Balmythra

Chapter Thirty-Four

  Traveling Orders

  Taurelle chuckled. "Not exactly, though I will say that most of your legends are distorted memories of us. But our history goes back to another planet in your solar system, where we've left evidence of our existence."

  "Mars?" Kenny wasn't about to give up.

  "You and your sci-fi." John didn't look happy. "Give me a break."

  Kenny turned on him. "How can you say that after all you’ve seen in the past few days?"

  "Skepticism is a healthy thing," said Taurelle. "As for Mars, though we resided there for a time, we're not the type of Martians you're referring to. Our true home, Ayrasaironalis, no longer exists."

  Sudden anguish—his anguish—hit me like a tidal wave. Gulping, I saw that even the Nodyrans sensed his pain.

  "We destroyed our world with our own greed and degradation. Some of us escaped to Mars in search of a new beginning. It was lush, beautiful. We tried to be a better people, to leave our mistakes behind, but we devastated that world as well.

  "Our desire for technological progress far outstripped our moral growth. So we next settled on earth, where we sought to improve our minds and our technology. But we warred among ourselves as before. That's when we realized we had to temper our mental abilities with a moral compass. We learned how to rid ourselves of the darkness."

  I thought of the Gilmarden ceremony.

  "Not that all technology is bad," said Taurelle. "But we weren't mature enough as a people to control it. To survive, we had to create a simple life, a haven, so we could attain a higher consciousness. That's why we created Balmythra."

  "But I thought, we all thought…" I turned to Jor and the other Balmythrans. "Weren't Sairons the original Balmythrans?"

  "They're our descendants."

  Jor broke the silence that followed. "How did you create it? And what's happening now?"

  "Balmythra is a thought form, as some have guessed," said Taurelle.

  "You created something this complicated out of nothing?" John was clearly having trouble wrapping his head around the idea, and who could blame him?

  "No. We're not gods and we're not the controlling force of the universe, though in our arrogance, we believed we were. Balmythra was created from the essences of earth and from the collective psychic energy of its founders, which maintains a balance between the parallel worlds. But now the Stream has been tainted."

  "By running through the nuclear plant?" asked Matt.

  "Perhaps. Our one certainty is that the destruction has been going on for many years, but was barely perceptible until the Dagonel brought their weapons through the Streams. Now negative energy erodes the thought form that is Balmythra."

  My chest tightened. "Can it be saved?"

  "Oh yes. That's why you're here. You can rescue Balmythra."

  "We can?" Jor exchanged a worried glance with me.

  "If you accept your assigned tasks."

  "Assigned tasks!" Kenny was grinning again. "Now we’re getting somewhere."

  Taurelle liked his enthusiasm. "I believe we've chosen well."

  "But what can we do?" Ashley asked.

  "Locate the four pillars of Balmythra to reinforce them."

  John raised his hand as if in class, then dropped it again, obviously self-conscious. "But we're just kids."

  "Your youth, optimism, and purity are exactly what are needed now."

  John still had questions. "Why is earth in danger?"

  "The loss of Balmythra will create a hole in the fabric of your reality—a hole that will grow and ultimately consume it."

  John clearly didn't like that answer, and he wasn't alone.

  Matt took the floor. "Excuse me, sir. Are you going to give us instructions or a map so we can find these pillars?"

  "You each possess or will soon be given what you need for the search." Taurelle's form began fading into transparency again. "Never forget that none of you can do this alone. You must depend on the power of friendship. In that lies your strength and your success."

  That said, he vanished completely, leaving us all a little stunned.

  Ashley spoke first. "Well, that was weird."

  "You can say that again." John seemed a little dazed.

  Slowly everyone got to their feet and left Rezyra. I grabbed Matt's wrist and peeked at his watch: eight-thirty. And had it really been less than a week since the fair in Wexton? With a sigh, I headed straight down the path to town.

  Matt quickly caught up. "Where are you going?"

  "I want to talk to Cadrow."

  "About...?"

  "Taurelle. We're going to need a reference on this guy before any of us accepts this mission."

  Matt's jaw dropped. "You mean you think he was lying?"

  "No. I do question his choice of participants, though. Ginzy's just a baby, and Ashley...well, the only reason she might want to save Balmythra is if there are some cute guys around that she hasn't met yet."

  Matt grinned his agreement.

  "Ashley is actually a worthy choice." Jor had caught up with us. "She just has a few lessons to learn about what matters and what doesn't."

  Glancing past him, I saw that the others followed slowly and were safely out of earshot. I resumed my pace before glancing over my shoulder. "And how do you know that?"

  He shrugged. "Gut instinct."

  Matt snorted his disbelief. "Sure it wasn't those big blue eyes?"

  "Ashley's too young for me," Jor said.

  "Only one year less than Leah."

  "Meaning...?"

  "Meaning you need to move on, dude. Leah's unavailable."

  "I haven't heard her say that."

  "Guys!" I rolled my own eyes, not quite believing the conversation. "Would you two just cool it? I need to see Cadrow. This is important."

  Matt and Jor glared at each other, but said nothing more. I grabbed Matt's hand so we could psifly back to Saironalis.

  But I never made it there.

  Instead, I wound up alone on a windy hilltop in the black of night. Shocked that the psifly had gone wrong, I automatically touched my ring, which wasn't glowing. Without its light, my eyes had to adjust to make out the craggy silhouettes of boulders and trees.

  "Hel-lo?" Was I in Nodyra? I couldn't possibly have landed in Saironalis, stumbled into the Xephyr Stream, and wound up near Badpringle's without dragging Matt with me. Or maybe I could've. He sure wasn't anywhere around.

  My internal compass spun without direction. No distant lights streamed through windows of friendly houses, no street lights glowed. Worse, I couldn't find the moon or a single familiar star. Had I fallen out of the two worlds I knew and crash landed into a third?

  "Don't panic." But my heart thumped against my ribs, and my mouth felt as dry as cotton. How was I going to get out of this one?

  Nexus, doofus.

  Of course. Should've thought of that first thing. Guessing fear and exhaustion had dulled my reflexes, I took several deep, calming breaths and focused inward.

  Not a single soul answered my mental shout out. Somewhere nearby a twig snapped. Gasping, I whirled around and searched the intense darkness through wide eyes. All I saw was the black of night. Was the noise an approaching animal? That idea didn't comfort me much.

  I'm a Guardian.

  Guardians confronted danger of any sort with bravery and composure, something I'd learned by Mom's example. But who was I fooling? With no one here expecting me to protect them, I was just Leah Baker. Short, shy, and scared spitless. That made me wonder why the Sairons treated me like an adult and how I'd led anyone to defeat the Dagonel.

  If we even had. What if we hadn't?

  That idea took hold just as leaves rustled wildly to my left. I instinctively turned and ran as fast as I could over ground that sloped sharply downward. More than once I skidded on loose stones and almost fell. Was I being followed? I strained to hear any other sounds over the noise of me scrambling across loose pebbles.

  I made myself stop fo
r a second. Breathing hard, I waited for my heart rate to slow. A quick scan of the landscape behind me revealed nothing except the harmless outline of trees and bushes. I detected no movement whatsoever.

  Coward.

  Choking back a sob, I swiped tears from my eyes and imagined the disappointment I'd see on my mother's face if she could see me right now, running away from a noise. As for the others… I thought of Jor, who believed in me. Would his high hopes be shattered? And Ashley, though once a good friend, might actually be pleased if I failed. John and Kenny would probably feel bad for me, though.

  As for Matt…. He deserved better than a girl who was scared of her shadow. But was I really? Or had my situation just gotten the best of me for a second? On that thought, I straightened and turned, fully believing fear had made me stupid and any monster now stalking was only imaginary.

  We are very real, and I think you know it.

  I knew that unyielding voice. And though it was only in my head, it was definitely real. Did the owner of it now lurk in the dark? With my heart pounding, I tried to get my bearings. My skin crawled as I anxiously scanned the trees for whatever was going to jump out and eat me. When nothing did, I faced the other direction and saw a flickering light. Was that a lantern or was it a torch? And was it coming closer?

  I didn't wait to find out. Instead, I bolted in the opposite direction, sprinting flat out to get away. A side stitch took my breath, but I ignored it as I scrambled up a hill. Halfway to the top, loose rocks shifted under my feet. As I quick-stepped to get my balance, pain shot through my ankle—the one I'd injured before. I went right down, scraping my knees and palms as the ground flew up to meet me. My eyes stung with tears. I squeezed them tightly shut, not wanting to cry, much less see whatever was about to catch up with me.

  Why run when it's so much easier to give in? Your friends never have to know of your weakness, your abysmal failure. Imagine anyone believing you are a Guardian. As if you could really take your mother's place.

  Though I should've been outraged, I wasn't. Everything I'd just heard was something I'd thought myself, and that made it doubly true. My body seemed to weigh a ton. I wanted to give in, to sink right through the ground and into oblivion.

  That's better. Let go.

  Let go. It sounded so easy. And the best part? If I did, I'd never disappoint anyone again. My friends, my family, my people…no one would ever know what a fake I really was.

  An image flashed before my mind's eye. Red-haired Ginzy, smiling as always. She seemed so real that I thought she'd found me. My eyes flew open.

  All I saw was that fire, huge now and just a few feet away. It appeared frighteningly human in shape now that I could see it better. And something inside of it writhed…something inhuman. Panicked, I tried to stand, but couldn't. My ankle throbbed, and already my boot felt tight, which meant swelling. I desperately wished I had Jor's ability to heal. But I didn't, so I did what I could do—helplessly wait. Moments later, I felt the searing heat of the flames and gazed up at the creepiest thing I'd ever seen, now inches from me.

  You remember us, of course.

  Us? That confused me. All I could see was something tall and black, surrounded by flames.

  It's almost over now. A second voice, this one smug, practically crooned the words. Give in to your fate.

  I'd now heard two distinct voices—both horridly familiar—coming from one fiery monster.

  Who's to get the prize?

  Was that sniveler?

  Fool! Bully voice as good as shouted the word, but not at me.

  Oh my God. There were four entities, not just one. Before I could absorb that I now faced the embodiment of the evil voices that had haunted me since the carnival. My skin began to sting from the heat of the flames. I crawfished away, somehow swallowing the scream that rose in my throat as I tried to make sense of what I now knew. This thing not only had multiple personalities, but there was fighting within the ranks.

  I desperately jumped on that. "What's with the pyrotechnics? If all you want is my ashes, why didn't you torch me at the fair or even Pringle's?"

  My ring cast a feeble glow, and I realized the monster's flames didn't feel quite as hot. Hoping my blustering had somehow changed things, I struggled to stand. Before I managed it, the flames receded and the being inside them morphed into clarity.

  The gorgol.