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  “You know where she is?” Brendan asked.

  “She's going to Liam,” Halle said, “but it’s a trap, and she knows it, but she's willing to sacrifice herself for him.”

  Brendan glanced at Elise. The memory of their discussion about Terra’s real intentions was fresh.

  “Do you think she would do that?” Elise asked.

  “I think that when it comes to Liam, we already know that she puts him above herself. I don’t think Terra would go into a hopeless situation without a plan. As for what that plan is, I can’t be sure.”

  “How do you know where she is?” Brendan asked.

  Halle glanced behind her. She nodded her head once and then turned back to her uninvited guests. “Perhaps you should come in.” She stepped back, gesturing for the pair to enter.

  “Hello, my fellow guides,” said Christopher. He sat at a table in the corner where he was looking intently at what appeared to be a blank canvas.

  “Christopher, I can’t say I'm surprised to see you here, but I'm glad. Did you hear us telling Halle that the Council of the One has agreed to send help to Terra?” Brendan asked.

  “I heard, but I’m afraid we're running out of time. Halle has been tracking Liam for a while. She has been quite inventive, creating this portal with her art materials and finding him in the mortal world. Until today, she's never been able to locate Terra. At the moment, their mortal existences are intersecting.”

  “There has to be a reason she is going to him,” Elise said.

  “Not only is she going to Liam,” Christopher said. “She is going to him as a mortal. Something is strange in this situation. Halle has directed her to find him in the city park using some rather ingenious clues.”

  “Clues?” asked Brendan.

  “I left signs in the sunset and the shadows to guide her,” said Halle. “I had to do something; she's destroying her human body just to get to him. Something is driving her to extremes. She knows something that's making her desperate to reach him quickly.”

  “Look, she can see him, in the distance!” Elise said, peering at the small canvas.

  “Something's wrong with him! Is he being stung by bees?” asked Brendan.

  “No, I think he's being attacked!” Halle gasped as she watched Liam struggle and contort against an invisible assailant.

  “We need to go now!” Elise said. “Look at Terra, she is staggering towards him! Quick Brendan, we need to go back to the Council Chamber. We can’t afford to wait! May we bring your portal Halle?”

  “I’ll come with you as far as the Council. I don’t want you to get into trouble for creating an unauthorized portal because of me. Besides, I’m afraid to look away.” She wrung her hands as Terra reached Liam and grasped something unseen near his body.

  Brendan dashed toward the door with Elise and Halle at his heels. Christopher hesitated for a moment before he followed behind them.

  “Christopher?” Halle looked over at her significant other as they rushed down the path.

  “I have to go to Earth, Halle. This is my chance to see what's happening for myself. I failed to stop Terra when she jumped into the portal years ago. I let my charges become victims under my watch. Today it ends. If the council has a way to send us, then I have to go.”

  “I understand” Halle whispered, but the pain in her expression was obvious.

  “Halle, I have to do this,” Christopher said. “It's as much for you as it is for me. I've watched you suffer over Terra’s choice for far too long.”

  “So you would choose to leave the same way?” Halle kept her downcast eyes on her makeshift portal.

  “This is different. I'm not going into the unknown in such a reckless way. If the Council is sending me, then they must believe that they can do it safely.”

  “I hope so,” Halle said. “Here we are.” She looked up at the stately building with grief etched on her face.

  Chapter 6

  Brendan, Elise, Halle, and Christopher moved through the Council building towards the central chamber with the effortless grace of the immortal. As they entered the chamber, they noticed several obvious changes in the area. The ancient council members no longer sat at their honored seats behind the judiciary bench. They moved throughout the room, making them somehow more approachable and welcoming. Most of the seats were removed and a transition portal, quadruple the size of the customary entryway to mortal life now appeared at the center of the domed room.

  “Oh, you've returned as well,” said the Councilwoman with a wispy voice.

  “As well?” Elise glanced around the stately room.

  “Of course, the others you and Brendan sent have been arriving.”

  “There are others?” Brendan asked.

  “Of course, take in the surrounding changes!”

  “I honestly was a bit distracted by the enormous portal in the middle of the room,” Brendan said. As he looked around, he recognized several faces: George, Amity, and Constance. All three were experienced guides.

  Councilman Maxton approached them. He looked at Halle with curiosity. “I’m surprised to see you here, Halle. Do you want to see Earth’s beauty for yourself?”

  “No honored one, I came to show you where Terra is,” Tears welled in Halle’s eyes. “I made this portal. I wanted to find her soul mate, Liam. I thought Terra had been destroyed, but I hoped... We know that she wasn't destroyed, and today they're in the same place. I’m afraid we may be too late!”

  “Show me!” The councilman's eyes widened. He held out both hands to receive the makeshift portal.

  Halle handed over the worn canvas with a parting glance at her long-lost friend. “Please, help Terra.”

  “We have a location,” Councilman Maxton announced as he examined the canvas. “We need to begin the transition immediately! We will target this location. Terra is under attack!”

  In response, the other council members rushed to surround the looming portal. The ancients joined hands as they encircled the transition-way they hoped would lead the guides to the mortal world. Councilwoman Weslyn turned to the group of volunteers: “I should warn you, moving you as you are, with no human body will take more energy than we use for a corporeal transition to Earth. We're sure we can target Terra and her charge, but there's no way to be sure about exactly how you'll arrive on Earth. Those of you, who choose to go on this mission, will begin a new understanding of the way we interact with this world of matter. You go forward with our hope, pride, and blessings. The time to act is now!”

  Christopher turned to Halle as he listened. “I love you. If I can, I will come back.”

  “I believe you, please stay safe,” Halle pressed her lips to Christopher’s in a kiss that crossed the grounds of public appropriateness. “I know we will meet again my love!”

  Brendan and Elise silently approached the transition portal together. “I’ll see you on the other side,” Brendan whispered. His eyes met hers for a brief moment.

  “I'm glad to have shared my creation and service with you,” Elise murmured. She pressed her lips together in guarded anticipation.

  Brendan and Elise ducked under the joined hands of the ancients and stood precariously balanced on the cusp of the black portal. The other four guides followed their example as they prepared to attempt what had once been unthinkable.

  “We feel it would be best if you all entered the portal at one time. It is less likely that you'll be separated. We hope that this is a smooth journey, but we have no way to know how the matter will react as you pass through it.” Councilman Maxton held up Halle’s canvas. “This fountain near Terra will be your entryway. The water is less likely to react violently with our energy from the Tweens. This is a rescue mission for Terra and for any charges you can help. It is also a mission to gain knowledge of this situation. You have thirty days. Be back at this same location on the thirtieth day and we will attempt to bring you home. Go now with the blessing of this council and the blessings of the One.” He and the councilwoman to his right sepa
rated their hands. Each of them held an edge of the canvas. “Join hands, then step forward at the count of three; one, two, three!”

  All six volunteers stepped bravely into the blackness of the portal. The sensation was akin to stepping off a precipice. The six held on to one another and waited. Energy contracted and expanded around them. They experienced the sensation of falling, yet no wind pushed against them.

  “Where are we?” Amity asked. The swirl of the surrounding portal absorbed most of her voice.

  “I think this is like a tunnel that's creating a way to Earth,” shouted Constance.

  “Shouldn’t we be there already?” asked George.

  “I don’t know,” said Christopher. “There's a bit of light below us.”

  As Brendan looked for the light, the sensation of falling stopped as suddenly as it began. At the same moment, a ripping sound like thunder exploded all around them. Sparks and flares of energy erupted from the center of their group. The sound of rock and concrete crumbling beneath them left no doubt: they were on Earth!

  “Did everybody make it?” asked Elise. She shielded her eyes from the dust and sparks that surrounded the group.

  “I think we're all here, but the fountain didn't survive the transition,” Brendan said.

  “Where did Terra and Liam go?” asked Christopher. “They were just right here in Halle’s canvas!”

  “I don’t know, but we need to find them, and fast,” said George. “Look!” He pointed beyond the edge of the decimated fountain.

  “Halle’s paintings were real!” Christopher stepped back in surprise as he realized they were surrounded by hundreds of Scourge creatures. The disembodied spirits took many shapes of deformity from what once had been human. The Scourge creatures regarded the guides with curious shock. The creature closest to them rolled its head toward them on the thin, elongated stalk that had once been its neck. It smiled revealing a wealth of mangled teeth and pitch-black eyes before it began its slow approach.

  “How did you say Terra could destroy them?” asked Amity. She met the approaching thing's gaze with disgust.

  “Shouldn’t we try to fix them? asked Constance. “They were meant to be humans, what about their purpose?”

  Brendan shook his head. “In Carol’s memories that's how Terra ended their existence: she connected with their memories and forced them to see their purpose.”

  “And that always works?” George asked.

  “I think it only works if they're truly corrupted,” said Elise. “Wait, I hear something!” faint human voices could be heard through the dust and haze masking the darkness of night falling.

  “Terra?” called Elise. “Spread out, we have to find Terra and Liam. They have to be close; the Council was targeting their location!”

  The guides took slow steps, carefully appraising the wreckage of the ruined fountain. Water gurgled up in uneven spurts from the broken pipes beneath their feet. The Scourge creatures appeared to evaluate their change in focus. The swarm of shadowy creatures with writhing body parts moved toward a pile of rubble not far from the guide’s point of entry.

  “Look over there!” George pointed at the moving creatures. “Why are they all focused on that pile of rubble?”

  Brendan narrowed his eyes at something moving in the wreckage, and then dashed forward toward the motion.

  “Do you see anything?” Elise called after him. She could not hide her frustration.

  "Quick, we have to get the creatures away from them!" Brendan said. He closed the distance in a blur of motion. Suddenly, a Scourge creature pounced forward towards the movement behind the rubble. Brendan collided with the creature in midair. As he looked down he found Terra and Liam. The two teenagers were surrounded by the broken pieces of what had once been a huge stately fountain. Liam was pinned beneath a large piece of debris.

  “I’ll take care of that, you take care of him!” Brendan gestured to Liam.

  Terra looked up at Brendan. Blood and soot-covered her. Her hands were poised to deflect the creature. She was covering Liam with her body. Her expression softened as she realized she was no longer alone in her efforts: “Brendan.” Terra's expression of fear and pain was softened by a grateful smile.

  Brendan did not hesitate. Connecting with the creature’s innermost thoughts and emotions was a very different experience than his connection with his charges. Memories of crime and torture swarmed through his thoughts, pecking at his consciousness and driving him away. Away from what? Brendan knew that the thing’s innate purpose, its reason for its earthly journey, was still hidden within its memories. He pushed past the torrent of bleak images and found the last tiny grain of humanity that hadn't been blackened and tarred by the influx of corruption and disembodied torment the creature endured. Ripping the fragment from its hidden recess, he forced it into the conscious mind of the creature. Suddenly, the relentless swirl of brackish evil collapsed around him. The particles of energy slipped through his fingers where the creature had once been, leaving nothing in his grasp. The repulsiveness of the situation made Brendan shudder.

  Chapter7

  Flickers of shredded energy particles fell on Liam as he lay crumpled under a layer of rubble from the ruined fountain. His swath of dark hair hung low over his eyes, which were creased with pain. As Terra reached for him, she realized his broken body lay far too still.

  “Liam, Liam, I need you to stay awake,” Terra laid her hands upon Liam’s broad chest hoping to feel his heartbeat. “Please don’t die, Liam. Please don’t leave me!” Soot and blood streaked her blond hair. She paused and reached into her pocket. Her fingers touched the handle of the knife. This was her chance, but could she take both of their lives? Terra shook her head. No, I can’t do that to him. There has to be another way.

  Liam stirred under Terra’s touch. “How could I die when I finally get to find out who you are? Now if you don’t mind, could you try to get this concrete off me?” He gazed up into her sapphire blue eyes.

  “Oh, Liam!" Terra clawed at the heavy debris that held Liam's leg prisoner.

  “They're over here! I could use some help!" Brendan called out. He glanced down at his hands where the horrible entity had been a moment before. He shuddered as he recalled the thing he destroyed.

  Brendan's small moment of hesitation was all the mob of Scourge needed. A second creature threw itself at Brendan from behind. Its blur of claws and leg like extensions that suggested its former ribcage wrapped around Brendan.

  The attack was short-lived. Before Brendan could get his hands on the Scourge, it released him. Brendan turned to face his attacker, but Constance was already forming a mental connection with the Scourge entity as it writhed against her immortal touch. She was efficient in her search. The black thing crumbled in her grip only moments later.

  This attack triggered a rally from the ghoulish mob. They approached the small group of guides with more determination. A solid mass of corruption moved towards them like an ocean tide. To connect with the thoughts of any of the things would mean becoming vulnerable to the onslaught around them.

  “Quickly, we need to form a circle around Terra and Liam!" shouted George. "Try to work together. The only way to fend them off is one at a time!”

  Amity faced off against a huge creature; its pitch-black eyes rolled in its head as it taunted her. As it leaned forward, its front appendages that were no longer arm-like touched the ground as it pawed the turf behind it with its feet. “You think you can charge through me?” Amity asked. Her lip curled in disgust at the abomination that challenged her.

  As the Scourge sprang at her, Amity rushed forward to meet it. Her fists closed around its two-front appendages stopping its dominate bulk in midair. Its sharpened teeth gnashed precariously close to her face. Amity did not flinch. As she connected to the Scourge’s innermost thoughts and desires, any hint of remorse she may have once felt for its lost humanity was erased. The thing's memories revealed that at one time it had been a gentle husband and father. The small pa
rticle of purpose was all that remained of the man’s innate humanity. The Scourge crumbled in her grip leaving behind no trace of its existence.

  She had no time to reflect on this initial experience with the Scourge. Two other entities rushed towards Amity before the particles of the first settled. She turned toward the closer of the two and prepared to meet the challenge. As she connected with the creature, she felt the second thing crash into her. It grabbed her by the neck as it attempted to rip her away from the other creature.

  George reached Amity a moment later. He removed the second attacker with unapologetic efficiency. Any glimmer of remorse for the humanity these creatures had once encompassed left the guides as the reality of their foe pummeled against them with no remaining ties to civility.

  Brendan glanced back at Terra as another attacker eroded from existence in his grip. Her fingers were bloody as she dug through the rubble to free Liam.

  “What's your name, your real name?” Liam asked Terra.

  “Terra, I’m Terra in this world and in others.”

  Brendan’s attention to the touching moment was shattered as one of the largest creatures took advantage of his distraction. The thing dived at Brendan; knocking him back several steps as it slashed and tore at him with its collection of makeshift claws.

  Terra looked up to see Brendan’s struggles. The carnage was invisible to Liam. His human body skewed his view of the disembodied army and the guides who surrounded them. As Terra worked, the crumbling remains of the Scourge, Brendan had just dispatched, wafted down upon them. Brendan turned back toward the advancing mob, putting himself in front of the injured teens.

  “You need to get away from here,” Elise’s voice behind her startled Terra. “This human body of yours won’t take much more abuse. Let’s free him together.”

  Terra managed a weak smile as she recognized her former student. “Elise! It's been a long time! How's this happening? How did you know to come?”

  “There will be time for all of that, but right now, I need you to get out of here, so we can deal with these things.” Elise gestured toward the growing crowd of unspeakable creatures. Each Scourge entity stretched the bounds of what could ever have resembled the human form. “He needs to get to a hospital.”