Planting her free fist on her hip, Kari readied herself to give them a telling off they would not soon forget. She hated it when they accused her of giving them this so-called look! What the hell was that supposed to mean anyway!
“Kari,” someone called from down the street, interrupting her rant before she
could even begin. Running toward them, a vaguely familiar man with short black hair waved to her. She thought she would have remembered meeting anyone as handsome as him, with jade eyes and a strong, stubble darkened jaw.
“Wait,” Kari said to her brothers as they looked at the man running toward them.
“We haven’t been here before, have we? Maybe to somewhere outside of this city?”
“That’s impossible,” they replied in unison, each scratching identically behind one of their illusion-hidden, wolflike ears. “We can’t go to the same world twice.”
“Then how does he know us,” Kari asked.
“Kari,” the man called again, grinning broadly, showing an array of stunningly white teeth. “Jonathan! Michael!”
“He seems familiar,” Michael said.
“Somewhat,” Jonathan agreed.
When he finally reached them, the familiar stranger bent over with hands on
knees, sucking in deep breaths for a second before straightening and throwing his arms around Kari in an embrace.
At a complete loss for what to do, Kari was stunned.
Michael cleared his throat loudly.
“Excuse us, good sir,” Jonathan said. “But that’s our baby sister you’re
molesting.”
“It would be very unfortunate if we had to beat you to a bloody pulp,” Michael added, “seeing as how we’ve just met and all.”
Eyeing them in confusion, the man let Kari go. “Don’t you recognize me? It’s me.”
“Uh, who were you again,” the twins replied.
Sniffing at the man, they looked at each other and shrugging.
A spark of realization flared in Kari’s mind. She remembered the last time she’d seen eyes like his.
“It couldn’t be. Keir?”
Grinning broadly, Keir nodded. “That’s right. I guess I’m a lot bigger than I was the last time we met, but you three look exactly like I remember!”
“But,” Michael said, unable to complete his thought.
“How,” Jonathan finished for him.
“How long has it been for you since we met in the ruins of Alkazier,” Keir asked.
“Three weeks maybe,” Kari shrugged.
“Amazing! Your father told me time flows differently on different worlds, but I never expected this. It’s been twenty-four years for me.”
Shocked, Kari mouthed the number. How could twenty-four years have passed
for him while only a few weeks had gone by for them?
“Oh, wow,” Keir reached into a pocket. “I thought I was going to miss you. I completely lost track of time.”
Removing a folded piece of paper with a wax seal on it, he handed it to Kari.
“Your father asked me to deliver this to you at this exact time, on this exact day, in this exact place.”
Beaming at her, Keir’s face was so different from the emaciated, grief stricken child they’d sent to their father. Eyeing the purple wax seal, embossed with a raven in flight, Kari broke it and unfolded the letter before reading it aloud.
“I know about the Apostle of Cain. Why do you think I sent you three? I
consider the matter dealt with. Good luck. With love, your father. P.S. Kari, take three steps backward.”
“Take three steps backward,” the twins asked, blinking in unison.
Staring at the last line in confusion, Kari realized he actually meant for her to move. Quickly stepping back three times, she narrowly missed being slammed into by a man riding a two-wheeled contraption. Instead of paying attention to where he was going, he was looking at a small rectangular device in his hand.
“Come,” Keir gestured for them to follow. “We need to get you three off the
street. It’s not safe.”
“What,” Michael asked, “why?”
“I’ll explain when we’re out of sight,” Keir said.
Before they could go more than a few steps a booming voice filled the air, and everyone walking along the sidewalks stopped. “Attention conforming citizens, we bring an important announcement. Attention. Attention.”
“Quick,” Keir gestured to a set of stairs leading underground. “Over here. Before it starts!”
Following him onto the stairs, Kari and the twins shared confused looks as he
stood, blocking them from the view of the sidewalk, pointing up at one of the huge towering buildings. Projected on the mirrored glass of every building over ten stories, was the dark figure of the Apostle of Cain.
“Is that who I think it is,” Jonathan asked.
“Yes,” Keir said in a low growl.
“My people,” the Apostle began in a mechanically distorted voice. “Hear the
words of Cain, the one and true god.”
People all along the streets began to kneel facing one of the projected images of the Apostle. The vehicles in the streets all came to a stop and the passengers in them exited and knelt as well.
“Your god approves of your progress,” the Apostle said. “But there are still
unbelievers who do not conform.”
There was a collective gasp of horror from the entire city.
“Those that do not conform must be removed from society until they have learned to fit into their proper place,” the Apostle said. “This is the most important precept Cain gives unto this world. You must uphold it at all costs.”
Peeking past Keir, Kari saw worried expressions on the faces of most people in sight.
“Everyone wears the same clothes, and cuts their hair the same way,” Keir
explained in a low voice. “It’s the law here.”
“That’s so terribly boring,” Jonathan said.
“Not to mention dull,” Michael agreed.
“The conformist movement has been around for decades,” Keir explained, “but it really took off when the Apostle showed up. No one knows how, but she became the head of our government overnight, and enforced the conformist beliefs onto the people.
Belief in Cain is shown through conformity. Anyone that doesn’t conform is an unbeliever and gets thrown out of the city, separated from their families and livelihoods.”
“How long has the Apostle been here,” Kari asked.
“Around five years.”
“That’s impossible,” Michael said. “We chased him away from another world not two months back!”
“Time flows different here,” Keir said, “remember?”
The image of the Apostle was replaced with an overhead still picture of Kari,
Jonathan and Michael. Their faces were blurred, but their clothing and weapons were all too clear.
“These three nonconformists have been spotted in G block. Bring them to justice immediately! They are armed and should be considered dangerous. Approach with caution. They should be cornered and kept from escaping while word is sent to the authorities. Your God demands these three abominations be brought to justice. May Cain watch over and protect you. Amen.”
“Amen,” the entire city echoed.
“Not good,” Keir said. “My shop is three blocks over. The light may be dimmer in the tunnelway, but the people still have eyes. We’ll have to try. Follow me.”
Herding them down the stairs, Keir pushed them into a wide, dimly lit tunnel full of pedestrian traffic. Gesturing toward the wall, he walked as though trying to shield all three of them from view with his body.
“Move quickly, but do not run,” Keir said. “You’ll trip the motion sensors.”