D. MacHale - Raven Rise

Mark froze. The moment of bliss passed as quickly as it had arrived.

“You don’t seem all that surprised to see me,” Nevva Winter said.

Truth be told, Mark wasn’t.

In his heart, he knew he had been kidding himself.

He knew it wasn’t over.

(CONTINUED)

The two stood facing each other. Mark didn’t want to talk to Nevva. She was a traitor. She was the enemy. What he wanted was to turn and run away. He didn’t. He didn’t want to show weakness.

“It’s over, Nevva,” Mark said, trying to sound as if he meant it.

“Is it?” Nevva asked while raising an eyebrow.

Mark thought that Nevva was beautiful. She had dark hair and flawless skin. Mark didn’t know how old she was. Maybe in her early twenties. Like Courtney, she wore a dress and overcoat that were stylish for 1937. When he first met her, she’d taken his breath away. Mark wasn’t used to dealing with beautiful women, especially women who were trying to bring about the destruction of all that existed.

“Where’s Saint Dane?” Mark asked, though he knew exactly where the demon was. On Ibara. Trapped with Bobby. Mark didn’t know if Nevva knew. He wanted to be cagey.

“You don’t know?” Nevva asked as she slowly approached him. “He’s trapped on Ibara.”

So much for being cagey.

“You must have heard,” Nevva continued while glancing at

Mark’s Traveler ring. “Surely Bobby told you that he buried the flume on Ibara under tons of volcanic rock.”

“He might have mentioned something about that, yeah,” Mark said, trying to sound casual. He had given up on cagey.

“Walk with me, Mark,” Nevva said with a small smile. She turned and took a few steps. Mark didn’t budge. Nevva stopped and looked back at him. “We need to talk.”

“Why should I talk to you?” Mark barked angrily. Casual wasn’t working for him either. “All you’ve done is manipulate me and cause us all grief.”

“I understand,” Nevva replied with sympathy. “But if you don’t, your grief will only reach new depths.”

Mark got a chill. The woman was heartless.

“Shall we?” Nevva said with a smile as she continued walking.

The last thing Mark wanted to do was follow the woman, but he willed his feet to move. The two strolled through the park, looking every bit like a normal couple enjoying the chilly autumn afternoon. Mark wondered if anybody could tell that every muscle in his body was so tense he felt as if he might snap in two.

“It’s a beautiful park, don’t you think?” Nevva asked.

“Do you really want to talk about the p-park?” Mark shot back. He winced when the stutter came out.

“Nervous?” Nevva asked with a chuckle.

Mark hated it when his stutter betrayed him. He thought he had it beaten, but it still snuck back at the worst possible times.

“No,” Mark said adamantly.

“Really? You should be.”

Mark tried not to react. He wanted to be cool. He wanted to be in control. He wanted to be able to handle anything Nevva had to throw at him. Or at least give that impression. He didn’t think he was doing such a hot job.

“Go home, Mark,” Nevva commanded. “Enjoy your life. You can’t do anything else for Pendragon. He chose to stay on Ibara. He wants nothing more to do with the plight of Halla, and neither should you.”

“That’s it?” Mark asked sarcastically. “That’s all you wanted to say? You want me to go home and pretend none of this ever happened?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

Nevva smiled, but Mark saw no warmth. He knew she wasn’t concerned about his peace of mind.

“There is one other small thing,” she said slyly. “I figured,” Mark shot back quickly. “I want your ring.”

Without thinking, Mark grabbed his Traveler ring with the opposite hand. He had only parted with the ring once, when he gave it to Courtney to continue on as an acolyte while he traveled with Nevva to First Earth to try to save his parents. Once they were reunited, Courtney had given it back. She knew the ring belonged on Mark’s finger. The idea of giving it up again made Mark wince.

“What? No! Why?” he exclaimed.

“To give Pendragon exactly what he wants.”

Mark stared at her, uncomprehending. “Uh, what?” he muttered.

“Pendragon destroyed the flume on Ibara,”Nevvasaid coldly. “He wanted to be cut off from the rest of Halla. I want to oblige him and make it a full break.”

“What for? Revenge?”

“Call it that if you’d like.”

Mark twisted the ring on his finger. “Forget it!” he snapped. “This is the only link I have with my best friend. Why the heck would I give it up?”

Nevva looked deep into Mark’s eyes, as if trying to read his thoughts. It unnerved him. If he had said anything at that moment, it would surely have come out as a stutter. He knew she had to have an agenda that went beyond trying to isolate Bobby.

“Saint Dane has taught me many things,” Nevva explained. “He’s working on an entirely higher plane than the other Travelers and he’s shared some of his unique abilities with me.”

“Good for you,” Mark said sarcastically. “Why should I care?”

“Because unlike the other Travelers, I know how to control the flumes,”Nevvaanswered quickly. “I can not only travel between territories, I have the ability to control the time when I arrive.”

Mark felt his throat clench. He knew this couldn’t be good.

“So what?” Mark commented coolly.

“I prevented your parents from boarding the airplane that crashed, Mark,” she said coldly. “You know that. What if I told you I could travel back to Second Earth to a time before their plane took off and this time watch silently as they handed over their tickets and boarded?”

Mark felt as if the park were spinning. He had lost his parents once… or thought he had. It was the whole reason he’d agreed to come to First Earth. Nevva told him that by traveling to the past he could change the future and save his parents from dying in that plane crash. But she was lying. Nevva had already saved his parents. That wasn’t why Saint Dane wanted him on First Earth. It was all about getting him to sell Forge to KEM and start the chain of events that would lead to the creation of the dados. It wasn’t about his parents. It had never been about his parents.

Until now.

“Wh-Why?” Marked croaked. He didn’t care anymore that he sounded nervous. “Why would you do that?”

“I don’t want to,” she said, trying to sound sincere. It didn’t work. Nevva Winter was cold, efficient, and calculating. “I like your parents. I don’t want to see them die.”

“Then why?” Mark cried. “I did what you wanted. KEM has Forge. What else do you want from my life?”

Nevva looked at Mark’s ring and coolly answered, “I want your ring.”

Mark quickly put his hand in his pocket. “This can’t just be about Bobby.”

“It isn’t,” Nevva answered. “Call it a test.”

“Test? Of what?”

“Of you. Of people. Of Earth,” Nevva replied. “Saint Dane and I have the same vision. Our goal is to create a perfect Halla.”

“Yeah, by destroying it,” Mark spat.

“No, by breaking it down in order to rebuild,” Nevva said passionately. “Halla must be purged of all impurity before it can thrive. Unfortunately, the Travelers don’t share that vision. That’s what the struggle has been about, Mark. Saint Dane’s vision of a perfect Halla, versus the flawed existence that the Travelers insist on trying to protect.”

“So what is the test?”

“I’m giving you a choice,” Nevva said dispassionately. “Give me the ring and I’ll never bother you again.”