by R. L. King
“What is it?”
“An alchemical mixture that helps open the mind.” She gave a lopsided smile. “It would probably be illegal if the cops found it.”
“Bloody hell,” he said, shocked and impressed. “You just happen to have the exact thing we need in your bag? Have you picked up a new Forgotten power?”
She rattled the bag a little, making a clinking sound. “Nah. I’ve got all kinds of things in here. I threw ’em in before I left, just in case any of ’em might be useful. Most of them are useless for this, though. Not even sure this one will help much, but it won’t hurt.” She poured a capful. “Drink this. I’ve been experimenting with some new techniques I picked up from Edna and Bron’s Nana. I think if the stuff works, we should be able to connect and go in together, assuming Jeremy lets us. You won’t be able to talk to him or do any of the steering, but you can talk to me. Best I can do, I think. If it works. No guarantees.”
Stone took the cap and downed the liquid without question. “Ugh. Tastes like carbonated arse.”
“Yeah, well, the minty-fresh flavor gets added in the production version.” She poured herself a capful and swallowed it, then lowered herself to the concrete floor. After a moment, Jeremy sank down next to her. He looked wary, tired, and scared.
Stone risked a quick glance at the fissure. With Daphne’s help, Kolinsky appeared to have it under control again. It still wasn’t shrinking much, but at least it was moving in the right direction. He sat on Jeremy’s other side, but didn’t touch the boy. “Now what?”
She pulled in several deep breaths. “Okay. I’m kind of making this up as I go along, so bear with me. I’ll take one of Jeremy’s hands and one of yours. You hold Jeremy’s other hand. And whatever you do, don’t let go. We’re kind of making a living magical circle, and you know what happens if you break those.”
“All right. Assuming he’ll allow it.”
Verity smiled at the boy. “Jeremy, we’re going to try to help you now. This will go a lot easier if you don’t fight us. I promise, we won’t do anything to hurt you. All we want to do is figure out where you come from so we can help get you home. Okay?”
He didn’t answer, but he didn’t pull away, either.
“Okay, good. I’m going to take your hand now, nice and gentle.” When he didn’t protest, she extended her right hand and grasped his.
She and Stone both watched carefully. Nothing seemed to happen. Stone switched to magical sight; Jeremy’s aura was still sparking with red flashes, but they seemed to have calmed down somewhat. He was still watching his mother.
“Okay…” Verity murmured. “Now you take my left hand, Doc…”
Stone did as requested. He felt a faint, thrumming buzz, but wasn’t sure it was real or in his mind.
“Good, good…”
“Should you give Jeremy some of that concoction of yours, if you can convince him to swallow it?”
She shook her head. “Not safe. I wouldn’t risk it, since he’s not exactly human. We should be fine. Now…Jeremy, Alastair is going to hold your other hand, okay? You might feel a little tingle, but that’s okay. It means what we’re trying to do here is working.”
Stone, still viewing the scene with magical sight, checked for any new red flashes. When he saw none, he closed his hand around Jeremy’s. The boy’s hand was cold and trembling. The tingling buzz increased in intensity, but it wasn’t painful. After a moment, Jeremy’s fingers moved, tightening the grip.
He really does want to help. Stone felt a sudden sympathy for the boy. None of this was his fault. He hadn’t asked to be brought somewhere he didn’t understand, and he clearly felt terrible about the problems he’d caused. Stone hoped they could do this. He didn’t want to see what Kolinsky, with or without the other dragons, would do to him if they couldn’t.
“Okay,” Verity was murmuring. “Give me a second while I power the circle. Jeremy, this might feel a little weird, but it won’t hurt. You’re doing so well. I know you want to help.”
Stone watched her with pride. She had become a fine mage who didn’t need his guidance anymore; in fact, she was now far more experienced than he was with certain types of magic, including this one. He was also impressed by how well she dealt with Jeremy. If she ever decided to have children of her own, she would no doubt be a great mother.
“Here goes,” she said. “Work with me, Doc. Just focus on supporting and adding power to what I’m doing. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, so be ready for anything.”
“Ready.” He hoped that was true. “Anything” was a fairly broad category.
The buzzing sensation increased intensity again. It didn’t feel artificial or electronic, though, but more like the purr of an enthusiastic cat. He waited for Verity’s instruction on what to do next.
The world changed.
30
The change was so abrupt, it almost startled Stone into releasing his grip on Verity and Jeremy. Both of them tightened their holds, pinning him in place.
The stark concrete of the parking garage had dropped away, replaced by something Stone couldn’t immediately put into words. The only thing it had in common with anything he’d ever seen on Earth was that there was some kind of ground beneath his feet and some kind of sky above his head. Aside from that, all bets were off.
For one thing, the geometry was wrong. The ground, covered with a tall, gently swaying red grasslike substance, tilted crazily upward to his left, forming a slope that was only a couple degrees off vertical. The sky, mostly purple, was shot through with lightning-flashes in a color he couldn’t name. His brain could barely process the sensory information his eyes were sending him. It made him uncomfortable to look at. Oddly, though, despite his discomfort his surroundings didn’t feel wrong. Whatever this was, it wasn’t unusual for this particular space.
It also felt…sad, for lack of a better word. Unsettled. Almost as if it were waiting for something to happen. Or maybe hoping for it.
“Doc?” Verity’s voice sounded hollowly in his head.
He focused, which was harder than usual, and realized he could still feel her hand and Jeremy’s gripping his, even though he couldn’t see either of them. The instant that thought reached his mind, though, they both shimmered into view, one on either side of him. Verity looked as he remembered her, but Jeremy’s form was shadowy and indistinct, with no identifiable features.
“Where are we?” Stone spoke, even though he sensed he didn’t need to.
“Inside Jeremy’s mind.”
He looked around. If this is what the inside of his mind looks like, it’s no wonder the poor kid is mental. “Did you do this?”
“No. Not exactly. I was trying to, but I was having trouble. I didn’t get past the part where I was trying to explain to him what we wanted to do. He sort of…sucked us in, I think.”
“That’s…odd.”
“Maybe…but maybe not.”
“Why’s that?” They hadn’t moved yet. Stone risked a quick glance at Jeremy, but his shadowy form hadn’t changed. “And why does he look like that? You’re clear, but he’s not. You see that, right?”
“Yeah. I think it’s because that’s not really him. He’s in here somewhere—the real him—but we have to find him. I think he wants us to, but he’s scared. Can you feel it?”
“I can…I think. Is that why the whole place feels like it’s depressed?”
“I think so. He’s not happy. He’s scared, and he knows he caused problems. He’s feeling guilty about it.”
“Well…tell him he shouldn’t. None of this is his fault. If anything, it’s his mum’s—but she didn’t know either. No point in assigning blame now. We just need to get him back where he belongs. That is what he wants, right?”
“Yeah. I’m getting that loud and clear. But part of him is fighting us. Come on—let’s go. Take it nice and slow, though.”
“How do you even know which way to go?” Stone had been in some fairly strange places during his magical career
—not to mention his brief experimentation with psychedelic drugs during his university days—but nothing had been even close to this. As he watched, two creatures that looked like misshapen birds drifted past in the distance, ignoring them.
“I’m letting Jeremy lead. This version of him, anyway. Or maybe the other one. Or some combination of the two.” She indicated the shadowy boy. “It’s okay,” she told him gently. “Go ahead, and we’ll follow you.”
The boy hesitated, then took a tentative step forward. The ground rippled under his foot, as if he weighed far more than he appeared. He waited for it to stop, then moved forward again.
“Come on,” Verity whispered to Stone. “Just go at his pace.”
Stone didn’t see any kind of path before them, so he hoped the kid knew what he was doing and wasn’t leading them off to a trap or a wild-goose chase. He looked over his shoulder to see if there was any sign of an opening or a portal behind them, but there wasn’t. The air smelled like something familiar; for a moment he couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but then he realized it was chocolate.
Curiouser and curiouser. The scientist in him was making mental notes at a furious pace.
The shadowy Jeremy moved at slow but steady pace, his posture very much like that of a small boy who wanted something up ahead but was fearful about approaching it too quickly. He held tight to Stone’s hand, keeping him on track but not tugging.
As they moved forward, the landscape changed. The red grass under their feet morphed, first to shorter green and then to something springy and black, like rubbery concrete. The flashes in the sky persisted, but the color changed from medium purple to a darker hue. Oddly shaped lights twinkled around them.
“This is bloody strange,” he murmured to Verity. “Do you think this is what it looks like where he’s from? I can see why Daphne wanted to get away from it, if it is.”
“Not sure. I think this is kind of a mishmash of what he remembers from the other dimension, and stuff he saw here.” She pointed with her free hand. “Look.”
Ahead, a structure shimmered into view. It looked like a building, but once again the angles were wrong. It almost looked like the physical embodiment of the kind of drawing a child would make before he understood how to properly depict perspective. As they approached, a brightly-colored sign became visible over its door, and lights appeared in windows on either side.
Stone narrowed his eyes, squinting to make out the writing on the sign, but it soon became obvious that it wasn’t in English. Possibly it wasn’t in any language at all. The text looked like a random mishmash of strokes, designed more to look interesting than to convey information.
“What’s that?” Verity was squinting at it too. “I can’t read it. What is that, Jeremy?”
Stone almost said he didn’t know, but then, suddenly, he did. He’d seen this place before, albeit in a much more ordered and mundane way. “It’s the toy store,” he said in wonder.
“What toy store?”
“There was a toy store where they stopped for gas in Wisconsin. Across the street. Jeremy ran off to look in the window. Daphne said he got upset when she wouldn’t let him go in because they were closed. I think that’s why…” He let it trail off, even though he was speaking mentally and Jeremy would probably pick up on what he’d been about to say: why he created the fissure there.
The shadowy Jeremy increased his pace a little, clearly drawn to the bright sign. Warm yellow light appeared in both windows, revealing a series of objects: furry teddy bears, train sets, bicycles, toy cars, all in the odd, off-kilter forms from Jeremy’s unfamiliar, imperfect memory.
“Aww…” Verity murmured. “Look, he is just a regular kid. He wanted his mom to get him a toy. Can’t blame him for that. Jeremy, you’ve done amazingly well, dealing with such a strange place. I’m really proud of you, and I’m sure your mom is too.”
Jeremy didn’t visibly react, but Stone felt his hand tighten. It also seemed to warm a little. A sense of hesitant pride radiated from him.
It quickly became apparent that their guide was leading them toward the store.
“Is that all right?” Stone whispered to Verity. “Should we let him take us off track?” He couldn’t stop thinking about what was going on out in the real world. How much time had passed? Were Kolinsky and Daphne still dealing with the rift? Had it grown larger while he and Verity were away?
“I’m…not sure it’s off track. Come on, let’s trust him. I really do think he’s trying to help, even though he’s not quite sure how to do it.”
They kept walking, and more bizarre buildings popped up on either side of him. Stone spotted what looked like a gas station, its pumps and awning skewed at unnatural angles and painted colors so bright they almost hurt his eyes to look at them. Beyond that was what had to be a confusing parody of a fast-food restaurant, all reds and yellows and neon glows. A sign featuring a wide-mouthed, terrifying clown erupted out of the ground, and shadow-Jeremy danced to the side, jerking Stone’s and Verity’s hands so they’d follow.
Is that how he sees the world? Stone wondered, keeping a wary eye on the clown. It almost looked as if it might lunge forward and swallow them whole, but it did nothing but regard them with bright button eyes as they passed. Stone had sometimes wondered how a human from an earlier historical period or primitive society might react if dropped somewhere like downtown Las Vegas with all its flashing neon excess—but at least that person would still be human. They’d still understand things like buildings. But what must it be like on Jeremy’s dimension? If nobody even had a physical body, what did they need with structures, or light, or clothing? Even if Daphne had tried to teach Jeremy about these things, how successful could she have been without a frame of reference to start from?
Jeremy tugged his hand again, and he realized he’d slowed. He hurried to catch up, his sense of urgency growing. Did time even work the same way inside the boy’s disturbed mind?
It was even more obvious now that Jeremy’s destination was the toy store. All around them, more crazy, unsettling buildings popped from the ground, closing in on them in an uncomfortably menacing way. The toy store, with all its weird angles and bizarre mismatched stock, nonetheless glowed with a gentle yellow light, beckoning them forward.
A sanctuary, maybe.
Someplace the confused child had felt safe, even though he’d never been allowed to go inside.
Maybe because he’d never been allowed to go inside. He could imagine what might lie beyond those inviting windows, and convince himself he might find a place to rest.
Jeremy tugged harder, increasing his pace the closer they got to the store.
Stone hurried along next to him, noting the door was closed. How would they get inside?
He needn’t have worried, though. As soon as they drew close to the shop, the door swung wide, revealing a dimly lit interior.
It couldn’t be more obvious that this was Jeremy’s destination. He walked through without hesitation, pulling Stone and Verity along behind him. The instant all three of them had crossed the threshold, the door closed again with a soft click.
Stone paused to look around. Clearly, the boy had never been inside a real Earth toy store. The interior featured the same skewed perspective as the outside, with slanting floors, angled shelves, and tables that didn’t look like they should be upright even though they were. All around them were brightly-colored, bizarre objects. Some of them looked mostly like conventional toys: teddy bears and other stuffed animals lined one shelf, and a series of toy cars were on another—but some had nothing in common with playthings except for the strange, oversaturated colors. Stone wondered if this was because Jeremy had never seen a real toy store except from the outside, so he was extrapolating from what he knew.
“What now?” he asked Verity softly. Shadow-Jeremy had stopped in the middle of the floor, and was now turning his head back and forth as if taking the place in. It was hard to tell, since he didn’t have a face.
“Ju
st wait, I think.”
“We haven’t got a lot of time to wait…”
“I know. But I think it’s important. Just give it a little longer.”
Jeremy remained where he stood for a few more seconds, continuing to look around. Then he started moving again, heading toward the back part of the shop toward a dark, open doorway. His grip tightened on Stone’s hand. He stopped again when he reached the doorway, but didn’t pass through it. Even this close, the darkness inside was complete.
“I think whatever he wants us to see is in there,” Verity murmured. “But he’s afraid. He wants to go in, but he doesn’t want to face it.”
Stone fought to quell his impatience. Forcing Jeremy to go faster wouldn’t help them, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Kolinsky and Daphne out there with the fissure. Were they still keeping it at bay, or would their strength eventually fail? He didn’t even know what the effect of his particular fissure was. They all seemed to be different, at least so far. He supposed he should be grateful that no horrific monsters were pushing through this one, but sometimes the more subtle stuff could be worse.
The chocolate aroma grew stronger, and a gentle clockwork sound rose above the oppressive silence.
“Jeremy,” Verity said gently. “It’s okay. We’re right here with you. We’re not going anywhere, and we won’t let anybody hurt you. This is it, isn’t it? This is where we need to go.”
The boy nodded once and squeezed their hands again. He seemed to steel himself, then crept forward into the back room. When he passed over the threshold, he disappeared into darkness. His hand faded from view, and Stone could no longer feel it gripping his.
“Is he gone?”
“I…think he wants us to go in after him. Take my hand.”
Verity’s hand felt warmer and more substantial than shadow-Jeremy’s had. “So…what? We just march forward into the dark?”
“Do you have a better idea?”
Stone didn’t. “Right, then.” He hoped they were doing the right thing, and Jeremy hadn’t led them into a trap.