by Perrin Briar
He picked up a scrubbing brush and began rubbing at his skin. He had to dunk the sponge under the surface with every couple of scrubs. Then he paused.
“Why would anyone want to protect the machines?” he said.
“Sorry?” Zoe said.
“The machines in the cave,” Bryan said. “They’ve been playing on my mind. Why would someone want to put them there?”
“I don’t know,” Zoe said. “Maybe they weren’t being hidden there at all, but protected.”
“Protected by what?” Bryan said.
“By the most vicious guard dog in history,” Zoe said. “A dragon.”
Bryan stopped scrubbing himself and turned to look at Zoe.
“You don’t honestly think that’s what’s happening there, do you?” he said. “That someone is using that monster to protect something?”
“Why not?” Zoe said. “No one here will go anywhere near the caves. It’s where I’d put something if I wanted to make sure no one ever discovered it.”
Bryan returned to scrubbing himself.
“You wouldn’t be able to discover it either though, would you?” he said. “It’s all very well putting it in there in the first place, but how would you go about getting it back out again?”
“You’d have a secret entrance, I suppose,” Zoe said.
“I didn’t see any secret entrance,” Bryan said.
“That would defeat the point of it being secret now, wouldn’t it?” Zoe said.
“I suppose so,” Bryan said.
Bryan peeled something sticky off his arm. It had dried and looked like a flake of skin.
“But why would you want the machines here anyway?” Zoe said. “There’s not much water. Where would you use them?”
“Maybe they’re only here for a while,” Bryan said, scrubbing the soles of his feet. “You’d move them on to their final destination later.”
“But why keep them here?” Zoe said.
“Beats me,” Bryan said. “Maybe there isn’t a safer place between here and wherever they’re going.”
“That’s certainly true of the last world,” Zoe said. “God help whoever is there right now.”
“God help us,” Bryan said. “Never mind anyone else. We’ve got a dragon to face.”
“It’s not a dragon,” Zoe said. “There aren’t such things as dragons.”
“No,” Bryan said. “But there are such things that could be mistaken for a dragon. Like things we’ve already seen.”
Zoe’s hand froze in the middle of applying makeup to her lips.
“Like a dinosaur?” she said. “Funny. The same thing crossed my mind too. If you took away the monster’s ability to breathe fire, you could easily mistake it for a T-Rex. But how could one of those have gotten here?”
“Who knows how things work here,” Bryan said. “One might have gotten stuck here by accident, or discovered a tunnel and ended up here.”
“Seems a bit unlikely, don’t you think?” Zoe said. “If our idea of the worlds moving forward has any credence to it, it means there were dragons around during the seventeenth century.”
“There are plenty of stories about them,” Bryan said. “George and the last dragon for example.”
“Hardly concrete evidence,” Zoe said.
“You never know how much truth might be contained in old stories,” Bryan said.
“I’ll believe them if we found bones in the fossil record around that time,” Zoe said.
“Your scientific snobbishness is shining through,” Bryan said.
“It’s called evidence and intelligence,” Zoe said. “I don’t believe things just because it sounds nice. But I guess this whole place is unlikely. Why should the creatures here be any different?”
“What about the fire we saw it breathe?” Bryan said. “Where did that come from?”
“You saw it outside the town walls in pure daylight,” Zoe said. “It had some kind of machinery attached to it, something big and heavy strapped to its back. It looked half robot to me. Who knows what its purpose is. But these locals are living in the middle ages. They wouldn’t know the difference between modern science and magic. But we do. It was a machine, and someone put it on a dinosaur.”
“Someone, who?” Bryan said.
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Zoe said.
They shared a look.
“This is getting spooky,” Bryan said.
Zoe didn’t like to admit it, but this whole world had her spooked ever since they had arrived.
22.
THE DINING HALL was a feast for the senses. A string quartet played harmonious music, soft soothing melodies. The table was mahogany, polished to a high shine. Expensive chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, giving the room a healthy glow. The food looked like something from an Ideal Homes catalogue.
Zoe couldn’t think of a time when the family had looked so good either. None of them had taken a nap after their recent ordeal. It seemed their period of being unconscious had fully restored them. Besides, the fright they experienced of a monster chasing them was becoming a regular part of their lives. Like anything that became routine, it had less of an effect on them the more they experienced it.
The sun’s rays were still visible through the windows. The lighting wasn’t necessary yet. Clearly the night’s events were expected to carry on late into the evening, long after the sun had set.
But the family had to earn their meal. The hall was crammed with townspeople. They stood between the family and the dining table at the front of the hall. The family had to shake them each by the hand and introduce themselves. It was good they all spoke English, though you could hardly guess it, what with their strong accents.
It was difficult to understand some of them. It was somewhat overwhelming for the family, especially Zoe and Aaron, who were not often at such high class events. Bryan, for his sins, was more experienced. Cassie carried herself with the dignity of her father. They mingled and answered questions to anything posed to them.
The first round consisted of the affluent townspeople, the nobles. They were apparently enchanted with the family, and found their broad American accents a novelty. Strange, Cassie thought. Usually it’s the other way round.
At the head of the main hall were the lord and lady. They oversaw the event with mild interest, but didn’t get involved in the proceedings. Abigail and Roland appeared to be bored by the event, staring off into space and blowing out through their mouths.
Abigail had something of interest in her lap, cleverly concealed within the folds of her dress. Roland had not prepared himself, and so spent most of his time eying up the local girls, most notably, perhaps because she was something new to look at, Cassie.
She looked different to the other girls. She had a feistiness, an aggressiveness in her character that came through in her persona. She was a firecracker, something that would keep Roland on his toes. He found her alluring, exciting. Something different to the normally coy and shy ladies in court.
He was pleased when Cassie occasionally glanced in his direction, her eyes catching his, before looking away. It excited him to see that. It wasn’t that she was shy about looking him in the eye—far from it, clearly—but she did not want to be seen as a girl who did look a boy in the eye, despite what her true character might be.
But it wasn’t just the rich and high blood present in the great hall. The whole town had turned out for the event. The roiling masses, unused to such ceremonies, stayed predominantly at the back of the hall. They looked apprehensive as the family approached, shuffling their feet and not liking to ask too many questions.
The more boisterous youth had no such reservations, and asked questions, though they were not always the most searching or introspective—mostly things about how they dress on the surface, or what the women were like. The family gave direct, but not particularly informative, answers. The rowdy young men soon got bored and moved away.
The family were starving by the time they got to the
ir seats at the head table, on either side of the lord’s family. The family felt self conscious with the arrangement. They were not used to being the center of attention. They concentrated on eating quietly. That seemed to please the lord and lady both.
There was one member of the main table who was not part of the two families. He had a scruffy beard and didn’t speak often. When he did, it was in a low mumble that caused the listener to have to lean forward to hear what he was saying. He almost always ended up repeating what he was saying for this reason, the first words on his conversation partner’s lips being, ‘Excuse me?’ It was hard to believe that so much of the town’s future rested upon his narrow shoulders. He was the inventor. His name was Jeffrey.
He was inventing things only the family from the surface could begin to understand the purpose of. It was hard to imagine this little man hard at work in his workshop, knocking these things together. He didn’t seem all there to Bryan, his marbles scattered across the floor of his mind.
A minstrel took to the stage and began to sing.
There was a man,
A very strange enchanted man,
His cowl was black, his face pale as snow,
And he walked with a limp and had a glow,
He promised us jewels as far as the eye could see,
Instead he gave us nothing, and all he took from me,
A promise he made, to us all,
And he transformed into the beast we all hate and adore.
There was more, but it was lost to conversation at the head table.
“We’ve found suitable accommodation in the town for you all to reside in,” Lord Maltese said to the family. “It’s a cute little cottage on the outskirts of town. It was previously occupied by the good inventor here, but we’ve since relocated him to the castle. He’s able to focus on his inventions without interruption. Your house is close to the market and water well. It is fully equipped, though you might find you’ll have to buy a few things if required. Feel free to charge them to the castle.
“My lady wife mentioned you are from the surface and have some experience of engineering. It would perhaps serve you, and us, if you were to aid our inventor with his various contraptions.”
“Sure,” Bryan said.
The lord spoke with a booming voice that reached the back of the hall, so even the poor could hear their conversation. This was a show, one Bryan and his family needed to take part in.
“That will be fine until we find our way out of here,” Bryan said.
“Out?” Lord Maltese said. “But there is no way out.”
“There is always a way out,” Bryan said. “It’s just a matter of finding it.”
“We have spent centuries looking for a way out and never found one,” Lord Maltese said. “I can assure you, if there was a way out, we would have found it by now.”
“We’ve been in several worlds so far,” Bryan said. “In each one we were able to find the Passage. I’m confident that with enough time, we will find one here too.”
Silence, save for the etchings of knives and forks on plates. Lady Maltese placed a hand on the lord’s arm. His shoulders visibly relaxed. He smiled at his wife, who nodded back to him, before resuming eating.
“Of course,” Lord Maltese said. “We will make every effort to find this Passage of yours.”
“Thank you,” Bryan said. “I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble,” Lord Maltese said. “I got word this afternoon the dragon has returned to his cave. I doubt we’ll be seeing much of him any longer.”
“That’s all very well,” a voice from the back of the hall said, “but what about…?”
His voice was lost to distance.
“Excuse me?” Lord Maltese said. “Who spoke?”
Silence answered him.
“Don’t be afraid,” Lord Maltese said. “That’s what this feast is for—for everyone to voice their concerns, ask questions and get helpful feedback. You will not be punished for expressing yourselves.”
A man far down at the opposite end of the hall stood up. A thousand pairs of eyes turned to him. He removed his hat, but he did not quail.
The lord squinted in an effort to identify the speaker.
“Jones?” he said. “Is that you?”
“It is, my lord,” Jones said.
“Jones is one of our finest cobblers,” Lord Maltese said as an aside to the family. “He fixes shoes to the very highest standard. Without him, we would all be walking barefoot. Speak up, Mr. Jones. Everyone here wishes to hear what you have to say, no one moreso than I.”
“That’s very gracious of you, my lord,” Mr. Jones said. “We all greatly respect you and your lady wife, of course. And we are all excited about the new developments we’ve got coming our way thanks to the inventor. But it seems this family arrived at a peculiar time.”
“How do you mean?” Lord Maltese said.
“Well, it’s the fact that with all these developments happening, it’s about time something came along and threw a spanner in the works,” Mr. Jones said.
“I can assure you, the family’s arrival has nothing to do with the developments we’re making,” Lord Maltese said. “In fact, with their unique knowledge of the technology from the surface, we could well expect development speed to increase, not slow down. Does that answer your concerns, Mr. Jones?”
Mr. Jones nodded and performed a slight bow.
“It does, my lord,” he said.
“Excellent,” Lord Maltese said. “Please sit down, Mr. Jones. You must be hungry. Does anyone else have a concern they’d like to voice?”
There was a pause, and then a young woman in her thirties stood up. She was closer to the top of the hall so it was easier for the lord to identify her.
“Cynthia Morris,” Lord Maltese said. “What issue do you have?”
“I’m concerned about the dragon,” Cynthia said, her voice clear and easy to hear.
“We’re all concerned with the dragon,” Lady Maltese said. “We have been living with it for years, but with any luck, with the inventor’s help, we might finally overcome it.”
“That’s not my meaning, m’lord,” Cynthia said. “It’s the effect these people have had on it that troubles me. You see, it’s true the monster used to come out of its lair every so often to feed on the innocent of the town, but that stopped when we started feeding it them bodies that come up out of Lake Rebirth. And the dragon didn’t come nowhere near us after that. Why would it? It don’t need to eat us no more.
“And then this family arrives, and the dragon comes out of its cave, chasing them, and they bring it right here. To our doorstep. Begging your pardon my lord, but why are we letting them stay here when it’s them the dragon wants? Why are we risking our lives, and the lives of our children, when it has nothing to do with us, none of our affair?”
“Yeah!” a few of the locals said, clapping.
It was a perfectly reasonable thing to be concerned about, Bryan thought.
The lord opened his mouth to speak, but this time Lady Maltese rose to her feet.
“Who among you here would not demand entry if you and your family were running for your lives?” she said. “If we lack the courage to protect each other, including the lives of strangers, well that’s too much of a sacrifice to make. It would mean our very humanity would be forsaken and there would be nothing more for us to do but turn up our toes and say we’ve had enough, and we’re no longer men and women. Then we can crawl back into the swamp where we belong and let the good lord take us, for we will no longer be human.
“You say you respect my husband and I. I ask for you to extend that respect to our guests, as well as to one another. We are one and the same, all here trying to do the best for ourselves and our families.”
She retook her seat. The applause was slow in coming, but once it started, it caught like a spark to a clutch of dry grass, and soon the whole room was alive with cheering and whistling. Even Cynthia clapped at the impassi
oned and well-argued riposte.
“Well spoken my dear,” Lord Maltese said with a half smile at his wife, who nodded back respectfully. “As I’ve always said, if anyone thinks he—or she—could do a better job than me as lord, then he—or she—need only step forward and say so.
“They will be given all my powers and duties. They will be allowed to assume my role immediately. The opportunity shall always be available to you all. Please let that person stand and present themselves.”
No one moved.
“We all perform our duties here,” Lord Maltese said. “No one job is more or less important than another. Each needs to be carried out, and carried out to the best of his—or her—ability. Anyone can try any job he so wishes, so long as he can find someone to take his place. Are there anymore issues people would like to share?”
23.
BRYAN AND ZOE entered their room and shut the door behind them.
“Well,” Zoe said. “That was an unexpected evening.”
“Nothing like being blamed for the monster attacking the town to know you feel wanted,” Bryan said.
“It did all feel a bit strange, didn’t it?” Zoe said.
“A bit?” Bryan said. “I thought for a minute they were going to lynch us! What do you think the average IQ among these folks is? Ten?”
“They haven’t been exposed to the same kind of education we have,” Zoe said.
“You can say that again,” Bryan said. “How did we ever manage to develop past this? Believing in angels and demons and hocus pocus. I’m surprised we managed to develop anything as advanced as a toothbrush with this much mistrust and superstition.”
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Zoe said. “But without them, we would never have become who we are today.”
“I always thought that if we were to bring these people to the surface they would eventually get used to it,” Bryan said. “That they could assume normal, regular lives. But you know what? I don’t think they could. I think they’d end up turning into psychopaths.”
“It would take them twenty years to learn how everything worked,” Zoe said. “And what kind of work would they do? Land work, labor. But their children could make the transition. We essentially all have the same hardware.”