The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 55

It was a long way to the Team Building; longer than Hailey could remember from the time she rode with Ash on his horse. She couldn't be sure, though, because she didn't trust her sense of time during that first ride, seeing as she was highly distracted. Although maybe that wasn't so unlike the way she was feeling now, sitting in the carriage.

Alex's eyes were closed but he wasn't asleep. Ever since they found out about the connection of their minds, she could feel his presence there. None of them discussed how it was possible that Alex and Hailey could hear each other's thoughts. Hailey assumed it was some sort of Connected Soul thing, but neither Ash nor Alex explained whether it was something they knew about or whether it was unexpected to them as well. There was a silence agreement between the three of them that they would discuss this later. They had more important things to focus on now and they didn't have a lot of time. And besides that, it seemed that even for Ash, this last revelation was starting to be too much.

Hailey looked at Alex again. From the outside, he looked at peace, his shoulders hanging down and his chest slowly going up and down, but Hailey could feel the state of his mind and it was a chaotic mess. She didn't hear any direct thoughts, but she could feel every emotion going through him.

She found herself trying to focus on Alex instead of letting her own thoughts fill her up. They were feeling many of the same emotions but examining them for a distance was more bearable than experiencing them herself. She didn't know what to think. All Hailey wanted was to be calm, so that she could be concentrated and act quickly. Whatever happened next. The uncertainty of not knowing anything made this a nearly impossible task.

All Hailey knew was how she felt. It was the exact same feeling she got during the big Eagle Camps Organization tournament. All the American camps would come together, and the best would compete. Hailey always participated. It was during these competitions and not any other inter-camp ones that she got the feeling in her gut she had now. The feeling of fighting an unknown opponent. The only difference was that now Hailey didn't think about what size group they would be or what technique they would use but she mostly thought about what species she would face.

If Ash got his way, she wouldn't be doing any fighting of course but Hailey wasn't planning on running and hiding. If there was any chance that she could help, she would. A sudden rush of excitement mixed into the fear-induced adrenaline, and she realized something else. She would do more than just wait for a chance to fight. She would make sure she got that chance.

During the rest of the ride, Ash and Hailey moved closer together until their shoulders were touching again. She wanted to look at him, to talk to him. Except she felt like it was impossible to reach him. He seemed to be somewhere else. He was no longer hiding his worry and it flooded his eyes. They were a stormy ocean with deadly waves killing anything that came close. Even she couldn't reach him, the next best thing was to be close to him. Despite still feeling a bit angry with him, his touch brought her comfort. She thought that whatever he did, whatever he said, his touch would always be comforting.

Hailey sighed. For no particular reason, she looked up. When her eyes locked with Alex's, however, she knew there was a reason. Something inside her had made her look at Alex. They were both feeling a similar sense of fear. Alex seemed to be confused and pained by it, but Hailey felt oddly relieved she could share this emotion with someone.

Then they both fell.

§

I feel as if I'm covered in darkness but there are torches lining the room I find myself in. Even when I step closer to one of the blazing fires, I feel no warmth. Then I look around trying to find the reason I'm here. That's when I hear the voices.

"The troops are ready. They want to fight; they want to shed blood. I'm afraid that if we don't act soon, they might turn on each other in an attempt to satisfy their deathly hunger," says a low voice that doesn't belong to a human.

I move from behind a pillar and see that I'm in a meeting room. Straight away my mind takes in all sorts of details; like the symbols on the torches, the snakes roped around the pillars, the horrible images on the ceiling and the patterns of the tiles. It is unlike me to see these things; that is when I realize I'm not simply myself, I'm not alone. Alex is with me as if we are one and the same. I myself am more interested in the center of the room. Luckily, that is where we turn to next. There is a big round table with maps and charts lying in the middle. There are lines drawn on it and all kinds of names, many of which I don't recognize. I can feel that Alex does recognize all of the names. My attention is drawn to the middle of the map. There is one name that is familiar to me. Naporia. It is a map of the Third Dimension. The things that are drawn on it look like strategies to conquer it. There are wooden figures to represent troops, holding different colored flags to mark where their loyalties lie.

Around the round table sit at least half a dozen different creatures. At the head sits a man ― except that he cannot be a man, there is too much darkness about him ― on a throne with an awful crown on his head. Even without his throne or crown, his authority is clear in the imperious manner he holds himself. He is the King. He has yet black hair and a muscular build. He is dressed in a sort of armor with a big black cape that is draped beside him. His lower arms are ringed with big bronze bracelets with numerous symbols on them. But the thing that scares me most about him are his completely black eyes. There are no whites, there is only black.

On the King's right-hand side sits a boy with a smaller crown on his head. He looks like a prince, and he is about our age. His eyes aren't completely black, only his irises are. Their color reflects what lies beneath them. His pale blond hair is a stark contrast to his dark crown and the armor he's wearing. It's similar to the King's if only slightly less imperial.

On the King's left-hand side sits a sphinx. Even though the creature sits on the floor she towers high. Her brown hair is the same color as her fur, and it is braided in a dozen long thin braids. It comes out from under a helmet that covers her forehead and the top of her head. In spite of the disturbing bright blue eyes, devoid of any other color, her face would be beautiful if she didn't have such an evil smile and if her eyes didn't shine with the pleasure of cruelty.

The creature that spoke before is a minotaur, sitting beside the Prince. He is wearing an armor bound together by chains and a cape much like the King's, except that it is not bound to the shoulders with gleaming bronze clips but with much simpler metal fastenings.

Next to the minotaur are a werewolf and a cyclops. Both are wearing even simpler armors. Just like the gorgon and vampire opposite them. The werewolf is as vicious as we both would have imagined it. There is even some fresh blood on the corner of its mouth that doesn't appear to be coming from a wound. The cyclops's one big eye stares around a bit vaguely but the fists it has put on the table are huge enough to break through meter thick walls.

The gorgon is just as beautiful as the sphinx. She has snakes for hair, and they swirl around her head. She keeps her eyes focused on the table instead of on the other creatures. We remember that a gorgon's stare can turn creatures into stone instantly and we are grateful for her averted eyes. Whatever form we're in, we wouldn't like to meet a gorgon's stare. The vampire next to her is female, she too has a certain beauty about her, but it's much less dominant. Her face is pale but in a sick way instead of a pretty way.

We take an uncertain step closer to examine her and before we can move back into the shadow, we see the King's eyes on us. We're frozen on the spot. Certainly, these creatures will kill us now. How could we have been so stupid to move into the light? It was my choice to move; Alex created the uncertainty. So, his blood will be on my hands.