Once we were back inside and had a warm fire started, we began to figure out our next move.
“Are you on assignment, Nia?” I asked, helping myself to a buttered roll that was resting near the fireplace.
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “My assignment was just to create you a house, which I did. I’m done until further notice. I’ve been on Turgor for a little over a year now, Kay, so I’m almost ready to take my exams. Assignments slow down around this time, and you kinda start to go out on your own.”
“What exams do you have to take?” Rena asked around a mouthful of roll.
“They’re the Multi-level Assessments of Graduating Individuals Ceremonies,” Nia answered proudly. “Once you’ve successfully completed a number of assignments, you are nominated to attend the exams, so that you can receive your final authorization to practice your skill freely on different planets, without having to bother getting permission from the Senior Counsel. And a small number of really lucky souls are invited to take a seat on the Counsel every year. It’s a huge honor.”
“Wow,” I said impressed. “Does everyone have to attend?”
“Yep. If you don’t, you may lose your ability to practice, and then you won’t be allowed on Turgor.”
“It’s the Counsel’s way of keeping track of everyone,” Yolonda said. I had placed Finny next to her on my necklace.
“Wait, if you’re supposed to get the Counsel’s permission to use your magic, didn’t we break the rules when we busted out Finny?”
“Technically, yes,” Nia explained. “But I’m going to talk to Senior Paul tomorrow and see if he can be forgiving this time, since the two of you are new.”
“So what’s the plan?” Finny asked.
“We go to Caldbeck, find Rena’s mom, and then find my grandpa and ask him what the heck this legend is all about. We’ll drop down to the oogie-boogie graveyard and wake up a Death Walker, assignment completed and then we’ll come back home.” I said this all in one breath and sat back satisfied when I was done.
“You make things sound so simple,” Dia scolded. “Have you thought about what you might be up against when you get to Caldbeck?”
“Well, that’s what we have good ole Finny-Fin here for,” I said, poking Finny. “Tell me, what are we up against?”
“Are you sure you want to know?” he asked. “Caldbeck is one of the most guarded places on the planet. There hasn’t been a successful break-in since 1753.”
“1754,” Yolonda corrected.
“Excuse me, 1754. You’ve got the Crupians, first of all, that guard Caldbeck with their lives. Fierce warriors. They’re small with serious attitude. And if you make it through them, you’ll have to go through the second level of security inside the walls that surround Caldbeck. That’s where the Harpies come in.”
“Ick, I hate Harpies,” Rena shuddered. I nodded, remembering the bus ride to Tormey.
“Well, they’re there. And they’re hungry. Harpies’ll eat any and everything that comes in. They not only protect our inhabitants, but also provide security for Caldbeck.” Finny sighed. “If, and that is a big if, you make it past the Harpies, you’ll find yourself in the field of illusions. There are tons of nasty traps in that place.”
Rena shifted in her seat. “So how do you get through it?”
“Common sense. Illusions are nothing more than false things that trick our senses into believing they are real.”
Yolonda piped, “Nicely put, Fin. Kay, did Nia tell you exactly how folks are trapped in Caldbeck?” I shook my head. “Caldbeck is not like the prisons that are on planet Earth. When a being goes to prison on Turgor, their minds are trapped there, nothing else.”
“It’s an eerie place,” Nia added.
“Just forget it,” Rena murmured. She leaned back in her chair with a defeated sigh. “It’s not worth risking our lives.” Nia and Dia both made sounds of agreement. Yolonda and Finny warmed against my skin.
I eventually broke the silence and suggested we all go to bed. Nia created Rena another room in the house, and I Awakened her things. Finally we all feel into a deep, troubled sleep.
CHAPTER TEN
“So, what I’m trying to say is if we do things such as turning the heat down and wearing a sweater or reusing plastic bags, we can do our part to save the rain forest!” Fellow classmate Tempest Nolan peered down her trendy glasses at the rest of the class and shook her shoulder length blonde hair from eyes as she droned on and on. I gave an inward groan and stretched my legs underneath the desk in front of me. Science class was about as interesting to me as watching Mince grow. Reaching down into my book bag, I pulled out my DiGi and flipped it open.
10 p.m. Earth Time / 2 p.m. Turgor Time
Meeting with Senior Counsel
“What do you think they want?” I asked Nia later on when we met for lunch.
She shrugged, her mouth full as always. “You talked to Senior Paul, right?”
“Tried to, but he was really angry,” she said, little bits of food flying from her mouth. “Guess he wasn’t as understanding as I thought he would be.”
I looked at her in disbelief. “So, do you think we’re in big trouble?”
“Don’t know.”
“You don’t seem to worried!”
“Well, I’ve never been in trouble with Senior Counsel before Kay!” she argued back. “I’ve always played things by the book. What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged and looked back down at my DiGi. “I guess I’ll have to find out on my own time.”
My own time came far too quickly. Before I knew it, I was sitting next to Rena, who had wide eyes and kept shifting in her seat. We were in the basement of Paul’s home, which was dimly lit and smelled like mold. I wondered why hadn’t bothered to Awaken nicer things for the room, and a small voice in the back of my head told me that we weren’t the first to be interrogated in it. I looked around me, counting eight older men and women, all who were part of the Counsel. Paul walked down the basement stairs, his footsteps echoing with each step he took. I gave Yolonda a nervous squeeze, and she gave a small yelp of protest as he took a seat in front of us.
“Do you know why you have been summoned here today?” he asked, his voice grave. He raised his bushy eyebrows. I lifted my chin in defiance. I wasn’t going to be the first to rat myself out.
“Yes,” Rena squeaked from next to me. “I think so.”
“Would you care to share the reason with the rest of the Counsel?”
Rena sat silent for a moment and glanced over at me. I looked straight ahead, hoping not to betray how bad I was shaking fear.
“Well,” Rena began, “we used magic without permission.”
“That’s right,” Senior Paul agreed quietly. “You used magic without permission. Tell me, Kathleena, how long have you been on Turgor?”
I thought for a minute. “About...” I croaked. My mouth had gone dry during the time I had been sitting there. I cleared my throat and began again, “About three and a half weeks.”
“And have you completed an assignment yet, child?” This came from a woman with hair that seemed to be clear. There was a faint outline that showed how her hair was shaped, but other than that, there seemed to be no color at all. She had midnight black eyes that didn’t show any pupils, and her mouth held a deep purple lipstick.
“No, I haven’t. I just received my first one a short while ago.”
The woman stared at me, and the rest of the Counsel broke into murmurs. Rena looked like she was about to puke.
Senior Paul addressed us again. “Do you realize the consequences of your actions?” We reluctantly shook our heads. “We are in a war, ladies. A war where any one false move can toss the other side into defense and thousands of innocent people could be killed in the process. Not only were your actions irresponsible, they were completely thoughtless and dangerous. You could have been killed in your little shenanigans!”
I sat as still as a stone, watching P
aul quiver in front of us. I was scared out of my mind, but I couldn’t allow myself to break in front of people so important. I’ll cry later, I thought to myself. Rena, on the other hand, had already been broken. Her skin became pale, and her eyes had turned a dull grey. Tears were streaming from her eyes, and I resisted the urge to reach over and hug her.
The clear-haired lady spoke again. “Because of your actions, you will be suspended from using magic until further notice. You will have to prove yourself capable of handling such a great responsibility during such a dangerous time. The assignment that you have been issued will be revoked.” She reached for a glass of water that I hadn’t seen previously and took a sip. “I hope this will provide you will enough time to think of the seriousness of what you have done.”
Rena and I both nodded.
Paul stood up. “You may leave now.”
I don’t think we could have moved any faster if we sprouted wings out of our backs.
“I can’t believe I got suspended!” Nia groaned, lying on the couch. “If I would’ve just listened to my little voice in my head, I wouldn’t be in this mess with you two!” We were all hanging out in front of the fireplace, glumly eating spaghetti that Nia had made while she waited for Rena and me to return. “I was so close to completing my final exams,” she huffed, shoving a forkful of food in her mouth.
Rena sat slumped in an armchair to the right of Nia. “My mother would be so disappointed in me,” she mumbled.
I, on the other hand, wasn’t all that worried. So we couldn’t go and do our assignment? What was the big deal?
Nia seemed to read my mind and looked over at me. “It may not be important to you, but there are those of us who are ambitious here on Turgor. How do you think I’ll feel about not being able to graduate with my class and get a job here?”
“Nia, you’re not even eighteen yet,” I said. “What type of job could you possibly get?”
“Well, as a skilled Creator you can get the cream of the crop jobs in the Counsel,” she snapped back. “I think about my future, you know!”
“And I don’t?” I yelled back at her.
“No, you don’t!”
Rena put up her hands and glowed a dull blue. “Come on, you two. Calm yourselves.” Nia hissed in irritation and went into the kitchen to put away her dishes. “What are we going to do now, Kay?”
I shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought of that. I mean, what is there to do when you’re not being sent on one assignment after the next?”
“I’ll tell you what you do,” Nia answered me, standing in the kitchen doorway. “Check your DiGi.”
I opened mine and looked down to see the message:
Kathleena Ann McLaughlin—Probation
Duty: Assistant at Brozek Courts
Location: 88523 E. Alphan Lane
Time: 5:45 a.m. Turgor Time / 9:15 p.m. Earth Time
Report to Counsel Member Marionette Fleer
I looked up and met Rena’s wide eyes. “So I’m going to be an assistant?”
“Not just any assistant,” Nia said. “And not just you. We all have to go.”
“What do we do?”
“When you work at the Courts you deal with the processing of beings that are waiting to go to court for various crimes.”
“That’s it?” I asked. “That’s the best punishment they could come up with? A little paperwork?”
Rena looked confused as well, but Nia shook her head. “You two are in for a surprise.”
That night, back on Earth, I fell asleep and immediately felt my body in the throes of violent shaking. Opening my eyes with a start, I saw flaming orange hair fly past me.
“AHH!” I heard from the kitchen. Jumping out of bed, I fell to the ground as Dia shook again, this time with a loud BOOM. Plaster crumpled off the ceiling, and I could hear the distant sound of glass breaking. Grabbing at the door frame to steady myself, I felt my way to the stairs. The lights were completely off. I squinted to see where I was going when another loud boom seemed to engulf our house. I paused, shaking on the stairs as the house became quiet. The windows all flashed a brilliant white light, and then my house once again lurched. I fell backwards, losing my footing, and tumbled down the stairs.
Pain shot through my skull, and I closed my eyes to try to lessen the pain.
“Kay!” Rena yelled. Groaning, I sat up, feeling nauseous. Rena ran towards me from the living room and grabbed my hands.
“What’s going on?” I croaked as she pulled me to my feet.
“The KaKonians! They’re attacking the city!”
My eyes flew open. Attacking? Was it our fault? I looked around for my sister. “Where’s—?”
“Right here!” Nia called, running to my side. “We’ve got to get somewhere safe! They’re bombing all over!”
Yolonda and Finny had both grown cold against my chest, and I tucked them inside my nightshirt for their safety.
“No! Leave us out!” Finny yelled. “We can help protect you!”
I pulled them back out quickly as Nia created a small hole in the middle of the hallway floor. She jumped into it and, for a second, was quiet before we heard her yell, “Come on down!” Sirens were wailing all around us, and what sounded like gigantic footsteps moved past us with alarming speed.
Rena jumped in the hole first, and I hesitated, looking up at the ceiling.
“Dia!” I called out. “Are you going to hold up?”
“We’ll find out!” Dia answered me, sounding muffled. “But don’t worry about me! Just get somewhere safe!”
I jumped into the hole and plunged into darkness. “Oooff!” The ground was cold and damp, and the strong smell of soil filled my nostrils.
“Are you okay?” came a small voice next to me.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I grumbled, sitting myself up.
“Good,” came another voice. “Can one of you Awaken this lamp here?”
Rena murmured a couple of words, and bright light began to fill the small space we were standing in. My sister had created a small room made of dirt. Up above me, I heard a loud crash as something hit the ground.
“Okay,” Nia breathed, “we might be here for a while. And the last thing we need is this dirt giving way.”
“Yes, I am not for being buried alive,” Rena agreed.
“So, I’m going to create walls and floors. You two Awaken them.” We got to work, and soon after we had a solid room, a few chairs, and a small heater to keep us warm.
“What are we going to do?” Rena asked, shivering.
“Wait it out?” I guessed. “It’s not like we can go out there and fight bombs.”
“No, not yet.” Nia said. “You’re not that strong.”
“And you are?” I asked. Nia didn’t answer me, but scooted a little closer to the heater.
We stayed in the room for what seemed like days but was only a few hours. The bombings slowed down and eventually stopped. Rena checked the door of our safe room, and after deciding it was safe, we ventured back upstairs. Dia was a complete wreck. The walls had long jagged lines in them from where her foundation had been shook. There was glass everywhere, and our furniture had all toppled over.
Nia gave a low whistle as she stepped over a lamp on the floor. I touched one of my walls, which had a deep crack in it.
“You are strong...sturdy...without any flaws,” I whispered. Immediately, the wall sealed and became stronger. Nia had begun to peek out of the living room window.
“What do you see?” I asked, nervous.
She stiffened and turned back to me. “Come take a look for yourself.”
The world had been completely destroyed. Or so it seemed. Glass and debris lay strewn everywhere. Trees were either non-existent or barely there, slumped over cars that had been blown to pieces in the crossfire. I walked outside, looking around. The air was still, stagnant. In the distance, I thought I could make out an alarm of some sort. All of the animals seemed to have disappeared.
“What are we going to d
o?” I muttered to myself.
“Looks like there’s a meeting of all group sectors,” Rena answered. She had her DiGi open and was frowning. “It says here that Nia is supposed to take us there.”
I frowned and continued looking at the disaster in front of me. “And where is there?”
Nia turned the couch upright and sat down, sighing. “We’re going to Caldbeck.” I whipped around and stared at her.
Rena did the same. “Caldbeck?” she asked.
Nia nodded. “It’s the safest place in the city.”
Rena slid down a wall until she was sitting on the floor. I leaned against the door frame and closed my eyes. We were going to Caldbeck.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A large rip appeared in front of me, and I stepped through it. Sticking my hand behind my back, I pulled Rena in after me. “I will never get used to this way of travel,” she said, shaking.
Nia had created a portal for us to step through after we had made sure Dia was taken care of. The portal was a rip in space—or time. Nia had explained to me, but I couldn’t follow along. But we had made it to our destination, which was presently looming in front of us.
As I looked up, I took in the sight of Caldbeck. The building was gigantic. Bright white spotlights glared down at us from the ledge of one of the roofs. A pointed fence surrounded us, and I jumped, startled as I saw one of the fence posts morph into a hideous creature. Bones groaned and creaked as the figure slowly changed. I winced when the post gave a loud screech and bolted into the sky, large molting wings flapping while the talons on her hands and feet stretched out as if catching unsuspecting prey.
“Harpie,” Rena whispered as we watched the beast disappear into the night’s sky. A line of people was moving towards the prison’s tall, menacing gates.
The Two Worlds Page 7