by K. H. Pope
I can’t stand it any longer. I start taking pictures down and putting them on the large oak desk. I grab as many as I can hold each time. I’m horrified. Some of these people could have grown old in that state. They could have missed the opportunity to get married, go to school, or retire from a job. What kind of woman does this and does not feel bad about it or doesn’t have a good conscience to just release them? There is no purpose of holding on to innocent people like this.
My fifth trip out of the cement room is interrupted. An elderly woman has made an appearance. She has age spots on her face and hands, and she has long white hair that hangs down her back. A wooden cane with a lion’s head handle is at her side to keep her balance. Her ice cold blue eyes show there’s still youth boiling within her. I know exactly who it is.
Slowly and carefully, I place the pictures on the desk and create a little more distance between us. The woman hobbles over to look at the portraits on the desk. She picks one up and then looks at me. I sure hope she doesn’t make me kill her.
CHAPTER 39
“You must be Alice,” Heather Ostberg Freland says. Her young voice doesn’t match how old she looks, but that’s to be expected since she’s used most of her life, magic, and sanity to create the dimension traps.
“I am.”
“I see you’ve found my treasure trove.” She places the portrait back on the desk.
“They’re human beings, not your trophies,” I reply.
“You can forget trying to save them. Only I can set them free, and that’s not going to happen.”
“Why are you holding them against their will? You have nothing to gain from it.”
“They did not do as they were told after I gave them exactly what they wanted. This is how they must repay me. They are my art pieces. Every single one of them is unique and priceless.”
I keep a strict eye on her. If she can put people in dimension traps and keep them there, then I know for sure she can do a lot more damage to me.
“What did you give Vanessa Brenlich?”
“I gave her the Porsche,” Heather answers. “When she couldn’t give me what I wanted, she was put in the trap. Unfortunately, someone stole the portrait that very same evening. Whoever it was, they were unimaginably quick. When Chief Lacey told me you and your friend was questioning her family, I figured you were the one that took it that evening.”
“The dimension trap was given to me by someone in Paris, and I have no idea who he was.”
She nods, but I can tell she doesn’t believe me.
I continue, “You’ll never get the meteorite. You’ve been trapping people for nothing.”
“You know about the conduit,” she says. “I’m impressed.”
“A conduit? It’s just a rock.”
“It is a vessel of power.”
“The conduit, the vessel of power, the rock, the meteorite, whatever it’s called, you can forget about it. You will not be allowed to take it off the reservation.”
“You don’t know that,” she says with confidence. “I am very close.”
“No, you’re not,” I remark.
“Nonsense.”
“How long has your father tried to get that thing before he died? How young were you when he first started taking you out there?”
Heather does not like the point I’m making.
“Let’s consider the facts,” I say. “You can’t go on the land because it’ll kill you. This also goes for anyone with supernatural powers intending to take the meteorite. So, you send in the tribe’s outside kin thinking they’ll have a better chance, but none of them have come out with it, either. How many years have you and your father been at this? What do you get in return? A mouth full of rocks and sand every time? Open your eyes. Chief Natrik has made it absolutely impossible.”
She swallows hard.
“You’ve wasted the lives of all those people on that desk and in that room for a rock you will never have.”
“It doesn’t matter what you say, I will have the conduit within the year.”
“You’re delusional,” I comment.
“If I were you, I’d be careful at what you call me. I might look old, but I’m far from it. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
“I’m just letting you know what the truth is. You will never, ever get it.”
“Chief Natrik sent you, didn’t he?” Heather asks. “I bet he had you steal that book from my daughter. I want it back.”
“President Oliver probably has it by now.”
“You gave it to him!”
“No, it was stolen by a bunch of Magi Elite flunkies.”
Heather looks down at the desk. She’s beyond pissed, but she’s trying her best to hold it in.
I point out happily, “Did you know that book is useless?”
This gets her attention. “No, it’s not.”
“The book does not show anyone the path to the meteorite. It was meant as a joke created by Chief Natrik.”
“He told you this himself?”
I nod as an answer. Heather huffs with anger. Now, she believes me.
“All that time! I used that stupid book! And you’re telling me that old sand-digger tricked me?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” I respond.
She tugs at the bottom of her jacket and slowly comes around the desk. She clears her throat and says, “You really want to free them, don’t you?”
“It’s not about what I want. It’s about you doing the right thing.”
“The only thing I care about is that conduit. You see, that rock is going to heal me, return my body to its youthful appearance and get me the seat as the Magi Elite President.”
“It’s not going to happen,” I remark with a chuckle.
“It can, and it will. How about we make a deal? A deal suited for the both of us. I will free every person from these dimension traps if you go back to the reservation and get me that rock.”
I stare at her in absolute shock. She’s for real.
“You’re a fallen angel,” she remarks. “You can’t die. Think about it. You, alone, can free every single person down here.”
The offer is unimaginable tempting. I can’t even think straight. Freeing all of those people. It would be worth it, but if I take the rock, the Nottowon Tribe will not survive. They depend on it. Trade lives of those tribespeople for the lives of the ones in the dimension traps? That’s not the right way.
“If you don’t want to do it for these people, think about the level of respect you will have in the Magi Elite community. You’ll be considered a hero, Alice. The Magi Elite will look upon you with great respect, and they might even leave you alone for once.”
I sigh and say, “Heather, just let them go.”
“Bring me the conduit, and I will.”
“I won’t do it.”
“Don’t you care about these people?”
I’m aggravated.
“How about I free John?” she says with a smirk.
“You have him?” I ask angrily.
Heather goes to the back of her desk and pulls out the top drawer. Slowly, she takes out a portrait and shows it to me. I snatch it away from her. It has a head shot of John. He’s looking down. The pit of my stomach is burning with anger.
“Do we have a deal?” she asks.
I walk away from the desk with the portrait in hand. He looks well, and his heart is beating regularly. He doesn’t feel like he’s in distress. Tears start erupting in my eyes. I miss him so much.
“Once he’s back, the both of you can leave this town for good, and you can forget about this place. I’ll have what I want, and you’ll have what you want.”
I close my eyes as I seriously consider her offer. I want to agree so badly. I want John back with me, but not like this.
“I’m not taking the rock from their land, and that’s my final decision.” My heart sinks upon saying those words, but I will not take them back.
“You’re an absolute f
ool, Alice. I’m offering you the only way to save the man you love.”
I exhale with a shiver and say, “I won’t do it.”
Heather shakes her head and remarks, “Do you even understand the significance of the conduit? For hundreds of years, the Nottowon Tribe has been endowing that thing with powers, with their own gifts. Can you imagine what it holds? The person that owns it can control the elements of the Earth.”
“No man or woman can manage that much power,” I remark as I turn squarely to her.
“I will,” she says with resolve.
“Heather, this is the last time I’m going to ask you to let them go.”
“Or what? You’re going to do to me what you did to my husband?”
“I don’t want to, but I will.”
It’s more than apparent that my threat has bounced off of her. She is composed and steady, even as she stands with her cane. Her need to have the meteorite is beyond measure and no amount of talking is going to change her mind. Maybe, she’s too far invested. Just the thought of stopping with absolutely no success is too much to bear.
She remarks, “You underestimate-”
The door behind me hits against the wall, startling me. President Oliver and Jacob Pike walk in. Jacob is the man that I ran from at the gas station in Utah, and the same guy that offered me points for my wing stumps outside the hotel in Cactus. He has the Nottowon book. I’m actually surprised to see them here.
“Heather,” President Oliver remarks with a serious expression.
“What a surprise to see you, Frederick,” she says, “and I see you have your puppy dog with you.”
“You will recognize my title. It is President Oliver to you.”
“Hmmm,” she says with defiance.
“And why am I not surprised to see you here?” President Oliver says to me.
I hold my tongue.
“Where is Chief Lacey?” President Oliver asks Heather.
“I’m not his mother,” she answers smartly.
“But the Chief is working for you,” he says. “I want to know what you’re up to. If you’re trying to take my position, you will not succeed.”
She leans forward on her desk and taunts him, “Do you feel threatened, Fred-e-rick?”
Heather is smiling way too much, and I back up against the wall while holding John’s portrait.
“I will not tolerate your insubordination, Heather.”
She laughs and remarks, “You are so pathetic. You are the so-called great leader of the Magi Elite, and you have no idea what’s going on. You’re such an idiot, Fred-e-rick. Do you know that Alice here has it all figured out? It’s quite amusing to see someone like you being outdone.”
President Oliver clenches his hands, his chest swells up. “I want answers, Heather.”
“I don’t care what you want,” she states.
“What have you done to all of those people that are missing? I know you and Chief Lacey had something to do with it.”
She looks down. “Some of them are here, right on my desk.”
President Oliver and Jacob get closer. Their shock is measured by their expressions: mouths agape, eyes wide, and a horrific look.
“How did you mana-”
Before the President can get his question out, Heather points her fingers at both men, and a blaze of white fire hits them both. Neither one is fast enough to block the attack. They quickly disintegrate into a pile of ashes. I’m confounded and shocked. She’s the one that tried to burn me alive in the trailer.
We look at each other, and I decide I’m not going to wait for her to try and burn me alive again. Once is way too much. I concentrate on her shoulder bone. Several bones break instantly, and she screams and falls on the ground.
I rush over to where President Oliver and Jacob were standing, and I look down at the pile of ashes. They are dead, just like that.
Just as I turn to take control of Heather again and break another bone, she disappears. I go around to the other side of the desk. She’s not there, either.
Without warning, a man appears in front of me, and he lands a hard punch at my nose. I hit the floor so hard that it takes my breath away, and the guy follows up by kicking me in the stomach. My face is throbbing. I can’t breathe. I’m in excruciating pain, but most of all, I’m mad as hell. I try to look and see who he is. I want to break every bone in his body, but fortunately for him, I can’t see him. My vision is blurred. I try to find an ounce of strength to push back the pain and get back on my feet, but it’s no use. I feel like I’m losing control of my body.
Heather’s haggard voice begins to echo in my head. The office begins to fade to white, and I can’t stop it. The worse is happening. A dimension trap is being formed around me. Just when I think all is lost, I see hope, John’s picture. I reach for it and pull it closer to me.
The white light is getting brighter. There is no door and no window. I decide not to fight it. I have something that reminds me of John, and I really won’t be alone.
But something strange begins to happen. Cracks are forming in the walls. Dark, long fissures are growing through the length and width of the smooth surfaces. The spidery cracks cross and combine into one another. There’s a loud rumbling, and the dimension room begins shaking. Then the walls crumble, and the office reappears. I look at my hand hoping to have John’s portrait, but it’s gone. I look around, my vision is not as blurry, but I see that Heather and the guy have burning holes in the middle of their chests. Both are dead on the floor. I can’t find John’s picture.
When I try to get back on my feet, I see John’s body. He’s out of the trap! How did he get out? I crawl over to check on him. He’s unconscious, but he doesn’t appear to be hurt.
“Move away from him,” Inspector Renald demands.
The lady that was throwing fireballs from the night before at Ammon’s truck is beside him. I slowly stand and move away. I feel like a dump truck has hit me five times. Blood is leaking from my nose. I wipe it away and lean against the wall.
Inspector Renald commands the woman, “Officer Kutto, contact headquarters. We need a medical team for Mr. Zuller, an evidence team for the rest of these traps, and a coroner here right away. Also, contact Vice President Bishop. Tell him President Oliver and Mr. Pike is dead.”
The woman gets on her phone immediately. Before I can make a move or a say a word, handcuffs appear on my wrists.
“Alice, you’re coming with us,” Inspector Renald remarks. “Do not resist.”
“What about John?”
“He’ll be brought back to Hamburg by a medical team. They’ll be here shortly.”
I don’t want to leave him, but I have a feeling it’s best not to fight Inspector Renald on this one. He opens the door that usually leads to the stairs, but a transfer chamber is there instead. All three of us enter, and before the door is completely closed, I watch John in hopes he’ll wake up. He doesn’t.
CHAPTER 40
We enter directly into what looks like an interrogation room. Inspector Renald tells me to sit down at the cold metal table. Once I do as he says, the chain to my handcuffs attaches itself to a handle in the center of the table. I can feel magic going through the metal. It is a binding power, to keep me from using my gifts. Inspector Renald must not know that spell doesn’t work on me. I don’t let on I can escape. Staying put will do until I figure out what he wants.
They leave me alone in the room. I simply sit back and try to breathe through the left over pain. My only concern now is what the Magi Elite Missing Persons Unit will do about everyone in the portraits. I’m hoping they’ll be more concerned than their president.
I sit for what feels like forever. I want out of the cuffs, and I want answers. My patience is now at zero.
Just as I’m about to break the chain from the cuffs, the door opens. Inspector Renald walks in with the Nottowon book, some of the portraits, and the paperwork I gathered from my investigation. He places them on the table and sits down across from me.
/>
He doesn’t appear to be angry, but he isn’t happy, either. And even though his expression is unreadable, I’m not nervous one bit. I don’t feel any danger from him, but I do sense the dimension traps in the folders.
“Where is John?” I ask.
“Before I answer your question, you must answer a few of mine first, and I want the truth.”
“Fine. Ask away.”
“How did you do it?”
“How did I do what?” I ask.
“How did you get out of the dimension trap that was forming around you?”
I think about that for a moment. How did that happen? I didn’t try to break out.
“I don’t know,” I answer.
“How did you get John Zuller out of the trap?”
“I don’t know.”
He points at the book and asks, “What is this book about? Will it explain how to open the traps?”
“That book has nothing to do with the traps.”
“What is it used for?”
I explain to Inspector Renald how Heather thought the book would lead to a meteorite that’s on the Nottowon land, and how Chief Natrik created it to throw her followers off the trail of the meteorite. I also tell him that the book is useless and doesn’t mean a thing.
“Why does she want the meteorite?”
“She wants power. She wants President Oliver’s position.”
“Where do the traps come into this?”
“Heather Freland put those people in the traps if they didn’t bring back the meteorite,” I respond.
“Does she have it now?”
“No, I think she would already be in power if she did.”
“Why would she put them in the trap if they were helping her?”
“Because they owed her. They made a bargain they couldn’t keep. She gives them whatever they want, and in return, they were supposed to get her the meteorite. None of them could do it. So, living in the dimension traps became their payment.”
“What happened in that house before I got there?”
“President Oliver and Heather Freland had a discussion about what she was trying to do. She wouldn’t tell them anything. When the President and Pike guard was down, she killed them.”