My thoughts were interrupted when King Eireas and Rémy entered through one of the archways. The King did not display his laurels that morning, though his robes exuded majesty.
“Agiméra,” Eireas greeted us with a tone of importance. He invited us to sit with him on the couches. The little Siamese cat jumped onto the floor, though she soon returned and curled up beside the King’s lap.
“I have been working with Rémy on how best to message some new information we received in the last few hours,” Eireas informed us.
“What sort of information?” Daniel inquired.
The King took out one of the little black boxes from within his robes and tapped its surface. Two of the limestone panels on the far wall slid apart to reveal a screen. A dark red sphere with little black spots and wispy waves was displayed on its surface.
“This is the sun,” Eireas indicated. “The color has been adjusted so that its details may become visible. Our scientists study it constantly, and they discovered something which I believe you have a right to know.” He tapped a command into the little box and the image began to animate.
“It is difficult to explain in detail,” he continued, “but the energy which creates a bridge between our worlds has resurfaced. It is a remnant of the event which brought you here eight days ago. It had all but dissipated when, to everyone’s surprise, it began to increase in energy last night. It is fairly certain that a second sun storm will occur here in less than two days.”
I translated the message.
“So what exactly does this mean?” Travert wondered. “Can they predict where the storm will occur?”
“It means we can go home,” Daniel proclaimed, his eyes wide with delight.
“Let’s not be too hasty,” Lady Pearson cautioned. “This may all be premature. Please bid the King continue, Mr. Laurence.”
“Like I mentioned before,” Eireas went on, “we have not had many opportunities to study this phenomenon, and two occurring in such quick succession is unprecedented in recorded history. As before, the energy will distort the weather of the planet and eventually condense to a very narrow point. That spot will tear a hole in the fabric of the world, creating the bridge I informed you of.”
“But,” I responded, “you also told me that you cannot be certain whether this bridge connects one sister sphere or several.”
“That is correct,” Eireas confirmed. “I am sharing this information with you because it is your choice whether you should pursue it. As to where you may end up… I cannot even speculate.”
I looked at Daniel, who took a long breath and sighed. We passed along the information.
“Well this is quite a dilemma,” Travert observed quietly. “We have been fortunate to stumble upon a land such as this. Leaving it risks discovering a place far less hospitable.”
“Yes, but think of the possible reward!” Daniel gushed. “We could be home in two days’ time. Can you really see yourselves living out the remainder of your lives among these pagans?”
“Yes, I can,” Ella reproached proudly.
“My dear,” her grandmother began.
“Captain Travert is right,” Ella interrupted, “Who knows where we may end up if we go through with this? Is it worth the risk? I remember the last storm quite fondly, and it’s not an experience I’d like to repeat.”
“If you stay here, you will have to work,” Daniel chided.
“I am not afraid of work,” she shot back. “In fact, as my grandmother is my witness, I have always been scolded for doing too much. Being offered a life of productivity and contribution is far better than sitting at home day after day with needlepoint in my lap.” I could not help but smile at her passion.
“There is plenty productivity to be had on Earth,” Travert pointed out.
“I admit, the decision is difficult,” I confessed. “I never had the chance to part with my family. We were never very close, mind you, but they are family after all. And I was just beginning to make a life for myself. My first book was set to be published just a few months from now.”
“We can make a life for ourselves here,” Ella responded.
“Well I certainly cannot,” Daniel stated. “My entire way of life has no use here.”
“Surely life has value beyond the cloth, Father,” Travert said.
“Even so, I would be a pariah.”
“But that is not the case,” Rémy chimed in. “This world is far more tolerant than you realize. In fact, it is illegal to promote hate or discrimination against others. I have read their laws and asked of their beliefs. They hold no prejudices against religion. It may surprise you to learn that nearly a fifth of citizens within the Royal Republics attend regular religious ceremonies.”
“One-fifth?” the priest mocked amazement. “And how many of those are Christian?” No one had a response. “Exactly,” Daniel said. “I, too, asked about their religious beliefs, so I know that none of the major faiths of our own time ever developed here.”
“That doesn’t stop anyone from practicing Christianity,” Ella remarked.
“No,” Daniel agreed, “but it would stop me from preaching it. How can I convey the threat of hell and damnation without it being seen as a promotion of hatred?”
“I think you are asking for a bit much,” Lady Pearson observed. “We are indeed fortunate to have located a place such as this.”
“I agree,” Rémy said. “You are all free to do as you wish, but I must inform you that I will be staying.”
Daniel chuckled. “We could have guessed as much about you, Mr. Durant,” his voiced oozed with self-satisfaction.
I could see the look of confusion on Rémy’s face and quickly interjected. “What about you Captain? Lady Pearson?”
“I suggest you leave and take your nephew with you, Captain,” Daniel went on, “before the King turns him from sodomite into something even worse.” The priest’s vulgarity shook us all.
“How dare you!” Travert growled.
“Tell him, Mr. Laurence,” Daniel leaned back into the couch with smugness. Rémy looked up at me for clarity, but I could only stare daggers at the priest, my hands inadvertently forming into fists.
Lady Pearson pounded her cane onto the floor, the shock of which made us all jump. “That is it! I have had enough of your tongue,” she scolded the priest. “You have been the most unforgiving part of this entire journey. Your negativity is like a cloud of flies before a storm. You buzz and you bite, but I shan’t stand it a moment longer.” We all sat in stunned silence.
“A land of loose morals is always attractive to the sinful,” Daniel proclaimed self-righteously.
“Don’t you speak of morality,” Lady Pearson continued with incontestable authority. “You, who have been flaunting as the virtuous judge, are no more than a hypocrite.”
Daniel opened his mouth to speak but the old woman wouldn’t allow it.
“I discovered your little secret, Father,” she persisted, “when our luggage was brought to the apartment. I spotted a slip of paper protruding from one of my cases, or what I thought to be one of my cases. Believing it to be no more than refuse, I tore it off. Image my surprise when I saw it was part of a court summons. And the inside of the trunk? Stacked high with stolen currency! So do not speak to us of ethics.”
Daniel’s face, typically pale and bony, turned as bright as a ripe tomato. I could not help but feel joy at the revelation, for I shared many of Lady Pearson’s sentiments. We all scrutinized the priest, whose discomfort had become apparent in his posture.
I expected to hear a defense, but he instead turned to Sarmia and began to speak in Latin. “Your King is a lover of men,” he accused. She and Eireas were completely taken aback by his brusqueness.
“I am not sure why the romantic interests of his majesty are any of your concern,” she shot back.
“It does not bother you that his pursuits are of the same gender?” Daniel sputtered.
Eireas and Sarmia looked at each other with befuddle
ment. “We are not barbarians, Father,” she informed him. “Why would it?”
“This is a mad house!” Daniel shouted and leapt to his feet. “You would be in prison right now if we were home!” he roared at Rémy. He then glared at me. “Tell our hosts that I will be leaving. As to your fate, I only pray that God will have mercy on you all.” He sighed and stormed out of the room.
I dared not look at my companions in fear of being asked about the priest’s accusations. Travert was not a patient man, however.
“Does your mother know about this?” he asked of Rémy. “Is this why you left home?” His words were serious without being stern, and for that I was grateful.
The young boatman did not respond. His face betrayed anger and disgrace.
“Captain,” I began, “won’t you agree that this is hardly the time to speak of Daniel’s claims?”
Travert met my gaze for several moments before finally nodding. “His mind is made up,” the Captain pointed out, “and we must decide as well.”
“We have some time to think on it,” said Ella.
“It may surprise you to hear this, my dear,” Lady Pearson intoned, “but we are not being asked to choose between staying here and going home. Our only options are staying here or risk being transported elsewhere. You have your entire life ahead of you, Ella. I don’t want you to risk it.”
“Are you saying you would go back even if I were to stay?” Ella’s voice took on a note of sadness.
“I have much less to lose.”
“Heavens, Lady Pearson,” Travert scowled, “you speak as if life has no value beyond a certain age.”
“I can hardly walk, Captain, much less earn a living from nothing.”
“But just the other day you were told that the medicine here can help your limp,” Ella insisted, her voice rising. “And you just mentioned how lucky we are to be here. Are you really suggesting that you may go off into a terrible storm after which I shan’t expect to ever hear from you again? I would die not knowing what happened to you, granny! Please don’t ask me to bear such a burden.”
Lady Pearson’s lip trembled. She placed her hands atop Ella’s. “I won’t, my dear. You are right,” she admitted, her voice choking with emotion. “Whatever we decide to do, we will do it together.”
Travert watched the display with misty eyes and I couldn’t help but rejoice in the news. I had grown quite fond of Lady Pearson. Never is a person as enthralling as when their faults are revealed to be one’s own ignorance in observation.
“We must all take the time to think on it,” I said, and everyone nodded in agreement.
Sarmia escorted the others back to our apartment, but I elected to stay behind with Rémy. King Eireas likewise departed the chamber and left us alone on the couches.
“Tell me,” the boatman said, “how did Father Daniel know?”
“Rémy, I am so very sorry,” I answered softly. “We chanced upon you and the King on the ship yesterday.”
He nodded, his eyes still pointed at the floor. “So you knew the entire time yesterday?” he asked. “Yet you still shared a room with me? Conversed with me as equals?”
I walked over and kneeled before him, putting my hands on his shoulders. “We are equals, my friend,” I whispered. “Nothing shall ever change that.”
Rémy looked away, a single tear running down his cheek. “You are the greatest friend I’ve ever known,” he said softly. I pulled him up and hugged him. His lean muscled arms wrapped around me, and I felt him shudder as we embraced.
“I feel the same way,” I assured him.
We returned to our apartment. Daniel was nowhere to be seen, but the others were seated around the table, breakfast before them. I filled a small bowl with cheese, bread, and berries and likewise took a seat. Travert awkwardly glanced over at his nephew, but did not confront him.
The others talked quietly, but my thoughts continued to inexplicably return to the peculiar dream I had the night before. The maze, the cold bricks, the dirt, and weathered writing. There are those who say that dreams speak for the soul. I only wished my soul was less ambiguous.
Compared to the Lisispal, our cities were rigid and dirty, and the classes become increasingly divided by the day. A knowledgeable man would want to shape that into something healthier. Break down the old walls and clean it up, so to speak. It was a very tempting prospect. But another side of me saw the dream as a warning. That returning would make me feel trapped in that rigid world, forever longing to escape. Both prospects needed to be weighed heavily, for we had quite a decision to make with no opportunity to change our minds later.
CHAPTER 15
Rémy and Daniel alone came to a swift decision about their fate; the rest of us were not so strong in our convictions. I spent many hours in a cloud of doubt, a cloud which neither passed nor broke into a storm. It settled over me, overshadowing my every thought in perpetual uncertainty. How cruel fortune can be. It thrust us into this foreign land just long enough to perceive its silver lining only to then tease its undoing. I realized the frivolity of contemplating with oneself when my mind cycled through the same endless misgivings, and so I sought the warm company of Ella.
She sat alone in the lounge with a cup of tea in her hand, the beautiful waves of her hair embellished with a modest lace coronet. I knew when I first laid eyes upon her that fate had conspired to bring us together. I felt it all the more as our travels in this strange new world progressed. She looked up at me as I entered and broke into a smile. When all the details of daily life are swept away, one realizes that joy is not so elusive an emotion. It can be felt from within as much as from without. It exists in the rustle of the trees, the smell of the grass, and it radiates from the smile of a person whom you care about.
I took a seat beside her. She must have sensed my internal unease.
“What ever is the matter?” she asked, placing her cup onto the elegant side table.
“I cannot think,” I told her. “The very importance of the decision before me precludes me from giving it the attention it deserves.”
“I know what that is like,” she sighed. “It has been all I could think of, yet I have gotten nowhere. I suspect part of the reason may be that my decision must also be weighed against that of others.”
“Has your grandmother said any more on the matter?” I asked.
“No. In fact, I cannot find her,” said Ella. “She is no doubt pondering these very same notions in solitude. But my grandmother is not the only person I meant.” She gave me a coy smile.
I raised my eyebrows. “Truly?” I asked.
“This is crazy, I know,” she admitted quickly.
“No, Ella,” I interrupted softly. “If you had asked me before this journey, I would have said otherwise. The truth is, as we have come to know, the world is full of mysteries far beyond our comprehension. We mustn’t question the good within it, but embrace it while it lasts.”
She began laughing and I gave her a quizzical stare.
“It’s just that,” she explained, “every word which has just escaped your lips perfectly reflects my own feelings. I have never before met a man who inspires me to speak out and act as freely as you do, and now I find that you share many of my own sentiments.”
“Then it is settled. Whatever we choose to do, we shall do it together.” Taking advantage of our privacy, I grasped both her hands and leaned in for a passionate kiss.
Although our entire group was not leaving the Lisispal, we decided to make the return journey to the ship together. It seemed only fitting, and it allowed for some flexibility with our decisions. While Captain Travert appeared much inclined to depart, Lady Pearson, Ella, and I made little progress with our choice. We all longed to stay and experience the wonders of the world before us, but we also wished to return and share its ideals with the people whom we left behind. For the first time in my life, I envied those with well-founded beliefs and resented my own ever-analytical nature.
We met in the great entry hal
l of the Tower of Marble shortly after the mid-day meal. King Eireas, Sarmia, and Yawa would be joining us for the journey back to the shores onto which we stumbled the previous week. We waited before the hefty bronze doors of the throne room and I studied the marble statues lining the great dividing wall, perhaps for the last time. It surprised me to spot a now-familiar face. Nestled among the other figures of importance was an elegant woman in modest Grecian dress and an intricate headdress carved to resemble a vulture. Each effigy had a neatly chiseled inscription in Anuprian, Greek, and Latin at its base. My curiosity drew me to the statue’s engraving.
The sword can conquer, but it cannot unite – Cleopatra Magna
I looked up into her eyes, outlined in the Egyptian fashion, which seemed to radiate wisdom through the ages. She looked down upon me, and I wished I could partake in her counsel. My concentration was broken by the opening of the throne room doors. Our hosts stepped out and greeted us. They led us to one of the great curved stairways at the end of the chamber and proceeded downward. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of withdrawal with each step as the magnificent entry hall disappeared above me. I looked back at the statue, I took in the details of the red porphyry columns, and stole a final glance at the intricately carved half-dome of the ceiling, all the while internally voicing my goodbyes.
I remembered wondering how deeply the tower receded below ground on my first day within its walls; I finally received my answer. The space at the bottom of the stairs resembled a small train station. There were tracks on either side of the platform extending into diminutive round tunnels. The dark shafts were scarcely taller than a man, and I could not imagine the miniscule trains which ran through their depths. The station was not very tall, but the arched ceiling gave it a sense of increased proportion. Both sides were lit by intricate wall scones. I studied the recessed tracks in detail as we waited on the platform, for their shape, spacing, and assembly resembled nothing of our own engineering.
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