D. MacHale - The Pilgrims of Rayne

“He talked about some place called Halla and… and what did he call them? Travelers. But he always made up stupid stories, ever since I was a kid. They weren’t real.”

“What else did he tell you?”

“I don’t know!” Siry snapped. “I wasn’t even listening.”

“Yes you were. What else did he tell you?”

“He talked about some guy who was making trouble, and the Travelers had to stop him. That’s why he said he was leaving, to deal with the guy.” “Is that all?” I asked.

Siry pulled himself back together. His cocky attitude had returned.

“He told me that one day a guy might show up looking for help.” He grabbed my hand with the ring and held it up. “He said I’d know him by his ring. He said if he wasn’t around, it was my job to help him. There’s only one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t want the job,” he said, and he threw my hand down. I kept my eyes locked on his as he backed away.

“Now my father’s missing, and you know what? I don’t care. He’s off somewhere being a big man and taking charge. That’s what he’s good at, you know? Taking charge. Wherever he is, he can be a hero and that’s fine. It’s good not having him around.”

He turned and started to walk away.

“He’s dead, Siry,” I said with no emotion. “Your father’s dead. I saw him die.”

My words stopped him cold. I hated to tell him that way, but he was tough. I had to be just as tough.

“He died trying to stop Saint Dane,” I continued. “That’s the name of the guy he told you about. Saint Dane killed him. Now Saint Dane is here on Ibara.”

Siry didn’t move. I walked around to face him and saw something I didn’t expect. Tears.

“I thought you didn’t care,” I said softly.

“I thought you lost your memory.”

“Your father died for something he believed in,” I said. “What do you believe in?”

Siry sniffed and shot me a look. The wild, angry guy was back with a vengeance.

“You want to know?” he challenged. “You really want to know?” “Yes.”

“Come with me,” he snarled.

He pushed past me, knocking my shoulder aside, headed toward the village. I stood there, wondering how this was going to play out. Did this loser really have to be the next Traveler from Ibara? The guy had some baggage. But whatever problems he had were nothing compared to the reality I was about to dump on him. How would he handle it? The sick truth was that I had to trust a kid with major attitude, authority issues, and a history of violent crime. Oh joy. I’d faced impossible situations before, but this was like nothing I’d ever had to deal with. Suddenly, at seventeen, I had to be a responsible adult in charge of a problem kid. How wrong was that?

I did the one and only thing I could do.

I went with him.

(CONTINUED)

I followed Siry on a twisted route through the tropical village. He didn’t say a word the whole way. The few times I asked him a question, he ignored me. I was exhausted, but there was no way I’d show weakness. We took some turns around huts that made me feel as if we were walking in circles. At first I thought he was testing me, or trying to wear me out so I’d give up. It was neither. He was leading me on a route so impossible to follow, I’d never be able to find my way on my own. It got more complicated when our journey took us away from the populated village and into the jungle. The huts became fewer and farther between. The jungle grew thicker. The path grew narrower.

I was lost.

As we moved deeper into the jungle, the creepy thought hit me that maybe this wasn’t so much about my not finding my way here again. It might be about my not finding my way back. Alarm bells started going off in my head, but I didn’t know what else to do but continue following. He was the Traveler from Ibara! Never mind that he was some kind of juvi who hated his father’s guts and probably hated mine and was leading me into a trap. I had to go. Just another day in my twisted life.

The path narrowed to a single track. Thick brush whipped at my arms. It had gotten long past old. “How much farther?” I asked.

No answer. I was getting dizzy. My scabs were burning. I didn’t want to show weakness, but this was just dumb. The path opened up to a small clearing, and I put on the brakes.

“That’s it,” I declared. “You gotta tell me where we’re going.”

Siry turned around. He had a knowing smile on his face. I hated knowing smiles. Almost as much as I hated smirks. I’ve mentioned that, right?

“Getting tired?” he asked snidely. I didn’t care much for snide, either.

“I trusted you,” I gasped between breaths. “I followed you to wherever the heck it is we are, and I want to know why.”

I got my answer. It wasn’t the answer I wanted.

The jungle came alive. Before I could react, I was tackled by three guys. I hit the ground. Hard. Yes, it was a trap. They’d been waiting for me. They quickly tied a blindfold around my eyes and pulled me to my feet. I stood there, dazed, being held by several strong hands. They didn’t have to try so hard. I had no strength. Not a word was said. It all happened quickly and efficiently.

“Are you afraid?” Siry whispered in my ear. He was so close I could feel his breath.

“Terrified,” I answered, trying to sound bored.

“I could have you killed,” he hissed. “Nobody would know. Nobody would miss you. Nobody would care.

“That would be a mistake,” I said calmly.

“Why is that?”

“Because you’re a target, and I’m the only one who can help you. Without me, you’re done.”

Siry gave no comeback. I hoped my words hit home, or at least made him think. I sensed him move away. I tensed up. Would he be crazy enough to kill me? I had to be ready. It didn’t matter how exhausted and weak I was, I had to defend myself. I couldn’t see a thing. For all I knew, death was seconds away. I had had enough. I took a breath and summoned what little strength I had left. I was about to lash out and start kicking some Ibara butt, when Siry barked out an order.

“Bring him,” he commanded.

I stopped. They weren’t going to hurt me. At least, not right away. The guys who held me started to walk, and I was once again dragged along to an unknown destination. At least it was unknown to me. These guys knew exactly where they were going. We walked quickly through what felt like dense jungle. All I could do was go along and hope they didn’t run me face-first into a palm tree. Things were not going well. My one ally on Ibara was a thieving kid who’d just threatened to kill me, and had a bunch of friends to help him. I had to go along with whatever game he was playing. At least for a while.

Our trip ended when I was roughly pushed down into a seat. My arms were rudely pulled behind my back and tied together. These guys weren’t pros like the security drones who worked for the tribunal. They may have tied me up, but I felt as if I could break free pretty easily. Their last act was to yank off my blindfold. I squinted, and got my first look at Siry’s world.

It looked like a jungle junkyard.

D. J. MacHale

The Pilgrims of Rayne

We were in a clearing that had been hacked out of dense foliage. The surrounding growth was a thick wall of vines and vegetation that looked too tangled to walk through. The trees overhead formed a canopy that blocked out the sun. A quick scan showed only two paths out. Or in. There were bamboo platforms built everywhere. Some were at eye level, others on the ground. Two structures rose high up toward the canopy of trees, with several levels from the ground to the top. There were lots of makeshift ladders and bridges, tying the structure together. The whole thing was lashed together by rope and twine. It was impressive and crude.