by Jared Ravens
“It's time," Fairfax said. “I’ve got to find Vivian and see if she can hide me away.”
He hugged Eryck, causing the man to some surprise. Eryck held back a tear that he hadn't felt coming on. Fairfax looked at him.
“You do what you have to do," he to him.
"No," Eryck said. He pushed Fairfax towards the wagon. "Go!" he yelled. "Fuck, go you fucker!"
With that, Fairfax was off, hauling his two companions and flying towards the foothills.
New Arrival
Through the haze of dust floating thick in the air Bern could see the movement of dozen of imps and the huge body of Waring relentlessly attacking the wall of rock. The cave grew deeper with each minute and a line of imps and long faced men carried bags of rocks and dirt continuously past him in a show of the incredible progress they were all making.
When he couldn't take the dust any more Bern walked back out of the newly formed cave to his wife, coughing. She sat near the lake, still dazed, a pleasant smile across her face. He sat, holding hands with her, wondering what exactly she thought when she looked across the water and saw the dozens of people walking into the fog, water slowly reaching up to their necks.
"Shayne," he said to her.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry," he said, bending his head. "For leading you into such a bad situation. Its my fault you are here."
"Here?" she asked, quizzically.
"Yes, underground." He wasn't' able to say the word 'dead' to her. "Here. I… You're so brave." He pulled back tears. "You went into that cave to save Fairfax. You faced off with her. With Celia. I could never dream of doing that..."
She touched his face and pulled it up, wiping tears from his cheeks. Her face was calm and blank.
"Why do you think here is bad?"
He wanted to say 'you're gone' and explain it to her But he wasn't speaking to the ame person he remembered, or he was speaking to a different version of her. He couldn't stop loving that face, that person, or accept that she had become something different.
"This place," he said. "Does anyone want to be here?"
"I do," she said affirmatively, then she turned and looked affectionately at the dark lake. He thought, for a moment, that it might not be his fault. That she might have done so herself, for a reason. But he couldn't let himself off the hook that easily He couldn't let the guilt go. He sighed heavily and stood up.
"I don't want you to go," he said haltingly. "I'm just not ready."
She looked up at him sweetly, plainly, then looked lovingly back at the lake. He knew what she was thinking. He didn't want to accept that, the belief that no one was ever dead. She was gone if she walked back in that lake.
The noise from the cave stopped suddenly. He turned to see Waring walking out, a look of confusion on his face. He ignored Bern and walked past him and down the banks of the dark lake. When he stopped Bern walked to his side and asked him what he was looking at.
"Someone passed," he replied.
"They're always passing," Bern joked.
"Someone different. They were just above us I felt it."
They waited silently, looking at the crowd of new arrives coming down the spiral. As they watched, Bern asked the question he had been wanting to.
"Where do they get their bodies?" he asked. "Don't they leave those behind?'
"They don't' have bodies," he replied.
"But I see them, they have bodies but they are dead. Do they pick them up before they come down that spiral?"
He looked down at Bern, and Bern wondered if Waring understood that he had told a joke. Waring opened his mouth slowly.
"They don't' have bodies,” he repeated. “What you see is what you both want to see."
Waring turned his head back to the spiral and walked slowly ahead. Bern waited a moment, once again grappling with what was real and what wasn't. He could touch his wife just as he had above. That was as real as anything. But the body was buried under a pile of rocks. She must have picked up a physical body someplace. Unless it wasn't real. Which means he was having... a vision? And this wasn't happening?
"Waring!" Bern called as he caught up to him. "If this isn't really happening, can it really help? Are we doing something that won't help? Give me some answer, because we are here to help Martel..B
Waring held his long hand out, stopping bern from saying any more.
"Look," he said, pointing to a young girl coming down the way. Waring walked over to her, picking the confused woman from the crowd of people being sorted out by the long faced men. He shrunk down slowly until he was her level. He took her by the hand, delicately.
"Is that..." Bern asked.
"I don't know her name," Waring said. "Celia does."
The girl’s blank face was pale and lovely, her green eyes wandering over the landscape of her new, temporary home.
"McKenna," Bern said. "Theo Mainrift’s girl."
"Celia's very upset," Waring said. He took the girl gently and guided her to the lake. "She wants her handled very delicately."
She wants you to bring her back to life?"
"I wont' do that," he said. "People have their own decisions to make."
He guided her to the water and her feet touched the water, sending gentle ripples out into the lake. Her light yellow dress floated on top of the water as she walked further out into the lake. Waring let go of her hand and watched her go further and further out into the fog.
"But you're interfering for us," Bern asked. "you're going to do this for Martel."
"I've been asked," Waring said in his dire voice. "not told. By a higher power. And I decided to. Because I can. In my own way. And because I have likely volunteers.”
“Volunteers?”
“Almost everyone prefers the peace of death. Btu not everyone is ready for it. So if these souls are willing, I have to be ready. But I have to move, quickly. We are running out of time."
Follow Me
The scream was intense, a heart melting sob of anguish that even struck Celia. She turned and saw a carriage stop, its elaborately decorated door open and a wailing coming from inside. Delia fell from it, nearly on her face. A soldier rushed to her, offering to pull her up but she held her hand up weakly, pushing him back as she crawled across the ground.
The overturned wagon and body were some distance away, surrounded by armored men and women, yet she crawled towards it. A path formed through the crowd for her to make her way through, pitifully approaching her daughter. Celia watched her cradle the body, pushing away any one that tried to approach, her face melted into sorrow. Theo walked nearby, stunned and deflated, whispering something quietly to himself. Delia looked up at Celia from the ground as she held the body.
"Please," she begged, "Bring her back."
Celia was speechless. The woman’s burned into hers and she felt vulnerable in a way that she had not felt in the entirety of her memory. She opened her mouth but could only say the woman's name.
"Delia."
"Mother, please, I have devoted my life to you, dear mother, I have made all the sacrifices to you for your love. I have loved you as no one else could with my limited emotions. I ask you, please!"
Celia had to break her gaze on the poor woman. She looked over to west where Harper still approached. She felt no feelings about him, while not so long ago his movements was the most important thing in the world. Preventing him from delaying her revenge only focus. Celia felt herself shrink down.
Martel, who had been watching over the body of McKenna, walked back towards her and took Delia’s hand as well as McKenna's limp one. She offered quiet words to her as Genesee came to them. Delia looked up at him and pled with him as well. Genesee adjusted his glasses uncomfortably.
"Delia, I am truly sorry but there is nothing we can do for you. There are no exceptions to the rules. And your daughter did aid a criminal. She was taking a risk. She was not without fault."
"Genesee," Theo said form behind. His voice was wavering and his body was shakin
g. "Please..."
"I'm sorry," Genesee said, turning towards him. "There's simply nothing in our power to do anything."
When Genesee turned to Celia he jerked a bit in surprise. She saw this and knew he was reacting to the inflamed look that had taken over her own face. His words, the ones of powerlessness, of helplessness, of logic and legalese at a time of emotion were as flat and infuriating as anything she had ever heard from him. But it was the last phrase, one of inability, that stirred her in such a way that emotion came from her core like a volcano.
She did have the power to change things. She did, at one time. She, the mother of all that was perceived, the mother of mothers, the inventor of women, the one that created everything that anyone could see and was seen, once had the ability to change all of this and make the pain disappear. She did have it, at one time. Now, she did not. It was held from her after being stripped piece by piece from her like limbs from a dead animal. She was forced to sit by and watch the incomprehensible happen to one of her own ladies. A girl, forced to help some man, a man that was enhanced to take still more from her. And then that woman was accused of being a criminal herself while the man was to be protected.
The incoherence and feeling of unfairness bled into rage in her chest. It was infuriating.
Genesee's mouth opened slowly, and he tried to pick words that would soothe her.
"Celia..." he said.
“You," she said, her eyes turning black. "You are the reason for this..."
"Celia, that's not right..."
"Celia, stand back,” Martel commanded from in back of her. She was ignored.
"I have tried to be a compromiser," she continued. "I have have been the most calm that I could be while having the most unfair circumstances take away every piece of me."
"Celia, I understand what you have been through.."
"You understand nothing!" Her voice came over him so harshly that he had to take a step back. "You know NOTHING! What do you think Goetz wants? It wants EVERYTHING! It will not be stopped before it takes everything from me and you and everything else and leaves us all like this poor girl here."
"Celia," Martel said from behind her. "This is not right..."
Celia turned to her sister. Harper, Martel’s husband, was coming closer.
"You, of all people should understand," Celia said. "You of all people. You're my sister, my chosen sister."
"I understand," Martel said,"What its like to live in a compromising situation without power."
Celia drew back at these blunt words. Her face went cold and she stood straight. The soldiers around her gripped their weapons and fear showed on every one of their faces.
"I won't let it take everything away. I'll end it before I let it do that."
Genesee called her name once more. She didn't hear it. Her attention drew to the spear, planted high above the ground like a giant sun dial. She grew rapidly, gripping the end of the spear in her hands as she was thrust upwards by her expanding body. Harper approached the group. His first welcome was a thrust of the spear towards his chest. He caught the end of it and held it back just as it cut into his grey tunic.
Celia grew more, causing the angle that the spear at his torso to change. The force grew as she did, and the tip cut into Harper's abdomen. Martel screamed below them.
Two arms gripped Celia at her arm pits and pulled her away. She released the spear as she was hauled upside down then dropped on her head into the ground. A cloud of dust poured out over the army surrounding the fighters and soldiers scurried to get out of the way of Spaulding and Celia wrestling. Harper picked up the spear and tried to find a way to pin Celia to the ground with it, but she was under Spaulding, cursing him, and Harper couldn’t get to her.
She punched Spaulding and pushed him to the side. Harper thrust the spear down, trying to stab her in the shoulder she would be stuck to the ground. She caught the end of the spear her hands, and then Curson rammed into Harper with his shoulder. As Celia rose and picked up her spear Atrios kicked Spaulding back down to the ground and held him there, a boot on his neck.
"Go get him," Curson said to Celia as he pinned Harper to the ground.
Celia turned but she didn’t take off. She looked down at the ground and lifted her spear. At it reached its height everyone around her realized what she was aiming at, and shock overtook every one of them.
The first jab at Genesee missed because her aim was off. The viciousness of the tip pounding into the ground just to his left sent him falling to the ground. She pulled it up, causing a ripple in the hard desert floor, then threw it down again, this time with much more accuracy but he had the foresight to jump out of the way. She thrust it again and he jumped once more. She lifted her boot to stomp on him but before it came down Martel covered the man in her body and held her hand up.
"Stop!" she yelled.
Celia stood there, her foot shaking in the air, Genesee trembling under her sister. Would the action kill him? Probably not. Would it teach him a lesson? Definitely so.
"Celia," said a voice behind her She let her foot down and looked at Curson. He had let up on Harper but the titan, stunned, did not make a move to stand up.
"He's the enemy,” she said.
"We need him. For order,” Curson replied quietly.
"Is that what you think?" She huffed. "I am the order."
Anger at her sister overpowered her. She picked up the spear again and thrust it into the chest of Harper. He gasped for air. Blood poured out onto the ground like a river. Curson looked at him and then at Celia, his face stunned.
"Follow me or follow no one,” she commanded. Today we take back everything!”
Martel screamed and ran towards her husband. Some part of Celia realized the gravity of what she had just done. The titans played politics with the other residents of the Hill. They did not directly attack each other. They did not attempt to kill each other, at least they had not in a long time. They were not common people.
She turned to Atrios and pulled the sword from its sheath before he could move to stop her. She held the sword and the air and yelled:
"Follow me or die!”
And she ran back across the desert to the east.
If You Want
The digging went swiftly. Through the cloud of dust Bern could make out the depth of the cave getting longer and longer. Piles of dirt came out every minute. Yet at every break Waring seemed frustrated at the lack of progress.
"They keep moving," he said angrily. He would drink from the lake and then return to work, muttering to himself. The cave he was digging soon became so long that it disappeared in the distance. The curves moved the direction back and forth like a snake. Whoever was moving, they were certain moving a lot.
Waring came out, exhausted after a long session of labor in the cave and laid down next to Bern. He closed his eyes, panting, his head directly next to the rock that Bern and Shayne sat on.
"Did you want to go or did you want to stay?" Waring asked.
"Me?" Bern asked with some surprise. "I, well, I wanted to take her with me."
"That's not possible."
“I don’t now what to do. I have no where to go.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Where?”
"With her."
"Where is she going?"
"I can't really say."
"Why not?"
Warning turned over, his eye lazy and face grimacing with pain as he had to move.
"If you're not going," he said, "Then I don't want you to know."
"I understand that. But if I just walk out of here...."
“You can't do that. Well, you can, but it would take some adjusting."
"Why is that?"
"Can you look around you? Can you see all then and then return easily? Do you not know that things are different down there?"
"Of course they are. People are dead."
"No one really dies."
"I know that. But, they're in between. Getting ready to go into n
ew bodies."
"You asked why they have bodies at all down here. I told you. They are what you see. So, what do you think you're seeing here that would change how you see things up there?"
Bern thought about the question.
"I would see dead people?"
"Maybe," Waring said. "You're changed, too. You may not be able to be seen at all, either.”
"Oh, my," Bern said.
"That's why I have so few visitors. And for you, I am thankful."
"Well.." Bern said, not sure how to react. In their time together, Waring had not seemed appreciative at all given his usual tone of voice.
"But, some are not changed. It is usual. I had to change the way things were. Celia was not a part of that discussion. So our worlds don't mesh as they should."
"I would think that be a concern of Genesee’s.
"It would be, if they ever invited me to meetings."
He did not say this sadly, but matter of factly, but it sounded to Bern that it was as lonely a statement as had ever been made. He was going to say something to comfort Waring but the giant was standing up before he could do so.
"But if I don't go up…" Bern asked.
"Then you stay here, most likely. If you can find your way out then you can do so, but its probably going to be a difficult adjustment, as I said. Here, you can live by the lake, have house. Easy life until you.."
"I see. And if I go.. up, like you said."
"You'll be someone else. But you will be with her."
Bern looked over at his wife and then up at Waring.
“Really..."
“Something is different in you. Because of how you came down here, you are a little half way between worlds. You could go either way, though it will be an adjustment no matter the choice.”
“I see.”
"But you must do something for me."
"What's that?”
"Your child, yours and hers, will be my companion as well."
"It will?"
"It must visit me. Its life will be indebted to me."