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I USED my TSTA watch to time the next twenty minutes. When our food was ready, we unwrapped the leaves. Sure enough, the bits of fish and seaweed were warm and cooked through. Better yet, the leaves had added extra flavor.
While we ate, my father detached another item from his tunic belt: a small bowl, which he dipped in the pool. He sprinkled in cooked bits of seaweed and fish, and then placed another light stick inside until the water boiled yellow-orange.
“This is for Ray,” he said, removing the light stick and tapping it dry. “The mental sickness he has right now is causing him physical pain. This broth will help to soothe his mind.”
I nodded and took the bowl from him, not quite understanding what he meant, but happy to help out Ray in any way I could.
Ray’s eyes opened slowly as I lifted the bowl to his lips. He sipped and sighed. To my surprise, he continued to drink the broth, alternating between sip and sigh until the bowl was empty. Then he drifted off to sleep.
I rinsed the empty bowl in the pool and handed it to my father. “That’s the most he’s eaten since he came through the Falls,” I said. “Thank you so much.”
My father gave me a slight smile. “If it’s all right with you, I would like to stop by every day and cook for him. It will take time, but he will mend.”
I nodded. “Of course it’s all right with me. We need your help.” Then, I blurted out, “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to meet you?”
He sighed. “I’m sure I am not what you expected.” He glanced over at Valcas. “But it’s good to see both of you alive and well.”
Valcas looked at me and smiled. This time his smile reached his eyes, and I was pretty sure it hadn’t gone unnoticed by my father.
“And now we shall have music,” my father said, clapping his hands together. He pulled out the instrument he’d brought with him.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A miniature baglamas, something I found at a gift shop while visiting Greece.”
I studied the baglamas while my father played. The bottom of the instrument reminded me of an avocado sliced in half, from top to bottom. Its long and slender neck held four strings. I was surprised at how such a simple instrument produced such rich, exotic music.
The feeling must have been contagious. Just when I thought the evening couldn’t get any better, Ivory and Valcas stood up to dance. I clapped along with the beat of the music, enjoying every minute of it. At some point, the thought crossed my mind that we might be disturbing Ray, but when I looked over at him I noticed that his lips were drawn into a peaceful smile.
Accompanied by the baglamas, my father began to sing a song about life and celebration, friendship and healing, and valor and strength. I’d never heard anything like it.
The light behind the Falls faded sooner that I would have liked. My father put away the baglamas, reattaching it to his belt. Then he gathered up all of the light sticks we’d used for cooking and placed them in a pile in the middle of the room. The soft glow of light spread through the room, offering comforting warmth.
Valcas sat down next to me and curled his arm around my waist. My father’s eyes flickered toward us, and then he quickly looked away. I wondered what was going through his mind while watching his longtime friend and daughter being all cozy. Had Mom been there I would have blushed, but since I didn’t know my father well, it didn’t feel strange or embarrassing in front of him.
I looked over at Valcas. I don’t know whether it was the effect of the yellow-orange light casting a glow on his face, but I could have sworn he was blushing. I narrowed my eyes, wondering whether my father was more like a father to him, something besides a best friend and healer.
My father cleared his throat. Addressing Ivory he said, “Sadly, there is no known way to exit the Fire Falls alive. The problem, of course, is the outer layer of fire.”
“Yeah, I was afraid of that,” replied Ivory. “Have you tried to escape?”
He frowned. “Out of desperation, when I thought solitude would drive me mad, I ran back through the Falls. I made it through each of the layers—the cleansing layer of water, the healing layer of balm, and then the purification layer of fire. But once I reached the other side, I was burned so badly that I was convinced there was no chance I would survive. So, I did the only thing I could do to stay alive—I ran back inside again.
“In all these years, no one else has passed through. I’ve been here all alone. I’ve searched every cave and tunnel. There simply is no way out.”
“But what about Mom?” I said. “She’ll never get to see you again.”
My father sighed. “Ah, Doreen.” A gleam of sadness darkened his eyes. “I have no hope of seeing her again, but at least the Uproar won’t attack her. Everyone it wants, everything it needs is right here.”
“Why is it after you?” I asked.
“I’d always assumed that it was nothing personal, that such beings of chaos hunted and destroyed anyone or anything that sought to restore order to the worlds or their inhabitants. My mission was to heal others, and I knew beings of chaos did not like that. However, I now suspect that a particular person put the Uproar up to it, someone with authority over it.”
“Who would do that?” I asked.
“I don’t know. At first, I thought it may have been your uncle, Al Winston. He and your grandfather were upset that your mother was with child because of me. Now that I see the young woman you have become, I can understand their anger and resentment.” My father lowered his head. “But from my travels, I’ve concluded that the person—or, rather, agency—that wants me dead is the TSTA.”
I gasped. “Why would the TSTA want you, or worse yet both of us, dead?”
“Because,” he said, “you and I are the last two living Remnant Transporters.”