The Inner Realm

by Dale Furse

  He wasn’t a very good artisan, Hankley remembered, but didn’t say anything.

  Cord reclined and crossed his legs. “You know, Hankley, we have to get the wall back before Oln speaks at the All Realm meeting. Azu will want a full run down on the realms and Oln won’t hide anything.” He gave a little shake of his head. “You and the Shanks aren’t alone in the hot seat. And Gart isn’t the only god who has wanted the Inner Realm for millennium. If Azu finds out what’s been going on here, he might hand it over to one of the less easy-going gods.”

  Cord sipped his tea. “Let’s see if we can’t figure out what Gart has done with it.”

  They theorized over the wall’s disappearance for some time while they drank the hot tea. Hankley tried to take in what Cord said, but Cord had started talking technicalities. Hankley’s mind turned to Gart. The Quarter Realm God could be the downfall of Oln. What if Azu took the rule of the Inner Realm off Oln? He did not want to serve under any of Oln’s brothers or sisters, especially Mav. Her specialty, chaos and noise, was the exact opposite of Hankley’s preference for order and quiet. He shuddered. He wanted the Inner Realm to stay the way it was.

  “I can see I’ve lost you,” Cord said.

  “Huh? What? Sorry, you know I can’t follow all that stuff.”

  “All you need to know for now is this; I’ll follow up on what I’ve said and contact you if I find anything. It may help if you can get me the key.”

  “The Key? I don’t think so, Oln said Gart had it. How long do you think we have before Azu does something?”

  “Of course he mightn’t do anything about the gods’ goings on, but I’d like to be prepared in case he does.” Cord scratched his cheek. “It’s hard to say. I guess it depends on when Oln and Gart report to him, and trust me, they will give Azu detailed reports. They never leave their father in the dark about anything.” He shook his head. “I’d guess they’ll give their reports after they’ve feasted and shared their news with each other. Azu likes them to have some fun together first. Eight or nine Cillian days, but we’d better figure it out by day six, just in case.”

  “Six days?” Hankley almost choked on the words. “All right, you do your thing and I’ll do mine.”

  “Which is?”

  “I want to keep the boys close to where we think the wall will re-appear. Thank Azu, that will not be too difficult. As soon as it does, we’ll have to get them to their home worlds before any other human from any of the connecting worlds decide to wander through a door or two.”

  Cord stood up. “Oln won’t be too happy if you interfere with the mortals.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Please, nothing gets by orange robes.”

  “Humph. You lot are just nosy.”

  Cord chortled. “Good luck to you then, Hank, may Azu be with you.”

  “I hope not,” Hankley mumbled, and shook his head. He motioned to the Shanks to follow him on the way out, but Rone put her hand on his arm. “Hankley, wait. You didn’t even say hello.”

  “Sorry, Rone, my mind is a bit of a muddle today.”

  “Yeah, a muddle.”

  Hankley scowled at Shank One.

  Tightening her grip on Hankley’s arm, Rone smiled. “I’m sure you’ll work out the problem with the wall.”

  Hankley opened his mouth to berate the Shanks.

  “No, no, I already knew before you arrived,” Rone said before he could utter a single syllable.

  “Uh,” said Hankley.

  “Like I said,” Rone pecked Hankley on the cheek, “you will sort it out.”

  “Uh,” Hankley said again, hot blood rushing through his veins and filling his face. He frowned at the Shanks’ stupid grins.

  Rone, appearing pleased with his reaction, turned and headed for Cord’s office.

  Hankley kept silent as he and the Shanks walked through the Gold Quarter. He was aware they chatted behind him, but his mind filled with thoughts of Rone. He didn’t understand what she meant or why she kissed him, but that didn’t stop the strange, warm feeling in his stomach. He could still feel the tingle where her lips touched his cheek. Shank Two’s voice broke into his reverie.

  “Hankley, did you hear me?”

  “What? Um, no. What did you say?”

  “I said, One and I agree we’ve seen Rone before somewhere, but we can’t remember where.”

  Hankley stepped on the red circle. “Tell me when you remember then.” Rone visited all the quarters at different times. “Or better yet, why don’t you go and ask her? I am sure she will remember you two. I’m going to watch the boys.”

  The Shanks glanced at each other before stepping closer to Hankley.

  “We are too,” said Shank Two.

  “Yeah.”

  Chapter 7

  “I think you two need to sleep now. We will talk more on the morrow.” King Horace said.

  “You Majesty?” Mike said. “Can we try to find the wall of doors tomorrow?”

  “You boys will stay here with Vala. We will let you know if we see the wall.”

  Although Mike would have preferred to look for himself, he was glad the king didn’t dismiss his request.

  The king arranged for Terni to sleep on the mat with Noor and Mike to bunk down on the other side of Cornel. Vala slept between Noor and Cornel, as if the two older staff members formed a guard around her.

  Mike’s sleeping mat was so close to Ludo’s tent, his feet almost touched the canvas. The king didn’t go straight to bed instead, he was speaking with Ludo.

  “You heard my conversation…”

  The king’s voice was too quiet. Mike rolled onto his back so both ears were clear.

  “Most of it,” Ludo replied. “Father, I think this is a trick. There was no wall of doors. I…”

  Ludo must have turned away from the front of the tent, because Mike couldn’t hear his words clearly. He strained harder.

  “Do you believe those boys are from other worlds? That Ternith and Eva are still alive on those other worlds? Father, it is impossible.”

  “I know it does sound impossible,” the king’s voice wavered, but still held a little hope. “Perhaps you arrived after the twins…”

  Mike screwed up his face. He checked the others. They appeared to be asleep and he scrambled around, making sure not to knock Cornel or Terni, so his head was closest to Ludo’s tent.

  “Father,” Ludo let out his breath in a dramatic sigh, “I was there. I saw Derek with my own eyes. I saw him push them both off the cliff and into the raging ocean below.”

  Footsteps paced up and down the inside of the tent, and although Ludo’s voice quietened, Mike could still hear them if he concentrated.

  “Are you saying you don’t believe me, Father?” the prince demanded.

  “I do believe you believe what you saw.” The king sounded tired. “I also believe it is as the physician reported.” Silence for a moment. “However, there is one story I can’t get out of my mind. The story of Peteor, who said he flew to heaven and saw wondrous things. That Azu and all his offspring are real.”

  King Horace cleared his throat. “Peteor, the first Creal king, had met Azu. The universe is explained in great detail in The Tarn, especially, the Inner Realm ruled by Azu’s son Oln. And the Inner Realm includes Cillian amongst his worlds.”

  The prince snorted. “Father, that is a fable told to children.”

  “That might be true, Ludo, but perhaps it would behoove us all to re-read The Tarn. I seem to remember Peteor stating in the book, if any other mortal of Cillian crosses into the heavens, they would be the king, or queen of course. A new monarch at this time would replace me as King of Zandell.”

  Ludo roared with laughter. “Father, that’s all a load of pig muck. If any were to take over the crown, they would have to war with us and win.” Ludo’s tone became husky. But if it were one of our own…”

  His voice trailed off as if he was considering the thought.

  “I know, I know. However, if there is a
shred of truth in the fable, what would be so hard to believe about a wall of doors that can take people to other worlds? Azu is ruler of the universes. We have always been taught this is not a sole universe in the cosmos. I have an open mind, son. I would like you to re-live that night over and over until you can swear to Azu what you say is fact, and not a presumption on your part. You were young, and our minds make sense of things we don’t comprehend in their own ways.” The king moved through the tent flap. “I will speak with you again on the morrow.”

  King Horace of Zandell trundled like a man beaten toward his tent as Ludo snarled, “You will not.”

  Unable to sleep, Mike stared up at the clear night sky trying to find any patterns he knew. He wanted to take his mind off what the king had told them, but the stars didn’t help. His parents must have come from this place, no matter what the prince said, and Terni’s father must be Micah’s twin brother. He wondered about the names. Zandell must be what they call their country, and Cillian must be what they call Earth. No, maybe Zandell was a kingdom in the country called Cillian. He didn’t want to think about it. However, they described their country or kingdom or whatever, he didn’t want to think about how he would never meet his father. How was he going to tell his mother?

  Squinting, he tried again to see a familiar pattern in the sky. He was always able to spot the Southern Cross at home, but this sky, on this world, didn’t contain even a close resemblance to any of the stars of Earth. None.

  He gave up trying, and his thoughts turned to Terni. Strange little Terni. If everything was real, he and the kid were cousins. Mike tried to remember if his mother ever spoke about her childhood or any of her family. He rubbed his aching head.

  Mike looked over at the sleeping child. Terni might look a little like Mike’s uncle, but his clothes, although weird in themselves, showed signs of a grubby little boy. Food and drink stains spotted the front of his orange tunic. They couldn’t be related.

  An urge to wipe the kid’s face overcame him. How he got gravy in his hair, Mike did not know. He rolled over, unable to look at the child any longer without doing something about the dirt. He closed his eyes, thinking about his home and his real family.

  It was baby Derek’s fault Mike was there. If he had never been born, none of this would have happened. Mike groaned inwardly. He knew he was being unreasonable. He had to admit if he hadn’t opened the door, if he’d used an ounce of common sense, he would have found out where the wall had come from in the first place. He gave himself an imaginary smack.

  He stared into the fire. It wasn’t Terni’s fault either. Sure, if the kid hadn’t gotten lost in the first place, but he was a child. Mike was supposedly soon to be an adult. He groaned as pain sliced the flesh above his right eye. He snapped his eyes closed and rubbed the painful spot.

  “Are you all right?” Cornel’s voice whispered in Mike’s ear.

  “My head,” Mike said. “A headache.” He could open his left eye, but when he did, he wished he hadn’t. The brightness of the fire made the pain dig deeper into his skull. He had to turn away from the light.

  “Ah, the light of the fire hurts you,” Cornel said. “I’ve seen this before.”

  Mike heard Cornel walk away. Every footstep was so loud, the pain burned deeper. He clutched his head in his hands, trying not to groan because it made it worse. His queasy stomach made his mouth make too much saliva, but even the act of swallowing made his head hurt more.

  “Here,” Cornel’s voice said.

  Something cold and mushy pushed against his mouth. It smelled like his mother’s favorite lavender perfume. “Yuck,” he said, and tried to push Cornel’s hand away.

  “Eat it. It will make you feel better.”

  Pretty sure lavender wasn’t poison, and at that moment prepared to try anything, Mike opened his mouth and tried a bit. He let the mush roll around his mouth, and, glad it was sweet, swallowed the lot.

  A few moments passed before the pain eased. Mike opened his eyes, thankful that his right one remained the same size as his left. Cornel’s worried face looked down at him. “Thank you,” Mike said, and meant it.

  Cornel smiled an open, crooked smile, as if he wasn’t used to the movement. “I’m glad you’re all right. You’ve had a big day. Now, go to sleep.”

  Mike didn’t have to be told twice and he snuggled under the blanket.

  ***

  Hands shook Mike awake. “Wake up,” a faraway voice said. “It’s morning.”

  At first, Mike thought his mother was waking him for school but the voice soon became all too familiar.

  “Please wake up. We have to find the wall.”

  A little hand covered each of Mike’s cheeks. It pushed and pulled his skin up and down.

  “Stop it, Terni. I’m awake already.” Mike sat up and his stomach grumbled as the aroma of bacon filled his nose. If he’d somehow traveled back in time, he guessed pigs would have been around for centuries.

  They ate without words once again. Mike tried the blue berries from the basket Vala had placed in front of them. They tasted as tart as the ones he ate at home, though they were bigger and paler in color. Once full, he wondered at the prince eating alone in his tent, but nobody else seemed to think it strange.

  Once breakfast was finished and Cornel began to saddle the horses, the king, instead of talking more with Mike and Terni as expected, moved to inspect his horse.

  “Where is Ludo?” the king called to Noor.

  “Washing downstream, Sire,” Noor answered, wiping Terni’s face with a cloth.

  Mike guessed the prince kept his distance so he wouldn’t have to talk to the king.

  Something moved in the bushes close to the water’s edge. Mike peered and blinked. He thought he saw a bow amongst the branches. Cornel was his first thought, but Cornel’s voice sounded behind him. He glanced back to make sure it was the hunter he had heard, but spun his head toward the bush again. An arrow protruded through the leaves.

  “Watch out!” was all Mike could shout before the arrow whistled by his ear. His body twisted as he fell.

  At the same time, Cornel threw himself in front of the king. The king stumbled back. The hunter’s face twisted in agony as an arrow speared his chest. His still body fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

  Mike wrenched his head away from Cornel to the bush. Its branches swayed but there was no sign of movement.

  Mere seconds had passed, but Noor had collected her own bow and quiver and coursed through the bushes.

  Mike leapt to his feet and hurried to Cornel and the king. Terni huddled under the king’s arm.

  “Cornel,” the king shouted, and fell to the ground.

  “Terni,” Mike said. “Let the king have some room.” He pulled Terni out of the way and stood over Cornel and the king without realizing he had put his arm around the child’s shoulders.

  “Get some towels,” the king shouted.

  Mike darted into the king’s tent and, not able to find any towels, hauled the sheet off the sleeping rack.

  “Hurry,” King Horace yelled.

  With the sheet twirled around his arm, Mike rushed back to the wounded man.

  “What is all the yelling about?” Ludo demanded, as he stormed along the bank pulling on a gold coat. He halted and looked at the king.

  “Father,” Ludo fell to his knees beside the king. “Are you hurt?”

  The king shook his head. “It’s Cornel. He’s been shot. We must speed him to the royal physician.” Something odd washed over the prince’s face for a split second. Mike frowned. The strange look could be confusion or disappointment. Mike couldn’t quite put his finger on which, but it made him uneasy.

  The prince moved beside Cornel and touched around the embedded arrow with his gloved fingers. “The point has missed his heart.” He broke the shaft close to Cornel’s shoulder. A low-pitched cry wrenched from deep inside Cornel’s throat.

  Terni let out his own cry and moved closer to Mike’s leg. Mike balled the shee
t in his hands and pushed the lump against Cornel’s chest.

  Vala’s hands began to move Mike’s out of the way. He resisted, but when she gave him a small smile, he let go and stood back. She continued pressing the sheet into the wound.

  It was some time later before Cornel opened his eyes. “I… am… all right… Sire.”

  Every word seemed more difficult than the last to Mike.

  “Can you travel?” the king asked Cornel.

  Cornel nodded.

  The agony on his face told Mike how hard that one nod was.

  “We will leave the camp as it is,” the king said. “I’ll send someone to collect it later.”

  Once Noor saddled the horse, Mike waited for the prince to tuck the arrow through his waist-belt before helping him and the king hoist Cornel onto his horse’s back.

  The king narrowed eyes at his son “You will ride with him, and the boys can share your horse.”

  “Me?” Ludo said. “Can’t the oldest boy ride with him?”

  “I said you will.”

  “I’ll ride with my father,” Noor said, tramping back. Her chest heaved as she panted for air.

  “What did you see?” the king asked.

  She bent forward and rested her hands on her knees still trying to get her fill of oxygen. “I’m sorry, Sire, but I saw nothing.” She shook her head. “Nor did I hear anything. It is as if whoever fired the arrow vanished. I could find no tracks and no sign of anyone along the river’s bank.”

  The king frowned. “Could it be bandits?”

  “I don’t know.” Her eyes were fixed on the king’s face. “Derek is leader of the bandits in this area, Your Majesty.”

  His hard eyes met hers for a moment. “Then perhaps he has been usurped. I won’t believe my third son would try to harm me or Cornel.”

  Prince Ludo stepped forward releasing the arrow from his belt. I found this on my way here. He handed it to Noor.

  She felt the length of the shaft and looked at the ground as she held out the weapon that almost killed her father. “It’s barreled,” she said, feeling her father’s wound. “With a broadhead.”