The Shoreless Sea

by J. Scott Coatsworth

  “O’Reilly Smith.”

  “Harrison O’Reilly Smith. Sorry.”

  “Why don’t you bring her back to the shuttle? We have something for her to eat there and a place where she can take a nap. Would you like that, Melissa?”

  The little girl nodded.

  “Come here.” Andy reached for Melissa and lifted her up in her arms. She was so light. When did you last eat?

  She held the girl tight and made her way back out of the booster. When they reached the fresh air of the shuttle, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  There were six refugees there already, all strapped to seats with breathing masks on.

  Aaron was right behind her. “Get her strapped in. We’re going to make a run to Forever.” Her father kissed her head.

  She got some water and food for the girl from their stores.

  They sat next to each other, and one of the doc’s medical crew stopped by to give Melissa a shot of doxynol.

  “Will it hurt?”

  Dernya smiled. “Not even a little.”

  The shuttle separated from the coyote ship and fired its thrusters, heading toward Forever.

  As they crossed the gulf between the ship and the colony, Andy gave Melissa the water and the food—some hard nutrition bars that had been designed to replace missing nutrients in the new arrivals.

  Melissa stuck out her tongue. “It tastes like dirt.”

  Andy laughed. “Have you ever tasted dirt?”

  Melissa nodded solemnly. “My brother made me a mud pie, once.”

  Her brother. Andy winced. Where had he been lost, along the way? “Look, we’re almost there.”

  “Where?” Curiosity sparkled in the girl’s eyes. Andy thanked Forever for that.

  “Forever.”

  “Forever isn’t a place.”

  “It is now. Look!”

  They watched as the airlock opened, allowing the shuttle to slip inside the new world. As it thundered closed behind them, Andy brushed a lock of hair back from the girl’s gaunt face.

  “Okay, here we go!”

  The other end of the airlock opened up, and the ship’s interior was flooded with golden light.

  Melissa pressed her face against the glass as the world came into view. She turned to Andy, a delighted look on her face. “It goes up and up and up!”

  Andy nodded. She felt incredibly protective of the girl. After all she had been through, nothing else should be allowed to harm her. She would find a place in this new world. Andy would make sure of it.

  Maybe this was what it felt like to be a mother. One day I’ll find out.

  She put her arms around Melissa and watched the world outside with her.

  She swore to herself that Forever would be different. They would do things differently here.

  They would break the cycle.

  BELYNN BLINKED.

  Her mother’s memory had been intense. More so than all the others.

  She had known about that time in Andy’s life, at least superficially, but Andy had never wanted to go into detail about those dark days. Now Belynn understood why.

  She could still feel the little girl in her own arms, as if she had held her herself. Still feel the fierce protectiveness her mother had felt toward her. Toward their world.

  The protectiveness that had been transferred to Kiryn and herself the day each of them had been born.

  She looked Destiny in the eye. “Are you okay?”

  Destiny looked gray, but se nodded. “I will be.”

  Belynn pulled ser close, not wanting to let ser go.

  Behind her, Andy lost her grip and fell to the floor.

  Della staggered to her feet, white as a ghost. She extended a bony finger toward Belynn and Destiny. “Arrest them! Put them in chains before they can do any more harm!”

  Belynn dropped to the ground next to her mother.

  She barely noticed that the captain had placed himself between them and Della. “Leave them be. This is over.” He led her away.

  Belynn touched Andy’s cheek. “Mom, are you okay?”

  Kiryn was on their mother’s other side, staring nervously down at Andy.

  She was pale. Too pale. Her lips were almost white.

  “Mom, you’re scaring me.”

  It’s okay. Andy’s voice rang clearly in her head, just like it had once done when Andy had been stronger.

  Mom? She and Kiryn exchanged a glance.

  It’s time. Shandra is waiting for me. Her face split in a ghost of a smile, and she squeezed both of their hands.

  Mom, don’t go. I’m not ready. That was Kiryn. They were all linked.

  Andy opened her eyes. “You’ll be okay. You two always are. You are strong.” She closed her eyes, and Belynn feared she was gone. Then they opened again. “Like me.” Her voice was a low croak, but they understood her.

  Teach them. All of them. Break the cycle.

  Mom, I’m not ready. Belynn wasn’t sure if that was her thought or her brother’s.

  Take care of each other. I love you more than you will ever know. Andy closed her eyes and lay back on the hard wooden floor.

  A final sigh escaped her lips, and she was gone.

  Belynn wailed, her pain taking hold of her and roaring out of her like an inferno.

  Kiryn pulled her close and joined her.

  Together they cried for the loss of their mother and for the bleak loneliness that suddenly clawed at their souls.

  She thanked Saint Ana that she had Kiryn. Without him, she couldn’t have borne the pain.

  When the worst passed, Belynn looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  Destiny stood there, ser own cheeks damp and ser eyes red. “Aine wants us to take her to the square.”

  “The square?” It made no sense.

  She should have helped Andy transfer into the world mind, like her grandfather had done for Ana and like Andy had done for Colin.

  Only then there would be two Andys. But one was Aine now.

  She shook her head. She wasn’t thinking clearly.

  Destiny signed the request to Kiryn.

  He nodded. “The square.” Gently he scooped up their mother’s body and lifted her off the ground.

  Belynn got up with him. She cleared her throat. “Why the square?”

  “I don’t know.” Destiny took her arm and guided her out of the reception hall.

  The city guard followed.

  The mayor was nowhere to be seen.

  As they stepped onto the street, people reached out and touched Andy’s shoulder, her head, her clothing. They were gentle, reverent touches.

  A crowd had formed along Main Street and York Street, and they parted as Kiryn, Belynn, Thierry, and Destiny made their way down the street and into the square.

  Somewhere along the way, Dax and Skate joined them.

  Someone put an arm around Belynn.

  She looked up into Gordy’s face. “You came.”

  He nodded. “Aine got word to me. I wasn’t far. Are you okay?”

  “I will be. I am so glad you’re here.” She hugged him tight. Even though it hadn’t worked out between them, he’d always been there when she needed him.

  The procession proceeded down the street in silence.

  As they approached the sculpture, the crowd pulled back even farther, encouraged by the guards to make room.

  Lay her inside the sculpture.

  Belynn and Kiryn looked at each other and back at the hollow sculpture of Old Earth. There was a flat space inside the globe, wide enough to hold Andy’s body. Belynn shook her head. She didn’t want to become a part of the world mind.

  I know. She has her own destiny. Aine’s voice was sympathetic.

  Kiryn laid his mother’s body down in the space. He knelt to kiss her forehead, and when he stood, his eyes were shining. Belynn couldn’t see what he said to Andy, but that was okay. It was between Kiryn and their mother.

  He turned to hug Belynn and then stepped out of the way.

&n
bsp; She moved to Andy’s side and took her mother’s hand. It was still warm. “Mom, I don’t want you to go.” I should have come to see you last year. When you asked me to. She’d been too busy with the new place, with work, with Destiny.

  Truth be told, she hadn’t wanted to go back. The Estate held too many memories of her other mother, her mamma, Shandra. She leaned down to kiss her mother’s forehead. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”

  A spark like static electricity passed between them. Belynn rubbed her lips, frowning.

  She stepped backward into Kiryn’s arms.

  There was a rustling from the crowd.

  Someone stepped forward. Then another, and another.

  Belynn looked around. Some of them she recognized…. Tim. Chris. Danny. But the others….

  “They’re all Liminals?” Destiny’s mouth was open.

  She had to know it already.

  Belynn closed her eyes. She could feel them all, like hot lights burning bright all around Andy and her family. “Yes.”

  Soon they were surrounded by a circle of Liminals taking one another’s hands.

  Thierry tugged at her shirt. “Look!”

  Behind the Liminals, more people were coming forward, forming a second circle.

  “They aren’t Liminals.” Destiny stared at the new circle forming around them.

  Belynn reached out to them. “No,” she whispered. “They’re not.”

  The spindle above dimmed, and then the square lit up in a golden glow.

  Belynn turned in time to see fine filaments rising up from the sculpture to cover Andy’s body.

  Belynn took Destiny’s hand as she watched her mother’s face become covered with lace. She reached for Kiryn’s hand.

  The world around her shifted, and she stood in a place she’d seen before.

  The buildings around them had all vanished, replaced by a circle of grass-covered hills. On one end of the valley stood a verdant forest. On the other end, the sun was just rising over the hills.

  In place of the stone tower, the Earth sculpture loomed over them all.

  A group of people was making its way down the hillside. The sun behind them made them hard to discern. The twin circles opened, and the newcomers entered the ring.

  Belynn gasped. Aine, where did they come from?

  I don’t know.

  This isn’t your doing?

  No.

  Jackson, Colin, Alex, and Ana were there, on the far side of the sculpture, along with four others.

  Her Grandpa Aaron and Grandma Keera. A woman who must have been Grandma Glory.

  And Shandra.

  Belynn watched as Andy sat up and looked around.

  The filaments that had encased her body collapsed.

  Belynn caught her mother’s gaze.

  Andy smiled and nodded. She looked thirty years younger. I love you both. She got up and almost ran to Shandra. Shandra hugged her for the longest time, and the whole world held its breath.

  Tears formed in the corners of Belynn’s eyes. I will not cry. I will not cry. She couldn’t help it.

  Shandra looked at her and Kiryn over Andy’s shoulder and winked.

  Then she, Andy, and the others of the Hammond clan turned and joined the Immortals.

  In a flash, they were gone.

  The sculpture shuddered and shifted, its continents pulling apart. The world roots stretched to the sky, dividing to create branches. They spread out and sprouted enormous silver leaves, shading the valley.

  Belynn pulled Kiryn to her, hugging him fiercely. She’s gone.

  His face was wet against her cheek. The past is over. It’s time to forge something new.

  The valley faded away, but the tree remained. Belynn looked up as the spindle sparked and glowed again. The tree’s leaves shone with a silver light, casting their own illumination over the assembly in the square.

  Belynn let go of Kiryn to take Destiny’s hand, and smiled.

  Time for something new indeed.

  Epilogue

  THIERRY FINISHED reciting his latest composition, an epic poem about Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.

  The buildings of the Palatine Hill melted away, and he and his students were back in the apple orchard.

  “That’s it for today. See you tomorrow at eleven.” He sent his charges off to lunch, standing up and wiping the leaves and dirt off his pants. He liked teaching out here in the grove, in the outdoors. It was quiet, and there were fewer distractions than in the classroom.

  Paola, one of his star pupils, stayed behind. “Show me the Colosseum again?”

  Thierry laughed. “You have a thing for Italian history, don’t you?”

  She grinned. “Mamma says we have some Italian in us.”

  They walked through the grove, heading back toward the school. “I don’t know where my family was from. My mother died when I was little.” He reached up and grabbed a couple of apples, handed one to Paola. The glow faded.

  He took a bite. It was sweet, ripe, and juicy.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” They came out into the light of the spindle.

  The school lay ahead of them.

  Since Andy’s death, Belynn and Destiny had relocated to the old Estate and had gathered those with the talent for music and storytelling to open the school Andy had proposed.

  Three new buildings had been constructed on the grounds, and soon the first class of graduates would fan out and start teaching the history of Earth and the history of Forever to the world.

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll show you more tomorrow. Wait until you see Venice and Pompeii!”

  “I can’t wait! See you tomorrow!” Paola ran off after her friends.

  “Thierry!” Belynn was flagging him down from the stairs of the Hammond Building.

  He waved. “What’s up?”

  “We’re dedicating the new plaza to Andy tonight. Can you arrange a little show for the festivities?”

  “I’d love to.” He gave her a hug. It had been three long years, and he could still read the pain on Belynn’s face when she talked about her mother. “You still miss her, don’t you?”

  “Every day.”

  “She would be really proud of you.”

  They walked up the steps together. “Yeah, she would, wouldn’t she?”

  He nodded. “I only knew her for a short time, but it was clear what a dream of hers this place was. You know, she left behind a hell of a legacy.”

  Belynn nodded. “She changed a lot of minds that morning.”

  “No. I mean you. You and Kiryn. Without you two, Gordy, Dax, and Destiny, none of this would have happened.”

  She nodded. “Maybe so.” She laughed. “When did you become so wise?”

  He laughed. “I’ll let you know when it happens.” Thierry glanced back at the apple grove. “Is she coming?”

  Belynn followed her gaze. “Della?”

  After the Unity, those precious moments when the whole world had been one, Della had collapsed, some kind of breakdown. Belynn and Destiny had let her come live in a cabin on the edge of the Estate, and she had slowly come back to sanity.

  “I hope so. Galen said she would try.”

  “Good. I hope she can be happy one day.”

  “Me too.” She gave him a quick hug. “You’re pretty amazing, kiddo. Andy would be proud of you too. Kiryn and I aren’t the only ones who are gonna change the world.”

  GORDY LEAPT off the ledge, spreading his new wings. He’d designed them with Aine’s help, patterned after the wings the earlier settlers had used, but these could be made simply, with the technology on hand in the current world.

  He was nervous. They should work, but this was his first test flight.

  He caught the slipstream and then he was soaring.

  All around him, the waters of the new Barrier Sea sparkled under the golden light of the spindle.

  He remembered lying on his bed at home, arms out, pretending he could fly.

  Gordy laughed. That was Astin’s
memory.

  His memories were Gordy’s now, and they no longer scared him when they surfaced in his head.

  “This is sleeking amazing!” He laughed. No one here said sleeking, as much as he’d tried to make it a thing.

  In a couple of hours he’d be home in Micavery, with sore arms, no doubt.

  Laurie would be waiting for him.

  “Woo-hoo!” He spun in a circle, skimming the light of the spindle.

  His life was finally right.

  DAX TACKED the sailboat starboard, making for the first of the islands on the far side of the Barrier Sea.

  Behind him, Kiryn sat at the aft of the boat, his eyes closed, clearly enjoying the feel of the wind on his face.

  Dax tapped him on the knee.

  Kiryn opened his eyes. “Beautiful day.”

  Dax replied with his free hand. “Almost there.” They’d decided to take some time to explore the new islands—a couple of weeks camping away from the city.

  One day, a new town would be planted on the far shore, but for now the other side of the sea was an empty wilderness.

  Dax turned his attention back to their course. He loved the idea that there were still some new corners of Forever to see.

  As long as there were new frontiers, he and Kiryn would explore them together.

  THE SEED sprouted, sending its questing roots down into the world.

  Aine had waited until she was ready to plant it. Until the world had settled down enough to let her devote her attention to it.

  Soon it would awaken and be ready to learn. To become what it should have been the first time, without human interference.

  Soon, she could lay down her burden and rest.

  The world was at peace. Della had been deposed, and humanity, for once, seemed to have learned something new.

  It was time for her to bow out gracefully and join the others.

  She’d seen them, in the silver light of the dreamtime, when Andy had moved on from this plane of existence to wherever they had come from.

  Heaven? Valhalla? Another universe?

  She didn’t know, but she was ready to find out.

  She would take her secret with her—that there were survivors back home. On Earth, or somewhere very close to the mother world.