chose a white T-shirt and a dark brown sweater. Alder took a deep green sweatshirt; Courtney, a dark blue hoodie. Before getting changed, we needed to wash. The Chetwyndes had a bottle of biodegradable soap that was okay to dump in open water.
“It’s cold,” I said to Alder.
“No colder than the rivers on Denduron” was his answer. Oh. Right. They didn’t have hot water on that territory.
While Courtney stayed below to change, Alder and I peeled off our crusty leathers and sank them underwater. We slipped quietly into the river and washed as best we could. It wasn’t ideal to be bathing in salt water, but it was better than nothing. We needed to get rid of not only the grime, but the dried blood. As cold as it was, it actually felt good. Call it symbolic, but I felt I was reacquainting myself with the sensations of home. Of course I didn’t usually go swimming in March, but it was still a great feeling. In some small way it made me feel centered. I was in familiar surroundings. I was home.
It was time to learn about how unfamiliar my surroundings had actually become.
Courtney found some canned tuna fish, and crackers that were kept in a plastic container to keep them fresh. It wasn’t exactly a feast, but it was better than nothing. I was starved. After we got dressed, the four of us sat down to eat.
“Look at us,” Courtney said, chuckling. “We look like a bunch of preppies in our khakis and sweaters.”
“What are preppies?” Alder asked.
How did you explain that to a knight? I took a shot. “Preppies are wealthy, conservative people who all dress alike.”
“Like the Bedoowan?” Alder asked.
That made me laugh, but he wasn’t far off. “Yeah. Preppies are like the Bedoowan. In Top-Siders.”
Mark and Courtney laughed at that one. Seeing Alder in clothes that were two sizes too small didn’t help. He looked like a monster preppy kid who had outgrown all his clothes. His pants were above his ankles, and his sleeves didn’t come close to reaching his wrists. Seeing that made us laugh even harder. Alder didn’t exactly get it, but he laughed too. It felt great. These were my best friends in the world. No, in Halla. Mark and Courtney had been with me since the beginning of this adventure, either in spirit or in person. It was as much their adventure as it was mine. It now looked as if we would be together at the end. That felt right, like it was the way things were meant to be. Though it feels odd writing this journal now, since Mark and Courtney are part of it. But I have to continue. Who knows where it will eventually end up and who will be reading it?
“I knew you didn’t quit,” Mark said.
The laughter stopped. That kind of killed the fun part of the reunion. The mood turned dark.
“But I did,” I admitted. “I wanted this to be over. I thought it was.”
“We don’t blame you, Bobby,” Courtney said. “We just weren’t sure about what happened or why we couldn’t reach you.”
“I lost my Traveler ring,” I said. “But it’s back.”
“I wish I could say the same,” Mark said glumly. He held up his hand to show that his ring was gone. “Everything that’s happening here is my fault.”
“That’s not true,” Courtney corrected quickly.
We spent the next few hours catching up. There was a lot to hear. Courtney and Mark gave Alder and me the story of what had happened since I left Courtney on First Earth to search for Mark. We learned all about KEM and how Mark was tricked into delivering his Forge invention to the company that would create the first dados. We learned how Nevva had actually saved Mark’s parents and then threatened to execute them if he didn’t give up his ring-the ring that was made from the same material as the flumes. The dark matter. The foundation of Halla. I didn’t know what to think about that one.
They told us of Naymeer’s history and the Ravinian cult and the Horizon compound and, most important, the upcoming vote at the United Nations. Between their story and what we learned from Patrick, I was pretty confident that we were up to speed on all that had been happening on Earth.
It was the only thing I was confident about.
“Patrick went back to Third Earth,” I said. “He’s going to look for any information about how Naymeer and the Ravinian cult influenced events. From everything I’ve heard, the turning point on Second Earth is the vote at the United Nations.”
“That’s what we thought too,” Mark added.
Courtney shook her head in dismay. “How can so many people be influenced by such a nutjob? A slick nutjob, but still.”
“People believe what they want to believe,” I said. “I’ve seen it all over Halla. Guys like Naymeer tell people what they want to hear. Everybody thinks their lives can be better, and guys like Naymeer say they can make it happen.”
“The grass is always greener,” Mark said.
“Exactly. It’s powerful stuff. Naymeer has taken it a step further. He’s giving them proof that there’s something greater out there. Something bigger than their own ordinary existence. Imagine the leader of a religion telling people he can get them to heaven, and then actually showing them heaven! That’s what Naymeer is doing. All they have to do is follow him, no matter how wrong his ideas are.”
“But Halla isn’t heaven,” Courtney corrected.
“No, but it proves there’s life beyond our own,” I pointed out. “That’s pretty dramatic stuff. From there, Naymeer can spin it any way he wants. I’m not surprised he has so many followers. Saint Dane must be loving this.”
“Do you know where the demon is?” Alder asked.
“No,” Mark said quickly. “He took the form of one of Naymeer’s people, so he’s definitely in the inner circle of Ravinia. Beyond that, he hasn’t shown himself.”
“What’s the big deal?” Courtney chimed in. “All we have to do is get to the United Nations and convince them to vote no on Ravinia.”
The three of us looked at Courtney with blank expressions.
“I’m being facetious, dorks,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Sheesh. Don’t you think I know that’s impossible!”
“So what can we do?” Mark asked.
Nobody had an answer. It seemed hopeless. It was a strange feeling. With every territory I’d chased Saint Dane to, I always found a way to get involved in the conflict. On my home territory, I was stumped.
“Naymeer is the key,” Courtney offered. “He’s Ravinia. Without him, it all means nothing. If we can somehow stop him, we’ll stop Ravinia.”
Courtney’s words put a thought into my head. It was a fleeting idea. One that I could hardly believe even occurred to me. It might have been a solution, but it wasn’t something I was willing to think about seriously. At least not yet. Things would have to get desperate before I went there. I hoped we hadn’t already reached that point. Still, I had to put it out there as a possibility.
“There is one way,” I said. “It’s a last resort but-”
“Courtney?” came a voice from outside. A woman’s voice.
We all froze. I motioned toward the battery-powered lantern we had been using to light the cabin. Mark killed it.
“Courtney honey, are you in there?” the voice called.
Courtney’s eyes went wide. She whispered, “It’s my mom.”
Another voice was heard. A man’s voice. “It’s all right, sweetheart. Come on out.”
I looked at Courtney. She nodded. “My dad,” she whispered.
Nobody knew what to do. How idiotic was that? Here we were discussing the future of all existence, yet we were terrified about getting busted by Courtney’s parents, as if we’d been caught skipping school or something. I guess old habits die hard. Courtney made the first move. She motioned for us to stay still and went for the hatch. I was able to peer through the curtains that covered the porthole, to watch as Courtney climbed onto the deck of the boat.
On the dock her mother and father stood waiting forher.
“Hi, guys,” she said, sounding like a meek little girl. “Going for a sail?”
