Hexad: The Ward by Al K. Line Read Free Book Online

makes sense indeed!"
    "Think it's because we still have that?" asked Dale, pointing at the Hexad.
    "Damn, of course. If there is a Hexad then there is a chance of time travel, and now it won't all be over with. How do we get rid of it? How do we go home? Tellan didn't say anything about this."
    "Well, I know how we get home. May I?" Dale held out a hand for the Hexad; Amanda give it to him gladly. Dale spent a few minutes looking it over, then adjusted the dials, checked his watch and made a few more adjustments, then said, "Ready?"
    Amanda nodded and held out her hand, feeling somehow terribly exposed now she wasn't the one controlling jumps. "Just make sure you don't land us in the middle of the floor or anything," she warned.
    Dale looked panicky: he hadn't even thought of such things. "Damn, what did you say that for? Now I'm freaked out."
    "Just focus on where you want us to be," said Amanda, hopefully calming his nerves.
    "Okay." Dale clutched Amanda tightly, then held out the Hexad. He stared at the dome, the 4 flashed. He pushed it against his chest. "Whooooooooooooooooooosh."
    "Dale, what are—"
    They jumped.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chillaxin
    Present Day
     
    "Geddof me. Ugh." Dale pushed at Amanda, trying to move her off his head.
    Amanda managed to get a little poke up his nostril with her index finger before she clambered off and brushed herself down. "I told you to think properly about where we jumped to," she said, unable to stop herself from laughing.
    "Hey, it was only a few centimeters above the ground," Dale protested. "You freaked me out talking about landing in the floor. I think my way is much more exciting anyway. Did you poke your finger up my nose?" Dale put a hand to his face, rubbing his nose like it tickled.
    "Moi?"
    "Hmm. Well, um, what now? Is that it? Did we do it? Did we save the world?"
    Amanda wasn't sure. Had they done what they needed to, so that what the other them had carried on to do would have been a total success? Was everything right in the world? "I don't know. I feel okay though, what about you?" Actually, now that Amanda thought about it, she felt pretty amazing. Her head didn't hurt where she'd bumped it on the wardrobe and knocked herself out cold, and she felt sort of energized. Maybe the jumping put you back together even better than you were before?
    Dale stared at her funny. "Your cut's nearly gone." It almost sounded like an accusation.
    Amanda put her hand to where she'd got quite the nasty gash and the skin had swollen badly; it didn't hurt at all. "Weird. Anyway, I'm going to feed the birds."
    "What!? Um, okay. You want a cuppa?"
    "Sure, that would be great." Amanda walked over to the apple tree, trying to avoid staring at the grass where she had wanted to dig earlier. She felt calm, like what they'd just done hadn't happened, except, of course, it had. Hadn't it?
    She whistled tunelessly as she tried to vibe the squirrel she could see poking its head out from the conifer hedge. It stared right back at her as if telling her to hurry as he wanted a snack.
    With the feeders collected, she walked across the lawn to the shed that was nestled back into an awkward corner of their garden, and after opening the door, cursing again because she hadn't oiled the bolt as Dale would never get around to it, until finally she slid it free. She scooped the mixed seed into the feeders.
    A little mouse darted out and snatched up a few fallen grains before making a run for it back into a corner, the private domain of spiders and nasty creepy-crawlies.
    Now I'm feeding the mice too!
    Amanda manhandled the bolt closed and almost knocked over the freshly filled feeders balanced on the step, but caught them just in time. She smiled as the resident robin took the opportunity to get in first and landed on the step, pecking seed before flying off in a flurry of red.
    That robin is more cheeky than Dale.
    After the feeders were hung, Amanda walked down the slight slope of the rear garden and