CHAPTER EIGHT
A Taste of Hell
Jacob got to his feet and looked around, he saw Anastriana and Derek across from him, and Sarah at his feet. He reached down and offered his hand to her. She smiled and accepted and Jacob pulled her to her feet.
Jacob looked around; he was on a platform, surrounded by blackness. In the distant he could see what looked like asteroids floating in the distance. Every now and then he could see lightning leap from asteroid to asteroid. He could see other platforms floating around, once in a while; one would be caught between rocks and was struck by a passing bolt.
Jacob looked from Sarah's warm smile to Akroma. "Hey, I know you, you were in my dream."
"Welcome, Gatekeeper." She said, not even turning to him.
"I knew it." Jacob cried triumphantly. "So, Akroma, where are we?"
"We are in the realm between time." Akroma said. Derek walked over and piped in.
"Why are we here? We were supposed to be home." Derek butted in.
"This is no concern of yours." Akroma said sharply to Derek.
Derek turned and stormed off; he went back to where Anastriana sat. He sat next to her and leaned close. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure." Anastriana said. She turned to face him, her eyes darkened.
"About back there, I was..." Derek started.
"It was nothing, I don't want to discuss it." Anastriana said.
"What? It must have meant something." Derek said.
"I said I didn't want to talk about it!" she snapped.
"Fine." Derek turned and as he walked away, he heard Anastriana mumble something about credulity.
* * *
"Akroma, why exactly are we here and not home?" Jacob asked. He shuffled his feet as he looked at Sarah out of the corner of his eye, she looked worried.
"Something has disturbed the time flow. Mainly, your guest, Anastriana." Akroma said, she shifted the scepter in her hand to the other hand.
"How is that?"
"She originally isn't supposed to exist in your time, and by bringing her, it has disrupted it." She stopped as if listening, her pointed ears twitched, and that is when Jacob noticed it. Her ears were exactly like Anastriana's.
"Something else has disturbed it. I believe one of you left something behind."
Jacob instantly felt on his body, he found the broken sword, and nothing else. The journal was missing.
"Damn, the book, I must've dropped it." Jacob looked to Akroma, his eyes filled with dread.
"You must not worry. I'm sure nothing will become of this mistake." She sighed, a feeling of doubt washed over her. "If you wish to return to your own time, you must give me a day, I must gather power from Ashla, Goddess of Time. So, rest, let your wounds heal and your minds clear."
"Thank you." Jacob walked over to Sarah and Derek. He looked from them to Anastriana. "What's up with Anna?" He looked to Derek.
"I don't know. PMS?" Sarah socked Derek in the arm. "Ow. I didn't mean it."
"Well, Sarah, go tell her to rest. Derek and I will do the same." He glared at Derek in a don't-do-it-again way. He watched as Sarah went over to Anastriana and say something, then Sarah sat down and started talking to her.
Derek and Jacob plopped down on the platform and closed their eyes, the only thing intruding upon their rest was the sound of electricity striking every now and then, and Akroma's silent chanting.
* * *
All four stood to Akroma's golden back. Her golden mane swayed in the absent wind. She chanted a bit, then turned, Jacob still turned red when he looked at her. She held the scepter high above her head and yelled. "Ashla, Goddess of Time, as your Avatar, I beg of thee, allow me to revel in your power and send this fellowship to the time they wish!"
The scepter glowed red, then darkened into a lavender, then blue. A beam of light shot from nowhere onto the Jacob, Sarah, Anastriana and Derek. To them, their surroundings fuzzed then faded from view.
Jacob opened his eyes not to find his beautiful home in front of him, but a hellish nightmare.
"What the fu..." he stopped.
"No, no, no, this isn't right!" Sarah looked around in disbelief.
The city of New York was a barren wasteland. Buildings toppled, fires raged, and in the center, a large tower that reached into the clouds. Jacob looked around for a street name; he found a broken sign that read half of the right name. Yes, this was the right street, but where was his house.
He looked for the two story house, with a small yard, instead, he found a crater, in the middle burned a fire.
Without thinking, he dove into the crater and began calling for his mother.
"Jacob, what are you doing?" Sarah called to him, Anastriana was walking around looking."
"Mom!" he cried, he ignored Sarah's question.
Jacob spotted something shining in the rubble. He rushed over to it and began digging. He jerked away when he uncovered it.
A hand clutching something gold, he ignored the gold and followed the burnt arm to the body.
"Oh my god, Derek, you need to help him!" Sarah cried to him. Derek slid down into the crater and followed up behind Jacob.
"No, no, no, no, NO!" Jacob cried. He had found his mother, dead. Her charred remains lay in front of Jacob in a fetal position, her outstretched arm seemed to be reaching for something. A picture. Jacob picked it up and looked at it. It was of him.
"Why couldn't I have been here for you?" Jacob dropped to his knees and cradled his mom's head. "Why? Why?" Jacob's voice trailed off and was replaced by sobs.
"If this has happened to everyone, what was the cause?" Anastriana's voice startled Sarah who was wiping tears from her eyes.
"I don't know."
Jacob looked to what the charred hand held. He took the hand and pried the fingers open. A golden necklace fell out into his hand. Jacob gasped as he looked at it. Three golden triangles, formed to one, and on the back was engraved the name: Anastriana.
Jacob turned from his hand, to Anastriana; a look of foreboding crossed both faces.
Jacob got to his feet and looked around, he saw Anastriana and Derek across from him, and Sarah at his feet. He reached down and offered his hand to her. She smiled and accepted and Jacob pulled her to her feet.
Jacob looked around; he was on a platform, surrounded by blackness. In the distant he could see what looked like asteroids floating in the distance. Every now and then he could see lightning leap from asteroid to asteroid. He could see other platforms floating around, once in a while; one would be caught between rocks and was struck by a passing bolt.
Jacob looked from Sarah's warm smile to Akroma. "Hey, I know you, you were in my dream."
"Welcome, Gatekeeper." She said, not even turning to him.
"I knew it." Jacob cried triumphantly. "So, Akroma, where are we?"
"We are in the realm between time." Akroma said. Derek walked over and piped in.
"Why are we here? We were supposed to be home." Derek butted in.
"This is no concern of yours." Akroma said sharply to Derek.
Derek turned and stormed off; he went back to where Anastriana sat. He sat next to her and leaned close. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure." Anastriana said. She turned to face him, her eyes darkened.
"About back there, I was..." Derek started.
"It was nothing, I don't want to discuss it." Anastriana said.
"What? It must have meant something." Derek said.
"I said I didn't want to talk about it!" she snapped.
"Fine." Derek turned and as he walked away, he heard Anastriana mumble something about credulity.
* * *
"Akroma, why exactly are we here and not home?" Jacob asked. He shuffled his feet as he looked at Sarah out of the corner of his eye, she looked worried.
"Something has disturbed the time flow. Mainly, your guest, Anastriana." Akroma said, she shifted the scepter in her hand to the other hand.
"How is that?"
"She originally isn't supposed to exist in your time, and by bringing her, it has disrupted it." She stopped as if listening, her pointed ears twitched, and that is when Jacob noticed it. Her ears were exactly like Anastriana's.
"Something else has disturbed it. I believe one of you left something behind."
Jacob instantly felt on his body, he found the broken sword, and nothing else. The journal was missing.
"Damn, the book, I must've dropped it." Jacob looked to Akroma, his eyes filled with dread.
"You must not worry. I'm sure nothing will become of this mistake." She sighed, a feeling of doubt washed over her. "If you wish to return to your own time, you must give me a day, I must gather power from Ashla, Goddess of Time. So, rest, let your wounds heal and your minds clear."
"Thank you." Jacob walked over to Sarah and Derek. He looked from them to Anastriana. "What's up with Anna?" He looked to Derek.
"I don't know. PMS?" Sarah socked Derek in the arm. "Ow. I didn't mean it."
"Well, Sarah, go tell her to rest. Derek and I will do the same." He glared at Derek in a don't-do-it-again way. He watched as Sarah went over to Anastriana and say something, then Sarah sat down and started talking to her.
Derek and Jacob plopped down on the platform and closed their eyes, the only thing intruding upon their rest was the sound of electricity striking every now and then, and Akroma's silent chanting.
* * *
All four stood to Akroma's golden back. Her golden mane swayed in the absent wind. She chanted a bit, then turned, Jacob still turned red when he looked at her. She held the scepter high above her head and yelled. "Ashla, Goddess of Time, as your Avatar, I beg of thee, allow me to revel in your power and send this fellowship to the time they wish!"
The scepter glowed red, then darkened into a lavender, then blue. A beam of light shot from nowhere onto the Jacob, Sarah, Anastriana and Derek. To them, their surroundings fuzzed then faded from view.
Jacob opened his eyes not to find his beautiful home in front of him, but a hellish nightmare.
"What the fu..." he stopped.
"No, no, no, this isn't right!" Sarah looked around in disbelief.
The city of New York was a barren wasteland. Buildings toppled, fires raged, and in the center, a large tower that reached into the clouds. Jacob looked around for a street name; he found a broken sign that read half of the right name. Yes, this was the right street, but where was his house.
He looked for the two story house, with a small yard, instead, he found a crater, in the middle burned a fire.
Without thinking, he dove into the crater and began calling for his mother.
"Jacob, what are you doing?" Sarah called to him, Anastriana was walking around looking."
"Mom!" he cried, he ignored Sarah's question.
Jacob spotted something shining in the rubble. He rushed over to it and began digging. He jerked away when he uncovered it.
A hand clutching something gold, he ignored the gold and followed the burnt arm to the body.
"Oh my god, Derek, you need to help him!" Sarah cried to him. Derek slid down into the crater and followed up behind Jacob.
"No, no, no, no, NO!" Jacob cried. He had found his mother, dead. Her charred remains lay in front of Jacob in a fetal position, her outstretched arm seemed to be reaching for something. A picture. Jacob picked it up and looked at it. It was of him.
"Why couldn't I have been here for you?" Jacob dropped to his knees and cradled his mom's head. "Why? Why?" Jacob's voice trailed off and was replaced by sobs.
"If this has happened to everyone, what was the cause?" Anastriana's voice startled Sarah who was wiping tears from her eyes.
"I don't know."
Jacob looked to what the charred hand held. He took the hand and pried the fingers open. A golden necklace fell out into his hand. Jacob gasped as he looked at it. Three golden triangles, formed to one, and on the back was engraved the name: Anastriana.
Jacob turned from his hand, to Anastriana; a look of foreboding crossed both faces.