A World of Secrets (The Firewall Trilogy)

by James Maxwell

  In the low light Taimin again took in the initial, circular cavern. The rough rock wall confronted him. He looked toward the bend, and the path that followed the tunnel around the corner.

  “Taimin.” Taimin turned. Lars had stopped just inside the entrance. “You go,” he said. He indicated his axe. “I’ll hold them off.”

  “Lars—”

  “I’m putting my faith in you,” Lars said. “Now go. Don’t let me down.” When Taimin’s mouth opened Lars cut him off. “I’ll be fine. A child could hold this entrance. Go!”

  Lars stood at the entrance and peered out at the flurries of sand billowing in and out of the gully. Taimin reached out and gripped the big man’s shoulder. Kash and her warriors might already be on their way. If Taimin didn’t seize his opportunity, it would be gone forever.

  Moving quickly, Taimin followed the path as it wound between opposing walls of rock. He rounded the corner, ducked under an overhang, and came to the stones and boulders littering the ground. The vast, deeper cavern opened up.

  Taimin focused on the glowing crevice ahead of him. Green light bathed his skin.

  Soon he was clambering over boulders, near where the cavern’s rear wall had collapsed. Green particles swirled in the air, passing his eyes like shooting stars. He reached the flat rock where he had seen the metal rings transformed.

  He did his best to ignore the pain in his foot as he stepped over one last boulder and climbed into the fissure. The green glow was cool; ever-present, but far from blinding. He took one more step and then he was through.

  Taimin saw the same smooth gray surface he had encountered in the desert. This time it formed a wall directly in front of him. There was an opening, a gap in the gray wall where it had split open. Through the hole was a floor of the same gray material.

  As green specks swirled in the air, he took a deep breath and entered.

  27

  Goodbye, Selena.

  Selena stopped with her gaze fixed on the three peaks in front of her. Her father’s voice was so soft it was barely a whisper. His tone was sad.

  There is something I must do. I don’t expect to live, but I might save your friends.

  Selena felt the blood drain from her face. I don’t understand—

  I don’t have long. Please . . . don’t be sad. Be happy that we found each other. I fully own the mistakes I made. Seeing you alive brought me joy . . . I don’t want that to be tarnished by regrets on your part. I will always be proud of you. Remember, mystics can do wondrous things. We can hurt, but we can help. And some things we can do are simply beautiful.

  From across the distance separating them, Selena’s father passed her a frozen image. She knew immediately that it wasn’t from her own memory.

  It was from his.

  She saw two male arms that held up a baby. The baby was laughing as she was raised up high. It was an image of pure joy.

  Selena had no doubt that her father was saying his last farewell. Father?

  Her eyes widened. “He’s gone,” she said aloud.

  “What?” Ruth cast her a swift look.

  “My father . . . He said goodbye to me. I think he’s dead.”

  “We’re nearly there,” Vance said grimly. He raised his voice to be heard above the wind. “Maybe he’s just trying to stop us from coming.”

  Selena knew in her heart that it wasn’t true. Her father had been taken from her before she had even come to know him. Despite what he’d said, she felt bitter regret twist at her insides. He had tried to talk to her. She had pushed him away.

  She set her mouth in a thin line as she walked even faster. Ruth glanced her way, but Selena said nothing. Something was happening at the three peaks. Fear had taken hold of her.

  She had no way of knowing if any of the three people she last saw at Milton’s homestead were alive. Taimin might be dead, and Lars.

  A short distance in front of her, the three tall triangles of brownish rock were tantalizingly close. The terrain had leveled out. They were making good time.

  Ruth’s scream cut through Selena’s thoughts. Vance cried out. Selena turned her head sharply.

  The sandstorm struck with incredible speed.

  One moment the three peaks were in view, closer with every footstep. The next they vanished in a swirl of dust and grit.

  The horizontal cloud of sand surrounded Selena. The wind was suddenly made solid. Particles smashed into her body. Both Vance and Ruth disappeared, then reappeared. The sandstorm ebbed and flowed, so that in brief flashes Selena could see; other times she was completely blind. The wind no longer howled, it roared. She was forced to duck her head, pressing her face into her chest. When the gust subsided for a moment, she tried to spot Vance and Ruth.

  “We’ll have to wait it out!” Selena shouted when she saw them.

  “Where?” Ruth called back before she was forced to avert her eyes.

  “We need to find shelter!”

  Another strong gust nearly knocked Selena off her feet. There was nothing she could do but sink to one knee and cover her face. She blinked. Sharp particles pierced her eyes but there was no use trying to wipe them away. She waited until the gust died down, then straightened. The haze cleared for a moment. Again the three peaks were visible just ahead.

  “There!” Vance pointed.

  Selena spied a big, square boulder, closer than the three peaks, but still far away. Sand had pressed up against the boulder’s side but there was a hollow below the leeward edge. She had no doubt the wind would rise up again before they reached it. Even so, they had to try.

  “Come on,” she cried. “Stay together!”

  Already she could feel the wind rising. She glanced to the side as she moved into a shuffling run. Fear trickled up her spine. She could see nothing of the horizon, only an immense cloud of yellow dust, climbing higher and higher. The sandstorm streamed across the desert as it headed directly toward her.

  Vance was running between Selena and Ruth, just ahead of them both. When she realized what was coming, Selena lunged for his hand. “Vance! We need to stay together!”

  She made contact with his palm as the wind tried to sweep her off her feet. Her fingers fumbled with his. Once again she was forced to close her eyes. She inhaled sand and began to cough, doubling over. But she sensed Vance move toward her and grip her hand firmly.

  Bowed at the waist, Selena fell to her knees. She kept her face low and her eyelids pressed closed while she coughed. The back of her throat burned with terrible fire. This time there was no relief from the furious wind and horizontal sand. For all she knew, it would keep going for hours. Eventually, she managed to yank a blanket out of a gap in her pack and cover herself, working with one hand so that she could keep hold of her only contact with another human. With her head wrapped in cloth she was able to cough to clear the sand.

  She felt pressure on her hand. Vance was guiding her up. She knew what he was trying to do. With no sign that the winds would abate, they had to get to the boulder.

  Selena climbed to her feet, keeping her head enveloped as she staggered forward. Vance stumbled, but she held his hand tightly and he kept his footing. She tried to navigate by looking through a hole in the material and when the wind cleared for the briefest instant, she saw they were headed in the right direction.

  The sand continued to fly. Selena gripped Vance’s hand. During another lull, she was able to look at the man beside her.

  Cold fear stabbed into her chest. Ruth wasn’t on Vance’s other side.

  “Vance!” Selena cried. “Where’s Ruth?”

  He turned toward her, and his eyes shot wide open. “I thought you had her!” The wind subsided as he turned to scan in all directions, bellowing Ruth’s name.

  Ruth was gone.

  Selena searched with him. She forgot all about the stinging in her eyes as she looked back the way they had come and searched the ground for footprints. Her heart raced. She briefly saw Vance’s expression of horror. Soon another cloud of sand would s
mash into them.

  Particles began to pummel Selena’s skin with drumming fingers that became painful needles. She was forced to put her back to the wind. The sheltered place near the boulder that she had seen just a moment before was gone, lost in the haze.

  Vance cried into her ear. “What do we do?”

  “Should we keep going?” Selena yelled as she leaned in close.

  “She knows where we’re heading. She might already be there.”

  Vance had barely finished speaking when the sandstorm doubled its fury. Together they held each other and stumbled in what Selena thought was the right direction. As time passed, she concentrated on planting one foot down in front of the other. At last, a dark shape appeared in front of her.

  Selena grabbed Vance’s arm and they tumbled to the ground until they were sheltered in the hollow. But there was no sign of Ruth. Selena and Vance both cupped their hands over their mouths and called her name again and again.

  Eventually Vance wiped a hand over his face. Grime covered his cheeks and dust covered his beard and moustache. “I have to look for her.” He began to stand.

  Sand and grit streamed past the boulder in both directions. The wind shrieked, its volume louder than ever before.

  Selena grabbed Vance’s hand and pulled him back to the ground. “You can’t.”

  Vance looked stricken. “She could be anywhere. We could walk right past her and she’d never hear us.”

  Selena saw the fear and desperation on his face.

  She had to do something.

  As Vance returned to shouting Ruth’s name, Selena cast her mind back to the time when Rei-kika had first taught her to control her talent. She tried to picture a pure, white symbol, but it vanished before she could hold on to it. Rather than glow, it was wan and faded.

  “Please,” she muttered.

  She had to use reason to find the source of her block. There was something deep inside her, a fear she needed to take hold of, an inner voice she needed to challenge. It was buried so deep she couldn’t hear it. But she needed to speak to it and hope that it would listen.

  What was her block? It was something she had made herself. She had rejected her talent after the things she had done.

  It wasn’t my fault, she said to the voice inside her.

  She had nearly died when she severed her lifeline and traveled toward the stars. She was afraid. Afraid of what she could do. Afraid of the temptation of entering someone’s mind. Afraid of knowing an enemy’s thoughts, and seeing that they were a living, breathing, entity with fears and hopes, even as she planned to harm them. Just as she had done to Arren.

  The voice finally spoke to Selena. See? What you are is evil.

  But Selena could also hear another voice. The voice belonged to Vance, and was ragged with emotion as he called Ruth’s name.

  Selena confronted the voice of fear with the voice of a desperate man.

  She roared at the fear inside her.

  The Protector had used her to kill, but her ability to farcast could also save lives. Ruth would die if Selena didn’t help her. If Vance had Selena’s abilities, he would use them to save Ruth without a second thought.

  Finally, Selena thought of her father . . . Of the memories she had been able to revisit. She heard his voice.

  Remember, mystics can do wondrous things. We can hurt, but we can help. And some things we can do are simply beautiful.

  Something sparked inside her.

  Selena’s eyes lost focus. She saw a bright, radiant circle that swelled even as she contemplated it. She poured her hopes into it and it grew bigger. It was a struggle to contain it, but she knew what she had to do. She imagined her hands wrapping around the radiant light. Only then did she allow it to float upward.

  With the sensation of something being unfastened, Selena felt her power pull her free of her body.

  Triumph filled every part of her being. She had done it. The sense of being in touch with her power made her feel that she could do anything.

  She was farcasting again. She was free.

  Looking down at herself, she saw she was directly above the black-haired young woman below. She looked at Vance, leaning toward the storm, calling Ruth’s name.

  Selena directed her awareness to climb.

  She rose high into the air, until she was above the boulder and continuing upward as she kept it in sight. Soon she was fifty feet in the air and still climbing. With the sandstorm gusting below, the scene was far different. Some areas were clouded, but others were clear, as the wind tugged the dust away. The sandstorm was at its worst where she had left Vance. But it wasn’t as wide as she had originally thought.

  She swept her gaze over the land. As she searched intently, every rock drew her eye, every patch of gravel, every cactus that stood tall and solitary, somehow managing to survive against the worst the desert could throw at it.

  Through the thick haze and billowing clouds, she saw a figure.

  She headed straight for it, swift as an arrow. The rushing cloud of dust and sand swept along below her, often thickening, but other times thinning as it moved from place to place. At all times she kept her attention on the figure. She soon knew without doubt that it was human. The figure shifted, and turned to wipe away sand.

  As Selena flew down from the sky, she saw Ruth in a valley between two dunes with her back to the wind, head between her knees and arms covering her head. Ruth vanished in a swirl of grit but then reappeared. Sand had almost buried her. Only part of her was visible.

  Selena remembered her father speaking into her mind. She had done the same thing with Rei-kika as they casted together. Speeding toward her friend, she dived into Ruth’s mind without penetrating her vulnerable consciousness.

  Ruth.

  Once she had made contact Selena brought herself close to Ruth’s face. Even though the sandstorm was swirling around her, Selena’s form wasn’t physical. It was strange not to feel any of the grit that was slamming into Ruth.

  Ruth shuffled. Selena?

  You’re in the worst part of the storm. You have to trust me and walk.

  I can’t.

  Selena had never sensed such wretched fear from her friend. You can. I’m here. Let me help you.

  What do I do? Ruth asked. Can you see?

  Keep your back to the wind and stand.

  The moments dragged out until Ruth staggered to her feet. The wind pushed at her and she nearly fell, but she managed to right herself.

  Now walk with the wind at your back, but angled to the right. That’s good.

  While she directed Ruth’s footsteps, Selena rose above the rushing clouds of dust hugging the ground. She watched as Ruth picked up speed when she reached the section of clear ground Selena had brought her to.

  Good. You’re doing well. Turn more to the right. That’s enough. Can you see through the storm? There are a few dunes blocking the wind. It’s going to get better soon.

  A moment later Ruth burst free of the densest part of the sandstorm. Selena now saw her friend revealed. Ruth coughed and wiped at her eyes while she walked. It was hard to tell that there was a young woman under all the dirt and dust.

  Ruth put a hand on her pack. Can I drink some water? she asked.

  You can. Look ahead. Can you see the three peaks? If you keep going toward them, you’ll leave the worst of it behind.

  Where are you and Vance?

  We’ll come to you. Don’t worry. I can always find you.

  The fact that Selena could rely on her talent filled her with joy and relief. She left Ruth walking toward the three peaks and climbed the sky once more. She tried to find the boulder where she and Vance had taken shelter, but the wind had picked up again, bringing another cloud of dust over the terrain. It didn’t matter, though. She could see her lifeline revealed as a faint white cord connecting her to her body.

  She was about to return when she stopped. For a moment she simply stared.

  Two moving figures formed strange silhouettes at the limits
of her vision. As soon as she wondered who—or what—they were, she began to travel toward them.

  It couldn’t be.

  The two figures were on high ground, following a ridge as they walked with long, determined strides. If they weren’t so tall, she might not have seen them at all. They were red in color. She caught sight of horns.

  She descended from the sky, flying toward them until she came to a halt. As she hovered, taking in a sight that shocked her to the core, she experienced a strong sense of foreboding.

  The horns of the tallest were curled into sharp spirals, while his smaller but still towering companion had horns that were straight and pointed. Both had flat, triangular faces, with angular ridges that gave them perpetual scowls. The monster in front had fiery eyes like red embers, while the female’s were dark and sinister. The giant with the horns and the elaborate costume carried a long spear.

  Selena’s dread became sharp, rising fear.

  The two monsters were only a short distance from the three rock formations looming above the basin that contained them.

  Selena knew that spear. She remembered the giant growling at Taimin, saying he wanted him to die. The monster now walked with purpose. Why would he and his companion travel so far, to this isolated place, where there was nothing but these three peaks?

  Whatever the situation was at the three peaks, it was about to get much worse.

  She tried to come closer and sense their thoughts, but something pushed her away; touching their minds was impossible. The little green shards woven into their collars were aurelium. They were protected from a mystic’s intrusion.

  What should she do?

  Selena was torn. Vance needed to know that Ruth was safe, but at the same time, Selena had regained her ability to farcast. She was desperate to seek out Taimin. She needed to find him and warn him.

  She decided to cast farther, to the three peaks.

  Leaving the two giants behind, she flew toward the escarpment that obscured the lower parts of the rock formations. As soon as she was past the surrounding crest, she scanned the wide circular basin. Gusts of winds pushed sand down into the gully and whipped it up again to whisk it through the air. Selena felt none of it. She saw three caves, one at the base of each peak, but she didn’t need to enter any of them to see that a confrontation was underway.