Realmwalker

by Jonathan Franks

  About two hours into his flight, roughly halfway into the journey, he started experiencing an odd feeling. Something didn’t feel right here. He couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was that was bothering him. After a while, he realized that it was getting noticeably colder and that he hadn’t seen anyone else since he’d entered the ravine. This wasn’t a bustling trade route by any means, but ordinarily, he’d see a handful of other fairies down here. Today, he was completely alone.

  An hour later, when he finally reached the ledge at the far end of the ravine that would take him to The Caverns, he could see his breath, and there was frost clinging to the rock face. He stood on the ledge and peered into the tunnel. There was no familiar, yellow-green glow. The air had an odd stillness to it, like the air in a tomb. Pushing that ominous thought aside, Herron proceeded on foot down the tunnel. As he walked further in, he could see the moss on the ceiling was dead and frozen hard. “That explains why there’s no light in here,” he said to himself. His words sounded odd in the thick, cold air. They didn’t echo like they normally would have.

  He reached around into one of the outer pockets of his pack and took out a small lightstone. Larger lightstones always had a stronger glow than the smaller ones, but it was enough to illuminate the tunnel. The walls looked like they were scorched black, blanketed with a fine film of soot. “Burnt walls and frozen moss,” Herron muttered, trying to puzzle together what he was seeing.

  He kept walking, rounded a corner, and then caught himself abruptly before he stepped off the floor and into the gray abyss in front of him. Where Firemoss should have stood was, Herron saw, nothing. Absolutely nothing. No cavern. No rock. No buildings, no fairies, not anything. The space was a very pale, whitish gray and it had no depth and no texture, and it radiated cold. It looked like a thick, ocean fog, but Herron knew it wasn’t. Firemoss - all of The Caverns - was simply gone.

  He picked a pebble off the ground and flicked it into the grayness. It flew through the air and then it wasn’t there. There was no sound. It wasn’t sailing through the air to hit the bottom of the cavern. It was gone. Herron backed away, shaking his head in disbelief. After five or six steps backward, he turned around and his breath caught in his throat. A cave rat reared up at him.

  Herron ducked and rolled to the left before the rat’s gnashing teeth slashed downward toward him. The rat whirled to follow Herron and made another dive for him. Herron rushed at the cave rat, not quite avoiding the razor-sharp incisors. The rat caught Herron’s right shoulder just above the wing, terribly close to piercing the wing itself.

  Herron pushed himself forward against the cave rat’s filthy, matted abdomen. The rat was still up on its hind legs, and it tried to dodge away from him to the left, but Herron pushed at it hard enough to back it into the cave wall. It tried the same move to the right and Herron shoved it back into the wall again so it couldn’t pivot around him, then jabbed upward with his long dagger. It ripped through the flesh under the rat’s jaw and the rat squealed in pain.

  The rat stepped backwards to get back down on all fours, but Herron caught sight of the limitless gray nothing behind the creature. He beat his wings and flew upward and planted a kick right in the rat’s throat. It reared back up on his back legs and Herron rushed it, planting his palms against the rat’s thick neck. The rat lost its footing and squealed again as it fell off the ledge. It scraped at Herron as it fell, rending a long, deep scratch up the outside of his left leg, and Herron threw himself backward to the ground and watched the rat disappear into the nothingness and its shriek ceased abruptly.

  Herron turned and limped back down the tunnel, trying to get out of what was left of The Caverns as quickly as he could. When he reached the tunnel mouth, he checked his injuries. The wound on his shoulder would certainly make an ascent back to The Sky impossible - he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep flying for that long. His leg was injured, so he wouldn’t be able to walk terribly far.

  His mind whirled and he scrambled to form a plan. What is within a couple hours of here, alternating between flying and walking? The Foothills were down at the bottom of the ravine but he didn’t think they had a healer, and there was no one he trusted there.

  Past The Foothills were The Glade and The Marsh. The Marsh might do - there was a healer there, but he didn’t know who could offer any answers to the question of the gray space and the missing Realm.

  He sat down and set to work bandaging his leg. There wasn’t much he could do for his shoulder. He stood, then flew down into the ravine, and he had an idea. “The Meadows,” he said to himself.

  It was a little farther than The Foothills, but up the ravine, in the other direction. He could probably make it there in a couple of hours. He knew Veen trusted Nai deeply, she could have his wounds healed, and she had to be informed about the tears in the Chamber of her Realm’s Heart. Then his heart thrilled with the realization that he’d be able to see Ivy again, and he shook his head to clear that shameful thought. He had much more important things to worry about. The Caverns were gone, and Nai might have some answers. He set off toward The Meadows.

  -

  It was dark when he finally saw The Meadows in the distance. He was exhausted. He would have to go the rest of the way on foot. His head was light and he was feeling faint and nauseated. He needed healing, sooner than later.

  He limped toward the village and paused when he reached the ring of mushrooms that marked the portal to the Chamber of the Heart. He turned to look to the hill where Ivy said she’d lived. It was closer than the village, so he headed there instead. He crested the hill, then tripped and rolled down the rest of the way. He tried to get to his feet but he fell again. He was starting to black out when he heard his name.

  “Herron?”

  -

  He heard a soothing, musical humming coming from somewhere to his right. When Herron opened his eyes, he found that he was floating naked in a large bath of hot water. He suddenly felt very disoriented and he kicked his legs to right himself, but a burning pain ripped up his leg. He felt the bottom of the tub and tried to stand, but his head spun and his leg gave way. He fell back into the water with a splash.

  “Ssh, ssh,” Nai shushed. “Don’t try to get up. Just lie still.”

  Herron sputtered and tried not to move anymore. He pushed his legs out in front of him again and floated to the surface of the bath again. He was in quite a lot of pain and his head was pounding.

  “You had a deep bite on your shoulder and a nasty cut up your leg. You lost a lot of blood,” she told him.

  “Nai,” Herron said weakly. “The Heart...”

  “Hush, now, there’s plenty of time for that after you’ve rested. I can treat you again in a few hours and you’ll feel much better.”

  “Where...” His voice trailed off. Dizziness was washing into his head.

  “You’re at Ivy’s house, in her bath. You collapsed on her lawn, and she sent someone to fetch me. I managed to stop the bleeding and close your wounds, although you may have just reopened them.”

  Herron gingerly felt around with his left hand until he could find the edge of the tub. He gently pulled himself toward it and held himself still so the floating wouldn’t feel so disorienting. He let his eyes drift open and immediately closed them again as nausea rolled over him. He groaned.

  “Some sort of mole,” Nai asked, “or a bat?”

  “A cave rat,” Herron said quietly.

  “Ah. Who knows what kind of nasty diseases those filthy creatures are carrying?”

  “I have to tell you something. And it can’t wait.”

  “All right,” Nai said in a soothing voice, “tell me, but don’t try to sit up.” He heard footsteps, and then felt hands cradling his head. Instantly, the headache and dizziness vanished.

  Herron tentatively opened his eyes. He didn’t feel worse, so he opened them all the way and saw Nai peering down at him. “What do you have to tell me?” she asked.

  With her hands on his head and her bo
dy arching over the side of the tub over his own, Herron suddenly felt very naked. He pushed the embarrassment away and said, “The other day, I tapped the Heart of the Meadows.”

  “I know.”

  “When I went in there, I noticed a pool on the ground. It felt heavy and slick, warm. It had a salty kind of taste to it. I don’t think it was water; it felt like --”

  “Tears,” Nai interrupted.

  “Yeah.”

  “This is not good news. It means that the Heart of another Realm has died.”

  Herron tried to sit up again but Nai gripped his head tighter and shushed him again.

  “Sorry,” he said. “What do you mean, ‘the Heart of another Realm has died?’”

  “The Hearts are alive, much like you or me. They are magical energy, they are the essence of their Realms. They can be destroyed and that power can be captured, but the consequences are disastrous.”

  “What happens?”

  Nai said, “The entire Realm falls to ruin and is destroyed. It hasn’t happened in a very long time. The last time I’m aware of was when we still had bridges to the human realm, and some humans had traveled over and taken possession of a Heart. It’s been a couple hundred years since anything like this has happened.

  “When a Heart is removed from its Realm, or is destroyed, the Realm disappears from our world. It becomes a part of The Void,” Nai explained.

  “The Void?”

  “The Void is a place of nothingness. It’s nothing. It’s nowhere. I’ve heard all sorts of theories about it, that it’s the space between, that it’s the space outside, that it’s everywhere, that it’s nowhere. The truth is, nobody really knows what or where it is. But that’s not important right now. If a Heart was destroyed, we need to know where and how it happened.”

  “I think I know where, Sovereign,” Herron said. “I just came from The Cavern. Veen wanted me to consult the Oracle about the tears. When I got there, the air was very still and it was very cold. When I looked over The Caverns, they were just... gone. It was just a gray, white, nothing kind of space. There was nothing there. Absolutely nothing.”

  Nai looked up, away from Herron’s face. He couldn’t tell what she was looking at. Then she looked down at him and said, “I’m going to let go now, okay? Your headache will come back once I do.”

  “Ugh,” Herron groaned. “Okay, give me a minute, please.” He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, bracing himself. “Okay.”

  Nai took her hands away. Slowly, the pain in Herron’s head returned, steadying at a throbbing pain right at the base of his skull. He groaned and closed his eyes again.

  “We’ve salted the water,” Nai said, “so unless you do something foolish like try to splash or turn over, you’ll just float there. Try to get some rest, and call if you feel like you’re drowning.”

  “Mmm hmm,” Herron grunted, concentrating on just floating.

  “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Ivy is here, though, so call her if you need anything.”

  “Okay, thanks,” he mumbled.

  -

  A couple hours later, Herron was healed, dressed, and sitting in Ivy’s parlor, along with Ivy, Nai, and another fairy he didn’t know. Nai had instructed Herron to share his information with Ivy and this other fairy, whose name was Tate. Ivy looked horrified. Tate sat and listened, expressionless.

  Once he had finished, Nai spoke. “Herron, I would like you to travel to The Winter Kingdom, as soon as you are able. One of the most gifted seers, and an expert on Realms lore, lives there. I’d like you to confer with him. This doesn’t simply happen by random chance. A Heart must be deliberately destroyed.”

  “Yes, Sovereign,” Herron said. “I’ll go at once.”

  Nai held up her forefinger, gesturing for Herron to wait. “Ivy?”

  Ivy looked at Nai.

  “I’d like you to go with him.”

  Ivy’s eyes grew wide and her mouth opened. “Wha... Me? Why?”

  “Because you are my successor, and this is very important to The Meadows.”

  Ivy frowned. “But I’ve never --”

  “I know,” Nai said, softly but firmly. “But you will have an excellent guide, and it’s time you explored some of your new responsibilities.”

  Herron glanced at Tate, who hadn’t moved. He simply sat in the chair, fingers steepled, frowning.

  Ivy looked at the floor. “Yes, Sovereign.”

  Nai nodded at her, a patient smile on her lips.

  “Nai?” Ivy asked.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “Who will tend the farms while I’m away?”

  “Tate will tend one, and I’ll have Rommy tend the other. I’m afraid your yield may suffer a little, neither has quite the touch that you do.”

  At this, Tate finally made a sound: a sort of sputtering, objecting noise.

  Nai put her hand up to quiet him. “Is this agreeable to you, Tate?”

  “Fine,” he spat.

  “Good. Ivy, I’ll help you make your arrangements and gather your things. You have a long road ahead of you.” She looked back to Herron. “You will take care of my successor, I trust?”

  Herron nodded.

  “Good. You’ll leave immediately.” She stood, and took Ivy’s hand in one hand and Herron’s in the other. “You two will get to the bottom of this. See what Sen has to say. He’ll guide you on what you’ll need to do next. The fate of The Meadows may lie in your hands. I wish you the best of luck, and a speedy and safe journey.”

  Within half an hour, Ivy and Herron were packed and outfitted, ready for the journey. At the crest of the hill, Ivy paused to look back at her farm. She said to Herron, “I’m so afraid I’m never going to see this place again.”

  He put a hand on her shoulder and said, “You can do it. We’ll be fine.”

  Ivy nodded to him, and, with her guide, left her home behind.

  Part Two

  Larry pulled into his driveway and turned off the car. It was late when he got home. Then again, it was always late when he got home. He hated coming home to this big, empty house.

  Not empty, he told himself. Your son is still here. Why can’t I just go talk to him? Then he answered himself, because you don’t know what to say to him or how to be a father on your own, you stupid asshole. He sighed heavily and turned off the car. He put it in gear and set the handbrake, then got out and stood in the driveway. He could see the bluish glow of the TV on in his son’s room, but all of the other lights in the house were off.

  He walked up to the front door and sat on the big swing that he and Alison had gotten right after they’d bought this house. She said she’d always wanted a house with a big porch with a swing on it, so they could sit together when they were old and drink lemonade and yell at the neighbor kids. Larry lit a cigarette and took a long drag. He blew it out at a bug that was buzzing around near him.

  The porch light wasn’t turned on, so Larry sat there in the dark and smoked his cigarette and thought about Alison. She’d been gone a long time, leaving him and his son alone, to fend for themselves. It had been five years. It seemed like last week when he and Alison sat on this swing together, but it seemed like absolutely forever since she’d been gone. He took another long pull on his cigarette and realized he wasn’t able to clearly remember her face anymore. He could look at the pictures, of course, but then he was seeing the picture of her face. He was losing the memory of her actual face.

  He looked at the sky. He couldn’t see many stars, but the moon was a very thin, very bright sliver of white. The streetlights shone on the street and their amber-colored light made his bright red Porsche look sort of a gold color. He’d bought the Porsche a year after Alison died. None of his buddies gave him any shit about having a midlife crisis car.

  The car never worked to get him any women anyway - not that he’d had any trouble meeting women, but the car never helped. He had been set up on countless blind dates by every one of his friends’ wives. He’d answered a couple of personal ads i
n the paper. He had even seen a few of the women at work. But more and more he realized he didn’t even want another real relationship. He didn’t want another wife. Every so often, he’d decided, he just needed a good fuck and he could get back along with whatever was left of his life.

  He also couldn’t bear to bring himself to bring another woman home to meet his son, anyway. He didn’t want to seem like he was trying to replace his son’s mother with some wicked stepmother. No, you fucking idiot, he yelled at himself, the wicked stepmother is only for daughters. He shook his head. He didn’t need some crazy bitch making things even worse for his boy.

  Larry finished his cigarette and put the butt in the ashtray on the little table next to the swing, then he stood up and unlocked the front door. He never went in through the garage. Alison’s car was still in there, where it had sat for the last five years, and he couldn’t bear to go in and look at it, much less park next to it. The old Mustang had belonged to her father, and when she got sick she forbade Larry from selling it, saying that she needed to pass it down to Jim and keep it in the family. And so it sat in the garage, under a cover, for the last five years, and Larry parked his fancy sports car in the driveway and came and went through the front door, even in the winter.

  He had already eaten, but he grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and popped the cap off. The kitchen was spotless, no food, dishes, or mess anywhere. He shook his head, half smiling. Alison never even kept the kitchen this clean. He wondered how the kid did it, and the smile faded when he realized that he must have plenty of time to himself to keep it clean.

  He saw his reflection in the kitchen window and raised his beer to it. “Couldn’t possibly hate anybody more, you fucker,” he said to himself, then he downed his beer and left the empty bottle on the counter, knowing it would be gone by the time he got home the next night.

  He trudged upstairs and stopped at the top of the staircase. He could hear his son’s voice, probably talking on the phone. Then he heard him laugh, long and deep, and start talking again. He went up to the door, but couldn’t bring himself to knock. Kid probably doesn’t want to see you anyway. Why would he? He hung his head and whispered, “Good night, Jimmy. I love you and I’m sorry.”