The Return To Erda Box Set

by Beca Lewis

  I looked back at Pita, and he was gone. I stamped my foot. This was stupid. I knew I looked ridiculous stamping my foot in anger, but I couldn’t help it. Everyone laughed even harder. I got even angrier. I looked back, and Pita was there.

  My head felt as if it was going to explode. Everyone was making fun of me. I was literally going crazy. I looked back at James to try to gain some stability, and he touched his throat. What was he trying to tell me? Was he trying to remind me about his daughter, Liza? Did I have time for this?

  James tilted his head and touched his throat again. My star. He was pointing to the star that his daughter had given me. I reached up and touched it, and then it happened again.

  My focus went wonky, and I saw the world differently. The forest contained much more than I thought was possible. Instead of being a sea of various shades of green and brown with flashes of color as the birds flitted from tree to tree, the whole forest was a riot of colors in all shades and tones. It could have been too much, but it wasn’t. It was beautiful, like a canvas painted by a master artist.

  It was not only the color that made it different. There were plants I had never seen before growing between the trees, and on the trees. Birds I didn’t know were perched on limbs of trees that spread out underneath the canopy. I couldn’t even see what tree the limbs belonged to. Everything was intertwined, and yet there was space between them, so it felt open and free.

  Looking up, I saw the same sky I had seen before, but instead of one shade of blue, it was marbled blue. The light from the sun streaked through the forest as it usually did, but these streaks sparkled. The air was filled with fragrances I recognized and those I didn’t. I thought I could even hear the sounds of the insects as they moved on the forest floor and through the trees.

  Everyone around me seemed both more substantial and less at the same time. Everyone had stopped laughing. They were waiting as if they knew what was happening.

  I heard a voice in my head and realized that it was Professor Link.

  “While your mind is open, remember what this feels like. Remember that most of the time you are not seeing everything that there is to see, or feel, or smell. There is much more to the universe around you than your mind can hold most of the time.

  “You used the star Liza gave you to get here, but you won’t always need it. When this vision fades, you will still see more than you saw before, and yes, now your channel to me has been turned on.”

  Before I had time to answer Link, he was gone, but I heard Zeid say, “Now look at Pita.”

  Yes, he was there again, and still pointing down, but this time I could see that he was standing on a circle on the ground, and as I watched, it whooshed down, and he was gone. The earth closed behind him.

  As I looked around, everything faded back to the world as I knew it, except I could feel my channel to Link in my mind, and I could see a small blue light on the ground where the circle had been. As I watched, Pita rose again. This time he said, “Welcome, Hannah, to our village.”

  Within seconds I felt the ground move beneath my feet.

  I screamed.

  Shatterskin Thirty-Five

  Imagine Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. You know, all those cute little elves running around in a bright Disneyland space. Maybe some jolly dwarf singing dwarf songs.

  Once I realized that I was still alive after descending at a breakneck speed down into the ground and before I managed to open my eyes, I had a brief flash thinking that was the kind of scene I would see.

  So wrong. Instead, every member of our team was standing inside a vast room. Pita and his four brothers were there, and if I interpreted their facial expressions correctly, they were smiling.

  But it wasn’t a Disneyland scene at all. The room was empty, and to me, a little too warm. As if he could read my mind, Pita said, “It’s always about this temperature, which is what makes living underground so perfect.”

  “That and other things,” grunted one of the brothers. Pita nodded his approval.

  “We have food prepared for you, and after that, we can look over the equipment that you ordered,’ Pita said to Niko, who answered, “Lead on, Pita. We are looking forward to meeting your brethren and sharing the table with them.”

  I barely registered that they were talking because I was busy taking in the details of where we were. Although we were underground, the air was fresh. The light seemed to be coming from the walls, much like it did in the castle. This time though, the walls were made of what looked like intertwined branches, or since we were underground, perhaps they were roots.

  One of Pita’s brothers hung back and walked with me. He asked me if I would like him to explain what I was seeing. “Yes, but I don’t know your name.

  “Tita,” he replied.

  “Pita and Tita?”

  “Pita, Tita, Bita, Lita, and Sam,” he answered.

  I burst out laughing, and he joined along holding his ears as he did so. I wasn’t sure if it was because he laughed so rarely he didn’t know where to put his hands, or if that was a standard way for a Ginete to laugh, since I had never seen one of them laugh that hard before.

  Tita’s big golden eyes were sparkling when we both stopped laughing.

  “I know. I think our mother ran out of things that rhymed with Pita by the time Sam arrived. Lita doesn’t like his name too much. Says it sounds like a girl’s name. But no one crosses our mom.”

  “Well, I am looking forward to meeting such a lovely woman, Tita,” I said. “And yes, please explain what I am looking at.”

  By then we were deep into a large tunnel. I had no sense of direction, but Tita said we were heading northwest.

  “We have a network of tunnels and rooms all over the Kingdom. Your Kingdom, Princess,” Tita said bowing a bit. When I shook my head at the title, he countered, “It’s important that you take back this role. Our people, all the people of the Kingdom of Zerenity, need to know that you are here for them. Not the little girl from the Earth dimension, but the woman who has returned to Erda.”

  I knew that Tita was right. But I wasn’t ready to say it out loud to anyone, yet. Besides, it was the first time I had heard that “my” kingdom had a name. Zerenity sounded like serenity with a z, so I assumed that they meant about the same thing. There were many questions that needed answering, but this was not the time. So I diverted the attention back to his home.

  “How are these tunnels made? Do you build them, and how do these walls stay up like this?”

  “No, our cousins build them. And the trees fortify them. Without trees, none of this would exist, and I don’t mean just our home.

  “All of life on the planet would not exist without trees, and that’s what makes Abbadon so incredibly dangerous. It’s why we call him the Evil One. The Destroyer. His plan will destroy every tree on the planet. After that, there is only death.”

  “Well, then, how does he expect to live?”

  Tita gave me a look of such profound sorrow I felt the pain of it run the entire length of my body. There was a story here that they had not yet told me. I couldn’t imagine what could be worse than what I had already heard, but then, imagining ultimate Evil had never been something I wanted to do.

  I put my hand on Tita’s arm. “I’m sorry, Tita, I understand if you don’t want to talk about this now. I’m sure I will learn when it is the right time to know.”

  Tita nodded at me gratefully, and we continued our walk down the tunnel together. I could see that it opened into another room, and could hear the current of lively chatter and laughter coming from it.

  “Your cousins?” I asked. “Your cousins built the tunnels? Who are your cousins?”

  Tita laughed again. “We lovingly call them ‘Whistle Pigs.’ You call them groundhogs.”

  “Groundhogs are your cousins?” I as
ked in amazement. I knew groundhogs. They dug holes in the ground and pulled plants into them. They were the bane of farmers everywhere. “Groundhogs did all of this?”

  “Well, okay, not groundhogs as you know them. These are groundhogs!” Tita said pulling me through the door and opening his arms to take in the scene.

  I recognized my team and the Ginete, but what were those huge hairy things that looked like bears?

  “Those are our Whistle Pigs, Hannah. The best friend the people of Erda have ever had. And one of the best lines of defense you will have in your fight against the Shrieks.”

  I stood there with my mouth hanging open. Not attractive. But real. I hoped Tita was right because if those groundhogs, Whistle Pigs, were not on our side, we were in serious trouble.

  One broke free of the group he had been talking with and ambled over to where Tita stood with me grinning from ear to ear.

  “Teddy,” he said, “This is Princess Kara Beth.”

  I was too shocked to correct him. In fact, I realized I better step up into the Princess role if I ever expected to have a stand with this bear of a being. “Seriously, your name is Teddy? Like a Teddy bear?”

  “Just like that, Miss Princess,” Zeid joked in my head.

  I couldn’t afford to turn and give him a dirty look. What would Teddy do?

  Instead, I bowed my head and stuck out my hand. Teddy took it between his massive paws and said, “At your service.”

  Inwardly I sighed in relief. I had passed some first test. I was sure that there were more.

  Shatterskin Thirty-Six

  That dinner was the rowdiest dinner I had ever attended. Turns out the combination of Whistle Pigs and Ginete is loud. Add some kind of strong drink, that Zeid warned me not to taste, and the effect is multiplied. Within an hour, Teddy and Pita were dancing on tables together singing louder than I ever thought possible.

  All of Pita’s brothers eventually joined in, and when two more Whistle Pigs ambled into the room looking as if they just finished digging another tunnel, they incited even more laughter and dancing. The room felt as if it was vibrating from floor to ceiling. I could barely eat for the noise. But what I had was delicious.

  The tables around the room were filled with food. At first, I thought it was because it was easier to have us serve ourselves, which might have been true, but then I realized it was probably to leave the tables in the center of the room free for pounding hands and dancing feet.

  I caught sight of some Ginete that I didn’t know constantly replenishing the supply of food and drink. They would quickly glance around the room before they left, and if I caught their eye, they would bow and walk backward until they were out of sight. I made a mental note to stop that kind of practice if I ever got the chance to have things my way.

  At the first sight of Teddy, the Priscillas had hidden in my pocket, and as the noise worsened, they abandoned me altogether, saying they were off to explore, and would be back soon. I wished that I could go with them, but I couldn’t escape.

  Every ten minutes or so, someone would hold up their glass and toast, to “Princess Kara Beth,” or “to the Kingdom of Zerenity. May it endure.” Then all heads would swivel my way, and I would hold my glass of water and toast with them.

  I was beyond grateful that Zeid stayed by my side, poking me if my attention wandered, and keeping the worst of the exuberant behavior at least a few feet away from me. Once I almost got dragged up to a table to dance, but a swift glance from Niko, who magically appeared beside me, stopped any further shenanigans of that kind.

  Not long after that—either Niko’s presence, or the food, or the drink got to them—the Ginete and Whistle Pigs started slowing down. Some even put their heads on a table and fell asleep.

  “We can go now,” Suzanne said, reaching for my hand. Suzanne still looked perky and fresh, whereas I felt as if someone had been hitting me over the head with a hammer. I was torn between admiring the commitment to entertaining themselves in spite of the danger we were facing, and wondering why they would do such a thing knowing what we had to do.

  Either way, I was exhausted and happy to follow Suzanne if she would just get me away from the craziness. She led me down another tunnel to a small cozy room with the most comfortable bed I had ever seen.

  The room was just big enough for a bed and a table beside it. Within seconds I was under the covers still wearing all my clothes. Just before falling asleep I wondered if the next day would bring as many revelations.

  “Different ones,” Suzanne whispered.

  *******

  The only way I could tell it was morning was that my cozy little bedroom was filled with light. The bed and the room felt so pleasant, part of me wanted to stay underground with the Ginete forever.

  As I lay in bed wishing I never had to get up, the Priscillas came fluttering into the room looking a little weary. I had forgotten that they had left during the party. I wondered what they had been doing that made them look so tired.

  “Up, up, Hannah,” Pris said. “Zeid said you have to be ready for the strategy meeting in an hour. We found you a shower.”

  “And your clothes are clean too,” La piped in. “We took them down to the laundry last night.”

  “Are you trying to tell me I stink?” I laughed.

  When the three of them exchanged looks, I knew. Of course, they were always riding with me. Even Cahir’s fur probably smelled better than me after a while.

  It was only then that I realized that someone had undressed me in order to clean my clothes. I was afraid to ask who that was. Cil pointed to a robe on the bed, and I headed off to the showers with the Priscillas leading the way.

  An hour later I was seated in what could have been a conference room anywhere in Earth, except there were no windows. And of course, there were beings there having coffee together that I would never have seen anywhere at any table at home.

  Teddy was at the head of the table. His fur was slightly wet, so I assumed that he too had taken a shower. Actually, everyone in the room looked fresh and alert. Each of us had a mug of something in front of us. Mine was coffee, made just the way that I like it.

  After all the pleasantries were exchanged, Teddy cleared his throat and began. He told us that the Ginete and the Whistle Pigs had been working on something that would protect people from the Shrieks, the theory being that if we were not affected by them, we could kill them, and half the battle would be won.

  Staying underground was one way to be protected. The earth and the tree roots blocked most of the sound, and almost no one was bothered by any residual sounds that might seep through.

  But being underground did not stop Shatterskin. He shattered underground Ginete villages as if they were made of glass.

  The Whistle Pigs, who usually lived even further underground than the Ginete, would sometimes escape the Shattering. But when they came out into the woods after Shatterskin had gone by, there was nothing left to eat. Starvation killed many of them.

  “Let me take you to what we have made for you,” Teddy said, getting up from the table.

  He led us across the hall and opened the door. At first there appeared to be nothing there except for a long table across the back of the room, and workbenches lining the sides.

  “O…kay,” I said.

  Teddy laughed, a big gruff contagious “haha.” I almost joined in, not even understanding the joke, but managed to contain myself just in time.

  That made Teddy laugh even harder, until finally, he said, “Okay. Show yourselves.”

  Within a split second the room was filled with Ginete and Whistle Pigs. A split second later they were gone again. And then back. That time they stayed and I could see they all had something attached to their arms.

  “Wow,” Niko said and reached over and shook Teddy’s massive paw. “Y
ou guys did it!”

  Shatterskin Thirty-Seven

  “There’s more, of course. These are only one line of defense and also part of your offense,” Teddy said.

  “Sorry for being dense, but what is it?” I asked.

  Teddy ambled to a workbench and brought back what looked like a thin slice of metal with a strap on the back. I recognized the shape when he held it that way.

  “It’s a shield. Okay.” I said.

  Teddy helped me fit it onto my arm. I was delighted how light it was. Even I could lift it. Wow, a shield just for me. I was beginning to feel like a warrior princess.

  The Ginete got a shield off the workbench for everyone and fit them onto their arms. Each shield was a different size depending on the person. Even Beru and Ruta had a shield. The Priscillas looked like they were pouting that they didn’t have one, but I assured them that they could stay behind mine. I tried not to laugh at the thought of little fairy shields. I didn’t want to insult them.

  It was only after everyone had their shield on, that I fully realized that when someone had the shield in front of them, they disappeared.

  “Holy ziffer,” I shouted. “This is cool! But how does this help us with the Shrieks? Don’t they shriek all the time whether they see people or not? Why would it help to be invisible?”

  “You’re right,” Niko said. “They constantly shriek as they move. Moving and shrieking seem to be the only skills that they have. Even when they rest, if the Shrieks sense movement they will shriek. We’re not even sure if they are resting, or waiting for orders. I don’t think they have an off button.

  “Besides making you invisible, these shields are made to block sound. Blocking light and sound go together enough to make this work. However, they will only block sound long enough to keep you functioning for a few more seconds. It’s what the shields do after that that makes them effective.”