Read Online The Beholder by Ivan Amberlake - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ivan Amberlake
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thousands of tunnels, lined by thousands of doors. From the side it looks like this.” She waved her index finger as if it were an invisible paintbrush, and it emitted a fine silver line which resembled the fluid webs of a spider. She indicated a round object at the bottom of her sketch. “Here is the Hall of Refuge.”
Jason frowned, trying to follow everything she was saying, and Emily smiled. “This is where we entered,” she told him, prodding at a dot at the top, far away from the Hall. “The entrance to the tunnel moves to a new place every three days. We had to start doing that after the evil side found out about its previous location and attacked us.”
“The entrance moves?”
“Yes. If you know where it will pop up, you just enter there and end up here,” Emily replied, matter-of-fact. With a simple wave of her hand she stirred the picture, and it dissolved into a misty haze. “Now it’s protected in the most secure way, both from evil and common people.”
“Common people? Like me?”
Emily’s eyes widened. “Oh no! You aren’t common, Jason. You are so not common.”
“What makes you say that?”
Emily pressed two warm fingers over his lips and shook her head lightly. “I know you need answers, but not now. A bit later. I promise.”
Jason thought they’d already been moving quickly, but the motion suddenly changed and the platform accelerated. Soon the source of the shimmering light he’d seen before—massive searchlights—came into view, revealing a huge tunnel with two rows of doors to the left and to the right. The searchlights reminded him of silver blue fireflies twinkling in the fog. The air here was thicker, making it even more difficult to breathe.
“Who built this?” Jason wondered aloud.
“No one knows exactly,” Emily replied. “Whoever they were, they passed the information of its whereabouts to us, and made sure the structure remained inaccessible to unwanted guests. Legends tell of hundreds of gifted people coming to this place and building room after room. When they died, it is said they left their souls inside so each room could serve a particular goal. Several hundred rooms here possess a particular aura, each one a spectacular creation filled with mysteries.
“After fourteen years of being Sighted I’ve been to fewer than thirty of the rooms. If you are ready to sacrifice part of your soul to them, they will reciprocate and share the knowledge of those who created them.”
The platform came to a gentle halt, stopping at a rupture in the tunnel. Through the hole Jason could see the other side, shining like colored glass. It was only one step from where they were onto the other platform, but the distance between them was blocked by what appeared to be a thin black curtain. Jason hesitated and glanced doubtfully at Emily.
“Let’s get to the other side,” she whispered, and the blackness before them rippled like water in the wind. Emily took Jason’s arm, and he felt immediately comforted, soothed by a warm wave that ran through his body. She took a step forward, hauling him through the curtain and out of the searchlights’ misty haze.
Something seemed to have gone wrong with his eyesight. Once they passed through the curtain, all the colors became so vivid and bright it was almost painful to look. He glanced at his hands, then stared hard. They hardly looked like his own hands. In fact, they looked perfect. Flawless. Like the carved hands of a god.
He glanced at Emily, wanting to ask what was going on, but the words stuck in his throat. He had thought she was gorgeous in his dream, but now … She was more than beautiful. She was a nymph radiating ripples of heavenly light. More than ever, he wanted to touch her, give in to the attraction that had been consuming him.
“We need to hold on to the platform now.” Her voice streamed like a sweet melody, enchanting, and Jason knew he would do whatever she said. When she crouched and gripped the edge of
Jason frowned, trying to follow everything she was saying, and Emily smiled. “This is where we entered,” she told him, prodding at a dot at the top, far away from the Hall. “The entrance to the tunnel moves to a new place every three days. We had to start doing that after the evil side found out about its previous location and attacked us.”
“The entrance moves?”
“Yes. If you know where it will pop up, you just enter there and end up here,” Emily replied, matter-of-fact. With a simple wave of her hand she stirred the picture, and it dissolved into a misty haze. “Now it’s protected in the most secure way, both from evil and common people.”
“Common people? Like me?”
Emily’s eyes widened. “Oh no! You aren’t common, Jason. You are so not common.”
“What makes you say that?”
Emily pressed two warm fingers over his lips and shook her head lightly. “I know you need answers, but not now. A bit later. I promise.”
Jason thought they’d already been moving quickly, but the motion suddenly changed and the platform accelerated. Soon the source of the shimmering light he’d seen before—massive searchlights—came into view, revealing a huge tunnel with two rows of doors to the left and to the right. The searchlights reminded him of silver blue fireflies twinkling in the fog. The air here was thicker, making it even more difficult to breathe.
“Who built this?” Jason wondered aloud.
“No one knows exactly,” Emily replied. “Whoever they were, they passed the information of its whereabouts to us, and made sure the structure remained inaccessible to unwanted guests. Legends tell of hundreds of gifted people coming to this place and building room after room. When they died, it is said they left their souls inside so each room could serve a particular goal. Several hundred rooms here possess a particular aura, each one a spectacular creation filled with mysteries.
“After fourteen years of being Sighted I’ve been to fewer than thirty of the rooms. If you are ready to sacrifice part of your soul to them, they will reciprocate and share the knowledge of those who created them.”
The platform came to a gentle halt, stopping at a rupture in the tunnel. Through the hole Jason could see the other side, shining like colored glass. It was only one step from where they were onto the other platform, but the distance between them was blocked by what appeared to be a thin black curtain. Jason hesitated and glanced doubtfully at Emily.
“Let’s get to the other side,” she whispered, and the blackness before them rippled like water in the wind. Emily took Jason’s arm, and he felt immediately comforted, soothed by a warm wave that ran through his body. She took a step forward, hauling him through the curtain and out of the searchlights’ misty haze.
Something seemed to have gone wrong with his eyesight. Once they passed through the curtain, all the colors became so vivid and bright it was almost painful to look. He glanced at his hands, then stared hard. They hardly looked like his own hands. In fact, they looked perfect. Flawless. Like the carved hands of a god.
He glanced at Emily, wanting to ask what was going on, but the words stuck in his throat. He had thought she was gorgeous in his dream, but now … She was more than beautiful. She was a nymph radiating ripples of heavenly light. More than ever, he wanted to touch her, give in to the attraction that had been consuming him.
“We need to hold on to the platform now.” Her voice streamed like a sweet melody, enchanting, and Jason knew he would do whatever she said. When she crouched and gripped the edge of
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