“Watch this!” Matt grabbed the man’s wrist, spun him around, and shoved his backside with a foot, sending him stumbling headlong into the pagoda. He wrenched Darcy away from the bikiniclad woman and hustled with her toward the Mustang.
The woman called out, “Hey, honey! Look at this!”
“Don’t look!” Darcy hissed as she pulled Matt to a faster pace. “I got the key. Let’s just get out of here.”
They hopped into the car. When Matt turned the ignition key, the Mustang’s starter whined for a moment before kicking in. With tires squealing, they roared away.
Matt turned onto a downtown street. Every traffic signal and business window was dark, as if someone had pulled a plug that powered the entire city. People streamed along sidewalks, some with handheld radios to their ears. One man picked up a brick and smashed a storefront window, while another used a crowbar to pry a door open.
“More looting.” Matt stopped a block away from the crowd and gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Darcy, pull up the next address. Let’s get out of here.”
Darcy tapped on the phone’s screen. “I’d better not tell you what the sixth label says. It’s . . . well . . . obscene.”
“What kind of mind games is Tamiel trying to play? It’s not like I have virgin ears. My drill sergeant used every word in the book.”
Darcy leaned the phone against the dashboard. “Probably to upset your mother, not you.”
“Right. Good point.” Matt turned the car around and followed the GPS program’s directions.
Thomas spoke up from the back. “May I suggest turning on the radio? When there is such chaos, some sort of major event has often taken place.”
“Well, electricity is off everywhere. That’s one reason.” Matt turned on the radio and pressed the Search button. After a few seconds, the scanner stopped. A shrill signal emanated from the speakers, then a man’s voice. “This is not a test. This is an actual emergency. A nuclear bomb has detonated in the atmosphere near the northern border of Kentucky, sending an electromagnetic pulse over the entire country. Two-thirds of the electrical grid has failed, and the failure is spreading. This radio station is running on backup equipment and a generator, so we will be broadcasting intermittently. Tune in for an update in five minutes.” The radio clicked and fell silent.
“A nuclear bomb,” Darcy whispered. “That puts everything in perspective.”
Matt drove onto an interstate highway and tried to set the cruise control, but it wouldn’t engage. “What do you mean?”
She gestured with her head. “That little wrestling match back there. Part of me was still wishing I could go back and give that witch a piece of my mind, but now . . .” She let out a breathy whistle. “A nuclear bomb.”
“I was going to ask.” The bare-chested man’s face came to mind—wide eyes and out-of-place smile. “What happened in there?”
She stared out the side window. “Let’s just say that the place wasn’t exactly what I expected. I don’t want to go into details.”
“Okay, so where did you find the key?”
Darcy pulled a beaded necklace from her pocket. A key dangled at the bottom, glowing violet. Each bead, about the size of a knuckle, had been painted with rainbow stripes. “It was hanging on a statue of a man.”
“That was it?” Matt blinked. “Just hanging on a statue?”
She broke the key away from the necklace and let the beads spill to the floor. “Like I said, no details.”
Matt glanced at the key while trying to pay attention to the road. “That’s strange. Why would Tamiel make it so easy this time? He must really be in a hurry to get us to the sixth door.”
“Tamiel expected you to go in, not me. Maybe it would’ve been harder for you.”
Matt laughed under his breath. “Not to insult you or anything, but how could it have been harder for me? That guy was literally a pushover. And the girl looked like a beach bimbo. No problem.”
“Well .” Darcy hooked the key to the ring at his belt. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“I guess that depends on how personal it is.”
“Very personal.” She glanced at the backseat passengers. “Maybe I’d better not.”
Thomas cleared his throat. “I have to use the facilities.”
“The facilities?” Mariel said. “You just went a little while ago.”
“I drank two liters of water. I’m an old man with an old bladder. I have to go.”
“You and your water. If you had fins you’d be a flounder.”
Thomas cleared his throat again, louder this time, and spoke through the noise as if hiding the words. “Someone needs a bit of privacy.”
“What?” Mariel blinked. “Oh! Of course. I see what you mean.” She scooted forward. “Matt, if you can’t find anything open, just pull over somewhere. He’s not too proud to use a tree.”
“Not too proud at all,” Thomas said. “A tree is nature’s toilet.”
Matt nodded. “I see a good spot up ahead.”
A few seconds later, he drove the car onto a widened shoulder, an emergency stopping place with a telephone attached to a pole. Mariel looked at a watch on her wrist. “We should return within ten minutes.” She helped Thomas get out, and the two walked into a forested area. The afternoon sun, though fading, provided plenty of light.
“Thomas is a sensitive gentleman,” Darcy said.
“Yeah, I picked that up.” Matt turned toward her. “So what’s your personal question?”
“Well, this might sound kind of dumb, but . . .” She bit her lip. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Matt’s cheeks warmed. “No.”
“Have you ever had one?”
The heat spread to his ears. “No. I’m just sixteen. Is that so strange?”
“Not really. I was just wondering. I mean, you’ve matured a lot since I last saw you, and you turned into a really handsome guy. Not only that, you’re so . . . chivalrous, I guess. So I thought girls might be flocking to you.”
Images of Victoria came to mind. She and a couple of other girls did pay him a lot of attention at the school socials. “Maybe a few notice me. I guess none of them were really my type.” He furrowed his brow. “Why all the questions about girls?”
“I’m trying to figure out what Tamiel had in mind for you in that place.” Darcy slid her hand into his. “You know, back when we lived together, I treated you terribly, so I’m wondering if I turned you off to girls.”
“Turned me off?” He pulled his hand back. “What do you have in mind?”
Darcy huffed. “I’m not coming on to you, Matt. For crying out loud!”
“Then what are you trying to do?”
“Chill for a minute. I’m just trying to figure this out.” She picked up one of the rainbow beads and looked it over. “What I’m asking is if you have any feelings for girls in general. Romantic, I mean.”
He gazed at her delicate fingers as they caressed the bead. “Well . . . not really. I’ve been training and studying. That took up all my thinking time . . . until recently. But there are two that seem pretty special now.”
She looked at him and smiled. “Tell me about them.”
“When you said personal, you really meant it.”
“Just hang with me. Who are they?”
His cheeks flashed hot again. “This might sound weird, but I felt something for Lauren, before I knew she was my sister, I mean. . . . Well, even after I knew, but—”
“Don’t worry. You didn’t grow up with her as a sister. It’s not so weird.” She tilted her head. “Who’s the other girl?”
“As long as I’m spilling my guts.” He breathed a sigh. “There’s this girl on Second Eden who’s pretty amazing. Her name is Listener. Strange name, I know, but she’s strong, intelligent, passionate, a real fighter, knows what she wants, and . . . well . . . she’s beautiful. But . . .” He looked away.
She laid a cool hand on his b
urning cheek and turned his head toward her. Failing sunlight sparkled in her sincere eyes. “But what? Is she married or otherwise taken?”
“No, but she’s in her late twenties at least. Someone on Second Eden said people don’t mature as quickly there, so we’re really about the same age maturity wise, but I don’t know if I can ignore such a big difference in years.”
“Of course you can! Like you said, you’re really the same age.” Darcy rubbed her hands together, her smile wider than ever. “This should be fun. I love playing matchmaker.”
“Matchmaker? I’m too young for that.”
“Details. Trust me, you’ll be an adult before you know it. Besides, it might take time to convince Listener. I know you’re a great catch, but she sounds like the type who isn’t on the hunt at all.”
“True. She’s really independent. One man told me she was exasperated with her suitors for being too fawning.” He gave her a curious stare. “Why are you so excited about Listener and me?”
“Three reasons.” She lifted a finger with each point. “One, I didn’t mess you up by being so mean to you. Two, I want to see you happy with this awesome girl. And three, it means Tamiel was wrong about you. The fifth door was meant to be a temptation for you, but it wouldn’t have worked, because you’re as straight as an arrow. And that means Tamiel isn’t the oh-so-smart deity he thinks he is. He’s making mistakes, so maybe we can use them in our favor.”
Darcy’s meaning finally sank in. His ears heated up, worse than ever. Tamiel definitely assumed too much. “Okay, I’m all for exploiting his mistakes. Do you have any ideas?”
Darcy pointed out the window. “Look. They’re coming. We can brainstorm.”
“Sure, but . . .” Matt laid a hand over one of his burning ears. “Can we leave out details of my love life? Or lack of it, I guess.”
Darcy grinned. “Your secret’s safe with me, Romeo.”
When Thomas and Mariel reseated themselves and Matt drove the Mustang onto the highway, Darcy turned toward the back and clutched the top of her seat. “We need to brainstorm. First, what do you know about the sixth circle? Maybe that’ll give us some clues about the sixth door.”
Thomas’s white eyes appeared in the rearview mirror. “It was Morgan’s prison. She kept Shiloh, daughter of Sir Patrick, there for forty years.”
“It was like a ghost town,” Mariel added. “Shiloh was able to see visions of humans wandering there, but she couldn’t communicate with them. They were the spirits of former dragons who actually resided in a parallel dimension.”
Thomas nodded. “Bonnie fell from Morgan’s abode into the sixth circle. Bonnie set Shiloh free, but in the process, she died of an electrical shock. Billy found her and carried her to the seventh circle. Eventually, with the help of Ashley and Excalibur, he found a way to resurrect her.”
“A prison,” Matt said. “Could Tamiel be holding someone prisoner behind the sixth door? I mean, he held you and Mariel at number three. Why would he repeat himself?”
“I assume,” Thomas said, “that the parallel for number three was that you had to deal with a danger in the water while Arramos kidnapped Bonnie. Billy faced serpents in a swamp while Morgan kidnapped her.” He shrugged. “Who knows? The parallel for number six might be someone’s death rather than an imprisonment. Tamiel is an artistic sort. If he were to replicate such a death, he would likely attempt an exact parallel.”
“Meaning?” Matt prompted.
“Bonnie basically killed herself in sacrifice,” Thomas continued. “She used her body to block a portal’s energy field so Shiloh could escape through it. If I were a gambling man, I would bet on Tamiel setting up a similar arrangement.”
“A sacrifice to rescue someone.” Matt tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “My mother would probably do it again in a heartbeat.”
Thomas pointed at him. “Exactly. Tamiel is well aware of her sacrificial ways.”
“Okay, so maybe we should dig into Tamiel’s psyche a bit. What do you know about him?”
“Very little,” Mariel said. “When he began chasing us and we learned his name, I conducted some research in Sir Patrick’s archives. He is mentioned in some antiquities as a demon who appeared now and then before the great flood. They called him the Silent One, because, unlike other demons, he emitted no telltale sound. Every other demon gives off some sort of signal, but only Listeners can detect it.”
“Listeners?” Darcy asked, glancing at Matt. “Is Matt’s friend Listener one of them?”
“Yes.” Mariel lifted her brow. “Matt, I didn’t know you’re friends with Listener.”
“We met in Second Eden.” He shrugged. “I didn’t get to know her very well.”
“She could be quite helpful,” Thomas said. “Tamiel is able to create a shield of silence around himself and an opponent. The shield is a dampener of sorts that doesn’t allow anyone inside its boundaries to hear anything. Since Tamiel has not yet employed that weapon as far as we know, perhaps he is waiting to unleash it at a deadlier opportunity. Since a Listener is immune to the shield’s effects, as I said, having one around might be helpful.”
Matt shook his head. “That’s a pipe dream. Listener’s on Second Eden so she’s out of reach. Lauren’s also a Listener, but I have no idea where she is or if she’s even alive.”
“In any case,” Mariel continued, “Tamiel disappeared from recorded history after the flood and returned only recently.”
“At least we have some clues,” Matt said. “He’ll probably set a trap and make it look like someone’s in danger, you know, bait for my mother.”
“Or someone else. We’re merely guessing that your mother is the one in mind. Perhaps she, herself, will be the bait for someone else, someone like a heroic son who would do anything to rescue her.”
“Yeah.” Matt curled his fingers around the steering wheel, mentally strangling Tamiel with his grip. “That makes sense.”
“It’s already evening,” Darcy said, “and the next address is still pretty far, so I guess Tamiel will send us an arrival time in the morning. Is there anything we can do between now and then?”
Matt looked at the radio clock—7:30 p.m. “We’ll check into a motel and get some rest, but we should get up in the middle of the night and head to the sixth door before dawn.”
Darcy laid a hand on her chest. “Tamiel said he could track me, so he’ll know we’re coming.”
“Maybe he embedded a chip in you.” Matt looked at her hair, but it was too thick to see through to her scalp. “Have you noticed any kind of sore spot or scar?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Darcy,” Mariel said, “with the technology these days, Tamiel might have used a micro-thin adhesive strip. No surgery needed, and you wouldn’t even notice. So I can look you over tonight at the motel—that is, if you’re willing.”
Darcy nodded. “Sure. You can do that.”
“And with electricity out everywhere,” Matt said, “maybe Tamiel can’t track us at all.”
Thomas piped up. “No electricity means no working fuel stations. Gasoline is likely a valuable commodity right now.”
Matt checked the dashboard. One hundred and seven miles to empty. “How far to the sixth door?”
Darcy squinted at the phone’s screen. “Ninety-eight miles.”
“Too close for comfort.”
“Just ease up on the gas pedal, Son,” Thomas said. “We’ll make it. No need to chase after the hounds while they’re sleeping on the porch.”
Matt slowed the Mustang to sixty. Every fiber in his being begged to go the seventy speed limit, but that would be a stupid waste of gas. They had plenty of time. “Speaking of fuel . . .” He nodded at the phone. “How’s the battery?”
Darcy studied the screen again. “Getting low. We need to charge it, but how, if there’s no electricity? Our adapter just has a regular plug.”
“Look for a lighter adapter in the glove co
mpartment.”
“I didn’t see one last time, but . . .” Darcy popped it open, pushed aside a small flashlight, and rummaged through a pile of manuals. “Nothing.”
“Chalk up another mistake for Tamiel,” Matt said. “I don’t think he planned for this power outage. He probably assumed we would charge the phone with the wall adapter every night.”
Mariel extended her hand. “Let me see the phone.”
Darcy reached it back to her. Mariel stared at it for a moment or two, tapping it now and then. Finally, she turned it off and handed it to Darcy. “I have the route memorized. I’ll get us there, and we’ll save battery at the same time.”
“Just what we need.” Thomas let out a throaty chuckle. “Mariel as a backseat-driving GPS unit.” He shifted to a computer-like voice. “Recalculating. Recalculating.”
Mariel batted him on the shoulder. “Oh, be quiet, you old geezer, or I’ll recalculate you.”
As the two bantered back and forth, Darcy smiled at Matt, her eyes wide with excitement, as if she looked forward to the next day’s danger. She grasped his hand and caressed his knuckles with her thumb, then leaned close and whispered, “Someday, some lucky girl is going to get the best guy I’ve ever met, and I want to be there when she walks down the aisle dressed in white.”
Matt’s cheeks heated up once more. Why was she being so affectionate? Why the speculations about someone else’s relationship and not her own? Darcy was only three-plus years his senior. Not that he would be interested, but plenty of men have married women who were that much older. If she thought he was the “best,” why give up on the possibility?
Then an image of Darcy came back to mind—her stumbling out of Tamiel’s grasp, still wearing her street-corner garb, layers of come-hither makeup smeared across her face.
He winced at the mental portrait. Maybe she had given up on the so-called “best” because of her past. Maybe she wanted him to have someone who could dress in white, someone who was his equal in inexperience, someone who could blush in his embrace. And such unselfish hope painted a picture of real love.
He concealed a sigh. Then why couldn’t he trust her completely? It seemed that every time she tried to break down the wall between them, whether by words of kindness or acts of heroism, dark phantoms rebuilt the barrier.