Light Speed

by Arkadie, Z. L.

  My feet are like two boulders fixed to the soil. This Selell is devious. If I elect to move forward with him, then I’ll be choosing danger. But Na’ta’s distress seizes me from beyond the doorway and intensifies the longer I stand here contemplating whether I’m brave enough to take a leap into danger.

  “I will follow you,” I sigh, surrendering.

  The Selell, Exgesis tugs me across the narrow street without looking both ways. We bolt toward the doorway that sets the entire span of the window aglow.

  The human who was behind the counter stabs a finger in our direction and the men in blue look our way, but we leap through the portal before any of them can move toward us.

  Now my face splits the warm, fluid rays that carry us from one dimension to the next. I see the white-haired Selell in front of me. He knows exactly where he’s going, leading me down a specific path. And this journey is not a short one. The further we go, the more apprehensive I grow about putting my destiny in his hands, but there’s no turning back now.

  Finally the light disappears. The Selell and I are standing in an open field. The ground feels strange beneath the soles of the shoes on my feet, so I quickly look down. And oh how do I regret looking! It’s wet and mushy, black- and gray-flecked dirt layered thinly by slimy green moss. It’s disgusting and foul, and neglected by those who were given this universe.

  But there’s daylight here so I gaze up to see the sun hidden behind a dense veil of bulging, pallid clouds that dart rapidly across the sky. The speed with which they move is so spectacular that I can’t peel my eyes away. I have never seen such a thing.

  “What universe is this?” I ask, observing it in a heightened state of awe. I turn to look at Exgesis because he takes too long to reply.

  “This is Rnv,” he eventually mutters. He clears his throat. “Of the Mtknv.

  “Mtknv,” I repeat, musing. “I never heard of this species. Are they hostile?” I’m curious to know.

  He’s glaring at me while maintaining that same hostile expression. “Yes,” he huffs.

  That look on his face makes me shudder. I gulp. “And are we here because this species of creatures are the ones holding my sister captive?”

  “Yes,” he snaps, short on patience. He is definitely irritated by my questions.

  “But why?” I press on, refusing to let him intimidate me.

  “How would I know that?” he booms.

  I pin my eyes on him as silence falls between us. I fight the urge to argue with him. His demeanor incites such a drive within me.

  Suddenly I look up to the sky because I feel drops of water pelt my skin. I glance at Exgesis and he’s looking upward too.

  “We should take cover,” he mutters.

  I agree. There’s energy up there somewhere and it knows we’re here. We trot off into the forest at a regular human’s speed. We are shaded by lofty, grim trees with branches that flop over lazily like the Earth’s weeping willows. The sheer number of them makes for a ghostly sight. The green is a continuous web, connecting one tree to the next, forming a vast dark plane that threatens to swallow us whole.

  Yes, it’s dark. And the deeper we go, the bleaker it turns. Our pace is so slow and the shoes on my feet are caving in around my toes. It’s the most uncomfortable sensation. The friction burns the skin of my toes and heels. I’ve never felt such pain.

  “What is it?” Lario Exgesis asks. He heard me wince.

  “My feet hurt,” I grunt.

  I want to remove the shoes but I don’t want to walk barefoot in the dank mud. Each step brings pure misery, but I grit my teeth and bear it until Exgesis comes to a stop and kneels down on one leg.

  “Come on; hop onto my back,” he says.

  The discomfort is so severe that I don’t hesitate to deliberate. I straddle his back and he easily hoists me securely on top. He stands up and I wrap my arms around his neck. After I’ve safely mounted him, he slides a shoe off one foot and then the other, and carries them for me.

  “Thank you,” I reply properly to his sequence of gestures.

  “You’re welcome,” he mumbles.

  Off we go, journeying one step at a time. I am not accustomed to traveling at such a slow pace for long journeys. Exgesis doesn’t walk us down a clear trail but he seems sure of every step he takes. It’s eerily silent as we go. Neither one of us is breathing. The drooping leaves of the trees don’t rustle or sway. The wind doesn’t whistle or howl because, even though the clouds race across the sky, the movement stirs no breeze. And if my senses are correct, we are moving along a decline. I tilt my head back to gaze upward. Thousands of floppy branches twist and turn, wild and out of sorts, encaging us. The way the wood encrusts the bark of the trees makes them look as if they are wearing faces with drooping eyes, noses, and mouths, mouths with lips that zigzag. They are the dreariest trees I’ve ever seen. They need care and happiness.

  Slowly I begin to hum the first verse of the Hymn of Gratitude to them. Exgesis quickly turns his head and presses a finger against his lips, urging me to quiet down, but the trees are responding. Their stringy limbs sway in harmony with the melody. The breeze they conjure cools my damp skin.

  On the contrary, instead of quieting down, I increase my volume. All of a sudden, I’m being whipped through the air and the wind is almost knocked out of me when Exgesis pins my back against a trunk of a tree.

  “Be. Silent!” he growls demandingly. His teeth are gritted and his jaw clenched.

  “I don’t understand,” I wheeze. What sort of creature has such a hostile reaction to the Hymn of Gratitude? Certainly one who is wicked!

  “Two simple things we have to do when going through Rnv: stay quiet and go slow. Simple. Can you do that?”

  “But the trees, they welcome the hymn,” I try to make him understand.

  Once again we’re staring at each other. For a moment he looks just as puzzled as I do. And then he starts laughing—it’s a low guttural sound. It endears me to him and repels me at the same time.

  “Humph,” he grunts as he simmers down. He leans his face toward mine to put his mouth close to mine. “You’re all wet,” he whispers.

  I follow his eyes to the front of my pal’k, wondering what he finds so fascinating. The skin of my body shows through the wet material. The condensation must be sweat. It must have occurred when we first entered this universe. I’ve never perspired in my whole life. His eyes ravish me; they veer up from between my hips to my breasts until they lock on my eyes. My nakedness has never affected Tryst or any of the mank’taks like this.

  I do not understand why I can hardly breathe, why this happens when he regards me in such a way?

  “Very nice,” he whispers.

  I can’t say a word. I can only swallow the knot that has formed in my throat.

  “All I can think about is your beautiful body in that dress. All I want to do is throw you down on the ground and…” he releases a brisk breath.

  Like he did in my dream? Or was it real? Had he already invaded my mind and my body?

  He’s staring into my eyes. His breaths are heavy. His instrument of sex is firm against the top part of my pubic bone and he’s rubbing it up and down against it. I can feel something changing inside of me. A tingling sensation is forming and a breath escapes my parted lips as it builds.

  “Your body responds so easily to this,” he whispers.

  Suddenly we’re pelted by droplets of water and he stops moving his hips. The rain thick and bulbous looks like a million diamonds raining down on us. This is strange of course, being that the sky is not in view. The water is able to fall straight through the billow of flaccid branches!

  The Selell swears aloud and pulls me against him. I twist my neck to look behind us. One drop of water builds upon the last droplet. The rain is rapidly falling but not a speck of the liquid touches us.

  Lario Exgesis whips his head around, searching in all directions. He’s panicking.

  “I told you to be quiet,” he grumbles with his jaw cle
nched.

  The water is taking form, becoming legs, hips, torsos. They have heads now, faces, arms, and all. They surround us in the numbers. These beings are gigantic and slender. Since they are made of clear liquid, I’m able to see right through them as if I were looking through diamonds.

  “Get him!” roars one of the creatures in his own tongue as it aims a long translucent finger at Lario Exgesis. His voice booms like a thousand drops of water simultaneously pounding the earth. He speaks in a language that I’ve never heard spoken before, but I understand it as if he’s said, “Le’pe tek’e!” which is the same in Enuian.

  Suddenly a mountain of water pours over us. Lario Exgesis releases me to throw his hands up in an ill attempt to guard against the tidal wave. I’m able to scramble away and turn back to see that he’s congealed in what looks like a round ball of liquid. My eyes cannot believe what they are seeing. He’s flinging his arms and kicking his legs. He’s engaged in a desperate struggle to free himself but even I can see there’s no escaping. And his movements are slower and slower until he stops, frozen in place.

  Strangely, I have no fear of the translucent creatures because the light within me is taking in their life force and they are not touched by evil. One of the massive creatures separates from the pack to stand only a few feet away from me. A splashing noise resonates as the creature’s feet smash against the soil. It’s a male. I can tell because of the ripples of liquid muscles in his bare chest and arms. How can water develop muscle? I can’t stop studying his lofty translucent toes and fingers. And the eyes that he studies me with are blue. I should be shrinking from fear where I stand, but I’m not.

  “I am Ktkl,” he says in his strange tongue. I’m grateful that he told me his name before I asked.

  “I am Ad’ru.” I say in Enuian.

  “You are with the vampire?” His tone is abrasive as he raises his bushy, see-through eyebrows at Lario Exgesis.

  I’m caught between having concern for Lario Exgesis and being mesmerized by Ktkl, the creature with liquid flesh.

  “He’s my guide,” I mutter after a long pause. “He’s helping me find my sister. She’s being held captive by the Mtknv.”

  The creature twists his large neck to let his ice blue eyes fall over his companions. He opens his mouth wide and bellows out noise that sounds like a raging waterfall. The others respond likewise. The sound shakes the trees and even the ground beneath my feet.

  “We Mtknv.” Ktkl stabs himself in the chest with a long finger.

  “I don’t understand…” I say, although I think I do understand. Lario Exgesis intended to deceive me again and I wonder to what end. “Are you holding a creature like me captive?”

  “We hold no lifeblood captive,” he declares.

  I have no reason to doubt him. He sounds forthright in his declaration.

  I point to Exgesis. “But why hold this creature captive?”

  “He and the Treesh stole the Scepter of Gant!” the creature roars, angered by the accusation.

  “Then you’re familiar with this creature?” I ask in Enuian, affirming what’s already been determined though I did not know the extent of which the Selell was acquainted with this universe.

  “I am,” he replies, and he doesn’t sound happy about it. He stabs another finger in Lario Exgesis’ direction. “We have war because of his crime. Even you are now in danger Lifeblood. You worlds are now threatened by the Olligark.”

  I take a hard look at the Selell Exgesis. Why are his actions so evil? If we are bonded, then shouldn’t he be more of the light and good? His offenses are indeed numerous, yet I feel the need to try to intercede on his behalf.

  “What are your penalties for his crime?” I ask.

  “Death,” growls Ktkl.

  “No.” I shake my head. “I cannot let that be. He is my bond. If I live then he must live.”

  Ktkl’s translucent face grows angrier. Suddenly water rains down on me. It occurs to me that I’m being sentenced for my defense of Exgesis and declaring that we are bonded. The Mtknv have decided to take me prisoner. But just as fast as the rain falls, the wispy branches of the surrounding trees begin to whip back and forth, generating a forceful wind, making it impossible for the liquid prison to take form around me.

  The wind continues its assault by thrashing every single Mtknv creature. Their liquid composition splashes away from their figures, causing them to lose shape. And they are wailing in agony, a sound of destructive rains pounding the earth.

  Then it all stops: the rain, the wind, the noise. I’m looking up at the massive, reformed figure that is Ktkl. I feel like I have swallowed air but it’s still lodged in my throat. We both know what just happened. The trees have sided with me. However, they have chosen not to free Lario Exgesis.

  “You’re free to go,” Ktkl says and it sounds as if he’s about to take his prisoner and leave.

  “Wait, what about my bond?” I cry in desperation.

  “He stands to face the elder Akltnk,” he says forcefully. It almost appears as if his large mouth is going to swallow me whole.

  But I’m not willing to let my circumstances remain as they are. If they take Exgesis, then I will be alone. I have never been alone.

  “But he is my companion.” I stop short of grabbing hold of his powerful liquid arm and pleading for him to release Exgesis.

  First, Ktkl narrows his eyes at me scrupulously. “Is that what you require? A companion?” He asks.

  I nod and watch his eyes shift toward the trees to the right of me. Their branches wave back and forth. I do believe Ktkl is communicating with the branches.

  Then, a gigantic ball of water drops from above. It’s another prison and I recognize the captured. The liquid splashes over the ground, leaving Chex, the Selell, standing not too far away from me.

  “The trees of this region will guide you to your sister,” Ktkl says and again it appears as if he’s readying himself to leave.

  “What about him?” I reach out to touch the capsule that Lario is stuck in. It feels strange. It’s solid, like stone.

  “He will stand trial.”

  “Promise not to pronounce death upon him without my witness?” I venture to ask.

  “I cannot make this promise,” he replies firmly.

  “Then you must kill me too.”

  “What the hell are you saying?!” Chex growls, now standing beside me. I take one distracted glance at him and then a second. Strange—he’s not drenched with water. His clothes and skin are dry. I’m also a little distracted by wondering why he’s here in the first place. However, it appears as if my declaration is working. Ktkl is once again conferring with the trees.

  “Yes,” he finally grunts, glowering at me. “We will wait for your witness before putting the thief to death. But he is guilty and he will die.”

  “All I ask is that you wait,” I say over a tiny sigh of relief.

  “Open your mouth,” Ktkl orders.

  I hesitate but I know the trees will not allow any harm to come to me and Ktkl is not one who surreptitiously seeks to do harm to others. I tilt my head back and open my mouth.

  Ktkl drops a morsel of water on my tongue. I swallow it.

  “If you die, I will know; and we will execute him after he is sentenced.”

  “If I die?” I ask, disturbed by that insinuation. “Do you know what sort of dangers we face?”

  “The lifeblood is captive in Siffeo,” he grumbles. “You will have to cross the Mashlands to enter Siffeo. That may be impossible. But, your sister was able to conquer the night spirits.” I catch a cold shiver when he says that. “And then,” he continues. “You will have to conquer the guards of Siffeo. That is where the first lifeblood failed.”

  Before I can respond, the sound of crashing water has already started. The Mtknv have collected their catch and Chex and I watch as they disappear beyond the swinging branches, which happen to be my protectors. And the trees are not finished. Where I was once buried beneath their bushels that bore do
wn over us, their long floppy arms are now bent backwards to carve a path through the forest. As Ktkl said, they are leading me to my sister.

  I put on the tight red shoes and start up the pathway with my scary companion.

  Chapter 5

  Blowing Smoke

  “Well this is a hell of a situation,” Chex complains.

  Suddenly I’m reminded that I am not alone.

  “Why are you here?” I ask, sounding disappointed. I hoped he would find his way to Ze Feldis so that Cl’auta could eventually learn I was lost on the Earth. She would come looking for me and not stop until she found me.

  “With the little conscience I have, I couldn’t leave you alone with Exgesis,” he admits without hesitation. “You might not get it now, but that guy is certifiable. If those water monsters can kill him then let them, because we tried and it didn’t work.”

  “They’re not monsters. They are creatures,” I say, appalled by the way he blatantly links the Mtknv to the evil.

  “There’s a difference?” He’s flashing his teeth at me again.

  “Yes, there is. One is made by the hand of the evil and the other by the hand of God.”

  “I guess I’m a monster.” He’s still grinning, as if such a thing is something that merits great pride.

  I take a while to see past the face he’s showing. Beyond the surface there is hopelessness and disappointment.

  “Why do you so easily claim the dark and not the light?” I ask. “You were a human before you were a Selell?”

  The unaffected smile fades into a curious frown. “What the hell is a Selell anyway?” he asks.

  “Vampyre,” I say as if he will understand that terminology.

  “You mean vampire,” he corrects me, emphasizing the long i sound.

  “Is there a difference?” My tone is slightly harsh because that smile has returned to his face and I know he’s correcting me.

  “Didn’t you hear it?”

  “In pronunciation, but not in definition.”

  “Ever heard of a homonym?”

  “Are you a grammarian?” I ask sharply.