The Beholder (8 page)

Chapter 14

Emily didn’t understand. She pressed herself to Jason, soaking in his closeness, his soft touch, feeling constantly in awe of his sparkling beauty. She had seen him all along the path in the dark, the same way she saw the corridor of the Maze. The dark wasn’t all that dark to her, and Jason made reality even brighter than usual. If she could only tell him how beautiful he looked in the dark. But he wouldn’t understand.

Not yet.

She was afraid to tell Jason what was really going on, and why protecting him and his friends was so important. The black veil that kept Jason from seeing her made her more confident. She had been about to tell him everything when he told her he’d seen her in one of the fusions.

The news had staggered her. She toed a dangerous line, and one wrong move could ruin everything.

“How do you know it was me in your dream?” she asked.

“It had to be you. It couldn’t be anyone else. The girl moved so fast the shadows could barely keep up with her,” he said, unwittingly slicing Emily’s insides as if with a knife. “Then the leader—I mean
I
did something, cut a rupture in the air and plunged into it, reappearing right in front of the girl.”

Emily closed her eyes, not wanting to hear, but knowing she had to.

“Then she was lying on the ground, writhing in pain, and the vision stopped.” Jason hesitated, and she felt him swallow. “I saw her eyes for one brief moment … and they were your eyes.”

Emily touched his cheek with her left palm, smooth and as good as new. He took her hand in his, and she felt the tip of his finger tracing where her burn should have been. He would find nothing there. “Is it okay?”

She sighed. “Yes, my hand is fine.”

“How do you make it heal so fast?”

“The ability to heal is just a tiny part of what I’m going to teach you. In theory at first.”

After a long pause, he said, “You told me the Prophecy, but all I know is that it’s become even harder to understand. I need the plain truth.”

Their time in the Maze was running out; Tyler and Jason’s friends were about to arrive. He was right. He deserved to at least know some of it now. “What do you think the Prophecy spoke about?” she asked.

“Well, there are twelve pillars of light.”

“Yes,” Emily nodded. “Go on.”

“And someone attempts to destroy these pillars.”

“Pariah and the Legates. You are the last pillar of light, the twelfth in the line.”

“Why me? How do you know?”

“Do you remember the beginning of the Prophecy?
Through visions of torture and horror he will walk, reaping the pain of those unknowingly defending him.
Well, you have had these visions, and your name’s Jason
Walker
.”

That stopped him. “Wait. Just because my last name is Walker, you think that means—”

“—that you are the Beholder. Yes,” she said, deciding not to tell him she’d also seen the brilliant pillar of light emanating from him when she’d been high overhead, battling Pariah. “I’ve been looking for you for too long, Jason. When I found you after all those years, no one would ever be able to persuade me that I was wrong. Especially not you.”

“But what if you
are
wrong? Because after all this, I sort of feel there could be nothing worse than disillusioning you,” Jason blurted out. “It’s not really fair, you know. I don’t get a single clue as to what I’m supposed to do to stop these creatures.”

She hadn’t been prepared for his honest outburst, but she couldn’t blame him, either. Something writhed in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t know either,” she admitted. “But I know you’ll figure it out. And don’t worry. You won’t disillusion me.”

Emily saw Jason smile involuntarily, and it made her smile as well. She squeezed his hand, afraid to let go. “Maybe we should go out into the light.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, that would be a huge relief to me,” he said, then wrapped his hand around her waist so he could help her stand.

Chapter 15

Matt lay on the road, trying to gain control. Nothing made any sense. His body felt like a sack of meat and bones, stubbornly ignoring his orders. Bit by bit warmth began to tingle through his arms and legs, replacing the lead that had glued him to the asphalt. He felt it a major victory when he found he could twitch his fingers, then twist his neck left and right.

Nearby he heard the stranger’s voice, but he couldn’t catch the meaning of the words. When he turned his head he saw Debbie, lying motionless on her front with her legs splayed out. She faced away from him, so he couldn’t tell if she was all right. Then it dawned on him—she showed no signs of life.

Panicked, Matt tried to pull himself together. He couldn’t stand, but did manage to transfer the weight of his torso upwards so that he sat with a groan.

“Debbie!” he called, wincing at the sensation of thousands of pins and needles pricking his insides.

She didn’t react, so he dragged his disobedient body to where she lay. With a great effort he rolled her onto her back, only to find her face still and deathly pale. But she was alive. Her eyes were wide open, her lips barely stirring as she tried to speak. Matt bowed down to her lips so he could hear her.

“It’s too deep,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Too deep,” she moaned.

With no other option, Matt called to the stranger, though he had no idea whether he meant to do them good or harm. The man appeared to be on his cell phone.

“Hey, you! My friend needs help! She’s dying!”

The cloaked man broke off in the middle of his conversation, pivoted on his heel and came quickly. In that short period of time, Debbie’s face had turned an even more cadaverous shade of white. To Matt’s horror, even the rich color of her auburn hair had started to fade. Her breathing was shallow.

“Energy sick, is she?” Although most of the stranger’s face was concealed by a cowl, Matt saw his mouth curve into a crooked smile. His voice was mirthless and calm. He knelt beside Debbie on the other side, opposite Matt, and froze like a statue. Matt stared, confused.

“What are you waiting for? Do something!”

But the cloaked man said nothing. Eventually he stretched his hand over her head then moved it over her body, though he never touched her. As he did, color returned to her hair, then to her face. It was nothing short of miraculous. To Matt it looked like someone had added color to a black-and-white film. Her chest rose high, and a low groan broke the silence.

“She’ll be all right,” the stranger said. “Fears hidden within tend to take over one’s memory from time to time.”

Matt pried his eyes off Debbie so he could look at the stranger instead. “Who
are
you?” He wouldn’t be surprised to hear the figure admit to being the Grim Reaper.
Only a scythe is missing to complete the image,
Matt thought grimly.

The stranger flung back his hood, and long, fair hair fell like curtains on both sides of his head. Strange gray eyes bored into Matt.

“It’s you!” Matt exclaimed, recoiling in horror as he recognized their pursuer from the night at McAlester’s.

With a crooked smile, the stranger nodded. “Yeah, it’s me. Call me Tyler. Tyler Woods.”

Chapter 16

Debbie resurfaced slowly, opening her eyes to see two blurred faces looming over her. The first, Matthew’s, was comforting. The other seemed vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t figure out from where. Then Matt said “McAlester’s” and it all came back.

“Matt?”

Matt’s eyes softened, and for a moment she wondered if he might cry. That pulled a lump into her own throat. “You freaked me out, Debbie.”

She gave him a weak smile, then he helped her sit. Before long she was feeling partially recovered, and she asked him to help her stand. Once she was up, she went directly after Tyler, demanding answers.

“Why did you come after us? What are we doing here—and where is here, anyway? What happened to my house? Where’s Jason?”

At first it appeared Tyler didn’t hear her. He just stared, looking bemused. That made Debbie angrier still. She started to ask more questions, but he interrupted.

“The three of you are bound and inseparable. That’s most peculiar.”

“So you
can
talk,” Debbie said with a snort.

Matt shook his head, observing Tyler with a wry smile. “What’s peculiar,” he said, “is that someone who can transport people through time and distance thinks something as simple as our friendship is peculiar.”

Debbie shifted her narrowed gaze from Tyler to Matt. “What do you mean, ‘transport people through time and distance’?”

“You’re wrong,” Tyler told Matt, ignoring another of Debbie’s questions. “Your friendship is not simple. I’ve traveled a great deal, and I haven’t seen anything like that before.” He riveted his attention on Debbie again, his stare so intense she felt slightly uncomfortable.

“Are you a friend or an enemy to us?” Matt asked.

“I can only tell you that I wish you no harm,” he replied, keeping his eyes on Debbie.

The manner of his speaking hypnotized her. He looked directly in her eyes, unafraid and confident, and she found herself fascinated by him. She admired the beauty of his strange gray eyes—even the way he ignored her drew her closer.
He keeps teasing me. Why?

“Where are we going?” Matt asked.

“Not far. Your friend’s already there.” Tyler pointed into the distance, but Debbie saw nothing but sand. “It’s time to go. Do you want me to take you there?”

“No,” Debbie said, suspicious now that the spell had broken and he’d looked away from her.

“We can handle it all right,” Matt agreed.

“As you wish,” Tyler said, and chuckled.

Chapter 17

Jason had never been so relieved to see light. Thin lines of shimmering blue seeped through the crack below the door, which meant they were nearly out. The Maze was about to end. When a door creaked open before them, Jason squinted, welcoming the sharp colors of light. They were painfully bright, yet so beautiful after the unnerving blackness of the Maze.

Emily’s gaze turned to the place where the platform had been before, and Jason noted with some concern that it was empty. But the lines of worry on Emily’s forehead smoothed out, reassuring him.

“He made it.” She sighed in relief. “Your friends are out of danger.”

“Who is ‘he’?”

“Tyler Woods. He’s an old friend of mine. Don’t worry. Matthew and Debbie are in good hands.”

“TW,” Jason murmured pensively.

“What?”

“TW. Tyler Woods. He sent me the message.”

“That’s right.” She smiled. “So you’ve sort of already met.”

Emily seemed comfortable with Tyler, and Jason figured if the guy had saved both Matt and Debbie, he couldn’t be bad. Yet his uneasiness lingered.

Before them stretched an abyss, its emptiness yawning hungrily at them. Though he was safe, Jason clung to the doorframe just in case. “How are we going to get to that Hall?”

Emily faced him, still holding his hand. “Close your eyes,” she said softly.

Blood pounded in Jason’s temples as Emily wrapped her other arm around his shoulder. He stooped a bit, being taller than she, and enjoyed the sensation of her closeness. When her warm breath fanned his neck, his heart started drumming madly in his chest. For a fleeting moment he closed his eyes, but when he did, she released him from her gentle embrace.

“You may open your eyes,” she said, breathing out.

Jason stared around in amazement. They stood on a platform, just as they had before, but now there was no Maze in sight. They were in a completely different place.

“Why didn’t we use this method of transportation before?” Jason asked.

“You have to learn the hard way before you learn the easy way,” Emily said, then smiled. “Besides, this is more energy-consuming, especially when I’m transporting someone like you. You’re a bit heavy.”

“Where’s everyone?” he asked, looking for a distraction. The longer he stayed close to Emily, the more his infatuation grew.

“There,” Emily said, pointing the other way.

Disoriented, he turned and saw the grandest door he’d ever seen. Its arch was studded with myriads of sapphires, moonstones, topaz, and other sparkling gemstones, smooth and faceted, clear-cut and amorphous. The door glowed with emerald signs Jason couldn’t decipher.

“What is this?” he said, the luster of the stones reflected in his eyes.

“The entrance to the Hall of Refuge. It’s the safest place in our world.”

He followed Emily through the door then into a short, dark tunnel. The feeling of insecurity Jason had experienced in the Maze evaporated, and as they walked through, he discovered the passage was an antechamber lit with an incredible light. When he blinked he saw the brightest, most beautiful chamber his imagination could ever have come up with. The room was immense, a huge gemstone in itself.

How can such a place be hidden from the rest of the world?
Jason wondered.

He felt a ridiculous jealousy at first, envying the skills of the architect who had designed such a perfect work of art. Lights and colors blazed around changing, merging images which were set in the walls and ceiling. The floor, on the other hand, grounded everything with black and white marble squares, like a huge chessboard. So much life and energy filled the room it felt as if it were alive, and Jason had to set his feet farther apart for balance when a wave of dizziness washed over him.

It took a few moments before his eyes adjusted to the luster. Then he was able to make out three figures standing in the middle of the chamber, and when he stared hard he made out the two familiar shapes of Matt and Debbie. Like him, they seemed in shock, goggling openmouthed at the ceiling, admiring the twinkling lights, until they looked over and noticed Jason and Emily.

A third shape lingered in their wake.
Must be Tyler, Emily’s friend,
Jason thought, feeling an overwhelming gratitude to the man.

“Matt! Debbie!” he called.

Debbie was the first to move. “Jason?” she cried, then ran towards him, arms outstretched. When she hugged him, he worried she might smother him to death, but he didn’t mind. Matt gave Jason a crushing hug and a firm handshake.

“You look awful,” Debbie said.

“Gee, thanks!” Jason laughed, and it felt great to laugh. He was exhausted, but a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders at the sight of his friends, alive and well. “Ah, it doesn’t matter. At least you two look good.”

The third person approached, and he recognized the man’s long, fair hair hanging loose on his broad shoulders, as well as his long black cloak and high collar. It was the stranger from McAlester’s.

“Thank you for taking care of my friends.”

The stranger stared at Jason, his eyes wide with disbelief, and Jason tried not to pay attention to the man’s strange reaction. Tyler shifted his gray-eyed gaze to Debbie, smiling enigmatically, then back to Jason. “The pleasure is mine. I’m Tyler Woods.” He held out his hand, and Jason took it.

“Jason Walker. So you’re the guy who left the note in my apartment?”

“I’m sorry I got you into trouble in Times Square,” Tyler said, nodding. “The Darksighted weren’t supposed to be there, but somehow they’d figured it out.”

“Never mind,” Jason replied. “Fortunately, Debbie arrived just in time. Thanks for not letting them get me.”

“Do you still have the letter?”

Jason felt his pockets, but the letter was not there.

“Here,” Debbie said, holding it out.

“Good.” Tyler crumpled the paper and squeezed it between his hands, then unclasped his fingers. The message was gone. “There is no need to leave clues for the enemy and make his task easier.”

When Matt and Debbie shifted their gaze from Jason to Emily, he saw her again, as if for the first time.

There she is, so beautiful,
he thought.

She introduced herself to Jason’s friends, extending a graceful hand. “Emily Ethan.”

Ethan. Jason had never wondered what her surname was. He’d had no time for it. She was just Emily for him. But this explained the appearance of double Es on the white hot sphere.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I need to steal Tyler from you for a moment.”