Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [104]
“Wataru, go to bed.”
His mother’s voice was flat and emotionless, just like it had been when she was speaking to Grandma. It was an order.
“I’m going to bed. Get some rest, and we’ll talk about things tomorrow. Okay?”
Wataru was left with nothing to do but go quietly to his room. That woman who came earlier—Rikako Tanaka—had seemed like an ugly witch to him when he first saw her. But now, his mom was the witch. A witch, dressed all in black, spitting curses as she stirred a bubbling cauldron of poisonous stew.
Wataru sat with his back against the side of his bed, holding his knees close to his chest. He was suddenly very sleepy. How could he sleep at a time like this? But already his vision was dimming. His body, and his heart, wanted to escape from this reality.
Yes, sleep. Sleep and leave all this behind.
As he drifted, he heard the sound of a phone ringing.
What time is it? Who could be calling?
The ringing stopped. Did Mom answer it? He could hear someone talking. Now someone was crying. Or maybe they were angry.
Sleep. He didn’t want to hear any of it. No more crying, no more shouting. All he wanted to do was sleep.
Wataru drifted off, sinking into a great dark abyss.
Time passed.
Someone was standing right next to him, shaking him by the shoulder. They weren’t shaking him hard, but they were very persistent.
“Wataru, wake up.”
Someone was talking to him. Whose voice is that? So familiar, yet so strange.
Wataru drifted up from the depths of sleep, the voice leading him to the surface. “Wataru, snap out of it. Quick.”
Wataru opened his eyes. He couldn’t focus. Everything was black. He looked up and saw a figure, darker than the dim background.
Mitsuru!
He was wearing a black cloak that looked like a wizard’s robe. Underneath, he had on a black shirt and a pair of black, loose-fitting trousers. On his feet were knee-length boots tightly wound with leather cord. A leather belt was wrapped around his waist, and from that belt hung a short knife sheathed in a scabbard.
In his right hand, he held a staff—a black staff, topped with a sparkling gem that shone with an eerie light.
“Mitsuru…”
Wataru’s mouth shot open, and he looked around.
Chapter 13
To Vision
Where am I?
Wataru was in his room. It was dark with the lights out, but there was no mistaking it—he was lying in bed in the same position he had been in when he fell asleep.
Wataru threw himself at Mitsuru and grabbed onto the edge of his cloak with both hands. “Mitsuru! Where did you come from? Where have you been? What are you doing here?”
Mitsuru gave a sad smile and, resting his staff beside the bed, he bent down on one knee. “I don’t have time to explain everything at length,” he said, peeling Wataru’s hands from his cloak. “So I’ll be brief. I came to save you. You might say I owe you one.”
“You owe me? You’ve come to save me? What are you talking about?”
“Take a deep breath,” Mitsuru said, looking up at the ceiling. The fine line of his nose seemed to shine even in the darkness. “Smell something?”
Wataru snorted. He started coughing. He’s right, it stinks in here.
“Your mom turned on the gas and let it run.”
Wataru was too terrified to be surprised. Fear shot from the tips of his fingers up to his head like an electric shock.
“She wants to die—with you. She must not know that municipal gas isn’t poisonous enough to be fatal.”
“I-I have to stop her.”
Mitsuru put his hand on Wataru’s shoulder, keeping him from standing up. “There’s time enough for that later. First, you must listen to me.”
Mitsuru lifted his hands to his own neck. He seemed to be wearing something like a pendant—two of them, in fact. He took one off and handed it to Wataru.
It was a tiny silver plate on a black leather strap—very light, and very pretty. “This is a Traveler’s Mark,” Mitsuru said, closing Wataru’s fingers around it. “This will let you travel freely in Vision. Go to the Watcher first and show him this, and he’ll prepare you for your journey. Like so.” Mitsuru spread his hands indicating his own