The Realms of Ethair (27 page)

“We seek safe passage to the mortal realms.”
Pellinor sheathed his dagger and raised his arms as a sign of
peace.

“
You may pass. The humans remain here.” The
archers aiming at the Sentries directed their arrows toward the
people immobilized by the vines. Three of them aimed at Liyanna.
“You and your people may leave, Captain.”

A vein ticked at Pellinor’s jaw as he
sought a way to save the humans and Liyanna. Escape was impossible.
To go back would mean facing Reno and his Order.

Pellinor
, she said.
I think it’s…safe.

If anything happens to you…

Nothing will happen to me.

You are a Sentry’
s worst nightmare.

She didn’t answer.
Liyanna knew he would give in
soon.

Fine
.
But know this: if something happens to you, I shall not forgive
you.

He
spoke to the representative: “There is something you should
know.”

Unclenching a fist, Liyanna returned her
aura to its original appearance. She had been concealing her
identity by making her aura the size, color, and shape of an
average human being’s. Its sudden release momentarily caused her to
see nothing but white light. As it dimmed, she saw the archers
lower their bows and bow to her.

“
Liyanna. We did not recognize you,” the
representative said.

A breeze carried a disembodied whisper:
“Fools! Who else would possess the heavens and the earth in one
form but she?”

Tendrils of fog wove through the trees,
engulfing them until Liyanna felt separated from her companions. In
front, a shadow moved toward her and took the shape of a Devarian
woman. She was dressed in the same clothes as the archers. The
silver coronet, however, distinguished her as a minor princess of
the High Court.

The fog pushed Liyanna toward the
woman.

“
Many moons I have waited for your return.”
She trailed a finger down Liyanna’s cheek. “You have grown
lovelier, your heart purer than ever. A true Liyanna, whole and
untainted.”

A dagger sliced through the blanket of fog.
Pellinor stepped through it.

“
I see you have become reacquainted with my
errant son,” she said without looking at him. Her face took on a
somber expression. “Grief has not tainted your heart. If you pursue
this path, you are a step closer to fulfilling the
prophecy.”

“
There are far more pressing matters than
affairs of the heart, Sorceress,” Pellinor said.

“
You leave without a word. You come here
unannounced, allied to humans. And you call me Sorceress.” The mist
slithered around his ankles and progressed upwards. She turned to
Pellinor. The black of the woman’s iris expanded until it swallowed
the whites of her eyes. “Hello, my dear, dear son. Not a day goes
by that I do not think of you.” She inclined her head to the side.
Another tendril coiled around his neck.

“
Hello – mother,” Pellinor struggled to
speak.

“
You’re—” The mist covered Liyanna’s mouth
and held her in place.

“
Welcome home. For bringing Liyanna, I
forgive you,” the Sorceress said. The serpentine fog dissolved into
a puddle. Pellinor stumbled to the ground, coughing. Liyanna ran to
his side after her restraints disappeared.

“
The prophecy is a warning. Learn to heed
it, Liyanna. But prophecies by nature tend to be incomplete and
misleading and borne out of fear. For your courage, I shall grant
your wish to go to the mortal realm.” At Liyanna’s right, the fog
swirled and parted, showing evening in the other side.

“
And my friends?” Liyanna asked.

“Friends?”

“The Black Guards, Mindy, and S7.”

“
The humans? They are not your kind. It is
regrettable your soul chose to reside in human flesh. You have felt
different, not truly a part of their world because your soul is not
human. You have no need for such weak creatures.” The Sorceress
waved a hand in a dismissive manner.

“I was born and raised as a human. I’m still
part of that race until my soul chooses to be reborn in a different
shell. Whether or not they are my friends, I still need them to
complete my mission.”

“
Very well,” the Sorceress said, bemused.
She withdrew from their sight, bringing the fog and the sunlight
with her. “Until we meet again, Liyanna.”

Evening made the trees look different. Mindy
and the others stood upright before her. They were safe and sound
if a little befuddled. They seemed to have completely forgotten how
the plants had trapped them. As she moved towards them, she
realized the ground beneath her was empty of leaves, twigs, and
other detritus found in a forest. Rough yet even and solid, she was
standing on pavement. The flora around them was beautiful but too
orderly. They were in a formal garden overlooking an enormous
establishment. The Sorceress had transported them to the third
dimension.

“You witch! I’ll get you back for this!”
Pellinor shouted.

A few steps from Liyanna, a cat hissed,
its hackles standing on end. Everyone stared at the creature. She
scanned the faces around her for Pellinor, but couldn’t find
him.

“Pellinor?” she called.

“
I’m right in front of you,” he said
sullenly.

“
Where?” Liyanna still couldn’t see him.
Next to her, the Sentry gazed downward and gulped. She lowered her
eyes and saw the same cat, sitting on its haunches and staring at
her intently.

Among the group, Mindy was the first to
recover. She started to say: “You’re a—”

“Obviously!” he said angrily.

“
Um. At least you’re not…” Liyanna
said.

“Not what?” he snapped.

“A frog?”

Pellinor the cat rolled his eyes. A Guard
snickered earning him a dirty look from the Sentries.

“
We’ve crossed the security’s perimeter.
We’re right outside the building,” S7 said. “How did we get
here?”

“
The Sorceress has eyes and ears
everywhere,” a Sentry said.

“Is that the leader who intercepted us in the
forest a few minutes ago?” Mindy asked.

“Is she for or against us?” S7 added. “Can we
trust her?”

“
She does not stand by anyone, let alone
humans,” Pellinor said. “Are we going to wait for someone to find
us or should I send one of you to announce us in that fortress?” He
stood in all fours looking at the building then darted into the
trees straight towards the venue.

“Wait!” In vain, Mindy tried to grab his tail
and ended up losing her balance and scraping her hand. “Stupid cat!
Does he even know where he’s going?” She dusted off dirt from her
pants and hands.

Go. Find the human
Fred
, Pellinor mentally
spoke to Liyanna. Before she could ask where he was going, his
presence had already receded from her consciousness. Turning to her
people – her friends, Liyanna gave her first order: “Let’s move
out.”

The Black Guards and the Sentries formed a
circle around their human charges. The formation offered
protection, invisibility, and transportation for its maker and the
people within. They floated several feet from the building, looking
for a way in without getting exposed. A helicopter landed on the
rooftop. Bodyguards stepped out followed by their employers. Three
security personnel greeted them and escorted them inside. Two
guards were left behind, posted by the door.

“
That’s the easiest way in,” S7 said.
“Unless we can pass through walls?” he added skeptically. He had
unknowingly pointed out one of the limitations of their defensive
barriers.

Two Sentries sneaked behind the security
guards and neutralized them. Bound and gagged, the Sentries assumed
the guards’ identity. S7 picked a tablet off the floor.

“If They find out about this, wouldn’t they
be able to track us with that?” Mindy’s brows furrowed.

“Not if we move fast.” He entered an
eight-digit password into the device. The screen changed. He tapped
on an app. Different mini screens appeared. It was a live recording
of every surveillance camera within the building and the
vicinity.

“That’s illegal.” Mindy pointed at one video.
From the camera’s angle, the room was illuminated by the moon
outside and showed the silhouette of two people sitting in the
dark. One of them moved to the window. “And that’s Fred.”

Liyanna
didn’t recognize the man on the screen
immediately. Fred’s face had cleared of acne and wore a suit that
emphasized his new muscular build. His companion followed him to
the window. Peter. He pulled at his collar. Despite his immaculate
attire matching Fred’s, he looked a little wild and angry. He
seemed to be trying to persuade his friend who smiled and shrugged
at him.

“
They’re still using the same suite,” S7
commented.

“
What’s the room number?” Liyanna
asked.

“426. It’s thirty-two floors down. We can land on
their balcony.”

Guests
in the fourth floor didn’t find it odd that two security
personnel were heading for 426. Earlier, they had heard its
occupants ask for two personal bodyguards from the Chief of
Security. Fred had also insisted to double the security which the
chief assured that protocol ensures that every individual has been
run a background check before entering the premises. The other
guests were less concerned with the request and more curious about
the two young men. They were familiar with Alfred, whom everyone
calls Fred, but the silent one called Peter was a bit of a mystery.
The only significant detail about him is his father being a board
member of their organization.

The burly bodyguard rapped on the door.
Seconds ticked by when it opened and a strong male cologne pervaded
the air.

“You’re late, but that’s okay. You’re here
now and the party won’t be starting in two hours.” Fred swung the
door wider to let his bodyguards in. But when he tried to close the
door, it refused to budge.

“Is there something wrong, sir?” the guard
asked.

“The door’s stuck.”

The guard took over and pushed the door
without success. He took a step back, studied it, went to the other
side, scratched his head, and tried to close it once more. The door
swung smoothly and the lock clicked in place.

“
Creepy,” Fred remarked, rubbing his
arm.

“Things that go bump in the night?” The guard
grinned.

“
Hah! It’s not even midnight.” Fred
extended a hand to the guard. “I’m Fred. You are?” In a blur of
movement, the man pulled him by the wrist and twisted it behind him
while an arm braced around his neck. “What the hell are you doing?!
Do you know how many CCTV cameras are in here? I bet your boss is
on his way—”

“Silence.” The order came with the arm
tightening around his neck. Fred clamped his mouth shut as he was
maneuvered to a chair. “If you make a move…” Cold steel dug in
Fred’s neck. The guard released his hold and instructed the former
to sit.

“Whoever hired you must be crazy. Why don’t
you work for us instead? We can double the amount the guy promised
you. Or, you can name your price.” Fred had changed tactics when
minutes dragged on and no one had come to rescue him. The other
guard was gone, probably to fetch his friend from the bedroom.

Peter strode into the room looking nervous
but unharmed. No guard and no weapon was trained at him. A hope
sparked in Fred and died just as quickly. At Peter’s heels were men
and women dressed either in black clothing or in Lord of the
Rings-inspired costume. He spotted Mindy flanked by two hooded
beings in the group. His eyes darted to them and Peter.

“
Fred, they won’t hurt you if you promise
to cooperate,” Mindy said.

“Could you tell my “guard” to get that thing
and himself away from me?” Fred’s eyes slid to the knife at his
throat.

Next to Mindy, the girl, whose hood
covered her face, inclined her head. The weapon was retracted and
the guard moved several yards from him. Fred stared after him –
her. It wasn’t his assailant. The knife wielder had magically
turned into a sexy female.

Mindy snapped her fingers at his face. “Fred,
do you know where Arty is?”

“Geez, Mindy. You went through all this
trouble just to ask that?”

“Just answer the question.”

“No. Haven’t seen him since the freak
accident.” Mindy looked to the girl again. The leader, he assumed.
“Are we done here?” Fred glared at the leader.

Voices coming from outside made him sneak a
glance at the door. Shifting his gaze back to his interrogators, he
discovered the room empty except for him and Peter, who dozed on
the couch. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked at his watch,
shook his friend awake and left the suite.

Within the circle of invisibility, Mindy
commented: “He doesn’t look scared.”

“
We had Peter’s memory wiped. As for Fred,
we suggested to him that our visit was just a dream and added a few
imaginative details to make him believe it,” Liyanna explained. She
had seen through the lie and saw more than she bargained for in
Fred’s mind. She hoped most of the images were just the result of a
very vivid imagination.

“Shouldn’t we follow him?” S7 said.

“No. We don’t need him anymore. Arty’s in an
underground lab.”

“Do you know where?”