Chapter 24
Dylan wasn’t sure if he could trust Johnny. He called his grandmother and asked her to look for another journal Homer had been keeping. It seemed his ancestors had all kept lengthy journals, and he assumed Homer had to have more writings. Especially surrounding the death of his father and Homer’s only son.
She found it while he was still on the phone. He told her to look for anything that might confirm or deny anything Johnny had said. He asked her to text him when she found it and disconnected the call. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Johnny staring warily at Gabriel. He seemed scared or worried about something.
He stepped back over. “Everything okay, Gabe?”
Gabriel leaned in and whispered. “He keeps staring at me. It’s a little unnerving.”
Dylan cleared his throat. “Johnny. You say you serve the realm? What realm? What’s happening on the other side of the gateway? Assume we don’t know anything.”
Johnny’s gaze jerked over to him. “I’m not a historian or a philosopher, so this may not be exactly right.” He let out a deep sigh. “A few thousand years ago, everything was relatively peaceful. The worlds got along, mostly. Something happened. I’m not exactly sure what started it, but I know there were political movements in several realms to consolidate power under the Tiresian royal family. Tiresians were clairvoyant. The people pushing those ideas thought that having people in charge who could see the future, and maybe change it, would be a good idea.”
Dylan raised an eyebrow. “Tiresians? Are you Tiresian?”
Johnny shook his head. “No. I come from Salagan. My people just have a basic understanding and control over magic, but we have served the Tiresians for millennia.” He shrugged. “They saved us from a famine, and we always considered them friends and allies.”
Gabriel coughed. “This sounds like bullshit.”
Dylan chuckled. “Yeah, but so much of what’s happened to me in the last few days does.” He checked his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed a message. “Okay, so what’s this war about, then? Sounds so far like there were just various political movements to come under something like a federal system under the Tiresians. Am I following?”
Johnny smiled and gave a frantic nod. “Exactly. Each world was still autonomous. Salagan was the model most of these movements put up to how things could be. If I understand what happened next correctly, there was a succession crisis in Vurdalan and it turned into a civil war.” He shuddered. “A Tiresian envoy tried to mediate, but since one side supported doing away with the monarchy completely and joining the Tiresians, the other side saw that as Tiresian interference. They murdered the envoy and turned it into a rallying cry. Most of the worlds that hadn’t already joined the Tiresians split as people picked sides and aided the side they agreed with. Fighting spread across the worlds, and the Coates stopped all traffic. They were a unique group. They belonged to all worlds, and none.” He looked at Dylan. “The only thing they didn’t share with anyone else was the ability to see the future. Only someone born of Tiresian blood seemed to possess that ability. They rarely intermarried with people from any other worlds, and clairvoyance seemed to not pass to children from intermarried couples.” He flashed a half-grin. “Until now, at least. Anyway, the Tiresian royal family disappeared one day, as did the Coates, but the gates were all closed. The Vurdalans who opposed consolidation had a Liminan helping them.” He dropped his head and Dylan swore it sounded as if he was praying.
“What does that mean? Who are Liminans?”
Johnny looked at Gabriel. “They are the only people who could open rifts between the worlds outside of the gates.” His eyes dropped. “The Vurdalans massacred and enslaved them all, though there were rumors of refugees escaping the massacre. This world was the only one that no one could reach. It exists on a different plane from the others. Though there were stories of some Liminans who could get here without the gates. I had hoped I could meet one who had managed it. One who could manage that would be invaluable to the Vurdalans, which is probably why I couldn’t find any here.”
Dylan noticed Gabriel shaking as the pieces fell into place. He put a calming hand on his forearm, not wanting to give Johnny any information, and since they weren’t sure, it was only speculation. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He kept an eye on Johnny and checked the message that simply said to come home now. “Thank you. We know where to find you, and I’ll work on trying to adjust the wards. I’m not sure why they’re keeping you out if you’re telling the truth, but since I didn’t set them, they could be overly broad. We need to get going.”
Johnny looked as if he were about to speak when the door opened. “Johnny, this damn register’s stuck again. Can you come give me a hand?” Dylan smiled. Kathy had stopped whatever protestation he was about to make. Johnny nodded and followed her inside. Dylan and Gabriel hurried to the car and headed back to the mansion.
“You obviously think my ancestor was a Liminan baby smuggled through a rift. I don’t have to be psychic to know that.”
“Johnny is fairly certain of it. I’m still not sure if we can trust him, or his version of events, but it seems to mesh with what we’ve learned so far. Even if he’s lying about who he is, I think the rest is pretty straightforward.”
“He seemed awfully eager to paint himself as a servant of what he’s assuming is your family.”
“Yeah. He did. So, either he’s working for the bad guys and trying to trick us, or he was genuine. Either way, we need to figure out more before we let him anywhere near the gate or the property.” He bit his lip. “And you’re not leaving the property until we figure it out. Whether you are what he thinks you are, as long as he does, you’re a target. Especially if he’s as desperate to get home as he seems to be.” He ignored the sinking feeling in his gut, that if what Johnny said was true, the beast that came after them could have come through a rift opened by someone else, and he may have already exposed enough information to put them all at risk.