Морган Райс: The Obsidians

He peered across the coffee table at Professor Amethyst, who sat on a battered leather couch drinking tea from a delicate china cup. The headmaster at the School for Seers had given Oliver permission to embark on a very dangerous journey back in time to find a hidden seer invention that may just save Esther’s life. But now Oliver needed the exact details of how to accomplish such a mission.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Oliver reminded him once more, his voice strong and determined. “No matter how dangerous, I will save Esther.”

The headmaster of the School for Seers nodded slowly. “It’s my duty as your mentor to tell you it will be a perilous ordeal. One you may very well fail.”

“Any chance is better than no chance,” Oliver said firmly.

Professor Amethyst placed his teacup down. It tinkled, the noise echoing out through the expanse of his office in the sixth dimension.

“To save Esther’s life,” he said, “you must travel back in time and find something called the Elixir. It is the only thing that can cure her.”

The Elixir, Oliver repeated in his mind, feeling awestruck. It sounded very important.

“The Elixir has been hidden,” the headmaster continued, “because it is very powerful. And very dangerous.”

“Where has it been hidden, Professor?” Oliver asked.

“No one knows. That is a tightly guarded secret.”

Oliver felt his chest sink. How would he find the Elixir if it was hidden? If no one knew where?

Just then, he noticed a small sparkle in the headmaster’s eyes, one that told him all hope was not lost.

“But I believe I’ve worked out a way to find the hidden location,” the old seer told him.

Hope soared in Oliver’s chest. “You have?”

“Don’t get too excited,” the professor said, tempering Oliver’s sudden buoyancy. “I know of a portal and it may be able to take you there.”

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked, feeling perplexed. Portals linked two places together by creating magical wormholes that weaved through space and time. Surely the portal the professor talked of would either lead Oliver there or it would not.

The headmaster cleared his throat and began to explain. “This is no ordinary portal. It is a very special one imbued with rare magic. It can take you exactly where you need to go.”

Oliver’s heart leapt. That sounded perfect! But then why was Professor Amethyst’s expression so grave?

The old seer continued. “In order to make it work, you must hold the intention in your mind when you enter, that you are going to the right place for the highest good. Otherwise it will become extremely unstable and eject you.”

Oliver’s throat became as dry as sand. Now he understood. If he entered the portal without a pure heart, he would certainly fail.

“It will only work if my intentions are true?” he asked.

“Yes,” the professor replied with a solemn nod. “If your intentions are not pure, you will be expelled into the vacuum of space. Do you understand now how risky this is?”

Oliver felt trembles peel through his body like mini earthquakes. He was scared about the portal, about whether it would find his intentions good enough. But he had to try. For Esther. His mind was made up.

Oliver tipped his chin up bravely. “I’m ready.”

Professor Amethyst looked at him long and hard. Then he stood. “Come with me.”

Oliver did as he was told, feeling his nerves spike tenfold as he followed the headmaster out of the sixth dimension and back into the busy School for Seers. They stood at the very highest floor, peering down at the central atrium and all fifty floors of crisscrossing walkways filled with students, all the way down to the kapoc tree.

“This is all thanks to you, Oliver,” Professor Amethyst said. “Because of your heroic actions, your willingness to put everything above yourself, the Orb of Kandra has been returned. The school is stronger now than ever before.”

Oliver felt a blush in his cheeks. Why was the professor showing him this?

“It is that purity of heart that you need to take on this next journey,” the professor explained. His eyes sparked with intensity.

Oliver nodded. He understood. The professor wanted him to feel—really, truly feel—what he needed to, to pass through the portal; to remind him exactly what was at stake and where his heart lay.

But Oliver didn’t fully agree with what the professor had just told him. He had not succeeded in his prior mission alone. He’d had his friends. Without them reminding him what mattered, he would never have succeeded in the last mission to save Sir Isaac Newton and rescue the Orb of Kandra.

“I didn’t do it alone,” Oliver told the professor, a little tentatively.

To Oliver’s surprise, the headmaster’s face burst into a wide smile.

“Exactly!” He clicked his fingers, like he’d just won a competition. “That is exactly why I have arranged for you to embark on this mission with others.”

Oliver’s eyes widened with shock. “You have? Who?”

He’d been accompanied by Esther on his last mission, and she now lay dying in the medical wing. Ralph had come to support him as well and almost drowned in the River Thames for his troubles. Taking people back in time was very dangerous. Oliver hated the thought of putting any of his other friends in harm’s way.

Oliver heard the ding of the elevator from the other end of the corridor. He looked over as the doors opened.

His heart soared as he recognized who was emerging. It was Hazel Kerr, her butterscotch-colored hair twisted into a bun on the top of her head, and Walter Stroud, wearing a vintage computer game tee, the bright yellow color complementing his dark skin. They were two of his closest friends. The thought of them accompanying him on this mission was very comforting.

But as his two close friends walked toward him, Oliver noticed a third person coming through the doors. This person was unfamiliar to Oliver. He was a tall boy with tan skin and dark wavy hair that fell to his chin.

“Who is that?” Oliver asked the professor.

“I’ll allow him to introduce himself,” the headmaster replied.

The three students reached Oliver. Hazel gave him her customary shoulder bump. Walter slapped him on the back, as he often did. Oliver nodded to them both, grateful to have them by his side. But his gaze was drawn to the third student, the one he did not know.

“I’m David Mendoza,” the boy said, offering his hand for Oliver to shake. “I’m a second year.”

“Oh,” Oliver replied, shaking his hand. “You’re coming with me?”

The professor spoke up. “David is highly trained in combat. The best in the school. I want you to have some protection on your journey. Think of him as the brawn to Miss Kerr’s brain and Mr. Stroud’s heart. With these three companions alongside you, you will have the best chance at success.”

Oliver nodded. He trusted Professor Amethyst—his mentor had not let him down yet—but he didn’t know David Mendoza at all. He didn’t know if he could trust him.

“Here are some things you will need,” the professor continued. He produced an amulet from his pocket. “This is a sephora amulet. You can use it to check in on Esther. It will show her to you.”

He handed it to Oliver.

Frowning, Oliver peered at the strange black jewel. He could just make out the beautiful face of Esther Valentini shining on its surface, as if drawn with charcoal. Her eyes were closed and she looked gravely ill. Oliver’s heart ached at the sight of her.

“Is this real time?” Oliver asked.

The headmaster nodded. “Yes. It will help you keep your heart pure. If you ever find yourself wavering, look into the amulet and remember why you are on your journey.”