Three months passed since Kazar had started training me. Classes were over, and Keel and I had gotten jobs at a nearby computer store, opting to stay in residence over the summer. It was about the start of June when things started to get really odd...
* * * * *
Laura and Matt sat across from each other on the train ride downtown. They watched out the window in silence as the train seemed to sail across the turbulent river. The downtown core loomed in the distance, rapidly growing bigger.
"I always love the view of the city," Laura sighed. She slowly combed her dirty blonde hair with her fingers. "I'm so glad you decided to come shopping with me Matt! We haven't had quality fun time in a while!"
Matt looked at his friend and smiled. "Thanks for inviting me Laura, and you're right, we haven't been out for a while. You sure you don't mind that Jay is meeting us there?"
Laura shook her head. "I like him," she said happily. "Don't worry, I approve," Laura sang, hugging Matt.
The train slid into the downtown area, the pair hearing the constant "ding ding ding" of the warning lights that stopped traffic for the train. It was busy in the core, even for being noon on a Saturday. People crammed the sidewalks, and the train itself got really crowded after the first stop in the area.
They watched as thirty story buildings passed by them. A small park was nestled between a pair of buildings, an elaborate set-up of waterfalls and tiny ponds shaping the landscape. Matt filed the park in the back of his mind. ~Jay and I should visit there someday.~
"Third street west station!" announced the feminine pre-recorded voice. Matt and Laura pushed their way off the train, and stretched on the platform.
Matt looked around, until he saw Jay moving towards them from the other side of the platform. "Hey!" Matt said excitedly, waving to his boyfriend.
Jay smiled, his ice-blue eyes sparkling in the midday sun. "Hey there, good looking!" Jay walked up to the pair, and then past Matt and hugged Laura. Matt put on a face of indignation, while Jay winked at Laura. "Oh, hi to you too!" Jay said to Matt, winking to him as well. Laura just laughed at the younger men.
"You're such a tease, Jay!" Laura stated. Jay just gave a bow. "So, I want to go visit Le Chateau first!" She said in her sing-song voice.
Matt scrunched his face. "Le gay-tow? Ew!"
Jay giggled. "I like that place, c'mon!"
Matt threw his hands in the air. "Fine!" He smiled at Jay and Laura, and began leading the way.
The group chatted amicably throughout the day, having fun, trying on clothes, and just hanging out. They were walking through a crowded park near center street, the sun still high in the sky, when Matt suddenly choked on his slurpee.
"What the? Risanth?" Matt had glanced through the crowd to see a very tall man, wearing a white suit, with equally white long hair. He was elderly, but held himself tall and confidant. "How the hell?" Matt suddenly ran off, leaving Jay and Laura behind.
Jay stood for a moment, and turned to Laura, who was equally shocked. "Who's Risanth?" the younger man asked.
"It's a long story, and you'll get to hear of it soon, I'm sure, but we have to keep up with Matt!" Laura urged, suddenly realizing the possible danger to Matt if he slipped into a narcoleptic attack by himself. She ran off, trying to pick out her friend's form in the crowd. It was easier to follow the path of angry pedestrians.
Jay followed Laura, wondering about her comment. ~I've never heard of anything about this Risanth. I wonder why Matt never told me?~
Meanwhile, Matt wasn't having too much trouble keeping an eye on the white-clad man, as he was just over six and a half feet tall. Matt just couldn't get much closer because of the crowd. Eventually, the man had stopped at the edge of a street, waiting for the stop light to change. Matt nearly caught up, yelling Risanth's name. The man turned to look at Matt, as did many other people nearby. Then shrugged and crossed the street.
~That was definitely Risanth! But he's not stopping, or answering to his name...~ The light changed again, and Matt was trapped on the wrong side of the street. He watched as the white-clad man disappeared into an office building. ~I'll never find him now!~
"Matthew!" Laura's voice prompted Matt to turn around. "You know you can't go running off like that! What the hell were you thinking? What if..." Laura yelled at Matt, then breathed deeply, noticing Jay staring at her, wide-eyed.
Matt looked to the ground. "I'm sorry Laura, I know, just in case. But still, that was him! It looked exactly like him!"
"Really? Do you think it's possible for him to be here?" Laura asked, wondering.
"Wait a second!" Jay stepped between the pair. "What's going on here? I'm missing something."
Matt and Laura exchanged a glance. Matt moved to Jay and hugged him close. A few people around them gawked at the pair, but most just ignored them. "Let's go get a coffee, and I'll explain everything," Matt whispered in Jay's ear.
* * * * *
Keel pored over his pages of notes. He wasn't taking any summer courses, but this was too fascinating to not to study. He pushed his shaggy brown hair out of his face, and took a deep breath. Over the past few months, Keel had asked Matt to get details on the world of Ameranth. Anything that Risanth or Kazar would volunteer, or from Matt's own experiences.
"Hmmm," he thought out loud. "What to look over today? Magic; no. Monsters; naw, did that yesterday." His fingers deftly flipped through the pages. He preferred using his computer to type things out, but for some reason, he felt it to be more fitting to write these notes out by hand. "Races; maybe later. Geography; need to draw a map, or get Matt to look at one and draw it for me one day."
Keel flipped through and then his face brightened. "The pantheon!" The concept of a world where gods really did exist drew Keel in. Years ago, when Keel's parents took him to church, he was a devoted Catholic, until one day something happened to shatter his faith. ~No! I won't think about that right now,~ Keel shook his head free from the memory, and opened the section.
"Ameranth has eleven active gods, and one banished god, each master of their own domain." Keel read out loud.
~I wonder why the one god was banished, and how?~
"Nearly every god lives on their own 'plane' of existence, and each plane represents their sphere of influence. Meldon, the god of Good and Life, lives on the Plane of Eden. His arch-nemeses, Zaquent, god of Evil and Death, lives on the Plane of Rednunede. There's the four gods of the Greek elements: Leviathan, Valin, Solo, and Bronze, gods of Water and Oceans; Wind and Travel; Earth and Agriculture; and Fire and Destruction respectively. They each have their own plane of their element. Ehiwaz is the god of Animals and Courage, while Dagaz, his consort, is the goddess of Nature and the Sun. They live on the plane of Life."
~Hmmm, a different plane for Life and Eden...What's the difference?~ Keel thought, puzzled. He shrugged to himself and continued reading.
"Bathor is the god of the Moon and the Night, and lives on the Plane of Death, but only because it is perpetually night there."
Keel read that sentence a second time. ~Rednunede and Death, Eden and Life. Why does it seem like there are two planes for each of those concepts?~
"Wyrdonus is the third most powerful god, next to Meldon and Zaquent. God and Creator of Dragons, he lives in Eden, and allies himself with Meldon if the balance of the planes is threatened. Onargo, the weakest god, rules over m'veri and their kin, and lives on the plane of Life."
Here the word goblins had been crossed out and replaced by m'veri.
"Finally, the twelfth and banished god, Metallus, is imprisoned in his own plane, also named Metallus, a plane of nothing but metal and machinery."
~Imprisoned in a plane of metal and machinery. Maybe the gods think technology is an evil force?~
The section ended with that. Keel was far from satisfied. ~Not enough information.~ He let out a breath of air in frustration. ~If there was a god in our world, then my father would still be here...~
Keel once again shook the memory from his head, and started flipping through the 'Races' section.
* * * * *
"So that's how it is. That's why I couldn't tell you about my narcolepsy in the first place," Matt said quietly, not looking at his boyfriend. Laura just nodded. She had stayed out of the conversation mostly, only inputting what she and Keel had thought when appropriate.
Jay sat in silence, just staring at Matt. He studied older boy's face, his small nose, pursed lips, steel-blue eyes. He took Matt's hand across the table. "Don't worry, you'll do fine," the younger boy stated.
"Wha?"
"I'm sure you can help them in Ameranth. If anybody can, it's you."
"You believe me? You're not angry?" Matt stared back at Jay.
Jay shrugged, his hands on top of his head, intertwined in his blonde hair. "I don't think I would have three months ago, and even now, if Laura weren't here confirming the story, I might have thought you had just lost it, but it does explain a couple of things, like your scars."
Matt looked at the palm of his right hand, the scars still an angry red across it.
"We probably should get going guys," Laura suggested. It was nearly eight in the evening. "You guys may not be taking summer courses, but I am, and I need to get some homework done."
Matt nodded. "We've been here for a long time, I bet the coffee guy's getting kinda mad at us." He glanced over at the counter, and saw the young man glaring at the group.
"Matt," Jay started.
"What?"
Jay hesitated, then just shrugged. "Never mind."
"No, what?" Matt pushed.
"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to stay at my place tonight? My parents have been wanting to meet you and all, and even though it's late, we could have dinner there, too." The whole proposition flooded out, and Jay was looking at his feet when he was done.
Matt looked over to Laura, who just smiled. He stood up and walked over, behind Jay's chair, and put his arms around Jay, over his shoulders. "I'd love to," Matt said quietly.
"Really?" Jay smiled and looked up, seeing Matt's face upside-down.
"Yeah, I just need to call Keel." Matt stood up and got his cell phone out, and glanced over at the guy behind the counter, who was now glaring in jealousy instead of malice. Matt just chuckled to himself as he speed-dialed his room.
"Keel?" Matt said when the phone was picked up.
"Hey dude, I was beginning to worry about you," Keel's deep voice came across the line. "What's up? Where are you guys?"
"At a coffee shop downtown, with Jay and Laura. I'm gonna stay the night at Jay's." Matt winked at Jay, who blushed.
Keel hesitated. "What happens if...?"
"He knows, Keel."
"You told him?"
"Yeah, he understands."
"All right, have fun, dude."
"Thanks." Matt pressed the red button on his cell, ending the call.
"So?" Laura said.
Matt gave her a thumb's up. "It's all good!"
Laura smiled as Jay jumped up and hugged his boyfriend. "Well, you guys have fun, but not too much fun! I have to take a different train, but keep in touch, we have to go shopping again sometime!"
"Always, Laura!"
* * * * *
Risanth stood in the center of the great marble hall that housed the Council. The council members were whispering amongst themselves as Lucent considered the most recent piece of news.
"A tall, glass building, in the middle of Westmarch?" Lucent's voice boomed out, hushing the council members.
Risanth nodded. "None of the people in Westmarch knows how it appeared. It was ethereal, and disappeared shortly after it appeared. It wasn't as graceful looking as something created by the Moon Elves, but just as impressive."
The council began murmuring once again, and a white-clad mage spoke up. He was quite young, about twenty five, the youngest anyone had ever been on the council. "Where do you think this building came from? Does it have anything to do with the encroachment?"
Lucent shrugged. "Risanth? Any ideas?"
The elderly mage looked at his friend, "It is from Earth, where Matthew is from. And yes, I believe this has everything to do with the encroachment."
"No proof!" wailed a black-clad mage. She had been on the council longer than anyone in the room. Rumour had it she was hundreds of years old, unheard of for even the most powerful human mage. "You have no proof that this has anything to do with your prophecy, or Earth, or anything! It could have been a simple illusion to scare the people of Westmarch!"
"True," Risanth started.
Kazar's hissing voice interrupted Risanth before he could go any further. "Why not ask the child? He is from Earth, no? He can tell us if he recognizes the building."
Lucent and Risanth both looked quizzically at the normally obstinate mage.
"Agreed, Risanth, you shall ask young Matthew about the building, and anything he may know about this. Until then, I want everyone to be on the lookout for any more such incidents."