Wielder

Chapter 5 - The Portal

Michael could not keep calm. Though he managed to keep his voice steady when he spoke and his hands still at his sides, it took every bit of concentration to do so. He had known playing with "magic" was a bad idea. He just hasn't realized it would all blow up in his face quite so dramatically.

And now, his very life depended on Alie figuring out how to use it.

As much as he wanted to say "I told you we shouldn't have come here," he kept his mouth shut. Picking a fight would not keep them safe. It wouldn't get them home.

Besides, it wasn't Alie he was really angry with. It was in her nature to crave the mystical. The constant stream of fantasy novels she read through was evidence enough of that. And with only her books to show her the nature of humanity, it made sense that she would trust those who showed her a bit of kindness. Books were always very clear about who was dangerous and who wasn't; and in her books, nice people weren't dangerous.

Unfortunately, Michael had never been able to convince her that real people were much more complex. Or that kindness could be a deception.

Her bridge led them into a deserted part of town. No one stood in the streets to watch the fireworks display. Shops were boarded up. Windows were missing or smashed in. Paint flecked off the walls. Roof tiles lay shattered on the road. The empty streets were blocked off from the rest of the city with high brick walls and signs redirecting traffic around the derelict blocks.

Every town had its slums, but this was something else.

As Alie's bridge set them in the middle of the deserted road, the fireworks overhead reached its finale. Hundreds of them erupted in tandem, illuminating the sky in a brilliant flash of colored light. When the last boom pounded the air and the sky at last went dark, the entire city let out a thunderous cheer.

All the firelight that had extinguished itself at the start of the show suddenly flickered back to life. But the empty street they stood on remained dark.

Alie glanced around, rubbing her arms as if she were cold. "This place gives me the creeps," she whispered.

Michael had to agree. Something had happened here, and it wasn't good. "You're sure he's here?"

"Just up ahead."

"Is he alone?"

Alie tilted her head, staring at the next cross street as if she could suddenly see through walls. "I can't tell."

"Then I'll go first," he directed. "Keep watch behind us, just in case."

She kept close as they slowly made their way down the street. Carefully, he crept toward the closest storefront. Better to hug the wall and keep out of sight from above. The streets were eerily quiet, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

He peered around the corner of the abandoned shop, down into the narrow space between it and the next building. Darrel sat on the ground, a half-eaten sandwich in one hand. His other arm rested on his knee, and his head was bent low.

He looked exhausted.

"Oh, hello," Michael greeted loudly, startling the thief so badly that he dropped his sandwich on the unswept ground. "What a coincidence meeting you here."

Darrel shot to his feet. He marched out to them, a mixture of horror and fury on his face. "How did you get here?" He glanced to Alie, frowning deeply.

"Magic," Michael shrugged, a smug smirk twitching at his lips. "What, did you think we were too stupid to figure out how to use it?"

"You've ruined everything," the thief spat. His blue-green eyes burned hot. "You were supposed to get caught."