by Don P. Bick
Chapter 4
The next morning dawned bright and cool. Camran awakened refreshed and wondered if the nights here were as long as the days. He didn't think so; otherwise, he would have awakened hours ago. The tragedy of the night before was still fresh in his mind as he arose from bed. All those innocent people killed, for what?
At least there were no nightmares during the night. In fact, just before awakening he had been dreaming about a beautiful multicolored bridge filled with people. Everyone was excited about crossing it but he had no idea why or where it led. He felt the dreams he had been having since his arrival were very important, but they didn’t make any sense to him.
He quickly bathed and dressed. It was almost time to go see the Ruler of the Waters. He hoped to finally get answers to a lot of his questions. His mind went back over the events of the previous day and evening. It all seemed so unbelievable. Could there be a rational explanation to all that had happened since he walked out of the apartment to get the newspaper? Could it be possible he was fast asleep in his bed at home and none of this was really happening? Camran couldn't think of a single possibility for what had been taking place, other than it had all been real and not a dream. This strange world was his home now and he would have to make the best of it. This other world and new life was now his real life. What he had seen of this world so far was extremely beautiful, but he was now apprehensive about all the unknown things he would, without a doubt, have to face in the coming days and weeks. The previous evening had planted a fear deep inside him that hadn’t existed prior to seeing the men fight and kill each other with their swords.
Opening the door to leave he was startled to see the warrior and little man still standing there guarding the door. The warrior gave him a quick nod. The little man smiled. They both looked tired, yet somehow seemed devoted to being at his side no matter what. Camran had an odd feeling they should be with him, but again he couldn’t explain why. He felt comforted by the fact they were there. Camran asked them to come in and wash up if they wanted. They did.
"Where are you from?" Camran asked Twil, as he and Bran washed and got a drink of water.
"From the planet you know as Mercury," replied Twil.
Twil had a very pale complexion and short curly light brown hair. His ears seemed too large for his head, while his nose didn't seem large enough. His eyes were light blue and appeared to constantly have a twinkle in them. He couldn't have been over four feet six inches high, which didn't even reach Camran's shoulders. He was a good natured person and had no trouble carrying on a conversation. Bran, on the other hand, seemed to be a man of few words.
As they left the bungalow the air felt crisp and clean, the smell of fresh cut flowers permeated the area surrounding them. The flowers and trees looked even larger this morning than they had the night before, if that were possible. Still, they were every bit as beautiful. There were colors he had never seen before and some of the flowers were so large a dozen men could stand and be dwarfed in their center. There were also small flowers, the size he was used to seeing at home. Flowers of every shape and size were growing all over the settlement. The beauty and colorful surroundings belied the tragedy of the night before.
Bran and Twil escorted Camran to Captain Nepturos, who was waiting for them in the marketplace. Together the four began walking up the hillside toward the Ruler's house.
The climb was fairly steep in places and at times the view of the village and bay below opened up between the trees. The sight was breathtaking. Imagine what it would be like from the top of the big mountain, if the top could ever be reached, he thought. He remembered how high it had looked from far out in the water the day before.
They came to the crest of a ridge and the captain pointed to the house where they were going. It wasn't so much a house as it was a castle. It was immense and sat all by itself on a hilltop. Camran was sure the house must have a commanding view of the entire bay, as well as much of the village below. He was amazed he hadn't seen it yesterday on the way into the harbor. The colors and lines of construction probably made it hard to see from the bay, even to those who knew where to look.
The grounds around the house were extensive and well maintained. They were surrounded by a high wall of stone, so that up close it was impossible to see in. There were towers at each corner as well as the midway point of each wall. As if that wasn't enough security, in addition there were guards walking around the base of the wall and clustered at the gate. No doubt this was in part the increased security the captain had set about arranging the night before.
The walls enclosed an area several acres in size. The house sat in the center and was surrounded by various ornate gardens, the captain told Camran. Other than an occasional comment, the captain had said little on the hike up the hill.
When they arrived at the gate the captain was recognized immediately. The others they were not so sure about. Camran was vouched for by the captain and was permitted to enter the grounds. Bran and Twil began to enter with him. They were apparently determined to protect him at all costs. Immediately, as the two began to enter, the guards stepped in front of them. There was almost a confrontation; however, Camran was able to stop both sides from swinging their weapons by convincing his newly found bodyguards to wait for him outside. They would also be able to get some much needed sleep, he reminded them. It was expected he would inside for a while.
That agreed upon, the captain and Camran entered the gardens of the estate. The captain waited just inside the gate while Camran continued on down the path toward the house. The gardens alone were worth the trip up the hillside. There were no huge trees on the estate; however, there were some extremely large flowers and lots of normal sized trees. Many were laden with fruit he had never seen. Some of these must have been the kinds he had eaten the previous day. An occasional tree was bearing fruit that was one to two feet in diameter, and in various colors all on the same tree. Along with the fruit trees and large gorgeous flowers, there were thousands of other small flowering trees and shrubs. He would have liked to have spent a day just touring the grounds around the estate.
The house itself sat upon a small rise and so took advantage of the tremendous view, sitting high enough to look out over the wall, as well as into the beautiful gardens. The house was three stories of oversized height and appeared to accommodate a higher than average ceiling on each floor.
"Hello," called an older man bending over some plants, startling Camran who hadn't seen him.
"Hi," returned Camran. "The gardens are very beautiful," he added, starting to continue on his way. The old man moved to stand beside him.
"Thank you, young man. I must say that was a dreadful affair at the center last night. Are you all right?" asked the man, concern etched on his face.
"I'm fine, thank you. That's one of the reasons I'm here, to try and get some answers about what is going on," stated Camran.
"Maybe I can help with some of your questions. Here, would you have a cool drink with me and sit for a while?" the man asked, gesturing toward a small table just beyond the plants where he had been working.
"I'd love to, but I am expected at the house."
"We're pretty informal here and believe me when I say going to the house can wait a bit," said the man, as he walked over to the table and poured them both a drink. The drink he poured looked like lemonade from where Camran stood.
He was thirsty after the hour's hike up the hill, and who would know better than the gardener if it would be alright to spend a few minutes talking before going up to the house.
"That looks great," Camran said, taking the wooden mug from the man. Besides, he thought, his two self proclaimed bodyguards could use all the time they could to catch up on their sleep.
Camran took a drink from the tall mug. It tasted very much like lemonade; however, it was a little tarter than he was accustomed to. Nonetheless, it was delicious. These people are really into the tart taste, he thought as he took another long drink. The walk up the
hill had made him thirsty.
The gardener was less portly than the Neptunians he had met since his arrival. However, he was still definitely a Neptunian. The green color was easy enough to see. The man's eyes were deep blue and presented a startling contrast to the other Neptunians he had seen thus far. All the others he had seen had various shades of green eyes. His hair was snowy white and his face had some wrinkles that would place his age somewhere in the sixties, as Camran would judge age on Earth. From a few feet away, he did look younger than his hair indicated.
"We have been working and living on this Isle for many years and nothing like what happened yesterday has ever happened before. The Guardians of the Bridge have been actively expanding their operations," the older man said, staring off into space. "Oh, I'm sorry, the attackers last night were members of a group called the Guardians of the Bridge, a group that seems to be growing rapidly in numbers, as well as in courage." There was an apology in the man's eyes as he stared directly at Camran.
Camran saw something in the old man's eyes that told him this man was not only intelligent but a loyal and determined man of compassion, where all people were concerned. He also detected a hint of fear and anger mixed in the man's expression. Immediately, he took a liking to this open and honest person, here was someone he could trust.
"What bridge?" asked Camran, recalling the dream he had prior to awakening that very morning.
"There is an ancient Oracle which..." began the man.
"An Oracle! What Oracle?" interrupted Camran, visibly turning pale.
"An Oracle proclaiming that a magical bridge of seven colors exists to a land of beauty beyond death. How is it that you are familiar with this bridge?" questioned the gardener, as he stared into Camran's eyes.
"I've been having some dreams since I arrived here," murmured Camran, lost in memory of his dreams during the past couple of nights.
"What else have you been dreaming about?"
Camran told him all about the dreams he had been having the past three times he had slept. The old man's face at first expressed surprise then changed to an undeniable happiness. By the time Camran had finished, understanding was etched on the gardener's face.
"Forgive me, I must be getting old," said the old man. "Yes, it would be true. That explains much," mumbled the man, as he took a long drink from his glass. "That is why you were attacked last night."
"Me? Why would I be attacked?" asked Camran, already knowing that it was him they were after the night before, but not wanting to admit it.
"I have just realized," the old man began "that you are the one spoken of in the Oracle."
""Me. Wait a minute, I just got here! How can I be in some Oracle I've only heard about in my dreams?" Camran asked with dread in his voice.
"You can judge that for yourself. I haven't read the Oracle for many years now. I do recall that a representative must arrive in this land from each of the planets in the solar system during the same year. You make that prophesy complete. I wasn't paying as much attention as our friends the Guardians apparently were. A representative has arrived here recently from all of the planets except Earth, now that I think about it. With your arrival the first condition of the Oracle has been fulfilled."
"Who are the Guardians of the Bridge? And why are they doing what they are doing, especially the attack last night?" queried Camran, taking another drink of the cool liquid. "Also, where is this Oracle?" Camran added.
"The Guardians of the Bridge are composed of members of all the various planetary peoples living in this world. We do not yet know why the Guardians are defending this bridge and demonstrating such maliciousness in doing so. They have no access to the bridge themselves and haven't the slightest idea what mysteries exist hiding its location. There are some things we know and some we can only guess."
"We can be sure there is a good reason to what they are doing. Perhaps in solving this riddle, the key to unlocking the secrets of the bridge would also be solved. The Master of the Guardians is no fool and would not risk his people in a suicide mission unless there were good reasons, at least to him."
"The Oracle you have dreamed of is located deep underground. It is on this very Isle, but it certainly is not common knowledge. As a young man, I stumbled upon it quite by accident while exploring some of the caves on the mountain," concluded the old man, pointing up toward the mountain Camran had seen from far out at sea.
Camran sat there toying with his glass as he thought about what the gardener had just told him. He felt overwhelmed with all he had just heard.
"Would you care for more to drink?" asked the gardener, reaching for the wooden pitcher.
"Yes, thank you," replied Camran as he accepted another glass of the tart liquid.
"See all of those flowers out there in the water." said the gardener, gesturing toward the sea. "Have you noticed all the different colors?"
"Yes, I have," replied Camran. "What do they have to do with what happened last night?" returned Camran, trying to get back to what they were talking about.
"Each of the colors represents a certain group of people. For example," explained the man, "the gold flowers only bring people from the planet Earth, as you call it. People arriving from the planet Earth are relatively rare. You see, only in exceptional cases when someone dies do they come to this land from any planet. This much we do know, due to the small numbers of people arriving here from the other planets. It has been conjectured that life on all the planets, especially and in particular, the Earth, is difficult. Through a lengthy process of reincarnation a person must spend a long time there, until he has proved himself worthy enough to leave."
"The other colors correspond to other planets. Our job on the Isle is to pick up those that arrive in those flowers. To make a long story short, it is even more unusual to have a person from each planet arrive here the same year, very rare indeed. In fact, since the Oracle was written it has only happened a few times, the last one being long before I arrived here. And the Oracle was written a long, long, time ago. We don't know by who or even how old it is."
"The attack last night was designed to eliminate you so there would be no attempt at uncovering the secret to this bridge. The Oracle states that a person from Earth shall lead the quest for this mysterious bridge. And, he shall lead it with the aid of a Martian warrior and a representative from Mercury," ended the gardener.
Camran sat dumbfounded after hearing this latest information. He had just started accepting the idea he had died, only to find himself immediately in the path of danger. And this seemed a much more menacing danger. Also, it had just dawned on him that Bran and Twil must have had a few dreams of their own. His mind was filled with many thoughts, not to mention fear and confusion which once more began to overwhelm his emotions.
"I can't lead a quest for anything," stammered Camran, finding his voice once more. "I don't know this land. For gods sake I'm a real estate broker, not a gladiator. I don't know the first thing about weapons, this land or the people," Camran continued in a rush.
"My dear friend,” began the gardener, “you don't have much of a choice if you think about it. These people will continue to hunt you until they have eliminated what they consider their potential enemy and threat. There is nothing in the Oracle that says the quest has a time limit in which to begin or end. Of course it should begin immediately so there is less danger of something happening to you or one of the other members who will join you. You see you can't even convince the Guardians that you won't take up the challenge, you could always change your mind at anytime in the future," the man concluded.
"But I don't know the first thing about how to go about this, even if I was willing, which I'm not." Camran stated flatly.
"You will have all the help the combined peoples from all the various planets can give. You've already met two of the people who will join you on this quest, the man you know as the warrior and his smaller companion. You've already seen a demonstration of their skill and loyalty."
Cam
ran was struck by how much this man already knew about him. Obviously, word traveled fast on this Isle.
"I suggest you and your two companions climb the mountain to the cave and read the Oracle for yourself. I can supply you with directions. When you are through, should you decide to seek the bridge, you will be given money for your needs and Captain Nepturos will take the three of you to Lotus Isle," said the man rising and walking back toward the gate.
Somehow it didn't seem important to go up to the house anymore. Camran had heard more than he cared to for the time being. He stood up and started back toward the gate, walking as though he was in deep trance. When he was about halfway, coming around a row of hedge he saw a strange thing. The captain was bowing to the old man in a way that was more than elder courtesy. All of a sudden it dawned on him that all this time he had been talking to the one they called the Ruler of the Waters. No wonder he knew so much about what was going on. Camran had been so intent on absorbing the information and dealing with his own feelings of fear and confusion he hadn't realized who this wise man had been.
Arriving at the Ruler’s side he felt somewhat embarrassed. He didn't know whether to bow or what to say to address the man. He started to bow and the gentle man stopped him.
"There is no need for that young man," smiled the elder man.
"I'm sorry your honor, I didn't know," replied Camran with his head bowed slightly.
"I've just informed Captain Nepturos he will be escorting you and your companions to Lotus Isle when it is your wish to go," said the Ruler. Getting a piece of paper and ink pen from the guard station the Ruler drew a map and wrote out directions to the cave containing the Oracle and handed them to Camran. "If I can ever be of any further help, please let me know. My people are at your disposal." The old man bowed slightly himself and turned back up the path.
They all left the hilltop and descended back down into the town. Bran and Twil were much improved, having gotten some sleep. Camran was quiet and thoughtful during the hike back to the bungalow. The others seemed to sense his need to think about all he had just learned so didn’t ask him any questions or try to engage him in idle conversation.
The captain left them at the bungalow saying he had some work to attend to. Camran said they were going to eat and talk for a while and that they would be quite all right. He was convinced there wouldn't be another attack, especially with the increased security everywhere.
When the captain left, Camran asked one of the maids at the complex to bring them some food. He then told Bran and Twil what the Ruler had to say.
Bran and Twil listened in wide eyed wonder. They both stated they had dreams about protecting the new arrival from Earth. The dreams were strong, and on their respective planets dreams such as those were never to be ignored. In light of this new information they certainly did wish to join him on a climb up the mountain to get more answers. In fact, they felt it was their sworn duty to accompany and protect him.
The food arrived in short order. While they ate they discussed the arrangements they needed to make to go up on the mountain. As soon as they finished eating they would put together what they needed and be underway. The days were so long here that there was more than ample time to begin the climb up to the cave entrance that same day.