Haven: Book Seven of "The Liminality"

Chapter 31 - Breakthrough

Once Grehl got over her initial shock, she felt quite relieved about their situation. The flowery and cozy little bedroom that Ulf had tempted her with may have transformed into a dingy and battered concrete dungeon, but at least she no longer had to worry about finding Urszula. Her companion sat on the floor looking glum, but Grehl did not share her sentiment.

"Shall we?" said Grehl, as she rolled the key stone in her palm, taking care not to touch its control surface just yet.

"Shall we what?"

"Bust out of this silly jail?"

Urszula perked up. "Did the idiot not take your stone?"

"He did not."

Urszula exploded with laughter as she stood up and bushed off her jeans. Grehl noticed the gun beside her on the floor.

"He let you keep your weapon?"

"Yes, but I am sad to say, I used up all my ammo." Urszula pointed at the spray of bullet holes marring the wall. She sighed. "What can I say? I was angry."

"A shame. But nonetheless.... Keep it. He doesn't know you're out of bullets. It could still be a deterrent."

Grehl stretched out the fingers of her free hand and the tingly traces of the interface were quite tangible. She might not even need the key stone to pry this one open.

"So I am assuming this portal opens back into Mr. Ulf's hallway. We should be prepared. He may have other tricks at his disposal."

"Leave him to me. I can handle him," said Urszula.

She selected a broken table leg from the wreckage littering the floor, choosing one with a particularly stout and menacing splinter. She placed her hand on Grehl's shoulder.

"Okay. Let's go!"

Grehl gazed down at the notched stone in her palm, took a deep breath and let the shimmer of the enclaves' interface wash over her before stabbing her thumb into the notch.

***

Urszula came out swinging the moment the ripples cleared, but there was no Ulf to fight and no hallway. Instead, they had both re-appeared atop the cairn from which they had entered this realm, encased in a cloud of mist. As the vapors curled away they found the natural amphitheater filled with a roaring crowd much larger than the one they had left behind. More clans had arrived and set camp. The cairn, itself, was larger and sturdier, augmented with thousands of new stones and graced with an expertly crafted staircase, worthy of a Mayan temple.

Every visible space as far she could see was occupied by a soul. Waves of fog, caused by the clash of warm and cold atmospheres, pulsed out of the portal and wafted into the depression.

"How did we get here?" said Grehl, stumbling on the loose stone atop the cairn. All the color had gone out of her face.

"My doing, I guess," said Urszula. "Same thing happened when Jan and I tried to use the stone to go back to Prague. My soul seems to have an affinity for Sheol."

So many eyes staring and voices roaring. Urszula felt absolutely assaulted by the onslaught of attention.

Grehl began to wobble and sway. Her eyes fluttered. Urszula reached out to steady her, but not in time. She teetered and crumpled onto the stones. A collective gasp swept through the amphitheater. Gwen and Arturo rushed up the steps of the cairn, but Urszula was already at her side, wiping the blood from her temple where her head had struck a stone.

"What happened? Are you okay"

"Just got a little dizzy. That's all."

Together with Gwen and Arturo, she helped Grehl over to a throne of carefully fitted stones constructed atop the cairn in their absence. As the cheering recommenced, Urszula sidled off and retreated down the stairs a bit, eager to escape brunt of the public glare. Though her inclination was to melt away completely, she kept to the front-most ranks of the pressing crowd.