Chasm

by Michael Joel Green

  He rubbed his hand along the bark of the trees. The trunks had grown so gnarled over the years that they almost looked like carvings, and Daniel thought for a second he was seeing things because, from one of the knots in the bark, he imagined the outline of a face forming. He blinked, and it was gone.

  Nobody will believe me when I tell them about this back home. Of course, I wouldn’t believe me, either. It’s crazy. I feel like any minute I’m going to wake up with my head plastered to the bus window and Stephanie Meacham will be sitting beside me and annoying me like always.

  Usually when it came to exciting things happening to him and his friends, Stevie was the winner. Every year, his dad took them on amazing vacations. Ski trips, snorkeling in the ocean, even a trip to an Old West ghost town. None of the guys ever topped his stories—until now, that was. “I can’t wait to get home and see the looks on their faces,” Daniel said with a grin.

  Actually, he couldn’t wait to get home, period. It didn’t matter if he ever got a chance to top Stevie’s trip to the ghost town. If he had a choice between normal everyday life and this, he’d take his boring life and be happy with it if it meant going home.

  Just let me shut my eyes and be back in Grisby. Maybe get a chance to say goodbye to Alistair, but that’s about it. I mean, this has been fun and all. Who wouldn’t want to get zapped up in a magic portal that’s been sealed for seven hundred years? But I’m ready to get out of here.

  Daniel stepped on a branch underfoot. He was surprised how loud the crackling was. In fact, he was surprised at a lot of things. He’d been so engrossed in thought that he was unaware of how dark it had become—much too dark, and much too quickly. “And where in the world did the sun go? Was there some sort of eclipse? How am I supposed to get back now?”

  It was true. Even in daylight, he’d have difficulty finding his way back to the cabin. It wasn’t like he’d been leaving a trail of berries or anything. In the dark, he had no chance. “Oh man, I wish I had a cell phone to call Alistair. Why did I have to be so stupid and sneak out without telling him?”

  He didn’t dwell on the question for long. He saw four lights rising in the sky. Shooting stars, in reverse. Only no way were these stars. They were much too big and way too bright, and Daniel’s senses heightened. Alarm bells went off in his head. Under ordinary circumstances, he wouldn’t consider it a big deal. After all, there were millions of stars in the sky, plus all the comets and asteroids. He even once watched a show about a meteor shower that burned a whole village. But he’d stopped dealing in the world of ordinary. Something strange was happening and he doubted it was something good.

  As if someone flipped a switch, each of the stars shined a huge spotlight upon the ground and the lights swept across the landscape, illuminating everything in their path. They streaked over the land in orbital patterns, and with each pass, Daniel heard commotion of all sorts: birds fleeing their shelter, the cries of the kookaburra, shrieks of displaced chipmunks. In the distance, Daniel heard the howl of a coyote and, for a second, even thought he heard people sounds.

  They were forcing life out of its hiding, and Daniel knew they were headed his way. How could they not be—the sudden disappearance of the sun followed by their emergence? Daniel took off. It seemed these days his whole life revolved around one thing—running—but it sure as heck beat the alternative. He’d never met this Meruzilak guy (didn’t really want to), but he’d heard enough stories to know that, if the searchlights spotted him, formal introductions wouldn’t be too far off.

  He reached the entrance to the sanctuary, but as he did, the lead searchlight broke through and almost spotted him. Daniel turned and ran the other way. One of the others zigzagged and made a beeline in his direction. They weren’t going to make this easy, were they? Well, no matter, he thought. He outran the bad guy in Grisby, he’d do the same here. Only problem was that, in Grisby, Daniel had familiarity working in his favor. He was stripped of it now and didn’t know where he was going.

  The sanctuary had become maze-like and, worse yet, the lights were getting closer. Daniel knew exactly what they were doing—quartering off, trying to pin him in on all sides. If that happened, they’d sweep toward the center and trap him in the middle. Daniel was in trouble, and he knew it.

  Deeper into the sanctuary he ran, the lights circling in on him. One shone upon a cluster of trees, not too far away, and a group of birds shot out from among the branches. Daniel ran a short ways, then stopped under the leaves of a willow tree.

  He leaned against its bark and put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He knew he was wasting valuable time but didn’t care, as he needed to get control of his nerves. “Come on, Daniel, think,” he told himself and went over the options. He could keep running, but it did no good unless he knew where he was going. He could be going in circles, or worse yet, heading straight into a trap. The thought of being caught by Meruzilak sounded more and more terrible—just hearing the name in his head frightened him.

  Daniel held up his hands and saw they were shaking. Actually, it was more like trembling, and so were his legs. To make matters worse, his adrenaline must be throwing off his vision because he was certain he’d seen the tree move.

  “Hey, that tickles,” Daniel said as a willow crept along the back of his neck. He pushed himself away from the bark. “Okay, get a hold of yourself. It’s the wind.” Which might have been a reasonable assumption had there been a breeze.

  The tree was moving. Its root slithered past his shoes, while its branches bent low and lurched in his direction. Its willows, like fingers slipping out of a mitten, slowly uncurled, reaching upward until they met those of their neighbor tree, then the trees knit themselves together, weaving their branches to form an archway over Daniel’s head.

  One by one, the willows of the sanctuary followed suit. Sewing their leaves to those around them, they formed a canopy under which Daniel could travel. The sky overhead grew less and less visible, and he realized what the trees were doing—hiding him from the searchlights. Not only that, they were giving him a road map. As long as he stayed underneath, the trail would lead him out of the sanctuary and, he hoped, far away from Meruzilak.

  To the right, the path opened and Daniel ran in its direction. It was a little disconcerting. For all he knew, it could be a trap—the lights spot him and the vines snare him—but he followed, anyway, careful to stay hidden under the awning of leaves.

  The pathway came to an end and emptied into a small clearing. In front of him, Daniel saw a chubby tree with long, brown pine needles. Its branches, like ladders, cast long shadows across the doleful sky. A figure stepped out from behind them.

  “Alistair, is that you? Alistair, did you do all this?”

  Alistair didn’t speak. Instead, he knelt on the ground and placed his hands against the base of the tree. “Shaluhk Amahrach,” he whispered into the pines. The pines spread, the bark rolled away, and the two of them stepped inside.

  Chapter 27

  Secrets Revealed

  Lighting a torch from the wall, Alistair led the way down a steep flight of stairs. The wood was old and Daniel felt his feet shaking with each step. How was it possible that he was walking down an underground staircase inside of a tree? Maybe there would be time for explanations later, but for now he kept his mouth shut. Besides, he wasn’t sure if Alistair was mad at him for sneaking out. He wouldn’t blame him if he was.

  It was crazy: one minute, he was skipping rocks by the riverbed and the next minute running for his life. And what the heck were those lights? Alistair definitely showed up in the nick of time. Another couple of seconds and they would have—never mind. He didn’t want to think about what might have happened if Alistair hadn’t come.

  The stairs ushered them into a long hallway. Alistair cast his torch forward and Daniel realized it was a tunnel, not that much different from the old copper mines he’d seen. The difference was its walls were narrower, its ceiling more worn. The lone sound to be heard
came from the flicker of the torchlight.

  “Where are we?” Daniel asked. He kept his voice to a whisper; there was a feeling of reverence to this place that he didn’t want to disturb.

  “The Temple of the Ancients.”

  “The Ancients?”

  “The Ancients are the keepers of the past and the first to inhabit these lands. They built this as a sanctuary for those in trouble.” Alistair pointed the torchlight at the wall and Daniel noticed strange drawings covering its surface. He leaned in to get a closer look. “Along these walls,” Alistair said, “is told a history of our land, scribed by the Ancients throughout the centuries.”

  Daniel let his eyes roll over the images. The first thing he noticed was they weren’t like the old hieroglyphic images of mummies and pharaohs in the pyramids. These were more crafted, intricately designed. He didn’t know what they were or what they meant but was able to discern a few familiar images, most notably a castle, carved with phantasmal creatures circling its turrets. Daniel traced his fingers along its outline, unable to hide his enthusiasm.

  “These are incredible. It’s like taking a trip to a museum, except these are painted on stone and not on canvas. I mean, look at this mountain. It looks so real.” He reached out his hand to touch it but instantly recoiled. “What was that?” he cried. He reached again to touch the mountain but, instead, doubled over in pain.

  It felt like his head was about to explode with what sounded like a million voices screaming into his ears, forcing their way through every inch of his skull. Daniel fell to his knees, begging them to stop, but he couldn’t speak. It hurt too much to open his mouth. Daniel curled into a ball and put his hands over his ears, trying to shut out the nightmare of voices. Everything around him started spinning and he thought for sure he was going to pass out.

  The voices gradually dissipated; the pain subsided. Daniel heard Alistair’s voice calling to him. “Daniel, can you hear me? Are you all right?”

  “What was that?” Daniel asked, a look of terror written on his face.

  Alistair spoke with a solemn tone. “The longer one lives here, the more he hears them. They are the tortured souls of Meruzilak, and the reason you are here. Now, come. Follow me.”

  It was all Daniel could do to stand without falling. Somehow he managed to stay on his feet; somehow he managed to follow.

  ***

  They reached the end of the tunnel and Alistair pushed against the wall. It rolled away and they stepped outside a large hollowed boulder. In the distance, Daniel saw the retreating searchlights. The land was quiet again. Alistair stopped at the edge of the river, bent down, and gently rubbed his hand along the water’s surface. From out of the mist, a small canoe made its way toward them. “This way,” he said, stepping into the boat. “Watch your step.”

  Alistair reached into a pack sitting on the floor of the canoe and pulled out a cloak. “Put this on. It will get cold tonight. You will be glad for it.” Alistair pointed his arm to the right and the canoe followed his lead. Moving slowly with the current, they put distance between themselves and Meruzilak’s searchlights.

  There were so many questions Daniel wanted to ask that he didn’t know where to begin, so he picked the first that came to mind. “How did you find me?”

  Alistair scoffed. “Find you? I never lost you.”

  “Well, if you knew where I was, how come it took you so long? You almost let them catch me.”

  “Since you arrived, I’ve been shielding you from Meruzilak as best as I could. Once you stepped outside the cabin, it made no difference if I found you within a few seconds or a few hours. You were away from my protection and your presence was felt. I left you as long as I did to see how near he was—to see if he would show his hand, which he did. And now we know he is close.

  “You have opened a doorway from a long time ago, Daniel, and it has not gone unnoticed. Believe what you want about me and everything I’ve told you. But have no doubt about this, he will be looking for you, and if he finds you, he will show you no mercy. He never does.”

  Alistair guided the canoe toward deeper water. “Be careful what you wish for, Daniel. You wish for excitement when you should be wishing for safety. You long for independence but you should be looking for someone to walk beside you.” He handed Daniel an oar and motioned for him to paddle. “Before you crawl through open doors,” Alistair said, “be sure what is on the other side.”

  They traveled in darkness for several hours. The air got colder, and Daniel hugged tightly the cloak Alistair had given him. He wasn’t sure why Alistair gave him the paddle—all he had to do was steer with his magic—but Daniel paddled, nonetheless.

  They passed the time in silence. Daniel didn’t feel like talking, or perhaps more than that, he was tired of listening. He was certain Alistair would explain what he meant by “imprisoned souls” and “Temple of the Ancients,” but right now he was having a hard enough time wrapping his head around everything else. In Daniel’s world, none of this made sense. People didn’t change shapes. Trees didn’t have underground tunnels. But in whatever weird, messed-up world this was, it all made perfect sense. Everything he’d seen so far convinced him this world was real. But if it was real, it meant everything Alistair had told him was true, also—and that was the problem. He didn’t want it to be.

  Daniel had no idea what he’d done to open an ancient portal. It was surely all a mistake, but who would listen to him? He couldn’t go back and do it over again, this time refusing to take the stone from Illiana. And even if he could, it still wouldn’t explain the monster in the lake. Why did I have those dreams? Am I the only one who’s had them? Did Dad ever have them? Has Josh? No, I know Josh hasn’t. He would have said so. He’s never kept a secret in his life.

  He remembered what his father told him in the hospital: “There are so many things I need to tell you.” Was his dad talking about this or about normal stuff, like how to drive a stick shift and tie a fisherman’s knot? He knew there was more to the story and that Alistair was right—that it would probably get a lot worse before it got better—but he wasn’t ready to hear it. Right now, he wanted to turn off his brain and not think. Maybe that’s why Alistair had given him the oar, to take his mind off things.

  They stopped and made camp for the night. Alistair made a fire and went into the woods. Daniel warmed himself while he was gone. Soon, Alistair returned with a small sack and sat by the fire. He emptied the bag and out dropped a handful of nuts and berries. He spread a berry on top of an arrow-shaped leaf, cracked one of the nuts and blew into the end of it until a thick substance oozed out. Alistair held the leaf over the fire for a second (just long enough to get it warm) and handed it to Daniel. “Here, try this,” he said.

  It was wonderful. It tasted like a peanut butter and jelly cracker. It was warm and sweet and the best thing Daniel had tasted in ages. “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s a dessert my father taught me to make. It’s called a koncheuh.” When Alistair said it, his voice came out in a clicking sound, and Daniel laughed out loud.

  “Try it,” Alistair said, repeating the name. “Koncheuh.” He pointed to his throat. “Let your voice come from here.”

  “K-k-on-chew,” Daniel tried to pronounce it but almost gagged instead.

  “Here, round your tongue off like this.”

  Daniel tried once more. “Koncheau.” His pronunciation wasn’t close to Alistair’s, and this time Alistair laughed.

  “What happened to your father?” Daniel remembered Alistair’s words.

  Alistair gathered his thoughts before speaking. “After he killed Illian and trapped the others on earth, Meruzilak spent the next few hundred years hunting down all the Magicals he could find. When he found them, he killed them. In his mind, they were to blame for his parents’ death. They should have used their powers to stop the battle. My parents managed to evade him for many years. Almost two hundred years, in fact.” Alistair paused, and Daniel presumed he was wrestling
with his memories. “But eventually, one of Meruzilak’s servants tracked us down. He killed my mother and father. The irony was, as Meruzilak’s mother sheltered him from death, mine did the same for me. Perhaps she’d heard the legend.” Alistair poked the fire with his stick. “I guess some events in this life are inevitable.”

  Daniel spoke up. “Why don’t you fight him? I’ve seen what you can do. You can beat him.”

  “You definitely have the spirit of your ancestors. Their foresight and judgment, those will take time, but the brashness and courage you have in plenty.” Alistair handed Daniel another koncheuh. “A wise man admits when he is weak. My magic is child’s play when compared to Meruzilak’s. I would never challenge his power. Only a fool would.”

  “Then how is anybody supposed to take him down? I mean, if no one can beat him, what are you supposed to do, sit around and watch him kill everybody?”

  “There is nothing anyone can do, at least by himself. Illiana and the others knew this, which is why they did what they did.”

  Daniel realized he was trembling. So far, he had all these separate pieces of the puzzle but no thread to tie them together. He was about to hear the rest of the story.

  “After hiding the portal,” Alistair said, “Meruzilak put a curse over the land, one that has never been broken. When a Magical dies, his spirit is taken prisoner and carried to a chasm in the mountain. The voices you heard back there, they are the souls of departed wizards, forever trapped under Meruzilak’s spell. As long as the spell remains unbroken, they will never be free.

  “Illiana knew something tragic had happened, but without Illian’s power they were helpless to stop it. Cornelius saw someone coming from their family line whose power would equal that of Illian’s and enable them to defeat the curse. But the three of them were trapped on earth, where they would soon grow old. They knew it was doubtful they’d be alive when the person came, so they each gave up their power, putting it into the onyx with the hope that one day the right person would find it; and when that day came, when the four powers were united, Meruzilak’s curse could be broken.