Steampunk Tales, Volume 1

by Ren Cummins

  “I wouldn’t call it that, but it’s definitely a world of spirits. Everyone who dies on a world comes to a place like this,” he explained. “Unless other provisions are made.”

  She stared at him for another long moment, and finally turned her gaze away from him towards Memory, satisfied that she, at least, might explain herself.

  “Allow me to offer a possible explanation,” she said. “There are many worlds, like the one upon which you have lived. And on each of these worlds, there are charged at the least one…caretaker of sorts, who assists each soul on that world to move beyond at the moment of their death. It is their responsibility and their mission, to help them. They are given certain abilities to help them in this assignment, but are left to their own sense of duty as to how this is to be done. Do you understand me so far?”

  Rom nodded, and sat back down on the couch.

  “These caretakers are called the Sheharid Is’iin – this is the name as they are known among themselves, though they are often called by other names in the people who know of them: Harvesters, Collectors – among my people, they were called Dreamwalkers.”

  “Reapers,” Rom breathed.

  Memory nodded. “Yes, exactly. We have spoken with many of the people who have come here from your world, and that is the word they have used.”

  Rom pointed a shaking finger towards Memory. “Are you….a Reaper?”

  Extending her hands to include Inertia and Force, Memory nodded in agreement. “We all are,” she replied.

  Inertia raised his eyebrows towards Memory, who nodded again.

  “As are you, Rom.”

  It took an extra moment to click for her. Her head snapped back towards Memory. “Wait, what?”

  “Wouldn’t I know if I was a Reaper?” Rom asked. “Wouldn’t there be some sort of…I don’t know, some sign of it? How do you even know I’m one?”

  “There are several ways any of us can know,” Memory explained. “Usually, there are more than one of the Sheharid Is’iin on every planet – and when if or when one falls, they are reborn in a new form. The remaining Is’iin of that world remain vigilant until they have awakened.” Memory pointed towards one of the gems on her forehead. “These appear after that moment.”

  “But I don’t have any of those,” Rom said.

  Memory shook her head in agreement. “Here in this world,” she continued, “you stood out like the sun in the sky – your arrival was obvious to all of us, the moment your spirit came to this realm. That is why Artifice found you so quickly.”

  “Artifice?”

  “The woman we rescued you from,” Memory explained.

  “She said her name was Cera,” Rom said, confused. “With a C,” she said.

  Inertia chuckled. “Her idea of a riddle. She is practiced at the art of deceit, but does so with the pride of one who believes herself too clever for her victims.”

  Rom frowned. “I don’t understand. Why did she want me? What was she going to do to me?”

  Force leaned closer, rolling up one of her sleeves to display a deep red gem on the back of her wrist. “These gems are not simply a sign of our calling; we are strengthened by the spirits who pass through them on their way to the realms to come.”

  Inertia nodded, adding, “So our being here – and your being here – strengthens Artifice, since she is the keeper of this gem.”

  “Which gem?”

  Memory tapped the floor with her staff. “This gem – this world of spirits.”

  Rom stood up, forcing Mulligan again to clutch desperately to her shoulder. “Wait, you’re saying we’re in some kind of gem?”

  “Yes,” Memory replied. “In a manner of speaking.”

  “And it belongs to her – to Artifice?”

  Memory nodded again.

  “But how can she be inside, too? Don’t you have to be…dead?”

  “The people of a particular world, yes, come to their spiritual world when their spirits leave their bodies, and the gems we possessed in life associate us also to that world. But a Sheharid Is’iin can also send a portion of their spirit into the gem – they also can draw spirits back, or send the spirits forward – they have a strong degree of control over the spirits of those who have been separated from their physical forms. It is the key to the power and responsibilities possessed by all Sheharid Is’iin.”

  Inertia continued the explanation. “The souls of all people, when they die, come here. But what marks a person as a Sheharid Is’iin is the power to go back. The bond between your soul and your body is stronger than with regular people, but it will weaken the longer you are here. This is why Artifice seeks to delay your return – because if you do not return, she will own your soul, as well.”

  Rom felt her fists clenching. “So she’s got us here?”

  Inertia stood and walked closer to Rom, smiling. “Us, yes,” he said. “But not you – not yet, anyway.” Placing one hand on her head, his thumb rested against the odd knot in her forehead. “Your body is still alive – we can send you back.”

  Chapter 10: Remembering Life

  Inertia explained. “Your body cannot easily be permanently killed. We may have time, while Artifice tries to locate it, to prepare you and show you how to send your soul back. We suspect she will focus more on attempting to find you here in this world – it is the only way she can directly attempt to sever the ties between your soul and your body.”

  “But if she were to find it there,” Rom said, becoming suddenly anxious, “she could kill me…completely?”

  Memory nodded. “But do not worry, dear. We have a friend who watches over you even now. He is tending to your wounds and keeping you safe, even as we do here.”

  Rom blinked – her headache had, in fact, vanished. The pressure that had been pounding on her head was gone, replaced now with an almost dizzying lightness.

  The three others were looking at her with surprised but contented smiles on their faces.

  “What?”

  Inertia looked over his shoulder onto the table, and picked up a flat plate. He handed it over to Rom so she could see her reflection in the shiny surface. She nearly dropped it. Her right hand slowly rose to touch the purplish glowing gem she could now see clearly in the center of her forehead.

  “Is that…?”

  They nodded. “You are awakening, Rom,” Memory explained. “You are very nearly reborn.”

  “Is that real?” she asked, her eyes widening. “Am I going to have that on my head when I wake up?”

  He nodded. “It is the mark of a Sheharid; a declaration to all that you are what you are; and it also serves as a physical connection for you when you live again.”

  Her mind raced from the constant fights in the orphanage to the creature that had all but killed her and sent her here, to her narrow escape from Artifice. “So what happens now? How do I learn what I can do?”

  “That,” Memory frowned, “is something we unfortunately no longer have time for. Now that you are awakened, you shine brightly enough that Artifice will be able to find you, even through the concealing magics I have cast. And your newly-awakened mind is too strong for me to teach you the way I would normally do so – through implanting memories in your mind that unlock themselves.” Her eyes rested on Mulligan. “However, I have an idea.”

  She looked at Inertia and Force. “You must awaken her connection to her body – Inertia, remind her muscles how to be as strong as they can be; Force, you must endow her bones with the power to endure Inertia’s magic.” She extended her arms towards Mulligan, and he leapt to her. “And to you I will give you what wisdom I can impart, little one.”

  Thunder rolled in the distance. “She’s coming,” Inertia said. “She’s breaking through my outer shields.”

  Memory scratched Mulligan behind the ears and Rom could again see her gems glowing brightly. “This will not hurt one bit,” she said to him. “But you will be quite dizzy and sleepy for the first day or so as the thoughts untangle themselves.”

&
nbsp; Inertia turned his attention to Rom, and she saw the ground beneath him glow similarly, though more deeply green in color. “Give us your hands,” he asked. She did so, and Force and Inertia both held her hands, their gems bursting with visible energy. Her arms throbbed; her skin felt as if it were on fire – but she gritted her teeth and focused on the certainty that it was necessary to both defend herself and, perhaps one day, take the fight back to Artifice for what she had done.

  The pain subsided, and they released her hands – Memory was standing before her, and carefully handed Mulligan back. He weakly crawled back up onto her shoulder, and sighed softly before resting his head on his paws, his eyes half-closed.

  “Now then, Rom,” Memory began, “a newly awakened Is’iin mind closes itself off when it transforms – it’s a defensive measure that happens to all of us, like the chrysalis of a butterfly.”

  “A what?” Rom asked.

  Memory ignored the girl’s question. “It means your mind is powerfully protected from me, so I cannot send you back to your body by myself – I can only try to teach you how to do it.”

  The walls and floor shook suddenly and briefly; this was followed by another loud explosion from outside the cave entrance.

  Memory looked directly at Rom, but spoke to Inertia. “How much more can you hold her?”

  Inertia was supporting himself against a chair, sweat beading up on his face. “Maybe another minute, two or three,” he said.

  Force picked up her sword and shield. “I’ll go buy us some time. Good luck, Rom. You’re going to be fine.” She bowed her head slightly and turned to leave. “No horses around here now, you crazy bitch!” she called out as she walked outside, brandishing her sword defiantly.

  Memory drew Rom’s attention back to her. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to be brief on this – I will do all I can, but most of this will be up to you. Are you ready?”

  Rom nodded, even though she didn’t even approach feeling ready.

  “You have to remember who you were. Remember everything about yourself – think about who you are, who you were; think of your friends, your home. You must think of every detail – every smell, every sound, every feeling. This is the thread upon which you must pull yourself back. Do not let go of that thread.”

  She looked into the woman’s eyes, saw the reflection of Memory’s golden gems burning brightly into her own eyes. Randomly, Rom thought Memory seemed exceptionally sad, for some reason.

  “No! Do not think of me,” she said sharply. “Close your eyes. Think of yourself. Think of your life, your world, your memories.”

  Rom did as she was told – she closed her eyes and thought of her life. In the corner of her mind, she could hear the low rumbling of what was obviously Inertia and Force, fighting to defend her – her, a person they’d just met and yet for whom they were willing and prepared to risk their lives. On her shoulder, Mulligan nuzzled her cheek, and lowered his head back to her shoulder – his whiskers were scratchy on her skin, and his breath was hot, coming in short breaths.

  She began to feel the room spinning, but she kept her eyes shut tight – her lungs felt sluggish, struggling to catch air. When she at last drew another breath, it felt cold in her chest, her mouth felt dry and her body began to ache. It was dramatically silent – gone were the sounds of combat, the explosions, the screams of defiance.

  Cautiously, she opened her eyes – just a sliver at first, and then wider when she realized she was back in the girls’ dormitory of the orphanage. She started to sit up, but her body protested – her back and legs were very sore, and her head spun treacherously, sending a warning tremble from her stomach.

  Three things jumped to her attention right from the start, however. First, Kari was sitting in a small chair beside her, her head forward, asleep. Second, Rom realized was wearing the same clothing she’d been wearing in that spirit world – the cloth still felt smooth and clean. Third, a warm ball of fur was curled up against her shoulder, snoring softly.

  Her mind reeled – she was home again, but the dress and Mulligan were evidence that she had, in fact, been there – and somehow brought them back with her. That left one further detail to verify. In spite of the protests of her aching shoulder, she raised her hand to her forehead. With a soft gasp, she felt the smooth surface of the spirit gem – actually there, firmly embedded in her skin. It was real? She thought. It was real.

  Either the movement or her gasp caused Mulligan to rouse, and he arched his neck and yawned deeply, pink tongue curling up at the end. He smacked his lips a couple of times, and stood up. “Where are we?” he whispered.

  Rom shushed him softly, pointing her eyes towards the sleeping Kari.

  “Oh,” he mouthed. “Sorry. Friend of yours?”

  “That’s my best friend Kari. She must’ve stayed here to watch over me.”

  Mully nodded. “Good friend,” he agreed.

  Kari stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She looked at Rom, then Mulligan, and back to Rom.

  Instinctively, she kicked back from the strange animal and tipped backwards over in her chair. The wood of the chair clattered loudly against the floorboards and mingled with Kari’s yelp. Rom swung her legs slowly onto the floor and stepped over to help Kari back to her feet.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  Kari swept the hair back from her face, smoothed out her dress, and struggled to make sense of the moment. “Am I okay? I’m fine! But - - how - - - what - - what’s that on your head?”

  Rom looked around the room – it was morning, probably not too long after breakfast, so most of the children were either in class or out playing in the yard. But a Matron could be in here at potentially any moment to check on her.

  Self-consciously, Rom mussed her hair to try and conceal the gem on her forehead. “I’ll explain, I promise. But first you need to tell me what happened. How long have I been here? How did I get here?”

  They both sat back down on their beds, facing one another. Mully crawled up into Rom’s lap and allowed her to scratch the back of his head and neck.

  “Oh, Rom, it was terrible!” Kari said. “You took off with that monster and you just went up and up, and then there was a big crash and I couldn’t see you! Then Cousins saw you fall and we ran over, and…” her eyes welled up. “I thought you were dead. You were burned and your arm and legs were both turned funny… I was so afraid, I thought you were…!”

  Rom frowned sympathetically. She’d seen the image of herself, thanks to Memory – she could only imagine how horrible it had to have been for Kari to have seen it up close.

  “Cousins had a couple of people there – they were the ones who he was supposed to deliver the box to,” she lowered her voice when saying that – “and they helped carry you back inside. They did some kind of medical thing and fixed your arm and legs, but your skin was still really darkly burned. They wrapped you in bandages, and the man – he didn’t say his name – carried you back here this morning. The Matrons were so mad, but he pulled Matron Suvanna aside and said something to her and her face was all red but she didn’t punish us. And she let me stay up here and watch you, but now…you’re all better! And…that dress is really cute!”

  “So it all just happened last night?”

  Kari nodded, her eyes dropping to Mulligan, who was purring gently. “What’s that?”

  Rom grinned. “This,” she stopped petting the little grey feranzanthum, who growled softly in protest, “is Mulligan. He was…with me, there.”

  “What do you mean, ‘there’?”

  Rom sighed. She didn’t quite understand it yet, herself. “I went to someplace else. I found these clothes and met Mulligan and some other people, and they helped me come back here. I guess the clothes and Mully came with me somehow.”

  “Also, you’re not hurt anymore. That’s amazing!”

  “I don’t feel not hurt. My body’s killing me.” She massaged her right shoulder, but strangely enough, it didn’t ache very much now. “Hmm. Or maybe
not.”

  She stood up, lifting Mulligan to her shoulder, and took a few steps around the room. With each step, her legs and back felt better and better – after ten steps, she didn’t feel any discomfort at all.

  Her mind recalled the strange and painful magic Inertia and Force had done – had that helped her somehow heal herself?

  When she turned around, she was smiling broadly. Kari was still sitting on the bed, turned to watch what her mind told her was impossible – nevertheless, there was her friend, looking not only as if nothing had happened to her, but dressed in a fine dress, a strange looking animal on her shoulder, and a brightly glowing gem stuck somehow on her forehead.

  She was about to ask something more when the far door opened. Rom quickly dropped Mulligan onto her bed, turning and standing in front of him to block him from sight as the Matron entered with Cousins.

  They both stopped in their steps, her with a look of confusion on her face, one of curiosity on his.

  “Miss Rom!” she said, pushing past Cousins to run towards her. Rom flashed Kari a quick look, and Kari stood and took her place by the bed, maintaining Mully from view as Rom moved to intercept the Matron.

  “Matron Mariel,” she said, as the Matron wrapped her arms around Rom in a fierce hug.

  “We were so worried about you! The other Matrons said you looked terrible, what with all the burns and cuts!” she took Rom in her hands, holding her back far enough to get a fair appraisal of the girl. “Why, you don’t look at all harmed,” she said, relief apparent in her voice. She embraced Rom once more, then turned to Cousins.

  “Well, it looks like I’ll have to ask Matron Suvanna to sign those papers over, after all. I’ll be sure to have them ready downstairs, whenever you’re ready to leave.”

  He bowed, affecting the sort of demeanor generally held only by the other adults when they interacted – it looked strange when he did it, but if she thought it silly, Matron Mariel did not even crack a smile, aside from politely excusing herself and leaving.

  “Papers? What are you up to now, Cousins?” Rom asked him, instantly suspicious.