Long Paradise

by James Murdo

  “I’d forgotten the dangers here,” she said between breaths. “The Spires were quite safe, now that I think about it.” Running even faster, her heart sank as a dark shadow cast over them. The cloud was directly above.

  More specks aggregated, with some increasing in size – presumably coming closer to the boundary. Soon, there were thousands, maybe more, with shadowy hints of yet more behind them. Thunderous sounds rolled across the landscape. For the most part, Seremend kept her eyes on the ground before her, flicking them momentarily to the boundary to check on the specks.

  One of the specks separated itself from the others, moving further out in front. It caught Seremend’s eye. She turned as it flicked across the boundary and into their territory, directly in front of them – it was much larger, and a paler shade of blue than it had previously appeared, like a huge droplet unaffected by gravity. Seremend tried to stop, falling forwards. Galphranx bounced over to form a barrier between them, laying on top of her and pressing her down. She managed to half-turn, and saw the enlarged speck from around Galphranx’s bulk grow even larger, now many times the size of them both combined. It rose higher into the air, closer to the dark cloud above. Suddenly, a bolt of energy flashed from the cloud. She instinctively shielded her head with her hands. Aside from the thunderous sound, she felt nothing but slight dampness around them.

  She opened her eyes and Galphranx moved off. The expanded speck was nowhere to be seen, only its remnants – a fine bluish mist that quickly dispersed to nothing. The cloud above them was already moving on.

  She looked across the boundary. The specks were still there. “Thank you,” she said to them, uncertainly. Standing up, she patted herself down and placed a hand on Galphranx affectionately. “Come on, let’s go.” They set off again, with her running at the front.

  Communication.

  “What communication?” she huffed.

  Communication across boundary.

  She stared at the specks. The same as with questions, Galphranx rarely strung even the simplest of sentences together. “Please thank it, Galphranx.”

  Communication across boundary.

  “What d’you mean? What’s it saying?”

  Galphranx stopped transmitting to Seremend’s mind and nothing she said had any effect.

  They followed the contours of the boundary for some time, when Seremend spotted another cloud nearby. Simultaneously, there were hints of an upcoming third territory coming into view. Soon, her suspicions were confirmed. Ahead, contrasting with the white sky of the territory they were in and the pervasive blue of the territory beside them, the sky became a deep red. “Galphranx,” she said, slowing down. “I’m not sure this is the right way… maybe we should–”

  Galphranx nudged her.

  Communication across boundary.

  “What?”

  It nudged her again.

  Communication across boundary.

  “I don’t think that territory is safe,” she said, pointing forwards and pushing against Galphranx.

  It repeated the same phrase into her mind.

  “Fine!” she said, with exasperation. “I really hope you know something I don’t.”

  Closer to the start of the third territory, her worst fears were confirmed. Red skies – generally not a good sign – with smoke plumes and a scaled ground that looked hard, potted and cracked, segmented by dark lines.

  She laughed out of desperation. “Galphranx, this isn’t safe!”

  There was nothing to do but carry on. Whenever she tried to slow down, her strange companion nudged her. The ground darkened. She looked up – the periphery of the cloud was edging over them. Shaking her head, she ran even faster. Soon, she was there, the vertex of the three territories.

  She stopped at the vertex, as did Galphranx, just behind her. The specks were still there, waiting in the blue gel-like substance with its pressures that had crushed her broken instrument. The red landscape, the only other alternative to their current territory, appeared entirely unfit. She took off her pack, retrieving the empty food packet. Scrunching it up, she tossed it into the new territory, testing it. Nothing much happened. It continued as though undisturbed, other than being under the compulsion of acceptable gravity, and rolled along the cracked surface.

  Galphranx nudged her. “I know, give me a moment,” she said, raising her hand. It nudged her again. “Wait!”

  She lifted a hand, hovering near the boundary, ready to push it through. There was a rushing sound next to her. “No – wait!”

  Galphranx passed through the boundary and waited patiently on the other side. Seremend stared, unsure whether to laugh or scold. The sounds of discharges prompted her to decide. She followed it across.

  Everything was bathed in a shade of red. The gravity was indeed acceptable, and while the air was a little hotter than the last territory, it was easily breathable. She had been expecting the smell of fumes, or something unpleasant, but there was none. If anything, it seemed very clean. Bending her legs, she jumped lightly. The ground was softer than it had appeared – not hard at all.

  The territory with the specks appeared a dark red now, like everything else. There were more specks than before, and they extended for quite some way into their own territory.

  Galphranx shuffled beside her. Its movement was firm and less clumsy than it had been since leaving the Spires. It bumped her.

  Story.

  “What?” Strange notions flickered across her mind.

  It bumped her softly again.

  Story.

  The strange notions came again. They were not so much thoughts, but feelings, accompanied by hints of something else. A will. A multitude of wills.

  Communication across boundary.

  The specks were closer than before, coming right to the surface of the boundary between them, and yet more were joining.

  Story.

  “Is that you?” she asked. “Through Galphranx?”

  Galphranx bumped her again.

  Story.

  She felt the odd sensation that they would not be placated unless she imparted something. It was an exchange, for how they had protected Galphranx and herself.

  “There’s… nothing I can think to tell you.”

  Galphranx bumped her again.

  “I know, I know. Give me a moment.” She racked her mind for something of interest. After some time, she had decided. “I’ll tell you about my journey through the–”

  Galphranx bumped her.

  “What–”

  Show.

  “How?”

  It bumped her again.

  “Look!” she said in irritation. “How do I show… ah.” It seemed obvious.

  She placed a hand on Galphranx to steady herself and began to think about her journey. How she had initially travelled to the Outer Layer, and the trials she had endured to arrive at the territory she had desired for so long. The green land with the yellow paths and the blue skies. Where night descended gently, and also with, for the most part, that cool breeze she badly missed. She exposed her memories of arriving, finally, at the hatch-point she had sought, and then, when she walked through, expecting to finally arrive at the Inner Layer and know some answers, arriving back at the Spires. Her confusion–

  Galphranx bumped her unexpectedly, breaking her concentration.

  “Was that enough?”

  They leave.

  She had the sense that Galphranx itself was speaking this time, not whatever it was on the other side of the boundary. The notion of surprise entered her mind, but also of appeasement.

  “I’d be surprised too, if I was whatever that was,” she said to Galphranx. “All of that… to end back here. Can’t be nice to know. Anyway.” She looked sternly at it. “What other surprises are you hiding?” It did nothing.

  Most of the specks had gone. Only a few remained.

  “Wait!” she shouted. She inched as close to the boundary as she dared. “Please don’t go – I need to know something from you.” She reac
hed over and pressed a hand against Galphranx. “Please, come here.” They continued to leave. She squeezed her eyes closed and thought of that same place she had shown them, and how the territories tended to move or change over time. She attempted to convey a sense of urgency.

  Opening her eyes, there was one speck left. The others had gone.

  “Please,” she implored it.

  It hovered slowly away.

  “Please!”

  It stopped, giving her a flicker of a notion, before disappearing into its territory. Recognition. It knew of the territory she sought.

  41

  SKYBOUND PLACE

  It was a short walk in the new territory before they came across some fresh tracks. They were of a similar scale to Seremend’s own, although with a circular print at the back and a front section that fanned out more widely. While they were fast disappearing as the ground sprang back up, they were deep. Something, apparently bipedal, was nearby – and it was heavy.

  “Let’s go,” Seremend said. “We need to find out where we are.”

  The tracks took them near one of the plumes. The ground around it was puckered up into a small spout, with gas being forcefully ejected. The plume extended high up above them and bulbously dissipated into the atmosphere. The tracks came to an abrupt end near the spout.

  Seremend kept at a distance, although Galphranx moved closer.

  “Hold on,” she said quickly. “We don’t know what this is…” A fogginess began to cloud her mind, and she stumbled to the side, away from the gas. The last memory she had was of the ground swiftly rising to meet her.

  Feeling the nudging, she opened her eyes. Galphranx had pushed her away from the gas plume. She leant up and put a hand to her head. The dizziness was wearing off. Her pack was nearby, open and with the items strewn across the floor.

  Sighing, she unsteadily rose to her feet. Collecting her belongings, she put them back into the pack.

  “How did they all fall out?” she asked Galphranx, wondering whether it would reply. She looked around, still confused. “And where’s the connection sphere?” After some more searching, but not wanting to venture too close to the plume, she gave up. She looked at Galphranx irritatedly, but it said nothing. “Fine. It was probably broken anyway, like everything… The tracks!” She looked around desperately, but they were gone.

  She searched with Galphranx, and eventually, they came across similar tracks not too far away.

  “Come on, we can’t lose them this time.”

  The prints repeatedly swerved towards nearby spouts and plumes, often vanishing and restarting nearby. Initially, it had frustrated Seremend, but before long she became accustomed to it. She made sure to swing away from the plumes as soon as it became clear the tracks ended, and look for the new trail. Galphranx had no such qualms, merrily wandering as close to the spouts as it wanted, although most of the time it decided to remain with her.

  “What’ve I done to deserve this honour?” she asked, noting Galphranx was now beside her more often than not, instead of just behind her as had typically been its custom. “There – look!”

  Ahead of them, something was coming around a plume, high in the air. It appeared to be gliding, soaring around it while descending lower. Seremend walked cautiously forward, slowing as it finally settled on the ground.

  What she took for the creature’s head was pointed at her and Galphranx, although it regularly flicked its two eyes towards and away from them. Despite the red tint over everything, the eyes were a clear, bright yellow. The head was broadly the same size as her own, except for five thick, horn-like extensions protruding from the top. Four emerged antennae-like and curved at the base, with their lengths parallel to the ground – two pointing in the direction of its yellow eyes, and two in the opposite direction. The fifth horn was shorter and pointed straight up. It was tricky to make out the creature’s bodily structure since it was lying on the ground and covered by enormous leathery folds – presumably its wings.

  She raised a hand, half-indicating to Galphranx they needed to slow some more, and half signalling their presence to the creature, in the surprising, but possible, instance it had not noticed them. Apart from its eyes, the only other discernible feature on its face was a mouth, near the very bottom, where the head curved sharply into a point.

  “Hello,” she said, loudly and clearly.

  The creature dipped its head forwards, displaying its central, thicker horn more prominently.

  “Do you understand me?” She came to a stand-still just out of reach of the plume’s spread, a couple of long strides from the creature.

  I understand you.

  She flicked her eyes at Galphranx, who was standing right beside her.

  “You’re communicating through Galphranx, like the others back there?”

  Through your companion.

  “Are you in distress?”

  I was gliding.

  The creature lifted a dark wing, which had clawed protrusions at the ends that continuously flexed themselves. The underside of the wing was near-completely black. Underneath, it looked to have a body structure similar to her own. A mid-section torso with two legs. It shifted onto its front, straightened its long wings which made the sound of thick fabrics being forcefully shaken, and pushed up to a standing position. The wings hung at its side. Shuffling to face her, it stood at almost exactly the same height. Its torso and lower limbs were covered in a tight-fitting, black mesh.

  “What is your name?”

  It is too unspoken for you.

  “Then what should I call you?”

  You may call me Sky-Soarer.

  “How can you talk through Galphranx?”

  Your companion allows me this bridge.

  “How?” She looked at Galphranx, who was barely moving aside from the occasional bodily twitch, as usual. Sky-Soarer appeared to smile. One of its wings folded up and the claws at the end briefly touched the nearest horn.

  It is common where I am from.

  “You connect directly with Galphranx’s mind?”

  Sky-Soarer’s clawed wing dropped back to its side. It moved its head from her to look around, as though in thought, then turned to face Galphranx, and dipped forwards.

  I do not understand your companion, and I do not think you do either.

  “What do you mean?” She frowned. Sky-Soarer emitted a deep, guttural sound.

  I must admit… I have not had a conversation such as this for some time. Not one of higher understanding. I should know to expect the unexpected in this place, by now.

  “What do you mean?”

  Your companion’s abilities are unlike anything I have come across before.

  “What?”

  It is exploring itself.

  “Exploring? We’ve travelled together for a long time. What do you mean?”

  I do not know.

  Sky-Soarer emitted the same guttural sound as before.

  “Well… what’re you doing here?”

  The same as you.

  “What’s that?”

  Following the paths.

  “What paths?”

  A claw pointed upwards.

  “Where? There’s nothing up there.”

  Do you know nothing about where you are?

  Seremend did not know how to answer.

  Then they are not for you.

  Seremend looked up, seeing nothing aside from the plume of smoke and other plumes in the landscape around them. Sky-Soarer appeared to smile again.

  “What’s at the end of your path?”

  I could ask you the same.

  “There should be others… all around. Why are we so alone here? We’ve barely seen anyone for the past few territories.”

  We are not alone.

  Seremend looked around. “Then where is everyone?”

  These territories are not meant for your kind.

  “Should we leave?”

  If you wish. I would advise that way.

  The same claw raised and p
ointed to Sky-Soarer’s left.

  “What’s in that direction?”

  Familiarity, for you, I believe. They all look the same to me.

  “Have you seen others?”

  Many.

  “I mean like me.”

  Yes, but you all appear too similar, although I doubt you’d think so yourselves.

  Seremend’s heart skipped a beat. “You’ve seen Roranians–”

  Land-dwellers.

  Her expression dulled. “Oh, I see. Do you come from somewhere like this?” She cast an eye around them at the desolate, reddish territory.

  Close enough.

  “What’re you doing here?”

  You ask many questions.

  Seremend hesitated. “I’m curious.”

  As you should be. A Quillian told me my kind were here some time ago. I am searching.

  “I hope you find what you’re looking for. Can we help?”

  Your companion already has.

  “What d’you mean?”

  It has shown me new ways to think. Methods to expand my mind and search this place. It is very knowledgeable.

  “Knowledgeable?” Seremend took a step to the side to observe Galphranx. It appeared just as usual. “Full of tricks, aren’t you?” She turned back to Sky-Soarer. “What will you do if you can’t find your kind?”

  Sky-Soarer pointed back the way they had come.

  The cyber-shell territory I believe you have just left.

  “Cyber-shells? They’re dangerous. They did something to us. Drained some of my devices’ power too, before the energy bursts completely destroyed them.”

  The cyber-shells drain energy. They are a natural formation – as far as such a concept can be applied in this place.

  “Isn’t it dangerous for you?” Seremend asked.

  I believe the energy discharges are more powerful than I can withstand.

  “What do you mean?”

  I have been here too long. Come here.

  “There’s always hope.”

  It beckoned her with a claw.

  Come here.

  Seremend took a tentative step forward. Galphranx moved alongside her.

  Do not be afraid.