“Help you with what?” I could barely ask the question.
“Once that key is no longer around your neck, you will help us in seeking out portals and closing them, and preventing evilfrom finding its way into Abarria. So, my friends, you now work for me. And no, there is no choice. Abarria is in very real danger, and this world is now your world. We have to pull together.
I let out a long breath. Once again, the game had shifted. At least, I thought, we were on the right side. With that, I turned back to Otsiano and Master Ashelainn as the unicorn began to speak.
CHAPTER 38: STARTLING NEWS
“Otsiano is right.You’re no longer in your own dimension. You’re not in a virtual game. The creators of Abarria first discovered this world with their minds, and they thought they had created it. Actually, their technology allowed Abarria to connect from its own dimension to yours. The portal they created was artificial, but there’s no guarantee—if they fix their machines—that the portal will reappear,” the Glass Unicorn said.
“So we’re stuck in another world, not just a place in cyberspace,” I said. My knees weak, I sat down on a nearby log, trying to sort through everything.
The game was no longer a game. The devs had created a very real world, somewhere in the mix of a million other worlds. And when the game makers thought they were creating a construct for players to enter, they had actually opened a portal with their technology, and they didn’t even realize it. When we signed up for a vacation inside the game, we weren’t merely trapped inside a holographic type of existence. We’d actually gone through that portal into a different dimension.
And when Abarria’s enemies had attacked the software, they destroyed the portal that Abarria Game Guides had unwittingly created, in addition to other software.
Thornhold and the others gathered around me.
“Does this mean we can’t get home?” Reggie asked.
“I’m afraid so,” I said. “Not unless they can create another portal, or we can find one into our world. I can’t believe they didn’t realize what the hell they were doing.”
“What if they fix the game?” Brynn asked.
“If they fix the game software, they only fix the online version,” I said. “Not this part, because the portal got destroyed. Until they actually realize they created a portal, we’re SOL.”
“I just thought of something,” Brynn said. “What if the devs realized they created a portal and did this to themselves? Maybe it scared the hell out of them, and they had to shut it down before the portal got away from them.”
Thornhold let out a sigh. “On the surface, that sounds like self-sabotage, but…”
“Brynn might not be so far off,” Otsiano said. He turned to the Glass Unicorn. “This wouldn’t be the first time someone destroyed a portal they created to prevent further havoc.”
“Not at all,” the unicorn said. “In fact, such acts are far more common than you might realize. And they blame others for their actions to avoid backlash.” The beast paused, then added, “Once you have divested yourself of the key, you will return here, and we will discuss the next part of your journey.”
But I had barely heard him. Everything suddenly hit me—we were here for good. Unless a miracle happened, we were stuck here in Abarria, which wasn’t a construct after all, but a very real world. And everything I assumed was a Sym, wasn’t. Perhaps they’d been that way to begin with, but as the world had taken on more substance, the Syms became all too real. Which wouldhave been yet another reason for the game devs to shut things down.
“Why didn’t they close the game instead? Why didn’t they shut it down without anybody stuck here?” Reggie mirrored my own question.
“I can tell you,” Thornhold said. “Shareholders. Do you realize how much Abarria Game Guides is worth? Millions. And the stock is shared publicly, so if they shut down, their shareholders would be up in arms. But who is going to question a cyberattack that destroys their platform?”
“Money always talks,” Ray said. “And everyone who was visiting the world are sacrificial lambs. This is their slow time of year, so they probably figured it would create the least chaos to break the game at this point.”
Reggie was staring at the ground. “Is there any way to find a portal home? Can we get out of here without their help?” He looked up, gazing at the Glass Unicorn, a pleading note in his voice. He must have truly believed that the game would be fixed and everything would be fine and dandy.
The Glass Unicorn’s eyes warmed, and in a soft voice, he said, “I’m sorry, my friend. There might be. I won’t say there isn’t. But to find a portal leading to your own world—and to your own time, for portals can transcend time—well, the likelihood is almost nonexistent. I’m not saying you shouldn’t hold hope, and that you shouldn’t try to look for one, but I can’t give you the hope you seek.”
Reggie burst into tears. Brynn let out a stricken cry—I remembered that she had a boyfriend at home—and Ray…Ray kicked the ground, but said nothing.
I looked at Thornhold, who reached out to take my hand. He squeezed it gently, and I held on, grateful that I was with friends. I couldn’t imagine what this would be like without having friends with me.
“Why do you want us to work with you?” I asked.
Otsiano said, “When we—the Circle of Guardians—found out that a portal to this world had been opened, we’ve been watching things carefully. We kept track of every visitor who arrived and who left. And when things went down, we were watching you. The others in this world are…shall we say…less than optimal. And I regret to say that a couple of visitors have died.”
That sent a cold sweat down my spine. “Died? How?”
“They didn’t realize what had happened and took on monsters far too dangerous, thinking they’d be safe thanks to some of the built-in safety features. That, of course, no longer exists,” Otsiano said. He paused, then added, “I know this is a lot to take in, but I thought you’d want the truth. Now you can settle in and make a life here. And by working with us, you’ll be protected—at least more than you would without us.”
I cleared my throat. “What about Liesel? Does she know about you?”
