by A. Omukai
She could imagine. A plastic eating mushroom, dissolving the ship from the inside, that didn’t sound all that fun.
“While it is not clear if you are actually in danger, at least as long as you are inside of the Wisp, there is the chance of getting into trouble the moment you step outside. Your suit contains plastics as well. We cannot take the risk, and things will get even worse if the mycelium can actually digest metals, too. If anything contaminates the Wisp…”
Deirdre coughed. Wasn’t she already in trouble, anyway?
“For this reason, I decided to command you to open the gate to Earth, get off the planet, then return in four weeks. By then, we will have found a way to pick you up, get you back on board, so you can jump the Tuatha De Danann back to Earth.”
Deirdre nodded. The decision made sense. They needed her to get home, even though she didn’t quite understand why Brilann couldn’t do it. Wasn’t he a druid, too? And didn’t he have vastly more experience, knowledge, and maybe power than her? It should have been a walk in the park for him to jump the ship anywhere, anytime. And yet, they had brought her on board, to act as the jump drive. There must have been a reason, but she didn’t know what it was, and right now, it didn’t matter, anyway. She had a planet crying for help and a lung turning into a god damn mushroom.
“Please report to Command. I need you to present this message and make sure they understand what’s going on here, that there is no clearance for colonisation of the planet yet. We still don’t know if it can be used, and I’m not very optimistic. Unless, of course, there is a solution to the spore problem. Anyway, I’m rambling. Please get to safety, then come back in a month and take us home. We are counting on you.”
The captain was absolutely right. He had been rambling. But he was also right. She had to convey that her opening the gate didn’t mean the planet was okay for colonisation. They had to understand that it had to stay open for her to return, to bring the ship home. That didn’t seem all too complicated. There was just one, no, actually two problems.
One was the infection in her body, which was slowly, but steadily expanding inside her, and she did not know what it would do to her health. Her not feeling any symptoms right now meant little. She would need to be quarantined immediately on arrival.
And then, there was the cyclical planetary event, rapidly building up momentum, which she had to stop before it could happen. Maybe she could misdirect the energy, or whatever solution to the problem might exist. She had to compose a message for Brilann right now. The captain nodded at her, tried a reassuring smile that failed spectacularly, then the feed ended.
She needed to talk with Brilann, get his input, but before she could send a message to him, she had to clear her thoughts and sort them out properly, so she could explain the problem. The old oak seer had to understand exactly what it was she needed help with.
***
“And that’s why I need your help. Please tell me what you think, I’m really not sure how to proceed. If I just leave like this, chances are, there won’t be a place to return to. If the planet disappears, the gate will be gone, too, or turn into a trap.”
Deirdre saved the message, then sent it out to the ship. There was not much she could do right now, except wait for an answer. The ship wasn’t so far out; it was almost possible to have instant communication, but there was still some lag, which was the reason she transmitted the pre-recorded message instead of calling directly. Her annoying cough was another. Speaking got more and more difficult.
And then there were the frequent crashes. The Wisp had rebooted twice since they had come back, and while the new routine made it a fast and relatively painless process, it was still annoying, and soon, there might not be anything left to restart. It might all have turned to food.
She still needed to open the gate, of course. Even if she solved the balance problem on the planet, she still had to get her butt off the planet. There was no immediate solution. It was just as she had said in her message, both problems had to be dealt with, or it wouldn’t matter if she succeeded with either of them or not.
She didn’t have to wait for too long. The reply from Brilann reached her, as she was putting on the spacesuit.
“Display message,” she said, and once more, the primary display changed from outside view to the feed. This time, Brilann appeared on the screen directly, and he looked concerned.
“I understand your problem. I am not sure I can tell you exactly how to handle it, but listen to the way the planet is trying to talk to you. You say chaotic energies are gaining momentum. Stop it, and I might help you with this, but I have to think about it myself first. This is not an easy problem to solve. I would recommend you work on opening the gate first. Since you have to do it anyway, might as well start with it immediately. Worst case, even if you cannot help restore the balance, at least you will flee. Earth can send another ship later, we will survive here for a while, but we won’t get anywhere if you die down there. Sending a distress signal to Earth will take twenty-three years.”
Deirdre was very aware that she was the only thing connecting the ship with Earth right now. They only had one choice. She couldn’t jump home right now, but she could report way faster than a radio message could, and then she either came back through the gate, or on board another ship.
“Please don’t hesitate. Go to the place of power, establish the gate, then check back to see if I found a way to help you, and if not, don’t worry about anything anymore and go home for now. We’re only human. We can only do our best.”
While she didn’t quite agree, she also realised that she had no choice. Brilann was right. She had to open the gate to Earth first and worry about Gliese 667 Cc later. One step after the other.
She put on her helmet, did one last check of her suit, then opened the inner door of the airlock.
27
Ritual of Opening
Deirdre strode out with long steps, her hand laying on her hip, where the pouch with her runes and the bag of paraphernalia hung. The suit felt clunky, and the thought of performing a ritual in it wasn’t inviting, but it had to be done. Even now, after a long rest, she felt tired, and the effect of the planet’s gravity weighed her down. Her tail bone protested when she rushed down the path to the grotto, but she refused to slow down. There was too much to do, and who knew how much time she had to get it all done.
The inside of the grotto was fascinating every time she entered, no matter how often she had seen it already. The way the ice covered walls reflected and broke the green and blue light and dispersed it in the tunnel that led up to the inner area with the island made it feel dreamlike and unreal. She had been here multiple times and knew her way around, but the effect was still the same. The water inside the tunnel fractured the light even further and glittered in blue and green and every tone in between, but its surface tension was high, so it didn’t move enough to produce patterns. The reflection was smooth and illuminated the way ahead.
Deirdre’s head was clear, for the first time in what felt like ages. Thinking about it, she hadn’t had a moment like this since her landing on this strange planet. There had always been something going on, and while she was busy even now, she didn’t feel like things were moving about in a confusing manner anymore. Just like the entrance of this grotto, the path in front of her was clear now. She knew what to do next, and she had done what she could to plan. Brilann would let her know what he thought could help her solve the planet’s balance problem, which was not yet a solution itself, but it would illuminate the next leg on her journey. For now, she could relax and concentrate on the next step. She’d get that gate opened. The ritual was like that of a jump, only that she needed to solidify it now instead of moving through it, which was only a small, but significant difference. She had brought everything she had. All her runes and channelling items were with her.
She had insisted on going alone this time. The ritual would be tough enough with no one around whose mere presence could be a distraction. Ailbh
e had agreed hesitantly, and she would come after her if she took too long, but that was fine. No ritual took really long and having someone as insurance was reassuring.
When she reached the island, she climbed on it without hesitation. Keeping the reason she had come here in the back of her head, she walked up to the monolith, looked around, then positioned herself directly next to it. She would include it into her grove, make it part of the ritual.
As always, she drew a circle on the ground with her finger.
This would be the place.
“The ritual begins,” she said.
This demarcated the time.
She stepped inside the circle, then drew four more circles in the four directions. The guardians of the corners might not be needed here; With nobody else around, there was no danger of outside influence, no disturbing the procedure, but she was not willing to take a risk.
The circle to keep her energy inside, the guardians to keep disturbances out. That’s how it should be.
She touched the stone slab, closed her eyes and focused only on her breathing. Slow, controlled breaths, to calm her down and get her into the flow state she needed to perform the ritual.
“Where am I in this body?”
This was not such a simple question to answer today. She wasn’t sure if she could even feel her core. The realisation was terrifying.
“Where am I in this body? Repeating the question didn’t reap any results, but she wouldn’t give up so easily. Her attention focused inward, looking around inside her body, searching for the core of her essence. Just because she couldn’t feel anything right now, didn’t mean there was nothing there. Deirdre forced herself to continue breathing in the same calm rhythm she had been keeping until now. She would be okay either way. She kept her eyes closed, focused her attention one more time and just stood there, not thinking at all for a moment, losing all sense of time. Whether a few minutes had passed, or just a few seconds, she didn’t know.
“Where am I in this body?”
As was true with all ritualistic actions, repetition was the key to success. Asking herself again and again the same question like a mantra, she’d succeed for sure. And there it was, a small, warm spot, just above her stomach. There was no need to repeat it another time. Having identified the sport, she would now stay aware of it. There was no danger of getting lost any more. She could continue the ritual from here on.
Deirdre went down on her knees to touch the ground. She felt it through the fabric of her suit, wishing it wasn’t needed, but it would work regardless. Grounding herself and getting in touch with the Earth mother — or in this case, this planet — was more a gesture at this point. She hadn’t channelled yet.
Reaching into the pouch, she let her fingertips wander over the small acorns inside it. There was no need to see the runes. Touching them would tell her everything she needed to know. Coll, Uilleand, Ailm, the same runes she had used for the jump ritual. They were distinct in their form, and she had used them so many times, they were like old friends. She knew them by touching them. No misunderstanding possible. She heard them click as they got pushed against each other in the pouch, then she pulled them out.
Next would be the pine wood. She had had a wand-like piece during her jump, the one she pulled out of her bag looked more like a cube, but form wasn’t important, what mattered was substance. She nodded to herself and gripped it firmly.
This had been the straightforward part, she realised this in passing, while firmly keeping in touch with her essence. Her eyes still closed, she put the three runed acorns on the ground in front of the feet, to form exactly the same formula they had on board the Tuatha De Danann. No difference. Only that now, the point in space she was focusing on was not the system Gliese 667 C. The connection between her essence and the new destination was still weak, but it was there. Luna it was. The Earth’s moon was the designated pivot point of humanity’s efforts to expand beyond their home planet. Deirdre started the growth process.
Deirdre’s roots formed hesitantly, reaching out into the ground beneath her feet much slower than usual. These roots, however, differed significantly from how they normally felt. They were not the roots of a tree. The thought threw her off for a moment, and she felt her concentration wane.
She was not human flesh at this moment. She had fought to recover her concentration in the middle of a ritual countless times during her time as an apprentice, this was just a mere setback.
Deirdre took up her rhythmic breathing again, reminded herself to keep her attention focused, reminding herself that the next step on her journey was to take roots. It didn’t matter how those roots would look or even feel. This was not Earth. This was Gliese 667 Cc, and there were no trees on this planet. Her heartbeat slowed down again, as she kept the rhythm up and concentrated on the grove again.
She was here, this was the exact place, and this was the exact time.
Again, she grew roots, and they dug down into the soil of this alien rock in space. Intricate, thin roots, not treelike at all. Roots. She stopped worrying about it, as the first branches grew. Branches, then twigs, then leaves, slowly spreading out above her and touching, then embracing the monolith, as they turned towards it like sunflowers towards the sun. And maybe this was indeed the case.
Even though her eyes were closed, the strange rock next to her was warm and full of life. While her roots were still growing, searching for nutrients, spreading out wider and wider, the branches felt unfamiliar, and the leaves were not leaves. These were stems supporting caps with scales on the outer and gills on the inner side.
It didn’t make a difference in the end. She grew more and more becoming part of this world, anchored in the circle this planet’s nature had formed. Now more than ever, she could do it, open the gate and keep it open. She clenched her fist around the small piece of pine. It vibrated just enough in her hand for her to notice. The cube’s texture felt familiar, complemented the ritual naturally. She had no more pinewood with her. There would be some on board the Tuatha De Danann, and thinking about it almost threw her off balance again. She realised it just in time, breathed slowly, renewed her focus and grew more and more stems and caps, filling the space of the grove completely with her new form. She got angry at herself. At this rate, she would ruin the ritual, and then she didn’t have anyone to blame but herself. No, she wouldn’t let this happen. She had come so far.
The next step was clear, she would call Calas now. Her mind filled with green, first the light green of fresh sprouts in spring, then the more mature green of leaves in summer, then turning darker, until it matched the dark colour of evergreens. Calas was manifestation, was stability. Calas gave form. She needed to channel it now and repeated it like a mantra until she could almost reach out and touch it.
Could she get enough energy from the monolith, or would she have to suck it out of the Earth?
There was no ‘or’.
Both answers were right. From the monolith, a steady stream of warm energy flowed into her trunk and got carried upwards immediately.
The abnormal roots, probably grown by the infection inside her body instead of herself, took in unbelievable amounts of energy. It would make her burst if she didn’t release it soon. It was time to channel.
In order to bind a permanent gate to this place, she had to pour the energy into the formula and solidify it by channelling the element. Calas would guide the energies into the spell.
The energy surged upwards through her trunk, into her stems and caps. She bristled with power. She redirected the energetic stream through the pinewood, trapped it with help of her runes, then—nothing.
From one moment to the other, the spell fizzled out. Just like that. Her roots shrunk, disappeared within seconds. She was shocked. Her body lost shape, caps, then stems shrunk to nothing, while her roots vanished. One moment, she stood there, hand still touching the monolith. The next, she collapsed on the spot, her consciousness sinking like a rock.
28
Taking a B
reather
Deirdre came to with a terrible headache. It took a while to realise where she was.
“Hey you, you’re finally awake.”
Deirdre looked up, straight into a pair of glowing white eyes.
She opened her mouth to speak, but a cough made her unintelligible, and the sharp pain in her chest took her breath.
Didn’t look like she’d get better after all.
When the spasms ended and her breath calmed down, her memories returned and she couldn’t move for a moment. She was lying on the ground of the little island in the grotto, next to the monolith, arms and legs stretched out. The headache made thinking almost impossible. Not completely, though, she slowly wrangled back control over her thoughts. It took another moment or two to remember what had happened.
The ritual had ended in failure, and she had been cut off from the flow of energy, unable to channel it into a spell. This was the first time something like this had happened, and right now, it was impossible to find out what had been the cause.
She mumbled something under her breath.
“What did you say?”
“I said I might have pissed away our ticket out of here.”