Paige and the Quest for Truth: Book 2 in the series

11

Chapter 11

Paige rested her head on Maude's shoulder as they watched the sun slowly sink beneath the horizon. The stars began to wink into sight, brilliant against the inky black sky. The darkness on the beach was visceral, without a single electric light. She had never been somewhere so dark. At one point, she had been afraid of the dark. The darkness, however, was necessary. Without the darkness, you couldn't see the stars.

The darkness and the light had contrasted itself in her life so drastically. So much brilliant beauty and more stunning pain than she ever could have imagined. So many amazing people were lost to her. Paige loved far too many dead people. She was grateful for the people she did have left, as unexpected as they were. A spunky old lady, an awkward librarian, two eccentric and brave men who loved her as their own kin, and even an ornery maintenance bot.

Every loss she had been through had broken her. Somehow, losing Billie was more acute a loss. Billie was her strength in the storm. Without her, Paige was anchorless. Floating about aimlessly without direction or purpose.

Paige was still busy contemplating her existence when the sound of a door slamming against its frame rang out across the silent beach. Sitting up and quickly drying her face with her cover-up, Paige turned around to see a small shadowy figure running in their direction.

Maude stood up quickly, shoving Paige behind her, in an instinctively protective gesture. She brushed Maude off, muttering something about being able to protect herself.

Slowly, a familiar face came into view. Kyle's face glowed softly in the moonlight. He stopped a foot in front of them, hands on his knees, panting heavily.

"Thank goodness....I finally...found you guys." Kyle panted out between shallow breaths.

"Kyle, my goodness, what in the worlds is going on?" Maude handed him a bottle of water, which he took gratefully. He sat down on their beach blanket and took a long drink of water to calm himself.

"I figured something out. Just after you left, something occurred to me." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "The protective wards attached to that page, and the book it originated from, are very powerful. That was one of the reasons I was able to sort of reverse the magic to help track the book. The only beings strong enough to create this warding...is..." Kyle took a deep breath, and looked between Maude and Paige.

"Who is it!" Page yelled. Her voice ringing out across the beach. Maude put a hand on her shoulder, trying to quiet her.

"Its...It has to be... It has to have something to do with The Erasers." Kyle whispered their name as if speaking of them could still give them power.

It couldn't be. Everything they had been through was to defeat The Erasers. How could they still be causing chaos? They were dead. Their defeat was the very reason Billie was dead. Not dead, well, she hoped that Billie was still out there. Why else would that note have been sent to her?

"Kyle, are you sure? Are you sure this is the work of The Erasers? They have been defeated." Maude said gently, looking at Paige as if she was fragile and going to break.

"I am sure, no one else, not even the Protectors have this much power. The Erasers were the most powerful beings in all the worlds. That is part of the reason they had to be destroyed. Not to mention the whole 'erasing people and entire worlds and all that.'"

Paige ran a hand over her face, overwhelmed by this new information. "So, whatever book this note was ripped from is warded by Eraser magic?"

Kyle looked at her, a tired look in his eyes. "It does appear that way. Hey, did you guys bring any snacks?" He began digging around in Maude's beach bag, not waiting for an answer.

"I don't understand," Paige whispered. "The Erasers, they erased things. People. They killed people, and entire worlds." Tears threatened to spill out of her reddened eyes. "What would they need to ward? They don't save things, they don't protect things. I don't get it."

Kyle looked at her. "Sometimes evil is complicated. If you remember, The Erasers saw themselves as the good guys, as evil often does. They thought they were saving worlds from the corruption of the darkness. Maybe they were more complicated than we give them credit for."

Paige glared at him. "I don't want to have sympathy for world destroyers. I'm glad that you can look at this from the bigger picture. I am. Someone has to. But I can't do that. Billie is gone. I don't want to understand their motives. I want to destroy them all, but they're already dead."

Kyle sighed. "I understand your sentiment, Miss Paige, I do. To figure this all out though, we may need to try to think like them. What was so important to them that they needed such strong magical warding? What were they trying to protect? What were they trying to hide?"

Maude sat back down on the blanket. "If they saw themselves as the good guys, if they were not inherently evil, maybe they were trying to protect something."

Kyle slapped his thigh, and his eyes went wide. "The Erasers want to delete darkness, right? So get this. I'm a writer..."

Paige looked at him skeptically, wondering what the heck this had to do with anything.

"Well, I am." He continued, looking slightly offended. "All of my work is saved locally, and also to the cloud. So if I delete something, I also have to delete the backup file. What if, now hear me out, what if The Erasers don't actually erase everything? What if they keep some backup files?"

Paige considered this. "What, as trophies or something?"

"Yes," Kyle said. "As trophies, or maybe even as an example. A gauge to compare to, to regulate what level of darkness they are erasing."

So, Billie might be alive. There's a chance, albeit a very small one, but that small chance was something Paige could hang on too.

"So, do you think they 'save' everyone they erase? What would even be the point?" Paige asked, trying not to betray the hope in her voice.

Maude patted her arm. "I believe, if Kyle is correct, that they would only save a select few. A small representation of the worlds they have erased. Maybe it is for a scientific purpose."

Paige gasped. "Oh my, like a screwed up Eraser zoo."

Maude wiped her eyes, trying to be discreet. "Well, that is something to go on. I suppose a trip to the zoo is in order."

Maude stood up and began gathering their belongings. Kyle helped her fold the beach blanket, and placed the empty water bottles back in the bag. They began walking towards the little wooden ice cream shack, stars shining brilliantly above them.

"How do we find this 'Eraser Zoo', if that is what we are looking for." Paige followed behind them, her feet trailing in the sand.

"Well, we go to Ravenport, it's like a magical black market," Maude said, a matter of factly. Like everyone knew of the place.

Paige laughed, sarcastically. "Oh, yeah, Ravenport, of course. I knew there was a magical black market. That would have come in handy a few weeks ago."

Maude seemed to know exactly what Paige had meant. "Well, my dear, you need a portal key to get there, so the knowledge wouldn't have done you any good. Now come along. Perhaps we can find someone who has information about this zoo."

As she followed her companions through the door, Paige looked back, taking one last look at the beauty surrounding her. She looked up at the stars, making a silent wish to her Billie.

'I hope you can hear me somehow. I didn't leave you, I didn't know this zoo was a thing. I mean, I hoped you were still out there, but until I got your note, I thought I was deluding myself. But sweetheart, if you're out there if there is any way to save you, I will. I am on my way, Billie. I love you.'

Paige wiped the tears from her cheeks and closed the door behind her.