Ravens In The Clouds

by Taylor Wilson

  Lacey nodded. “I think I’ll talk to Oliver about this alone and leave Sara out of it for now. She told me she didn’t want to worry helplessly about Matt, but I’m sure she’s already concerned. You said you were going to ask some colleagues?”

  “I’d prefer to do so without alarming them,” Alex shrugged. “If they suspect I’m talking about real people suffering, then I won’t be able to walk that back.”

  “Just say a student is writing a novel, and he gave it to you for feedback. You want to see if the disease scenario he describes is accurate.”

  Alex smiled. “Have I mentioned lately that you’re a knowledgeable young lady?”

  She beamed back. “It’s been a few days.”

  ***

  “I know too much heat can do some strange things to people,” Lacey commented to Oliver the next day.” I Googled the symptoms of heat exhaustion, and they are similar. However, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are pretty rapid, aren’t they?”

  “Not always,” replied Oliver thoughtfully. “If the person doesn’t get relief from the heat, it can go on and get worse. But I’m sure their healers have brought the sick inside, given them fluids and electrolytes, and cooled them down. If they are still having problems, it’s not really the heat. You say it’s not an industrialized nation?”

  “No, it’s pretty agricultural. The kingdom has a few things we’d consider ‘modern,’ like electricity and…” she rolled her eyes, “pistols. Probably a few more things I didn’t have time to see, but no big factories or anything.”

  “You’re sure?” Oliver pressed. “No chance there’s a nuclear power plant hidden somewhere?”

  “What? No!” Lacey exclaimed, confused. “That’s awfully specific, Oliver. What are you thinking?”

  “I think it sounds like radiation sickness.”

  Lacey was stunned to silence.

  “Headaches, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness. The skin discoloration could look like a rash if you don’t know what you’re looking for. I’m glad Alex thought to ask about the animals. If it is radiation, it’ll affect everything.”

  “That’s serious,” breathed Lacey. “If it is radiation sickness, what can they do about it?”

  “The most important thing to do is find the source of the radiation and stop it. Until then, the treatments are basically useless. Different types of exposure have different treatments, but it depends on how much radiation someone absorbed as to how well any treatments work.”

  “Might the radiation have already stopped, and they just need the right treatment?” Lacey asked, trying to keep the misery out of her voice.

  “Maybe; we’re getting out of my realm of study. I don’t know what sorts of events cause a single burst of radiation, other than a bomb. They would have noticed something big like that.”

  “True. But also, if it were a big event, the whole area would be uninhabitable, right?”

  Oliver shrugged. “It’s hard to know that without knowing what happened and how much radiation is involved.”

  They sat in quiet dread for a whole minute; then Lacey sighed. “Thanks, Oliver. I hope you’re wrong, but it will be something to try, at least.”

  Oliver squeezed her hand. “Yes, I hope I’m wrong too. I won’t lie; if they’ve been going through this for over a week, it doesn’t look good.”

  Chapter Four

  That night, Lacey stared at her ceiling, unable to sleep. In a way, she selfishly wished that Alex had never remembered the emerald pendant. It was awful to watch her parents and friends struggle. Yet, if she and Alex had the knowledge their friends needed to heal the villagers, it was worth a little angst on her part. She couldn’t get Oliver’s words out of her head: “It doesn’t look good.” When she got home, she had Googled radiation sickness and cities that had significant radioactive events. Hiroshima was never fully evacuated; the affected people had long-term health issues, but the land began to recover from the radiation within a short time. When the Fukushima nuclear plant was compromised, the contamination was “moderate,” and the area was expected to be safe within a few decades. However, the Chernobyl incident rendered about 100 square miles uninhabitable for the next 200 to 20,000 years. Where would the people of Alinn go if they couldn’t live there anymore? Of course, Lacey thought miserably, that’s assuming they survive at all. After fretting for hours, tossing around in bed, pacing around the room, Lacey’s body finally overpowered her mind in sleep.

  And she dreamed.

  She was falling through darkness, plummeting dizzily in an empty void. To Lacey, it felt a lot like traveling through the dimensions, but she seemed to fall faster and for much longer, tumbling uncontrollably. Oliver’s words repeatedly echoed in the vast space. “It doesn’t look good... It doesn’t look good... It doesn’t look good….”

  She blinked. As her eyes focused, she saw the ceiling of her own bedroom again. Sighing heavily, she realized she was disappointed. Traveling to the dark dimension herself wouldn’t be helpful, even if it were possible. Still, it would have been comforting to see her friends in person and hopefully hear what the Voice had to say. The room was still dim, so she rolled over to check the time on the bedside clock. Suddenly, she gasped and sat up.

  The wall was gone. In its place were stalactites and stalagmites, with their mineral deposits glittering in dim torchlight. A subterranean stream trickled gently beside a low rock. On the rock sat an ancient woman, who Lacey had been longing to see. It was the Voice.

  Unlike Lacey’s previous meetings with this goddess/oracle/spirit of the mountain, the Voice looked old and feeble. Her cragged face looked ashen, and her shoulders sagged as if they carried the weight of the mountain. Still, she offered Lacey a weak smile. “It’s good to see you, child. I wish there were a better reason.”

  In awe, Lacey asked, “Is this a dream, or has my room suddenly traveled to the dark dimension?”

  The Voice chuckled, “A bit of both. I’m not an invention of your brain; you are truly speaking to me. However, it takes a lot less effort to create a window between the dimensions by using a dream. It’s also a lot less messy.” She wrinkled her nose with playful emphasis.

  “Are you okay? What is happening over there? Is it as bad as it seems? Can you do anything to stop it? How can we help? Are people going to die? Is Matt there with you? Will magic work against this?”

  Laughing, the Voice waved her to silence. Lacey ached to see that the grandmotherly figure whose laugh once rang through her cavern was limited to a wheezing tremble. “So many questions! I would tell you to slow down and give me time, but I fear that time may not be on my side.”

  “So, it is as bad as it seems?” Lacey asked quietly.

  “I will not mince words with you, my dear. I am dying.”

  Lacey slid off her bed onto her knees. “No!” she breathed. “What is going on? Can you see the cause?”

  “Remember that my visions are fractured because only two of the seven kingdoms keep their magic connected to the land. I do see the usual bits and pieces, but they are even more confusing than usual.”

  “Tell me,” Lacey offered. “Maybe I can help.”

  “In my mind’s eye, the rain is drops of fire, scorching the land as it falls. The villagers walk through the rain on the charred land, and they too begin to burn. Very soon, everything turns to ash.”

  Shaking her head in dread, Lacey commented, “I think Oliver was right; this might be radiation sickness. But where is the radiation coming from… I mean, why is the rain on fire? Oliver said the source must be significant, so how could it go unnoticed?

  Closing her eyes, the Voice took a slow, labored breath, connecting to her second sight. “The source is in the clouds; they don’t want you to see them.”

  “They?” Lacey asked in amazement. “Who are they?”

  “Can’t see.” The Voice puckered her brow in concentration, trying to hold on to the vision. “They are running behind the clouds, and they make the rain burn.”

  Lacey reeled.
What on earth did that mean? She didn’t want to attack the Voice with questions, so she murmured quietly, “Bouncing in the clouds?”

  “It can’t be flying,” she said. “No wings.”

  “Why do they make the rain burn? What do they want?” Lacey could feel her fingernails cutting into her palms as she clenched her fists to hide her agitation.

  “They…” The Voice swayed absently. “They want… mine.”

  “They want your what?”

  Keeping her eyes closed, the Voice shrugged weakly at her ignorance. “I don’t know what that means, but I feel something yanking and tugging at me, like a raven feasting on my innards. ‘They want mine,’ and… and they want yours, too.”

  “Mine? I’m not even in your dimension.”

  “Exactly,” said the Voice, firmly. Her eyes opened, and she stared fiercely at Lacey. The meaning may have been obscured, but the message was insistent. The Voice’s gaze softened and she faded back into her reverie.

  Stunned by the intensity of that moment, Lacey paused before resuming her gentle questioning. “How can we stop the burning rain and the… ravens with no wings?

  Swaying again, the Voice answered, “In my world, the enemy will have the answer. In your world, a friend will lead the way.”

  Internally, Lacey screamed in frustration. Why did everything have to be so cryptic and confusing? Her friends were in danger, her parents were in danger, and she wanted real answers! Still, it wasn’t the Voice’s fault. She was doing everything she could, even when she thought she was dying. Calmly, she asked, “Is there anything else?”

  “Yes,” she smiled knowingly. Her eyes fluttered open, and Lacey noticed that the Voice’s breathing was frighteningly shallow. Her elbows on her knees barely held up the weight of her tiny body. “Tell Matt that he must re-make the riviere and preserve the emeralds.”

  “Preserve the magic, you mean?”

  “That too,” panted the Voice. “The riviere may not… give him the solution, but it… will reveal the problem.” She was leaning on her knees so much that she was bent almost double. “Plus… he will need you soon.”

  Panic lifted Lacey to her feet. “What about you? Aren’t you tied to that magic?” She grasped at straws, trying to think. “What if he brings the riviere to you? Can he heal you?”

  The Voice tilted her old face toward Lacey for one last knowing smile. “I am… the mountain… and the mountain… is….”

  With the slow grace of a tree falling in the forest, the Voice toppled from her seat on the rock, landing quietly in a crumpled heap on the cavern floor.

  “No!” Lacey screamed.

  She sat straight up in bed, heart thumping. It took her several seconds to remember that her conversation with the Voice had occurred in a dream. Yet, she knew beyond doubt that the conversation was all too real. Panicking, she grabbed her cell phone.

  Where are you? Do you have the pendant? She texted Alex.

  After a moment, the reply came. Yes, I’m at the office. What’s up?

  Be there soon, will explain. We must make contact NOW!

  Chapter Five

  Lacey raced down the second-floor hallway, heedless of the surprised exclamations of “Hey!” “Slow down!” “Where’s the fire, kid?” as she passed. She skidded to a halt inside Alex’s office and was met by the disapproving glare of the department secretary.”

  “Lacey! What’s going on? Catch your breath,” Alex rounded the desk, alarmed. In a different tone, he dismissed the secretary. “Thank you, Susan.”

  The secretary scowled suspiciously at each of them in turn before exiting the room, deliberately leaving the door open. As soon as she turned the corner back to her desk, Lacey closed it.

  “We’ve got to use the pendant right now!” she insisted. “It’s bad; it’s really bad!”

  “Woah, woah,” said Alex. “Just slow down and take a breath. What happened to scare you like this?

  Lacey tried to relay the news calmly. “I had a vision. A dream, actually, but it was real. The Voice came to me and told me what she could see. Just fragments, like before, but they’re not good. Then she collapsed, and… and I think she might be dead!” Tears welled in her eyes as she admitted her fear.

  Alex breathed through his nose sharply. Reaching across his desk, he grabbed his phone and punched a line. Lacey sat down with her head in her hands as she listened to his side of the conversation.

  “Susan. Can you please reschedule my student appointments for the whole day? Thanks… what? Yes, I know the protocol about leaving the door open when a student is here, but this is Lacey. It’s kind of a private, family matter….” His tone became increasingly agitated as the call continued. “But you know she’s in here and you’re close enough to monitor… I know, but I’m the Dean of this department and I’m telling you to make an exce… For Christ’s sake, Susan! Her father’s office is right upstairs! How stupid would I have to be to…? Fine!”

  He slammed the receiver down with considerable force, then picked up the entire phone and banged it on the desk. The pitcher rocked dangerously and he snatched it up. “Grab the basin,” he growled toward Lacey. “We can’t work here.” Lacey did as she was told and followed in Alex’s wake as he strode angrily from the room.

  Passing Susan’s desk at speed, he waved off the secretary’s protests, his tone still spiked with annoyance. “I know, I know; you’re just doing your job. We’ll have this meeting in William’s office. Hopefully, he’ll satisfy you as an appropriate chaperone.” The door to the stairwell thudded against the wall as Alex stomped through with Lacey at his heels.

  William had his feet propped on his desk; his reading glasses perched so low on his nose that they seemed to defy gravity. When Alex and Lacey barged in, he startled, dropping his heavy book from his lap onto the floor. No doubt Susan heard that too, Lacey thought, feeling almost giddy with panic.

  While Lacey ran to get water from the bathroom next door, Alex quickly explained what was happening and why they needed to borrow his office. “You can participate and see what we see if you want, but there’s no time to explain it all.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” Lacey said, hugging her father. “You’ll be right outside if we need you?”

  “Just call and I’ll be at your side in a heartbeat,” he hugged back. “No idea how this old man could be helpful, but I’m here for you as always.” He and Alex shook hands warmly. “Now… off to soothe some ruffled feathers!” He winked and shut the door.

  Alex hastily poured water into the basin and dropped in the pendant. However, the spell couldn’t be rushed, or else he might make a mistake and have to begin again. Soon, the water in the basin glowed green and they waited impatiently for their friends to answer the call.

  A long time passed. In Lacey’s mind, it took days, but even by a standard clock, the wait was significant. William came back to get his book and Alex explained the green glow from the basin and how the spell worked. Lacey told them in detail about the dream she had and the clues the Voice was able to relate before she fainted. They discussed the possibility of radiation sickness and what that might mean for the kingdom. Still, the basin glowed a passive green; the phone was ringing, but no one picked up. The three of them paced about the small office like an anxious family outside an operating room.

  At last, a bright gold tinge bloomed in the basin. “That’s it!” Lacey shouted, racing to her place at the desk. Alex joined her, and William began to slip out. “No, Dad… can you stay? I know you won’t be able to see anything and what we say might not make sense, but… it would make me feel better if you’re here.”

  “Absolutely!” He sat back down behind them, out of sight.

  “Ready?” Alex asked. Lacey nodded. Together, they lowered their hands into the water, and Lacey blinked away the flash of white light to bring the image of the dark dimension into her mind.

  Chaos.

  Matt was standing on the dais in the great hall, surrounded by people on cots. It looked like an arm
y field hospital from old World War II news footage. People were flitting back and forth between cots, nursing the sick, but there were so many more beds than there were nurses. Lacey was grateful that she couldn’t hear the noises of pain and affliction that must have been echoing through the hall. It would have broken her.

  As usual, Matt wore the satchel which held the grimoire; the strap hung on one shoulder and crossed his torso. This time, another strap hung across the other shoulder, a thinner strap attached to a strange-looking pouch. It reminded Lacey of the water skins they used when they journeyed to see the Voice for the first time, except the opening was cut large enough for Matt to slip his hand through. Golden light filtered through the gap around his wrist, and Lacey realized he was using the pouch as a way to make their communication portable.

  “I’m sorry it took so long to respond,” said Matt, running the fingers of his free hand nervously through his hair. “Willow had the pendant, and one of the villagers she’s tending was having convulsions and she couldn’t leave him. Finally, someone came by so she could send for me.”

  Alex shook his head sadly. “Matt, I’m so sorry this is happening. The hardest part of being a leader is when you have no power to change anything.”

  Matt’s lip quivered. “It’s awful, Dad. The people keep coming, and they’re getting worse. Some of them can’t even keep water down without throwing it back up. Some look like they have bad patchy burns, and their skin is starting to peel. Some are so dizzy and weak; they can’t even stand. The healers treat the symptoms, but they don’t get better. All I can think to do is cast a sleep spell. Either the break from suffering will help them to heal naturally, or they will just die in their sleep. There’s no way to know which one. We’ve brought the worst of them here into the great hall, so I can put them to sleep all at once.”

  “The idea is sound,” commented Alex. “You may want to try that as early as possible if the patient will consent. As you said, there’s no way to know the result, but at least they will have no pain. What about the animals?”