The book was more beautiful than it had ever been in her world. Its leather cover was now an iridescent green, with a nautilus shell in the middle.
She grinned at Sophia and opened the cover. She turned the translucent pages, and they hummed a beautiful song in her ears. Symbols floated up off of every page. Some were familiar alchemical symbols, but others were gloriously unfamiliar. They spoke to Skylar’s heart in a long-forgotten language from a faraway place she was now waking up to. She couldn’t read them with her mind, only with her heart. And one page spoke louder than the rest—the last one.
Argan felt like a warm bath had engulfed him. Memories of his mother when he was a boy filled his heart. He was instantly comforted, instantly peaceful.
That peace was cut short, as he was soon discombobulated, tossed under water, not sure which way was up. He held his breath. Should he step forward? Or step left now? His mind and body were confused.
“Stillness, child,” he heard Vivienne’s voice say, and he stopped moving. “Take a breath.” He trusted her but also knew he didn’t have a choice. He was out of air. He breathed the warm liquid into his lungs. He didn’t sputter or cough. It gave him life, like amniotic fluid. With each breath, he felt more alive, more energized.
He peeked open one eye. All around him was light. In his next breath, he was propelled forward, as if the tree was pushing him out.
He expected to be underwater, but he wasn’t. He was in a subterranean cavern. Now was the time to sputter. He put his hands on his knees and coughed the liquid out of his lungs. He took in a few awkward gasps before he started to breathe normally.
When he regained his breath, he looked around. The walls of the cavern were made of red clay, and deep green pools of water dotted the ground. It wasn’t damp; the temperature was warm, as if the sun were out, but there was no sky above him, only rock. The shore stretched out in front of him to another part of the sea. He took a few steps and noticed that his clothes had changed. He was now dressed in a gray uniform-like suit, fitted but with no buttons. It was comfortable and dry. He was barefoot, but it wasn’t unpleasant; the floor of the cavern was cool and smooth.
This side of the tree looked very similar to Vivienne’s side. There were large circles of oysters at his feet. They had all opened, revealing the most luminous pearls. He bent to look closer but thought it best not to touch. They seemed too pure and magical to be ruined by human hands.
“We accept your wishes,” he heard them say in his head. “But they must be selfless wishes.”
“Good to know, thanks,” he said out loud.
He walked in the direction of the brightening light. Vivienne hadn’t given him many details; just to turn left. The sunshine led him out of the cavern like a flashlight. When he got out, the sky was gray. The beam of bright light was focused on a small city of white buildings out in the middle of the ocean. He looked right. In the opposite direction, the same city appeared. But this one was simpler, more humble … familiar. And it had no bright sunbeam. “Could it be?” he asked.
“LEFT!” Vivienne’s voice boomed out of the shaking tree behind him. Argan chuckled and turned toward the left city.
He had been carrying the green stone in the velvet pouch on a cord around his neck, but here he had to take it off. It felt like a noose. He took the stone out and held it in his hand. He knew it would lead him to Skylar if he trusted it. He put it back in its pouch. Since his new clothes had no pockets, he tied it to his ankle.
He was going to have to swim to get to the city. He hoped it wasn’t as far as it appeared. He was a strong swimmer, but this would be a test. He waded into the warm water and dove in.
A short time before he reached the shore of the white city, Argan came to a dome-shaped energy field. Its green hue was visible to the eye. He had no trouble passing through it. Once he did, the sun was shining over him.
He was thankful to reach the shore; he wouldn’t have been able to go much farther. His clothes dried quickly, and he tried to stay hidden until he could figure out where he needed to go. He scoped out the area. All the buildings were similar: white, dome-topped, many with glass windows. The architecture reminded him of parts of Greece.
He walked among the others in the street unnoticed, despite being barefoot. They all wore the same uniform. He didn’t want to make eye contact but did glance at a few passersby. They didn’t look much different than he did. They were all young to middle-aged, physically fit. It didn’t take him long to realize there were no women.
He came to the largest building in the small city. It seemed to be made of marble or quartz crystal. The stone pulsed through his pouch, sending a jolt through his ankle. He was in the right place. He walked through the large, triangular doors unnoticed. A scrolling holographic directory floated in the air. Its language was in symbols, not text. He was amazed at the technology; it was something he’d only seen in movies.
He spent a few minutes walking through the hall. All of them led back to the entrance. The whole building was a circle.
“Hey, man.”
Argan’s eyes lit up when he saw that the words had come from Kyle. “I was not told I’d be seeing you here,” he said, containing his surprise.
“This’s my new job,” Kyle said proudly.
“Doing what, exactly?” Argan asked.
“A variety of things.” Kyle leaned in close to Argan. “Mostly custodial in nature. I wait around a lot and I have to tell ya, I can’t remember most of it. But they’re paying me well. Couldn’t pass it up.”
“Well, it’s good to see you, Kyle. Have you seen Skylar?” Argan remained breezy.
“Not since yesterday. She was in the lab near the aquarium tank.”
“Where’s that?” Argan asked.
“Upstairs, fourth floor.”
“Thanks man.” Argan left him standing there.
He thought about the elevator but opted for the transparent stairs. There really was no hiding here. He took the stairs by twos and got to the fourth floor.
Heather stared at Skylar’s lifeless body. The blood around her chest wound was already crusting over from its contact with air. She put on a pair of latex gloves and picked at the dried blood with tweezers. Knowing no one was watching, she tapped the exposed green stone with the tweezers. It still shone brightly, even among the mess of an open wound. She looked at Skylar’s face, so peaceful, and for a moment she forgot her rage.
She heard a commotion outside the door and asked the universe for a bit more time before the Archer returned. She didn’t have the answers yet. But the disruption in the hallway drew closer, and Heather realized today wasn’t the day for a breakthrough.
“Skylar?” she heard a man’s voice. It wasn’t the Archer. “Skylar,” she heard right through the door.
She looked up as a beautiful man burst through the door. Horror overtook his face when he saw Skylar. “No!” he gasped. “No.” He stumbled backward, stopped briefly, and then rushed toward the table.
“Please stop,” she said. “You’re making this worse.”
“Worse?” he said.
She used her knowledge of energy manipulation to hold him back. “You are not listening!” she said. “This isn’t Skylar. It’s a hologram of her. The Archer thought this might work but it didn’t.”