by Brandon Barr
“They make it down below then send it up to us?”
Arentiss nodded, then began scooping food onto a plate. Eggs. Sausage. A sweet smelling bread.
“This is for you,” she said. “I hope parsing out your food wasn’t too motherly of me.” Her last sentence held some sarcasm.
“I insulted you earlier while on the starship,” said Aven. “I am sorry. I meant nothing by it.”
“I’m teasing you,” she said softly. “I’m the one who should apologize. Upworld cultures like mine are much more sensitive about age.” She gave him a strange look. “You are handsome. And aboard the starship, I had been contemplating the possibility of your being attracted to me when you made the comparison of me to your mother. That’s why I reacted as I did.”
Aven grinned awkwardly. Was she being funny? Her eyes showed no humor, and he escaped her relentless gaze by looking down at his food.
“Thanks for breakfast,” he said finally.
“You are welcome.”
Arentiss put a small bite of food in her mouth and stared at him with her sharp eyes. Her small nose tilted upward as she continued to observe him, as if studying a field, not a human being. He shrugged away his discomfort. He didn’t think she was trying to make him uncomfortable. She was just, odd. Different worlds. Different cultures.
He ate his food in awkward silence for a while.
“I should tell you about Pike,” said Arentiss, taping the prongs of her fork against her lips. “Karience wants you and Winter to meet him again today.”
The coming meeting with Pike had been on his mind ever since the last one. “I promise, Winter and I won’t cause trouble this time.”
“Good,” said Arentiss. “We’ve erased the memory of yesterday’s incident. You’ll have a fresh start. Karience had the Physician create more distance between Pike, and you and your sister. He will now have a new memory of the last five years where he barely saw you, and when he did, it was just a casual greeting, or a comment on the weather, or asking how the family is.”
“But, everything before will be the same?” asked Aven.
“Yes. As I understand, you only mind wipe down to the origin of the problem. There’s usually one defining first moment that has led to a chain reaction of choices. Erasing down to that first moment is all that’s needed. And when I say erase, I mean stored in a locked region within the brain.”
A horrific thought dawned on Aven. Did Pike’s new memories reflect the reality that his family was gone?
“Will he know about his parents and his sister and what happened to them?”
Arentiss’s eyes narrowed. “You mean the—”
“They were killed this year,” said Aven quickly.
“Yes. They will remain dead in his new memories as well.” Arentiss reached her hand across the table and placed it on top of Aven’s. Her eyes held a glimmer of sympathy, even though everything else about her face was blank and emotionless. “Karience told me last night about Pike’s memories. About all the deaths.” She withdrew her hand. “I advise you not to bring them up. Karience had the Physician make those largely suppressed memories. Before the mind wipe, Pike was obsessively accessing those memories and they were driving his emotions. But now, he knows his family has passed, and does not want to think about it because of the pain.
“As for you and Winter, you have been removed from any significant part of his life in the last five years. Including the deaths. I advise you to avoid talking about your past with him. Instead, keep conversation on the present. It’ll be easier on all three of you if you do.”
Mulling through her words, Aven realized with relief that this was ultimately a gift. Even though Pike was relieved of the consequences he should face, and the guilt he should feel, the fact was that Pike, the monster from yesterday, was gone. It was a hard trade, but at the end, Aven could take comfort in his and Winter’s safety.
Arentiss’s eyes were again tracing over his face, only this time, they showed a hint of emotion. “Your lips are a beautiful shape,” she said, brushing the fork lightly on her chin. “Do you mind if I—”
A voice interrupted from the ceiling. “All Missionaries and Emissaries, Karience requests that you please report to the portal. Thank you.”
Arentiss set the fork down and stood. “Everyone is meeting at the God’s Eye. Come, I’ll lead you there. We all want to observe your first time stepping through.”
Aven’s thoughts were a jumble of questions.
“Stepping through?” asked Aven. “You mean…”
Arentiss’s wry smile and a raised eyebrow indicated that, yes, that’s exactly what she meant.
CHAPTER 11
WINTER
Winter stepped out from the lift and immediately her hair was touched by a powerful breeze. The aroma in the air was heavy with new smells she had never experienced. She inhaled deeply and slowly released the sweet scent from her nose.
The sight directly before her was exotic. A pathway lined by scrubby trees disappeared behind sandy spires dotted with rocks of varied color. Beyond that was the sea. A deep blue that disappeared into the horizon. She was bemused, considering not too long ago, she had been momentarily part of the world under the water, in the exotic base where they kept their starship.
In the distance she heard a soft crashing. It was a chaotic noise; a crackling crash followed by a slow sucking, like the sound of a brook rushing over a shallow rocky straight. There was a moment of quiet, and then the crash sounded angrily again, thrashing in her ears until the fury was spent, and then returning as before, the thin crackling sound of water rushing over rocks. The cadence was inescapably soothing. Again and again the pattern repeated.
Winter placed her hand on her chest, feeling the outline of Whisper's glass jar. She took it out and opened the lid. Whisper crawled to the lip, spread its wings, then took to the sky.
Karience stood beside her, watching, as did Daeymara and Zoecara.
“Why did you have a butterfly in a jar?” asked Daeymara.
“I take it wherever I go.”
Daeymara looked surprised. “You mean it’s a pet?”
“Yes, but it’s free to leave me if it wants, though.”
The butterfly drifted down on a current of air and came to rest on a loose tangle of hair above Winter’s ear.
Zoecara seemed to be watching it with amusement.
“Some people don’t like the smell of the sea,” said Zoecara. “What do you make of it, Winter?”
“It’s delicious.”
Zoecara placed a firm hand on Winter’s shoulder. The human touch was warm and welcoming.
“Many primworlds paint the sea as a place of chaos and evil,” she said, her eyes drifting up to look at Whisper. “But I agree with you. It is delicious. I see only beauty and mystery.”
“The sea is unpredictable,” said Daeymara. “That is why some cultures fear it.”
“Some people are drawn to monotony,” said Zoecara. “I prefer to be surprised once in a while.”
“As do I,” said Winter, turning toward the three women.
“I’ll second that,” said Karience, “Especially the monotony of bureaucracy.”
Winter turned back to look upon the Guardian Tower. Here, at the bottom of the great circular spire, she stared up in awe at the windows at the top. Twelve levels tall, it was beautifully designed. Winter had looked out from her window on the tenth floor only an hour ago and had soaked in the sights of the Royal City.
Everything was so new. So fresh and exciting.
At the base of the tower, the lift doors opened. Arentiss and Aven stepped through the door, followed by Pike and Rueik. She noted Pike’s expression. There wasn’t a trace of the old malice tugging down on his lips, or the smoldering anger behind his eyes. Instead he wore an excited, boyish grin, and his arms swung loosely at his sides, unreserved and unburdened.
Winter heard whispering behind her. She slid her hair behind her ear and angled her head.
“
Who? Pike?” giggled Zoecara.
“No. The handsome one,” said Daeymara. “Shhh…”
Winter smiled covertly and felt a strange sense of pride and duty. She would have no trouble finding Aven a mate.
Karience led them down the dirt path. Aven quickly found Winter’s hand.
“Has Pike tried to talk to you yet?” tapped Aven.
“No.”
“It’s so strange. He’s so friendly, he’s fake.”
“When did you talk to him?”
“Arentiss and I were coming here when we ran into him and Rueik. Remember how goofy he used to be…before the Baron got his fingers on him? He’s like that. It’s like talking to a puppet from the past.”
“At least he won’t hurt us anymore…don’t make trouble.”
“I won’t,” tapped Aven.
Winter shared Aven’s dislike. She would avoid speaking with Pike. Though he looked as placid as a milk cow, she would never forget the murderous look in his eyes as he held a sword to Aven’s throat.
“The God’s Eye is at the end of this path,” said Karience. “This space out here is fully guarded by Nephitus’s men and women of the Shield Force. The only way to reach this path is through our facility. The Shield Force is responsible for protecting Loam. The God’s Eye represents the greatest threat to your world. One never knows what might pass through. The Shield Force ensures that your world is safe, as per the charter’s promise.”
“What is the charter?” asked Winter.
Karience stopped. “It is an agreement allowing a world the protection of the Guardians. We promise protection against Beast worlds in return for meeting certain criteria. For instance, once your world is fully a chartered member under the Guardians, Loam will be held to certain standards of civility. Your former Baron will no longer be allowed to extort the farmers under his employ. The Watch will be held to privacy laws.
“Another facet of the charter is a set of strict rules regulating portal travel to protect against Beast worlds. These rules are already in place, but until you are chartered, all travel is restricted. Once your world gains membership, Loam’s citizens will be able to travel to other worlds within the Guardian’s protective web—but only to worlds that are at the same level of advancement. Blind travel through the portal is prohibited, unless of course you are a Missionary. This is to protect your world from Beasts.”
Winter felt herself drawn to the Missionaries. She recalled Karience’s brief tutorial aboard the starship. If one traveled through the portal unaccompanied, they wound up on a random world. She imagined how dangerous this could be, but also felt its excitement.
Another question entered her mind. “Where were the three Emissaries murdered?”
Karience seemed surprised by her question. “At Anantium’s Royal hall. There.” She pointed to the towering castle jutting from the northern horizon.
“We are safe here, then?” asked Winter.
“Yes,” smiled Karience. “This is protected space. You are safe here. Come, it’s time to see the God’s Eye.”
Ahead, the path emptied into a large circle of dirt rimmed with scrub brush and haggard, wind-beaten trees.
“What was here before you arrived?” asked Winter.
“Nothing,” said Karience. “The Royals left the portal unguarded. Anyone could walk through at any time. In the three thousand years of their rule, no one had ever entered their world, so they were not aware of the danger. When our three Missionaries stepped through, they walked into the city unnoticed.”
“How can three Missionaries all go to the same world?” asked Aven. “Wouldn’t each go to a random world?”
Winter smiled, she was glad to find Aven showing interest.
“Remember the idea of a person’s wake. Once the first person enters, they leave a wake behind that anyone can follow, and that wake is sustained for as long as people continue to enter one after another. This is also the reason we have the Shield Force, since an entire army can come through because of one person’s wake.”
The idea of an army arriving on Loam was rather disturbing to Winter. All those hundreds of years, the Royals had never known of the danger.
Karience came to a stop at the edge of a cliff. Winter could see the source of the soothing crash and crackle. The sea seemed to be constantly beating against the rocks on the shore. Suddenly a memory caused her to take a step back. She’d remembered the vision she had when she was pushed off the platform. She had fallen from a great cliff, and below was a beach with crashing waves.
“What’s wrong?” tapped Aven.
“Nothing…too close to the edge.”
“We are here,” said Karience. “This is the God’s Eye. The portal to other worlds.”
Winter searched her surroundings. Nothing looked like a portal. Nothing appeared unusual. Aven looked just as confused.
“What did you expect it to look like?” came a voice from out of a rock. Suddenly part of the rock fell away from the main hulk, and Nephitus’s face appeared as a mask was taken off. Several other figures came out from different places. They wore clothing that perfectly mimicked the surroundings they’d stepped out from, their faces covered in a cloth material that had the design of brush or rock.
Nephitus came up beside her and Aven. Only then could she see the strange object in his hands. Some form of weapon that blended perfectly against his body.
“Are you ready to go through?” Nephitus asked.
“Where is it?” asked Winter.
“There,” he pointed. An old, bent tree with a few scraggly leaves clinging to it was the only thing she saw. It hung over the precipice of the cliff.
“Come,” said Karience, putting a hand on Winter’s shoulder. “It is the same on every world. An old tree, a cave, a pile of rocks, a shallow pool, somewhere, as much a part of the landscape as the rest of the world, is a portal.”
Winter stared at the bent tree.
Her heart was filled with an awe that tingled all the way down to her fingers, as if they were being warmed on a cold night by a roaring fire. The Makers were wonderful to have made it like this. The aura of something ancient marked the tree. It was beautiful in its own way, as other trees were, yet it was inhabited by something beyond itself, a mystery much larger than the sea. Here, now, she felt the draw of purpose drawing her forward. The Makers were calling to her. Taking her toward a destiny.
Karience turned to the others. “One of you can take Aven, and another, Pike.”
“I’ll take Aven,” said Arentiss quickly.
“I’ll take Pike,” said Zoecara.
Karience nodded. “We will meet you on Bridge world shortly.”
Winter followed Karience up to the tree.
“Hold my hand this first time. It will be more comfortable that way. Once I go through, you have only a few moments to follow me to my world.”
Winter took her outstretched hand, and in a step, Karience’s body was gone and Winter felt as if she were simply walking beneath an old tree, about to step off a cliff. Her knees locked at the sight of the edge, with the rocks and sea so far below, but her hand was still holding on to Karience, and with a tug, she was pulled from the cliff.
BIRTH
When the Beast’s forces first overwhelmed our security station, I was struck powerfully by the horrific sight of the hoards of nightmarish creatures. Elongated jaws. Spikes and spines rising out of hollow, misshapen heads. And skin covered in patches of hair and scales. It is no wonder they call them Nightmares.
They took the small Guardian post first and carried off those who had VOKKs. I watched from the sewer, where I stayed hidden for three days until a Guardian Annihilation Force arrived and rescued me.
I’ll never forget the images I saw in those three days. The doomed Guardians being drug off by those monstrosities, the ghoulish creatures butchering and eating every living thing. Thank the stars for the Annihilation Teams. Thank the stars for men and women of the Guardians who are willing to die for the freedo
m of others.
That is why I joined. To stand together with humankind. To fight against the Beasts. To protect all people, on every world, and be there, in your darkest hour.
-Call to action vid, recruitment division, Guardians
CHAPTER 12
AVEN
Only a moment ago he had stood on Loam and watched Winter pass through with Karience. Then, after waiting for their wake to still, Arentiss had maneuvered him to the cliff’s edge. Now he found himself enclosed in a vast cave encircled by lights. Looking up, the ceiling was as high as a cloud and the length and width was the size of a valley.
“Big, isn’t it?” Arentiss walked him forward, keeping hold of his hand.
“What is this place?”
“We call it the dome. Six hundred years ago, our world came under attack from a Beast world. After three years of fighting we regained the portal, but six major cities were destroyed. It took another two hundred years to root out the Beast’s followers, the Shadowmen, who’d hidden themselves in our society in small collectives. That was a dark time in our history. We built this place in response.”
“Built? How is it possible to build something this large?”
“It was a feat, but remember, this is an upworld. We are quite advanced.”
“What is your world called?”
“We are Birth 4 to the Guardians, but if you’re a local, it is simply Birth. In more ancient times, we believed our world was the child of two heavenly lovers. Birth One, Two, and Three have similar origin stories.”
The portal had let them out into a large open space. Aven looked down at the rock-like floor his feet touched upon. It was some kind of grey, unnatural material, and it stretched out almost as far as he could see in every direction. In the distance were what looked like buildings.
Arentiss led Aven toward a blinking red light that hung from a pole. Ten men and women stood there with weapons similar to what Nephitus had held back at the God’s Eye. They nodded to Arentiss and Aven as they passed. Under the blinking light was a moving walkway. Stepping on, he nearly lost his balance, but Arentiss’s hand in his had steadied him. As they moved along, he noticed their speed quickening. Wind began beating his ears as the strange empty space sped by and the distant buildings grew larger. On the vast empty space he saw large towers rising from the hard grey floor. They seemed to fly past them on the walkway, and it appeared as if the towers were game pieces pushed along by giant invisible fingers.