“Stop!” I shouted.
They didn’t. Several supports were knocked out quickly. I saw the hanging train shift and groan. Dirt rained down. It was going to fall. Two dados scrambled for the far side, leaving two more to continue smashing out supports. I made a quick calculation and decided to risk it. The train was going to come down. I sprinted for the far side. It was a gamble I had to take. A huge creeek sound told me I had made the wrong decision. I was directly under the big chassis. Dirt and rocks fell down on me. The subway train was ready to follow. I was about to be crushed. I had no choice. I put on the brakes and scrambled back the way I had come, just as the train, and all hell, broke loose. With the screeching sound of wrenching metal, the giant car fell through the air. I got thumped by a couple of larger rocks, but it didn’t stop me. I dove back into the narrow tunnel, my body parallel to the ground as the whole world collapsed behind me.
The train car plummeted down, crashing onto the cavern floor and bringing tons of rock and dirt and pieces of Rubic City along with it. I scrambled on my hands and knees to escape from the avalanche. The tunnel had become unstable. I was afraid the whole thing would come crashing down on top of me. I rolled to the side and wrapped my arms around my head, in case any more rocks were on their way. I was pelted by a bunch of gravel, but nothing worse than that. After a minute, the sound stopped. All was still. I looked up to see the air was filled with dirt and dust. It took a while for it to settle enough for me to survey the damage.
Behind me, the cavern that had held the train was no more. The train car had fallen straight down, sealing the way out. I was trapped on the wrong side. The dados weren’t. Next stop for them, Ibara. I sat there in the dusty darkness, staring at the wrecked train, trying to understand all that had happened. There was too much to get my head around.
There would be more.
A moment later the tunnel filled with light. I didn’t register what was happening until I heard the music. The jumble of notes.
The flume had been activated. “Nevva,” I gasped.
I scrambled to my feet and ran for the flume. When I rounded the corner into the cavern, I saw the light receding into the tunnel. The music ended. The cavern was empty.
Nevva was gone.
My heart was beating faster than humanly possible. What was I supposed to do? Everything was wrong. Saint Dane had escaped. Ibara was in danger. Again. The Convergence had begun. I still didn’t know what that meant. I was trapped.
Yet in front of me stood the doorway to everywhere.
I couldn’t catch my breath. What was I supposed to do?
Nothing. I was through. I wasn’t a Traveler anymore.
Did it matter? All that was happening was brought about because I had failed. I had given up. I had chosen not to fulfill my destiny.
Saint Dane’s prophecy was coming true.
What was I supposed to do?
I was weak. I was naive.
But I used to be the lead Traveler.
What was the Convergence?
Were the other territories in the same danger as Ibara?
I didn’t care. I only cared about Ibara. About Genj and Rayne and the Jakills. About fulfilling Aja Killian’s dream. I only wanted to save one territory. Wasn’t that enough?
But I used to be the lead Traveler.
It had been my battle to fight. I faced Saint Dane and I lost.
I wanted to see my family again.
I stood in that cavern alone. There was nobody to help me make a decision. Nobody to counsel me. Nobody to watch my back. My mind was in a thousand places and going nowhere.
Something on the dirt floor caught my eye. It was near where the Flighters had held me down. It was a flash of light. A sparkle. I walked the few steps toward it and bent down on one knee for a closer look. Lying in the dirt was my Traveler ring. As always, its stone sparkled because it was so near the flume. I gazed into the glittering gem, as if it might offer an answer. Any answer.
Close by I saw the wooden rod I had taken from the dock, lying where Nevva had tossed it. I reached out and grabbed it. It was a simple nautical tool. Six feet long. Solid. I stood up, holding it firmly with both hands. I held it out, testing its weight. I ran my hands across its smooth surface. It felt familiar. It felt good. I quickly flipped it into my right hand and spun it twice. This time I didn’t miss. I snapped it out in front of me sharply. Point forward.
It was a weapon.
I knew how to use it.
I bent down and picked up my Traveler ring. The stone was alive. So was I.
I put the ring back on my finger.
Things were happening exactly as Saint Dane had predicted. That’s what Nevva said. The first domino had fallen. It was something I had heard about years before.
I turned to look into the flume.
The dark tunnel looked back. Waiting. I walked toward it and stood in the wide mouth, staring into the darkness. Staring into the future. Staring into my destiny.
I clutched the weapon tighter. It felt right.
The first domino had fallen. I knew what that meant. I knew where I needed to be. I knew what I had to do.
I was the lead Traveler.
It was my job.
“Denduron,” I growled.
And so we go.
END OF JOURNAL #34
SECOND EARTH
Mark woke up first. It was dark. His head hurt. The faint smell of lemons still tickled his nose. He was sitting in a padded chair that was shaking. How could a chair shake? He thought of those rides he used to go on outside the grocery store when he was a toddler. There were always fire engines or spaceships that you dropped a quarter into, and it shook for a minute. Back then it was thrilling. Now it was making him nauseous. Why was he on a kiddie ride?
As his head cleared, he realized it was a much simpler explanation. He was sitting in a moving car. A real one. Courtney sat next to him, still unconscious. He took a deep breath and tried to focus. It wasn’t just a car. It was a limousine. A big one. He had plenty of room to stretch his legs, and he still couldn’t touch the seat in front. How did they get there?
Oh. Right. The guys at Courtney’s house. The lemons.
Mark leaned over to Courtney and brushed her long brown hair away from her face.
“Hey,” he said softly. “You with me?”
Courtney stirred and grumbled.
“I don’t want to go to school today, Mom. I’m sick,” she whispered.
“You’re dreaming,” Mark said kindly.
“It was a joke, dork,” Courtney quipped. She cracked open her eyes and took in the surroundings. “Nice ride” was her groggy comment.
“Any guesses as to what’s going on?” Mark asked.
Courtney sat up and rubbed her face. She looked outside to see they were speeding along the highway. She leaned over and tried the door. It was locked.
“Well,” she began. “The guys who grabbed us weren’t the police, so that means we’ve been kidnapped.
