Free Nightmare’s Edge by Bryan Davis

closely by Francesca Red, who couldn’t seem to take her eyes off baby Nathan; and Daryl and Amber crowding the middle — Solomon squeezed in and pushed the floor button. “Although this observatory will seem familiar,” he continued, raising his voice to compete with the elevator’s humming motor, “the two Simons have worked with Gordon Yellow to make some important enhancements that will come into play very soon.”
    The elevator slowed to a halt, and the doors slid open, revealing a hallway. To their left, another door stood open, the tourist entrance to the telescope room. Directly in front of them on the opposite wall, two restrooms flanked a water fountain.
    Tony pointed at the men’s room. “Mind if I go? I only had one beer, but that ride was enough to scare the — ”
    “Tony!” Molly scolded. “Not in front of the baby!”
    “Oh, yeah. Right.” He smiled sheepishly. “I forgot.”
    Solomon nodded at the door. “It would be a good idea for everyone to go. We have no way to know when our next opportunity will be. But let’s hurry — interfinity won’t wait for us.”
    Walking into the restroom behind Solomon, Nathan kept his eyes averted. He went through the motions at the farthest urinal while trying his best to be nonchalant and quiet. For some reason, being too familiar with this young version of his father seemed inappropriate, like he was prying into his father’s past without permission.
    After washing up, he hurried back to the hallway. Daryl had already returned, rubbing her hands against her sweatshirt. “No towels. The others are using TP, but that just seems wrong. That’s reserved for . . . uh . . . other body parts.”
    When everyone had returned, Solomon led the way to the tourist entrance, marching well ahead. He peered through the doorway before waving for the others. “It looks like everything is ready.”
    Nathan glanced at Kelly and tried to transmit the mental question, Ready for what? With one eye narrowing as they neared the door, she seemed to have the same question.
    As Nathan entered, light from the corridor faded. The telescope room was illuminated only by a candelabrum that sat on the floor near the telescope at the center. Flickering candlelight made the chamber seem like an underground cavern or a vestibule in an ancient castle — dark, cool, and mysterious.
    He passed by a piano and hard-shell cases for cellos, at least three violins, and a viola. Apparently, they had been experimenting with various instruments.
    With the mirrored ceiling reflecting only the flickering flames of six candlewicks, and the mounted telescope barely visible in the dancing orange glow, the place seemed an odd mix of medieval and modern, as if a caravan of mystified travelers had just strolled into King Arthur’s court.
    Nathan looked again. Something strange in the mirror caught his attention. The candles stopped flickering. His fellow travelers slowed to a halt, and every sound, even the quiet buzz of nearby computers, fell to silence. A sense of heaviness entered his mind — grave and foreboding.
    Someone new appeared on the reflective ceiling; a tall, pale man with white hair, walking through the doorway they had just entered.
    Nathan shifted his gaze down and looked at the door. As expected, Patar came into view. He weaved around Tony and Molly, his scowl not quite as deep as usual. “You don’t seem surprised to see me, Son of Solomon.”
    “Not really. When everyone stops moving, I kind of guess you’re around somewhere.”
    With a hint of mirth in his expression, Patar drew within a few feet and stopped. “I come only when you need a gentle push in the right direction.”
    “A gentle push?” Nathan rolled his eyes. “I’d hate to see one of your forceful shoves.”
    Patar’s white eyebrows bent down. “If you continue ignoring my counsel, you might very well get the opportunity.”
    “But you said we had to go to the observatory to get to the misty world,” Nathan