I tried not to let it show, but my stomach was turning into a roiling mass of queasiness. “What are you talking about?” I said, a little too loudly. “Where am I supposed to go?”
His lip curled, revealing yellow teeth. “Think I care?”
Blood was roaring in my ears, half anger and half anxiety. I can talk a good game, but truth was I didn’t have a plan for this.
“All right,” I said cautiously. “Listen, maybe I could — ”
He tried to shove me, but I sidestepped. His knee gave out again, and he began to tumble. Rather than let him go crashing to the floor, I gave him a push that was just hard enough to make sure he landed on the couch.
“I said get out!” he roared. “You take your high-and-mighty attitude and take care of yourself, if you think it’s so easy. I see you in this house again, I’ll do worse than push you around.”
I looked down at him. Despite a healthy fear of what would happen to me, I could only shake my head in disgust. He was as dirty, rotten and stained as the couch he lay on.
I pulled my pack of cigs from my pocket. I felt his eyes follow their every move. One came out of the pack to be lit by the beat-up zippo my grandfather had given me when I was ten. I inhaled and felt a slight calmness roll through me.
Fine. He wanted to kick me out? All right. But he wasn’t going to get even an inkling of nerves from me.
“You haven’t bought us food in a month,” I said coolly. “I’ve been buying my own clothes since I was fifteen. And I forgot to mention yesterday, since you were passed out cold — the landlord called again. He’s going to evict you in two weeks. Seems you’re six months back on the rent.” I flicked the first specks of ash in his direction. He was silent. “You’re pathetic, dad.”
You say these things hoping they’ll feel good. That they’ll make you feel as happy as he looks when he says them to you. That they’ll make you smile in the same, cruel way they make him smile every time the words pour from his mouth.
They don’t, of course.
I dropped the cigarette on his chest. He flinched at the heat, then snatched it up before it could go out. He held it like a precious gem.
I went to the door and opened it before looking back in disgrace. “I’m going to a friend’s house. When you remember that you can’t even get to a 7-11 on your own two feet, you give me a call.” I pulled out another smoke and lit it. “It’ll be a good laugh when you beg me to come back.”
I stepped through the door and swung it shut behind me. I felt a shaking, shuddering tremor threaten to run through me and forced it away.
It wasn’t what my dad had said. Definitely not because he hit me a couple of times, which he couldn’t do if I didn’t let him — not for two years now.
No, the sting in my eyes was for another reason entirely. Last night I’d been asleep for almost twenty hours. My dad hadn’t even noticed. The others were freaking out when we rushed to Linsfell. I’d called around after we all woke up. Raven’s dad had rushed her to the hospital again. Sarah’s had come close. Miles and Calvin’s parents were freaking out. Me? My dad hadn’t so much as checked my pulse.
I sighed, letting the thought go, and rolled my shoulders in the cooling evening air. It was getting on toward seven o’clock in the middle of Rhode Island fall. Tonight was gonna be chilly.
Great, I thought to myself. Now what?
What I’d said wasn’t untrue, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Dad couldn’t do much without me, what with a leg he could barely stand on for five minutes at a time. At the same time, his disability was the only steady income either of us had. What was I going to do, sleep in my car?
Food wouldn’t be a problem. I could scrounge from the school cafeteria. But other than an occasional gift from my grandparents, the few bucks my dad tossed me every once in a while was my only way of getting cash. It wasn’t like I had huge expenses, but I had gas, cigs. If I was going to find a place to live, I had rent too.
For a wild, insane second I thought about looking for mom. It was nuts, of course. She didn’t want to be found, and I had no idea where to start.
I’d spent too long on our front lawn. I didn’t want to give my dad the satisfaction of looking out the front window to see me there, unsure and confused.
I went to my car. My pride and joy. A ’67 Mustang. My grandparents had gotten it for me on my sixteenth birthday. It was a beat-up old junker then, and I’d been responsible for fixing it up myself. The paint job was trash and I’d never gotten around to patching up all the holes in the seats, but the engine was a perfectly-tuned beast. That was pretty much the only thing I spent my time or money on when I wasn’t in school.
Or, these days, being a wizard or whatever.
I hopped in the driver’s seat, wishing I’d thought of packing at least a couple of days’ clothes before my dramatic exit. Ah, well. I could always snatch something from Goodwill. Goodwill was easy. No sales rewards for the staff plus merchandise that was priced for pennies led to unwary clerks. I could walk out past them wearing a completely different outfit than the one I came in with, and they’d never notice a thing. It was more like borrowing than stealing, because I could always drop it right back off at the donation center and they’d still be able to sell it.
I brought the engine to life and backed out. First things first. I had to find somewhere to put my head down for the night. Unfortunately, my options were pretty limited. For a moment I envied Chuck, pond scum that he was. At least he had a crew. People he could call on in a situation like this, if he needed a couch.
Me, I just had the others. And we weren’t exactly buddy-buddy. Plus, I was doing my couch surfing after dark. But that was my only option unless I wanted to spend all night curled up in my back seat, trying not to freeze to death as the temperature dropped below thirty.
Early on, Sarah had made sure that we all had each other’s contact info. “In case of emergencies,” she said. I hoped this qualified.
I knew Miles was closest, but he was a little removed from my usual haunts. It was almost nine before I found the right street. Once I did, I parked a block and a half away. I didn’t want his parents seeing my car. Most people tended to judge it on the paint, and not what lay under the hood.
I approached the front door slowly. Not nervously or even uncomfortably. Just gently. Like it was a frightened animal I didn’t want to scare off. In case anyone was watching, I didn’t want to look like I was bum-rushing the place.
I rang the doorbell and was greeted by silence for a minute. Then I saw the peep hole darken. It was a long, uncomfortable moment before a woman’s voice spoke. “Who is it?”
“My name is Bl — Winston, ma’am. I’m a friend of your son’s.”
“I don’t know a Winston,” she said. I started to sigh before she spoke up again. “Wait a minute. Winston. From the detention group?”
I completed the sigh, this time from relief. “Yes, ma’am.”
The door lock unlatched, and the door swung open. The metal screen door on the outside, however, did not. The woman who I assumed was Miles’ mom stood there, staring at me suspiciously. She looked me up and down, taking in my wrinkled overshirt, the tank top clearly visible underneath, and the holes in my jeans. I can’t say it was comfortable, but I can’t say I wasn’t used to it, either. Most parents looked at me that way. Most adults, in fact.
“Well, how can I help you?” she finally asked.
“Um, I was wondering if Miles was up,” I said, careful to keep myself civil. “I know it’s late. Um. Sorry.”
Her eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second. Then she said, “Hold on,” and closed the door.
I breathed a small, silent sigh of relief. It could have gone better — she could have invited me inside — but it could have gone a lot worse, too.
After a tense few minutes of waiting, the inside door opened again. Her brow was wrinkled in a frown.
“Sorry,” she said. “He fell asleep early. And once he does that, we can’t
…well, I guess you know.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “Well, okay. I really appreciate you checking.”
She nodded. I was about to turn away when she asked, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
I looked at her nervously. “Sure. Shoot.”
“Did you have a lapse yesterday? Miles slept for almost a full day, and we couldn’t wake him up.”
My mind raced. Should I tell her yes, or no? If I said yes, she might be worried that we were all coming down with the same thing, that this was a sign that our “sleeping disorder” was getting worse. If I said no, she might be even more worried, concerned that Miles was getting worse than the rest of us.
I shrugged mentally. Looked like I had to rely on what was always my last resort: the truth.
“Yeah, I had the same thing. I heard Calvin did, too. The littler kid.”
She nodded. “And I heard the same thing about his cousin, Sarah.” She shook her head. “I wish I knew what was happening.”
Believe me, lady, no you don’t. But of course, I couldn’t say that. Instead, I just nodded. “You’re telling me. Anyway, thanks, Mrs. Grave. I appreciate it.”
She gave a little wave, her face looking much less suspicious than when I’d first arrived. Then she closed the door and locked it again.
I made my way back to my car and slouched in the seat. I’d only been a few minutes, but already the car interior was chilly. I could feel the cold leather through my jeans.
The next two closest were Raven, then Sarah. But they were completely out of the question. If Miles’ mom was a little bit suspicious, what would their parents think? Both of them high school girls, and a guy who looks like me shows up three hours after dark?
I realized what I’d have to do. I gave a long, suffering sigh and pulled out my phone.
“Boy, you’re lucky,” Calvin said, his red hair sticking up crazily as he shook his head back and forth. “You caught me right as I was going to sleep. I mean, right as I was going to sleep. Five more minutes and you would have missed me.”
“Just try to imagine my joy,” I muttered.
“I know, right?” asked Calvin, oblivious to my sarcasm.
I was lying on the floor of Calvin’s room. His parents had looked me up and down and asked me all kinds of questions, but Calvin had handled them like a pro. He said that he and I were working on a science project together, and we needed to put in some extra time to get it ready for next week. It had been difficult not to laugh. Me doing a science project. Classic.
Now, ever since getting to his room and settling down with a blanket and a pillow, Calvin hadn’t stopped talking.
He looked at me in the low light of his bedside table. “Hey, you okay? What happened to your face?”
My mood darkened considerably as I gingerly brushed the bruise that was blooming on my left cheek. A gift from dad. “Nothing. Apparently I moved in my sleep and fell out of my bed.”
Calvin’s eyes widened. “Wow, I didn’t even know we could move in our sleep. I mean, I guess it makes sense. Sleepwalking is caused by the mind operating behind the scenes when the body shuts down. And our minds must be going a mile a minute in Midrealm. What with the fighting and the running and the trying not to die.”
I closed my eyes, wishing my ears had lids as well. “Yeah, totally man. Now we need to get ourselves over there. I’ve got more than a few questions for the old man.”
“Me, too,” said Calvin, laying back down on his bed. “That prophecy, for one thing.”
Despite what I’d just said, I raised my head. “For one thing? For the only thing. She said somebody was going to die.”
Calvin, too, raised his head. “Oh, well, yeah, sure,” he said nonchalantly. “I’d rather find out who’s going to live a thousand years. But more than that, I want to know about the stuff at the end. I want to figure out what we have to do next.”
I blinked and stared at him. “Dude, aren’t you way more concerned about whether or not you’re the one who dies?”
Calvin shrugged. “Not really. We went into this knowing we could all die. I mean, it’s dangerous over there. Actually, I think it’s reassuring that if we do things right, only one of us has to die to defeat Chaos.”
I shook my head. “I don’t get you, man.”
Calvin’s face broke into a winning grin. “I’m way over most people’s heads. It’s pretty crazy, actually. When I do tests they say they don’t even have charts for me.”
“IQ tests?”
Calvin shook his head. “Psychological exams.”
I looked skyward. “Of course.” Then I looked him in the eyes earnestly for a moment. “Hey, seriously though, I appreciate it.”
Calvin blinked. “What?”
“I appreciate you letting me sleep over,” I said. “That’s cool. Thanks.”
Calvin looked uncomfortable, but he smiled. “Of course, man. My pleasure. Night.”
He rolled over. Within seconds I heard gentle snores floating up from the bed.
It took me a little longer to fall asleep. I’d slept almost a full day, after all. I forced myself to sleep the same way I always had. The way I’d learned when my dad was starting to push my mom around when I was little, and couldn’t do anything about it. I blocked out the sounds of the world around me, turning them into a hum. I faded away slowly.
I woke in my bed. Well, a bed.
We were in Linsfell. After making our way to the Oracle and then leaving the Sink, Greystone had tried to press us for information. Sarah had shut him down immediately, her face dark with worry. She’d insisted we ride straight back to Linsfell. There, we’d been rushed to their smaller, more modest Runehold where we could fall asleep without worry.
And of course, a scant few hours later, here we were again. We’d all been awake on Earth for less than five hours. I was so exhausted it was all I could do to push myself up in my bed.
I groaned as every muscle of my body lit in painful fire. I was sorer than I’d ever been in my life. It turned out that riding a horse for over a hundred miles could do that to you. I was amazed our mounts had lasted as long as they had. That had been because Greystone had cast some kind of spell. It had rejuvenated us and our mounts, allowing us to press on when we should long ago have sought the comfort of our beds.
Now, it seemed, the enchantment had worn off. With how sore I was, I hoped the horses were all right. We’d pushed them far past the limits of mortal endurance yesterday.
But I had no time to worry about that now. I shoved up and out of the bed with a sudden sense of urgency. An extra cot had been brought in for Samuel, contrary to the Runehold in Morrowdust where he had a separate room. I grabbed his shoulder, shaking him awake.
“Hrrrwhazzat?” he mumbled. Then his eyes opened, and he snapped to full awareness in less than a second. It boggled me when he did that. He told me it was part of his training. It made him seem like an android.
“Yo,” I said. “I think we’re the last ones.”
“Again?” he said resentfully. He leapt up and began to don his clothes and armor. I quickly did the same, putting on my Realm Keeper’s robes and my boots as quickly as I could. The arrangement made me glad that Samuel and I were cool together. It could have been really awkward otherwise. I had no idea what Miles had done last night, what with his bodyguard being a chick. Raven was even worse. That was just creepy, in fact.
Samuel gave me a quick once-over when I was done. He smirked. “Your hair’s a piece of work,” he remarked.
I shook my head. “Don’t be jealous, baldy.” Samuel chuckled. His lack of hair was voluntary, not due to age.
We quickly found our way through the Linsfell Runehold’s unfamiliar hallways to their version of a great hall. After what I was used to in Morrowdust, it was honestly kind of pathetic. Forty feet long, tops, with a ceiling that was barely fifteen feet high. The table was plain wood, though it did have more chairs around it.
The one thing that Linsfell did the exact same, thou
gh, was the ornate chair with gold working all over. It sat at the head of the table, identical to the one in Morrowdust as far as I could tell. It looked ancient and huge and way too nice for this dingy little meeting hall.
I’d been right — we were the last pair here. Eleven pairs of eyes turned to us as we stepped into the room.
And there she was. Tess. Sitting there with hair hanging over her right eye like always, the left eye turned in my direction.
As soon as we cleared the door, servants rushed forward to the two empty seats at the table and plunked down plates of food.
I didn’t realize until then how hungry I was. We’d eaten sparingly on the road yesterday, and then stayed up nearly six hours past when we’d meant to. All thoughts of ceremony fled as I plopped down in my chair. The meat was hot, if unexceptional, and the potatoes were tasty.
“Please, dig in,” said Greystone drily.
I lifted my head, staring at him innocently. “Oh, sorry, grandpa, I already did,” I said through a full mouth. “Can’t you see all the way down here?” I looked over at Samuel. “Sam, grab the magician his glasses. I’m sure I saw them around somewhere.”
Samuel looked down. The others probably thought he was embarrassed. I knew he was hiding a smirk. Samuel might not have been as much of a jokester as I was, but he was all right.
“Now that you’re here,” Sarah said patiently, “we need to talk.”
“Agreed,” I said around a mouth of potatoes. Raven made a face.
Miles was looking at Greystone, seemingly full of pent-up energy. Now he leaned forward. “We need to talk about the prophecy.”
“That is precisely what I wish to do,” Greystone said irritably. “In fact, what I wished to do yesterday.” He turned a scathing glare on Sarah.
She didn’t even blink. “We had to get home. Immediately. You have no idea how concerned our families are.”
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