by Joshua Cook
“Trixes!” Marcus bellowed. Sal dropped the bag and removed a couple of nets. “Here!” He tossed one to Cendan and Jasmine.
“Trixes?” Cendan asked, unsure of what to do. No sooner had he said the words that he saw them, running and jumping towards the Bridgefinders. At first glance, he thought they were bugs, but bugs didn’t move in that manner, and bugs weren’t that big. These things were the size of a small dog, and wore what appeared to be armor, fashioned of tree bark and wood. And bugs certainly didn’t hold what he thought were two tridents one in each… claw? Hand? It was hard to make out in the rain, and even harder to process seeing it now, live and in person.
“Cendan,” Jasmine yelled. “Catch them so we can banish them!” Her words broke his trance. Right. Immobilize and then banish. The things were fast, though, and they used what they had in their claws to their advantage. Jasmine had caught two in her net by the time Cendan finally caught the third one, narrowly avoiding being stuck with the sharp end of a small golden trident.
“You focus, now!” Jasmine said, holding hers up. Cendan followed suit, still feeling a bit silly. “Now, concentrate of your focus, feel it grounding you to the now, the here. Imagine it tying you to the Earth.”
Cendan followed her commands. At first, it was hard, but he could feel what she meant, that sense of permanence—slow change, and then permanence. Those feelings welled through him and into his focus, his key. The effect on the Trixies was dramatic. A high-pitched whine sounded from them all, one that set his teeth on edge. Suddenly, the Trixies popped out of existence.
“Now,” Marcus said, “Same thing, but direct that feeling towards the Bridge.”
They all held up their foci, and Cendan could feel it—a huge hand pushed out from them to the Bridge. A slight resistance gathered and strengthened. Cendan knew this feeling. This was what he had experienced before with the map at the headquarters. In the same manner as the creatures—the Trixies that he and Jasmine had banished—the Bridge vanished, leaving only a slight inrush of air.
“Good work!” Marcus slapped Cendan on the back harder than Cendan would have liked. He would have preferred not to be touched at all, but he was still trying to understand what he’d just been part of. “Your first real Bridge and creature combination. Just some Trixies, but still, there’s a first time for everything.”
Sal nodded. “Strange that it was Trixies, though, and only three.”
“Why is that important?” Cendan asked. If he was going to do this, he needed to know everything he could about the whole process.
“Well... Trixies aren’t much of a threat unless there are a lot of them. Swarms of twelve or more are dangerous and more common. Three isn’t anything dangerous,” Sal responded. He paced for a minute and studied Cendan, who was now quite soaked and quite cold. “I think she was testing us, and more importantly, you.”
“Me?” Cendan shivered. “What do you mean?”
Jasmine grabbed him as they started toward the car. “What Sal is trying to say is the Slyph may know we have a new member. Remember, Grellnot already found you. So, the Slyph probably knows, and set this up with a light force to test your abilities.”
Cendan nodded, but was too cold to answer. Once he was finally in the car, Sal produced a towel from his bag somewhere, and Cendan dried off and tried to get warm. “I understand the urgency, but next time, let me grab a jacket.” As the car started off, none of them looked back at the park, but something was certainly watching them.
Chapter Six
Grellnot stood in a tree, high enough to have seen them close the Bridge and banish the Trixies. The new one was ready now, Grellnot could smell him. New and strong. Grellnot had long been able to tell how powerful a Finder was—the more powerful the Finder, the more food for Grellnot. This new one, he was strong, very strong. And this was the perfect time to feed upon him. He was ready, but not trained, not experienced. He didn’t know yet. Perfectly ripe.
But how to get him away from the others? Grellnot sniffed and groaned as he thought, his dirty bare feet rubbing off the tree bark as he shifted back and forth. “Grellnot not want to take them all on at once. Not yet, not now.” With a bound, he leaped from the tree and landed in the soft wet ground. Water dripped down his lanky hair and over whatever remained of what he was wearing.
“Grellnot not do that. No Finders, no food for Grellnot. But this one is ripe... Tasty.” Grellnot continued speaking to himself and pacing around. “Grellnot could do this to keep her happy.” Grellnot spat and fumed. He was so close to not being under her control anymore, so close. “Grellnot just needs to watch. New Finders make mistakes, don’t listen to their elders…” A giggle came from inside the creature, at first happy, then ominous.
“Grellnot watch and wait. Soon… soon…” And with that, Grellnot leaped into the tree again, and began to jump through the air. He could smell the Finders—he just had to follow them for now. Humans were such stupid creatures. Stupid, but so tasty. A grin crossed Grellnot’s face as he continued to track the car. Grellnot was hungry.
The car pulled back to its spot behind the Red Orchid. Cendan was mostly dry now, but could use a warm drink. Considering what he had just been a part of, maybe a warm drink that was a little fortified was more in line for now. They quickly moved down the stairs and into the lair which was all Cendan could think of it as now. Marcus still hadn’t said anything since his brief outburst at the Bridge. He’d seemed happy then, but was now back to his brooding and harsh self.
Cendan headed straight to the kitchen, seeing if he could actually find it on his own.
Jasmine, however, chased after him. “Focus in the barrier room first. Always.”
Cendan sighed. That did make sense, but it didn’t help keep him warm. He turned and followed her through the maze of tunnels and rooms once again, making a mental map of the places that were important.
“How many people lived here, in the past?” Cendan asked as they walked. “There’s a lot of rooms, and I know we aren’t actually under the Red Orchid.”
Jasmine shrugged. “I don’t know, really. Marcus might. I’d guess nearly a thousand.”
Cendan nodded and counted the doors as they passed them. He guessed that the next turn would be the barrier room, and he was right. He noted that Sal’s and Marcus’s lights were glowing in the door, meaning they had already placed their foci there. That was a good way to know if someone was in the place or not.
Marcus was actually standing in the room, meditating at the barrier board when they entered. The room had the same feeling of permanence that it always did. Jasmine placed her focus in its customary spot, and then Cendan placed his. The feeling got stronger and even more righteous. Marcus shook his head and closed his eyes.
“Cendan, you need to understand the reason we need you here. This is it. This room, with these foci, is all that keeps this world from being overrun by a horde of creatures that run the gamut from mostly harmless to terrifyingly evil. For so long we’ve been giving up ground, day in and day out. Even with you here, we will continue to do the same. But anything, anything we can do to slow the Slyph down, we need to do.” Marcus turned to Cendan. “Your old life is just that—old. It’s over with. Done. This needs to be your primary job now.”
Cendan sighed. “Marcus, I hear you, but this… I don’t even know you people. I thought I knew Jasmine, but now? She may as well be a stranger to me. This isn’t me! I’m a Systems Analyst. I figure out problems with logistic chains, production lines, even technical networks. I’m not some self-styled Bridgefinder waving a magic key around and fighting strange creatures.” His voice was filled with some of the frustration and anger he’d been trying to ignore since all this started.
“I don’t want to be this. Keep the damn key. I want to go home, to my house, and pretend the last few days never happened.”
Marcus’s face became dark and the air of anger around him grew greater. “That isn’t an option. You’re one of us now, Cendan. The time for bac
king off is over. You think the Slyph is going to just let you live? You think Grellnot isn’t going to come after you? Today was only a few Trixies. Nothing major. There are many servants of the Slyph that are far more dangerous, and far more terrifying.”
“You stay here. I sent Jasmine to get your things this morning because I needed you here—we need you here—the whole damn planet needs you here!” Marcus yelled.
Cendan blinked. “Forget this.” And he stalked out of the room. He paused at the door. “Jasmine, let me out.” As Cendan started towards the exit, Marcus clenched his fists but nodded to Jasmine to go with Cendan.
Cendan was waiting by the exit wall when she arrived, holding her focus. “Don’t say a word. Just let me leave. I left you my focus. I hope it helps. But I’m not cut out for this. I don’t know why I ever agreed.”
Jasmine didn’t say anything at first. Then, she slowly nodded. “Cendan, be careful. Marcus was right—the Slyph and the creatures she controls will not forget you. Grellnot always remembers. Without your focus, you will be more of a target than ever. Let me give you a ride home at least.”
Cendan pointed to the wall. “Jasmine, just let me go. I need to walk. I need to get away from all this. You know me—you knew this wasn’t going to be easy for me. Just… forget I was ever here.”
With a roll of her eyes, Jasmine held up her focus and the wall slowly opened in front of him. Stepping through, he felt that wrenching sensation again, but stronger. Force of habit made him reach into his pocket, but the key wasn’t there. The key! It was still in the barrier room, and he’d never hold it again. This idea more than anything else gave him pause. Still, he was free right? Free to go back to his life before that run a few days ago, when everything made sense to him, life was logical, and none of this other stuff intruded into his mind.
The gate above him opened, and he stepped into the light, nodding to whichever relative of Jasmine’s had opened the door for him. The rain had stopped, but it was still cool, damp, and gray out. Cendan checked his pockets and realized on top of it all, he didn’t have his wallet, just his keys. And of course his car was at his house. With a sigh, he realized he was going to have to walk home.
He started walking, watching the cars drive past and being wary of the puddles that they drove through, splashing the cold, dirty water onto the sidewalk where he was traveling. He was a mile or so into his walk when he felt it—a feeling of dread washed over him, dread and anger. He glanced around but didn’t see anything. The feeling only got stronger, however, and Cendan began to walk faster.
He knew what it was. Jasmine and the others had been right—the Slyph wasn’t going to just ignore him, and something from her world was tracking him. If he cut through a neighborhood up on the right, he could cut a bit of time off his trip home. While he hadn’t seen anything, the quicker he got home, the better he would feel. Besides, if he didn’t appear to be threatening, maybe whatever it was would leave him be.
He was in between two houses when something large and heavy hit him square in the back, sending him tumbling to the ground, hard. Wet grass and dirt filled his mouth as he pushed himself up to be greeted with a sight he had hoped wouldn’t be.
In front of him stood a small figure, dirty and unkempt. It had greenish skin, almost scaly in appearance, and the rotting remains of clothing clung to the figure. It was wet with the rain, but that just made it more disturbing. Even worse was that the feeling of disgust and dread were so strong that Cendan had to fight the urge to retch.
“Stupid human,” the creature said. “No Finder friends to help you here.” Its long, thick gray tongue licked its lips. “Tasty Finder.” The creature paused and raised itself up on its toes to take a long sniff of the air. Then Cendan saw it—a necklace strung with a myriad of objects. Foci. They were all foci. Cendan knew then what this creature was.
“Grellnot.” Cendan said, the pit of his stomach dropping.
“Yes! Yes, stupid human Finder. Grellnot. And you, you Finder. All alone,” Grellnot replied, pacing in front of Cendan. “But you smell… not right. Something wrong with you, Finder.” Grellnot faced Cendan, and its red irises narrowed. “Your shiny, where is it?”
“Shiny?” Cendan was confused for a moment. “My focus? It’s with the others. I left the Bridgefinders—”
“No shiny?” Grellnot wailed. “Grellnot wants it. Grellnot needs it for its necklace. Stupid human Finder!” Grellnot paused and grimaced. “Grellnot may have let you live if you had it. Grellnot may have just taken your shiny treasure, drained your power, and let you live. It would hurt—oh, it would hurt—but you would live, stupid human Finder.”
Grellnot flexed its clawed hands. “But the stupid human Finder had to leave its shiny where Grellnot can’t get it. And because of that, Grellnot is going to have to make sure the stupid human Finder doesn’t live through this day.”
Cendan was scared—terrified, in fact. Running wasn’t going to do any good, he was sure, but maybe it could buy him some time? Why had he left? They had warned him, but he hadn’t wanted to listen. He was going to get killed, maybe even eaten by this creature, and all because he had been too damn stupid to see the truth—that he was a Bridgefinder now. Regret enveloped him.
“First, Grellnot will eat your power, then Grellnot will eat you.” Malice filled each word as he reached towards Cendan.
Cendan felt it—a tug at first, and then a stronger pull. How much was this going to hurt? His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sound, a vibration. It came on suddenly, two sounds harmonizing.
“Ow ow ow!” Grellnot dropped its hand and grabbed his head. Cendan didn’t feel any pain. The tugging and pulling sensation had vanished altogether.
Grellnot looked up at Cendan and screamed. Pure rage washed over him as Grellnot yelled one word and leaped into the air to vanish.
“Maker!”
Cendan felt himself fading out. He collapsed on the wet ground and passed out.
Grellnot reappeared in the Echo World. The pain in its head was fading slowly, very slowly. Twice, poor Grellnot had not been able to feed on Finders. “Makers,” it said, spitting the word out with anger. He hunched down, rocking back and forth. He could sense other creatures nearby, some even watching him. A few sprites were hovering above him, circling. Stupid things, but tasty in a pinch, though he couldn’t live off of them. Below him, he could feel a gremlin moving through an old dwarf tunnel. It must have sensed Grellnot because it rapidly moved in the opposite direction from him once it got close enough.
Creatures here either afraid of poor Grellnot, or served as food for Grellnot. Only the elves, dwarves, and gnomes, along with the Slyph herself, weren’t prey for it. Grellnot wanted to feast on an elf at least once, but they fought back, with swords and arrows. Some even knew how to use whatever magic she had given them. Dwarves and gnomes he had tried, and both he did not like. Rocks and dust was what they tasted of—it had taken days for the taste to get out of poor Grellnot’s mouth.
She would be calling him soon to find out about the new Finder. Grellnot wasn’t happy about that. Grellnot didn’t have anything to show for it. The stupid human was a Maker. A Maker. Grellnot hadn’t known that, or it would not have tried to feast on him. Why hadn’t she warned poor Grellnot that the stupid human was a Maker?
Unless… maybe she didn’t know? This made it sit upright in thought, something that was somewhat unusual for Grellnot. It leaped into the air and grabbed a sprite, making the others scatter in fear. Ignoring its squeaks and bites, Grellnot chewed down on it in one strong bite. If she didn’t know the Finder was actually a Maker, maybe she would be happy with Grellnot and not take its shiny treasures?
“Yes, Grellnot know something she does not know,” Grellnot said. Sniffing the air again, Grellnot determined where she was. It was time to bargain with her—maybe she would even let Grellnot leave without her permission.
The Slyph was in the midst of creation when Grellnot appeared. It could see the threads of magic in t
he air being pulled and woven together into a new form—a bug form. She had used a lot of those as of late. It and most of the older races there were human-shaped, but in the last hundred human years, she had started using more bug shapes for some reason. Grellnot didn’t like them. They didn’t taste as good.
The Slyph sensed Grellnot nearby, but she ignored it. Her newest creation was almost done. It was an insectile race, armored and shiny. Humans were, for the most part, terrified by insects. Once she had realized that, more creatures were created that way. Every edge she could get was one she would use.
Finally the magic ebbed, and in front of the Slyph stood a creature with six legs, four arms, and four huge antennae. Its coloring was red and black. She would create more of them soon—perfect for when she made a Bridge into a human city. She would name it later. For now, she had to deal with Grellnot.
She flicked a finger at the newly born creature, which shuddered and moved out of the area. Insect minds could be strange difficult sometimes, but their uses outweighed their problems.
Turning her attention to Grellnot, the Slyph paused. Something was wrong. While she didn’t control Grellnot as much as she wanted to, this close she could still detect what he had been up to—Grellnot was still partially hers, after all.
“You failed,” the Slyph said. “The new Bridgefinder is still alive, and you failed.” Pacing back and forth, Grellnot hissed. “Why, Grellnot, why would you possibly appear before me after failing me?”
“You didn’t tell Grellnot something, something important,” Grellnot replied, and gave a low whine, rubbing its head. “You tell Grellnot to feast, take the stupid human’s shiny. That was what you told Grellnot.”