Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods

by John Michael Hileman

  “Jason?” That was Thana’s voice.

  “Gotta go.”

  "Robert, we need… ”

  The web vanished and I stepped out of the bushes. Thana was standing in the campsite with her back to me.

  “Over here!” I called.

  “Where did you go?” She sounded concerned.

  “I just stepped into the bushes to... well, you know.” I gave a crooked smile.

  “Next time could you let me know?”

  “You looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to wake you.” I feigned a stretch. “Well, it looks like the sun is coming up. Think we should get started right away?”

  “Yes. I think we’d better.”

  It was nice we were actually talking now but as we chatted my mind kept wandering back to the conversation in the web. Who could I trust? Everywhere I turned, there seemed to be a conspiracy.

  I was beginning to feel like Rath.

  CHAPTER 8

  THE BRAVE KIND SNEAK

  001001011001110

  We continued our journey to Humphrey’s, this time side by side. My rapport with the young lady had completely changed. We shared some pleasant conversation and even a joke or two.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I give up. What is a dyslexic agnostic insomniac?”

  Her eyes twinkled. “Someone who stays awake all night wondering if there really is a dog.”

  It took me a second but when I got it we both broke into a roar of laughter. “Did Humphrey tell you that one?”

  “Yup. He had to explain dyslexic to me though. He was always teaching me lots of new terms. When he told me what that one meant I thought I would never stop laughing.”

  “Humphrey sounds like a good man.”

  “Oh, he is. The two things he loves most in the world are making people laugh and arguing. What’s really fun is when he’s arguing with one person and making another person laugh at the same time. He used to have fun twisting my father’s words around. Then he would smile at us when Daddy became flustered. Humphrey's quite the character.”

  “Is that the village up ahead?” I pointed.

  “Yes, that’s Ristol. We should stop there and replenish our supplies. We'll need them for the second half of our journey.”

  “Good idea. Lead the way.”

  Ristol had definitely seen its share of hard times. The buildings, most of which were made of barn board, were worn and lacked maintenance. And the people didn't look much better. They appeared tired, weathered, and very poor. But their eyes reflected strength and determination. Life was tough on them no doubt but I sensed that they stood strong and faced life’s challenges together.

  I should have put my blindfold back on, but it was too late. The news of my arrival spread like wildfire. People came out and stared as we passed through town.

  A woman came running out of a building. “Lord, wait! I beg of you! Wait!”

  I slowed my horse and looked down at her filthiness. Her appearance was haphazard, as if she had lacked the proper time to get ready for the day. She was aged beyond her years. Desperation marred her otherwise pretty eyes.

  “Lord, my son is very ill. I have given everything I own that he may be cared for but he is slipping away and I can’t afford to pay for an expensive doctor to come in from the city. Please help me. You’ve got to help me!” Tears ran down her dusty face.

  My heart hurt to see her pain. I looked at Thana. Her expression was one of sadness. “Can I help her?” I asked softly, not wanting to put Thana on the spot.

  “If there is a physical way I will help too.” She dismounted and approached the woman. “Shesu, where is he?”

  “He is inside.” She looked up at me, her eyes silently pleading for help. I sensed she did not welcome Thana’s presence but she did not voice her thoughts. I gave her a shrug.

  We entered the hovel where the woman’s son lay on a cot. The room looked like a medical combat zone. Jars, pillows, dishes, ointments, and other various articles littered the floor and counters. She had indeed been very busy. I stepped over to the cot and looked down at the ashen face of her son. He was visibly sweating. His pillow was damp. “Do you know what caused his illness, ma’am?”

  She moved to my side. “He was running in the field behind our house when he stepped on a metal spike. Soon after he began to get sick.”

  I went to the base of the cot and lifted the blanket and was shocked to see the piece of metal still protruding from the boy’s foot. I looked at Shesu, my mouth gaping. “Why has this not been removed?”

  “The healer said removing something from a wound that deep might release his soul from his body. I didn’t want to take that chance.”

  I looked at Thana, then back to Shesu. “What foolishness! The boy could have died from infection! Bring me some hot water, several clean rags, and some pure alcohol if you can get it. Thana, put something in the boy’s mouth so he doesn’t bite his tongue.”

  Shesu quickly put a pot of water on the fire then ran out the door. Thana rolled up a cloth, put it in the boy's mouth, then gently took his hand. He watched as I firmly took hold of the spike. He turned to Thana with pleading eyes.

  “Sorry, son,” I said. “But this is going to hurt. Brace yourself.” I pulled gently, then harder. There was some resistance. So I gave a firm tug then stumbled backwards as the spike came free.

  The boy twitched in agony, then passed out.

  Shesu returned with the cloths and a large flask. I took one of the cloths and applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding slowed I dipped another cloth into the hot water and carefully cleaned the infected area. After removing as much of the oozing puss as I could I poured a liberal amount of whiskey over the wound. It was fortunate for the boy, and us, that he was unconscious.

  The young man began to move his head, mumbling something unintelligible. His mother moved quickly to his side.

  “This should stop the bleeding,” I said as I finished wrapping the area. “And hopefully any further infection. You will need to change the cloth three or four times a day and keep the area around the wound as clean as possible. As for your son’s fever, it should go down if you tend to his foot properly.”

  “How can I ever thank you?” she asked, kneeling before me.

  “You can thank me by taking care of your son. It is my hope that his condition will improve. Use this if it does not.” I handed the woman a coin. “Rub it softly in your hands and pray to me if your son’s condition worsens. And do not go to that healer again. Do you understand?”

  She nodded.

  “Have faith, and he will be okay.”

  A crowd had gathered in front of the woman’s house. We mounted our horses and began to move but it was difficult to get through. “Make way!” yelled Thana. The people began to move aside but it was still slow going. Pleading eyes looked up at me. I could have easily delivered these poor folks from their poverty but Thana would not have approved. Was there anything wrong with offering a little comfort to these unfortunate souls?

  I thought back to what Thana had said earlier. “You take away our strength, and replace it with dependence.” Perhaps she was right. Pain makes a person stronger. Without sorrow growth is hindered. Who was it that said through pain comes change? I couldn’t remember but it made sense. If I were to take away the challenges of these people’s existence what service would I be doing them? It would take away their sense of accomplishment, maybe their sense of purpose.

  Humphrey may have been right to a certain extent but I felt his convictions were a bit extreme. I didn’t think offering a little help could hurt-- but then again where would I draw the line? If there was a divine plan I was given my power for a reason. To use it irresponsibly would be wrong. I knew this. But to not use it at all would be just as bad.

  Eventually we reached the other side of the bewildered crowd. Thana turned to me and spoke. “I think we shouldn't stop for supplies. We should have enough for now and Humphrey will take care of us when we g
et to his cottage.”

  “Whatever you think is best.”

  “Again I feel I need to thank you for respecting my wishes-- and also for helping Shesu and her son.”

  “You don’t need to thank me, I enjoyed helping them.” I smiled to myself. If the woman ever did rub that coin she was in for a surprise. When their backs were turned I had used the web to create a solid gold coin covered in brown chalk. It was worth enough to pay for a certified doctor and then some-- just in case. Again I thought, a little help can't hurt.

  The mighty Dessa Forest appeared on the horizon. It was extremely dense and as Thana had said the horses would not be able to get through. We found the hiding place her father had cleared out long ago. It was a small pocket just inside the wood, partially overgrown from years of disuse, and cut out at the site of a natural spring. The horses would have grass to eat as well as plenty of fresh water.

  Thana located a crude gate made of twisted sticks and brush, disentangled it from the overgrowth, and pulled it across the opening. The gate had a dual purpose. Not only did it camouflage the hiding place but it would also keep the horses from wandering off.

  The path through the gnarled wood was still partially formed so we didn’t have to hack much. An occasional tree branch needed to be cut but for the most part, it was passable.

  My mind drifted. So many bizarre things had happened in this strange world, it was hard to sort through it all. The thing troubling me most was the fact that I was apparently playing a part in some kind of experiment and the guys running it were unwilling to tell me where I was, how I got here, or the purpose behind it all. If I could only unravel that mystery then maybe I’d be able to figure out the dynamics of this place-- which might help us to combat Gaza.

  Before my contact with the outside world this place had been mystical, almost awe-inspiring. But now that I knew others like myself were in control somehow it wasn’t the same. The magic was watered down; it saddened me.

  As I had thought all along, I was no god. I merely possessed the power to effect this place. The others were no different. --But what I couldn't figure out was how the people of this world fit into the mixture. They must have been created for the experiment, synthetic simulations perhaps, but they were so real. When I helped the woman and her son not once did it occur to me that they might only be computer simulations. I was completely immersed in the event. Even if I’d felt sure they were simulations I still would have felt compelled to help them. After all, who was I to judge?

  I looked at Thana walking in front of me. Every detail about her seemed real. She approached a branch, reached out, snapped it, then continued on. Her shoes crunched upon the leaves on the ground and her hand absently brushed a strand of hair off her face. I could faintly smell her musk oil perfume. If she was a simulation she was the most complicated simulation I’d ever seen or heard about.

  It ate at me. This place was too real to be virtual, yet too different to be real.

  A person under hypnosis could enter a dream-like state in which everything would seem completely real. But hypnosis was a suggestive state, and here, in this world, I was in complete control of my actions, or at least I thought I was. And if it was hypnosis then I should have been able to bring myself out at any time because hypnosis is a state of consciousness which has to be accepted by the subject. The hypnotist cannot control a person under hypnosis unless that person is willing. I couldn't remember where I'd learned all this but somehow I knew it to be true.

  I could have been asleep and dreaming but this experience was far more real than any dream I’d ever had. From what I could remember my dreams usually consisted of brief imagery with an emotional base. If I were to dream about a beautiful girl she might be an amalgamation of many women, perhaps changing identities as the dream progressed. For a time she might be an old girlfriend or a girl I met at the grocery store then later turn into a baby-sitter I’d had as a child.

  Somewhere in the depths of my broken memory, words from an old textbook echoed. As the characters and events of a dream shift, the dreamer continues to feel comfortable because although the dream does not make sense to the conscious mind, it makes perfect sense to the subconscious mind. If a man were to dream of swimming down a river, it might flow through a house he once lived in. He could swim to the edge, get out, and the river would be gone behind him. Regardless of the inconsistencies he would continue to feel right at home in the outlandish twists and turns of his mind.

  That’s how dreams tended to work. So, although this place had its twists and turns, there was far too much solidity for this all to be a dream.

  I let out an involuntary sigh.

  Thana looked back at me. “You okay?”

  “Just thinking.”

  “Anything you want to share?”

  “Not especially. Maybe another time.”

  She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the path.

  Even that brief exchange bothered me. Her response was so real. What IS this place?

  We walked for well over an hour before the path opened up a bit. Thick tree trunks rose up like pillars, supporting the leafy roof. The uneven ground crunched as we walked. And I could hear the sound of rushing water coming from up ahead. The waning light of the sun flickered through the trees’ gnarled wooden fingers. Soon it would be night again.

  A feeling of uneasiness crept over me. I peered into the darkening woods. At first I didn’t see anything. But then the shadows began to move. The movements were subtle at first but soon there was no question. Someone, or something, was there.

  “How much farther?” I asked in a low voice.

  “Not far.”

  “Then we should pick up the pace a bit.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?” She looked around.

  “I’m not sure, perhaps nothing.”

  A snarl filtered through the trees.

  “Perhaps something.” I nudged her to speed up.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a quick movement low to the ground. The snarling increased, as did our speed. We were now at a slow jog, ducking and dodging branches. I looked over my shoulder to see three enormous gray wolves emerging from the brush. Their graceful forms began weaving in and out through the branches with deadly skill. I was unsure if they were following us or just going about their normal business. Desperately, I hoped the latter.

  Thana let out a scream. I snapped back around. Two more of the giant beasts were sitting on the path before us.

  “Are these friendly or unfriendly wolves?” I asked in a low voice.

  “I’ve never seen wolves in this forest,” she said, her voice quivering.

  The wolves stood baring their teeth and growling a deep guttural warning. “I'm going to go with unfriendly.”

  I needed to do something fast, or we were going to be dog food. I pulled my pistol from its holster and checked the clip. It was fully loaded. “What I'm about to do is not magic,” I said defensively as I quickly stepped in front of Thana. I aimed the weapon into the air and let off three quick bursts. The wolves jumped back.

  I turned to see the shots had startled the wolves behind us, as well as Thana. Her eyes were so wide each iris looked like a tiny island in a sea of white.

  “Sorry. I should have told you it was loud.

  The enormous animals paced back and forth. For the moment we were at a stalemate, but I was sure it wouldn’t last. I wanted to use the web but didn’t want to lose Thana’s trust. I looked around for alternatives. I could attempt to shoot the wolves, but there were five of them, and only one of me. Most likely they would overtake me before I could deal a lethal shot to each.

  The beasts began to advance again. I needed to use the power but I didn’t want to jeopardize my mission! Then it came to me. It was a simple plan but I thought it just might work. With Thana to my back I brought up the web. Threads appeared all around us but she was oblivious. I examined the network of crossing lines, chose the few that would do the trick, and turned them into metal tw
ine. They formed a fence between the wolves and us, and from where we stood they were not visible.

  “Get down!” I screamed behind me. Thana dropped to the ground. Two rounds roared from the pistol. The first one missed. But the second found its target and the wolf let out a yelp. After a startled moment the wolves in front began to charge but rammed headfirst into the wires and fell back dazed. I fired two more rounds. “Keep your head down!” I yelled at Thana. She dug her face deeper into the dirt. The wolves clawed at the metal lines, but I took them out one at a time, all the while circling Thana, yelling, and kicking up dirt. When I was done I quickly removed the substance from the threads and the fence vanished.

  “Stay here,” I said.

  All the wolves were still except one. It lay on the cold ground beneath me, panting in the clutches of death. Its coat was sticky where blood had seeped out; its breath was shallow. I pointed the gun at his head and quickly put the animal out of its misery.

  I shuddered to think what would have happened if this monstrous beast had gotten hold of us. All of the thoughts about the reality of this place were moot in the face of such destructive power. As I stood staring down at the dead animal a disturbing question crept into my mind. Could I die in this place?

  Thana approached. “What is that thing?” She pointed at the handgun.

  I looked at her blankly, then realized what she’d said. “It’s a pistol,” I said defensively, lifting it up to show her the barrel.

  She squinted at me.

  “Look. A piece of lead is pushed through this metal tube.” I pointed at the gun barrel. “It’s similar to a blowgun, only instead of using air, the driving force is a chemical reaction. When charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate are mixed and ignited, they create an explosion which in turn creates pressure and pushes the lead down and out the end of the barrel.”