The Druid

Chapter 6

Alan awoke to violent earth shaking and obscure red lighting.

His eyes fluttered, shooting open once he saw what was happening. Three steel columns stood in the middle of the secret basement. The one closest to them shook with the power of a contained earthquake. An incomprehensible amount of cords ran in all directions and some of them snapped, emitting a shower of sparks. Alan stood. He wobbled until the nausea faded.

Marcus and Savannah were right beside him. "What's happening?" he asked. Neither answered. Alan noticed that they were on the far side of the room, away from Callum.

Suddenly, the shaking stopped. Sparks continued to crackle and fly for the next few seconds. Alan heard the sharp slicing of steel and he knew what that meant. Whatever was in that box, just opened the door. A tall man stepped out, dressed in a regal black suit. The obscure red lighting made it difficult to see his features, but after fifteen years, even when his back was turned, Alan would recognize him anywhere. Mr. Aalberts.

"There's not time to explain," he said, moving past the group without even so much as a glance. "Alan, grab his legs. Try not to breathe the fog in."

The fog? Alan thought. When he didn't move immediatly, Mr. Aalberts said sharply, "Now, Alan."

"There's enough room for him to lie," Mr. Aalberts explained, once they both held Callum securely. Lifting him off the couch was exhausting for Alan's weak body. "He'll have to be transported alone. We can't risk inhaling the fog." The inside of the steel column was surprisingly spacious, nothing but a control panel and steel walls.

They sat Callum down and then Alan rushed out, sucking in air once it was clear. The door shut behind Mr. Aalberts and suddenly the violent shaking returned.

Alan instinctively backed away. The steel column did not so much as budge, but there was a storm in there all the same. And like a storm, it eventually passed through. The door opened. Callum was gone.

"It's good to see you, Savannah, Marcus," Mr. Aalberts said, nodding to them both. "Get in." He waited for them to move. "Alan, I'll need your help with Will. He was not poisoned, but he is severely injured. Nothing Maggie can't fix within a day, thankfully." Once they stood in position over Will's body, Mr. Aalberts raised a hand. They waited in silence. Wasn't this an emergency? Alan thought.

Deliberate footsteps clicked, like tap shoes, from above. Alan's heart raced. Not again. Mr. Aalberts shook his head, as if he was reading Alan's mind. "We're safe. The island is filled to the gills with enchantments." He seemed proud of that. "Come on."

The box was a tight fit. Savannah and Marcus were practically hugging in the corner to make room. Fortunately, Alan did not have to hug his teacher, but they were shoulder to shoulder. Alan retrieved his book and sadly, Galileo, too. He was sweating from the tight quarters and the burden he carried.

The control panel was a series of red buttons without any symbol or indication to their purpose. Mr. Aalberts pushed a few in quick succession and then reached for Galileo. Alan memorized the pattern in an instant. Even in this dark hour, he smiled. If Will knew what he just did, he would have ranted about Alan's supposed photographic memory. Alan shook his head.

"Look at you, such a handsome man," Mr. Aalberts said to Galileo, as he stroked his orange body.

Alan rolled his eyes.

The door sliced shut and the violent shaking began, exactly what Alan hoped wouldn't happen. Surprisingly, Alan's feet neither shook nor trembled. It was as if the tremendous force around them was a simulation. Suddenly, Alan felt his vision start to fade; then his breaths refused his lungs. Sensation vanished as blackness surrounded him. Not the blackness of a dark room or a starless night, but the blackness of a void--the total absence of everything, engulfing him until he was lost somewhere, no longer aware of his own existence.