Parallel World

VIIII. Johan

"SINCE NO ONE ELSE is asking," Maynar said, "then I will. Where the hell are we?"

"This is where you'll appear on the other side, in Paravald," Johan said, zipping his coat to shield himself from the wind.

"Why does the air have to pinch my ass so damn hard?" Lizzy whined, shivering in her Daize.

"I thought you said this Daize would keep us warm," Aella said, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"They will, but only if you know how to use them."

They all glared at him.

"What?" he said, brows raised. "You're not in Kindergarten anymore. Figure it out."

Johan ignored the muttering as he examined the meticulously cut grass in what little light they had.

"Let's see ..."

"Papa, I think you should reiterate what exactly we're supposed to do once we get to Paravald," Lizzy said. "You know, for the people in the back."

Johan frowned at her. "Save us all from dying."

"Yes, you've told us that already," Aella said, gritting her teeth, "but how exactly are we supposed to do that?"

He stared at them. They stared back. "You're really asking me this? When I myself failed the mission with my friends?"

"Well you've already been through the experience, so we figured you could just tell us what you know," Maynar said.

"Nylie will do that for you. She knows Paravald better than I do, anyhow. What I can tell you," Johan added after he noted their angry faces, "go to the Iowei Towers. It's the last place the Woman of Sun was ever seen."

"The Woman of Sun?" Lizzy asked.

"Another name for the Sun. The Moon is called the 'Man of Moon.'"

"How nice," Nylie said, though she spoke as if it wasn't very nice at all. "Giving us information we can actually use."

Johan frowned. "You can gather information on where to head to next, after you get to the Iowei Towers. Other than that, I can't tell you any more. I am forbidden to do so. You know that better than anyone, Ny."

"And who's forbidding you to do so?" Maynar asked sarcastically. He gasped. "Don't tell me—the Wade Council?"

Johan pursed his lips.

"I don't think we're being given a fair advantage here," Aella said irritably. "We're supposed to be saving both worlds, but they're keeping things from us. Do they want us to save their world or not?"

"Guess we should take it up with the Wade Council, then," Maynar quipped, shoving his hands into the pockets of his Daize.

Johan's lips thinned, but he turned away from them, saying nothing.

Nylie narrowed her gray eyes on his retreating back. "You're hiding something."

Everyone looked at her. How she could tell he was concealing something, Johan didn't know.

"I've been lied to many times before. I think I'm capable enough to recognize the signs," she said, answering her friends' questioning gazes. Johan noticed Rehan shift slightly, the only sign that he was listening.

"Even if I am hiding something," he said tightly, "I am forbidden to tell you so. This journey you must make on your own. I won't speak anymore on this.

"Now," he said, fixing his eyes on a neat square of grass a foot from them, "I think I can activate the Accrivalor here, if I am careful."

"Accri-what-now?" Aella said, sounding annoyed.