Morpheus Road 03 - The Blood

by D. J. MacHale

  "As I hoped it would," he said. "And now, would you be so kind as to return my weapon?"

  He reached out, ready to accept the poleax.

  Coop and Zoe stiffened.

  Marsh didn't move. "Not a chance," he said flatly. Damon smiled and dropped his hand. "I did not think so."

  "But we made a bargain," Marsh added.

  He reached into the pocket of his hoodie and retrieved the last golden crucible. He held it out to Damon, who took a defensive step backward as if it were diseased.

  "Last one," Marsh said, and casually tossed the crucible over his shoulder.

  The golden orb arced into the air and came down on the stone platform. It shattered on contact, spewing forth the final remains of Alexander the Great.

  Coop winced, as did Ree, but neither said a word.

  Damon stared fearfully as if the cursed blood might rise up and drown him, but the thick liquid did nothing more than trickle through the cracks between stones . . . and disappear.

  "Thank you for that," Damon said. "And our other arrangement?"

  Marsh shrugged. "You're still here, aren't you?"

  Damon looked around, as if realizing for the first time that he had not been swept back into the Blood with all of the other spirits.

  "Indeed," he said with a satisfied smile. "To whatever extent you were responsible, I thank you."

  "I think you have yourself to thank," Marsh said.

  "Indeed," Damon said, satisfied. "Then, I will take my leave."

  "There's one thing," Marsh added. "Stay the hell away from me. From all of us. Wherever you travel, whatever you do, I don't ever want to see you or hear of you again."

  "Understood," Damon said with a slight deferential bow.

  He turned and headed back for his horse. The others watched tensely as he mounted, adjusted his armor, and was about to trot off when . . .

  "Damon," Marsh called out.

  Damon looked back to him.

  "I have to know. This could have happened to anyone for two thousand years, but it happened to us. Was it all just random or was there some purpose?"

  "I have asked that same question myself," Damon answered. "I do not pretend to understand all there is to know of the forces that influence us, but after having observed them for so long, I believe I know more than most."

  "So what's the answer?" Marsh pressed.

  "I do not know," Damon said with a shrug. "Perhaps there is no explanation. It may be as you say. Random. But if one needs more understanding, perhaps you need look no further than where we find ourselves. I set out to disrupt the Morpheus Road, and what was the result? I was defeated, yet received exactly what I was seeking. And all has returned to the way it was."

  "Except for a couple of dead people along the way," Coop said with disdain.

  "Death is a part life," Damon said. "Perhaps it took those sacrifices, and yours, to ensure the future of mankind. It was no small accomplishment and makes me think of the possibility."

  "Possibility of what?" Ree asked.

  "That what happened here was not random at all. We may all have been guided more than we realize. The choices we make are our own, but so much of what we do is influenced by what we see, and feel. I tried to challenge that, and failed. Why? Because I was not up to the task? Because I was wrong? Or was it because I chose the wrong people to try and influence? I understand your question, Marshall Seaver, and I will be wondering the same thing for as long as I exist. Why was it you? I do not know, but I feel there may have been more forces at work than we will ever know."

  Damon kicked his horse and broke into a gallop, running across the front of the platform. As he was about to hit the stairs on the far end, the colorful fog appeared in front of him and he disappeared.

  "Look!" Zoe called.

  In the valley below, each of Damon's soldiers disappeared into their own personal mist, leaving only a confused army of Guardians.

  "Simple as that," Coop said. "Now he goes off somewhere and starts stewing again, and maybe a few generations from now he starts feeling a little less philosophical and starts looking for the poleax again. Then what?"

  "Then nothing," Marsh said. "This time it's going where he'll never find it."

  "Is there such a place?" Maggie asked.

  Marsh raised the poleax, the sword that was the tool of untold death and destruction, reared back, and flung it into the Threshold.

  There was a quick flash of light where the poleax entered, and it was gone.

  Coop laughed. "Nice."

  "What's that?" Zoe asked.

  From deep within the light of the Threshold, a shadow appeared.

  "Uh-oh," Coop said. "Are they throwing it back?"

  The one shadow became two and quickly took human form.

  "Somebody's coming out," Ree declared.

  The two shadows walked quickly from the depths of the Threshold and stepped out into the light of the valley. "Press," Marsh declared.

  Press walked with a beautiful dark-skinned woman who was as tall as he and moved with the grace of an athlete. It was the same woman who appeared to Ree, Marsh, and Cooper in Ree's vision to tell them about Press being in the Blood. Both wore the plain black clothes of the Watchers. They stepped from the Threshold and moved off to the side, where they stood silently.

  "Uh-oh," Coop said. "I think they're back in Watcher mode."

  "Why?" Marsh called to them. "What made the Watchers finally intervene?"

  When Press "spoke," they heard his words though his lips didn't move. He had returned to a higher level of existence.

  "Because the positive spirit of mankind prevailed," Press answered.

  "You mean because Marsh ended Brennus and cut off the flow of spirits," Coop said.

  "That is true in part," the dark woman said. "There were two very powerful forces vying for control. But what finally turned the tide wasn't a weapon, or a battle, or any act of violence."

  "Then, what was it?" Marsh asked.

  "One of the simplest positive qualities that defines mankind," Press answered. "Trust."

  "Trust?" Coop repeated, disbelieving. "What's that got to do with—?"

  "It was Damon," Ree said, realizing. "Marsh put his trust in Damon and he delivered."

  "Seriously?" Coop exclaimed, incredulous. "You finally took our side because of freakin' Damon?"

  Press said, "The evil that Brennus and Damon had been building for centuries no longer exists for one simple reason. Marsh trusted Damon to make the right choice and Damon's humanity prevailed. That is what made the difference."

  Coop shook his head with wonder and said, "Unbelievable."

  Marsh said, "So what happens if Damon goes back to being Damon?"

  Press gave them a knowing smile and said, "Maybe you should just enjoy this moment."

  Another shadow appeared from inside the Threshold. As it moved closer, it took the shape of a person who was much taller than Press and had long dark hair.

  When the features of the person became clear, Zoe took a quick surprised breath.

  "Adeipho!" she said with a gasp.

  "It can't be," Coop exclaimed. "I saw his spirit destroyed."

  "Not my father," Zoe exclaimed. "My brother."

  The young Adeipho stepped from the light of the Threshold, looking very much like his father. Rather than the leather battle armor, he wore simple cotton pants and a shirt . . . the clothes of a fisherman.

  "You fought well, Sister," Adeipho said.

  Zoe made a move to run for him, but stopped herself as if not sure what was proper.

  "Can I . . . ?" she asked Press.

  Press nodded.

  Adeipho held out his arms and Zoe ran to him. She was no longer the angry soldier who commanded an army. She was once again a happy young girl.

  "Have you come to stay?" she asked, her head buried in his chest.

  Adeipho laughed. "Of course not. You are coming with me. Mother is waiting."

  Zoe shot a quick, questioning look to
Press.

  Press nodded and gestured toward the Threshold.

  Zoe hugged her brother even closer and whispered, "Father is gone."

  "I know," he said softly.

  Adeipho looked to the others and said, "You have all fought well. We could not be more proud."

  Coop called, "So, uh, what's it like in there?"

  Adeipho smiled and said, "Thanks to what you have all done, you will be able to find out for yourselves one day."

  Coop looked to Marsh and said, "I knew he wouldn't tell us."

  Zoe pulled away from her brother and called to the others. "I know we will meet again."

  Adeipho put his arm around Zoe and the two turned and walked through the Threshold.

  "I guess she earned that," Coop said to Press.

  Press responded with a small smile, and a wink. "Hey, look," Marsh called out.

  Everyone turned to look back at the valley to see that the Guardians were no longer there. All signs of the battle that had torn apart the idyllic gorge had disappeared as well. It was once again . . . paradise.

  "Somebody else is coming out," Ree announced.

  Another shadow appeared within the Threshold. This one was much smaller than Adeipho and was clearly a woman. She had long, dark hair and wore a dress that came down to just below her knees.

  It was Maggie's turn to gasp.

  Coop saw her reaction, and his throat clutched.

  "Maggie?" her mother called as she stepped tentatively into the light.

  She looked like an older version of Maggie, with gray-streaked dark hair that she wore tied back into a braid. She wore a simple blue-checked dress with a red coat-sweater over it. Her brown eyes had just as much life as Maggie's, with no hint of the sad, tortured life she had lived at the hands of her brutal husband.

  Maggie stood behind Coop as if for protection.

  "Maggie, sweetheart, let me see you!" her mother called. Maggie didn't budge. She trembled with fear as she had done when she first met Cooper in the Black.

  "It's okay," Coop said soothingly. "Go to her."

  "I . . . I can't," Maggie whimpered.

  "I know the truth," Maggie's mom said. "It wasn't your fault. I was so upset to see how you were treated after the accident."

  "I'm sorry, Mrs. Salinger," Coop said. "For what my grandfather did."

  "Thank you, Cooper, but there's no need for apologies," she said. "My daughter has made her peace with him."

  Coop gently held Maggie and coaxed her to go to her mother. Maggie hugged her own waist and stepped forward reluctantly.

  "I want to tell you it's over," her mom said. "But the truth is, it's just beginning, and that's a good thing. Come with me, Maggie. This is where you belong."

  Maggie's mom stepped forward with her arms out. Maggie stood stiffly for a moment longer, then finally broke down and ran to her. The two hugged as the tears flowed. Her mother rubbed her back soothingly, whispering to her little girl the way she had done so many times in life.

  Maggie's mom looked to Cooper and said, "Thank you for helping to take away her burden, and your grandfather's."

  Coop opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

  "Wow, that's a first," Marsh said, laughing. "Cooper speechless. Mark the day."

  Maggie pulled away from her mom and went to Cooper. She held his hands and said, "Come with us."

  Coop looked to Press.

  Press responded with a slight shake of his head.

  "Soon enough," Coop said to Maggie. "You didn't think I'd skate through the Black this quick, did you? In spite of all my amazing heroics. I guess I've still got some work to do."

  He threw another look to Press to see if he'd get a reaction. He didn't.

  "I'll do my time, and then we'll see what happens," Coop added.

  Maggie threw her arms around Cooper and hugged him close. "I love you, Cooper Foley. Thank you for saving my life."

  Coop had to blink back tears himself. His reply was to squeeze her back.

  "Okay," he said, holding her at arm's length. "The sooner you get out of here the sooner I can start working on doing the same thing."

  Maggie nodded, then looked to Marsh and Ree. "I know I'll see you all soon."

  "I hope so," Marsh replied.

  "Good-bye, Maggie," Ree said.

  Maggie gave a quick kiss to Cooper. "Say good-bye to your grandfather."

  "I will."

  "Don't forget me."

  "I think I should be saying that to you. You're the one who's about to become some higher form of life."

  Maggie giggled, then turned and took her mother's hand. Together the two walked into the Threshold. Maggie gave one last look back to Cooper, blew him a kiss, and the two disappeared.

  Cooper took a step closer to the Threshold and stared expectantly into the light.

  No more spirits appeared.

  "I guess that's it," he declared. "Looks like we get the consolation prize . . . time in the Black."

  "Could be worse things," Marsh said.

  Coop spun back to them and said, "Who wants to come with me to visit Gramps? He'll want to know about Maggie."

  "Among other things," Ree said with a chuckle.

  "I'll go," Marsh said.

  "We'll all go," Ree added.

  "No."

  They all turned quickly to see that the two Watchers had moved to the mouth of the Threshold.

  Press said, "There's one more thing to be done."

  34

  The lions were gone. The pen was empty. The Roman Colosseum was deserted. There was nothing to prevent access to the last remaining Rift.

  Marsh, Cooper, and Ree stood facing the portal between the Black and the Light.

  "Tempting, isn't it?" Coop said.

  "You know we can't go through," Ree cautioned. "It would go against everything we fought for."

  "Yeah, but . . . we just saved humanity," Coop argued. "Shouldn't that earn us a couple of get-out-of-jail-free cards?"

  "I guess I don't see this as jail," Ree argued. "Our lives haven't ended."

  "Yeah, I get it," Coop said with resignation. "I don't love it, but I get it."

  "The Rift has to be closed," Marsh said. "How do we do that?"

  "You don't," Press replied without actually speaking. Press stood behind the others on the far side of the lion pen, along with the woman Watcher.

  "It will close once we have finished," he added.

  "You mean you had the power to close the Rifts all along?" Coop asked.

  "The negative spirit that created the Rift no longer exists," the woman answered. "Therefore the Rift will no longer exist."

  Coop said, "And I'll never understand how any of this works."

  "What else has to be finished?" Marsh asked.

  "First, I must commend you all," Press said. "I have no doubt that you all will soon be moving through the Threshold yourselves."

  "Yeah, get on that, would ya?" Coop said. "Put in a good word to somebody."

  "I still want to know," Marsh said, "was this all random? I mean, could this have happened to anybody and we were just the unlucky ones?"

  "Damon was right," the dark-skinned woman said. "We all make choices based on the influence of others. Anyone could have found the poleax. But they didn't. It was you, Ree. And that brought you all to this point. At any time you could have made different decisions and Damon might have triumphed, or Brennus, but you didn't. None of you did. Sometimes things simply happen because that is the way they were meant to be. The positive spirit of mankind is strong. Was it random? Yes. But circumstances brought the exact right people together, and that was no accident."

  "Uh . . . did that answer the question?" Coop asked.

  "Close enough," Marsh answered.

  "So close the Rift," Coop said.

  "Not just yet," Press replied. "Cooper, you arrived in the Black the way all spirits do. You died in the Light."

  "Yeah, thanks for the reminder," Coop said.

  "Ree and Mar
sh, yours was a different route. You came through unnatural Rifts that Damon created. You did not die to get here."

  "So what?" Coop asked. "They're just as dead as I am." Neither Press nor the woman responded.

  "Aren't they?" Coop asked.

  "Their journey was not the same," the woman answered.

  "Whoa, what are you saying?" Marsh asked. "We're not dead?"

  "Your spirits came through, but your physical bodies remained in the Light."

  "They did?" Coop exclaimed.

  "So what does that mean?" Ree asked, her excitement growing.

  "Oh man," Coop said, stunned. "Can they go back?"

  Press stepped closer to Ree and Marsh and replied, "Ree, you fell through the Rift quite some time ago. I'm afraid that too much time has passed. Your physical body still exists in the Light, but it has deteriorated to the point that it cannot be salvaged."

  Ree nodded in understanding, but was then hit with a realization.

  "So you're saying . . . ?"

  Press turned to Marsh and said, "Your coming here has turned the course of this conflict. Without your guidance and trust in the better nature of mankind, I dread to think what Damon would have accomplished. Or Brennus. "

  "Just tell me he can go back through the Rift," Coop exclaimed.

  Press focused on Marsh and said, "Your physical body is still sound. Yes, you can go back to the Light."

  Everyone stood in stunned silence. Ree and Coop looked to Marsh, waiting for his reaction.

  "I . . . I. . . I. . . I'm not sure I want to go back," Marsh said. "I mean, we all end up here eventually, right? You said it, Mom. This isn't jail. It's not a punishment. It's just part of life."

  "It is," Ree said. "But your first life isn't over yet."

  She took Marsh's face in her hands and through tears said, "Go home, sweetheart. Your father is going to need you. There are so many things you can do before coming back here."

  "But I will be back here!" Marsh said. "So what's the point?"

  "Life begins in the Light," Press said. "It isn't just the first step. In so many ways it's the most important step. This is a journey for everyone, and everyone's journey is different. Where you are is as important as where you're going. Embrace the life you were given, and the rest of your journey will be that much richer for it."