After the man’s long speech, Petra had to shake her head to get it all straight in her mind. She asked, "Who are you?"
"I am that which dies and is reborn. I was the lover of a Goddess and my brother, being a jealous wretch, slew me untimely in this place where my lover’s power did not reach. But he was trapped here when I cast the Staff," he nodded toward the staff in Brian’s hand, "far from him and it was lost. I’m sure he resides in or near the Temple, awaiting someone who finds the Staff. It is part of the Staff’s power that it will always be drawn to the Temple so long as there is someone to carry it. With the Staff, my brother can open the path to the worlds around us."
Understanding that the staff he carried could help them escape this place, Brian asked, "So, the staff will eventually lead us to this temple if we only keep walking?"
Nodding, the man said, "That and my brother’s need."
He pushed himself up from the grass and stretched his arms and legs. Once on his feet, Brian and Petra saw that while the man was little more than average height, he was the broadest, most heavily muscled man they had ever seen. He reached up to pluck a golden globe from a branch and offering it to Petra, drew down another to hand to Brian. As they each began eating, relishing the sweet juice that ran down their chins, he sat upon one of the stones and placed an elbow on one knee, resting his chin upon the upraised fist. Petra almost giggled at the incongruous similarity to The Thinker and had to smother the impulse with another bite of the fruit.
The man’s eyes that Petra had originally thought to be black turned out to be the deepest and darkest of blues and they glanced first at Brian, then at Petra.
"The Staff knows your need for escape from this Realm, but will take you by a round-about route because of the danger of encountering my brother at the Temple. Though I was dead, my soul wandered this realm for millennia and saw what my brother has done, and this I will reveal to you."
He lifted his head from his fist and pointed at Petra. "You have traveled the worlds and set in motion the movement of your sisters in sympathy to your plight."
He turned to Brian. "Your Precursor has done the same; thus setting you on your path." Turning again to Petra, he said, "Those of your sisters that he has not killed, have eventually lost the strength to navigate the Realm and found themselves trapped here; between worlds, and been captured by my brother. Once captured, he drains them of their essence and sets them about the Temple as a lure for any others that wander here. They possess nothing of the selves they once held and exist only as extensions of himself. All they have left is an affinity for their sisters; thus any of you that enter the Realm are eventually drawn to them and become powerless to withstand him."
As Brian started to expostulate on Lisa’s danger, the man raised a hand to quiet him and said, "I know you seek another of her sisters and I can only tell you that she is, even now, lost to you. My brother has captured her and is ingesting her psyche. Thus does he gain sustenance in this place."
He turned to look steadily at Petra and went on, "You, being the Precursor, are stronger than the others and he will want you above all others. He will set all of them to lure you and all their combined power will be turned against you. You will lose every sense of self and you have no defense against them."
His hand went to the staff that Brian still held and he said, "Except this; in the hand of the man who loves you above all others. He is not the Precursor, and so is not the strongest of them, but his love for you will brook no danger to you. He will dare any obstacle put in his way and will even lay down his life for you. It may be that he will have to die in order for you to win free of this Realm, but once you cross to the next world, you must cross no more. To do so is to endanger yourself with no chance of redemption for you will never possess the strength to cross again. Each crossing depletes your strength and having spent time here, among the Veils of Creation, your strength has had its polarity reversed. You have the strength to stabilize whatever world you end up in, but that is all."
Brian’s jaw clenched and unclenched for a moment before he asked, "How do we get back to my world?"
"My brother must be above the altar stone or on it. Point the Staff at him and put your fingertips on the activating points, the Staff will do the rest. All the power my brother has garnered from her sisters will be released, leaving him powerless, maybe even dead, and a path to the next world, which I take it is your own, will be opened through the Ring of Fidelity. You must waste no time in entering the path; to do so is to risk being trapped here forever. The Staff will not cross with you; it can only cross in my grip or that of my brother, and I can no longer wield it. Do not let it into my brother’s hands; he will return to the Universe, leaving you here with no way to cross."
Petra asked, "How do we get him onto the altar? He’s not just going to sit on it because we ask him to."
Turning his full gaze on her, his eyes seemed to blaze as he said, "You will have to lure him, as your sisters will lure you. It is imperative that you position yourself upon the altar so that he must come to you. The effects of the Staff will not harm you so long as he has not begun the process of drawing your essence from you."
Fearing for Lisa and unwilling to accept that she was lost to him, Brian asked, "What will happen to the other Lisas?"
The man shook his head sadly, saying, "They are living stone even now. When the Staff is turned upon my brother, they will become immobile and their true natures revealed. Only his power animates them now. Their lives are ended and there is no way to help them." He pointed to Petra. "This is the only one you can help."
"Can you point us toward this temple you spoke of?"
Spreading his hands, the man said, "When my brother becomes hungry again, the temple will find you." He patted the upright stone beside him. "This entire place is made of stone, but it does not adhere to the laws that exist in the Universe. There are only a dozen or so actual locations among the Veils and when they or someone who controls them feels a need, then they simply appear near anyone who walks among the Veils. Thus will you find standing stones or shelter in this place."
Lisa asked, "Are there other people here?"
He shrugged. "There is no reckoning of Time in this place but I have been dead a long time. My brother embarked on his method of prolonging his life sometime before I was killed, but yes, not including the sisters of your Lisa, there are others here."
Brian asked, "Are they dangerous?"
The man’s face turned downward for a moment until he looked from one to the other of them and said, "They are. My brother allied himself with them and set them on me. My Death Curse holds them in thrall but was not strong enough to send them their doom. When you encounter them, they will sometimes be forced to re-enact the deed that doomed them to an eternal life in this place with no chance of escape. There are also other things here that may have an uneasy truce with him."
Petra’s eyes had been growing heavy while he spoke and she realized that what he had said about the fruit was true; she felt as though she had eaten a huge meal. She placed her pack against one of the dressed stones and stretched out to use it as a pillow. The man’s voice came distantly to her as she began to drowse, and she missed what he said about the other creatures in this place.
The man finished with, "You must both sleep now. I will guard your slumbers so long as the warmth of this bubble lasts. When it is gone, I will return to the moldering bones you found."
Brian asked, "How do we know you won’t take the Staff and leave us here?"
For answer, the man rose and walked to the very edge of the bubble of warmth and light and extended his hand outside it. The flesh disappeared, leaving only the appearance of gleaming, white bone.
"You have nothing to worry about."
Chapter Five
Awakening, Petra found herself huddled against Brian’s back for warmth and pushed herself up quickly; her eyes darting here and there in the gloom. The bubble of light and warmth had shrunk till it held only th
e Tree of Life within its embrace and as she watched, it withdrew slightly, leaving several of the fruit outside its influence and though they kept their color, blemishes appeared on them.
She pushed Brian’s shoulder, crying, "Wake up! The light is going!"
Grasping her pack, she darted to the Tree. Dumping the pack, she replaced only the headdress and the knife before filling it with the fruit. Once she had it filled, she turned to Brian and started to say something until she saw him standing by the stone where they had found the man’s bones. She walked to him and stopped when she was abreast of him. The man’s bones had resumed their place among the stones and she felt suddenly sad without knowing why. Her hand sought Brian’s and grasped it for a second before she realized what she was doing and snatched it away. His hurt, puzzled look was burned in her brain and she felt a nameless guilt steal into her mind. The electric thrill had not been present when she touched him, so she knew she hadn’t reached out to him because of a loss of her memories or sense of self. Maybe she was just becoming accustomed to his presence. Whatever it was, she resolved not to let it steal away her purpose in fleeing his double.
Turning from the bones, he picked up the Staff from where it had lain beside the bones and said, "We’d better get on along. We have an appointment."
The bitter way he said it made her think that he had second thoughts about helping her to escape this place if he couldn’t have his Lisa.
Oddly concerned about him for the first time, she asked, "Are you sure you want to try getting back to your world? You might die in the attempt."
For answer, he took her pack from her and, heavy as it was with fruit, shouldered it before saying, "I love you more than anyone I’ve ever known. You may not be my Lisa, but you’re the closest thing available. You may not ever love me but that doesn’t matter. I have to get you someplace safe." His eyes found hers. "If I don’t make it and you do, and the other Brian finds you; kill him. Keep a gun with you at all times and shoot him as soon as you see him. You might go to prison but it’s better than dying."
He turned and began walking in the direction they had been traveling before they were sidetracked by the appearance of the stones. As she followed him, her eyes went to his back and she bit her lip as unwanted feelings of sadness for him stole into her mind.
* * *
The solid sheet of stone they walked on became less and less even as it rose before them until they found themselves clambering from ledge to ledge. With the ever-present mist all around them, there was no way to spy out a smoother path and they trusted the Staff to lead them to the Temple.
Brian’s thin, summer-weight slacks and shirt showed the wear of traveling over the stone. The leather of his shoes had split here and there from the constant damp and Petra expected all of them to shred before her eyes at each step. As she thought of his plight, her eyes went to her own clothing.
Her athletic shoes, being made of tough fabric and rubber were still in good shape, but her jeans were getting frayed at the hems and thin at the pressure points on her legs and hips. Her sweatshirt, not being exposed to so much moisture, was in better shape, but her jacket, so thick and durable when she donned it before leaving, had worn at the elbows and shoulders. If it didn’t still provide some shelter from the mist, she would have discarded it long before. She regretted not keeping the clothing she had discarded when she filled the pack with fruit so long ago, but hadn’t expected to spend so much time searching for the Temple.
As they clambered onto a wide, flat ledge, she caught Brian’s arm and tiredly gestured to the staff in his hand. Catching her meaning, he pointed the end of it at the back of the ledge and activated it, bringing a bubble of warmth and light into being. When he collapsed in the globe, shivering, she went to him, removing her jacket to drape it over both of them before he fell asleep. As his breathing deepened, she caught herself thinking tenderly of him and opened the top of her pack. The scent of over-ripe fruit assailed her nostrils but when she drew one of them forth, the effects of the lighted bubble were already working their magic and the fruit was whole and luscious again. Biting into it, she shook Brian awake and handed him another of the golden globes.
He forced his eyes open, blinking several times before his mind registered the shape of the fruit in his hand. His hand sank to his lap with the fruit as his eyes closed yet again and she shook him awake again.
"You need to eat before you sleep. The bubble may be gone by the time you wake and the fruit will be bad again."
He quickly ate half the fruit and she saw the lines drawn in his face smooth out as the fruit’s magical properties worked within him. By the time he had finished the fruit; he was wide awake and seemed to have filled out again. Petra worried about the effect the fruit was having on them; when they first ate it, they became healthy and whole, but after walking for who knew how long, they became emaciated and haggard, as though they hadn’t eaten anything for weeks. If they were deprived of the fruit, would they wither and die?
When she had finished her own fruit, she stuffed the core into a pocket of the pack and watched as it slowly became a frit again. She shrugged inwardly and thanked their lucky stars for having learned at least one of the secrets of the Staff.
Though she felt stronger and healthier than she had for a long time, she grew sleepy and leaned against Brian; warm again, and let her eyes close.
* * *
An odd sensation woke her; the back of her hand, though cool, was still dry, but the palm and fingers felt much warmer and seemed slightly moist. As she opened her eyes, she saw that in her sleep, her hand had been living a life of its own and slid down below the waistband of Brian’s slacks to grasp what they found there.
Jerking her hand away, the motion woke her companion and she quickly turned to making sure their few possessions were stowed in the pack as he looked at her, puzzled at first, but then finally coming to a realization of what she had been doing. His brow came down as he considered what he had come to think of as her dual nature; on the one hand, she unconsciously wanted to make love with him, but whenever she discovered herself acting on the impulse, she always broke it off. He shook his head as she kept her face turned away from him and he slid the pitiful remains of her jacket out from behind him and draped it over her shoulders. She jerked away from him, more angry at herself than at him, but wanting to give him the impression of not desiring to make love with him.
He looked at their surroundings and said, "The bubble is getting smaller. How long do you think it lasts?"
For answer, she stripped her watch from her wrist and tossed it a few feet to the outside of the bubble where it landed face up and they could both see that the hands on its face did not move.
"I know. Our watches don’t work so there’s no way we can know how much time passes. I’ve wondered about Time in this place, Petra. The Man said that Time doesn’t pass here; so, does that mean that when we finally escape, it will be the same day on the outside that it was when we entered here?"
Sighing, she stopped with her hands lying still on the pack and stared at the edge of the bubble as it drew inexorably closer.
"I don’t know. I suppose so. If that’s true, then we aren’t aging. Maybe all we’ll need to do when we get back is have a few good meals and we’ll be back to normal."
Dispiritedly, he said, "Yeah. Back to normal. Lisa will still be dead and you’ll still hate me. I’ll still be alone and you’ll still be doing…whatever it is that you are doing."
Suddenly tired of being of two minds about him, she spun to face him.
"I don’t hate you, Brian! More and more, I’m finding that you’re like what I was searching for! I wasn’t just trying to escape the other Brian, I was looking for one of his doubles that could be gentle and kind and thoughtful! I’m seeing that in you, in this place!"
Turning from him again, she said, "I hate the way I’ve acted toward you!"
He was surprised to realize that she was crying and when her shoulders began to heave u
nder the loosely draped jacket, he put a hand on one of them and was even more surprised when she spun into his arms with her lips going to his. It suddenly became important to both of them for their skins to be touching and taking hold of his shirt, she pulled it until the few buttons that were left popped off, to be lost on the stone around them. Her jacket fell to the stone as he pulled it off over her head while her hands went to the fastening of his slacks. He slid the remains of his shirt off his shoulders and fumbled at her jeans until she lent a hand. Her shoes went off across the stone, one of them nearly falling off the ledge as she quickly slid her jeans and underwear off. As he lifted her body, her legs went around his waist and he leaned back against the stone at the back of their ledge. Before she had really started plunging against him, a quick swirl of the mist just beyond their shrinking bubble of light and warmth parted as a figure flew through it. A pair of talons grasped her shoulders, scraping and breaking the skin in four places on each and she was jerked from his grasp. A musty, gamy scent filled both their nostrils and Brian felt a strong, feathered wing buffet him to one side when he reached out for her. As he fell to the stone, Brian heard Petra’s scream receding into the mist above him before it abruptly cut off.
* * *
Petra found herself suspended in mid-air with talons holding tightly to her upper arms and shoulders. They abraded her skin and she was sure she felt blood seeping down her sides as she was carried through the mist, but it was hard to be sure; the mist itself was beading on her skin and streaming away in the wind of her forward motion. All thought of struggle was cleared from her mind as she thought of the stone below her; how far, she didn’t know, the mist was too thick to see through. If she struggled and came free from the punishing talons, she could fall hundreds of feet and didn’t want to die here. Even if she only broke her legs in the fall, there was no way to get back to Brian and surely no way for him to find her. The despair of her situation and the act that had been interrupted; so fulfilling at long last, caused her to faint, stopping the scream she hadn’t realized had escaped her throat.
It Happens Every Day Page 8