The Guardian of Threshold (32 page)

“What’s going on down there?” Jonas asked.

“That, my dear boy, is a celebration, a welcome party of sorts,” Dr. Rainer replied with a timid smile.

“What are they celebrating?” Jonas asked.

“They’re celebrating our arrival, more specifically, Nyx’s return. Your people missed you very much,” Dr. Rainer said, looking at Nyx. She simply looked at him, displaying nothing but a tender and compassionate smile. At last, Nyx had arrived back home.

As soon as the aerobus stopped and the doors started to open, I got up. Carla, Dr. Rainer, and Nyx were already up and waiting for the doors to open.

Much to my surprise, the station itself was nearly empty.

“Nyx, I have someone I want you to meet,” said Dr. Rainer offering his hand.

“This is Twil, and this is Teil. They’re your sisters and my best friends. They have been waiting to see you for a long time,” Dr. Rainer said before Nyx’s sisters interrupted him as they ran to hug her. I must confess the scene brought tears to my eyes and placed a knot in my throat.

We hung back to give them some space, but it wasn’t long before Nyx came running toward us, thrilled.

“Come, I want to introduce you to my sisters,” Nyx said. It was the happiest I had seen her.

“Come, come,” repeated Nyx as she dragged Jonas along.

“These are my friends. They helped me escape the Cave of Sorrows,” Nyx told Twil and Teil.

“Thank you very much, our kind is forever in your debt,” Twil said. She appeared to be the older sister. She was petite with long, highlighted hair that she kept braided. Her eyes were almost like Nyx’s except for the color, which was bright blue.

“You don’t need to thank us. And besides, we helped each other out. If it wasn’t for your sister, it’s possible we would still be Phasma’s prisoners,” Carla replied.

“Are you guys staying with us?” Teil asked. Teil looked to be Nyx’s much younger sister. If I had to guess, I would have said that she looked to be about twelve years old or so.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t. We have to go back to our physical bodies,” Carla replied.

“Yeah, as soon as we figure out how,” I quickly added.

“I’m sorry to rush, but we must keep moving. Phasma shouldn’t be too far behind,” Dr. Rainer said.

“He’ll come here?” Nyx asked, worried.

“Don’t worry, he won’t. Once we’re gone, he won’t dare,” Dr. Rainer replied, looking around as though he was getting his bearings.

“Well then, I guess this is good-bye,” Jonas said, looking heartbroken.

“We’ll still see each other,” Nyx replied, nearly crying.

“It was nice meeting you, Nyx. I hope our paths cross again,” Carla said as she gave Nyx a hug.

“I’m sure they will,” Nyx replied.

“Thanks for everything,” I said when it was my turn to say good-bye.

“I hope you find what you’ve been looking for,” replied Nyx.

“I’ll see you soon, Nyx,” said Dr. Rainer as we started to walk away from Nyx and her sisters.

“Where to now?” Jonas asked.

“Now, we go to Everwell. Unfortunately, this is the closest aerobus station. We must be prepared as we move forward. He’s not too far behind,” Dr. Rainer said. I noticed he kept looking back to see if Nyx was all right.

“You know, she will be fine,” Carla said.

“I know. I’m very grateful that she forgave me, but I don’t know if I can forgive myself. After all, I’ve caused so much pain and suffering to that poor girl,” Dr. Rainer said.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Jonas said, patting Dr. Rainer on the shoulder.

We zigzagged in and out of the crowd and tried to not lose sight of each other. We weren’t the same group as before. Without Nyx, we walked with heavy hearts and shoulders. Although there wasn’t much in my future to look forward to, I tried as best as I could to keep my spirits high.

“Wait up!” said a faint voice from behind.

Was that Nyx?
I thought as my heart skipped a beat.

“Guys, wait for me.”

I turned around and realized I wasn’t the only one who had heard the calling. Our moods changed quickly.

“Is that you, Nyx?” Jonas asked.

I was happily surprised to see Nyx moving frantically through the crowd, yelling for us.

“Here!” screamed Carla, waving frantically.

“What is she doing?” Dr. Rainer wondered out loud.

“Good, I found you guys. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find you. I’m coming with you,” said Nyx when she finally caught up to us.

“But Nyx, you’re home now, and what about your sisters?” I asked.

“Oh, they’re coming to. They’re right behind me, somewhere,” Nyx replied, still trying to catch her breath. Jonas looked especially happy.

Nyx’s sisters soon caught up with us.

“You know, you guys don’t have to do this,” Dr. Rainer said as he continued to walk.

“We know, but we want to help. Besides, we have a score to settle with Phasma,” Twil replied.

***

While we walked, my finger started to burn. At first I tried not to pay much attention to it, but I gave up after a few minutes when the pain started to really bother me. I looked down at my finger and saw that Spark’s collar ring was glowing.

“Something is going on with Spark,” I said.

“It’s the Everwell. It tends to have that effect. It should pass soon,” Dr. Rainer replied.

We seemed to be moving away from the city, even though it was hard to tell for sure because we were so high up. We crossed from one big tree to the next. The only hint that we were moving away from the city was the number of people and buildings we encountered on the way.

Soon we were crossing trees with no buildings or houses, just a rough platform and the connecting bridges that also grew increasingly precarious the further we went. To make matters worse, we were running out of trees. They grew few and far between, and the bridges that connected them became wider and less stable. “We’re almost there. Hang on tight,” advised Dr. Rainer, leading the way.

“I don’t like this, it’s too high,” complained Jonas.

“You’re doing fine,” I said.

“I’m not crossing that! No way, no how,” Jonas yelled as we came to the longest and most unstable wooden bridge of our journey. The thin bridge had several floorboards missing and many more rotting away.

“You have to,” Carla replied, offering her hand.

“I can’t,” Jonas replied, but he grabbed his sister’s hand nonetheless.

Jonas hesitated for a few seconds. Just when I thought he was going to turn around and run, he made the sign of the cross over his body and slowly started to make his way across the long, windy bridge.

I carefully followed Jonas and Carla as they inched forward.

When Jonas was about halfway through, he stopped dead in his tracks and said, “I can’t go on. I really can’t.”

“Don’t look down, just keep walking forward,” Carla replied.

But Jonas wouldn’t move.

“Everyone looks down when they hear that. Besides, the secret to getting used to heights is to take a long detailed look down. If you do that, the fear will slowly disappear. It worked for me,” I replied as I looked down and enjoyed the sight of strange wild animals running in all directions.

“It doesn’t work. I can’t move or feel my legs,” Jonas replied, looking like he was about to have a panic attack.

Once Nyx saw that Jonas had stopped in the middle of the bridge, she came back toward us.

“Jonas, I know you can do it. We’re almost there. You have to do this. Besides, it’s not like you have anywhere else to go. We’re right in the middle of this bridge, and there are only two ways we can go, back or forward, and since they’re both the exact same distance, we might as well go forward. Here, hold my hand,” Nyx said.

Jonas started moving forward slowly, aided by Nyx. I followed right behind with Carla to make sure he wouldn’t stop again or turn around and run back. From our vantage point, we could see that a bridge didn’t connect the next gap at all.

“Oh God, no,” said Jonas when he saw there wasn’t a bridge ahead. “We are stuck.”

“Nope, but I’m afraid you won’t like our descent very much,” replied Dr. Rainer.

I didn’t have a clue how we were going to get down. We were fifteen hundred feet or so from the ground.

“I wonder why this tree isn’t moving,” Carla said as she touched the old tree.

“They are very old. This one has been around for well over a millennia. Although it spent more than half of that time living and breathing, they too need a change of scenery every now and then. So her spirit has moved on but left this empty shell behind. Good, because it’s still useful to us,” Dr. Rainer explained.

It took a while, but we arrived at the next wooden platform, I was about to ask how we were going to get down when I saw a long cable at the end of the platform. It looked like a zip line, except that it seemed to go on forever.

“The only advice I have to give is this: whatever you do, do not let go, because it’s a pretty long way down,” Dr. Rainer said, smiling as he got Spark from me. He held Spark in one arm, grabbed a handle from a wooden box next to the zip line, placed it on the line, and jumped off the ledge. I couldn’t help but notice the confused look on Spark’s face as he zoomed down.

“Something tells me that Dr. Rainer is enjoying this,” Nyx said. She got a hold of the zip line handle and thrust herself forward, but not before looking Jonas straight in the eye and saying, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

It wasn’t long before they both disappeared into the distance.

“Your turn,” Carla said to Jonas.

“No, I’ll go after you,” Jonas replied. “This isn’t that bad.”

“Well, then I’ll see you guys down there, wherever that is,” Carla replied as she got another handle, placed it on the zip line, and also jumped. I had to confess that I was a little worried for her. She looked tense.

Jonas had been quiet for some time, which usually meant trouble. I could count on my fingers the times Jonas had been completely quiet.

Even though I was used to heights, I was apprehensive too—but I sensed that Jonas’s problem was deeper than that, so I pulled him aside and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know for sure. I’m scared, but it’s that I…” Jonas paused.

“What is it?” I said. “You can tell me.”

“Well, I guess I have mixed feelings. I mean, I like it here, but I miss home. I miss my mom and dad, but at the same time, I don’t want to leave here and be away from everyone we’ve met,” Jonas replied. For a second, I thought he was going to cry but he quickly composed himself.

“Ah, I know what this is about. This is about Nyx, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Promise me you won’t tell her anything.”

“I promise. I won’t say a word.”

“Okay, I’m trusting you. I think I like her. What should I do?” Jonas asked.

“I know how you feel,” I said as I considered telling him about my feelings for Carla. But I quickly decided against it. It didn’t seem like the right time. There might never be a good time.

“You know, there’s no easy answer for that question, but I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you. After all, if we get home, we can still astral travel again and come for a visit,” I said to put his mind at ease.

“You’re right. Now if I could just figure out how to get off from going down this zip line thing,” Jonas joked, which was a very good sign.

“Listen, buddy, I want to tell something. We will get home, that much I can promise you,” I said, patting my friend on the back.

“So do you want to jump next?” Jonas asked, looking down.

“I would, but I’m afraid that if I did, you would be stuck here all by yourself for God knows how long,” I replied.

“You’re probably right, so how do I do this?” asked Jonas with a nervous smile.

“I guess there isn’t much to it. Just grab the handle, and like Dr. Rainer said, don’t let go,” I replied as I started to worry about it myself.

Surprisingly, Jonas firmly grabbed the handle. He seemed ready to go but then paused for a few seconds.

“Don’t make me push you,” I said, laughing and trying to motivate him.

“Here goes nothing!” Jonas yelled as he clumsily almost fell off the ledge. Thankfully, he was holding on tight to the handle. I think he screamed the whole way down, but I couldn’t say for sure because after a while I was unable to hear him.

So there I was. Standing all alone, overlooking the massive drop before me and the wilderness below when I started to wonder what in the world was I doing?
What have I been doing all these years?
For a split second, I thought that if I fell, everything would be over and I would finally be able to see my mother again. No delays, no fuss… but deep down inside I knew it wasn’t an option. I was sure there would be excruciating consequences for anyone who tried to take the easy way out. From what I had seen so far, I knew enough to know that I didn’t know anything, except that there was no easy way out. There was simply the way it had to be.

Worried, I paced back and forth contemplating all that had happened to me.

Suddenly, my right shoulder blade started to burn. I didn’t even have time to blink before I felt him approaching. As the pain grew, so did my rage.

In a moment of clarity, I realized that I was extremely angry: I was angry for having to grow up without a mother. I was angry for having to jump without knowing where I would land. And most of all, I was angry for being in Threshold for so long and not seeing any signs of my mother.

My heart rate increased with my anger. As the sense of dread filled my veins, I knew I was running out of time.

I had a decision to make. If I was to slide down the zip line, I would be involving everyone I cared about in my fight against Phasma. If I stayed on that platform, my friends would probably be safe… yet something told me I shouldn’t face Phasma alone. I weighed the pros and cons of each scenario for a few minutes before I realized that no matter how much I tried to protect my friends, they were already involved. I had no right to make the decision for them. So I decided to trust my gut feeling and share my burden with the only friends I had. If I was going to face to Phasma, at least I would have the best friends I could have asked for by my side.