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"It was all there," Daniel said as he slapped the pages down on the breakfast table. Neither Ian nor Beth picked the papers up, but they looked at him with a mixture of understanding and sympathy. "If I'd have gone into his room when I got here, I would have seen it then." He shook his head and wrapped a hand around his coffee cup, feeling the warmth as it seeped through the porcelain and into his palm. "He explains how the key works, how I should try and imagine where I want to end up, and how the key can't take you from one place to another inside Ether, only here and there and back again."
Beth nodded. Ian just sniffed and gave a slight shrug.
"So, did he say why he hadn't passed all this on when you were a kid?" he asked.
"Yeah, he did," Daniel replied, staring at the papers. "I'd come to live with him the winter my parents died, and he was going to tell me all about Ether, and take me there, but the first thing I told him was how I'd been accepted into medical school, and that the Air Force was footing the bill. He said he'd been so proud of me that moment, he changed his mind. He figured Ether would have an affect on my plans. Frank seemed to believe it was far more important for me to become a doctor, help people and serve my country." He shook his head slowly, remembering that day as if it happened an hour ago. "I can't say he's not right. If he'd sat me down then, when I was eighteen, and told me all those stories had been true, then took me through a door to show me everything, I probably would have changed my course in life. Hell, who wouldn't?"
He looked from Beth to Ian and back again, but neither had a thing to offer.
"I don’t know. Was he right in thinking I could do more with my life being a doctor instead of, well, instead of something else? Who can say."
"Have you saved lives?" Ian asked, eyebrow raised.
Daniel huffed slightly. "Sure, yeah. But if I hadn't been there to save those people, another doctor would have."
"Or not," Ian countered. "So your uncle was right. You were vital here. You saved lives. How could wandering around another world been more important than that?"
Daniel sat forward. "Because it's the unknown," he said. "Not just exploring the unknown, but the fact that -- because I didn't make that choice, because it wasn't available for me to consider -- what I may or may not have accomplished is unknown." He turned the coffee cup around a few times. "I did good things here, but what if I could have done great things there? For every life I might have saved in Otherworld, how many lives might I have saved in Ether? What places might I have discovered?"
Ian snorted. "You can't discover the black fog."
"The black fog?" Beth blinked. "You've seen the black fog? I've only heard stories."
"The princess has never been as far as the tunnels," Ian explained.
"Maybe the fog, maybe not," Daniel shrugged. "Maybe something else entirely."
"And maybe not," Ian replied. "You're right, it's the unknown. But the unknown, by definition, is something you cannot know, so what good does it do anyone to sit and bemoan it? You could be doing good right now simply by getting Beth and I back to Ether so we can stop her brother."
Beth looked as if she were about to correct Ian's description, then hesitated and settled for shaking her head. "Your uncle must have been very proud of you."
"He was," Daniel agreed. He picked up the papers again and glanced at a passage on the third sheet, midway down, then read it aloud. "When you step through the door, if you've done what I said, you'll find yourself in a lovely village, though it's much larger and more like a city. Ask around for a couple by the name of Bert and Martha Johansen. They run a bakery, finest in the village, though they could be retired by now. Tell them who you are, and they'll be more than happy to show you around. If you can't find them, look for a cobbler named Marcus Trudeau. A very honorable man who carved that wooden toy you always loved."
Ian shook his head. "I don't know the cobbler."
"I met him once," Beth said. "When he was invited to the castle to fashion some new shoes for my mother. I remember him as a quiet, talented man."
"Okay, we knew your uncle had met Bert and Martha," Ian continued. "And clearly he was intimately familiar with Ether. But it must settle your mind to realize he really did intend for you to have the key. Although, I think we can all agree, it probably would have helped out if you'd found this letter before finding the key."
Beth tsked and shook her head. "No, it wouldn't."
Both men turned to look at her.
"Don't you see? Not knowing it, the key really did take you to where you needed to be," she explained. "It took you to meet Murphy, who then introduced you to, and apparently hired, Ian, to transport you to the castle. It was there Ian was able to find out what my murd-- my brother, was doing. And that's the only reason we were able to rescue Ian, and now we can go back, enlist Murphy's help, and stop him before he can turn Ether into his own little dictatorial playground."
"We don't know that we really need Murphy's help," Ian countered. "Until we can figure out what, exactly, we're going to do about Stefan. We can't just walk into the throne room and announce you're back."
"Why not?" Daniel asked. "I mean, seriously. If she explained to the royal court what happened, that Stefan had pushed her through to Otherworld, and she wasn't, in fact, secluded in that monastery in the mountains."
"The Luddite Cloister?" Beth declared in surprised. "That's what Stefan told everyone? That I'd gone and joined the Luddite Cloister?"
"Well he had to tell them something," Ian explained. "But if we do walk in there and just make that announcement, we have to be sure there are enough royal court members not imprisoned, who will believe it. First off, not many of them believe in Otherworld. They're not going to take my word for it, and there aren't many around who they would believe. And we'll have a hard time claiming Stefan had a key, since you can bet that's well hidden now."
Daniel waved his uncle's letter. "There's one other person my uncle mentioned by name," he said. "A man who is from Otherworld. Born and raised here, like me, who holds some large amount of sway and power in Ether. Apparently it was this man who gave King Frederick the key to Otherworld." He slapped the papers down on the table and looked at Ian. "A man by the name of Murphy."
Daniel felt more than a little duped, and a great deal more than a tad embarrassed by the fact that he hadn't caught on to Murphy's little secret, but he couldn't quite figure out why Ian seemed so angry.
The man was pacing the kitchen, fists clenching and unclenching as he did. "All this time!" Ian exclaimed as he made another pass by the breakfast table. "All these years, and he just keeps it secret."
"You wouldn't have believed him any more than I believed my uncle," Daniel offered.
"And why would King Frederick keep Murphy so close if he knew the man wasn't even from Ether? Why give him such an important position as Personal Advisor to the King?"
"That's probably why," Beth said with a shrug. "Murphy knew things my father never could have. He was advising dad on all matters monetary, and it was under his influence the village was able to both prosper and experience lower taxes."
"So who is he, really?" Ian asked as he continued his pacing.
Daniel shrugged. "My uncle didn't say, and probably didn't know."
"Okay, so why don't we just go ask him?" Beth stood. "We need to get back, so let's just step through that door into Murphy's office and ask him."
"No," Ian shook his head and his pacing came to a stop. "I need my ship."
"What for?" Beth looked at Daniel. "We can go to Murphy, then bring him back here if need be, then go from here to the castle."
Daniel looked at Ian, who shook his head.
"We might need my ship. If we need to bring men, or weapons, or whatever. Besides, it's been docked at the forest long enough. If it stays there too much longer, someone's bound to help themselves."
"Fine, then we go back to the ship." Daniel stood and cleared the table, though he wasn't sure he knew why. "By doing that, we can avoid the trip back there on foot."
"Good," Ian replied. "We can fly to the city, find Murphy, then fly back to the forest. That should give us enough time to figure out what to do, and still be ahead of Stefan's guards."
Beth put a hand on Daniel's arm. "You don't really have to come, you know. It's not your fight."
He put the last plate in the sink and gave it a quick rinse in order to gather what few coherent thoughts he could muster. "I feel responsible, a little. Especially now that I know Murphy's from here, and it was his key Stefan used to push you through." He turned to look at her and was suddenly struck by how softly her hair framed her face. She had perfect skin, and smelled faintly of peaches.
Beth smiled that smile that women use to say they're keenly aware of the effect their looks are having on you, but they appreciate it just the same. "Well, you having that key could come in handy. I mean, we might need a quick way out or something."
"So, are we ready?" Ian asked impatiently.
Daniel swallowed, gave Beth a quick smile, then nodded. "Yes, we're ready." He pulled the key from the pocket of his jeans and led the way back to the cellar door.
"You know, it might help if we used another door," Beth suggested. "That way, when you're ready to come back, you don't wind up falling down those stairs again. You know, if you're in too much of a hurry to keep in mind which room to picture in your head, you might just home in on the last one you walked through."
"Good idea." Daniel moved to the small washroom off the kitchen and pulled the door closed, then inserted the key and looked at Ian and Beth. "Ready?" When they both nodded, he carefully imagined the Myst and the main hatchway leading out to the upper deck.
He turned the key and stepped through, remembering to pull it back out of the lock as he passed over the threshold.
It was mid afternoon, and the sun was warm on Daniel's face as he stepped through the hatch onto the deck of the Myst. The ship was still tied at the ramp leading in to the forest, but it was no longer alone.
"Hired transports," Ian said as he looked at the ship docked beside his on the opposite side of the walkway. "They were sent word, no doubt, to dock here and wait for the guardsmen being sent to the city."
"So we're still ahead of them, then?"
"Apparently." Ian turned to Beth. "Stay here, so no one can get a good look at you. It may be ten years gone, but you're still Princess Marabeth." He walked to the railing, then hopped over that and onto the dock, approaching the neighboring ship casually. "Ahoy!"
Daniel followed, up to the railing of the Myst, so he could hear what was being exchanged, while Beth remained in the shadows by the hatchway.
A moment later, a man stepped out of the cabin of the ship and gave Ian an exaggerated nod as he stepped closer.
"Ahoy. The Myst, she's yours?"
"That's right," Ian replied.
"Nice little floater, that. I remember when she was piloted by old Ezra Jones. Good man, he was."
"A fine man," Ian agreed. "But a lousy card player."
The captain laughed heartily and jumped over his ship's rail, offering a hand which Ian accepted in a massive shake.
"Edward's my name. Edward Smith. You here to transport, too?"
"Nah," Ian shook his head. "We were just leavin', actually. Just did some trading with the good folks in the forest and need to get a shipment of worm meat back to the processors in the city, before it spoils"
"Ah," Edward nodded knowingly. "Well, good trip to you, then."
"And you."
They shook hands again, and Ian returned to the Myst.
“Okay, we’re ahead of the guard so far,” Ian explained as he led Beth and Daniel down to the hold. “If we fly under full power, we can get back to the city a couple of days ahead of them.”
“Can we do that? Travel full speed the whole way?” Daniel asked.
Ian pulled the lid off both crystal storage barrels and nodded. “I’ve got plenty of fuel, and if we take shifts at the helm, we can fly through the night, maybe even make up another two days.”
“Then what? How do I get my throne back and give my murderous scum of a brother what’s coming to him?”
“That’s something we still have to work out,” Ian replied.
Daniel started handing him the crystals as he loaded his ship’s boiler, filling every available slot with fully charged fire and ice.
“What about Murphy?”
Ian glanced up. “Otherworld aside, he was the king’s advisor for a long time. No one knows the royal court like Murphy.” He shrugged. “I’m thinking he’s our best chance to find a way to convince them Stefan has no right to be king.”
“The same royal court he’s been arresting?”
“That’s a point to consider, Ian,” Beth replied. “How can the royal court help me win the throne if half its members are in the dungeon?”
“We free them?” Daniel asked.
Ian was finished filling the boiler, so he closed the door. “That’s one option.”
“Let’s get this party started, shall we?” Beth started back up the stairs.
“Hang on!” Ian and Daniel followed after her, Ian reaching her arm first. “You, stay below until we push off. We can risk anyone recognizing you, or the party’s over before it’s even started.”
Beth huffed dramatically and crossed her arms. “Then shove off, will you? I’ve never seen this part of Ether and I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend the whole trip hiding out.”
Daniel laughed shortly and glanced at Ian, then followed passed Beth out to the deck while she stayed dutifully below.
“Let me ask you,” he said as he and Ian untied the Myst from her moorings. “Was she always like that?”
“You mean stubborn and spoiled?”
“I was going to say headstrong and independent,” Daniel replied with a snort. “But I suppose there’s a very thin line.”
“Yes,” Ian replied. He pulled in the last line and walked to the helm. “She’s been like that since she was a child. Always getting her way, constantly testing the boundaries of her personal guard.” He grabbed the throttle and eased the Myst away from the dock, increasing the speed of the fans as soon as they were clear. “She went through so many guards who just couldn’t keep up with her antics.”
“Some of them even refused the assignment.” Beth came out of the hold, smiling defiantly. She looked at Daniel. “When I was eight, I asked my father to assign Ian to my personal guard, and he told me Ian refused.”
“Your father took pity on me,” Ian quipped. “Promoted me to his force instead.” He turned to Daniel. “Do you think ten years in Otherworld might have done her some good?”
“Who knows? After this, your people might make it mandatory before any royalty takes the throne.”
Beth laughed and put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “You should visit it some time, Ian. And I mean not just the inside of a house. You might like it.”
“Hang on,” Ian shoved the throttle forward as far as it could go, and the Myst lurched slightly before settling in to full speed. “We’ll be at the fog in under an hour,” he explained. “I want to hit it full speed and get over as fast as possible.” He nodded at Daniel. “Take the helm, I’ll show Beth her cabin and explain what’s going to happen.”
Daniel nodded and stepped up behind the massive wheel. He wasn’t looking forward to crossing the fog again, but at the same time he was. It occurred to him once they’d reached the castle, he was supposed to have gone home, presumably wake up from this bizarre dream and never see any of it again.
Only it wasn’t a dream after all. And Beth showing up at his door was something he never could have predicted.
Neither was her perfect nose, slender figure and long, beautiful hair that smelled so distinctly of peaches whenever she drew close.
Daniel shook his head and swallowed, focusing on the compass and the faint black line taking shape on the horizon. It wouldn’t do to fall in love with the Princess of all Ether, especially one ten years his junior. Although ten years meant less at their age than it would have, say, ten years ago.
But he’d only known her a day, or two really. He was just reacting to a beautiful woman needing his help, nothing more.
Daniel cleared his throat. That’s all it was. Hell, he didn’t even know the girl. Not yet, anyway. Of course, he’d talked himself into coming back here to help her easily enough. Had she convinced him? He couldn’t really recall how it started. He needed to help Ian out, and didn’t want to give up that key. There was a part of him surprised to have woken up that morning still in possession of the key, if he was honest with himself. She could have snuck in while he was sleeping and taken it, let her and Ian back without a fuss, and even left the key.
But she hadn’t.
Daniel blinked, confused by his own internal dialog, then realized the solid black line on the horizon was incredibly close. He was about to shout down toward the hatch when Ian and Beth came up. She’d changed clothes, out of her light sweater and into a thicker, warmer sweatshirt that was a bit too big in the sleeves. Also on her hip was a holster and crossbow pistol.
“All right, just remember, when I cut the steam, no one makes a sound.” Ian commanded as he took the helm.
Daniel stepped aside and Beth moved to him, her face a shade paler than normal.
“Is this for real?” she whispered. “They’ll shoot us down?”
Daniel shrugged. “That’s what the man says.”
“I’ve heard of this, but I always thought it was a story. You know, one of those things your parents tell you to make you behave.”
“This could be trouble.” Ian pointed starboard.
Daniel turned and saw another ship coming toward them, already over the fog with just a few more miles to go before reaching the safety of their side. It was larger than the Myst, crossing over at a very slow speed but drifting closer to them.
Before anyone could speak, Ian shut off the steam and held his finger to his lips.
They were over the fog.
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