Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) (27 page)

Chapter 45

Jesca

A thunderous sonic boom comes from the direction of Mt. Fuji. Startled, I look into the sky above the Aokigahara Forest and see a burst of rolling stars moving through the atmosphere toward us.

It’s just as I saw it in my dream. The light approaches across the forest and spreads toward us at the water’s edge of Lake Matuso. When it reaches us, a strong gust of wind pushes against me as I shield the baby.

The gust only lasts for a minute. I look up at Nate. “Sam has opened the wormhole.”

Nate yells, “We need to get to them now!”

Trying to focus on the scene from my dream of the open meadow, I wonder if I can project us there.

I look at Sebastian comforting Balthazar. Sebastian stands and takes the baby. He looks up at the multitude of stars that are peppering our sky now.

Sebastian says, “We are at the apex of the intersection. We need to get the baby to shelter!” Sebastian glances down at Balthazar, still holding Miriam, and then he looks back at me. “Go, I will take care of them! Be safe!”

I turn to Nate and grab a hold of his hand. I close my eyes and envision the meadow, the battle, and the wormhole. I feel the pull within my body. I open my eyes, and everything around me blurs. I blink, and we are standing in the forest with an opening. The meadow from my dream is just ahead of us.

I pull Nate along with me as we run with immense speed on the open path lined with lush green trees. Just beyond the trees, the meadow looks like it’s lit with daylight. Within seconds, we are at the mouth of the meadow, and everything appears just as it looked in my dream.

I stare into the sky above, and the stars have shifted closer to Earth, lighting up the battlefield with a brilliance that only the sun can produce.

My voice quivers,
“We’re here.”

Snowcapped Mt. Fuji towers behind the expansive battlefield. I see our team already at battle and bloodied by the altered beings fighting among them. I look at two of the human-like beings, and their faces contort briefly before shifting back to normal. They are definitely Sondians.

Nate mirrors my thoughts. “They are Sondians. I can see their faces shifting.”

Nate can see them, too. I’m glad to know that all of us altered guardians can identify the enemy.

There are men and women pouring out of the forest into the meadow, running toward each other and fighting with fists, weapons, and abilities.

Siobhan is in high gear, combating physically with those close enough to her and firing on those farther away. Isabel stays close behind her as they try and make their way through the battlefield.

I find Elisha and Nick. They are firing at the mass of Sondians swarming around them. Nick sets fire to the surrounding ground with his Pyro kinesis, trying to keep the Sondians at bay.

I can’t find Monica’s team anywhere.

I see Luke and Jake fighting off four Sondians that have surrounded them.

Monica is shooting at a handful of Sondians that are charging at her and Ezra.

Ezra uses his Telekinesis to send two Sondians soaring across the meadow back into the forest. I see one crash against a tree and crumble to the ground, but within seconds, he is back up and charging across the field at Ezra. The other stops herself in midair, and then she lowers slowly to the ground. The two Sondians attack Ezra together while he tries to shoot them down. The bullets simply fall away from their bodies.

I mumble, “They aren’t dying! Some are, but others aren’t!”

Nate says, “Some must have been implanted with the altered Copula Balthazar told us about. The same one that Corinna is implanted with. The new generation—”

I suddenly think, Corinna, Sam, Xander!

I turn to Nate. “We need to get to Xander!”

Ezra yells, “Jesca!”

Ezra rushes to Nate and me. His face is bloodied, and he has a gash across his chest. “We need to go around to the other side. The wormhole is on the other side of the field.”

Siobhan and Isabel run up to us now. I see Ang, Nick, and Elisha break free from the swarm that is now being attacked by some of our own fellow Dobrians.

Suddenly, the battle on the field parts, and I see Corinna, Xander, and Sam standing together on the other side of the meadow.

I jerk Nate toward me and yell, “There they are! We need to get to the other end of the meadow!”

Monica runs over to us and holsters her guns. She points at Nate, Ezra, and me. “We will take the left side of the field and take Sam. Siobhan, Ang, Isabel, Nick, and Elisha, you five take the right side and handle Corinna.”

Monica pulls Isabel to her by the shoulders and looks her dead straight in the eyes. “Corinna is not Corinna right now. She will attack you.” Monica pulls a gun from her cargo pants pocket, opens Isabel’s hand, and places the gun in it. “This will not kill her. It is a tranquilizer.”

Monica looks at Siobhan and Elisha. “Make sure she’s sleeping like a baby, ladies.”

We move out quickly. I look into the sea of war as we make our way around the field. On alert for an attack, our guns are drawn and ready to take down anyone that gets in our way.

All of a sudden, something large hits me and sends me soaring through the air. I close my eyes instinctively, and I don’t open them until I come crashing down, landing on the ground with a thud. Every part of me feels like it has been hit by a truck.

I lift my head and see that I’m lying in the middle of the field a good
two hundred yards away from Ezra, Monica, and Nate. I slowly push my body up off the ground. I’m only able to support myself on my hands and knees. I taste blood in my mouth, and I spit it out on the grassy field.

There are bodies near me, both on the ground and fighting around me.

Ezra yells for me, “Jesca!”

Then, Nate says, “I see her!”

I look up in the direction of their voices. I see Ezra running toward me, and then Nate comes into view next to him. Without them realizing it, a man twice the size of Ezra and Nate begins running after them.

I try to yell, “Behind you,” but it comes out in a half cry and half yell.

I point toward them, hoping they’ll turn around. Ezra turns, tucks, and rolls just in time, missing the bone-crushing blow from the giant being.

The being has human features and appendages. However, just looking at his size, sallow coloring, and onyx eyes, he clearly isn’t from this world.

The giant reaches for Nate, grabs him, and throws him to the ground.

I cry out, “No!”

I scramble to my feet in an attempt to run to Nate. Then, I see the giant take out a dagger and raise it over his head, ready to run it through Nate’s body. I pull my gun and point it at my target. I get four shots out on him, and the dagger drops from the being’s hand before he falls face first on the ground.

I run full speed to help Nate up, but he’s already hobbling to his feet.

Ezra runs up to us and grabs hold of Nate under his arm. “You okay, Nate?”

I ask Ezra, “Where’s Monica?”

He’s already scanning the field. He points to the left side of the field. “There!”

My eyes dart to the area he is pointing to. I see Monica, hovering over Isabel, yelling, “Luke! We need you!”

I look for Angela, Elisha, Nick, and Siobhan, but I can’t find them. I can only imagine that Corinna attacked Isabel. I feel my anger flare, and I scan the area for Sam and Xander.

That’s when I see the wormhole. It’s just as I saw it in my dream. It’s not the bright and shining vortex I imagined it would be. It’s not as visible as that. It is invisible if you aren’t looking for it. There is a distorted curve among the trees and a distinct blurring effect beyond them.

I look to the right of the wormhole, and I see Sam and Xander waiting for us. Corinna is standing a few feet away from the vortex.

I try to run to Xander, but Nate grabs my arms, turning my body around to face him. “Jesca, that’s exactly what Sam wants.”

Ezra stands in front of me now. “You need to close the wormhole, Jes. I will take care of Sam.”

Ezra leaves me standing there with Nate as he runs through the fighting crowd toward Sam and Xander.

Nate says urgently, “I will go after Xander. As soon as I have him, I will help you seal the wormhole. Got it?”

He doesn’t wait for me to answer. He takes off running close behind Ezra.

I look at the wormhole, and I see a group of men and women pass from within the vortex, immediately running toward the edge of the forest. Then, five of the giant beings pass through. I have to seal it before more can pass.

I close my eyes and feel the force build within me quickly. Opening my eyes, I focus all of that energy, my Qi, at the wormhole. The energy leaves me in pulses, matching the beat of my heart. My body reacts to the massive amount of power I am expending. I feel myself slowly become entranced by the vortex.

Chapter 46

Xander

Jesca is getting too close. I look at Corinna, and she’s watching me. I need to distract her. I see Angela, Nick, Siobhan, and Isabel stalking toward us.

I hear Siobhan’s thoughts. We are ready.

Pretending to warn her, I yell, “Corinna! Behind you!”

Corinna turns and sees our team moving in on her, and she takes the bait. As soon as she runs, I grab Sam from behind and pull him into my chest.

Sam screams, “You betrayed me for a woman? For her!”

He elbows me in the abdomen, catching me off-guard, and escapes from my grasp. I run after him full force and tackle him to the ground. Sam is trying to push me off of him. I just need to hold onto him long enough until Ezra can help.

I glance to the right and see Luke and Jake fighting off the Sondians that are trying to get to Sam and me.

As I turn to look back at Sam, he swings his arm around at me. Something hard hits my head, sending a sharp pain straight through my skull. My vision blurs, and then it dims. The only thing I hear is the echo of the battle.

* * *

I feel a warm hand on my head. The heat coming from the hand radiates from my head, to my chest, and into my arms. It feels like a surge of electricity pushing through my body, forcing it to wake up.

I hear Nate’s voice yell my name. “Xander, wake up! Wake up!”

I open my eyes and see Nate hovering over me.

“Get up, Xander!” He looks over his shoulder and yells, “Jesca, no! Get back!”

Oh my God, Jesca!

I yell at Nate, “Sam said he’s going to try to pull her into the wormhole with him!”

I scramble to my feet, looking for her. I see her walking toward the wormhole, like she’s in a trance. Nate and I run toward her, but we’re stopped by more Sondians. We fight our way through them slowly.

Sam is standing there, waiting for her to come to him, while two Sondian guardians hold Ezra aside to watch.

Sam yells, “I want you to watch me take the only thing you have left in this world, Ezra!”

Ezra starts to fight hard and breaks free from one of the guardians. Not wanting to miss his chance, Sam lunges at Jesca and grabs her. His grasp breaks her trance, and she begins to struggle with him. Before Sam can snatch her back, I grip her around the waist, trying to pull her away from him.

Ezra is on Sam within seconds, tearing him away from Jes, moving closer toward the wormhole.

I yell, “Ezra!”

Chapter 47

Jesca

While trying to pull away from Xander and Nate to help Ezra, I scream as loud as I can, “No! Dad!”

Sam spins around and punches Ezra in the chest, and Ezra stumbles backward. Nate is standing in front of me, holding me at bay. When Nate hears my scream, he turns and sees Ezra on the ground near the vortex.

Sam stalks toward Nate, grabs him by the shoulders, and tries to pull him away from me. I grasp on to Nate’s forearms with a death grip.

Ezra comes up behind Sam and yells, “You will never take her!”

Nate’s eyes are glassy, the green overpowering the blue in them now. Looking over my head at Xander, Nate says to him, “Protect her!”

Then, Nate pulls me to him, looking me in the eyes. “We will find each other again!”

Nate releases my arms and pushes me into Xander. He drives his body backward into Sam and Ezra, and they all fall into the vortex.

Xander and I fall backward onto the ground. I try to pull away from Xander to get to the vortex. I need to get them back! I’m not sure what happens now! I think I’m yelling and screaming, but everything is silent, except for the memory of Nate’s words playing in my head, We will find each other again!

And, just as quick as one can open, the wormhole seals shut, and they are gone.

Chapter 48

Xander

Jesca is screaming and throwing her body uncontrollably. She keeps yelling their names. “Nate! Ezra!”

I don’t know what else to do but hold her to me and not let her go.

Monica rushes to Jesca and me. She tries to help me hold Jesca to the ground.

When Jesca sees Monica, she pleads with her, “You have to help me open it back up, Monica! We need to get them back! Help me!”

Monica reaches into her pants pocket. She pulls out a syringe and pops the cap with her mouth. She says, “Xander, hold her tight.”

I nod my head, rear back with Jes in my arms, and hold her hands and arms away from her to give Monica space to inject her in the leg.

Within seconds, the tranquilizer takes effect, and Jesca stops fighting. Her words are getting softer and softer until they are just a whisper on her breath.

Elisha runs over to us and cries out, “Jesca!”

Monica says to Elisha, “She is alright, but we need to get out of here quickly.”

I look around and much of the fighting has stopped. The meadow is nearly empty. What’s going on?

Monica hears my thought, and she answers, “They’re falling back.”

Jake, Luke, Nick, and Angela move in around us to guard us from any Sondian guardians that might still be lurking.

Angela says, “They are heading into the forest to regroup.”

I look around anxiously, noticing that Siobhan and Isabel are missing. “Where are Isabel and Siobhan?”

Angela says, “They are with Corinna.”

Monica pulls Jesca’s limp body from mine so I can rise. Nick and Jake come to lift Jesca from Monica.

Siobhan runs over to us. “We need to get out of here and get Corinna to the facility in Kyoto! The tranquilizer we subdued her with is starting to wear off.”

I turn and see Sebastian and Balthazar striding toward us with about twenty men and women around them. Balthazar is holding a bundle close to his chest.

Relieving Jake and Nick, I take Jesca into my arms.

Jake jogs over to Corinna and picks her up, putting her over his shoulder.

We all walk toward Balthazar, Sebastian, and the others.

The Earth begins to shift under our feet, and it knocks us all to the ground. While still holding on to Jesca, I try to break our fall. I shift her in my arms to get a better hold, and then I manage to get myself back on my feet.

One of the men with Balthazar yells, “An earthquake! We need to get out of the forest quickly! Follow us!”

The ground shakes again. This time I’m able to keep my footing as I run from the meadow into the dense forest. Before we get too deep, a stronger quake strikes, scattering us between the trees.

A woman in the group screams, “We need to seek shelter now! With a baby and two injured guardians, we won’t get far if we’re attacked in here by Sondians or something else!”

She’s right. We need shelter now!

From an opening on a nearby hill, one of the men yells, “Over here! We can go through the tunnels!”

We all swiftly walk to the opening, and one by one, we descend into the cavern.

The tunnels are lined with a slick light coating of ice. We walk along the snaking path created by the underground lava flow from Mt. Fuji. Gigantic blue ice stalagmites are scattered throughout the tunnels, resembling giant chess pieces.

Even with the ice, I’m able to use my speed to get us through the tunnels quickly. I hear a baby cry, and I come to stop next to Balthazar and the bundle he’s holding. “Where did the baby come from?”

Using his jacket, Balthazar tries to wrap the baby tighter in the makeshift blanket. “He is my son.”

His son? “You have a son?”

I glance down at the baby’s face, and then my gaze returns to Balthazar. “Where is the mother?”

Balthazar shakes his head. “My wife, Miriam, didn’t make it.”

I nod, not knowing what else to say.

Balthazar says, “Jesca tried to save them both.”

I stare down at Jesca in my arms. I pull her tighter, and then I look up at Balthazar. “We need to keep moving. We’re almost out.”

A short distance more and we’re out of the forest and on the edge of Lake Matosu.

As Jesca starts to stir, she whispers, “Xander?”