D. MacHale - Raven Rise

I sloshed back up onshore to meet the others, who stood watching.

“The next person who launches a boat is going to get a big surprise,” I said.

“Was that necessary?” Courtney asked. “I mean, now we don’t have any way of getting around.”

“It was,” Mark declared. “That car would have markedus.”

Alder added, “I am not sorry to see it go.” I didn’t blame him.

The three of us followed Courtney onto the dock.

“Things have changed,” Mark said as we walked along the maze of floating docks. “Let’s hope your parents still have a boat on this new Second Earth.”

“Most everything is the same,” Courtney said. “It would be really bad luck if this wasn’t.”

Courtney knew exactly where to go. We walked past many types of boats of all sizes. Speedboats, cabin cruisers, and sailboats. Toward the end of one dock we came upon a medium-size sailboat with a red flag flying from the mast. Seeing that flag was probably the most jarring thing I had experienced in a long time. And that’s saying something. On the flag was the star symbol that marked the gates to the flumes.

Courtney saw that I was staring at the flag. “Long story,” she said. “Let’s get changed first.”

The Chetwyndes had already outfitted their boat for the season. We found plenty of clean, dry clothes, though they weren’t exactly the kinds of things I was used to wearing. The Chetwyndes were suburban sailors. They mostly had khaki pants and worn deck sneakers. They also had some T-shirts and a few thin sweaters. I chose a white T-shirt and a dark brown sweater. Alder took a deep green sweatshirt; Courtney, a dark blue hoodie. Before getting changed, we needed to wash. The Chetwyndes had a bottle of biodegradable soap that was okay to dump in open water.

“It’s cold,” I said to Alder.

“No colder than the rivers on Denduron” was his answer. Oh. Right. They didn’t have hot water on that territory.

While Courtney stayed below to change, Alder and I peeled off our crusty leathers and sank them underwater. We slipped quietly into the river and washed as best we could. It wasn’t ideal to be bathing in salt water, but it was better than nothing. We needed to get rid of not only the grime, but the dried blood. As cold as it was, it actually felt good. Call it symbolic, but I felt I was reacquainting myself with the sensations of home. Of course I didn’t usually go swimming in March, but it was still a great feeling. In some small way it made me feel centered. I was in familiar surroundings. I was home.

It was time to learn about how unfamiliar my surroundings had actually become.

Courtney found some canned tuna fish, and crackers that were kept in a plastic container to keep them fresh. It wasn’t exactly a feast, but it was better than nothing. I was starved. After we got dressed, the four of us sat down to eat.

“Look at us,” Courtney said, chuckling. “We look like a bunch of preppies in our khakis and sweaters.”

“What are preppies?” Alder asked.

How did you explain that to a knight? I took a shot. “Preppies are wealthy, conservative people who all dress alike.”

“Like the Bedoowan?” Alder asked.

That made me laugh, but he wasn’t far off. “Yeah. Preppies are like the Bedoowan. In Top-Siders.”

Mark and Courtney laughed at that one. Seeing Alder in clothes that were two sizes too small didn’t help. He looked like a monster preppy kid who had outgrown all his clothes. His pants were above his ankles, and his sleeves didn’t come close to reaching his wrists. Seeing that made us laugh even harder. Alder didn’t exactly get it, but he laughed too. It felt great. These were my best friends in the world. No, in Halla. Mark and Courtney had been with me since the beginning of this adventure, either in spirit or in person. It was as much their adventure as it was mine. It now looked as if we would be together at the end. That felt right, like it was the way things were meant to be. Though it feels odd writing this journal now, since Mark and Courtney are part of it. But I have to continue. Who knows where it will eventually end up and who will be reading it?

“I knew you didn’t quit,” Mark said.

The laughter stopped. That kind of killed the fun part of the reunion. The mood turned dark.

“But I did,” I admitted. “I wanted this to be over. I thought it was.”

“We don’t blame you, Bobby,” Courtney said. “We just weren’t sure about what happened or why we couldn’t reach you.”

“I lost my Traveler ring,” I said. “But it’s back.”

“I wish I could say the same,” Mark said glumly. He held up his hand to show that his ring was gone. “Everything that’s happening here is my fault.”

“That’s not true,” Courtney corrected quickly.

We spent the next few hours catching up. There was a lot to hear. Courtney and Mark gave Alder and me the story of what had happened since I left Courtney on First Earth to search for Mark. We learned all about KEM and how Mark was tricked into delivering his Forge invention to the company that would create the first dados. We learned how Nevva had actually saved Mark’s parents and then threatened to execute them if he didn’t give up his ring-the ring that was made from the same material as the flumes. The dark matter. The foundation of Halla. I didn’t know what to think about that one.

They told us of Naymeer’s history and the Ravinian cult and the Horizon compound and, most important, the upcoming vote at the United Nations. Between their story and what we learned from Patrick, I was pretty confident that we were up to speed on all that had been happening on Earth.

It was the only thing I was confident about.

“Patrick went back to Third Earth,” I said. “He’s going to look for any information about how Naymeer and the Ravinian cult influenced events. From everything I’ve heard, the turning point on Second Earth is the vote at the United Nations.”

“That’s what we thought too,” Mark added.

Courtney shook her head in dismay. “How can so many people be influenced by such a nutjob? A slick nutjob, but still.”

“People believe what they want to believe,” I said. “I’ve seen it all over Halla. Guys like Naymeer tell people what they want to hear. Everybody thinks their lives can be better, and guys like Naymeer say they can make it happen.”

“The grass is always greener,” Mark said.

“Exactly. It’s powerful stuff. Naymeer has taken it a step further. He’s giving them proof that there’s something greater out there. Something bigger than their own ordinary existence. Imagine the leader of a religion telling people he can get them to heaven, and then actually showing them heaven! That’s what Naymeer is doing. All they have to do is follow him, no matter how wrong his ideas are.”

“But Halla isn’t heaven,” Courtney corrected.

“No, but it proves there’s life beyond our own,” I pointed out. “That’s pretty dramatic stuff. From there, Naymeer can spin it any way he wants. I’m not surprised he has so many followers. Saint Dane must be loving this.”

“Do you know where the demon is?” Alder asked.

“No,” Mark said quickly. “He took the form of one of Naymeer’s people, so he’s definitely in the inner circle of Ravinia. Beyond that, he hasn’t shown himself.”

“What’s the big deal?” Courtney chimed in. “All we have to do is get to the United Nations and convince them to vote no on Ravinia.”

The three of us looked at Courtney with blank expressions.

“I’m being facetious, dorks,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Sheesh. Don’t you think I know that’s impossible!”

“So what can we do?” Mark asked.

Nobody had an answer. It seemed hopeless. It was a strange feeling. With every territory I’d chased Saint Dane to, I always found a way to get involved in the conflict. On my home territory, I was stumped.