Into the Abyss полностью

Edwyrd was sitting on Tom’s throne, rather overlarge for Edwyrd’s body, reviewing his argument with Jenn. No one had said much afterwards, they simply moved off to corners and sat and waited. It didn’t seem to take quite an hour before Tom felt the summons from Tizzy.

This time it was similar to Jehenna’s last summons. Much stronger than Rupert’s, but without the demand that Lenamare had. As he felt the pull, Tom let his mind trace the mental path that the summons created. In a way, the gobbledygook words he’d used to describe what he was going to do, before they’d left were correct. It was a link, or mental thread, between Tizzy and himself. Only in this case the link was created by Tizzy doing the summoning.

Tom could ‘feel’ with his mind something like a string or path going to Tizzy and could thus get a view of where Tizzy was. Wherever that was, was dark. It seemed to be a large grassy field of some sort. He reached out and felt himself where Tizzy was. Simultaneously he felt himself in the cave. Using himself as the bridge along the link, he mentally dug a hole in the space between locations.

Each time he’d done this gateway, he’d done the visualization slightly differently, but each time it had worked. This time was no exception; he felt a hole in space opening around him. Apparently, the visualization wasn’t as important as the intent and the knowledge of both ends. Widening the hole, he brought more of his consciousness to the cave. “OK, everyone! We have the gate. Time to go!”

Jenn sighed with relief, Gastropé giving her a reassuring smile, saying he’d known they’d be all right. Maelen simply stood up and dusted himself off, picking up the donkey’s reins. Maelen looked at the dark hole in space near the throne, shaking his head he lead the donkey towards it and then through it. Still controlled, the donkey caused no problems.

Next came Gastropé who stepped through as soon as the donkey’s tail had completely crossed the threshold of the gateway. Jenn straightened her clothes and moved towards the gateway, looking around the room. “Rupert? Where’s Rupert?”

Tom looked around the cave. The boy wasn’t in it. Apparently, he’d left the cave, no one had noticed. “I don’t know, he must have wandered out.”

“Curse that child!” Jenn said, shaking her head in frustration. “Rupert!” she yelled. “Come on! it’s time to go!” They waited for a response but none came. “Where the Abyss is he?” worry showing through Jenn’s voice.

Tom! Tom heard Tizzy’s voice in his head. That was strange; it was like telepathy, he guessed. How was that happening? Was it this link he had? Hurry up, the gateway is spilling light into the surrounding area; someone is bound to see it soon. What’s the matter, what are you taking so long for? Trying to make yourself another kid? Tom just grimaced at the little demon.

“Jenn, we can’t keep this link much longer!” Tom said.

“Well I’m certainly not leaving him here!” Jenn cried almost hysterically.

“No, no!” Tom assured her thinking quickly, “but I’ll stay and find him. You have to go through. I’ll find him and then bring us both back.”

“No, I’m not leaving without Rupert!” Jenn shouted.

Tom shook his head, “Jenn, you can’t go out and find him; your spell won’t hold up to the heat. Mine will. You go through; I can pull us both out the same way. You just have Tizzy repeat this summons in... I don’t know... three hours or so, at dawn say.”

Jenn looked at him for a moment, “No,” she finally said. “I can’t leave the boy in the Abyss.”

“Jenn,” Edwyrd pleaded. “Please, believe me. I can find him; he will be all right. I swear to you by all that I hold sacred that I’ll find him and bring him through. You have my word that I won’t leave the Abyss until I find him.”

Jenn bit her fingernails. Edwyrd knew she didn’t want to leave the boy, he hoped she realized that there was no choice. “You swear to Maera? On your heart, upon your soul of souls?”

“I swear to Maera, fervently and devotedly. May I be doomed to spend the rest of eternity here in the Abyss if I lie, or if I fail.” Rather a hollow promise Edwyrd realized. For one thing, he had no idea who Maera was, and for the other, he was already doomed to the Abyss for all eternity. Jenn just frowned uncertainly, but her brow was already lined with sweat from the heat. She had to know there was no way she could handle the outside temperatures, needed to find Rupert.

“RUPERT! COME HERE!” She yelled one last time with all her might. They waited several more moments but no Rupert came. Now Edwyrd was getting concerned. Biting her lower lip, Jenn stepped closer to the gateway. “Please find him, Edwyrd, not just for my sake, but for his own?”