Zachary and Jenna suddenly found themselves hugging each other in celebration, unsure of how this had happened. Both were momentarily choked up as powerful emotions of joy and relief flooded over them.
They had done it! They had found their parents and made it back to Earth. And they had stopped the most powerful magician on Orum from causing untold destruction. Both had been nearly certain they would never see their parents, or their home, ever again. But here they were. It was a glorious feeling.
Zachary thought back to the horrors they had recently encountered. He had seen a man's heart beating inside his chest. An insidious fungus had tried to make him part of it and root him to the ground. He had been in the iron grip of the cruel Grull, almost gagging from its noxious breath, while the Grull laughed about the tortures it was planning. He had been paralyzed with fear at seeing a monstrous wasp, and when he thought his fear couldn’t get any greater, he had found himself blind and helpless inside a cave. And he had been seconds away from being suffocated to death by Hirth.
But despite these horrors, their travels had been amazing. He had had the chance to visit different worlds—and how many kids could say that? And he had forged friendships with a variety of marvelous beings. With Tular, armored from head to toe. With Nivek, a being whose life’s experiences were so different than Zachary’s that he couldn’t possibly understand even the concept of daylight. And with Lisgar, a being with a spirit as wonderful as her initial appearance was horrifying.
And he now had incredible respect for his younger sister. He always knew deep down that they would become close when they got older, but their journeys through the portals had accelerated and deepened the process. He and Jenna would share a bond for the rest of their lives that went far beyond even that which was normally formed between a brother and sister.
As they parted after their brief hug, Jenna reflected on all they had been through as well. She had faced more horrors in a short time than she thought she would during her entire life. She had felt despair and anguish that was crippling in its intensity after Nivek had captured her brother, and she found herself in a pitch-black cave, blind, helpless, and terrified. The memory of the deep fear she had felt then and throughout their experiences would never leave her.
But that was okay, she realized. Because along with the memory of this fear came the memory of how she had overcome it. Along with all the traumatic brushes with death came the memory of how they had triumphed in each case. And these memories would also be with her the rest of her life. She would know that she had been unbelievably afraid but had still managed to face her fear.
And she would always remember the looks of respect she had seen on Zachary's face throughout their journey. When he had missed a riddle and instead of despairing that his only chance was his pathetic sister, he had looked to her to come up with an answer, confident that she would. And she would especially remember how he had stuck with her, knowing he would have to face the terrible and unbeatable Grull, when he could have made it through the portal.
Jenna nodded warmly at her brother. He smiled, nodded back meaningfully, and then turned to face their short alien companion. “We can’t thank you enough for your help,” he said. “We’ll never be able to repay you.”
“No need to thank me,” replied Wyland, shaking his head. “You passed the test I forced you into with flying colors. You deserved a parade, not to have to fight for your lives once again. I’m just glad I could help.”
“So what will you do now?” asked Zachary. “What will happen when you return to Orum?”
Wyland shook his head tiredly. “I can’t return. They’ll be waiting for me if I do. And waiting to storm this portal if I reopen it for even a moment. So I’m trapped here on Earth. At least for now.”
Jenna turned to her parents. “He can stay with us as long as he needs to, right?”
As his father opened his mouth to speak she hurriedly added, “Before you answer, you should know that he just saved twenty or thirty million lives.”
“I appreciate the kind words, Jenna,” said Wyland. “But I can’t take credit. Without you and Zachary, Hirth would have won for sure. You two are the most formidable team I have ever seen. It’s hard to imagine any two beings working together any better.”
Mr. and Mrs. Lane shook their heads as if they hadn’t heard right. “Zachary and Jenna?” said Mr. Lane in amusement. “Working together rather than fighting? Our Zachary and Jenna?”
“Yes,” replied Wyland. “Working together brilliantly.”
“Wow,” said Mrs. Lane with a grin. “Working together and actually hugging each other. And I thought magic was hard to believe.”
“Yeah. Now I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll ever catch up,” added Mr. Lane.
“Don’t worry, Dad,” said Jenna happily. “We’ll tell you everything. Now we have all the time in the world.”
Zachary smiled and nodded his agreement. But in his heart he knew this wasn’t true. They had survived this round, yes. But soon thousands of portals would be opening between Earth and Orum. And when they did, it would be impossible to predict what would happen next.
And there seemed to be an even more dangerous species heading their direction. One that might make their most powerful enemies on the Orum Grand Council look tame.
Zachary sighed. But that was something to worry about another day. For now, they still had a long way to travel to get home—and a lot to explain to their parents.
But one thing was certain. For good or for bad, the human race was about to enter a new age—one with endless possibilities. But also endless dangers.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Zachary with a sigh. He shot Jenna a warm look and a tired smile came over his face. “I think we’ve earned ourselves some rest.”
From the Author: Thanks for reading Out of This World! If you enjoyed this book, I would greatly appreciate it if you could help spread the word. Also, feel free to Friend me on Facebook at Douglas E. Richards Author, or visit my website at www.douglaserichards.com
Also by Douglas E. Richards
Adult
WIRED (Techno-thriller/Science Fiction)
AMPED (The WIRED Sequel)
Middle Grade/YA
THE PROMETHEUS PROJECT SERIES (Science Fiction Thrillers)
Book 1: TRAPPED
Book 2: CAPTURED
Book 3: STRANDED
THE DEVIL’S SWORD
ETHAN PRITCHER, BODY SWITCHER
Out of This World Page 21