The Traveler

51

Michael sat on the surgical table in the middle of the Tomb. Dr. Richardson and the anesthesiologist stood back and stared at him while Miss Yang removed the sensors from his body. When the nurse was done, she took a fleece-lined sweatshirt from the tray and held it on the open palms of her hands. Michael took the shirt and slowly pulled it on. He felt exhausted and very cold.

“Maybe you should tell us what happened.” Dr. Richardson sounded worried.

“Where’s General Nash?”

“We called him immediately,” Dr. Lau said. “He was over in the administration center.”

Michael picked up the sheathed sword lying on the table beside him. Like a guardian spirit it had traveled with him through the barriers. The gleaming sword blade and the gold handle were exactly the same in the Second Realm.

The door opened and a thin shaft of light appeared on the dark floor. Michael returned the sword to the table as Kennard Nash hurried across the room.

“Is everything okay, Michael? They said you wanted to see me.”

“Get rid of these people.”

Nash nodded his head. Richardson, Lau, and Miss Yang retreated through the lab door underneath the northern gallery. The computer technicians were still peering down from the gallery windows.

“That’s all!” Nash said loudly. “And please switch off the microphones! Thank you very much!”

The technicians reacted like schoolboys caught peeking into the teacher’s room. Immediately, they moved away from the windows and returned to the glowing light of their monitors.

“So where did you go, Michael? A new realm?”

“I’ll describe that later. There’s a more important issue. I met my brother.”

General Nash stepped closer to the table. “That’s wonderful! Were you able to speak to each other?”

Michael swiveled so that he was sitting on the edge of the table. When he and Gabriel were traveling around the country together, Michael had spent hours staring out the windshield at the passing scenery. Sometimes he would concentrate on one particular object beside the road and hold that vision in his mind for several seconds until it disappeared. Now that same sensation had returned to him with an increased power. Images lingered in his mind and he could analyze the smallest details.

“When we were growing up, Gabriel never looked ahead or made any plans. I was the one who always figured out what to do.”

“Of course, Michael. I understand.” Nash’s voice was soft and soothing. “You’re the older brother.”

“Gabe gets a lot of crazy ideas. I need to be objective. Make the right choice.”

“I’m sure the Harlequins have told your brother all their foolish legends. He doesn’t see the big picture. Not like you.”

It felt as if time had slowed down. Without effort, Michael could see the split-second changes in the expression on Nash’s face. Normally, everything happened quickly during a conversation. One person was talking and the other was waiting to respond. There was noise, movement, confusion, and all these factors helped people conceal their true emotions. Now everything was clear.

He remembered how his father had acted with strangers, watching them carefully while they spoke. That’s how you did it, Michael thought. You didn’t read their minds-just their faces.

“Are you all right?” Nash asked.

“After we talked, I left my brother and found the passageway back. Gabriel is still in the Second Realm, but his body is lying in a church camp in the Malibu hills.”

“That’s wonderful news. I’ll send a team there right away.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to hurt him. Just get him under control.”

Nash glanced down as if he was getting ready to conceal the truth. His head shifted slightly and he showed his teeth with a terse smile. Michael blinked and then the world was normal again. Time continued to move forward, each new moment falling into the future like a line of dominoes.

“Don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can to protect your brother. Thank you, Michael. You did the right thing.”

General Nash turned and hurried through the shadows to the exit. The heels of his dress shoes made a sharp noise on the polished concrete floor. Click-click. Click-click. The sound echoed off the walls of the Tomb.

Michael picked up the gold sword and held the scabbard tightly.