Folson was the first to respond, carrying himself over to his old friend with us much haste as his shaken wits could allow. “What is it, Reuben, do you know this person?”
“She’s hurt, something wrong inside. Yes, I know her,” said Reuben.
Folson was about to ask another question but Reuben grabbed his hand, urgency in his eyes, “No time, just do it.”
“But I’m no physician, Reuben,” said Folson. He turned to the rest of the councilors, “Vivian, you’re needed over here,” he called.
The older woman trotted over, robes flowing out. She circled to avoid the bodies of the dead, and knelt next to Reuben.
“Whatever you can do on short notice, Vivian, please,” said Folson.
Another voice, angry and frightened, “What about Bregil here, or how about neither, and we concentrate on securing this place?” It was Eustus.
“I’ll remember that you said that,” roared Reuben. He was about to get up, but this time Folson grabbed Reuben’s shoulder, “Steady, you don’t want to do that, not right now.”
While they were bickering, Vivian was looking over Pim. She felt about the limp figure, fingers probing gently, carefully lifting an eyelid to look at the unseeing eyes. She took a Karthild stone, white and cloudy, traced with silver and gold threads embedded in its carved whorled surface, and crushed the fragile stone, sprinkling the dust over Pim in soft waves.
* * *
White and gold flakes swirled around like flakes in a snow globe. Pim felt light as the drifting flakes, like she was one of them. Moving an arm was enough, or even a breath of air, and her course of flight could be changed. There was nothing but the swirling flakes, the slow dance of white and gold colored snow all around. It was wonderfully beautiful, but she did not feel a sense of peace. Something was not quite right, a sense of familiarity almost, though different. She felt like it was being in a room and everything is just, ever so slightly, not where you remember it last. The flakes whirled around faster and faster, buffeting her about in the wind. Her unease grew, a weight in her stomach that blossomed with the increased pace of the dance.
At first had been wonder and delight, and peaceful rest. That was gone now, it was no longer serene. The flakes were dazzlingly bright, hurting her eyes. She felt sick and heavy, and her stomach heaved as though she had misstepped. Her yell was lost in the maelstrom. She tried to curl up, to huddle and avoid the light; the wind the rushed past her ears, piercing and whistling. Her effort at huddling was useless and looking around caused pain. The sense of movement was as if she were spiraling down. Pim could feel the draw of gravity, now she was falling straight and there below was the hole into a bright light. It was like looking into the sun, she closed her eyes tight but could still feel the light on her face. As she reeled faster and faster, pain returned. The searing agony of it a chisel hammering away at every part of her. Choking in between the screams, she fell through the hole.
* * *
Reuben and Folson watched tensely as Vivian continued to spiral the dust of the Karthild stone around Pim. Her fingers were nimble and quick, swirling the dust in a pattern wide then narrowing over her, only to repeat again with a wide flick of her arm. The motions were adroit, surprising Reuben with the graceful movements of the older woman. Suddenly, with a jerk, Pim’s chest rose and she screamed as consciousness returned, unsure whether this was her dying breath as reality flooded back with a vengeance. She looked around her but could not see through the tears that obscured her vision. She felt as limp as a rag cast over a bar, coughing and sputtering. Her senses swam and her eyes refused to focus as she came back to herself. She no longer felt that the room was spinning, that she was spinning. She saw the worried faces looking down at her and there was only the slightest twinge of regret to see, distant, not above or below but within, that secret world disappear. With one final glimpse of white and gold flakes swirling in dance, her vision settled and she felt that she was not dreaming anymore.
“She’ll be fine, just give it a few minutes,” said Vivian, a look of relief on her face.
Reuben felt the panic drain from him a bit. “What are you even doing here?” he asked to Pim.
Pim smiled weakly, “I was curious. Besides, Gavin said someone ought to watch your back.”
“That was brave, or foolish, but you certainly did help Reuben here,” said Folson.
Lucius had made his way over, still lugging his gear.
“And you, what the hell did you do to that knight?” said Reuben to Lucius. Lucius stood there with a rapturous grin on his face. With the danger passed he had reached into his pocket, pulled out a small pad of paper, and was furiously scribbling. Reuben walked over and attempted to snatch the booklet out of his hands but Lucius half-turned.
“Wait, wait, wait, I have to get this down,” he said through excited breaths. But Reuben was in no mood to wait at all, he walked around Lucius and grabbed his upper arm and shoulders tightly until the arms were stiff like a scarecrow’s. Lucius looked into that ferocious gaze and wilted, “Or maybe we can talk now,” he said with grin.
Reuben nodded to him, “Good idea,” he said.
He released him and Lucius began to explain, “You see, uh, just a little something that I’ve been working on, very experimental. You see...” And here the look of rapture spread again across his face.
Reuben interrupted, “I’m not interested all the details just tell me, where did it go?”
Somewhat deflated but not willing to risk the ire of Reuben again, Lucius responded, “Well, you’ve traveled by portal before?”
“Yes, of course. And?” said Reuben, trying to keep his rising irritation in check.
Lucius looked sheepish, “I hope I can tell you this in confidence…”
“I’m confident that if you don’t then you’ll be definite about other things, like wondering where your headache came from,” said Reuben.
“Oh, right. Well in that case, I ported him away. As far as the magic will hold, to forestall your next question. If it worked the way I wanted, the thing might well have dropped into the ocean, or perhaps back in your old city,” he said with a laugh. It died on his lips looking at the cold light from Reuben’s eyes.
“And that’s it, eh? Just ‘whoosh’ and it’s gone. I thought you folks couldn’t do stuff like that,” said Reuben, but he wasn’t so sure, especially with remembering how he had returned to Entigria from Tekuda.
“Experimental, remember?” He said, with an attempt at humorous rebuttal.
“Yeah, I’ll bet. And is it at least out of the city?” asked Reuben
“Oh, you can be sure of that,” said Lucius.
“I’ll bet. Well, fine, you finished being fancy then? Maybe we can get back to work,” replied Reuben. They shouldered their gear, leaving Folson and Vivian with Pim. Walking up to the portal, Reuben tried to peer through the gateway. If he concentrated, he thought maybe he could see a small green field. That was strange, usually you could not see anything of a destination until you stepped through. Lucius was humming to himself, all the excitement seeming to roll off him with no ill effect.
As the two of them were walking up the steps to the portal, sounds of an argument broke out behind them. Reuben turned and saw that Pim was following them, swatting away the administering hands of Vivian. “I’m going too,” she kept repeating.
“Ridiculous, you need rest, young lady,” said Vivian, trying to corral the persistent woman. She tried stepping in her way, only to have the rapidly recovering Pim dart around her. Pim swayed a bit, but her waving arms kept her balanced as she reached the steps as well. She was puffing a bit, but looked none the worse for her injury and rapid recovery. Nothing had dimmed the fiery belligerence in her eyes, at least.
“What are you doing?” said Reuben.
“I said, I want go too. I deserve it, I saved you,” she narrowed her eyes, daring anyone to challenger her.
Reuben tried to reason with her, “But, it’ll be danger-,” he thought about the
dark portal that had formed in the heart of the city, and that this was him telling Pim about danger. “Actually, maybe you’re better off coming.”
“Preposterous, you certainly don’t represent us, and certainly not to the Gods,” spitting and wrathful, Eustus was angrily stamping towards Pim, hands already fishing through the satchel attached to his belt.
Reuben, who was quite sure he did not like Eustus, and even more certain that if Eustus disapproved of something then he was sure it was a better plan, held out his hand to Pim and steadied her as she walked up the steps.
“Stop them, stop!” shouted Eustus, he had a stone now in his hands, quickly muttering the incantations attached to it.
“Eustus, hold,” said Folson. He too was trotting towards the portal.
It seemed everyone in the room was running towards the three on the steps, either to help or to hinder them.
Reuben looked at the portal, the amber light was all but spent beneath the shimmering, silver sphere. He was no expert, but he guessed that there was precious little time left for them to act. It would take too long to debate. He looked over at Lucius, who looked confused, and was looking at him questioningly. He looked at Pim, who looked determined and ready for anything. Reuben made up his mind, and gestured for Lucius to go through. Lucius shrugged, then laughed and hopped through the gateway like a kid playing at hopscotch. Reuben nodded to Pim and they jumped through as well. The rushing council members halted as they disappeared. Just as Eustus reached the steps, the portal closed and the three were gone, leaving behind the council, Entigria, and the space of the mortal realm. They were gone, into the unknown. The doorway to infinity had been crossed.
10 GARDEN OF THE GODS
After the atrocities of the War of Stone, the wise realized such potent tool must be restricted. Very few balked at this, for the ruin wrought by unfettered ambition scarred the lands for years to come.
History of the Empire Volume 4, Karthild after the War
There was a beach, covered in a fine black sand. The flat shore was lonely and bare, until the land itself rose in columnar basalt cliffs. The columns were faceted, looking like hexagonal towers from above. Their sides were mostly smooth, colored a dark, ashy grey. Water lapped upon the shore in an incoming tide, spray thrown up in tumultuous froth. It was a hungry area, devoid of any vegetation, gloomy under a grey and cloudy sky. Upon the bed of dark sand, waking up groggily, was Lucius. He opened his eyes and sat up slowly, rubbing his neck. His pack was nearby, but how it got there, how he got here, he could not guess. Perplexed and searching his memory, Lucius decided that the last thing he could remember was traveling through the portal. After stepping through the shimmering light, there had been a feeling of stillness, then pressure. This had been unlike anything in his experience of using portals and was quite alarming. He was supposed to feel movement, not rushing wind, but just a sensation. Instead of the familiar feeling, it was extremely still, as if he was not moving at all, but that the world was moving while he remained a fixed point. Worse yet, the still pressure had made him sleepy. Lucius had held on for as long as he could, even holding his eyes open forcibly, but had been overcome by the journey, falling into unconsciousness. Awake once more, Lucius looked around him, Reuben and Pim were nowhere to be seen. There were no tracks nearby either, just a dent in the sand where he must have landed and another where his pack lay. He was lost, alone, and not a little bit worried.
Lucius felt thirsty, and water roaring up nearby called to him. Sluggishly, he got up and plodded heavily to the water, his feet kicking up sand in small tufts. He padded to the waterline, waiting for the next onrush to catch some of the liquid. His bleary eyes noticed how deep blue the waves were. Lucius had not spent time as a mariner, but even he could guess the temperature must be icy cold. He was as careful as could be managed, and caught some water in the next wave without getting soaked. Bringing it to his lips he sipped tentatively. The taste was foul, full of salt. He spit it out quickly, nearly retching as some of the liquid slipped down his throat. He stumbled back to his pack and hurriedly unlashed the water skin from its side. He drank from the vessel sparingly, he had no idea where he was and what the available resources might be. Now he was glad that he had brought his heavy coat, as he snuggled into its cavernous depths, shielded from the cold breeze that was pushing the waves onto the land.
Throwing on his pack, he wondered where to go next. The cliffs went all along the beach as far as he could see in either direction. In some places there was hardly any beach, and the walls were straight and tall. In other places there were small ledges of columns, though invariably there were spots that were shear. He might be able to scale up them, but did not fancy the idea, for he still felt woozy and unsteady. Instead, he started to walk along the shoreline, boots kicking up yet more sand as he plowed his way forward.
“Reuben! Pim! You there?” He tried calling as loud as he could. His voice could hardly compete with the noise of the waters. He was not surprised when there was no response. Lucius shrugged, and kept walking. There didn’t seem to be anywhere to shelter. Gloom was settling over him when unexpectedly, the sound of beating wings overhead caused him to look up. A graceful bird, lustrous white with a long neck, flew without song overhead. In this land of grey and blue it was startlingly bright, almost luminescent. Lucius stood spellbound by the beauty of the winged wonder, watching as it slowly dwindled into the distance. His heart fluttered within him, it was that striking. The lithe bird was the only living thing he had seen, indeed it might be the only creature besides himself in the whole land. He decided to follow the direction the bird had flown, reasoning that perhaps it would lead to fresh water. His mood lifted from the dreary depths where it had sunk, and he stopped for a moment to pull out a wrapped parcel of food. Munching happily, Lucius went on.
* * *
If Reuben had dared to guess, he might have supposed that this journey would be similar enough to previous travels through portals. It was not. Instead of the sensation of speed, there had been stillness, as of a heavy weight that pressed down upon him. Looking around did not show anything at all, impenetrable blackness shrouded him. He called out, but there was no answer. He wondered if something had gone wrong, Pim and Lucius should have been nearby but he could see no sign of them. Sluggishly, he attempted to turn his head and look around. It took much effort and concentration to do so, for drowsiness was overcoming him, blurring his sight. He closed his eyes.
With a suddenness that was jolting, Reuben’s feet hit the ground with a dull thud. His senses were overwhelmed in a bright light. Reuben covered his eyes with a grimace, scrunching his eyes shut again. Even covered, the light of wherever he had arrived made its presence felt. Gingerly, he opened his eyes; although the light was still quite bright, it was no longer blindingly so. Reuben found himself in a green land of gently rolling hills, covered with green grass and wildflowers. It was pleasantly warm, with a gentle zephyr and bright blue sky. Some of its apparent pleasantness was lost as Reuben noticed something odd; there were no shadows here. Also, where the light was coming from was not clear; there was no sun in the sky, but it was as bright as midday. He leaned over to inspect the grass, it felt real and smelled fragrant. Reuben breathed heavily, catching his breath as a diver returning from deep water. He wheezed for a moment, then tried calling for his friends, “Pim, Lucius, where are you?” There was no response. His voice had sounded strange; he tried again. Yes, something was definitely odd. He tried shouting with all his might, straining his throat with the effort. It almost sounded like a normal conversational level. On the other hand, the nearby stirring grasses sounded unnaturally loud, as if he had his ear next to the waving stems. Experimentally, he tried stamping the ground; it sounded normal.
He tried walking to the top of one of the hills. When he crested its top, he had a vantage point from which he could see that this place was a small patch of green in a wider sea of gold. Endless fields of grain surrounded his small island of different climate. The
change was not gradual; the greens hills, only a few rings of them, sank swiftly to more level ground that was covered in the crops. There, he could see the wind, almost literally. Gently swaying in an undulating pattern, the tall grain was hypnotic to observe. The waves would appear in the bending stems, a great front that pulsed forward through the amber, only to taper off in the distance and be replaced by another. Reuben trotted over to the next hill. As he neared the fields themselves, carefully descending the last incline, the breeze quickened rapidly. It was no longer gentle, but nearly toppled him over in a sudden rush. He halted, waiting to see what would happen.
The winds were still pushing the grain, waving the stems back and forth, but he spotted something peculiar. Out in the distance, one space was still. As he focused on it he realized that it not quite still; rather, it was a patch of stillness that was itself moving at a walking pace towards him. Reuben decided to wait.
When the moving patch of stillness was within hailing distance, there was a golden flash of light, blinding him, and when it dissipated a man stood nearby, in the field. Or at least, he looked somewhat like a man, yet he was twice as tall as anyone Reuben had ever seen, and as broad to match. A veritable giant, he was also the most oddly dressed person Reuben had ever seen. His lower half was covered with woven brown fabric, held in place by a belt from which long braided strings were attached; these were clattering under the weight of shells and smooth beads. Among the strands were feathers and long strips of colored cloth. His upper half was exposed, with brown tanned skin and chest covered in a luxurious bush of brown hair. Down from his head, differently colored, long locks of golden hair flowed down along his shoulders. Most curious of all, a many pointed set of antlers adorned his head like a crown. Reuben could not tell, in the thick golden wavy hair, if the antlers sprouted from the individual, or were an ornament. The face of this enigmatic individual was gentle and peaceful, clearly someone who was completely content. Memory stirred for Reuben.
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