by Perrin Briar
“Doesn’t always seem that way though, does it?” Bryan said.
“But it’s true,” Zoe said. “We’re essentially the same. There’s no reason why their children couldn’t become a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher or businessman on the surface.”
“So long as they leave all this nonsense behind,” Bryan said, shaking his head. “The human mind is capable of many incredible things, and yet it’s also capable of so much stupidity.”
“That’s the way we’re made, I’m afraid,” Zoe said. “We’re still that ape swinging from the trees scratching out a living and trying to survive.”
“Looking at these people, I can believe it,” Bryan said. “I’m not sure if anyone here could survive on the surface.”
“I’m not sure,” Zoe said. “The lord might be able to, though he’d find it difficult adapting to modern living, what with shopping at the local supermarket or going to work in a dead end office job.”
“Lady Maltese might be okay,” Bryan said. “But for the same reasons as the lord, she might find it difficult. The workers would probably find it easier to adapt, funnily enough. They would be used to the daily slog, used to going to work for a living.”
“What about the inventor?” Zoe said. “Could he survive?”
“He’d find it the most easy of all, once he got used to everything on the surface,” Bryan said. “Creative minds are always in demand. And if he could come up with a novel solution to a particular problem we have, or a product everyone would want, he’d be set for life. And he works from inside a room. The inside of a room looks the same anywhere.”
“You certainly are angry today,” Zoe said.
“Not angry,” Bryan said. “Just disappointed. With all our gifts, we’re still at the bottom of the doldrums, scraping out our survival. That’s all we’re doing, all we’re ever likely to do. Struggle.”
Struggle. The keyword to everything the family had been through since they arrived in this place. Zoe was sure there was going to be a bit more struggle before they returned to the surface—if they could return.
24.
THE FAMILY slept like the dead. They fell asleep the moment they pulled the covers over themselves. Nothing could wake them, which was just as well, because nothing did.
They slept through what remained of the night, all morning, and then into early afternoon. By the time they awoke, the sun was high in the sky and the birds were singing.
They got up, washed and dressed. Cassie and Aaron were knocking at Bryan and Zoe’s door before they were completely ready to receive them. Bryan opened the door and let them in. Aaron fell on the bed, Cassie into a box chair.
“What are we going to do today?” Cassie said.
“The same thing we do in every world we come to,” Zoe said. “We’re going to go looking for the Passage out of here.”
“It’s not so bad here, is it?” Cassie said, tracing her finger around the edge of a coffee table. “Compared to the other places we’ve been, I mean.”
“No,” Zoe said. “I suppose not. Why do you say that?”
“Because if we couldn’t find the Passage in this world, it wouldn’t be the end of the world,” Cassie said. “Living here wouldn’t be so bad. Who knows what the next world might be like. I mean, look at the last one.”
Zoe paused in brushing her hair.
“We’re going to get out of here, Cassie,” she said. “We’re going to find the Passage and we’re going home.”
“But we might not find our way out of here,” Aaron said. “Dad didn’t, so why should we?”
Zoe turned back to the mirror and combed the same spot of her head for five minutes. She still looked distracted, a million miles away.
“Father was killed down here,” Aaron said. “You’ve seen how many dangers there are. And we’ve got each other. Dad would have been alone. And he wasn’t in the past two worlds, so far as we can tell. So there’s no reason to suspect he got much farther than the pirate world.”
Zoe nodded, but she clearly didn’t believe that. Her former husband had been an explorer, an adventurer. He wouldn’t have let a little life threatening danger get in his way. But Aaron was right they hadn’t heard word of him in the past two worlds. But then, those worlds were huge. Just as there was no reason to think he had gotten through them, there was no reason to think he hadn’t gotten out somehow.
But the question remained: if Aaron’s father had managed to get out, why hadn’t he come to find Aaron and Zoe on the surface? He would have. That was the problem with the idea of him getting out.
“At least you know your father was once here, or in these worlds,” Cassie said. “My mother just disappeared one day, never to be seen again.”
“None of this helps us find the Passage out of here,” Bryan said. “Come on. Up on your feet. If I know our hosts, I’d say we have a very nice breakfast ready and waiting for us.”
The family left the room and headed downstairs to the main hall. They were greeted by friendly staff, who looked like they’d been waiting for a rather long time. They snapped to attention from their bored lounging positions when the family presented themselves.
The staff showed the family to their seats at the head table. The tables from the feast of the previous night had all been cleared away. The floors had been scrubbed clean. Clearly it wasn’t just the baths that were well maintained. Lady Maltese ran a tight ship.
“I’m sorry we’re late,” Bryan said. “We were more tired than we thought.”
Their server, a tall thin morose looking man, only smiled and gestured to their seats.
“It is of no concern,” he said. “Breakfast is served whenever you are ready, sir.”
He looked up, and plates of food were brought over and deposited in the middle of the table. There was meat from the feast, cold cuts that looked just as delicious as they had the previous night. There was mead and ale to drink, but none of the family touched it.
“Do you have any hot drinks?” Zoe said.
“Mulled wine, perhaps?” the server said.
“Coffee, or tea perhaps?” Zoe said.
“Certainly,” the server said. “We have both. Would you prefer to have them after your meal?”
“Customary?” Zoe said. “No, we’ll have them now, if that’s okay.”
“Of course,” the server said, though he looked a little confused. “What would you like?”
The whole family wanted coffee. The server headed away to whisper in someone’s ear. Within twenty minutes their coffee was brought to them. It was clearly freshly made, the aroma strong.
While they waited, the family tucked into the food. There were eggs and ham and bread—some of the best bread Zoe had had in years. It was fresh, still warm. Either they made their own here—most likely—or it had been brought over from a bakery in town. They all ate heartily and well. There was little left on their plates by the time they were done.
“Would you care for cakes and pastries?” the server said.
Bryan put a hand to his stomach.
“I couldn’t eat another bite,” he said.
“I’ll take some,” Cassie said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learnt during this whole experience it’s that you should never turn away food if it’s offered.”
“I’ll take some too,” Zoe said.
Everyone filled their pockets with lemon cakes before they set off outside. They were met by a man holding the reins to a fine specimen of a horse. It was black and sleek, its hair shining. A man was bent over, checking the horse’s shoes. When he straightened up, Bryan realized it was the lord.
“Ah,” Lord Maltese said. “I see you’re up.”
“Yes,” Bryan said. “Apologies. We overslept.”
“No matter,” Lord Maltese said. “Yesterday was clearly a tough day for you.”
“Extremely,” Bryan said. “But we’re watered and fed now and ready for action.”
“Glad to hear it,” Lord Maltese said.
He tur
ned to the stableman holding his horse’s reins.
“Bring the others around,” Lord Maltese said. “We’ll begin our search for the Passage.”
The stablemaster left with the horse and returned ten minutes later with a stable boy and three more horses.
“I thought we could split up,” Lord Maltese said. “We’ll cover more ground that way.”
“Any sign of the monster?” Bryan said.
He still couldn’t bring himself to call it a dragon.
“None,” Lord Maltese said. “I have men stationed to inform us of the dragon’s appearance, should he come from his cave again. On horseback, that should give us more than enough time to return to town.”
“Excellent,” Bryan said.
“I’d like for the kids to stay inside the town walls for now,” Zoe said. “Just until we know it’s safe outside.”
“Certainly,” Lord Maltese said. “There are many places to search within town. My son and daughter will escort your children. My wife and I shall escort you.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Zoe said. “But you don’t need to put yourselves to any trouble for our benefit.”
“It’s no trouble,” Lady Maltese said, descending down the steps. “It’s been awhile since I was outside the town walls in any case. It’ll be good to get some fresh air.”
“You be careful,” Lord Maltese said, putting a hand to his wife’s cheek.
Lady Maltese closed her eyes and pressed her hand to his, looking back into his eyes. It was an intimate moment, at odds with the social situation. The others felt mildly embarrassed at the public display of affection. The staff appeared to feel the same, and turned to look away, waiting until it had passed. Abigail and Roland paused as they descended the steps and curled up their faces, disgusted as all kids were.
The lord planted a small kiss on Lady Maltese’s lips. They stayed like that for several seconds before the lord pulled away. Lady Maltese had a look on her face like someone in total bliss. Once they parted, they smiled at one another for a little while before turning away and mounting their horses.
Zoe supposed that was what real love was, or at least the Hollywood version of it. But she knew there were many different types of love, as many as there were people. Some were overt in their affections, others less so. But it was still the same love, an intense tightening in the chest that swelled and made the partners look crazy.
Bryan turned to Zoe.
“If you’re expecting the same from me…” he said.
Zoe grinned.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said.
It was too soppy for her liking. She liked romance, but this to her was shameless showing off. They were kind hosts, and that was all that really mattered.
Bryan climbed onto his horse. He wasn’t a bad rider, but he lacked the effortlessness of the lord and lady. Zoe was a better rider than him too. He had no idea.
Bryan turned to the kids, who were still on foot.
“Will you kids be all right?” he said.
Cassie turned to look at her host—the young and incredibly handsome young lord Roland.
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
Bryan pursed his lips.
“Make sure that you are,” he said.
“I’ll be fine too,” Aaron said, beaming a smile at the young lady Abigail.
The two were off, heading in the same direction together with a small retinue of guards at their heels. They were talking and laughing before they even turned a corner and disappeared. It was so easy for some people to get along with others. Easier the younger you were, Bryan supposed. He waved to Zoe as he was led one way, Zoe in another.
The lord took Bryan, flanked on either side by half a dozen armored guards, through the castle’s main entrance and out into the street.
“I thought we would begin today with the farms,” Lord Maltese said. “There’s a lot of land there, and the farmers will show us every inch of their farmland. How big are these Passages you spoke of?”
“Usually quite large,” Bryan said. “About the size of a doorway, but they can vary in shape and size and color. We found one that was a quicksand pit, another that was a whirlpool.”
The lord looked at Bryan askance. Clearly he had no idea what those things were. It was strange, but to be expected, Bryan thought. Each world would only know about those things that directly affected them and their own worlds. If an alien came down to Earth and tried to describe some hitherto unknown object, Bryan was certain he would have reacted the same way.
“I must apologize for the peasants last night,” Lord Maltese said. “I try my best to educate them, but there is only so much a mind dependent on superstition and religion can take in. It’s hard for them to realize the importance of science and development, of the beauty and significance of rational explanations.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Bryan said. “We have plenty of people like your peasants on the surface. Forgive me for saying this, but you don’t speak like them. Like the other townspeople.”
“That’s because I’m not one,” Lord Maltese said. “Not any longer, in any case.”
“You don’t think like them either,” Bryan said.
“That’s thanks to my wonderful wife,” Lord Maltese said. “She reads a lot, and opened my eyes to the world of literature and philosophy. She’s a remarkable woman, my wife.”
“How did you meet?” Bryan said.
“She is a lady of one of the most respected families in Silene,” Lord Maltese said with more than a hint of pride. “It’s amazing the heights one can climb if they but have the determination and resources. I feel sorry for the former lords who didn’t have a good wife waiting for him at home.
“My lady is my guiding star, my rock. I can understand why men stray, women too. Or why they drink or gamble, or partake in a million other distractions. They needed support, an anchor, at home. But they didn’t have it. I’m not condoning what they did, but I do understand it.”
The road opened up as they approached the main gate—the entrance the family had passed through the day before. The guards on duty saluted the lord as his retinue passed. The land beyond the town was not flat, but rolled over voluptuous dunes, the landscape breathtaking and beautiful.
“May I ask you a personal question?” Lord Maltese said.
“Sure,” Bryan said.
“Aaron, he doesn’t have your look about him,” Lord Maltese said. “And Zoe doesn’t seem the type to play around…”
“You’re asking if he’s mine?” Bryan said.
“Yes,” Lord Maltese said. “Sorry. That sounds very rude, doesn’t it? Cassie has your look. She could even pass for Zoe’s child too. I don’t know.”
“No,” Bryan said. “Aaron isn’t mine. Not biologically. Maybe he will be mine one day. He’s from Zoe’s previous marriage. Cassie is from my own prior relationship.”
“I see,” Lord Maltese said. “And you have come together to make one new family?”
“We’re trying to,” Bryan said. “But the kids have been putting up some resistance to it.”
“It must be difficult,” Lord Maltese said. “Are such couplings common on the surface?”
“Fairly common,” Bryan said.
The lord nodded.
“It will be the same here too in years to come, I suspect,” he said. “Women already demand divorces from their husbands, because their husbands do not treat them with the respect they deserve.”
“The world is always full of change,” Bryan said.
“Much of this town was brought down here with us when we first came down here,” Lord Maltese said. “We’ve added to it over the years, but the original town is very much in evidence.”
“It must have been a large sinkhole to bring the whole town down here,” Zoe said.
“Huge,” Lord Maltese said. “Our ancestors believed we were being swallowed by the Earth, that we were dead and gone. No doubt there were tales of our disappearance, of a town dis
appearing from the surface.”
“Probably,” Bryan said.
“You don’t know?” Lord Maltese said with a frown. “I would have thought it would have been commonplace.”
“No,” Bryan said. “But then, I don’t live in the old country.”
“The old country?” Lord Maltese said. “Britain is no longer the leader of the world?”
“I’m afraid not,” Bryan said. “America is the leader of the world now. It has been for the past hundred years or so.”
“America?” Lord Maltese said, frown deepening. “But it’s hardly any age.”
“It developed very quickly,” Bryan said. “At first borrowing from the old world, and then forging its own way.”
“I see there’s a great deal of change on the surface,” Lord Maltese said.
“There is less change down here in comparison simply because the population isn’t as large,” Bryan said. “There will be fewer instigators and motivators, fewer people to force change. It’s actually a small number of people who contribute to developing the world and making it a better place to live in.”
“What about the rest?” Lord Maltese said. “They’re mindless drones?”
“No,” Bryan said. “They provide services we need every day. Most people do. There are very few innovators in the world. They might make the world a better place to live in, but the rest of us make the world a place worth living in in the first place. Everyone is important. We all play a vital role wherever we are.”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” Lord Maltese said.
Bryan was beginning to like this lord. Perhaps with a little help from Bryan and his engineering background, he might make a real change to this world. A change, finally, for the better.
25.
“I THOUGHT we could take a trip out to the mill today,” Lady Maltese said. “As you plan on searching everywhere, you might as well begin there.”
“Has the mill been there long?” Zoe said.