The Magician: An Epic Dark Fantasy Novel: Book One of the Rogue Portal Series (10 page)

FIFTEEN

⌛

              They all sat looking at the page with the depiction of Connor's pocket watch. He thought back to when he had first come into contact with it. The blue light. The odd feeling. It was just a trinket, really. The smallest trinket he could find, something portable. It hadn't been a strategic choice.

              But then maybe it had been. Maybe, in some way he couldn't possibly have known, he'd picked up the pocket watch for a reason. Maybe, even then, his choices had been stretching under the influence of forces he knew nothing about and people - if that's what they were - that he never knew existed. And didn't want to. But here he was, and whatever had led him to take the pocket watch and bring it here, it was now a part of all of their lives. And, as it appeared, an integral part of the realm they had become so intertwined with.

              "We have to figure this out," said Kit, at long last.

              They'd been sitting silent for quite some time, all of them exhausted by the day's events, frustrated at the lack of answers they had, and driven to find them.

              "We will," said Connor, not sure of his own words.

              "How can you  be so sure?"

              Connor met her gaze. Her tone wasn't accusatory. The harshness that she'd exhibited before had faded, and her eyes looked concerned but hopeful, as though she was hoping to hear that he had a clear cut plan.

              "Because, Kit. He was there when my dad killed himself. I mean he had something to do with...with everything. Helped orchestrate it even. At least...at least that's how it seemed. And I'll be damned if I'm going to sit back and let this crap keep happening without answers."

              She nodded and put her hand on top of his.

              "You're right. We'll figure it out."

              "Absolutely," agreed Stuart.

              "We're not giving up now," Hazel chimed in, her warming smile having returned to her lips.

              The room grew cold. It was past ten o'clock, and they sat in a collective dreariness.

              "Damn it," said Kit.

              "What?" Connor responded.

              "We have chem tomorrow."

              Connor put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees.

              "Rumsfeld is literally the last person on this earth I want to see. Especially in class. I can't sit there for an hour and a half and listen to him drone on about chemistry when I know what he did."

              "So then we skip," said Kit.

              "What do you mean?"

              "Think about it. Every time we try to get information he stops us - or at least
something
stops us that likely has a lot to do with him."

              "Yeah, so?"

              "So if he's teaching class, he's probably not going to be in the library. It's at least an hour and a half that we've got to look through everything, right? See if we can't find some books that will help us figure out this...alchemist's thing?" she said, pointing to the ancient book.

              "That's not a bad idea," said Connor, feeling a new surge of hope.

              "We should all go," said Stuart.

              "I can't go with you, I have a Classics lecture tomorrow. But I'll go on my own and see what I can dig up. I'll look through my own books, too. I feel like there's something I'm missing. Something I should....well. Anyway, I'll look, too."

              "You've got to be kidding me!" Connor said.

              "What?" Hazel blinked in genuine confusion, which only infuriated him further.

              "Hazel we're under attack and you're worried about a damn lecture?"

              "It's my favorite class."

              "Are you
listening
to yourself?" He was shouting now.

              "Hey lay off!" Stuart shouted.

              "You keep your mouth shut!" Connor stood up. "I get that you like her, but this is a bit more important than impressing your crush, don't you think? We can't afford this shit!"

              "Calm down," Kit said.

              "Don't you tell me to calm down!"

              "Don't yell at her!" Hazel snapped.

              "Shove off!"

              "EVERYBODY!" Kit shouted. "Calm down!"

              Connor walked across the room, lacing his fingers behind his neck and staring at the floor, pacing. His heart pounded in his neck, in his hands, in every part of his body, and he willed it to slow.
We're all losing it,
he thought.

              A few collective sighs told him that everyone else was taking a moment to calm down, as well, and he finally decided to rejoin the group.

              "Look, I'm sorry. If you want to go to the lecture, go. We'll go to the library."

              "Okay, then it's settled, right?" Kit said. "We're meeting in the library tomorrow to go through the Metaphysical section, maybe some others, and see what we can find?" Kit inquired to the other three.

              "Yeah, sounds good," said Stuart. "We can get an early start, since chem is usually at eight." Stuart looked cheerful for the first time in hours.

              "I'll be there, too. Eight o'clock sharp," said Connor, offering a forced smile that tried desperately to hide a growing darkness. Kit squeezed his hand.

              "Alright then. Sounds good. Eight o'clock in the library," she said.

              Connor sighed. "I just think it's important we all go through this book together. At some point. And soon."

              "Hey what if we met over the weekend. Off campus," said Stuart. "We could rent a hotel room or something at that place down the way. It wouldn't be here, so if anything...happened...we wouldn't have to worry about being the freaks of the school again. It's contained, we're together...and we could just study the book. And whatever we find at the library."

              The group started nodding.

              "And then Hazel could come, too," he said, then nervously adding "I mean since she'll have her books, too. And we can...look at them."

              Connor suppressed a smile, as did Kit, and Hazel and Stuart exchanged nervous glances. Something like normalcy returned to their dynamic.

              "That's a really great idea, Stu," said Kit.

              "Yeah. I'll make the reservations when we get back. So, tomorrow library. Weekend at the Lodge Inn - that's the one you're talking about, right?" Connor asked Stuart.

              "Yeah, that one."

              "Okay. We can check in at noon, I think, but students get early admission. Eight I think. I'll go early and get started in the room. Call them tomorrow to set it up. Is that alright with everyone?"

              Everyone nodded. After a moment of collective and silent agreement, Stuart looked at his watch. Connor took his lead.

              "We should probably head back to our dorm. Sorry for intruding, guys."

              "No intrusion," said Hazel brightly. "Besides, we have to stick together as much as possible. This is...this is just dangerous," she said.

              "Agreed," said Stuart.

              "Yeah, no worries. You guys are welcome here any time," Kit offered.

              "Might want to inform your neighbors of that," said Connor, pointing lazily over his shoulder with his thumb and raising an eyebrow. Kit laughed.

              "Ah, yeah. They get a little protective around here, but it's alright. We'll fill 'em in."

              "Yeah be sure to mention the part about the dark magic and the cosmic realm where they store the Sands of Time, it'll help them understand." Connor smirked.

              "Bite me," said Kit.  They locked eyes, and Connor felt his pulse quicken. His heart froze in his chest, paralyzed by a moment of mutual attraction. Connection. Something he hadn't experienced before. He leaned closer to her, caressing the side of her face.

              "So tomorrow then. See you guys." Stuart's voice shattered the moment's serenity like a hammer breaking through the glass of a snow globe, exposing the fragility of the figurine city's environment. Connor pulled back abruptly and walked out the door.

              "What do you make of all this?" Stuart asked.

              "What?" Connor said, half his mind still standing in the doorway with Kit.

              "All the nonsense - the books, the visions. What do you think they mean?"

              "Oh. I really don't know. I've been thinking it over, trying to figure it out. But..."

              More silence enveloped them as they walked slowly, almost in a dream state, back to the dorms. The air was cold, but it was refreshing. Dampness clung to Connor's skin, and a thought crossed the back of his mind that it might soon rain. Although, if he was honest, it had been storming for an entire week now. Ever since he had set foot on campus, things had been gearing up, wheels set in motion, storm clouds forming, and now it was absolutely pouring. And he had no way of knowing how to get out of it.

              "I think he wants us," said Stuart.

              "What? Who?"

              "Rumsfeld. The..Void people. Whatever they are. The forces that be of that realm. They need us for some reason. I mean they have to, right? Otherwise why would they go through all the trouble to ruin our lives like they did."

              Connor thought about this for a moment.

              "You may have a point."

              "And," he said after a moment, "I think this is only the beginning. I think things are bound to get crazier and weirder from here on out. I mean they have to, don't they?"

              Connor laughed.

              "I suppose so."

              They approached the dorms a few moments later, having walked the remainder of the way in silence. Something had changed, of course. Something was different. Everything was different now. But he didn't know what or why. The cool air made for clearer thinking, even given the lateness of the hour and his lack of sleep.

              "Hey you know what we should do?" Stuart said.

              "What?"

              "Look online at the school library and see what they've got. We can narrow down our search instead of wandering the library for hours tomorrow."

              "That's a good idea. Maybe after we've slept a bit," Connor laughed.

              "Good idea." Stuart smiled.

              Turning into the building they walked quietly down the hallway so as not to wake any of the other residents. Fortunately they lived on the first floor, so they didn't have to clomp up the staircase. Whenever someone came in at a late hour who lived on the second or third floors they always made a terrible racket going up the hollow stairs, no matter how hard they tried not to.

              Finally they made it to their dorm room, number fifteen, and Stuart reached to put the key in the door. Connor started.

              "Shh, wait," he whispered.

              "What?"

              "I thought I heard something from in there."

              "The way today's going it's probably the book drying off after using the shower," Stuart laughed.

              "No, I'm serious, listen."

              "Connor, I don't hear anything," Stuart said, pressing his ear to the door. "I think you just need some sleep. As do I. Let's go."

              Before Connor could protest, Stuart put the key in the lock and opened the door. Stuart turned to close the door, and when they both turned around there in front of them was one of the entities Connor had seen in his vision. It was draped in black, and an icy cold chill spread from it to the rest of the room. It wore a hood, but the hood was covering nothing. The thing's head was in one of its hands, white and ethereal but gnarled and knotted just the same, oblong in shape. Its eyes looked as though they'd been sewn shut, and it had no mouth, just an indentation of sorts where the mouth should have been.

              Stuart reached for the door, but the thing held up its free hand, sending him across the room where he collapsed on the ground.

              "Stuart!" Connor shouted.

              "I'm fine!" he said, struggling to get up.

              As Connor turned to confront the being, he flew into the air, pinned against the door, not by the physical force of the being's hand, but by the invisible force of its power. The same power that had thrown Stuart across the room without touching him.

              The being started to constrict his hands around something invisible. No...not invisible. He felt the blood being cut off from his head, and he thought for a moment that he would burst into a million pieces. Pressure built up in his nose and forehead, and he couldn't breathe. Instinctually, he grasped at the hands around his throat in an effort to get them to loosen, but it was of no use. His hands grasped at nothing.