Nazar paled.
He looked at Elizabeth curiously, trying to determine if she was lying.
He turned his attention back to Zoey. With a flash of recognition, he let her go and stepped away from her, as if she frightened him.
Zoey gasped for breath, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Had she heard her mother correctly? Did she say that this man, Nazar, this murderer, was her father?
Nazar looked at her like he was staring at a ghost.
Mrs. Dupont laughed nervously. “She’s lying, Nazar. Don’t believe her. She’s desperate. She’ll say anything to keep her brat alive. Kill the girl. I said kill her!”
But Nazar just stood there, looking at Zoey as though he had just laid eyes on her for the very first time.
“Look at her,” said Elizabeth. “You know I’m telling you the truth—”
“I said kill her!” roared Mrs. Dupont. “Kill her, you idiot! Can’t you tell the truth from lies? Don’t be blind, you foolish man. Kill her, or I’ll do it.”
Nazar didn’t move.
“You fool!” Mrs. Dupont’s face twisted in fury. She raised her sword and lunged at Zoey.
“NO!” cried Elizabeth.
Nazar stepped between Zoey and Mrs. Dupont. He raised his arms and gripped Mrs. Dupont by the throat.
“Na-Nazar!” coughed Mrs. Dupont, her face an ugly purple. “What—are—you—I—can’t—breathe—”
Nazar raised her in the air so that her feet didn’t touch the ground.
Mrs. Dupont dropped her sword and hit Nazar with her fists. “Let—me go! What’s—wrong—with you! Nazar!”
Zoey watched as Nazar squeezed his mistress’s throat. He looked like he had gone mad.
“Take your mother and run,” said Nazar. His voice was gentle, like she had never heard it before. “Go quickly, and use the bombs. Go!”
Zoey pushed the questions and suspicions and misgivings out of her thoughts. She wanted to ask him to come with them, but somehow she knew he couldn’t come. She knew that she had to go.
Zoey gripped the bag tightly and ran to her mother. “Can you walk?”
“Yes,” said Elizabeth on shaking legs, but she moved swiftly and followed Zoey down the stairs. Once she reached the bottom, Zoey looked back. Mrs. Dupont dangled in Nazar’s grip like a puppet. She no longer spoke. She was flushed, and her eyes bulged out of her deformed face.
A cry came from the shadows. Zoey stopped and discovered Sonya hiding behind a chair. Her face was streaked with dirt and tears.
“Mom, wait!”
Zoey jumped over a row of seats, “It’s Sonya isn’t it?”
The girl blinked at Zoey. “Yes.”
“We’re getting out of here. Come on!”
“We are?” said Sonya in a dream-like state.
“Yes.” Zoey steered the young woman by the elbow, and together they ran across the grounds towards Tristan and Simon.
“How nice of you to join us,” said Simon at the sight of Sonya. “Simon Brown at your service.”
When he saw her collar and shackles, he pulled out Doctor One’s remote. “I knew it was a good idea to keep this.” He pressed the release button and Sonya’s restraints fell to the ground.
Tristan saw the bag in Zoey’s hands, but he also saw the pain and horror on her face. He moved quickly towards her. “Zoey, what happened?”
“I’ll explain later—no time,” she answered.
“Simon,” she urged, “how much time do we have?”
Simon pulled out his cell phone, “Man, you’re not going to like this. We’ve got thirty-three minutes left.”
Zoey’s heart sank. She looked towards the platform. The Keepers stood around the platform proudly, but there was no sign of the Alphas, or of Nazar and Mrs. Dupont.
“Keep Sonya hidden between you, I’ll be right back.”
Zoey ran back towards the platform. She stood below it and raised her voice. “Lord Gigor,” she said, “You said you would escort us back to the portal, right?”
Gigor looked surprised at Zoey’s sudden appearance, and a little annoyed that she had interrupted his conversation. The giant lord looked down and nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”
“What’s your fastest ride?” She knew she was pushing it, but she had to try—for all their sakes, even though he had no idea she was also saving his life.
Gigor looked at the bag. She cursed herself for not giving it to Tristan.
“My mother needs medical help,” she blurted out. “I need to get her to our doctors right away—she’s dying.” She lied easily, “I don’t want to lose her again.”
Gigor said something to the nearest Keeper, and the creature made its way swiftly off the platform. A few seconds later, a great black coach driven by two plum-colored stags hurtled in the arena, circled around them once, and then drew to a stop. The driver climbed down and opened the door. He stood back and waited.
They all climbed in, and Zoey shut the door.
It smelled of mildew and cigar smoke, but she sat back in the red leather seats and held the bag of bombs securely.
Zoey jerked back as the carriage took off. The city vanished quickly as their ride soared over the red deserts. When Zoey was about to complain that they weren’t moving fast enough, the stag-creatures tripled their speed as though they had been waiting to let loose and show off how fast they really could go.
Black, jagged mountains and red hills flew past in a blur.
“Simon—time?” asked Zoey as she tried not to show the real panic she felt.
“Less than ten minutes left,” said Simon.
“Ten minutes left for what?” asked Elizabeth who had been silent the entire carriage trip.
Zoey opened her bag and inspected the UECs. “Ten minutes left before the end of the world—”
“Worlds,” corrected Tristan.
“What are you guys talking about?” inquired Sonya.
Zoey looked at her mother. “We’ve got nine minutes to reach the portal, detonate one of the UECs, and then cross over and detonate the other—”
“All the while trying not to get attacked or killed by the Alphas,” added Simon.
Her mother smiled. “Sounds like fun.”
The carriage was silent for a moment.
“Eight minutes,” said Simon. His face flushed. “I feel a panic attack coming on. Oh my God, I’m having a panic attack.”
Tristan rolled his eyes. “Stop it, Simon. You’re not having a panic attack. We’re all a little nervous.”
The carriage rocked.
Zoey peered outside the little window, but she couldn’t see anything except a blizzard of red sand. She couldn’t see more than a few feet. The worlds were breathing their last.
“Seven minutes,” Simon’s voice was high pitched this time. “We’re not going to make it.”
“Shut up, Simon,” said Tristan. “We’re going to make it.”
Suddenly, everyone was thrown forward. The carriage slowed to a stop, and the door swung open.
Zoey climbed out and was immediately hit by the rough winds and the hot toxic air. She squinted into the wind blown sand and could see the giant oval-shaped portal right in front of them. Its interior churned like hot magma.
“Four minutes!” she heard Simon yell over the roar of the winds.
Everyone’s eyes were on her. It was time, but she had to wait for the carriage to leave. If the Keeper saw what she was up to, he would stop them. Unfortunately, he was waiting for them to cross . . . .
Tristan whispered. “I don’t think he’s leaving.”
“I know,” she answered.
“If you take it out now, he’ll see it,” said Tristan. He moved forward and sheltered her with his body.
“I know.”
Zoey withdrew the first UEC with sweaty, trembling fingers.
“I’ll open it, and then toss it in the portal as I step through.”
“Two, freaking, minutes!” cried Simon.
“Be careful,” said Tristan.
Zoey couldn’t stop shaking. Her head started to spin. The quality of the air was so poor that she feared she might pass out if they didn’t move soon. She flattened the UEC against her chest and waited.
Tristan raised his voice. “Let’s go!”
He beckoned to the others, “Everyone, through the portal, and be careful once you get to the other side, we don’t know what to expect. The Alphas might still be there.”
“Fantastic,” said Simon. “The fun just never ends.”
He and Sonya escorted Elizabeth through the portal, but Tristan stayed back.
“You go with them. I’ll do it,” he said.
Zoey shook her head “No, I’m doing this. I need you to protect my mother for me.”
She knew she had to do it.
“Go! Hurry,” She pushed him, but her hands slipped, and she nearly dropped the UEC. Tristan shook his head to signify that the Keeper hadn’t seen. He looked once more at Zoey and then stepped through the red portal.
Zoey had less than sixty seconds to detonate both UECs. Praying that the Keeper couldn’t see what she was doing, she moved towards the portal.
She unscrewed the lid, flicked the fuse, and stepped into the red portal.
Just as the familiar feeling of being pulled forward overtook her, she rolled the bomb out of the portal behind her.
. . . forty-five seconds . . .
And then she started to doubt herself.
Did she do it properly? Would it even work or had it been damaged somehow? Had the skin demon deactivated it?
She couldn’t see or sense Tristan or anyone, and she hoped that they all had made it safely across to the other side.
Her red surroundings dissolved into blue, and her skin felt cold. As her feet touched solid ground, Zoey pulled the second UEC out of the bag
. . . Ten seconds . . .
“YOU THERE, STOP! WHAT’RE YOU DOING!”
Blurry shapes came towards her. She could barely make out their red uniforms.
“STOP HER!”
She twisted the fuse, tossed the bomb into the portal, and then ran in the opposite direction.
. . . Five seconds . . .
Three Alphas jumped inside the portal after the UEC.
. . . Four seconds . . .
Would they reach it in time? Could they disarm it if they did?
. . . Three seconds . . .
Zoey staggered away from the portal as fast as she could, but her legs were stiff, like she had never used them before. She feared she wouldn’t make it far enough and that the bomb would kill her.
. . . Two seconds . . .
As she ran, she searched frantically for her mother, for Tristan, for anyone she recognized—but she couldn’t find them. Were they dead?
. . . One second . . .
She heard someone calling her name. There was a blast of white light, and then she lost consciousness.