Resonance 4th Edits - Bleeding Worlds Bk 3

by Justus R. Stone

  She launched herself toward the door, dragging the others behind her.

  There is no floor, she told herself, they can just glide along behind me.

  She reached a tentative hand forward. The song was clear now, blasting from the other side of the door. It’s notes sounded strained, hurried, but there was no mistake. She turned the knob, throwing herself and the others across the threshold.

  They landed in a heap in a strange room.

  “We’re out,” Adrastia said with a gasp.

  “What?” a voice she wasn’t familiar with said.

  She turned to study the scene in front of her.

  A sick knot twisted in her gut.

  Gwynn lay on the ground, his arm severed. Sophia cradled him in her lap.

  The culprit was obvious—Cain—who stood immobilized, facing his father—Pridament—for the first time in millennia. There were others, though she only recognized Jason.

  Cain made good on his promise—he sought out Gwynn and tried to kill him. He might have stopped, caught off guard by the presence of his father, but he would resume soon enough. She’d been wrong. Sending Gwynn to Asgard delivered him to his doom.

  No. She wouldn’t let it happen.

  She forced her wobbling legs to stand straight beneath her. Willing all her strength into them, she propelled herself forward, to cross the distance to Cain before he could notice.

  They collided.

  There was no lessening in her momentum. She tore the Veil, dragging Cain in with her.

  For a brief moment, her gaze met Pridament’s.

  “Protect Gwynn,” she said, disappearing into the hellish chaos with Cain.

  II

  In the lowest levels of Valhalla, minutes before Adrastia’s arrival, prophesy was being fulfilled.

  When Pridament encountered Sophia from Gwynn’s Earth, she said the boy would lead Pridament to the end of his quest. He now held Gwynn in his arms, staring at the answer he’d spent years searching for.

  “Gwynn,” he said.

  The grown man’s eyebrow raised quizzically. He looked confused, as though no one had called him that in a very long time. What frightened Pridament was the anger he saw beneath the confusion. Had his son been lost so long he’d come to hate who he’d once been?

  “Who are you?” the man asked.

  Pridament’s heart ached. His son didn’t know him. Then he remembered he wasn’t wearing his true face.

  “Sophia,” Pridament said, “come support Gwynn.”

  She ran forward, cradling Gwynn in her arms.

  “I’m not sure if you’ll remember me,” Pridament said, rising to his feet. “If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll show you my true face. I hope you’ll recognize it.”

  Muscle and bone became pliable, shifting and sliding into a preprogrammed pattern it recognized, even if Pridament himself had a hard time recalling the specifics. How long since he’d looked in the mirror and seen his true face? But then, for the past ten years, and especially since meeting Gwynn in Brantfield, he’d come to regard Pridament as his true identity. Who he’d been before seemed more a dream with each passing day.

  He knew the process finished when he had an overwhelming urge to rub his cheeks. The process always ended with them feeling numb—a numbness his mind said required vigorous rubbing to resume blood flow.

  “Do you know me Gwynn?” Pridament asked. “Do you recognize me…”

  He was going to say “son,” but the word frightened him. What if this man didn’t know him? Or worse yet, what if he did recognize him and held nothing but hatred for the man who’d failed to rescue him so many years ago?

  For a moment, the grown Gwynn studied his face. The look in his eyes gave Pridament some hope. Anunnaki were famous for their memories—probably evolutionary given their long life spans. But Gwynn hadn’t awakened as an Anunnaki before that night. It was possible he’d lost the memories of his youth.

  His Gwynn took a step closer, his mouth working, trying to find the right movements to give voice to a long abandoned word.

  Pridament felt everyone’s eyes pressing on them. There was no doubting the power of this man in front of them. Even Pridament’s considerable years and power might not be enough to conquer this version of Gwynn. They all remained motionless, holding their breath, waiting to see what gamble Pridament was playing, and if it would pay off.

  “Da…dad?” The elder Gwynn said.

  “Yes, Gwynn, that’s right. It’s me. I’ve been looking for you.”

  Warm tears flowed down Pridament’s cheeks.

  A commotion came from his right, but Pridament ignored it. He only had eyes for his son. Who knew what trials the boy had faced—and faced alone. What he’d done to Gwynn was inexcusable, but could there be a reason? Maybe something happened, putting him on the wrong path. Perhaps he could be rehabilitated.

  Something slammed into his son’s midsection. It took a moment for Pridament to realize it was the girl, Adrastia, who’d proven to be such a mystery in Brantfield.

  He felt a tear open. He couldn’t process what was happening, it moved so fast.

  “Protect Gwynn,” Adrastia said.

  Then they were gone.

  Swallowed by the Veil.

  “No!” Pridament yelled.

  He surged forward, all sense abandoned. He would push his way through her tear in the Veil. He would follow them.

  His son needed him.

  “Pridament,” Sophia called. “Gwynn’s not doing well. Pridament, we need you.”

  Protect Gwynn.

  Yes, there was still another Gwynn who needed him. He shook his head. There was no way he could follow them through the Veil. Even a Script would have a hard time doing such a thing. He’d come this close to his Gwynn, and at least he knew he was alive. Alive, and strong enough to take care of himself. He couldn’t say the same about the Gwynn behind him.

  He turned back and ran to aid Sophia.

  “He’s burning up,” she said.

  “We need to get him out of here,” Pridament agreed.

  Jason moved between them and Katsuro and his men.

  “Before all this happened, we were about to have ourselves a fight,” Jason said. “Are we agreed this isn’t the time or place, or are we going to make this even messier?”

  “Oh, it’ll get fucking messy all right,” a familiar voice said from behind Katsuro.

  Everything happened so fast, Jason hadn’t even seen the arrival of his teammates. He felt a weight lift seeing their faces. Though not all of them were present.

  Oh God, no.

  But there was no time to dwell on those things. There would be time for conversation and, if necessary, mourning, later.

  Katsuro looked to Jason and then hazarded a brief glance behind him.

  That’s right, do the math. Six Anunnaki versus one and two men with guns.

  “We withdraw,” Katsuro said. “It seems we have much to discuss.”

  When Katsuro fully turned so the other members of Ansuz could see him properly, Jason thought they might burst into tears.

  “Kats?” Brandt asked.

  “He’s this world’s version,” Jason yelled over Katsuro’s shoulder. “Our’s is still gone.”

  Seeing how crestfallen they looked, Jason almost regretted shattering their hopes. But this was a new world, and hope had little place.

  “This was your plan,” Jason said to Katsuro, “what was the exit strategy? It’s pretty obvious we’re not going out the way we came in.”

  Katsuro nodded his agreement.

  “The Aesir use a variety of vehicles. I figured we might…borrow one to make our escape. The plan was to escape during the chaos caused by our assault forces.”

  “Then let’s hope they’ve managed to keep the fight up.”

  “Hold on,” Caelum said, moving to Gwynn. “Let me see if I can help stabilize Gwynn before we try to move him.”

  “Can you put him flat on the ground?” Caelum asked Sophia.

>   She looked to Pridament who nodded it was fine.

  Caelum leaned over Gwynn, drew on the Veil, and placed his hands on Gwynn’s injured arm.

  “If only I’d gotten here before you cauterized the wound. We might’ve had a chance of reattaching the arm.”

  “There’s nothing to reattach,” Sophia stammered. “It was lost inside the Bifrost.”

  Caelum’s look said, What the hell is a Bifrost? But he didn’t bother asking the question aloud. Instead, he focused his attention on Gwynn.

  “Geez, man, we need to stop doing this dance every time you try to save the world.”

  A white glow emanated between Caelum’s fingers as he glided them up Gwynn’s injured arm, onto his chest, and then finishing at his temples.

  He fell back on his haunches and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  “That’s all I can do for now unless you want to carry both of us. There are all sorts of things wrong in there beyond just the arm, but I think I’ve done enough to make it safe to move him.”

  “I’ll take him,” Pridament said.

  He lifted Gwynn up into his arms. Sophia stayed glued to his side.

  “Brandt, take a position behind Pridament and cover our rear,” Jason ordered. “Caelum, you be in front of Pridament, in case Gwynn needs any further patches on the way.”

  The two boys fell into line without question.

  Both Marie and Jackson looked like dolls played with to the point of breaking.

  “Marie, Jackson,” Jason used a softer tone than he had with Brandt and Caelum, “what are the two of you feeling capable of?”

  Marie could barely meet his eyes.

  “I’m fine just staying here.”

  “Don’t talk that way, Marie,” Jason said. He knelt down closer to her. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I can tell by looking at all of you it must’ve been Hell. And I can see we’ve lost friends.”

  Marie sucked back a sob.

  “But we lost them trying to survive. They wouldn’t want us to throw away the gift they had stolen. It’s our obligation to them to live…and to make the bastards responsible, pay.”

  Marie looked him square in the eye, searching for sincerity. When she saw it, she nodded and took a position by Caelum.

  “Jackson?”

  “I’m good,” he replied, though with little conviction. “Give me a minute to clear my head, and I’ll take a position near point—see if I can keep us clear of any unfriendlies.”

  Jason slapped him on the shoulder.

  “That’s what I need. But if you need anything…”

  Jackson nodded. “Yeah, I’ll ask.”

  “Are we ready?” Katsuro asked. “Because I’d hate to deprive the Einherjar of the pleasure of trapping us in an enclosed space with only one exit.”

  “He’s more of a douche bag than our Katsuro was,” Jackson whispered to Jason.

  Jason gave a stifled chuckle in reply. There was no way he’d disagree.

  “Jackson’s an empath,” Jason said to Katsuro. “Listen to what he says, he’ll keep us clear of the worst.”

  Katsuro gave Jackson an appraising look.

  “Hey,” Jackson said with a little wave.

  Katsuro sighed and waved him toward the doors.

  Jackson pressed his palm against the door and closed his eyes.

  Katsuro became almost immediately impatient.

  “Well?”

  “The battle is still going on outside. We’re clear through this door, but I sense a fair amount of anxiousness directed this way. I’d say they know we’re here, but they’ve been told not to engage us—and they’re not too happy about that.”

  “Impressive,” Katsuro said. “You’re sure you’re not a mind reader?”

  “No,” Jackson shook his head, “no mind reader. I’ve just had enough experience with people and their feelings. I can make some pretty accurate guesses as to why they feel the way they do.”

  “But why would Woten just let us walk out of here?” Jason asked.

  “Woten? You mean our Woten?”

  Jason nodded grimly.

  “We have a lot to discuss when we’re somewhere safer. But what do you think? Is it safe? Are we walking into a trap?”

  “Don’t know,” Jackson shrugged. “I can only tell you they know we’re here, and their emotions make it clear they feel conflicted about this room. Since they’re not approaching, I’m guessing it’s because they have been ordered not to, and they disagree with their orders. But if it is Woten, then I can guess why they wouldn’t disobey.”

  “Good enough,” Katsuro said.

  He pulled the door open and took a few hesitant steps into the hall. He looked front and back and then motioned for the others to join him.

  They proceeded down the hall, took a turn, and came to a stop.

  “I think we know why they wouldn’t attack,” Katsuro said.

  They were in the bowels of Valhalla, surrounded by walls and floors carved from stone—far below the opulence of gold, statuary, and open column balconies of the upper levels. Given their location, the sudden appearance of grass and trees growing from the floor, smashing through the roof above, and the sound of birds singing in the distance, was unnerving.

  “Another bleed through.” Jackson surmised.

  Jason took several steps closer, reaching a hesitant hand toward the boundaries of the foreign world.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “It feels…different. That building on the farm and the city in Florida, they felt like a square peg hammered into a circular hole—something that didn’t belong. But this…it feels more like a—“

  “Door,” Katsuro finished.

  “I was going to say Tear, but sure, door works as well.”

  Katsuro stood beside him. He shoved his hand into the space. It vanished from sight.

  “Holy!” Jackson shouted.

  Katsuro’s expression didn’t register any pain. His brow raised and his gaze focused on where his hand should be.

  “I can still feel it,” he said. “I’m flexing my fingers and I feel them just fine. I don’t even feel the sensation of tearing into the Veil. It’s like my hand is just there in front of me.”

  Pridament moved closer, turning his body to avoid any chance of Gwynn’s unconscious form from coming into contact with the disturbance.

  “We initially thought the Bifrost was a bridge, allowing free travel between worlds without the hazards of crossing the Veil. Could it be whatever Gwynn did caused it to become just that?”

  “So what you’re saying,” Jason said, “is we’re looking at a bridge point to another world. That, unlike the bleed throughs, we could just walk through this into another world without being harmed?”

  Pridament shrugged.

  “I don’t know. But every myth has some truth, right?”

  A rush of wind blasted past from behind them.

  “What the…?”

  Jason turned to look at the others behind him.

  “Dammit, Marie. Caelum, she was right next to you. Couldn’t you stop her?”

  “Seriously? She ramped up and launched while I blinked.”

  Less than a minute later, Marie materialized in front of the group.

  “That was stupid and reckless,” Jason chastised her. “You could’ve died.”

  “Well, there’s no way around it, we can’t fold because of the wards, and I promise you, no one wants to go into the Veil. It seemed like a recon mission. That’s my specialty.”

  “Fine,” Jason sighed. “Did you find anything?”

  “It’s like Pridament said, a direct link to some other world. You go in and come out on another world on the other side. It’s beautiful. In that world, the anomaly looks like a piece of this hall sitting in the middle of a field.”

  “So how do we use that to get to the other side of the hall?” Katsuro asked.

  “Hold on,” Marie said.

  She disappeared again and reappeared seconds later on the ot
her side of the hall. She then disappeared again and rejoined the others.

  “It’s all about how you enter,” she explained. “If I go in from this side in this world, I come out on the opposite side in the other world.”

  “So if we go to the other world, then enter from this side, we come out on that side of the hallway?” Jason clarified.

  Marie nodded.

  “Ok, Marie, go to the other side and help direct everyone,” Katsuro instructed. “Jason, you and I should go first, so there’s some muscle on the other side in case those guards decide to attack.”

  “Right.”

  “Uh, I hate to interrupt,” Jackson said, hand raised as though he was the kid in the class who knew the answer. “But has anyone considered the fact we have three non-Anunnaki with us? I mean, do I need to remind you what happened the last time we pulled a normal from a bleed through?”

  “He became a Curse,” Jason explained to Katsuro.

  “I’ll go,” Sophia said.

  Jason raised his hands, ready to hold her back.

  “Oh, no. I promised Gwynn I would watch out for you. I’m not about to take the chance something happens to you.”

  Sophia eyed the bridge beyond Jason. He shifted directly in front of her, sensing she might try to bolt past.

  “Look,” she said, “either we go through this bridge and come out the other side, or we stay here and starve, or wait until the guards get their courage up and come for us. Besides, I know it’s possible for a normal human to go from one world to another. After all, my dad brought me here.”

  “But we don’t know if this is the same thing,” Jason said.

  Sophia shrugged.

  “One way or another, we’re going to have to try. It’s either me or one of those two men. They have families waiting for them. My mom is gone,” her voice softened, “and my father betrayed me. I’m the best choice for this. There’s fewer people who will miss me.”

  “Brandt, you can control rock and earth,” Jason said. “Maybe you could tunnel around the anomaly?”

  In reply, Brandt walked over to the wall and placed his hands against its surface. After a moment, he leaned his forehead against it, and then reared back and smashed his fist into the wall.