The Belar (A Tale from the Gateway Worlds)

by Robin Gilbert

pasture resplendent with hickrathyme, its long nose vacuuming the spice, funnelling it into a gullet of molars, its dozen grey legs, each a metre around, a metre high, stood like plinths upon which its elongated body sat, absorbing moisture from the air. Occasionally it grunted as its nuzzling, its excitement, intensified. The hickrathyme was an hallucinogen to this ancient beast and it never missed an opportunity to consume it.

  Maya descended slowly from above, careful not to disturb the defensive, invisible airborne vectors the runeyan emitted. She hovered, readying her spear, sliding her thumb from one hole to the next, preparing herself... poised…

  Then she dropped from the sky like a meteor, landing squarely on the runeyan’s back.

  It took off across the pasture, it’s legs a blur of damp green, it’s long snout waving in the air expelling ghastly shrieks.

  But Maya rode the beast expertly, feet astride, spear poised, playing a sequence that ejected a long needle from one end. This she plunged into the top of the runeyan’s head before ascending to safety high above it.

  The beast continued its frightful hurtling, oblivious, it seemed, to the large dose of tranquilliser swimming in its bloodstream.

  Maya watched from above until its legs buckled, its snout dropped and it teetered, then fell on the grass. She flew over, landed beside it, knelt and stroked its tough hide. She sang too, as its eyes slowly closed, as a single tear rolled from its pink eye. It smiled at her, spoke in that thick harsh tongue, so strange and alien, “Pleasant while it lasted...” it slurred before slipping into unconsciousness.

  Maya attached and activated a transmitter to the runeyan’s powerful neck so that her sisters from the colony could easily locate it. To remain ground-bound in this zone too long was dangerous for one as small as she but even so, she did not immediately return to the safety of the skies. She sat between the beast’s great forelegs, absently stroking her graymany, her mind a galaxy away.

  When the club smashed her skull and she slumped upon the great grey belly her last realisation before a veil of blackness fell over her amethyst eyes, was that she hadn’t even heard the approaching footfalls of her attacker.

  The cave was warm and dry. Braziers littered the walls, disfiguring bygone paintings. One, coloured in red and black depicted a nubile figure, suspended in midair above a heard of wild animals, their sameness and simplified caricature making positive identification impossible. A great orange plume like light from the big bang itself emanated from the hovering creature’s head, casting a savour’s glow about the orange wall.

  Two small passages left the cave. One slid down into darkness, the other led to an illuminated chamber who’s floor was covered with bones and wood, all fashioned into weapons. Beyond this outer chamber cascaded a mighty falls, its perpetual descent and roar both comforting and humbling. From this chamber a man approached.

  He stood tall and proud, adorned in full, skin tight body suit that seemed to reflect the light bouncing off the walls, making his progress seem fluid, difficult to concentrate upon. In his left hand he held a small electronic device that he dabbed with the index finger of his right hand, eliciting responses that brought a smile to his handsome face. In his left he held the graymany.

  When he squeezed through the aperture into the cave in which Maya lay, he rushed towards her, knelt, placed a hand beneath her slender neck, lifted her slightly. “Wake now, please,” he spoke with an off world accent, unavoidably crass yet full of concern. The suit he wore must have contained an old translator; his words sounded ancient.

  Maya stirred, opened her eyes, looked up.

  “Praise the gods!” he declared.

  “Who... Where...”

  “The aged ones captured you. Quickly, we must escape.”

  Maya allowed herself to be pulled upright, stumbled towards the egress, her weight, although slight, resting upon the offworlder’s strong arm.

  “We must summon the power of your wand!”

  “My...”

  “They approach!” he showed Maya the device he held, but its little flashing lights meant nothing to her. “Quickly! Cast your spell! Make us fly!”

  Maya took her graymany from him... but did nothing.

  “We must go! Why do you delay?”

  The holes by which Maya played the graymany opened at her touch, only at her touch, but the one reserved for her thumb remained closed. A sure sign somebody had interfered with it. Attempted to use it incorrectly. “Who are you?” she asked.

  “When we are safely from this lair I will tell you all but we must away! Cast your spell, sorceress!”

  Sorceress? What is a sorceress? Maya was suddenly wary of this convenient ally. She sensed an alternative purpose in him and disliked it.

  “We cannot use it here,” she said. “We must go beyond the Great Falls.”

  The offworlder grabbed her tightly, dragged her to the side of the cave and along the wall towards the ledge by the waterfall. “Here! Use it now!”

  “No, I cannot. My strength...”

  “Don’t play me for the fool!” he shouted, snatching the graymany and pushing her roughly to the ground.

  Stunned by his sudden change of heart, Maya remained prostrate, immobile, confused by his actions.

  “Show me how to use it!” he demanded.

  But Maya closed her eyes, rolled away, convinced now of this interloper’s ulterior motive.

  He grabbed her hair, pulled her to her feet, stared at her, translucent drool running over his unshaven chin. His eyes were narrow, slits of hate beneath an angry brow. “Show me how it works!” he demanded.

  Maya, pain coursing through her neck and torso, could only plead with her eyes, implore with her expression, beg for release, or a quick death, whichever was to come.

  “Show me!”

  Maya closed her eyes.

  The offworlder threw her to the ground, called out in the tongue of the Aged Ones.

  Four others dressed like him entered, dragged Maya back inside the caves and threw her into a corner, binding her hands and attaching them to a chain plugged low in the cave wall.

  A tear escaped her, dropped upon the dusty floor and turned black. The pain in her skull eventually increased so much that she once again passed out.

  Maya woke to utter darkness and panicked, thinking her sight lost. After a few moments she identified the small egress, the roaring of water made louder when she turned parallel to the opening. She clutched her arms to her adolescent breast, curled up tight and shivered.

  Her fingers played with the cord about her neck.

  Expecting death soon, she pressed the small catch on the river stone, took its contents into her mouth and swallowed what felt like a seed.

  Nothing happened.

  So much for the old prospector, she thought, and as she did, her mind was instantly filled with bright light.

  A firehome.

  Around it sat two, strange men.

  McCalast and Pranst, she heard in her mind, and knew, knew without doubt that those strange, awkward names belonged to the men she ‘saw’.

  McCalast is from the Light Zones away north. Pranst wishes anonymity in that regard. The information came to her as soon as she wished it, but she could not understand how, nor the relevance of these men.

  Adam. Remember me? Your gift?

  And then she knew.

  Somehow she was seeing through the eyes of the old prospector. No, more than that. She was in his mind, privy to his innermost thoughts. At one with him.

  But she also sensed many layers, imagined herself merely scratching the surface of what he knew. Of who he was. But it was overwhelmingly comforting nonetheless, and made her confinement all the more bearable.

  I sense danger. Fear. Show me where you are, came the thought.

  The Great Falls. A cave. Chains. Offworlder.

  All these snapshots of thought came to her as she pictured them, but somehow she knew they were rebounded confirmations emanating from... Adam? Adam. The old prospector.

>   Through his eyes she saw him stand, turn away from the firehome, leave its warm blanket of protection.

  No! Wait! It’s not safe! Thought Maya.

  Close your mind. Sleep now. Came the silent reply.

  But the gorban! The danger! Maya knew Adam was risking himself to come to her rescue and although gladdened by it she was afraid, as if she too were leaving the safety of the firehome.

  Close your mind. Sleep.

  Why do you risk yourself for me?

  Sleep now, my friendly shepherd.

  Maya slept.

  A loud hammering woke her. She became immediately alert. Afraid, but alert, as if her sleep had alleviated her pain. Washed her clean. She struggled to her feet but was forced to remain stooped, so tight were the chains, so close to the ground were they inset.

  After a moment, she saw the cave entrance.

  From without. And knew she looked through Adam’s eyes.

  Show me where you are, she heard in her mind.

  “Chained within—“

  No! Show me with your mind.

  Within the second cave. The ingress directly opposite the Great Falls. But I am bound in unbreakable chains.

  No thoughts replied.

  Nor could Maya “see” through Adam’s eyes now.

  But she knew he was nearby.

  A muffled cry followed a dull thud which echoed around the chamber.

  Then into her prison ran the offworlder, followed by two others. The offworlder snarled as he unlocked her from the wall, began dragging her deeper inside the cave network.

  But Maya, using all her guile, broke free of the offworlder’s grasp, snatched the graymany from him, sped towards the egress and began crawling through.

  Half way through her feet