The Infinite Expanse (The Journals of Krymzyn Book 2)

by BC Powell

  With a thoughtful expression on her face, she rests her hand on mine. “He may not show it in the way you’re used to from your world, but he feels true honor by your presence here and being appointed as your Mentor.”

  “I think I’m realizing that,” I say. “I also really like Beck. He made me feel welcome right away.”

  “He’s strong and loyal, but a bit reckless at times.”

  “How is he reckless?”

  Never wanting to sound critical, Sash is always careful when choosing words to describe others. She pauses for a moment to phrase her response. “Traveling to him is a test to go farther and faster, not just his purpose.”

  “I guess I can see that in him,” I reply, remembering his comment about the blind hills.

  After finishing our sap, we enjoy a quiet evening in our habitat with Sash meditating while I draw. I retire a little earlier than usual, exhausted from the trip to the Mount. Feeling revitalized when I wake up, I pick up a transport from the gate and go to the Traveling Hill. Over and over, I speed down the slope with a wagon behind me. I tumble across the grass while coming out my blend several times, resulting in a few scrapes and bruises. Larn, Tela, and Beck stop by in the early part of the morrow to check on my progress. With their guidance, I eventually get the feel of stopping with the force of the transport in tow.

  Sash and I spend a mid-morrow Communal together in her “safe place” before I return to the Traveling Hill. As soon as I’m there, Larn brings the other four Travelers by to meet me. The first thing I notice about them is that they’re all relatively young, with Larn by far the oldest of the group, somewhere in his early fifties based of my assessment of age in this world.

  Two are women, both very attractive—like everyone seems to be in Krymzyn. Roughly in her mid-twenties, the one named Jeni is built much like Tela, athletic but curvy, with long wavy black hair tied behind her head in a pony tail. Nuar, who appears to be in her early thirties, has a trim physique with short hair in kind of a pixie cut.

  The two men, both in their mid- to late thirties as far as I can tell, are named Velt and Roen. Velt is the stockiest of the Travelers, while Roen, like Larn, is tall and lean. All four are just as cordial to me as Beck was on the bridge, giving me the sense that the Travelers are very much a team.

  Sash surprises me by showing up on top of the Traveling Hill near the end of the morrow. As we prepare to leave for our habitat, she suddenly throws her spear to the ground, drops the pack of stakes from her shoulder, and jumps on my back.

  “I want to feel you travel,” she says in my ear.

  “Sure,” I reply. “But I’ve never carried anybody.”

  “Drop your spear,” she says, so I do as she asks. “When you hold my legs, keep your hand particles intact the same way you do with the transport. You also need to keep your breastbone slightly more solid for me to grip on to.”

  She moves one arm from around my neck to under my arm. As she clasps her hands on the center of my chest, I loop my hands under her legs.

  “Are you ready?” I ask.

  “Any time,” she says.

  “Is your flask full?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Just in case I fall and break your bones.”

  After giving my neck a kiss, she whispers in my ear, “That won’t happen.”

  I sprint down the Traveling Hill and, halfway to the bottom, glide onto the beams. I have to divide my concentration between the light around me, my chest, and my hands. I’ve mastered my hands from the transports, but the chest is a bit of a challenge at first.

  If I spread too far, the feel of her hands against me is lost, letting me know I need to pull the particles back in. My motion flutters a few times when I focus so much on my chest and hands that I forget about traveling, but I always manage to keep most of my speed. At one point, I know her hands completely pass through me and she’s hanging on only by her legs. I quickly slow and retract until she’s able to regain her grasp on my chest.

  We’re soon near the southern tip of the Delta, circling around the hills south of Sanctuary. After cutting across a broad meadow, I turn back to the Traveling Hill.

  Sash yells in my ear, “Go to the Tall Hill!”

  I angle out of a valley and over the hills to the northwest. When tingles explode around me, the weight of Sash seems to vanish. Our speed easily doubles as we cover the last two miles in maybe three seconds. I feel each beat of Sash’s heart against mine while the colors of her spectrum blossom in front of my eyes. Flying up the side of the Tall Hill, her weight returns and I gradually coast to a stop on the crest.

  “That was incredible!” I exclaim, releasing my hold on her legs.

  She climbs off my back, steps in front of me, and smiles. “Once I knew you could carry me without a problem, I blended my light with yours.”

  I slip my hands around her waist. “It was like being completely inside each other.”

  “Others won’t be able to do that the way I did,” she replies, resting her hands on my shoulders. “That was just for us. But you’re ready to transport a child now. I knew you’d successfully travel with me on your back.”

  “How did you know?” I ask.

  “Because I know you’d never hurt me.” She pulls my body to hers and kisses my lips.

  * * *

  Taking Sash and Larn’s suggestion, I decide to take the next morrow off. I didn’t even know there was such a thing, but Larn explained to me that, when I need some time to myself, I should let him know a few morrows in advance. Only if there’s an emergency or if Darkness falls will I be needed, he told me, as is the protocol for everyone in Krymzyn when they take a morrow off.

  Larn felt I’d been pushing too hard, and Sash told me that I should take some time to wander the Delta and try to increase my sense of awareness. I actually plan on using the free time to sit outside and draw, which is my favorite way of increasing my awareness. But while I’m still in bed at the beginning of the morrow, Sash already gone for her early routine, Larn whispers inside my head.

  “Chase, please come to Home. Wear long sleeves.”

  After hurriedly dressing, I drink several cups of sap. I assume we’re going to the Mount because of the long sleeves. With my spear in hand, I leave our habitat and streak across the countryside to the meadow at Home.

  When I stop in front of Larn, Tela, Beck, and Marc, I see a boy, short and stocky, maybe eight or nine, standing by Marc’s side. Maya sits on the grass about twenty feet behind them. With her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, she’s staring straight down at the grass. The long single braid of her lustrous black hair hangs all the way down her back, almost touching the ground.

  “Greetings, Chase,” Marc says.

  “Hi, Marc,” I reply.

  “We’re taking two children to the Mount,” Larn says. “They’ll observe Constructs working with steel for the duration of the morrow.” Larn points to the boy by Marc’s side. “This is Luca, and Tela will transport him.”

  “Greetings, Luca,” I say as we bow to one another.

  “We have one problem,” Marc says to me. “Beck was planning to transport Maya, but she insists that it be you. She can be quite stubborn at times, and right now she’s refusing to stand from the ground.”

  “I tried explaining to her,” Larn adds, “that you’ve yet to carry anyone while traveling. I don’t think this is the proper situation for you to learn in.”

  “I actually have,” I reply. “I’ve carried Sash.”

  Larn tilts his head to the side and squints at me. “With success?”

  “Yeah. It was really exciting,” I say.

  “Did you drop her or stumble?”

  “No problems at all. She even said I was ready to transport a child.”

  Larn thinks for a moment before answering, appearing pleased with my answer. “I know you planned to have this morrow to yourself, but would you consider traveling with us to the Mount? As soon as we’ve transported the children, you and Beck may
return to the Delta. Tela and I will stay on the Mount with the children. At the end of the morrow, you and Beck can rejoin us on the Mount for the children’s return.”

  “It will be my honor,” I reply.

  Maya’s high-pitched voice suddenly calls out from across the meadow. “I only want you to carry me if you believe you’re good enough at traveling.”

  We all walk to where she’s sitting and stop in front of her. “I haven’t broken any bones lately,” I say.

  “Well, that’s something,” she replies.

  “If you’re concerned that I’m not ready, why did you ask for me to carry you?”

  “I didn’t do it for you or me,” she says firmly. “I did it for Sash.”

  “Why for Sash?” I ask, kneeling in front of her.

  She glances around at the others before answering. “She worries that you feel like people here don’t accept you.”

  “She told you that?”

  “No. I sensed it in her the last time we were together. Then while Sash and I were talking, I felt your pain because you crashed at the bridge. I expect you not to crash today.”

  I have to chuckle at her demand. There’s no doubt she was shy the first time we met, but it was wrong of me to ever think of her as frail.

  “How about this,” I say. “I’ll transport you to the gate. Beck, Tela, and Larn can stay right beside us. If that goes well, then I’ll take you to the Mount. If not, you can ride with someone else.”

  “You don’t think you’ll hit a tree, do you?” Maya asks in such a way that I’m not sure if she’s serious or joking, although no one in Krymzyn ever makes a joke.

  “I haven’t hit a tree yet, but there’s a first time for everything.”

  She squints at me and frowns.

  “Chase,” Larn says. “I understand that this type of comment may be harmless in your world, but you must remember that, while traveling with you, her life is in your hands.”

  I look up at Larn and nod to him. Returning my attention to Maya, I speak in a serious, confident tone. “I wouldn’t agree to carry you if I didn’t think you’d be safe. I’d never put you or anyone else at risk. Sash said she thinks I’m ready to transport a child, and I agree. It will be my honor if you’ll be the first.”

  Maya stares at me in thought for a moment before replying, “If you believe that to be true, then I want you to transport me.”

  I smile to her as I stand, hold out my hand, and help her to her feet.

  “I’ll carry your spear,” Larn says.

  After handing my weapon to him, I turn my back to Maya and crouch low to the ground. She feels almost weightless compared to Sash when she climbs on. With my arms looped under her knees, I clamp her legs to my sides. Maya squeezes my chest with surprising strength.

  “Follow Tela,” Larn says to me.

  Once the boy jumps on Tela’s back, she locks him into place and runs to the east. I wait for her to get a bit of a head start before taking off behind her. Maya buries her face against the back of my neck as my speed increases. My focus is split equally between my grip around her legs, the solidity of my chest, and the beams of light that pop into my vision. With an explosion of speed, we race over the hills with Larn and Beck close by our sides.

  A few seconds later, we reach the last hill before the field in front of the gate. With more concentration than I’ve ever used, I gradually pull in my particles during the upslope. After sprinting down the other side of the hill, I cross the meadow and glide to a stop a few feet in front of the rack of boots against the wall.

  “Perfect,” Maya whispers in my ear.

  I lower her to the ground and turn to her. “I’m honored to be of service to you.”

  Larn nods his approval from my side. We all slip boots on our feet, walk through the gate, and then cross over the bridge. When we reach the far side, Luca climbs on Tela’s back while Maya jumps on mine.

  “Stay slightly behind Tela,” Larn says to me. “Beck will lead, and I’ll stay in the rear. If you fall behind, we’ll all slow to match your speed. This is standard procedure for escorting children to the Mount. Do you have any questions before we depart?”

  I think about the Murkovin attack when I returned from our visit to the Reflecting Pool, as well as the creature Larn mentioned seeing on our recent trip to the Mount. “What do we do if we see Murkovin?” I ask.

  “Beck and I will distract them. Under no circumstances do you stop with a child on your back. No matter what else happens, take the child straight to safety with all of your speed. It’s highly unlikely that any Murkovin can match your pace.”

  “Got it,” I say.

  Beck sprints to the east with Tela slightly behind him. I follow Tela, focusing again on maintaining my grip on Maya at the same time I look for the beams. As soon as light bursts into my vision, we lurch forward and stream into the colorless Barrens.

  I feel Maya’s particles slightly loosen, brushing against mine. It’s a strange feeling, like a tickling from within as the air blows through us. The rays of Beck soar into the Barrens on one side of the road while checking for Murkovin. After briefly returning to the path, he cuts away to the Barrens on the other side.

  Almost at the halfway point of our travel, I see a lone Murkovin in the distance. Standing on a hilltop several miles away, he watches as we pass. Larn speeds to the Barrens at my side, keeping himself between me and the Murkovin. Beck slows from the lead and stays by Tela’s side. By the time we reach the blind hills and rip over their crests, the Murkovin is no longer in sight.

  As the road steepens and the light overhead picks up shades of green, the forest of steel trees appears around us. I’m more cautious than I’ve ever been while coming out of the blend, making absolutely certain my body is disentangled from the beams before I try to slow to a sprint. After running at my top speed for several hundred yards, I know I’m entirely free of the light and finally stop in front of the others.

  Once Maya’s off my back and standing safely on the road, I turn to her. “How did it feel?”

  “You have great focus,” she replies, bowing to me.

  “Thank you for letting me transport you,” I say as I return her bow. “I’ll always remember this.”

  “You’re welcome,” she replies. “It was an exceptional ride, except I don’t like the hills where the road steepens.”

  “Really?” I comment. “I like way it feels going over them.”

  “I don’t care for it,” she says quietly. “It’s dangerous.”

  “It’s the highlight of the journey,” Beck chimes in.

  “Maybe for Travelers,” Maya replies to him.

  Larn steps to our side and hands me my spear. “You and Beck may return to the Delta. Please come back to the Mount at the end of the morrow. Beck will summon you when it’s time to return. You did very well, Chase.”

  “Thank you,” I say. “We’ll be back later.”

  “I hope the remainder of your morrow off is peaceful, and I apologize again for interrupting you.”

  “I’m actually thrilled I got to do this,” I say, feeling a greater sense of accomplishment from safely transporting Maya than from anything else I’ve done in Krymzyn.

  “It’s always a meaningful experience to transport the children,” he replies.

  With Maya, Tela, and Luca trailing slightly behind him, Larn walks to the wall. After taking one of the two flasks from my side, I take a drink of sap while watching them pass through the gate.

  Maya looks over her shoulder at me. “Thank you again, Chase. Be careful on your return.”

  “I will, Maya,” I call to her. “Enjoy the Mount.”

  I refasten the flask to my belt and walk to Beck. He’s looking out over the Barrens below us. The contrast from the green light surrounding the Mount to the black and white of the wasteland and eventually into the scarlet glow of the Delta takes my breath away.

  Beck turns to me when I reach him. “Shall we race?” he asks.

  “I don’t t
hink I can get anywhere near your speed,” I say, shaking my head.

  “You might be surprised. A race often brings out the best in us, and you’ve made a tremendous amount of progress. I’m impressed with your speed.”

  After briefly considering his proposal, I say, “Sure. It’ll be fun. I used to race all the time in something called cross-country in my world—just running over hills.”

  “If it’s fun to you, then we should definitely race,” he replies.

  I reach down to check my boot straps and tighten one of them before returning to upright. “We don’t need to worry about that Murkovin we saw, right?”

  “I’ve yet to see one of the beasts come anywhere close to my speed. As fast as you’re already traveling, you don’t to need to worry either.”

  I nod my head to him. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “When you blend, I will,” he replies.

  With our spears tight in our hands, we both begin sprinting down the road to the Delta. At about the same time, our bodies both arrow into the light. I know that Larn can cover the seventy-seven miles in about a minute at top speed. I want to count the seconds in my head just to know where I am in terms of speed compared to Larn. Beck pulls away from me, so I abandon the count to concentrate my particles on the brightest, strongest beams I can find.

  I slowly gain on him until we’re almost side by side. Through the steepest part of the descent, Beck suddenly blazes ahead of me. As we near the blind hills, I’m stunned at how fast he puts a mile between us.

  My motion sputters when I snap my head to several blurs of white to my left. Soaring over a hill no more than a mile to the south, a group of Murkovin travel at an angle towards the road in front of me. I immediately remember Beck’s words that none of the creatures have the speed to match ours. Rising up the slope of the first blind hill, I isolate my vision on the strongest beams moving in my direction.

  After crossing over the crest, I veer hard to my right. I completely lose control as I try to avoid a wall of tree limbs piled in the road and covered with splintered bone, flesh, and blood.