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  "Hmph," I sighed. "I guess it's no different here than anywhere else. This group hates that group, my god's better than your god, my people are better than your people. What a bunch of idiots our species is. If we could only learn to get along, eh? But, then I guess, who would keep our populations down if we're not killing each other over something stupid?"

  "Nicole?" Robert interrupted my little tirade. "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah," I said. "I'm fine. Just venting. So, Mr. Healer sir, you think Marshal was sent here to help Amelia?"

  "That would depend on what Faelen told you," he answered. "Which is why I came here to talk to you." I looked to the others for some kind of help. We had to tell him something. He really believed that this Faelen wolf sent us here. Maybe we should just tell him he's right, make up a story to explain why we're here. If it could help us get out of here, make them trust us enough to show us the way back then I would play along.

  "F-Faelen said nothing," I told him. Jeremiah started shaking his head and I could see that I would have to come up with something better than that. "H-however, he did lead us here with great urgency."

  "He did?" Jeremiah smiled. "That matches some of the oldest translations of the legends."

  "It does?" I couldn't believe my answer was enough to satisfy him.

  "Yes," he answered. "But there must be more. Even if he didn't speak the words directly to you, there is a chance he spoke to you in your dreams. Faelen is known to come to people when they're sleeping. Now, that you've become aware of our world, perhaps some of your past dreams will make sense to you."

  "Maybe, but I'd have to think about it. I don't always remember my dreams," I said, hoping that would satisfy him for now. "Do you think I could see Marshal anyway? I mean, if he's awake, it might be better he sees me first. He'll probably be pretty confused with all these unfamiliar surroundings and people. He won't know who he can talk to."

  "I think that would be good," he smiled. "Let me take you down to his room. It's too risky to go on your own."

  "Ok, let's go," I said as I made my way to the door. "You know I'm so glad you're here to look after Marshal. I know we just met, but I feel like I can trust you. At least a lot more than I trust the mighty Gregorius."

  "Gregorius has evil intentions when it comes to the return of the Fire People. I think you could sense that," he pointed out. "I, on the other hand, am of the belief that it is Amelia who will benefit from your friend's presence. If I am wrong, however, I'll have to kill your friend before he can bring more of his kind here."

  "Excuse me?!" I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly. Did he just say he would kill Marshal?

  "Oh, listen to me," he laughed. "I'm joking of course. Shall we?" He opened the door and gestured for me to go through. I looked at the old man, trying to decide if what he said really was a joke. There was a sense of seriousness behind his words that sent a slight chill through my body. I realized that I really couldn't trust anyone here, not yet, at least.

  Chapter 7

  Jeremiah led me down the stairs to Marshal's room. I was surprised there were no guards posted outside his door. You'd think that someone as important as they proclaimed Marshal to be would be protected. As we got closer, however, I could see why guards were not needed. The room he was in was more like a prison cell than a hospital room. There was a long rectangular window and I could see Marshal lying in a bed, his eyes closed, still unconscious. There was a woman sitting beside him and reading a book. The door was made of thick steel and somehow sealed with a lock I couldn't see. There was a small window set in the door which framed the old man's face as he looked inside. A woman with the same black hair and blue eyes as everyone else, rose from the chair she had been sitting in and approached the door to unlock it. Clever, I thought, lock it from the inside so no one could possibly break in.

  "Sir?" she questioned Jeremiah as she spotted me behind him.

  "It's alright, Megan," he reassured her. "Nicky is with me. I'm positive she won't harm our patient."

  Megan stepped aside to let us enter and I couldn't help being a little pissed that these people seemed to have taken ownership of my friend. Marshal didn't know anybody here. How could they possibly think he would trust them over me? In fact, knowing Marshal, he'd probably be angry that we'd left him in the hands of these strangers.

  "I'll wait outside," Megan said as she went out into the hall and Jeremiah closed the door behind her.

  "Oh, god," I said, holding back tears that were threatening to burst from my eyes. I went over to my friend's side and held his hand. "He looks so good! What did you guys do to him? I mean, look at him! His colour's back; he's not all pale and hollow. He looks so much better!"

  "I told you," said Jeremiah. "The stones do a remarkable job at healing. Once the rot was gone, it was only a matter of time."

  "But it's only been a few hours," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "How can he look this good in such a short time?"

  "Like I said..."

  "I know, the stones," I said. "But, surely rocks can't really cure people."

  "Think of them as energy," he tried to explain to me. "They haven't really cured your friend; they have merely put the proper energy into his system so that his body can cure itself."

  "What?" I didn't understand what he was talking about. "Energy? You mean the rocks zapped him back into shape?"

  "No," he sighed at my inability to understand what he was saying. "You see, rocks, stones, crystals, even dust from the ground all have properties that can be broken down into energy and vibrations that can come into contact with and work with our own energy and vibrations that our body produces. Our body can borrow energy from these objects to help recover from many ailments and injuries. It's something that was discovered while our people lived underground during the Collapse."

  "Well, whatever these rocks are," I said. "They seem to be working on Marshal. How long before he wakes up?"

  "That is up to your friend," he answered. "I can only provide the energy, he must provide the will."

  "Hear that, Marshal," I whispered as I held his hand and brushed back the strands of hair that had fallen onto his forehead. "You're going to be fine. The healer guy here says his magic rocks have fixed the bullet hole in your back. The rest is up to you. I'll stay with you, right by your side until you wake up, ok?"

  "Uh," Jeremiah cleared his throat. "I don't think that will be possible. I only brought you here so you could see that we have done everything possible to help Marshal and now that you have, we must get you back to your room."

  "But...," I said. "I don't want to go. We just got here and I want to sit with him for a little bit at least."

  "I'll give you five minutes," he said. "And then we have to leave. We don't want Gregorius finding out that you came down here or we'll both regret it."

  "I suppose," I gave in. "Five minutes. Alone."

  "Nicky...," he started.

  "Alone," I said. "Or you'll have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming so loud that everyone in the building will know I'm here."

  "Very well," he said and opened the door and went out into the hall with Megan. I squeezed Marshal's hand and leaned in close so, if he was even a little conscious, he could hear me.

  "Listen," I started. "When you wake up, you're going to be very confused, so, I'm going to try to explain what's happening here. First, in case you don't remember, Howling Wolf and the Blood Demons shot you yesterday. You've been unconscious ever since. We found the portal and went through it. It brought us here, to a strange world that's in the middle of a war. They think you're from this ancient tribe called the Fire People and they want to know why we brought you here. They think some wolf named Faelen was the reason. What you need to do is play along. Pretend everything they say is true. Don't give them any reason to doubt us. The door to the portal closed after we jumped through it. It closed and we don't know how to open it and we have to get back. Max and Barker never made it through. They stayed behind, trying to hold back
the Blood Demons so we could get away. So, we need to get back quickly. If they think you're special, maybe they'll tell you how to open the portal, maybe they'll help us go back. So, please, play along, okay?"

  "That's five minutes," Jeremiah said as he came back into the room. I guess Megan had left it unlocked. "We have to go."

  "Ok," I said and slowly pulled myself away from Marshal. "Let's go back."

  We made it back to the room in uncomfortable silence. I think Jeremiah was angry with me for asking him to leave so I could see Marshal by myself. Too bad, I thought. I was getting a little frustrated with a few things myself. Top of the list was being locked in a room like I was some kind of criminal. If Jeremiah wanted to give me the silent treatment for wanting to see my friend then let him. It didn't bother me at all.

  When we got to the room, I watched as Jeremiah reached into his robes for the key that would open our door; I was right, there was a keyhole on this side. He pulled out a small silver key and reached out and unlocked the door. He ushered me back into the room, said goodbye and then turned and left, locking the door behind him once again. Everyone was full of questions for me and I filled them in on Marshal's condition. They were just as surprised as I was at his speedy recovery and the way the rocks were filling his body with energy so his body could fix itself. We all went to sleep, hoping that Marshal would soon wake up. The next day we got what we hoped for.

  The news came in the morning after our tray of food was delivered for breakfast. I was just about to put sugar into the thick black liquid they called tea when Jeremiah knocked on the door and came in before anyone could answer.

  "The boy's awake!" he blurted out like an excited child on Christmas morning. "I just got word."

  "He's awake?" I put down the sugar and rushed towards the old man. "Take me to him."

  "That's why I'm here," he said. "Come on, I'll take you there before anyone tells Amelia."

  "What about Gregorius?" I asked. "Doesn't he want to be told first?"

  "If he were here," answered Jeremiah.

  "What do you mean?" I asked. "Where'd he go?"

  "I have no idea," Jeremiah snapped and I could tell he was not happy with Gregorius.

  "You mean he took off again?" I asked.

  "Most likely," he answered sounding irritated with my question. "Are we going to keep talking about the Second or do you want to go and see your friend?"

  "I want to see Marshal, of course!" I said. I could understand he wanted to talk to Marshal but, if he was angry that Greg had taken off again, he didn't have to take it out on me. Whatever the reason, I couldn't think about it now. Right now, I just wanted to talk to Marshal. I wanted to be there when these people started questioning him about things I knew he knew nothing about.

  We made it to Marshal's room in less than ten minutes. We would have been faster if Jeremiah was a little younger but I wasn't going to complain. The old man was going as fast as he could. As we approached the room, I was surprised that no one else was there. I don't know what I thought would happen when Marshal woke up but I just figured there'd be more people interested in what he had to say. Maybe no one else knew. It would be nice if Jeremiah wanted me to have some friend-time with Marshal before he was interrogated by Gregorius or Amelia.

  "Megan?" Jeremiah pushed his face up against the little window and knocked on the door. "I'm back. Please, let us in."

  "Back?" I asked. Had he already talked to Marshal? Now, I was a little upset that he hadn't waited for me.

  "Yes, yes," he said, irritated with me once again for my questions. "I was here earlier but he wasn't awake then. I haven't seen him since he regained consciousness. I assure you, Nicky, I am trying to help you and your friends."

  "I'm sorry," I said. "I'm just a little suspicious. What, with the war going on and being locked in that room; it's a little difficult to trust anyone."

  "Nevertheless," he said. "Trust someone, you must. You don't really have a choice."

  Megan opened the door and my thoughts on Jeremiah's loyalty disappeared as I heard Marshal's voice, strong and full of questions.

  "Who are you, you, you?" he asked. "Where am I? Where are my friends?"

  "Now, now, young man..." Jeremiah held up his hand to reassure Marshal that he meant no harm.

  "Marshal?" I stepped out from behind Jeremiah and looked at my friend. He was sitting, propped up by a couple of pillows. He looked good, a little tired, but awake and breathing.

  "Nicky?" he looked relieved to see me and I knew he was probably more than a little nervous about his surroundings. "What the hell, hell, hell is going on?"

  "Oh, Marshal, I'm so glad you're awake!" I rushed to his side and started to give him a hug. He winced and I stopped. He looked so good that I had almost forgotten how bad his wound was. "You have no idea how worried we all were. You were in pretty bad shape."

  "What happened, happened, happened?" he asked.

  "Don't you remember?" I wasn't sure how much of where we came from I should reveal in front of Megan and Jeremiah but I had to tell Marshal what happened. "You were shot in the back. Remember the Blood Demons came? They shot you when we turned to run."

  "Blood Demons..." I could see him trying to recall the tragic events that led to all of this. "They killed Billy and Kitten didn't they? I remember seeing them in the snow, snow, snow."

  "Yes," I said.

  "Are they...?"

  "Dead?" I looked into his eyes and knew he knew but just wanted to hear it out loud to confirm it. "Yes, they're both dead."

  "I knew it, knew it, knew it," he put his head down and closed his eyes. I squeezed his hand.

  "Who are these people and how did they die?" asked Jeremiah.

  "Billy and Kitten were part of our group," I explained. "They were shot just like Marshal but, unfortunately they didn't make it. They were children; Billy was ten, Kitten about the same age."

  "Children?" Jeremiah seemed taken aback by this. "These Demon people killed children? Why?"

  "Because their leader is a greedy jerk who wants the whole world to himself," I said. "He loves power and goes around killing people or getting others to do it for him. He's got a big group of men and they call themselves the Blood Demons."

  "And their leader..." he asked.

  "Howling Wolf," I said.

  "Howling Wolf?" asked Jeremiah.

  "That's his name," I said and then turned to my friend. "Marshal, are you okay?"

  "I'm feeling better, if that's what you mean," he said as he raised his head to look around the room. "But I don't understand where we are, are, are. Can you tell me, Nicky? Where are we?"

  "Megan," Jeremiah addressed the woman who'd been sitting beside Marshal since yesterday. "Can you tell me if the stone is still placed inside the wound?"

  "Yes," she answered. "It's still there. I just checked it when he woke up."

  "Well, has it slipped?" he asked and I didn't understand why he was so concerned. Marshal seemed perfectly fine for someone who had been so sick just hours ago. "There must be some reason his brain is malfunctioning."

  "Malfunctioning?" What the hell was he talking about? Marshal's brain seemed to be working just fine.

  "Yes," said Jeremiah, impatiently trying to get Marshal to lean forward so he could see the stone. "He's repeating words over and over. He shouldn't be doing that. Something seems to be sparking his normal brain functions."

  "Seriously," I said. I could see Marshal's face start to flush with embarrassment. "That's just the way Marshal talks. Believe me, there's nothing wrong with his brain function. He's fine. You can leave his back alone."

  "This is normal?" asked Jeremiah as he gently helped Marshal sit back up. "My apologies. I hope I didn't offend you. I've never heard someone repeat words in that way but if this is the way you speak than I'm sure there's nothing wrong with your brain function."

  "Thank you," said Marshal, still looking a little embarrassed. "I think, think, think." A smile stretched across his face and I could see hi
m put on his invisible mask that helped him hide his emotions from everyone.

  "Well, I'm just so glad you're awake!" I said and then looked to Jeremiah. "Do you think I could speak to Marshal on my own for a few minutes? I think he'll be more comfortable talking to you guys if you let me explain things to him first."

  "I think that would be highly unusual..." Megan, for some reason, started answering for Jeremiah. I didn't see how it was any of her business.

  "Megan," Jeremiah looked at her like a father scolding a child. "I think we could afford a few minutes for these two to catch up with each other."

  "But, sir, if the First..." started Megan.

  "Amelia has no idea this young man is even here," Jeremiah said. "And our beloved Gregorius seems to be missing once again. There is no harm in giving these people at least five minutes of privacy. After all, from what they've already told us, they've been through a lot. Besides, I am in charge of his care and, as such, will make all the decisions regarding him. So, let us step out into the hallway for a few minutes." I waited until they closed the door before I spoke.

  "Marshal, you have to listen to me," I started.

  "I know, know, know, Nicky," he said. "We're in a different world. We must have found the portal and made it through. I had a dream that you told me all of it. We were chased by the Blood Demons and had to jump through the portal but not all of us made it, right?"

  "Max and Barker are still on the other side," I said. "But it wasn't a dream you had. I actually came here yesterday with Jeremiah and tried to tell you as much as I could. I'm impressed you remember."

  "Yes, yes, yes," he said. "I also remember there was something else. Something about me but it can't be possible."

  "What?" I asked. "That they think you're someone special, someone they've been waiting a long time for?"

  "Yeah," he said. "Who exactly do they think I am?"

  "They think that you're part of an ancient tribe called the Fire People," I tried to explain quickly with the information I had. "Apparently this world has gone through some kind of global meltdown and had to hide underground for centuries. These Fire People dudes came from who knows where and helped the people here learn how to breathe and live above ground. They supposedly had some kind of special powers and they're supposed to be extinct."