D. MacHale - Raven Rise

We could save one another.

The warm feeling became a tingle that spread up my arms and through my body. I opened my eyes and stole a look at Alder to see a small smile on his face. He was feeling the same thing. The event lasted only a few seconds. I looked down at our Traveler friend.

“Patrick?” I said softly. “You there?”

Patrick’s eyelids fluttered. He gasped, as if refilling his lungs with air. Slowly his eyes opened. He glanced around in confusion until he focused on me.

“Pendragon?” he croaked.

“Do you know where you are?” I asked.

“Denduron?”

I nodded. “Why did you come here, Patrick? What happened?”

“I… I was shot,” he gasped. He hadn’t fully focused. He was still trying to get his bearings.

“By who? Who shot you?”

“People who worked for the Traveler,” was his strange answer.

I looked to Alder. Alder scowled.

“What Traveler?” I asked quickly.

Patrick grasped my hand and whispered, “The new Traveler from Second Earth.”

I was rocked back on my heels. Nothing could have prepared me for that. In three seconds my mind raced to a million possibilities and a million dead ends.

“Pendragon?” Alder said calmly.

I looked to him, hoping he had an answer. He did. He may not have known what was happening, or what the news from Patrick meant, but he knew exactly what had to be done.

“I believe we are no longer going to Third Earth,” he declared.

“No, we’re not,” I said, getting my wits back. “I’m going home.”

END OF JOURNAL#35

Mark and Courtney sat stone-faced inthe back of the same limousine that originally took them into New York City. They didn’t bother to try and get out. It was parked and surrounded by Naymeer’s red-shirt guards. Not that it mattered. The events of the past few minutes had shocked them into submission.

There was a flurry of activity outside the car. One of the guards opened the door next to Mark. Mark didn’t react. It was like he didn’t care anymore. They were soon joined by another passenger. The door was slammed shut, and an instant later they were rolling.

Sitting across from them was Alexander Naymeer. He looked every bit as calm and together as Mark and Courtney looked worn. Not a single one of his silver-gray hairs was out of place. In spite of all that had just happened, he was as relaxed as if going on a drive through the park.

“Finally,” he said with his arms spread out in a warm welcome. “We meet.”

Mark and Courtney stared at him blankly.

“Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde,” Naymeer continued.

“I’ve heard so much about you, I feel as if I know you. Would you like something to drink?”

He reached for an expensive-looking crystal decanter full of water. Mark and Courtney didn’t respond. Naymeer replaced it and chuckled like an amused grandparent.

“If we don’t converse, this will be a very long ride,” he said playfully.

“You killed him,” Courtney said flatly. “Patrick is dead.”

Naymeer frowned. “A horrible mistake. It should never have happened. Heat of the moment and all. My guardians used poor judgment. I am absolutely sick over it.”

Mark added, “You destroyed my house. Was that in the heat of the moment too?”

Naymeer raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Please, don’t judge too quickly. There are larger issues involved.”

“Larger than murder?” Courtney snapped.

Naymeer cocked an eyebrow and answered, “Yes, actually.”

Courtney sat forward in the seat. “Who the hell are you!” she shouted.

Mark put out a hand to stop her from moving any closer to Naymeer.

“You already know that answer,” Naymeer said without flinching. “I am the Traveler from Second Earth.”

If Mark hadn’t held Courtney tighter, she would have leaped at Naymeer’s throat.

“Bobby Pendragon is the Traveler from Second Earth,” she hissed.

“He was,” Naymeer said with sympathy. “But he has abdicated the position, so the honor is now mine.”

“How can you say that?” Mark asked, trying to control his emotions. “Who told you?”

Naymeer looked between the two and shook his head. “After all that has happened, you truly do not understand, do you?”

“A-Are you Saint Dane?” Mark asked tentatively.

Naymeer laughed. “Hardly. I am but a mere Traveler. Though I am at his disposal.”

Mark and Courtney sat stunned. Naymeer was slick. His British accent made him seem all the more superior. He was worshipped by millions. He consulted with world leaders. He was a force to be reckoned with.

All Mark and Courtney saw was a murderer who had aligned himself with Saint Dane.

“How do you know so much about Halla?” Courtney asked. “I’ve never heard of you, and I know all about the Travelers.”

“You may know of the Travelers, but I’m beginning to realize you don’t know much about Halla. You are aware of Ravinia, aren’t you?”

“It’s your creepy cult,” Courtney said. “So what?”

Naymeer held up his hand and looked at his ring, admiring it. “What do you know of this?” he asked.

“I know it’s mine,” Mark grumbled.

Naymeer ignored the comment and continued. “Do you question how it works? How the flume performs as it does? What powers it all?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Courtney said sarcastically. “Try, like, every minute of every day.”

Naymeer removed the ring and held it up to the light coming in through the car’s window. “It’s not a very attractive stone. Until it comes to life, that is. Of course you understand that the stone in this ring is the same material that makes up the flume.”

Courtney and Mark exchanged looks. They didn’t.

“Scientists have debated its existence for some time now. It’s quite extraordinary actually. From this simple material, a universe was born.”

Mark’s eyes widened. “No way,” he gasped.

“No way what?” Courtney asked, shooting a surprised look to Mark. “You know what this guy’s talking about?”

D. J. MacHale

Raven Rise

Mark stared right at Naymeer and asked, “You’re saying the rings and the flume are made up of the dark matter?”

“The who?” Courtney asked, totally confused.

“It’s been called many things,” Naymeer explained. “But you are correct. It is most commonly referred to as dark matter. Whatever the name, its nature is undeniable. This amazing material provided the foundation of Halla. Planets, stars, moons, civilizations, cultures, everything we know of grew from this most basic substance. It is the oldest material in existence. It is also the most powerful.”

“How do you know that?” Mark asked. “No one’s proved its existence.”

“No one on Second Earth,” he answered slyly. “Surely you realize there is more to existence than this one territory.”

Mark and Courtney didn’t reply. They knew about the other territories. The other worlds. They knew there had to be greater powers at work on their lives. The flumes were proof of that. Now, for the first time, it seemed they were with someone who had the answers.

“So, who told you about it?” Courtney muttered.

Naymeer smiled. “A raven.”

Mark and Courtney stared at him blankly.

Naymeer returned the ring to his finger. “Many years ago I was given a gift. This ring. It was brought to me by a raven.”

“I know how you got it,” Mark spat. “From me. I was blackmailed into giving it up.”

“Were you?” Naymeer responded. “If it was in your possession, why did you not explore its wonders?”

Mark didn’t have an answer.

“Perhaps it was in the wrong hands,” Naymeer concluded.