Breaking Away (The Man in the Shadows) (17 page)

“I... I don’t know. All I know is that we need to save Zareh. And Maika and Ethan! They are all behind that door, and if we don’t do something, they all could die.” Taking his hands, she got to her feet and repeated, her eyes becoming moist again, “DIE!”

“I’m not sure what you heard, but this is crazy.” He wrapped her in a hug, but she quickly spurned him by pushing him away. “Emily, what? This is crazy! I’m usually all for adventures, but... our friends dying from being behind a floating door? That’s just
fucked
.”

“It’s not just a door,” Emily explained, her eyebrows shoved down, wrinkling her forehead. “There is an entire other
world
behind that door. We need to go and help... that angel who guards the threshold between worlds needs us to...”

“Emily!” Nick snapped, throwing his hands down to his sides willfully. “This isn’t safe. We need to go.” Staring at her like stone, he said, reigning her in, “NOW.”

Anger rising up in her like a flood, she set her jaw and sucked in her cheeks, unbelieving of what she had just heard. Curtly putting her hands on her hips, she shook her head, anger turning her face a deep shade of rose, and she turned away from Nick. Facing the door.

“Emily, no.”

She walked towards it and looked back at him. The look in her eyes was partly fear, and partly pity. She wondered briefly how Nick could call Ethan his best friend and still be unwilling to help; he was unwilling to believe that another world but his own existed. She hadn’t realized how close-minded and small he was until that moment. She wrapped her fingers around the door knob, smooth and cold.

“Please, don’t go!”

Pushing the door open, she stepped inside, and closed it behind her without a second thought. Rushing towards it with his arms open, his eyes a story in distress, he screamed, “EMILY!” When he got to the door, a moment away from pushing it open and following her, it vanished in a brilliant, hot flash. He was left alone, bewildered, in an empty, dark warehouse in Minneapolis.

Chapter Seven

As her stocking feet hit the smooth marble tiles, a feeling in Emily’s gut made her turn in the direction from which she came, to catch a glimpse of the door closing, of Nick, one last desperate glance of her world. Alas, all she saw as she turned around was a flash of light and a plethora of marble tiles stretching out before her.
What have I done?
she asked herself, as she looked around wide eyed. Normally, she’d be paralyzed by fear in a situation such as this, at least for a brief moment, but this time she headed off to her right, her feet moving before her brain could think, as if guided by radar. She felt that there was something she needed to do in that direction, though she had yet to find out what.

Walking along briskly, her bare feet making a light
smack
on the floor as she made her way, she figured out in short order the task which she needed to take care of urgently. Within a chain link enclosure, like a caged animal, was her friend Ethan, unconscious, lying in a heap on the floor, as if he were tossed inside with no regard for hurting him, like a heap of dirty clothes chucked in the corner to be taken care of later.

Her eyes widened as she came closer to the cage, built up in a dark corner of the room. Kneeling down so fast her knees throbbed in pain as she hit the floor, she studied her surroundings briefly. The only light in the massive room were from lit torches on all the walls, the flames licking up the sides, stretching up towards an unattainable ceiling, like something out of a medieval castle. The orange light danced and played on the stone carvings all about the room, which would have been delightful and awe inspiring under different conditions.

Her attention again being drawn to Ethan, she lightly placed both of her hands on the metal links of the cage, unsure of how to get him out, or to wake him up. Leaning her forehead against the enclosure, she said, choking back a sob, “Ethan...” As if her voice were the exact password required to awaken, he stirred, and she repeated louder than she would have liked, “Ethan!”

Groaning, he sat up, but instantly fell back to his side and winced as a sharp pain bit him with that motion. Squinting hard, head spinning, he asked blankly, “Who’s there?”

“You’ll never believe this,” Emily admitted with a giggle. “But this is Emily.”

“Oh, my God... Emily?” Rubbing his forehead with a great amount of force, as if scrubbing the pain from the surface of his skin with steel wool, he opened his eyes and, with a start, plunged forward and grasped the links of the fence, his fingers forcing their way out towards her and curling around them. It rattled with a soft jingling noise, and he said in joy, “Emily! How did you...?”

“Not important, let’s get you out of here. We have a job to do.” Leaping to her feet, her eyes searched the cage for a door, and quickly found one at the far end, by the wall. It was locked with a thick chain and a pad lock. Puckering her lips and twisting them to the side in thought, she closed her eyes, with a hint of a smile on her handsome face.

Reaching her hand out slowly, she slipped her fingers underneath the lock, letting the weight of it rest in her palm. Eyes still closed, her smile got a little wider, and without any provocation, the lock slid apart, allowing her to remove the chains.

Ethan’s jaw hung open, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He grunted a couple of times, trying to speak, as she unraveled the chains, and finally he croaked, “How...? Did...?”

Letting a full blown laugh escape her lungs, she thrust the chains and disabled lock to the floor, and swung the door open. Again, she said, “Unimportant.” Pulling him into an embrace suddenly, she said softly, “I thought you were dead when I first saw you lying there.”

Touched by her concern, he hugged her back, his weary head resting on her shoulder, and answered jokingly, “I thought I was dead, too.”

Emily got a vision as she hugged Ethan, containing some of the things he had seen while he had been in captivity. She jolted back, frightened by what she saw. Looking into his eyes, she asked, “Who is the man in the black robes?”

Ethan let out a breath and bit his lip. “I’m not too sure, honestly. He is very powerful, both in position and in magic. He took Zareh, and I have reason to believe he is hunting down Maika, if he hasn’t found her already.”

Pulling him back into her body so she could talk much more softly, afraid of who might be listening, she said, “I don’t know what happened... ever since I came through that magic door I have this strange sense of... direction. I knew where to find you immediately. And now I can sense where Zareh is... I believe that this powerful man in the black robes is with her, though.” Pausing, a sharp pain shot through her temple and down her shoulders. Squeezing him tighter, she added, “Maika’s in this place, too. In a different location than Zareh. She is also with someone... I can’t tell if she’s in danger at this point.”

“Wow...” Ethan muttered. “That’s unbelievable... Um, tough decision, but I think let’s go to Maika first. I think Zareh will be fine for now... and I also believe the person Maika’s with is on our side.” Laughing suddenly, he withdrew from the embrace partially. “It’s funny how I’m talking about sides. What side are we on, anyway?”

Scrunching up her nose like a bunny, she said, “The good side. I know it. We’re here to save the entire Empire.”

“Empire!” Ethan exclaimed, astonished, but Emily put her hand over his mouth and he blushed.

“Come on, let’s go. Follow me.”

Walking along the walls slowly, they crept out of the gigantic hall and out into a massive hallway, Emily leading and Ethan following closely behind, though his head was still spinning slightly from the apparent blow he had suffered earlier.

The hallway was well lit, with nowhere to hide, if it came down to that. The floor was covered in exquisite maroon carpeting with wonderful designs of roses and butterflies woven throughout. It was lush and dampened each of their foot steps sufficiently to draw no attention to themselves. The walls were covered in golden wall paper which, as Emily ran her fingers along it as she went, she discovered it wasn’t paper at all, but silk. There were little niches every so often carved deep within the wall, and each niche had a white marble bust of some magnificent former leader of the Empire. It was all very fascinating, but they had no time to stop.

At the first intersecting hallway, they took a left and soon after they took that turn, Emily pointed to grand double doors on their right hand side. She stopped briefly to spell out a word for him in sign language. Z. A. R. E. H. He nodded, memorizing the position of the room in which Zareh was currently residing, and they moved on.

After what seemed like forever, Emily thrust a hand backwards to stop Ethan in his tracks. They stood in front of a set of huge cherry oak doors, with words carved into the wood. Ethan looked up to try to read them, but they were in a different language. It appeared to be someone’s name to Ethan, though most of the letters he did not recognize.

Emily straightened out her necklace, touched her throat to make sure it was hanging how she wanted it, then took that same hand and laid it on the wood with thoughtfulness and care. Without even closing her eyes, she nodded and looked at Ethan. “She’s in there.”

Ethan’s heart fluttered into his throat.
Maika.
After the strange dream he had had about her, the dream that seemed too real, the dream that had made his heart cry for her, he was fairly certain for a good stretch of time that he’d never see her again. But now, she was behind that enclosure. His breath quickened and he poised himself for the moment Emily threw open the door.

“Be ready for anything,” she warned, looking at him through eyes as narrow as fissures. “I just threw myself into this world by the advice of a talking door, so you’ll never know what will come next.”

A mixture of amusement and bewilderment took over Ethan’s face as Emily took the hand that was resting on the door and proceeded to press down the lever next to the door’s swooping and elegant handle. She pushed in and swung the door wide, revealing herself and Ethan to whatever, or whoever, the room held.

In a half an instant, a shape was flying towards them. Emily rushed back, putting herself in between the thing and Ethan, to shield him from the onslaught. The shape looked to her like a dark, soaring demon. The only difference was, that Emily could see, this demon’s eyes were an electric, pulsing neon blue.

Its hands were outstretched as it flew towards them. Beams of light came from them and rushed towards the newcomers like hyperextending, reaching fingers. A scream ruptured from Emily’s throat as she wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck, horrified. The light beams enveloped both of them and violently snatched them from off the floor and held them asunder like the gravity they had known their entire lives was lost. Still screaming, Ethan held his arms out to the demon, an epiphany hitting him. Through the bright blue and purple light that surrounded him and Emily like a cocoon, he reached out further desperately and called, “Maika!”

At the mention of her name, the demon retracted from its attack and fell to the ground. Legs sprouted out, unfolding like shock absorbers, dampening its fall to the floor, thus taking on a human shape. The laser beam that held Ethan and Emily in the air disappeared and they fell in a heap to the floor as a voice rang out, hidden behind a desk, “ETHAN!”

Maika ran up beside James, and looked down at the two people now rubbing their hind ends in pain. Looking up at James, a smile radiating from her adorable face. “It’s Ethan! And our good friend, Emily.”

James looked down at them, and they leered back at him, not enjoying the little anti-gravity ride they had just taken. Excited, James held out a hand to Ethan. “You may not know me,” he stated, his blue eyes piercing Ethan’s. “But my name is James. I’ve known you for almost your entire life...”

“You.... You’re the man....” Ethan grabbed James’s hand to stand up. “The man in the shadows. Somehow I knew someone was guarding Maika all these years.” The words took James by surprise, but he shook Ethan’s hand all the same as he regained his balance and composure.

“You grew up into a fine young man, and a wonderful friend for Maika.” He thrust a hand out to Emily. “My fair lady, please stand. I apologize if I hurt you.”

Emily, not surprised at all, said, “My word, James. You’re as dashing as ever.”

“Have you two met?” Maika interjected, looking at James suspiciously now. At the same time, James looked at Emily, rather confused, bordering on appalled.

“Nnnnnnot that I know of,” James answered, his eyebrows tilted down in thought.

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Emily laughed, and shook his hand harder. “We went to battle...” But before she could finish her sentence, she cut herself off, looking to the ground quickly. Sucking in a lung full of air, then releasing it slowly, she nonchalantly rolled her eyes back up to look at James. Baffled, he did not say a word. She then looked over to the left at Maika, who was equally as baffled, and then over to the right at Ethan, who was completely shocked.

“You know this guy?” Ethan asked, in an accusatory tone. “From where? What is going on here?”

“Emily?” Maika sounded pained, as if this new information drove a wedge between her and James. “Please tell me... What’s going on?”

Eyebrows turned up in angst, she straightened out her neck and shoulders, and huffed out a breath, standing her ground. “Okay, guys, there might be something I have neglected to tell you...”

“...And this is neither the time, nor the place, to discuss it.” James. Stating this as matter-of-factly as a verdict in a hit-and-run trial, his face showed no emotion. He stared into Emily’s frightened and solemn eyes, the confusion that had been on his face dissolved to the stone wall expression of seriousness that reminded him all too much of being blackmailed; even though that happened years ago, it was still as fresh in his memory as clothes newly washed. “Zareh’s here. All of us are here to save her... we need to do that right now.”