The GoldenCity

He walked in a spiral around the stick and found a second stick about fifty yards away. Someone was leaving signposts to the passageway.

He was cautious now, moving quietly as he tried to stay hidden in the undergrowth. Following the stick markers, he headed up the slope to a line of red cliffs that looked out over the trees. The cliffs had cracked and eroded over time, and there was a pile of debris that looked as if an hourglass had shattered and all the sand had dribbled out onto the ground.

A trail cut through this pile of talus and then zigzagged up the cliff to the mouth of a cave. Something was hiding in the darkness. He could sense the creature’s consciousness-feel its cruelty and intelligence. Run away, he told himself. But then the creature in the cave felt his presence and stepped outside.

Gabriel looked up the slope at his brother.

21

Michael ducked back into the cave. When he reappeared, he had a talisman sword slung over his shoulder. Both brothers were aware of the distance between them. Even if Michael charged down the pathway, Gabriel would have enough time to get away.

“Well, this is a surprise,” Michael said. “I start looking for one Traveler and find the other.”

“Is Dad here?”

“No. But someone was living in this cave for awhile. They built a fire near the entrance. Maybe they wanted to keep the animals away.”

Michael took a few steps forward and Gabriel retreated. “You think I want to kill you?”

“Seems like a good possibility.”

“So why aren’t you carrying your sword? Did you forget to bring a weapon?”

“I’m not taking that kind of journey.”

Michael laughed. “You really haven’t changed. You always were a dreamer. When we were in Los Angeles, you spent all your time in a daze-reading books and cruising around on that motorcycle.”

“We can’t change who we are, Michael. But we can make choices about how we’re going to live our lives.”

“You’re wrong about that. I’ve changed completely…” Once again, Michael took a few steps down the slope. “When we were kids, all I wanted was to fit in and be like everyone else at school. Remember when I took that job at Sloane’s hardware store?”

“You wanted to buy blue jeans.”

“No, I wanted the right kind of jeans and the right kind of shoes-all the stuff that everybody else was wearing.”

“It didn’t make a difference.”

“Correct. I bought the clothes, but other kids still thought we were strange. It took me a long time, but I finally learned my lesson: I’m not like everyone else. I’ve been to the Fifth Realm and talked to the half gods. Now I understand that the only reality in all six realms is power. And you demonstrate your power whenever you control another person’s life.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“It’s not a belief, Gabe. The half gods have discarded all this idealistic bullshit. They see what’s true.”

“You shouldn’t trust them.”

“Oh, I don’t.” Michael laughed. “The half gods are jealous of me, jealous of all Travelers. They’re trapped in their particular reality and they want a way out. So I’m using them to get what I want. They’ve already sent us the design for a new computer chip that will help create the Panopticon.”

“You can build all the computers you want. People aren’t going to follow you.”

“Of course they will. I just have to give humanity a little push in the right direction. Maybe your new friends don’t want to live on the grid, but everyone else wants that feeling of security. As long as you leave up the window dressing-the superficial trappings of freedom-people are more than happy to give up the real thing.”

“Some of us know what’s going on.”

“So what? You can’t stop the transformation.” Michael took another step forward. “The group with the most power always wins. That seems pretty damn clear to me.”

“The kind of victories you’re talking about fade away in a few years. The walls crumble and people pull the statues down. Our world is pushed forward by compassion, hope and creativity. Everything else turns to dust.”

“Say whatever you want, Gabe. You’re still going to lose.”

Gabriel looked up at Michael, feeling the dark energy within his brother. They were connected, but apart-like two particles in a single atom that would explode if they came in contact with each other. Turning away, he headed down the hill. It was only when he reached the trees that he looked over his shoulder and made sure that Michael wasn’t following him.

Alone, he passed through the tall grass and returned to the shore.

22

As the hired car left the Bangkok Hilton, Nathan Boone told his driver to turn up the air conditioner and direct the vent toward the back seat. The hotel concierge had given him a bottle of chilled water, but Boone only took a few sips. He didn’t want to use the bathroom at the prison and would avoid touching anything while he was there.