Aberration

by Kyle West

  No, not disappearance. Death.

  Shara, I thought. Where are you, Shara? Are you still here, somewhere?

  My words found no response. I couldn’t call her here. The Xenofold of Askalon was firmly under the Radaskim’s control.

  “Do you think she’s dead?” I asked, of no one in particular.

  No one responded . . . not for a long time. At last, Isaru had the bravery to speak his mind.

  “The light struck her, and then she was no longer there,” he said. “If that’s not death . . .”

  I looked at him, feeling as if his words were a personal attack. “I didn’t feel any heat from that light. Did you?”

  “No,” he admitted.

  “We’re in a strange place,” Fiona said. “She could be alive as much as dead. I’m not ready to grieve.”

  “Me, neither,” Isa said. “We can wait around here, or we can move on to the Tree. Wherever this Tree is.”

  I knew that Isa was right. If there were answers, they would be in that direction.

  “I think we should move on,” I said. “The general direction of the cavern is this way. We should find the Tree if we continue to follow it.”

  Chapter 62

  We walked across the rolling hills of the underground cavern. The lush grass went knee-high and was interspersed by clumps of mushroom trees. Clear streams flowed within rifts separating the valleys. The light always remained the same, and after a time, I called a halt. We needed to rest, and the fact that I felt the need for sleep told me, more than anything else, that this place was real, even if that reality was contrary to every experience I’d ever had.

  We drank from the streams, but there was no food to be found. Only our bodies, our clothing, and our weapons seemed to make the journey from Earth to here, and I hadn’t spied anything that looked even remotely edible. On a distant world, there might not even be food fit for human consumption. I closed my eyes with an uncomfortable gnawing in my belly. We’d probably been here for a full Earth day, but with the light, it was impossible to tell.

  I slept for an indeterminate amount of time, fading in and out of dreamless slumber. The light was always the same every time I opened my eyes. It could have been four hours, or it could have been as many as twelve. But in the end, I did wake up, groggy and feeling as if I hadn’t gotten any sleep at all.

  I woke the others, and after we had washed our faces and drank our fill from the nearby stream, we pressed on.

  The others reported memories returning to them. They remembered each other, their lives on Earth, and their reason for coming here. As great as that was, all I could do was think of Shara, and how the journey might have ended for her. Her disappearance – I refused to think of it as her death – made me walk with a greater sense of urgency. If there were answers, they would be with the Tree.

  The low hills were becoming choppier and more barren as the hours wore on. Sharp-pointed mountains rose in the distance, their spires like knives cutting toward the cavern ceiling, which was still lost in a fog of light. Perhaps from the top of those mountains the ceiling of the cavern would be visible. As it stood, it looked as if our path was taking us there.

  “I’ve had enough of mountains,” Isa said. “Where is this Tree supposed to be?”

  “We’re going to need food if we’re to keep going,” Fiona said.

  I couldn’t address either of their concerns. Isaru remained silent, intently watching the distance.

  I was guided by nothing more than a feeling that we were going the right way.

  “We have to cross those mountains,” I said. “There’s nothing for us on this side.”

  “I’ve been wondering what could have made those stones,” Isaru said. “This is the world of the dragons, right? What use would dragons have for ruins like that?”

  No one had an answer for him, but Isaru was right. Dragons were not builders like people were. They grew things or lived in natural cave formations that they shaped over time, such as the Caverns of Creation. Perhaps even this massive underworld was such a place. If the dragons hadn’t lifted those massive stones or filled them with that dangerous power, then who did?

  “Seems like something humans would do,” Isa said. “Some of the Wilder tribes have been known to raise stones similar to that.”

  “Are you suggesting there are other humans here?” Fiona asked.

  “It’s not likely,” Isa said. “Perhaps something like humans, something similar enough to us that they would build such things, too.” She paused as she considered. “Either way, if they are around, we will probably see more signs of them.”

  Somehow, I knew that was wrong. “Askalon is a dead world, at least to life that can think for itself. It’s been this way for tens of millennia.” No one had a response to that. “We should be careful still.”

  The rest of that “day” was spent walking closer to the mountains. The hills became steeper, their surfaces more sheer. We were forced to climb hand over hand at points. However, the gravity of this world was less, and what would have utterly exhausted us on Earth, or even have been impossible, was doable here. By the time we lay down to sleep next to a mountain stream, we were well into the mountain range. If things went well, we’d pass the first of those peaks tomorrow, assuming there was a way through.

  * * *

  The Tree of Wailing entered my dreams again. It took up the whole of my vision, shining like a beacon in the darkness. It lay across the ichor sea, as I had seen it before. Its visage pierced my mind, driving out all other thought.

  If you want her, it seemed to say, come and find her.

  Shara?

  Ah. So that’s her name.

  Give her back.

  You must come here, it said. Let’s finish this, Elekim.

  The Tree suddenly brightened, snapping me from the vision.

  * * *

  As I opened my eyes, it was to the sight of Isa stoking a fire. It had gotten colder . . . much colder. Apparently, the temperature in this underworld was variable.

  “I decided to take a risk and make this,” she said. “I found some plants to burn, and it seems to take well enough.”

  “How did you get it started?”

  She smiled. “I have my ways. Spark almost immediately took. Caught me off guard a bit.”

  The fire seemed to burn hot and bright, despite the lack of fuel. I knew that fire used air as fuel. Was there more air here, perhaps? It made me uneasy for some reason.

  The others were beginning to wake, too. As they gathered round to warm themselves, I told them about my dream.

  “So, she’s alive,” Fiona said. “At least according to this dream.”

  “You doubt it?” I asked.

  “I don’t know what to think,” Fiona said. “It worries me that this Tree seems to be inviting you to come to it, even using Shara as bait.”

  “What choice do I have?” I asked. “It’s the whole reason we’re here.”

  “I wonder just what this Tree is,” Isaru said. “Is it the ruler of all the Radaskim? The mind of the entire swarm on every world?”

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” I said. “If this world belongs to it, then everything on this world is under its control. That means it knows where we are. Even now.”

  The thought was disturbing, but no one could refute it, as much as I wanted them to.

  “Then we don’t have to worry about finding the Tree,” Fiona said. “It will make sure we do.”

  Despite the warmth of the fire, her words gave me a chill.

  “If the Tree rules all the Radaskim,” Isa said, “then that means Odium is under its control as well. A Xenomind as powerful as Odium still has a master. And that master happens to be a tree.” She smiled at the ridiculousness of it, but it was a nervous smile.

  All of us knew this was no mere tree. It was something greater.

  “We should rest some more,” I said. “For some reason, I don’t think any of us got a full night’s rest.” The others nodded at this.
“Besides,” I continued, “the crystal forest comes soon. We need to be ready for that.”

  Where the words had come from, I had no idea. Everyone was looking at me in surprise.

  “I’m not sure why I said that.”

  “What do you mean, crystal forest?” Isaru asked.

  “Do you know something we don’t?” Fiona asked.

  “Maybe it was something I dreamed about and forgot,” I said, racking my brain for the reason I’d said that.

  “A forest,” Isa said. “Perhaps that’s where this Tree is.”

  “Maybe so,” I said. “We still have a way to go.”

  All I could think of was the Tree, its image growing in my mind. I shook the thought away, but it was surprisingly hard to shift my focus to other things.

  “Maybe we can get a few hours of sleep before heading out.”

  The others nodded, all of them being similarly tired. When I settled down this time, my sleep was dreamless.

  Chapter 63

  When I awoke, the fire had become ash. The cold had roused me more than any feeling of restfulness. I woke the others and we got moving quickly. We had no warmer clothing than what we were currently wearing, so the sooner we got moving, the better.

  We found something of a trail that wove between twin peaks, each of the slopes covered by xen and glowing mushroom trees. The vegetation was sparse enough to see far into the distance, which revealed even more mountains and trees. The trail wrapped its way around the righthand mountain, which we were standing on. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be going up, but I knew the trail must turn upward at some point if we were to pass these mountains.

  Only, it never did. Instead, the trail led further down, descending until we were walking in a deep canyon. To even see the top of the mountains we had to crane our necks, and our view was blocked by the canyon rim itself.

  After walking down this canyon for an hour, Isaru held up a hand and knelt by a stand of mushrooms growing out of the cliffside. He picked them.

  “I’ll be the guinea pig,” he said.

  Before any of us could protest, he put one in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

  More death, I thought. It had only been two days. Why did he have to try something that could be dangerous?

  But as the day wore on, he ate more of the mushrooms, which didn’t seem to be having any ill effect.

  “I don’t know how it is here,” Isa said, “but back home, with most poisonous mushrooms, you’d know you made a mistake within minutes.”

  “We need food,” Isaru said. “There’s more of the same ones, growing over there. It should be enough for all of us.”

  We stopped and ate. I hesitated only for a second, hunger winning out over reason. If we were to die here, well, then I supposed that would be our fate. I was feeling weaker each passing day, and all I could think about was food, and there was no telling just how much further the Tree would be.

  The mushrooms were tasteless, but they filled me up. I felt better just moments after eating my first one. I ate until full, and we harvested more and put them in our pockets for later. After drinking from the stream, we continued down the canyon, which was now angling further down.

  One final turn, and we were looking at the entrance of a cave. Well, we were already in a cave, a giant one, but this was a cave within a cave. I didn’t know whether there was a proper name for that.

  “I don’t see how a forest could fit in there,” Isa said.

  “Is this the right way?” Fiona asked.

  “Well,” I said, walking forward, “it is a way. For now, that’s good enough for me.”

  After what Fiona had said about the Tree wanting to be found, I was less worried about choosing a direction. Something told me that if we chose the path of least resistance, we would reach it in the end. It was a strange thought to take comfort from, considering it would most likely lead to our deaths.

  Once we were in the tunnel, the cool air suddenly turned warm. Its sides were coated with xen and blue glowing mushrooms. The fast-flowing stream ran downward and was glowing itself with silver blossoms that had fallen from some of the trees in the canyon.

  We followed the stream, deeper and deeper into the world.

  The tunnel narrowed until we were forced into the water itself, and, before we knew it, its current was pushing us down and away, until we were free falling in a cascade of water. Our cries echoed in what seemed to be a vast space; somehow, in the space of a moment, we had been transferred from the confines of the tunnel and into a larger cavern, filled with the din of water. After falling for an uncomfortably long time, I splashed into an underground lake. I swam madly toward the surface, breaking out and sucking in a deep breath. Looking up at the falls, I could see the water falling in a steady stream from the cavern ceiling.

  I quickly found that I was in the center of a vast, underground lake, lit from the fungus lining the outside of it. In the distance I could see a far shoreline, filled with glowing crystalline trees.

  The forest.

  * * *

  We swam for the shoreline and collapsed; the white-glowing sand was warm and helped us to dry off more quickly. We rested there for a while, catching our breaths after the long swim. By some miracle, everyone had made it through the falls. Looking back over that dark water, I could see the shining waterfall coming down straight from the cavern ceiling in a column of pearlescent light. It seemed to fall slower than what seemed right.

  Most of the mushrooms we had gathered earlier had turned completely to mush, so as before, all we had now were the clothes on our backs.

  But perhaps that would be enough. I had a feeling we were getting close.

  Fiona was the first to speak. “I was beginning to have my doubts this forest even existed,” she said. “But here it is.”

  “We’re in a world that’s beyond our imagining,” I said.

  “It’s beautiful,” Isa said, her blue eyes shining from the forest’s reflected light.

  “And dangerous, too, I imagine,” Isaru said.

  Yes, it would be dangerous. Despite its crystalline beauty, I could feel the malevolence of the Tree nearby. Every step lessened the time we would be standing before it.

  I walked toward the forest without a word, and the others fell in behind me. Soon, the sounds of the falls were completely dimmed by the trees. These were no mushrooms, like the plants above. In fact, they didn’t even seem to be plants at all, but more like ice sculptures or crystals. They twisted in and out, their surfaces sheer and reflecting our warbled images. Most were translucent, but others were colored in hues of pink, purple, or blue. It was dizzying to behold, though there seemed to be a path leading through them for now.

  “I wonder what this is,” Isa asked. “Formations like this must take eons to form.”

  “Or grow,” Isaru said. “Though I’m not sure these are living things.”

  The trees seemed to absorb their voices, humming in various tones that emanated away from us. The sound was eerie and made my skin crawl.

  I felt power from these crystals, though not a good kind of power. Many of the edges were sharp, and if we strayed from the path, it was easy to see someone breaking some of the thinner branches and cutting themselves.

  “Careful,” I said. “Try not to touch anything.”

  At first, I thought it was my imagining, but as we walked, I heard creaking, and in the distance, tinkling sounds, like shattering glass. I heard the same sound again, only closer and more unmistakable.

  That was when a branch just ahead of us snapped and fell off. I covered my face and knelt while everyone else did the same.

  When the chaos was over, I opened my eyes and the path before us was covered with shards. The trees were humming less now, as if that breakage had released stored energy.

  I held a finger to my mouth. The others seemed to understand. The frequency of our voices seemed to cause the trees to vibrate. Too much, and the delicate formations lost their precarious balance and shattered.
Enough noise, and the entire forest could literally explode while we were still in it.

  We waited for a long moment, making sure the clamor of the falling crystals wouldn’t cause more to shatter and fall. After at least a full minute, it seemed that we were in the clear.

  I gestured for the others to follow me, our boots crunching over the crystal shards. Once safely past the pile, we picked up the pace, continuing down the trail, which narrowed as time went on. It was hard not to touch the formations from time to time. Every time I did so, I could feel them vibrating with potential energy.

  The trail veered ever more downward, until we were climbing more than walking, working our way hand over hand. It was impossible not to use the crystals as holds; they tickled my feet and hands, making it difficult to keep my grip.

  I looked up at Isa, whose limbs were shaking, with either nerves or from the crystals. I wanted to voice some encouragement, but didn’t dare speak. Already, the crystals were vibrating dangerously. If one of us fell, it would not only be that person plummeting down the shaft that opened below us. The noise caused from such a tumble would likely be the death of us all.

  But we made our way down, little by little. There were plenty of holds, and enough traction to not have to worry about slipping. But I was getting tired, and the vibrating crystals were beginning to numb my hands and feet, making it difficult to feel where the next hold was.

  There were several slips; Fiona lost her footing on the hold above me, but managed to pull herself back up. Several chips of crystal flew past me, some even lodging in my hair, one brushing past my face and leaving a scratch, where blood trickled down to drip off my chin.

  Finally, and thankfully, the glittering crystal cliff began to flatten out, and by the time it was flat enough to stand, my limbs were shaking from the strain.

  Isaru was the last one down, landing lightly on his feet. The impact of his landing, however, shook some of the crystals clinging to the cliff loose, causing the air to hum with energy.