Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (14 page)

“Aren’t you, though? You clearly believe in Jesus. Didn’t you say that was all that’s required?”

“No, I’m afraid not. He has to be my Lord and Savior. As it stands now, I don’t follow any of the directions He gave in the Bible. Even the demons believe in Jesus, the Bible says, but they aren’t saved.”

“You sound just like a preacher.”

“I’ve heard about Jesus for sixteen years of my life. Thanks to my grandmother, it’s ingrained in me.”

“Ah yes, you were indoctrinated as a youth. Ignorance is usually taught that way.”

“I would hardly describe it as indoctrinated. Maybe inoculated is a more accurate description. I can’t deny the truth and power behind it all, but that Christian lifestyle just wasn’t something I could ever manage to follow.”

“Well, on to a different topic then. In order to clear our names, I think you should take Ischus’ advice and go find Ragal. You have to admit, she’s a much larger piece of the puzzle for us than we first realized. If she’s from Earth like we think she is, she may be able to explain how we all got here and, more importantly, how we can leave.”

“I agree.”

“I agree too,” said Sebastian.

Myles and Omar glanced over to where Sebastian had been lying, and Myles commented, “I thought you went to sleep a long time ago.”

“What, and miss the buffoonery of your earlier conversation? Never!”

Omar glared at Sebastian. “Excuse me, what did you say?” Myles just folded his arms and stared at him with disapproval.

Sebastian got up. “If either of you think that my faith is going to be swayed because the Book says that the Earth you come from is one age and you think science proves it’s another age, then you’re wrong. Omar, you sound just like those who are of the Council of Six. And Myles, you sound like a reject from the Council of Seven.”

Omar tried to speak, but Sebastian cut him off. Looking directly at Omar he said, “I can see that your pride is welling up within you. I don’t mean to insult your intelligence, but if your statements beg for your intelligence to be insulted, there’s no way I can stop that. The Book says to
taste and see that the Lord is good.
Well, I’ve tasted and I’ve seen. Things have happened in my life that transformed me into something I would have never been able to become by myself. You’ll never convince me those events didn’t happen.

“You don’t see it, either of you. You haven’t tasted or seen, so you speak of things you know nothing about. Myles, you obviously know the truth about faith in Jesus. You know that if you don’t accept Christ as Lord, you’re as good as a stranger to Him. Yet you won’t turn to Him because you don’t like the lifestyle. This makes you a complete fool. And Omar, you don’t believe either, but you’ve made a half-hearted attempt to convince Myles that he’s wrong. I ask you, what kind of man would willingly watch his friend walk into a burning fire and try to convince him that there’s really no fire?”

Sebastian could see the struggle on their faces and sighed. “I know that my words were hard. But the wounds of a friend are faithful. So let’s all go to sleep now, knowing that tomorrow is a new and challenging day.”

Sebastian put his hand on Myles’ shoulder. “I’m sorry that I’ve offended you, my friend. I owe you my life, and I just hate to see that you’ve chosen to throw yours away.”

Myles nodded. “Let’s just go to bed. We’ll go look for Ragal tomorrow morning and see if we can at least solve one problem. The rest we’ll have to work on later.”

The next day Myles woke before the others and began to plan his search. He knew that there must be some form of secret passage nearby or Ragal and Nekar couldn’t have gotten the motorcycle in and out of this upper chamber. So he quickly ate some breakfast from their provisions and began to examine the walls of the room and the hallway. He didn’t look long before he found a brick that stuck out a few more centimeters than the others. When Myles pushed on it, the wall opened up. Myles laughed quietly at his success. Back on Earth things just weren’t that mentally stimulating for him, but here he really enjoyed these puzzles and secret passages.

After he pushed the new door wide open, he ran over to the motorcycle, took a few goodies from Omar’s bags, and put them in his trail coat. He took the bags off the motorcycle for Omar and Sebastian. Then he pushed the bike past his two sleeping friends and through the opening into the secret tunnel. He closed the door quietly and walked about a hundred yards down the tunnel before he started the engine.

As Myles sped through the tunnel system, searching for signs of Ragal, he thought again about what Sebastian had said to him the night before. Not too long ago Myles would have come out swinging at anyone who called him a fool. Myles didn’t have an answer for why it didn't seem like Sebastian meant to insult him. For some reason his childhood memories leaped alive like they had just happened.

He was always getting into trouble when he was a kid, whenever he was just being himself. He eventually accepted that as a part of his identity. He hadn’t become a truly good con man until he embraced it and reveled in it. That was how he had discovered his talents and how he’d become comfortable with his questionable lifestyle.

But what about now? Who am I today, in this new world? And if I pursue this new lifestyle, who will I become? Can I stop being that person I embraced for so long, or am I a hopeless cause?
Myles realized that he was tired of lies, tired of cheating people, and ready to do good things for a change. But the question that haunted him the most was, how long would it last? This was an awful lot of introspection for Myles, but it felt good to be asking these questions.

Myles lost his focus on finding Ragal. He turned a corner and almost ran over a man just standing there. Myles quickly turned the motorcycle around.
Is that a human? Did I just actually see an Adam?

A man with matted, greasy, blond hair and beard stood waiting for him. He had dark eyes that looked old and experienced. Myles saw the scars on his torso, and that familiar tattoo on his left arm.

The man was definitely an Adam. He was both skinny and muscular. His ragged, dirty clothes were smeared with green moss stains. The man motioned with a large walking stick for Myles to hurry. Myles pulled up in front of him. “What took you so long?" Nekar demanded." I was expecting you last night. You’re not much, are you? But I guess the Master knows what he’s doing.”

Myles didn’t understand this irritating, crazy man’s chatter. “I’ll give you ‘not much’ if you don’t start talking sense! First of all, who are you?”

“No time for jokes, cowboy. She’s dying of stubbornness, and for some reason you’re the only one she’ll listen to. Or so I’m told.”

“Do you mean Ragal? She’s dying?”

“I’ve waited so long for the Master to send another Adam, and he sends me a slow one.”

This guy has some nerve. Rambling on about stuff that no one else understands like those old losers at the casinos. This has to be Nekar.

“I’m getting used to being called stupid, so I think its best that you move on to some kind of reasonable explanation.”

“Ragal is dying. She was hit by an assassin’s dart while she was waiting for you and Omar. I’ve already been following her from a distance for a long time now, waiting for the day when she’d be ready to meet the Master. Now you need to take her there. Continue on the path you’re going and take every left. You’ll find her, but she’ll probably already be dead since you took so long to get here. If she’s still alive, keep traveling in the same direction, but take every right. My Master will be waiting for you. But listen! She must accept Him as her Master or He can’t help her and she’ll die. Go now!”

“Okay! I’ll get her there.” Myles cranked the bike and sped off into the tunnels, taking every left. As he raced along, he thought to himself,
His Master? Is this more crazy talk? Of course, I can hardly tell crazy talk from sane in Musterion.

Myles hugged a tight turn in the tunnel and came upon Ragal. Last time he'd seen her she’d seemed confident, proud, and full of fire. Now she seemed ... well ... beaten. She hardly glanced up at him, gasping for air and staggering along with one hand on the brick wall. It looked like each step took an enormous effort.

Myles stopped the bike next to her and extended a hand to help steady her. The fire in her eyes rekindled and she shoved him. Myles smashed into the wall behind him. She might be weak, but she was still a Kalat. Myles rubbed his back as he got up and knew he’d have to be more stubborn than she was if he was going to help her. Ragal forced a playful look onto her pale face at that moment. “You won’t take me without a fight.”

Myles started to tip his hat to her, but she lunged at him with every last bit of energy she had. Myles brought the hilt of one of his throwing knifes down on the back of her head as he dodged her. She crumpled to the floor. “Fool girl. You’d try to kill a man for trying to save you? And make me forget I'm a gentleman, to boot.”

He pulled some rope from his coat and tied her up against him on the back of the bike. She was surprisingly light for someone who packed such a punch. Myles winced as her weight sagged against his bruised back, but he cinched the rope as tight as he could. He steadied himself briefly and then kicked the bike to life.

Myles pushed the throttle higher, following the series of right turns. Nekar didn't seem to have been crazy about Ragal's being near death. He could only hope that it wasn’t too far to where this Master was.

It occurred to Myles that he’d never helped another person before without having something masterfully devious in mind. That attack on the Kalat had been less to save Sebastian and more out of anger. This time he was actually giving everything he had to save someone’s life, and it was a liberating feeling. He liked it.

Turning yet another right, Myles approached an opening where a blinding light shone into the tunnel. They seemed about to burst out of the dim light into the noonday sun. He couldn’t see a thing. Myles shaded his eyes and looked down as he slowed the bike to a crawl.
What in the world is this? Is it possible that this is the Master?

13

The Master

The light was so intense that it hurt his eyes even when they were shut. He backed the bike up until he could bear to squint a little, until he was able to make out the form of a man. He was the source of all the light, but it was so much light that Myles couldn’t make out any details. He untied the ropes holding Ragal up and she started to come to. Myles laid her on the tunnel floor. The intensity of the light made her curl away from it at first, but curiosity got her squinting and trying to look at the source.

Myles called out, “Are you Nekar’s Master?”

A voice seemed to come from all directions, a roar like the sound of rushing waterfalls. The voice simply said, “I AM.”

Ragal coughed up some blood.

“Can you heal her?” Myles cried. “She’s dying!”

Kindness filled the tone of the voice, but his answer wasn’t what Myles hoped for.

“I cannot save someone who is unwilling to let me help them.”

Myles bent down and whispered to Ragal. “Listen! This guy is going to heal you, but you’ve got to be willing.”

Ragal spat, “I have no master! I will bow to no one!”

Myles fear for her grew even stronger, and he looked up at the blinding light again, pleading, “Will you just heal her, please? She’s crazy. I don’t think she can think clearly right now. Just don’t let her die.”

The Master’s voice rang out. “By your acceptance of me as your Lord and Savior, you will be healed. Come to me, and I will give you the rest that you need. The burden you carry is heavy, but I will gladly take it from you if you’ll let me. Give your life to me, and I will save it.”

“C’mon, are you going to die of stubbornness?”

Ragal struck out at Myles in her rage and swept his leg from under him as she screamed, “I might take you with me.”

Myles fell backward and hit the floor. Disgusted, Myles rose to his feet again and shook his head.

“You’re a piece of work, do you know that? People have gone out of their way to get you here so that you won’t die. This is how you thank people who try to save you?”

The Master stood quietly in the light.

Ragal slumped down to her hands and knees. She began to weep. “I never asked for your help. I didn’t want it. You’re the one who knocked me out and brought me here, remember?”

“That’s only because you were determined to die.”

She threw up her hands and cried some more. “I just wanted revenge before I died. Was that too much to ask? I know I’m evil, but I’ll take the punishment I deserve.” With that, Ragal hung her head and coughed up some more blood.

“Look at you!” Myles shouted, tears starting to run down his cheeks. “You’re going to die. Don’t you want another chance? The Master is offering you an opportunity to turn your life around. If you die, all your horrible actions will remain. Your life will have been a total waste, and it doesn’t have to be!”

The Master spoke softly to Ragal. “I ask only that you give your life to me. You’ve had control of your own life up till now and look what you’ve done with it. Are you really happy with the way it’s turned out? Follow me and I will take away the burdens you carry and cleanse you of the poison. I will transform you, Kasey, and make you a new creation.”

Ragal looked up in surprise at being called Kasey and found herself filled with a longing to be rid of Ragal, the vicious Kalat. She just sat there looking toward the light and listened as Myles made his last effort to change her mind.

Myles didn’t notice what the Master had called her. He just looked her in the eyes and offered his most sincere and honest appeal. “I know you think that you can go this alone. I know you don’t want help from other people and I understand that. I know how it feels to distrust everyone around you. I really do! But you have to let go of the bitterness and the anger in your heart that have obviously consumed you. You’re going to die because you don’t want to let him give you a whole new life. What do you have to lose? You’re about to lose your life anyway.”

Kasey finally heard Myles and accepted the truth of what he was saying. She nodded her head and affirmed, “It’s true. I’ve wasted my life, and I really don’t have any use for it any more. What am I trying to hang on to?” Then she looked as intently into the light as she could and with a deep sigh she prayed, “I’ll give you my life so you can save it and help me redeem the time I’ve spent working evil in the world around me. I agree to have you as my Lord and Savior.”

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the light blinked out and the tunnel went dark. Kasey and Myles looked around, but there was no trace of the Master. Kasey burst into flames. Myles panicked, tearing off his trail coat to try to beat them out, but Kasey didn’t scream. The flames obscured her entire body almost instantly and shaped themselves into a phoenix. They shifted to blue and then died down. Myles saw that Kasey had become a Miyka with white, glistening feathered wings. Kasey stood and her body started to glow. Her beauty captivated Myles.

The voice of the Master reverberated again from the walls. “You are healed now because you had faith. You’ve been reborn. The curse of the Kalat has been lifted from you, and your evil deeds have been forgiven. Your name is now Kasey Phoenix. From the ashes of your old life you rose to become a new creature. You’re no longer Ragal the spy. Go, Kasey, and live the life you were called to have.”

Kasey made an awkward but humble nod and began to study her radiant new form. A huge smile spread across her beautiful new face.

“Myles Callaghan, what about your life?" the Voice asked. "You pleaded for Kasey to give her life to me. Won't you do the same?”

Myles retreated into the tunnel and muttered, “I ... uh. ... I don’t think that my life needs saving.”

“Yes, it does.” The words echoed and then faded.

“How do you—” He struggled to recover his composure and blurted out, “No. You know what, I’m not ready yet.” The light and voice suddenly disappeared, leaving Kasey and Myles standing there looking at each other. Myles remembered parts of his dream from a few nights before and thought for a moment that Kasey looked a lot like that same beautiful woman.
It was only a dream
. His feelings, however, were much the same as he had felt in his dream, except that they were real.