Underworld (Dark Passage) (9 page)

A wariness comes over me and I take a tentative step
forward. Fearing that I may have come to the wrong
dimension, I am cautious as I look around, but then I
see Tom. I can feel the warmth of the fire and hear
the gentle popping of burning firewood

There is a gentle glow, as the light from the portal
closes. I can see Tom smiling with approval and I am

glad to be back in the library with him. I am cold
with sweat and my hair is stuck to my neck. I have
never been so scared in all my life. I decide not to tell
Tom what I had seen.

“See.
I told you it would come to you when you were
ready. It’s not so difficult once you learn to focus on
where the light wants to take you.”

I shudder thinking about the horror I experienced in
the dark. I should have never stopped to look into the
dark dimension. I knew it was evil and yet went
closer anyway. I need to learn more but don’t want to
press Tom for answers. I don’t want to overstep my
boundaries and I pay close attention to his eyes as I
speak.

“Tom? Did you and the others come from the same
place that I did? I meanare you alive?”

Tom chuckled with what I said and arched an
eyebrow in amusement. “Of course we are alive.
Everyone who is born is alive for eternity. It’s just
that some of us don’t have earthen bodies any longer
after we leave the first dimension.” Tom pauses for a
few minutes before continuing. His expression is
thoughtful as though searching for just the right
words. He reminds me of the grandfather that I had
always wished for as a kid.

I imagined what Tom and the others looked like
before they left the world I know. It’s difficult for me
to comprehend that no one ever really dies. Do they
all go to various dimensions and lead other lives like
Tom and the others?I can’t help but wonder if the
man in my dreams was dead or just from another
realm. His presence was vivid, sensual and I can
almost feel his hands now. The way he pulled me to
him and the feel of his warm breath on my neck made
me think there was something more to him. It was as
though my dream was being invaded and the most
hidden corners of my mind were known to him.

“And how exactly did you know I would be coming
here Tom? Did someone tell you? How do you
know so much about me?”

“When I was young someone gave me a very old
document. I was warned to not open it until the time
was right and that if it was opened prematurely it
could bring world war. When I broke the seal there I
found information about what was to come in the
future. It was planned for you to come here.”

“Tom” I persisted. How long ago did you know I
would be coming here?”

Tom looked at me thoughtfully. He scratches his
beard as he did when he analyzes something. He
seems almost uncomfortable and contemplating what
to say.

I can’t think straight.
How does one process
something so fantastic? My heart is pounding and
there is a slight ringing in my ears. Tom’s silence
makes me feel on edge and my anxiety is growing.

“Well. When I was about 20 years old a man
came to
me. He was a wizened old man and looked to be over
100 years old. He told me that at the appointed time a
young woman would come. He said I would know
you were the one and I was to give you 3 things when
the time was right.”

It just doesn’t make any sense to me. “But you
did
see him again?”
“Yes. I saw him just before I turned 80 years old.
And I saw him once again earlier this year. He gave
me an ancient book and when he left he said 3 words.
It has begun
.”

My mi
nd is reeling. I can’t maintain his gaze and I
look to the floor. I feel as though he can see through
me.“What began? How old are you Tom? Why am I
here?”

Just then Lizzie and Emma walk into the room. They
give incredulous looks toeach other. “What’s going
onTom?” demands Lizzie with her eyebrows arched
in anger. She stood there looking distressed and had
an accusing look on her face. I can sense the turmoil
she is feeling and wonder why she is upset.

Tom just shrugs his shoulders and scratches his beard
thoughtfully. He looks in my direction and winks as
though we have a joke just between us. I smile back.

“You shouldn’t have said anything Tom. There’s a
responsibility that comes with living here. We are
only supposed to let her rest and give her the things
she needs. You may have opened the seal and put us
all in danger” said Lizzie, through gritted teeth.

Tom turned to Lizzie with a steely glint in his eye.
“It’s all right Lizzie. I’ll take responsibility for any
backlash that that may come from showing her a few
things. She had figured some of it out herself
already.” Said Tom

Lizzie gave Tom a stern look but that seemed to
satisfy her for the moment. The sound of clicking
nails on the floor indicated that the dog was joining us
in the library. Tom clapped his hands as the mutt
ambled toward him and went about scratching him
behind his ears. I couldn’t help but wonder if the
mutt is dead too. I had always hoped that pets would
go to the other world when they passed away.

Lizzie is a beautiful and charming woman who is
fierce in following her obligations. I suppose she has
her reasons but some rules were meant to be broken.
Most people learn through mistakes and a few rules
are bound to be broken along the way. There is a
smell of fear in the air and Lizzie was staring at me in
the strangest way. She walked up to me slowly and
stopped a foot from where I stood. Reaching out, she
touched the locket Jen had given me, and a surge of
power ran through both of us. Lizzie was thrown
backwards and caught herself on the arm of a chair.
She leaned against the chair and looked startled.

To my amazement, the outline of a face began to
appear, in a globular shaped mist that floated a few
feet off the floor. The mist grows in size and there is a
presence that circles around me. Electrical waves of
current flow through me and a strange glow emits
from my locket. I can feel warmth and a tingling
sensation coursing through me. All of a sudden I
have the strongest sense that there is an open portal. I
need to find out the truth but no one seems to want to
tell me anything.

I am awakened about 4 a.m. by a noise. Something
beyond my control compels me to get up. I had been
told not to leave my room at night but the force is
strong. I pull on my clothes and walk as quietly as
possible to the bedroom door. I ease the door open
and look both ways to be sure no one is awake.
Nervously, I began to walk down the long corridor. I
place each foot carefully to reduce the squeaking
floor is making. I must find out the truth about this
place and the rub is that I know things are being
hidden from me but I don’t know why. I am indirect
with people when I need to be bold. I suppose it’s a
remnant from my dysfunctional family and the lack of
trust of people on my part. I have always questioned
people’s motives and used an avoidance strategy
which has not served me as well as I would have
liked.

On one hand, the people here show kindness and
seem genuine; however, the missing information
makes me doubt their sincerity. I look over my
shoulder as I walk in the dark corridor and think I see
a black shadow disappear into the wall. I am
transfixed on the wall but I don’t see the mysterious
shadow again. I continue down the dark corridor and
can just make out a light coming from a window at
the end. When I reach the window,I don’t see
anything at first, but the light reveals a crack in the
wall. It was actually the outline of a door. It would
have been hidden but for the direct light that
illuminated my discovery. I turn around behind me
and scan the hallway for the shadow I had seen earlier
but there is nothing. I push on the wood panel I
several areas and nothing happens. Just as I am about
to give up I notice that one of the rocks on the
cobbled floor is standing slightly higher than the
others. I put my foot on the rock and the small door
cracks open.

I push the door shut behind me and continue down a
cobble stone hallway that opens up into a great room.
I’ve never seen anything like it. I stumble into the
room with my mouth open in surprise.

The entire length of the room is a wall of windows
that reaches well over 20 feet high. The ceiling is
open air and the moon bathed the place in soft light.
There is a pool of water at the far end that is fed by a
small stream. The sound of running water purrs in
the background and wildflowers surround the pool. A
rainbow of color plays off the water and just beyond
is a path leading outside of the house. Ornate shelves
line the inner wall that is attached to the house and
there are all manner of things placed on them. The
top shelves have stacks of books and other shelves
hold ornate boxes. Some are adorned with ivory and
others have delicate silver runes embedded into them
framed by gold adornment.

I walk over to the shelves and carefully picked up a
box and open the clasp holding it shut. Inside is a
beautifully etched knife with hand carved ivory
handle. The craftsmanship is so exquisite that I have
to take a closer look. Carved into the handle and
blade are tiny horses in flight and delicate flowers.
The blade is long, curved and razor sharp. When I
hold it up to the light, to better see the artwork, it
glows as though it has a life force of its own. On the
blade the words
Anathema
are glowing.

I amso preoccupied with the knife that I didn’t hear

 

the door open or notice when Tom slipped inside.
My face flushes at having been caught in the room.

 

“Good morning Ivy.”

Tom looks deadly serious and is soon joined by
Lizzie. Her hair is rumpled and she has an anxious
expression. Then her face looks pale and sweaty and
it seems like she is going to faint.

I hadn’t notic
ed that the knife had turned a bright
white and was emitting what looked to be white
flames.

“I thou
ght she might be the one
. Anathema
is set apart
for the one appointed to wield her strength.” said
Tom, with a queer smile on his face.
“Bravo. That’s very clever of you Tom.” Said Lizzie
with a scowl

“Come now,” he smiled. “Why the long face Lizzie
?
We both knew the time would eventually come.”
Lizzie gave him an exasperated look but said nothing
more. Suddenly, they looked into the eastern horizon,
and I saw a bank of dark clouds approaching rapidly.
There was nothing but blackness as far as the eye
could see beyond the first cloud. For a second they
stood quiet still and then Lizzie started to panic.

“Tom! We must get her out of here now! They will
be here within the hour and she must be back on the
other side.”

I turned to see what all the commotion is about and
noticed the moon had been mostly blocked out by a
series of moving clouds. As I watched I could make
out the shapes of bodies. The darkness was not
clouds.
“Are they – bats?” I said trying to make sense of the
rapidly moving blackness.

“Come with us Ivy.” Said Tom and he held the door
open for me.

I glanced at the knife in my hand and began to put it
back in the sheath and reached for the box it had been
in.

“The
knife,
Anathema
, was meant for you. Come,
there are a few other things that belong to you as
well”.

Puzzled, I follow Tom and Lizzie at a half run as they
quickly walk down the corridors inside the house.
They rounded a corner and kept going for some
distance. When they reached a flight of stairs the ran
down taking them two at a time. They halted at a
heavy wooden door leading into a room with no
windows. The floors were stone and the sound of
shoes echoed on the floors. The room was dimly lit
and we crossed the room into another, smaller room.
Hanging from the walls, were all manner of weapons.
I noticed a variety of guns in gun cabinets and walked
in that direction.

“Those will lend you no support. They are made for
the dimension you are from and will not work against
dark forces.” said Tom.

Lizzie opened a large trunk off to the side of the room
and pulled out a finely made bow and a quiver of
arrows. The bow was smaller than the ones we used
back home but appeared to be well made. She also
took out some clothing that would serve me much
better than the jeans and hiking boots that I was
currently wearing.

Lizzie directed me to a bathroom to change and gave
me an encouraging smile. I took the pile of clothing
and changed as quickly as I could. The pants were
light weight but made of a durable material. The
boots were of the same fine material but were not
nearly as heavy as the hiking boots. They feel as
though they are well broken in, although they look as
though they have never been worn. Finally, I finish
dressing and put on a coat with a hood.

“The jacket will blend in with the environment you
are in and will keep you warm in extreme cold and
cool in the heat.” said Tom. He had a set of saddle
bags draped across his arm that had a sleeping back
tied to the back.

We exited the room quickly and were running toward
the back of the house where the stable are located.
We are outside in a matter of moments and the sound
of wings can now be heard.

“What will happen to you?” I said with concern.

“They are after you Ivy. We thought you would have
at least a week here before they found you . I’m so
sorry you are being faced with this before we had
time to give you any proper training with the bow.”
Said Tom
I gave Tom a warm smile. “I am familiar with a bow
and arrow Tom. I used to go quail hunting with my
friend and her dad most weekends growing up. I
appreciate all that you and Lizzie are doing for me. I
don’t know how I will ever repay you.”