Broken Dreams (The Chronicles of Mara Lantern, Book 5) (13 page)

“Swarm!” Dr. Lantern yelled from the back of the wagon, which now lurched as he struggled to his feet. He pointed to a dark cloud that shifted in the air but not with the breeze or the sway of nearby trees. Fifty feet above and less than one-quarter mile behind them, the black swarm rolled toward them, gaining speed as it approached.

Ping turned around on the wagon bench and gasped. He elbowed Sam and said, “Pull over. We’ve got company.”

Sam tugged on the reins, and the wagon stopped in the middle of the road. Ping jumped to the ground and ran to the back.

“That must be the swarm that Janette and Mrs. Clancy saw this morning back in town,” Dr. Lantern said as he jumped down next to Ping. “No wonder they got so worked up about it. I’ve seen nothing like it.”

“That’s no swarm,” Ping said.

Sam walked up beside him and said, “Is that what I think it is?”

“It’s the Aphotis. And it’s headed right for us,” Ping said.

Dr. Lantern looked at Ping. “It’s a what?”

The cloud of black mist dove from the sky in a stream, as if pouring through an invisible funnel pointed at the bed of the open wagon.

“It’s after Abby. We’ve got to stop it or it may repossess her,” Ping said. He scampered into the back of the wagon and rolled over Abby, shielding her body with his.

Beneath him Abby awakened and screamed when the blackness flowed from the sky, over Ping’s back and into her face. She gagged and kicked at the sideboards of the wagon.

Dr. Lantern grabbed the side of the wagon, about to hoist himself up, when Sam caught his arm and said, “Wait. I think Ping is helping her.”

A burst of gray ash spewed from the wagon and spun in the air above, swirling like a small tornado, dancing over the bed of the wagon, whipping up a wind very out of place in the sunny still afternoon. The whinny of a horse cut through the noise, and the wagon jerked forward a few feet, but Belle didn’t bolt.

The gray funnel cloud drew in the black mist, sucked it up, pulling it away from Abby and the wagon. Then the gray wind moved to the far side of the road below a large oak tree, where it lost cohesion and spilled to the road, a writhing mass of black and gray, kicking up another cloud of brown dirt. Part of it morphed into the undulating prone silhouette of a man fighting to maintain its shape.

Sam ran up to it and said, “Ping!”

The form on the ground solidified into Ping, but a black slickness crawled and shifted over his skin, flowing into his eyes, nostrils and mouth. He gagged and groaned. His body stiffened and spasmed as if shocked.

The black mist released Ping by exploding a haze of black particles that hung suspended around him. When it moved again, it coalesced into a cloud ten feet above Ping’s motionless body.

Sam sensed the thing was gathering its strength for another attack and picked up a baseball-size stone. He threw it at the center of the black cloud, and, as it flew toward it, he focused on the stone. He prompted it. And it burst into flames, glowing like embers, trailing a tail of flame. As it entered the misty cloud, the stone exploded, and the mist evaporated in a shower of orange sparks.

Sam ran closer to Ping, who still appeared to be inert. “Ping! Are you all right?”

Ping shifted on the ground and awakened with a start, slapping his hand onto the dirt road, sending up a cloud of brown dust. “Oh, that was terrible, just terrible.”

Sam helped him to his feet. “It was the Aphotis. Right?”

“Without a doubt, but it seems unable to possess people in this realm,” Ping said. “I sensed it trying to take me, but it couldn’t. I saw it do the same thing earlier to another man. It assaulted him, but it could not meld with his Consciousness.”

“Maybe because people here are made of thought, not Consciousness,” Sam said.

“Perhaps, and it may be the reason it could not maintain its grip on Abby in this realm. Entering the receptacle and coming to this realm separated them.”

“Well, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about it anymore. That rock I threw fried it pretty good. We may have seen the last of the Aphotis.”

“I hope you’re right, but forgive me if I don’t let down my guard for a while. Somehow I doubt that a creature with the metaphysical prowess of the Aphotis would be dispatched so easily.”

Dr. Lantern called to them from the back of the wagon, where he now held a dazed Abby. “If the two of you are uninjured, please check on Belle to make sure she isn’t hurt, and let’s get back to the manor.”

The blue light of the tunnel receded, and Mara and Ping found themselves standing in the laboratory where they had started. Looking at the hand that held the Chronicle of Cosms when they were inside the steam sample, Mara noticed it was now empty. The copper eyepiece rested in its stand, pointing at the plastic sample globe, at the steam they had examined—and had experienced.

“The more I think about it, the more that feels like being sucked through some kind of a straw,” Mara said. “I’m not liking it too much. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to fine-tune Reality.”

“I admit it is somewhat disturbing,” Ping said. “Though I must thank you for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Mara had already turned toward the counter and leaned over the mounted eyepiece. Plucking the sample container from the turntable, she held it up and stared through the transparent ball. “It looks like plain steam from this perspective. I was hoping it would glow like some of the samples in the alcoves,” she said, glancing at the large cylinders of colorful steam that lined the laboratory walls.

“You shouldn’t be too disappointed. It may not look like much, but I suspect the properties of this particular sample will end up being quite impressive. We just need to find a practical application for it,” Ping said.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” she said.

He held out his hand for the sample container, and she handed it over. Then he changed his mind and returned it. Looking around, he spotted a coffee mug on the circular counter some distance away and retrieved it, stopping to pick up a beaker of red liquid on his way back. He placed both on the counter before Mara and took the sample container from her again.

Placing his thumb on one of the raised buttons at the top of the sample globe, he held it sideways with the button on the bottom exposed between his index and middle finger—like a nurse might hold a hypodermic needle. He held it up to her, pointed to the buttons, and said, “You see, the top one is a button, and the bottom one is actually an aperture. Understand?”

Mara nodded.

He pointed the transparent container at the coffee mug and pressed the button. It emitted a jet of steam he directed along the edges of the mug, where it lingered for a moment before dissipating. The mug disappeared. No, it grew transparent. It looked made of glass.

Mara gasped. Lowering her face to counter level, she examined it and said, “That is so cool.” She thought about it for a minute. “Well, we could have made the mug from glass instead of ceramics. I guess it’s not so cool.”

Ping poured the red liquid into the mug. “You were correct the first time. It is very cool. I think when my Mara gets back, she will be impressed. I’m sure there are a few applications for this steam.”

“Like what?”

“Say you wanted to build a load-bearing wall but wanted it to be transparent. You could build it with brick or steel or any other strong material, even titanium. After it’s built, you just spritz it with this transparasteam—and voilà!—you’ve got a clear wall. You couldn’t do that with glass.”

“Not as cool as datasteam, but I guess it’s not bad for my first day in the lab.” She smiled as Ping returned the sample container.

“Be careful with that. You don’t want to make yourself transparent again.”

A thunderous knock came at the door that made Ping jump. He looked somewhat confused once he gathered himself.

“What’s wrong?” Mara asked.

“I’ve never heard someone knock on the laboratory door before. Mara and I are the only people who come in here, and we don’t allow visitors to roam the manor unescorted.”

“Would you like me to answer it?”

“No, I’ll get it.” He hurried through the open section of counter to the door. Opening it a crack, he peeked out and slammed it closed again. “Oh, my God!”

Mara ran over to him and said, “Who is it?”

Blanching, he said, “It’s me.”

Through the door she heard Sam. “Mara? Are you guys in there? Let us in!”

Ping stared back at her, frightened. “What should I do?”

Mara rolled her eyes. “Let them in. He won’t bite you. He’s you after all—another version of you, but still you.”

Looking unsure, he nodded and turned back to the door.

“But, whatever you do, don’t touch him—the other Ping, I mean.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later, but no shaking hands or anything like that. Got it?”

“I think.”

She waved at the door. “Open it.”

He turned the knob, and the door almost hit him in the nose when Sam pushed through. “Jeez, what is taking so long in here? Ping, meet Ping.” He pushed open the second door so that both were now open, and Ping—their Ping—stood in the center of the entryway, smiling self-consciously at his counterpart inside the laboratory.

“Whoa! Look at this place. Sorta puts your little gadget shop to shame. Doesn’t it, sis?” Sam said, sauntering in, craning his neck as he walked past the raised section of counter into the center work area. “Now this is how a progenitor should live.”

“Don’t touch anything,” Mara said as he approached. “Things in here can actually explode, and I’m sure my counterpart would like to get her laboratory back with as few blast marks as possible.” Her gaze slid from her brother to the Pings at the door. “Speaking of counterparts …”

The Ping from this realm nodded at his counterpart, extended his hand from habit, blushed and retracted it when Ping pulled back. “Sorry. I’m a little discombobulated at the moment. I’ve never …”

“Nor have I. It will take some getting used to—for both of us,” Ping said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. May I come in?”

“Oh, of course. Mara and I just finished up a little experiment, a demonstration of the technology her counterpart uses to enhance the lives of people in this realm.”

Ping scanned the room. “It looks absolutely fascinating.” After giving the room the once-over, his gaze rested on Mara. “It’s wonderful to see you. Thanks for coming to help.”

“Always glad to serve,” Mara said, smiling. She looked past Ping’s shoulder and asked, “Did Abby come with you?”

Ping nodded. “She’s upstairs with your father.”

Mara stepped toward the door. “How is she? Sam said she was out of it. Is there any sign of the Aphotis?”

Ping put a hand on her arm and said, “She is no longer possessed by the Aphotis. Your father is giving her a thorough examination and then giving her a sedative. It might be best to let her sleep through the night. I’m sure she’ll be in better shape to talk in the morning,” Ping said.

“But is she okay?”

“She will be, with a little rest and your father’s care. Now why don’t you show us what you’ve been working on?” Ping said.

Mara released an exasperated breath and bowed toward the open portion of the counter, inviting him into the center of the laboratory. Smiling at her, he walked back to where she had been standing when they had entered.

“This laboratory is quite impressive. This device in particular looks very interesting.” He pointed to the copper eyepiece. “Its design is vaguely familiar.”

“You noticed that, did you?” Mara said. “That is called the Chronicle of the Cosms. Your counterpart and I were just working with it.” She lifted the sample container off the turntable and handed it to Ping. “We made this.”

He examined it. “Appears to be vapor or gas. The result of a chemical reaction?”

She shook her head and picked up the other sample container, the one that held pieces of broken glass. “No, we took the properties of this sample, which is broken glass, and applied it to purified steam—water vapor—using the Chronicle.”

Sam wedged himself between Mara and the other Ping who stood to her left. “Can I see?” he asked.

Mara handed the sample container to him.

He eyed it and said, “I’m not seeing anything but steam. What exactly did you make here?” He shook the sample like a snow globe, his thumb slipping over the button at the top. Steam poured from the container and shot beneath his arm, striking Ping—the one from this realm—squarely in the chest. Before he could react, a plume of vapor rolled up over his face and down over his legs.

“Oh, sorry about that Ping,” Sam said. He waved his arms to disperse the vapor.

Mara rolled her eyes. “You are a one-man disaster area.”

“What? No harm, no foul,” Sam said.

“Oh, my goodness,” their Ping said. His mouth fell open, and he pointed over Sam’s shoulder. “Something is happening to him.”

Sam turned and saw the last of Ping’s coloring melt away. He was now transparent.

“See what you did?” Mara said.

“What happened?” Sam looked down at the sample container and then at the glassy Ping. “Did I do that? Is he hurt?”

“While it’s not painful, it isn’t my preferred state,” he said.

“Can you fix him?” Sam asked his sister.

“I don’t know. However, if we leave him like this, we won’t have any trouble telling them apart. Will we?”

After a short session of meditation and visualization, Mara returned opaqueness to Ping—the one she thought of as the
other
Ping—though she wouldn’t call him that to his face. She didn’t argue when the other Ping glared at Sam, took away the sample container and suggested that he show them to the study. Leaving the laboratory struck her as a good idea.

He directed them to the staircase at the end of the hall, the one that bisected the house.

“The study is upstairs?” she asked as she took the first step behind him.

“The living quarters are on the third floor, except for the kitchen, pantry and utility rooms. Didn’t I tell you that before?” he asked.