Alex in Wunderstrande: The Clairvoyance Clock [BOOK ONE]

Chapter XXIII: A New World

Fighting the current tired me quickly. I conserved what energy remained and involuntarily allowed the waves and my companions to guide me along to the shoreline. Dark-clad figures scurried around on the boardwalk—sentinels, by the looks of them—and I winced as a shrill alarm exploded when they pinpointed the three of us in the dark waters.

"Bring them in," shouted one man in a vaguely familiar accent.

The guards fished us from the water and deposited us upon the deck. I coughed with force, chest heaving, hoping to oust the tingling water from my nose and windpipe.

"State your names and business here!" commanded one tall sentry. His attire was the same as every one of his fellow guardsmen: a dark blue uniform, a matching tailored hat, and an odd goggle contraption that shrouded half his face that I assumed was for surveillance purposes.

The very eyes of our enemies now stared directly into mine.

"Greetings. My name is Sheridan Cumberland, and I come from Planet Industria in peace," he spoke slowly, clearly. "This is Jayce Callyis and—"

"I sort of come in peace, let's be honest," Jayce interjected.

The guards stared at her suspiciously.

An unnerving pause lingered in the thick, sulfuric air, which felt bizarrely therapeutic in my lungs. My damp clothes clung to my clammy skin, and I could barely see through the waterfall cascading from my wet hair enough to look any of the guards in the face.

The watchmen's focus shifted from Sheridan and Jayce to me.

"Our friend needs help," Sheridan remarked, motioning toward me. "He's in need of a healer."

"And why should we help him?" one of the guard asked.

"Because he's Alexander Rosengrant."

Every sentinel snapped their heads in my direction. I shrunk back nervously and gritted my teeth when my leg issued the sharpest pang of agony I'd felt since the bones were shattered for a second time.

"Are you Alexander, ward of the Lancaster General?" one of the men addressed me, sounding hopeful.

"I—I am," I managed, wincing unpleasantly.

While the guards exchanged elated chatter, the aching from my wounds had finally become too much to bear any longer. I collapsed on the dock with a cry.

"Alex!" Sheridan gasped, kneeling by my side.

Consciousness failed me as I drifted in and out of a place I hardly knew. One moment, Sheridan hovered over me in concern and the next, guardsmen hoisted me into the air. The last thing I saw before my vision left me for good was the skyline of an unnervingly bright city blurring into an unfamiliar sky.