family disappeared. There is no worse death for me now.”
Getting stolen away to the Lost Realm was better than the Arrow Realm. Being bait would be a way worse fate.
“We’ve got to stop them,” I said, slapping my palm on my slab. “Get others to help. People from here or from Earth like those Takers. Why don’t you do that?”
“We need a leader to rally us.”
“Well, what the heck do you think you could be?” I stood up and paced along the trickling walls, unable to contain my anger at this place, these people.
“We need the Oracle.”
I turned on him. “Why wait for him? He’s just an excuse. I mean, kids are dying!”
Leandro stood and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing tight. “My mission has been to find my family. I’ve helped mortals along the way, but I am just one soldier.”
I shook his hand away. “Well, maybe you need a new mission. A bigger one, to save more than just your family.”
He gripped both my shoulders this time, and his nose pressed down against mine. “You don’t know our world or me. It’s easy for you to judge, boy.”
“I don’t want to know your world,” I said, slumping in his grasp as my anger faded. His did too, for he let me go, a sorrowful expression on his face.
“What’s going to happen here now?” I said.
“Change is coming.” He frowned, shoving his long locks back, and his thickest white streak glowed in the dim light like a beacon. “Lost Realm folk are just peasants. They fear Zeus, as well as Apollo and Hekate, and hide in their cottages, desperate for the new world their leaders have promised. To many, stealing mortals as a resource is all they’ve ever known. The Lost Realm may have risen out of total darkness on the sweat of mortals, but they live in a worse kind of darkness.”
“What’s that?”
“The darkness inside themselves.”
“How do you change that?”
“Through hope, Joshua.”
Chapter Eighteen
My brain burst with fantastical things, and the mysterious crude cave drawings caught my attention. Figures. Animals. Buildings. “What are these pictures?”
Leandro traced the black and red lines that swirled and looped. “Primitive drawings from ages ago.”
In his tracing I saw figures walking through a giant square. “Is that—”
“A Lightning Gate. Yes. Each realm has one. It’s a public way to travel between lands, and to Earth. For those with secret agendas, traveling the back roads is preferable, although more dangerous.”
“Are those people from Earth?” I said, pointing at the figures.
“Could be. Our world has been plundering Earth for its own needs for a long time.”
To the left of the gate was a woman in a robe. Her hand was outstretched and something shot out of her fingers. “Hey, that can’t be Hekate, can it?”
He nodded. “It may be her.”
“How?”
“There are rumors that she carries the ancient power of immortality. She feeds on fear and may be an evil that’s been around a long time.”
A thought overcame me. “Leandro, if she’s an evil immortal Ancient One, maybe a good immortal Ancient One also survived?”
“To thwart her?”
I nodded.
“You have a hopeful heart.” He smiled at me. “But enough wallowing in our wonderings. Let’s wake the others. It’s time we moved on. We have a friend of yours to rescue.”
“What if it’s too late?”
Leandro placed his hand on my shoulder. His sturdy fingers warmed me. “We won’t let it be.”
I suddenly didn’t want to leave our cold sanctuary. It was the one safe place in this dark land.
***
Charlie and Sam stirred with my shaking. They woke up, bags under their eyes reflecting the ones I probably carried as well. Our adventure was running us ragged, but Leandro paced in front of us, full of found energy. He wasn’t a man used to waiting around. He pressed energy bars in our hands and told us to eat and drink quickly.
“Leandro, what are you going do if you ever find your family?”
Getting stolen away to the Lost Realm was better than the Arrow Realm. Being bait would be a way worse fate.
“We’ve got to stop them,” I said, slapping my palm on my slab. “Get others to help. People from here or from Earth like those Takers. Why don’t you do that?”
“We need a leader to rally us.”
“Well, what the heck do you think you could be?” I stood up and paced along the trickling walls, unable to contain my anger at this place, these people.
“We need the Oracle.”
I turned on him. “Why wait for him? He’s just an excuse. I mean, kids are dying!”
Leandro stood and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing tight. “My mission has been to find my family. I’ve helped mortals along the way, but I am just one soldier.”
I shook his hand away. “Well, maybe you need a new mission. A bigger one, to save more than just your family.”
He gripped both my shoulders this time, and his nose pressed down against mine. “You don’t know our world or me. It’s easy for you to judge, boy.”
“I don’t want to know your world,” I said, slumping in his grasp as my anger faded. His did too, for he let me go, a sorrowful expression on his face.
“What’s going to happen here now?” I said.
“Change is coming.” He frowned, shoving his long locks back, and his thickest white streak glowed in the dim light like a beacon. “Lost Realm folk are just peasants. They fear Zeus, as well as Apollo and Hekate, and hide in their cottages, desperate for the new world their leaders have promised. To many, stealing mortals as a resource is all they’ve ever known. The Lost Realm may have risen out of total darkness on the sweat of mortals, but they live in a worse kind of darkness.”
“What’s that?”
“The darkness inside themselves.”
“How do you change that?”
“Through hope, Joshua.”
Chapter Eighteen
My brain burst with fantastical things, and the mysterious crude cave drawings caught my attention. Figures. Animals. Buildings. “What are these pictures?”
Leandro traced the black and red lines that swirled and looped. “Primitive drawings from ages ago.”
In his tracing I saw figures walking through a giant square. “Is that—”
“A Lightning Gate. Yes. Each realm has one. It’s a public way to travel between lands, and to Earth. For those with secret agendas, traveling the back roads is preferable, although more dangerous.”
“Are those people from Earth?” I said, pointing at the figures.
“Could be. Our world has been plundering Earth for its own needs for a long time.”
To the left of the gate was a woman in a robe. Her hand was outstretched and something shot out of her fingers. “Hey, that can’t be Hekate, can it?”
He nodded. “It may be her.”
“How?”
“There are rumors that she carries the ancient power of immortality. She feeds on fear and may be an evil that’s been around a long time.”
A thought overcame me. “Leandro, if she’s an evil immortal Ancient One, maybe a good immortal Ancient One also survived?”
“To thwart her?”
I nodded.
“You have a hopeful heart.” He smiled at me. “But enough wallowing in our wonderings. Let’s wake the others. It’s time we moved on. We have a friend of yours to rescue.”
“What if it’s too late?”
Leandro placed his hand on my shoulder. His sturdy fingers warmed me. “We won’t let it be.”
I suddenly didn’t want to leave our cold sanctuary. It was the one safe place in this dark land.
***
Charlie and Sam stirred with my shaking. They woke up, bags under their eyes reflecting the ones I probably carried as well. Our adventure was running us ragged, but Leandro paced in front of us, full of found energy. He wasn’t a man used to waiting around. He pressed energy bars in our hands and told us to eat and drink quickly.
“Leandro, what are you going do if you ever find your family?”
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