by Tom Hoffman
Edmund grinned. He liked the jokes Edmund the Explorer made and he liked having him for a friend.
Edmund the Explorer twisted one of the handles and the minifloater rose into the air with a deep hum. He tapped the side of his glasses and looked across the desert. “Hey, wait a minute, why am I doing all the work? I paid good credits for your Interworld Positioning System upgrade. How about you search for a big lake with an island in the center, one with a big stone building sitting on it.”
A translucent screen appeared in front of Edmund. He tapped several buttons and swiped across a large map. “Lake, island, stone building.” The map blurred, then a beautiful three dimensional image came sharply into focus. Edmund recognized it as the Island of the Blue Monks. “That way.” He pointed to a dark area scarcely visible across the hazy desert.
“Well, that made the extra twenty-thousand credits all worth it.” He laughed and twisted the right handle. The minifloater hummed loudly and sped off across the flat desert, a thick plume of pale yellow dust trailing behind it. As Edmund felt the warm breeze rushing past him and the occasional bug splat against his ears, he wished he could be an adventurer just like Edmund the Explorer. The light of realization flashed in his eyes. This was the moment! This very moment was why he had always wanted to become an explorer! It was why the book he had read about Edmund the Explorer had such a powerful impact on him. This moment was the forgotten memory that had driven him to adventuring, driven him to befriend Oliver and Bartholomew and Clara. His thoughts soared. What about other lost memories? What about this terrible loss the shimmering blue figure had told him about? And what about the ants? Why was he so afraid of ants? He felt a chill inside him. He didn’t want to think about this. “I hate ants.”
“What did you say?”
“I hate ants.”
“I hate spiders, and if you saw the spiders I’ve seen you’d hate them too. Hey, what’s that dark cloud up ahead? Magnify and tell me what you see.”
Edmund looked towards the gray swirling cloud and zoomed in on it. It was a mass of flying creatures, but they were moving so quickly it was hard to tell what they were. He froze the image, enlarged it and examined it closely.
“They look something like birds, but much bigger, faster, and with very large talons, razor sharp feathers, and three red eyes. There are thousands of them heading towards us at approximately ninety-seven miles per hour.”
“Creekers! That’s the worst thing I’ve heard since my old adventuring friend Jonathan the Explorer said, ‘This isn’t rope, it’s a spider web!’ You should have seen the look on Jonathan’s face. I’ve never seen fur turn white like that before.”
“What should we do?”
“Get the force tent out and turn it on. Push the red tab. Do it now!”
Edmund pulled the metallic cone from his pack and pushed the red tab. A transparent defensive sphere popped up around them.
“We have to put her down right now – hold on tight, A2!” Edmund the Explorer twisted both handles sharply. The minifloater shuddered violently and dropped to the desert floor. A split second later they plowed head on into the cloud of creekers. The two Edmunds flew off the minifloater, spinning wildly inside the sphere as they careened across the hard-packed desert floor. The minifloater veered away and shot up into the sky, disappearing in seconds. Dozens of dazed creekers were sprawled across the sand, shrieking and blinking their glowing red eyes. Thousands more viciously attacked the sphere, clawing and stabbing and spraying it with a noxious blue mist.
“Are you all right? Wake up! Are you hurt?”
Edmund the Explorer cracked his eyes open and moaned. “Did we get hit by a battle cruiser?” He looked through the blue tinted defensive sphere at the mass of black razor feathers, talons, and dagger beaks. “I hate creekers almost as much as spiders. That blue venom they spray used to dissolve defensive spheres, but the new emergency force fields put an end to that. Three cheers for new tech. They’ll attack for a while then leave. Where’s the minifloater?”
“It flew off on its own. Can we get it back?”
“Not without a shaper. We’re going to have to hoof it the rest of the way to the Blue Monks. Hey, how about you be a nice Rabbiton and carry me?”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“I’ll say it again, A2, I miss the old Rabbitons. They never laughed at me and they didn’t cost half what you did.” He grinned, putting his paw on Edmund’s shoulder. “Welcome to the world of adventuring, my friend. You know what, crashing a minifloater and being attacked by ten thousand creekers always makes me hungry. Why don’t you break out the food synthesizer and whip up a big salad. You can watch me eat. It’ll be fun.”
Edmund rolled his eyes and gave a big sigh.
Chapter 24
The Thirteenth Monk
With a furious flurry of black wings the creekers were gone. Edmund the Explorer watched as the swirling black cloud of deadly flying beasts faded away across the windswept desert. “Right on time. We can shut down the force tent and move out. Another four or five hours of traveling and we’ll have to camp for the night. The last thing I want to do is run into a flock of creekers in the dark.”
Edmund switched off the force tent, securing it in his pack while Edmund the Explorer scouted the area for any sign of the minifloater. Finding nothing, they headed off on foot towards the Island of the Blue Monks.
Edmund enjoyed walking with Edmund the Explorer and listening to stories of the strange worlds he had visited and the rare artifacts he had brought home with him. Edmund had read many books about other worlds, but it was different listening to someone who had really been there and seen the often bizarre and terrifying inhabitants up close. As Edmund knew first hand, it was one thing to read about creekers, but quite another to be swarmed by ten thousand of them, each one filled with a burning desire to turn him into an afternoon snack.
At times Edmund the Explorer had traveled alone, but more often he had been accompanied by his old adventuring friend Jonathan the Explorer. Jonathan’s reputation as an explorer was on a par with Edmund’s and the two got along famously, although Jonathan did do his best to annoy Edmund by claiming ‘Jonathan the Explorer’ was destined to be a household word, while ‘Edmund the Explorer’ would wind up as a small footnote in a dusty history book. Edmund the Explorer also took on missions for the military, something which had been occurring more frequently as the war increased in ferocity.
The tales of adventure were marvelous, but Edmund also enjoyed the stories about Emma. He wasn’t sure why, but for some reason it calmed him and took his mind off ants and the terrible loss he was supposed to suffer. He liked the way Edmund the Explorer was transformed when he talked about Emma. Edmund found himself wishing he had someone like Emma waiting for him back at the Fortress of Elders.
The days and nights rolled easily by, with no sign of creekers or any other terrifying predators. One morning as the desert haze cleared away, a dark line of jungle foliage appeared in the distance. The following day they exchanged the blistering heat of the desert for the sweltering damp of a lush rainforest. Edmund grinned to himself, remembering how worried Oliver had been about the odd array of shrieks and squawks coming from the trees. It made him feel better knowing someone as brilliant as Oliver was scared by the noisy jungle denizens, but it unfortunately did nothing to diminish his own fear of ants.
Edmund the Explorer tapped the side of his glasses and scanned the wall of vines and branches. “Through here. It’s been used as a path before. I can follow the old heat trails. It should take us about five days to reach the Blue Monks. If they don’t know anything about the time throttle, I’m not sure what I’ll do. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. There isn’t much the Blue Monks don’t know. I should warn you though, they are mighty hard to fathom. I’ve been there more than a few times and when I’m around them I always feel like a dim little bunny who can’t tie his shoes yet. Their understanding of the universe is beyond me, but I do know this world is
a far better place with them in it. In the end, all I really need to do is bring back the time throttle.”
The two Edmunds pushed on through the dense vegetation, often resorting to the vaporizer pistol to blast through the thick vines. They fought their way through the tangled foliage for almost three days, running into several large snakes and a massive hive of deadly spinner bees. Edmund the Explorer was held hostage by the bees in the force tent for over three hours as he waited for them to lose interest in him.
Edmund passed the time by climbing one of the taller trees to get a better view of the jungle. As he was peering out through the forest canopy he saw several unfamiliar skyships zipping across the horizon. He zoomed in on them and froze the image, running it through his IPS data banks. The ships were identified as an older Anarkkian scout ship and a small but heavily armed Anarkkian attack vessel. Edmund the Explorer was less than enthused when Edmund told him about the ships.
“Low profile from now on, my friend. No force tent, no vape guns, no food synthesizer – nothing the Anarkkians can pick up with their scanners.” He removed a small, gray cube from a flapped pocket and pressed several tabs on it. “This will hide my heat signature. I’ll look like a small monkey – something I’m sure Emma would find quite amusing.”
“Ha ha ha ha. Wait, that was a joke?”
“It was both a joke and not a joke, and your laugh was a very appropriate response. I suppose it’s time for us to move out and find the Blue Monks. We do have to save the world after all.”
Edmund wasn’t quite certain how to respond, so he just nodded. Sometimes it was hard to distinguish between a joke and not a joke.
After another day of struggling through the dense thickets they reached the end of the jungle, emerging to the sight of an enormous blue green lake. In the center of the lake was a great rocky island. Edmund recognized it as the Island of the Blue Monks, but there was no town to be seen, only the stone monastery and the immense wall surrounding it.
“There it is, my friend. Welcome to the Island of the Blue Monks.”
“How do we get to the island?”
“That will not be a problem.” Edmund the Explorer reached into a pocket and pulled out a small gold tube about three inches long. “The monks gave this to me. It’s my name.” He put the device to his lips and gently blew into it.
A soft melody floated out that filled Edmund with a deep sense of joy. For a brief moment he saw Emma’s face in front of him. The tune echoed across the lake.
“It won’t take them long.” Edmund the Explorer pointed towards the island. A long graceful craft had already appeared in the water and was heading towards them, rowed by four mice wearing dark red robes and hoods. “Okay, it’s probably best if you don’t say anything. Let me do the talking. You never know what to expect from these monks.”
With a gentle scraping sound the boat slid up onto the sandy shore. The four mice raised their oars but said nothing.
Edmund the Explorer motioned for Edmund to enter the craft, then climbed in after him. The mice put their oars back in the water and pushed off from the shore. Then they stopped. One of them turned to Edmund and nodded. “Hello, Edmund. It’s good to see you.” A chill ran through him. They knew who he was. How could they possibly know, and how could he explain this to Edmund the Explorer?
Edmund smiled politely at the mouse. “Hello, it’s very nice to meet you.” He leaned over to Edmund the Explorer and whispered, “They must think I am you.”
“As I said, they are hard to fathom.”
The mice began rowing again, and ten minutes later the two Edmunds were standing on the dock. Edmund the Explorer made no mention of the Red Monk’s unexpected greeting as they followed the four mice along the wooden boardwalk and up the rocky path to the island. They strolled across the island towards the monastery, Edmund surveying the area curiously. There were no houses or streets, only the walled monastery. They waited outside the massive wooden gates as one of the robed mice raised the heavy iron door knocker and let it fall against the door three times. With a creaking groan the two mammoth doors opened wide enough for them to pass through, then rumbled shut behind them.
Nothing had changed inside the monastery walls. Red robed mice tended the flowers, weeding and clipping, taking no notice of the visitors. The two Edmunds trailed behind the red robed mouse down the stone path and through the exquisite garden to the main door of the monastery. It was the same blue door, with the inlaid golden eye in the center. The Red Monk mouse raised the iron latch and swung the door open, motioning for them to enter. Edmund the Explorer looked over at Edmund with a grin.
“You break anything, you pay for it.” He entered the monastery with Edmund close behind.
It took several moments for their eyes to become accustomed to the dark. The room was the same now as it would be fifteen hundred years in the future.
Edmund the Explorer whispered, “It takes a minute till you see them.”
Edmund waited, finally seeing a slight movement at the front of the room, then the familiar thirteen blue robed mice, all looking at him.
Edmund the Explorer did not look away from the Blue Monks, but he did remain silent. The Thirteenth Monk stepped out of the line and walked towards them. Edmund’s eyes widened. It was the same monk who had sent him here.
The Thirteenth Monk slowly padded his way across the smooth stone floor until he stood only six feet from them. He looked at Edmund and smiled with his eyes, a smile of recognition, a smile that said he knew him for who he truly was. Edmund heard the Thirteenth Monk’s voice in his head. “Did Edmund the Explorer happen to mention he saved the monastery and all the Blue Monks from a ghastly fate? I suspect he did not. Perhaps one day he will tell you that story. There is far greater depth to Edmund the Explorer than is readily apparent. You must learn what you can from him during your time together.” The Thirteenth Monk turned to Edmund the Explorer.
“Hello, Edmund. We are in your debt as always. I hope dear Emma is doing well. How may I be of service to you?”
Edmund had never seen Edmund the Explorer display such humility. This was a very different Edmund the Explorer from the one he had come to know.
“I thank you sincerely for seeing us, and I deeply apologize for interrupting your peaceful day. I would not have come if it was not a matter of great importance.”
“I understand. I am happy to do whatever I can to put an end to this terrible war.”
“There is a Mintarian artifact I must retrieve before the Anarkkians find it. They will use it to sever our world’s connection to the universe.”
“The time throttle. I am aware of it.”
“Do you know where it is?”
The Blue Monk nodded. “I do. Past the Timere Forest, halfway up the Mountain of Klaatu lies a disabled Anarkkian scout ship. Sitting next to the ship is an Anarkkian warrior. She will be heavily armed, but alone. She has possession of the time throttle. She does not know you are coming, and yet she waits patiently for you.”
Edmund the Explorer looked confused. “She has the time throttle but hasn’t activated it? Why is she waiting for me?”
The Thirteenth Monk looked at Edmund the Explorer for many long moments before speaking. “Edmund, who fights wars?”
Edmund the Explorer blinked. “Armies do. Countries do.”
“No. Wars are not fought by armies, they are fought by individuals, each one blessed with the gift of free will. Remember this when you meet the Anarkkian warrior. She is a single being filled with the same universal life force as you. Listen to your inner voice, listen to the ocean’s wordless song of incomparable beauty, and only then should you act.”
“Thank you. I will do as you say, but I fear my actions will depend on what the Anarkkian warrior does.”
“No. Your actions will depend on what you choose to do.”
Edmund the Explorer looked down at his feet. “You’re right, of course. It’s difficult to remember these things in the heat of war.”
“Or in the fires of life.” He turned, smiling at Edmund, then stepped closer to him. He was only two feet away when he began to sing. It was the most beautiful song Edmund had ever heard. It was the ocean’s wordless song of incomparable beauty. When the song was done the Thirteenth Monk said, “Remember this well.” Edmund was filled with the terrible sadness again, but had no idea why. He could do nothing more than nod his head to the Thirteenth Monk.
The Thirteenth Monk turned and slowly padded back to the other side of the room, returning to his place in line. Edmund kept his eyes on the monks, but after a full minute he realized they had already vanished.
“We should go. We have to get the time throttle.”
Edmund the Explorer turned and walked towards the door.
An hour later they were on the jungle shore watching the four mice rowing back to the island.
“Next stop, the Timere Forest.”
Edmund’s IPS holomap blinked up in front of him and he swiped across it. “The Timere forest is twenty-one miles to the west.”
“Don’t forget the Anarkkians must not become aware of our presence. I know you’re indestructible, but the Anarkkian scout ships can knock out an A6 Warrior Rabbiton with a single neuro beam, and I’m sorry to say it, but your armor is nothing compared to an A6. So, no vape guns, no force tent, and only use IPS when absolutely necessary.”
It took them three full days of battling the jungle before finally arriving at the magnificent Timere Forest. Edmund had never seen such trees before. He gazed up at them in wonder. “These trees must be eight hundred feet tall. Their trunks are enormous.”
“They’re many thousands of years old. Who knows what lives up in the canopy.”
Edmund pointed northwest. “This way to the Mountain of Klaatu.” He took a step forward.
Edmund the Explorer grabbed Edmund’s arm. “Hold on there, my friend. We can’t just go tromping into the Timere Forest. This is where the ants live.”