The Elders (Mind Dimensions #4)(26)

“Surely that’s a lot to take in,” Frederick says. “I sincerely hope you understand why we have to be so watchful when it comes to our safety.”

“No,” I say. “Not really.”

“Because we have millennia of life experiences to lose,” he explains. “Does that answer satisfy you?”

“I guess.” I frown at him.

“Good,” he says. “We best go. Leave your weapons here.”

Kate takes out her sword and drops it. George pulls out a knife and a gun and places them next to her sword. I don’t have anything, so I just look at them and shrug.

Satisfied, Frederick says, “Follow me,” and walks toward the trees in the distance.

For about five minutes, we walk through the woods in complete silence, but when I spot white marble statues standing between the trees, I have to ask, “What are those?”

“Ah, that,” Frederick says. “That’s something my brother, Louis, made a long time ago.”

They are so well made and so detailed that they remind me of people frozen in the Quiet. They look as though they might come to life. Maybe that’s the effect they’re supposed to have.

“Wait, that’s you,” I say, pointing to a statue on my right.

“That’s actually my brother. I am over there.” Frederick points to a statue off to the side.

“Are you two twins?” I ask, unable to tell the statues apart.

“Indeed,” Frederick says. “The only identical twins among the Elders.”

“And these are the rest of the Elders?” I ask, looking the statues over. They’re all interesting-looking people, varying in age. What really stands out is the fact that only a few of them could be considered elderly. Frederick’s youthful exterior is not the exception, but the rule.

“Indeed they are,” Frederick says. “My brother wanted to immortalize us in marble. I think he was subtly trying to taunt me.”

“Are these real?” I ask. “I mean, do they only exist here in the Mind Dimension? Did he create them—”

“No,” Frederick says. “Louis had one of the Ambassadors convince a dozen sculptors to relocate here, to the Island. He then worked on these statues for decades in the Mind Dimension, which of course was less than a second for the sculptors and the rest of the world. When Louis was happy with his Mind Dimension creations, he Guided each sculptor to recreate one of them. When our Mind Dimension session was over, the sculptors got to work in the real world. I’m part of the minority who think the originals in the Mind Dimension were much better.”

I let my imagination run wild as we walk farther.

After about ten minutes, the tree line abruptly ends. We’re at the top of a hill. I look down to take in the sight.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” Frederick says. He probably noticed my eyes widen at the view.

I nod. ‘Breathtaking’ doesn’t do it justice.

To our right is a beach that stretches for miles, but that’s not what caught my attention. The white sand and the clear blue water—all these things are amazing in a ‘perfect vacation postcard’ sort of way, especially frozen as they are in the Mind Dimension. But I’ve seen the surf and the white clouds frozen like this during my visit to the Cayman Islands.

The large village to the right is also not it, though under different circumstances, the strange and colorful homes would be fascinating. Again, you can witness something like this in some European countryside, as I have.

It’s not even the variety of plant life—the palm trees by the beach, the giant pine trees that make up the forest east of the village, or the tropical flora to the west. Though I’ve never seen this combo in one place before, I have seen these things in isolation.

No, what Frederick’s talking about is the castle. Except it’s not really a castle.

‘Castle’ is just the first word to come to mind.

This thing looks as though someone asked a fancy modern architect to build a medieval castle. Think about those cool buildings all over New York, like the place I plan to move into on 8 Spruce Street. Now imagine a Disney castle built in that style. The towers are done using some warped geometry. Some of the walls are glass, while others are made of some sort of futuristic-looking bricks. Other parts are made of different-sized metal plates that fit together like an eccentric jigsaw puzzle. The more I stare at it, the more mesmerized I become.

Realizing Frederick is waiting for me to comment, I say, “I’m rarely at a loss for words.”

“This place is sacred. That’s all there is to it,” Kate says, her often-teasing tone reverent.

“It’s meant to impress,” George says, “and that it does.”

“Make sure you all tell Gustav how impressed you are,” Frederick says, that sneaky smile touching his eyes again. “It will give him pleasure.”

“An Elder built this?” I ask.

“Yes. In the same sense as the pharaohs built the pyramids.” Without further explanation, he hurries down the dirt path that leads to the castle.

“Does this thing have a name?” I ask, fighting my awe.

“Outside the Island, we call it the Elders’ Keep,” George says. “But here, it’s just the Castle.”

Kate follows Frederick, and George gestures for me to follow her.