Chapter 33
Dylan breathed heavily as Johnny stared at him wide-eyed.
“You’re getting pretty good at control.”
Dylan smiled. “Thanks. I feel like I’m under a lot of pressure here to get it right.”
Gabriel sighed. “You put that pressure on yourself.”
Dylan turned and smiled at him.
Gabriel stood. “Okay, I think I’m ready to try this.”
Johnny looked at Dylan, arching an eyebrow.
“Alright. I think I’m ready to kill anything that comes through uninvited.” He stepped back. “Johnny.”
Johnny stepped toward Gabriel, his voice soft. “Gabriel. Close your eyes. Tell me what you see.”
Gabriel huffed, but did as he was told. “Nothing.”
Johnny nodded. “Now, think about everything I’ve told you about Tiresia. The palace. Focus. Can you picture it?”
Gabriel nodded.
“Tell me how many towers it has.”
Gabriel didn’t move, and Dylan cocked his head, his hands curling into fists.
“Nine towers. One in the middle. Four evenly spaced and close. Four more, also evenly spaced between the first four, but farther out.”
Johnny nodded. “Okay Gabriel. What do you see around the palace?”
“Fire. Destruction. It looks like a war zone. But I don’t see anyone.”
Dylan saw Johnny’s jaw clench. He wanted to ask, but didn’t want to disturb Gabriel’s concentration.
“Good Gabriel. Now, look at the palace gate, but look beyond the palace. What do you see?”
“A forest. Thick and lush. The walls of the palace surround the forest.”
“Keep going. Tell me when the forest ends.”
“A lake. There’s an island in the middle of it. A building.” His voice rose. “I see smoke coming from the chimney.”
Johnny’s face softened. “Okay. Now, do you see anyone inside the building?”
“A woman. She’s doing something. Cooking, I think.”
Johnny smiled. “Now, is there a space in the room for all of us?”
Dylan arched an eyebrow, his fists tightening. He could feel his fingernails in his palms.
“Yes, a little away from where she’s cooking.”
Johnny’s smile widened. “Now picture a rift connecting that spot to where we are in the basement.”
Gabriel’s brow furrowed, sweat beading on his forehead.
“I. I’m trying. Nothing’s happening.”
“Try a small opening. Nothing big. Big enough for sound to come through.”
Dylan froze as a quiet humming and the sound of a crackling fire filled the basement.
Johnny yelled, “I’m here, my love. We need your help. To defeat the Vurdalans. I have found the lost royal family and the last of the Coates.”
Gabriel whispered. “She turned to look toward me.”
Johnny raised his voice louder. “I’m here Carina. It’s me, Johnny. If you have wards keeping everything off your land, tell them to let me in. Please.”
Gabriel bit his lip. Johnny murmured, “Concentrate, boy. See if you can make it larger.
“She’s touching the ground.”
The spot where the sounds were emanating flashed in a bright burst. Dylan shielded his eyes and prepared for something to come through.
Johnny said, “Gabriel, don’t stop. Hold it as long as you can.” He stepped to the border. “It’s safe over here. Step through my love. We have a plan.”
There was a bright flash of light, and Gabriel collapsed. Dylan rushed over to him and reached out, ready to attempt to heal him, when his eyes fluttered open.
“What happened?”
“Carina stepped through. Sorry, I forgot that’s how rifts worked.” Johnny sounded apologetic, and Dylan forced himself not to lash out.
“You called her your love. You told us she could help us.” Dylan fought to keep his tone even.
Johnny smiled. “Can’t both be true?” He embraced the woman, who now joined them in the basement.
“Where have you been? What is this place? This magic. It’s not like anything I have ever seen or felt.”
“Carina. My love. You are on safe ground. The realm called Earth. The last Coates and the youngest member of the royal family, and a Liminan refugee, have risked much to bring you here. We need your help.”
“I felt it when the gateways shook, ready to open once again. I thought the Vurdalans and their Liminan slaves had devised a way to manipulate them.”
Gabriel shuddered. Dylan didn’t know any other Liminan, but the thought of enslaving an entire race for any reason was horrifying.
Dylan stood slowly. “My uncle left me instructions for claiming my birthright or sealing them forever.” His cheeks burned. “I may have gone a little off script and inserted myself into this war.” He shrugged. “In my defense, someone killed my father and tried to kill me.”
Carina smiled at him. “You must be the last Coates. Bullheaded. They always were. Most thought it was their privileged position. I knew it was something in the blood. Where is the youngest member of the Tiresian royal family? By youngest, that leads me to believe you found more than one surviving member?”
Johnny smiled. “Yes love. Dylan here is the youngest. His mother, her sister, and her mother are here too. They are the last.”
Her eyes went wide. “They joined the families? How long ago?”
Dylan blushed. “I’m thirty.”
She looked at Johnny, confusion written on her face.
He smiled softly. “He means thirty years ago, in the way time is counted here.”
She arched an eyebrow.
“Time is different here, my love. As they count here, I’ve been gone for over twenty years. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to figure out that time moves differently. By the estimations in the books upstairs, and from what I’ve gathered in conversation with Dylan’s grandmother, Dylan is the tenth generation since they fled.”
“Ten generations?”
Johnny nodded. “Ten generations of the Coates refining their power, passing their secrets along.”
She looked at Dylan and smiled. “Did they do it?”
Johnny nodded. “They apparently figured out how a long time ago, but knew it would take generations for it to work. They kept the royal family in the dark about the reasoning, but they managed to get it to work.”
Her smile widened. “They created a weapon strong enough to save us and lead us into a new era.”
Dylan’s eyes went wide as he realized she was talking about him. He stammered, trying to process her words.
Johnny stepped in. “Yes, but there’s a problem. Due to a series of… unfortunate events… his powers were bound until a few days ago. That’s why we need your help. Also, the Liminan refugee didn’t know his past until even more recently. I’ve done what I could, but they need someone smarter and more skilled than I am to teach them.”
She nodded, running her hand along the wall. “I would meet the queen first, then we shall see to the young prince’s education.”
Dylan sighed. He was struggling to trust yet another person, but settled on the idea that a warning would do well to settle his nerves. He flashed a wicked grin, sticking a cigarette between his lips, and opened his hands, sending a barrage of fireballs swarming through the room before summoning them back to him, shrinking them, and lighting the cigarette.
The walls stopped glowing, and his mother’s voice came from upstairs. “You guys ready for supper?”