’re coming. I’m sure that he can hear this anyway. They aren’t being quiet with their attack.
I peeked around the other side of the tree to see that there were now guards standing watch at the doors. The two guards looked down the stairs and then scanned the area before one moving to either door, picking them up.
Now. Go!
With the watch already in my hand, I pushed the top button letting the face of the watch spring open. Before my eyes, the guards virtually stopped moving. Without thinking my feet became to run. When I got to the top of the steps I stopped for only a moment to make sure that the guards actually couldn’t see me.
When I got to the bottom of the steps it took all of my strength to push one of the doors opened. In the large main room, there were guards lined up in a semi-circle around the platform. I pushed through the two guards in the middle stopping cold. Inside the semi-circle, Chase was on his knees with a guard on either side of him. One of them was holding a sword to his throat. Arron was seated on his throne, smiling.
You don’t have time Abigail. Go.
I ran up to Chase pushing the sword away from him. I placed my hand on his shoulder.
Okay. Close and then open again. Don’t give them any time.
With that thought, I took a deep breath before closing the watch. As time rushed back to normal anger took over the faces of everyone around I pushed the button on the top of the watch again.
“Chase? Are you with me?”
He turned his head. “Abigail? What in the world are you doing?”
“No time. We have to go now,” I said trying to pull him to his feet.
“There’s no point Abigail. He’s taken it all.”
My heart ached for him. I knew that he was devastated by his father. I could see him clenching something in his hand. I knew it was the necklace.
“Chase,” I knelt down beside him, letting him see the watch. “I know. I understand. But we don’t have time for this. We need to go. Right now. I don’t know how much longer Ryan has left. Do you understand?”
I couldn’t keep his gaze. He was defeated. “Chase!” I yelled. That seemed to scare him.
Did he even listen to anything I said?
“Come on, get up,” I pulled on him as hard as I could, getting him to his feet. “We don’t have time for this.”
Now with Chase in tow, my journey back to Earth seemed to take much longer. Again it took everything I had to get through the doors to go back up to Earth. And with Chase being so uncooperative it wasn’t making my life any easier. My arm started to burn.
Oh no. Ryan. Please no.
“Chase, come on. Come on!” I muttered as I pulled him alongside me.
“Ab—Abigail,” his voice cracked as he tried to speak.
“Chase, you need to help me. Come on!” I looked back as we began up the stairs to Earth.
If those men up here…
“Abigail.”
Damn it.
“Chase, if you give up on me now I swear to God I will drag you to the pits of Hell myself,” I clenched my teeth as I pulled him from step to step.
“I can’t.”
“You can. Stop it, Chase.”
“I—”
We somehow had made it to the forest, but that didn’t seem to make it any easier. As we went past the guards my stomach flipped.
They can’t see you. Just keep going.
It wasn’t long after that I couldn’t see Limbo’s entrance anymore and Ether’s steps were starting to come into sight. “Please, Chase we’re almost there.”
“Abigail.”
I squinted.
What is that on the stairs?
“Chase, do you see that? What is that? Who is that?” When we took a few steps closer it was then that I realized it was Ryan.
How much time has past? How is he down here? Didn’t the other men just go to attack?
“Chase, Chase, its Ryan.” Without thinking I snapped the watch shut. Time rushed back to us but this time it felt like I was hit by a wall of air.
“Ryan!” I watched as he bent over, holding his knees trying to get his breath.
“You were so close Abigail. I could feel it,” He said as he got up, running to us.
“I’m sorry. I was going as fast as I could,” I glared over at Chase.
“It’s okay. Give me the watch. They’re going to start coming any second now,” he held out his hand as I took it off from around my neck and he wrapped the other around Chase taking him from me too.
“I got him. Hold onto me,” Ryan said as he held the watch in his hand. Once I did he hit the button on the top of the watch. This time it felt different.
“It was switching to me wasn’t it?”
“I think so.”
“We have to go. Put his stone on him. In his pocket.”
“Guys, just stop,” Chase mumbled, hanging his head. I shoved his stone into his pocket, at least that way we would be able to see him try and throw it away.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him. This wasn’t the Chase I knew.
“Chase, we have to get home,” Ryan said handing me the opened watch.
“There’s no such thing anymore.”
Oh, come on Chase.
I can’t Abigail. You don’t understand. I can’t.
I stopped in my tracks.
“Abigail, come on!” Ryan yelled.
I ran up to them taking Chase’s face in my hand making him look at me. “Chase, did you just hear me? Did you just hear me?”
“Abigail, just—”
“Chase, damn it. You heard me!” I poked his forehead. “Do you know what that means? I haven’t been able to hear you since before all of this happened. Ryan is it because we’re using the watch?”
“I don’t think so. Once you’re blocked you’re blocked.”
Chase looked down at the ground.
“Chase,” At first my voice was harsh. I sighed. “Chase, would you please look at me?”
He looked up.
“Something has changed. Do you understand? Now, please just come with Ryan and I. You can rest for the night and in the morning we will take you to The City of Spirits. There you can finally make peace with your father. I promise.”
A few more tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked at me then over to Ryan. “Okay. Alright.”
***
“Okay, Ryan was in the courtyard like you wanted. You have to close the watch. It’s may start hurting you soon. You’ve never used it this lo
ng.” I said as I let Chase sit against the wall.
“But what is going to happen when we close it. They’re going to know Chase is gone as soon as I close the watch and then you know what happens. They’ll march right up here and we’re dead.”
“How come all of the sudden we’re giving up?”
“Abigail, Ether is gone. There is no one here. They’re all locked away in Limbo. That is if they haven’t all been killed yet. There’s nothing we can do. They’ve won.”
“Ryan, are you honestly being serious right now? Where is this doubt coming from?”
He looked over to Chase. They both had the same lost look on there faces. His voice was hardly a whisper. “Look at all we have lost.”
I closed my eyes. They were right. “Guys, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry you got dragged into this. I’m sorry for your great loss, but guys I need you. More than I ever thought before I need you guys. Look at all that have we have done. We all got back to each other. We’ll get everyone else back. Just have a little faith. I not giving up on you guys, please don’t give up on me.”
“I’m sorry Abigail. I’m just—I—”
Chase nodded. “Me too, Ryan.”
“I know, Ryan. We’re all scared.”
He nodded. He closed the watch. Time hit us all hard. Owl came flying through the doorway, at Ryan’s side immediately. We all took deep breaths looking out to the center of the courtyard. A white light radiated from the ground.
“What is going on?” Chase asked, pushing himself to his feet.
“I don’t know,” Ryan shook his head as Owl came to his side. The bird didn’t seem upset.
“Guys, it’s okay. Owl is calm. I think it may be—”
Out of the light walked the six members of the council.
“Who are they?” Chase asked.
“They’re from The City of Spirits.”
“You all did well. Chase has returned,” the leader of the council took a step further than the rest. “The Spirits will protect this world as long as they can. I can’t promise how long that will be, so use your time wisely. Charlie is coming to join Owl. They will protect Ether while you are traveling. We will see you all soon.”
With that, they disappeared into a purple light. The light glowed still in the middle of the courtyard for a moment before blasting a light so brightly into the sky that we had to cover our eyes.
“What was that?”
“I think it was like that stone that you guys have. The purple one right?”
Ryan nodded. Owl cooed as Charlie hovered beside him.
“Except on a much, much larger scale.”
“So are we safe now?”
“I think so now, but we shouldn’t take our time for granted.”
They both nodded. “So, what are we going to do then?”
“We rest until morning. We’ll take shifts just in case. At first daylight, we start off to The City of Spirits. We make it in half of the time. Once we get moving we don’t stop. Come on. Let’s go get some rest. I think we all deserve it.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - ABIGAIL
I took a deep breath. As I pulled open the dungeon door I smiled. “Well hello dear brother. Time hasn’t treated you well.”
He kept his head lowered, hunched over in the corner.
“Come on, to your feet,” I pulled on his shirt. I didn’t have time for his crying. I pushed on his shoulder making him fall into two guards that were waiting behind me.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I couldn’t understand what his problem was. “Bother,” I drew out the end of the word. I took his chin in my hand so he would look at me. Each guard had him by an arm. “You should be happy that you are here. Now you have nothing to worry about. No responsibilities, no mission, no nagging uncle.”
“What did you do to him?” He spat.
I chuckled. “Oh don’t worry, brother, I have no idea where uncle went. I haven’t been able to find him. I thought that you may be able to help me with that.”
“I have no idea where he is. I have no idea where anyone is.”
“Oh brother,” I loved to call him that. There was always a flash of anger in his eyes when I would say it. “I know where everyone else is. You whole precious city is down in a cave rotting. Your friend seemed to escape somehow though. Ryan. Wonder how he managed that?” I knew. They woman plaid for it greatly.
“What do you mean?”
I laughed again. “That’s enough talking. Let’s go.”
The guards dragged him to the ground as he tried to get out of their grip.
“You know I thought a lot about what I was going to do with you. For days, but I finally decided that you would properly be better off dead. But then I thought, why should I let you reunite with father that would be too kind of me.” I paused. “But then I decided that it would do me greater value to have you dead than alive so I guess you’ll get to see the old man sooner than you think.”
I glanced over to Chase. He had stopped fighting and what I had said got no response from him. Fire burned inside my chest.
He always thought he was the better one.
“But then again you could persuade me,” I smiled knowing that would never happen. My decision was final.
“It doesn’t matter what you do to me. Just make up your mind and do it. You were never good at that.”
I held my hand up stopping the guards.
“What did you just say to me?” I stepped in front of them.
Chase lifted his head looking directly into my eyes. “You heard what I said.”
“Your head would look better on a stake at the steps to Ether,” I waved the guards to continue.
The guards that were mentoring the doors opened them for us. I waved them to follow as I went past. For the next eight doors that we went through I made them all follow.
When we got to the main room I walked up to my throne as the men made a semi-circle around the two guards that were holding Chase. I pointed to the ground as I sat. The guards knocked Chase to his knees. I sat there for a few minutes in silence, taking in the morning.
“Gregory!” A guard took one step out from the line. I waved him to me. He made his way quickly bowing when he got to the bottom of the platform.
“Master, how may I serve you?”
“Look at me.”
He looked up holding his hands behind his back.
“You are the highest ranked guard in all of Limbo. You know why? Because you give results. Since you have always done right by me I want to give you the honor of killing Chase,” I pulled a sword from behind my throne. I laid it out in my hands, waiting for him to come and take it from me.
He took the three steps toward me, taking it from my hands with a bow. “Thank you, sir. It will be my honor.”
He turned and walked over to the two guards that were holding Chase. He took the place of the guard on the right taking tight grip of Chase’s shoulder, holding the sword to his throat. The other guard went and took over Gregory’s place in the circle of guards. I smiled knowing what was going to come to my brother. My enjoyment was quickly washed away by Gregory took his hand from Chase’s shoulder trying to get a tighter grip on the sword. Strain and fear took over his features. Then the sword moved from Chase’s neck, Gregory trying to fight back the entire time.
As if out of thin air Abigail appeared behind Chase with her hand on his shoulder where Gregory’s had been a moment ago. There was no emotion on her face. As quickly as she had come she was gone and so was Chase. I rose from my throne. My rage burning inside of me. All of the guards drew their swords turning in circles to see if they could find where they had gone. Gregory swung the sword through the air with all the strength he had but nothing came of it.
I stomped my foot on the ground sending a blast of thunder through the room. All of the men turned kneeling before me bowing their head. They held their swords parallel to their bodies in front of them, tip to the ground, both hands on the hilt. I crossed my hands behi
nd my back as I slowly walked down the steps to them. I looked at all of the guards behind as I walked over to Gregory. I placed my hand on the pommel. Gregory released his hands letting me take the sword as his hand fell to his sides.
“Gregory, you have always been so loyal. I have been able to put all of my trust in you no matter what it was that I have asked of you. But today you have failed me. Such an important task that you were unable to complete.”
“I’m—I’m sorry master. How can I make it up to you?”
I walked around him, letting the tip of the sword drag on the ground behind me. “Well you see, there is only one way that you can repay me,” I lifted the sword and in one swift movement, his head fell to the floor. He body followed moments after blood pouring from it. I let the sword roll out of my hand, splashing in the blood as it hit the floor.
I turned and started to the door that let back into Limbo. “Put his head on the stake!”
As I reached my room I tried not to make my panic visible. I slipped in as soon as there was a crack large enough for me to fit through. I slammed the door shut quickly, bolting it behind me. I leaned against it trying to catch my breath. “Soon they will learn of the Creator’s world.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - MICHAEL
Energy surged through my body making me suck as much air into my lungs as I could. I put my hands under my body pushing myself up. Sitting I looked around. Everything around me was white. I couldn’t distinguish where the floors stopped and the walls began. I pushed myself to my feet. I held my hands out to keep my balance. It felt like I hadn’t stood in years. When it felt like I had my footing again I began walking but it didn’t feel like I was moving. I reached out to see if I could feel anything but my hand would just fall through the air.
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