The Light, the Dark and the Ugly (11 page)

"Wait! Could you help me raise him?"

Dhiraj's face twitched. "Winny, get out of there!"

Winny put the painting back in place, opened the window and hopped down to the grass below. By the time the agents and the officer got to the room, there was no trace left of her. When they got back to the hallway, the collapsed drunk girl was gone as well.

Dhiraj and the gang said their goodbyes to Beth and Winny the next morning, just outside the town limits. Everyone was in good spirits, and even Travis gave them a hug. They all ignored Beth lingering far too long with her hands around his waist.

Jennifer was all smiles. "You guys were amazing last night."

Winny smirked. "That's what he said." She took her cousin's hand. "If there's anything else we can do, we'd be happy to help. That's what family's for."

Jennifer hugged Winny one last time before they hopped back in the van and headed to the farm.

Dhiraj held Jennifer's hand in his as he looked back at the "Now Leaving Treasure" sign. They had the books, and he was sure that Erica would retrieve the staff. If all went well, maybe the next time they crossed the city limits, everything would be back to normal.

Chapter 16

Over an hour passed before Ted was taken from the ship. Even though he knew he was surrounded by dark souls, he did his best to reach Natalie's mind with his words. He wasn't sure how much she'd heard, if anything at all. That didn't stop him from trying, even when a half dozen guards shrouded in black surrounded him on the way down the ship's ramp. The armor underneath their capes made a sound like a chain-link fence with every step.

The castle was ancient and magical. There was something about it that made him think of the nerdy medieval video games he'd played as a kid. He'd even played a few with the old Erica before she'd moved on to popularity. The guards stopped in front of an ornate golden door. It opened with a sound that rattled the hallway. They ushered him inside and shut the door behind him. For a moment, he thought he might be alone, but two more guards stood in front of a much taller door. Its height was on the verge of ridiculous. Ted looked up at the decorations on the wall. The jewels that covered the shields and staffs above reminded him of the markings on the side of the ancient sword he'd used to dispatch Nigel and the Torellos. He wondered how his weapon and the items above could be connected, when the guards each slammed their staffs to the ground in unison.

He pursed his lips together. "I haven't exactly studied the dark soul handbook, but I assume you want me to come over?"

The dark souls guarding the chamber didn't respond, but Ted took their silence for a yes. He approached and stood in front of the second massive doorway. Ted thought back to what the soldiers had said when he and Natalie were taken from the village alley. They'd mentioned the General wanted a word with them. Was that the person behind these oversized doors? Ted swallowed as they opened.

He supposed he shouldn't be shocked by how long the room was, given how much castle they'd spied from the ship, but he was surprised anyway. He crossed at least 50 feet of red carpet before the throne at the end came into view. The walls on either side were carved with the faces of creatures he hoped he'd never see. The artwork was stunning and grotesque. Ted turned his attention toward the bronze throne. Cloaked in shadow, a man sat on the edge of the seat.

No. Not a man. A boy.

"I've been waiting a long time to meet you."

Ted hadn't spoken, but it sounded as if he had. It took a moment to realize the voice had come from the boy sitting before him. He was dressed similarly as the guards, though everything he wore seemed a little more ornate. His armor was more like crystal than chain mail. It made his midsection look like a diamond, which continued to draw attention away from his shadowy face. The boy hopped off the throne and walked into the light.

Ted couldn't believe his eyes. The boy was a carbon copy of Ted from the top to the bottom. The same height. The same dark hair and bone structure. If it weren't for the difference in clothing, then Ted might've thought he was looking in a mirror.

Ted put his hand on his chin. "How?"

The General smiled. "It's a mystery to us, too. When people told me there was a resemblance, I didn't realize it'd be so exact."

Ted leafed through his brain for words, but none came. Despite the lack of speech, he did remember himself enough to bow in front of the most important man on this side of the planet.

The General took him by the shoulders and lifted him up. "Come, come. We're like brothers. There's no need for that. I'd like to show you something."

The General walked toward a side door Ted hadn't previously seen. Ted caught up and the guards in the room followed close behind them.

Butterflies bounced like cannonballs in his stomach. "How'd you know we were here?"

The General stared straight ahead. "This is my planet. The more I don't know, the more likely I am to lose everything." He knocked on the door and it opened from the outside. Light came streaming in, causing both of them to blink. "So stuffy in there. Follow me."

The General continued to walk at a breathtaking pace, and Ted struggled to keep up. The cool air whipped past his face. From their vantage point, Ted could see that this was one of the highest points of the entire castle. Below them, he could make out the tops of other towers and several banners he didn't recognize. Even the castle from his Redican-inspired dream earlier that year paled in comparison to the reality before him.

The General laughed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were excited to be here."

Ted took his eyes away from sightseeing. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before."

The General nodded. "My predecessor wanted this to be a structure unparalleled on all other worlds. He succeeded, though I hear that skyscraper in Dubai is pretty impressive."

The General came to a stop at the edge of the walkway. He motioned for Ted to look over the side. While a part of Ted didn't want to trust the dark soul leader so close to the edge of the tallest tower he'd ever seen, Ted figured the General wouldn't bring him all this way just to push him off a building. He glanced down.

Ted's jaw hit the floor. "There are so many of them."

Far below his feet, Ted watched as tens of thousands soldiers sparred with each other. In one section, the dark souls worked on hand-to-hand combat. In another, they shot at targets using energy blasters. In the far section, Ted made out a training arena for Lychos and Draconfolk.

They'd destroy us all in a week.

Ted looked up to the General, doing his best to look calm and unimpressed. "Quite an army you've got there, General."

The General grinned. "Enough with the formalities. Please, call me William."

Chapter 17

Kit Kable leaned back onto his stool during his town hall-style debate with President Blake. The room seemed pretty unimpressive to him with its green carpet and 70s sense of style. Terry told him it looked better on TV, so he tried to ignore the feeling that he was in high school again. The audience was filled with bright-eyed college kids and downtrodden adults who’d play well enough on camera. He looked around and thought just how puny and insignificant the entire room was compared to him. He’d been chosen to protect the world, and now he was in the process of saving it from itself. The plight of some bankrupt bean farmer from Tennessee didn’t mean much in his grand scheme of things.

Kable set his smile at neutral as the President stood to answer the latest question. Though Ted Finley’s name hadn’t come up yet, Kable could read the living soul’s name on the edge of the next speaker’s lips. A college-aged girl with more piercings than hair took the microphone. He held back a sigh as he thought about Sandra and watched the counter-culture twenty-something intently.

She held the mic up to her mouth. “President Blake. Two weeks ago, you declared war on the other world and put distance between your administration and superhero Ted Finley.” She paused to gather herself. “Do you think he’s gone missing because of you?”

Kable considered restraint, but he figured now was as good a time to go for the jugular as any. He beamed a thought right into the girl’s mind.

She held the mic tight as her eyes welled up with tears. “Because it’s pretty obvious to me that we need him now more than ever.”

The girl nearly dropped the mic as she handed it back. Kable knew she’d be scolded for going off script, but now it was out there and her emotion hung thick in the air. Blake remained composed on camera, though Kable loved imagining the standing President squirming behind closed doors.

Kable had flown into a rage when Blake made his impromptu announcement about the administration’s policy on Ted. When the hero disappeared, however, Kable never anticipated the blame to land squarely on the White House. Between learning about the double life Sandra was leading and the hero’s vacation, Blake’s numbers dipped to toilet levels. If Kable rode this one out for the next couple of weeks, he’d be the one sitting atop the U.S. throne.

Blake nodded a few times and showed a face of resolve. “We always need heroes. From the firefighters pulling us from harm to the policemen patrolling our streets.” He let a smile slip through. “The system works because we trust our protectors. When we lose that trust, the relationship simply doesn’t work.” Blake took two meaningful steps toward the crowd. “The actions of Erica LaPlante and her associates have called our trust of Ted Finley into question.” He turned back and gestured toward Kable. “These fugitives from justice attacked my opponent. While we may not see eye-to-eye on the issues, I’d protect Kit’s life with my own any day of the week.”

As soon as he finished, the crowd’s applause burst out like an open soda that'd been shaken one too many times. Kable detected the slightest hint of a wink in Blake’s expression.

Well done. You didn’t become the top dog by accident.

Kable stood and gave a few eyebrow raises in Blake’s direction. “For your benefit, Mr. President, I’ll try not to get in any more trouble.”

The audience chortled, and Kable got a thumbs-up from his campaign manager Terry far behind the cameras. As Blake returned to his stool, another average citizen took the mic. He had a hipster look about him with his bushy beard being the most notable feature about him.

His voice had a higher pitch than Kable expected as he spoke into the mic. “Senator Kable, while we’re on the subject of Ted, I’d like to ask you about the Free Ted Movement.”

Terry had first sent word about the campaign as Kable healed from his gunshot wounds in the hospital. In the same way that Go Home Alien had been a massive social media trend, #FreeTed became a global sensation. The movement began right after Blake’s declaration, but it kicked into high gear in the days following the rally. Even a collection of A-list celebrities had lent their voices to the cause, though Kable assumed that had more to do with the in-development Ted origin story blockbuster movie than it did with his criminal accusations.

The man and his beard continued. “Millions of people have shared their support to exonerate Ted and Erica. If you become President, how will you address the members of this group?”

Kable felt the pride of preparation go through him. He could’ve easily used his powers to steer all the questions to his strengths, but there was something he liked about studying his potential answers on the fly. For obvious reasons, this was a subject he’d thought about long and hard.

“The Free Ted Movement demonstrates what’s so great about democracy.” He took a pointed step toward the bearded man. “When someone comes up with a cause, the people can choose to support it.” Kable straightened his spine. “As President, I’ll make sure Ted and his team get their fair day in court. I’ll help their case reach the Supreme Court if necessary.” He pumped his fist. “Our government will not stand pat if these heroes have been wrongfully accused!”

The town hall attendees stood and clapped at that one, though they really weren’t supposed to do that until the end. Kable only had to mentally prod three stragglers in the back to make it a full standing ovation.

Two hours later, Kable sat in his dressing room with Terry. Like the meeting room, his quarters seemed to have been constructed in another age when people were smaller and comfort wasn't a top priority. The campaign manager was going over the itinerary for the next day or two, and Kable was smiling and nodding as he flipped through his phone messages. When Terry stopped speaking, Kable took his eyes off the screen and glanced up.

“Something wrong?”

Terry scratched at his neck. “Senator, I have to get something off my chest.”

Kable didn’t recognize the look on his friend’s face. There was anguish in it. And fear.

Kable gave Terry a puzzled glance. “Of course. You know you can tell me anything.”

Terry let out more breath than Kable knew a pair of lungs could hold. “I know we haven’t talked about it, but I actually remember the day of the rally. Sandra. The gun. The plan. I remember it all.”

Kable sighed. Terry had been one of the few people in this world he could count on.

“I see.” Kable considered how discretely he could dispose of Terry’s body. “That really is a shame.”

Terry raised his voice. “I don’t think you understand. I want to help.”

All thoughts of murder leapt out of Kable’s head. He flashed Terry a smile. “Terry. You sly dog.”

Terry didn’t meet Kable's gaze, but he did begin fishing through his briefcase. “When I signed up for this gig, I said I’d help you using whatever means necessary.” He pulled out a sealed manila envelope. The campaign manager’s hand shook slightly as he passed it over. “And I meant it.”

Kable grabbed the packet and opened it up. What he saw inside made him happier than any answer he’d given during the debate. He let out a deep breath. “It really is a pleasure working with you. You turn problems into solutions.”