“Can wait until he eats,” Ingrid finished, glaring at Midnight. “Caleb, please. Eat first. Stay calm. You’re lucky to be alive.”
Well. That certainly shut Caleb up. Ingrid helped him to a chair, and then she served piping hot pancakes — blue, naturally, because Midnight Mushrooms were the foundation of almost every recipe here on Midnight Bridge. They were delicious, and Caleb dug in with gluttonous abandon.
“Slow down,” Midnight admonished. “And chew your food more than you would normally. Take your time, or you won’t be able to keep your food down. It’s been a long time since you ate.”
“How long?” Caleb asked. “How long was I out?”
Midnight looked to Ingrid, who gave him a meaningful look. He sighed. “Two weeks,” he said.
A clatter on the wooden floor made Caleb realize he had dropped his fork in shock. He stared at Midnight, unable to find words.
“Yeah,” Midnight said. “Now you’re getting it.”
“It was that bad?” Caleb asked, his voice hushed. Slowly, he bent over and retrieved his fallen fork.
“You’re suffering from acute chronial poisoning,” Ingrid said. “It can happen to Humans when they’re exposed too much to altered time without a break.”
“It can also happen if you spend too long under time’s pressure and then come out of it extremely quickly,” Midnight said. “Your symptoms were compounded, unfortunately, because…” he frowned, looking away, “I panicked. Ended the Locational Time Magic around Midnight Bridge too quickly once I saw what was happening to you.”
“Poisoning…” Caleb said softly, suddenly questioning his appetite.
“Eat,” Midnight said, pointing at Caleb’s plate with his fork. “And take a few more helpings after that. I’ll explain things, but you need to get your strength back.”
Caleb nodded reluctantly, returning to his pancakes.
“One of the early symptoms of chronial poisoning is poor short-term memory,” Midnight said once Caleb finished eating. “You displayed that several times during this period of training. But it often passed quickly, so I allowed you to keep moving forward. I’ve seen it before — almost everyone who undergoes my accelerated training deals with some form of chronial poisoning at one point or another. The key is that their poisoning passes naturally, not requiring medical attention. I thought that your poisoning was passing, but I should have seen the truth. It was worsening, bit by bit, under the surface. I get the feeling your stubbornness is what kept symptoms from really showing until you were too sick to avoid it.”
“But why didn’t it just pass for me?” Caleb asked. “What’s different about me from your previous students?”
Midnight shrugged. “Nothing major,” he said. “You’re not the first of my students to suffer like this. You’re not even the worst case. But you’re up there. There really isn’t a distinct factor in why you were so painfully affected while others weren’t. It just happens, or it doesn’t. The main thing is that I didn’t notice the signs when I should have. There’s medicine you can take to help with the symptoms.”
“So why didn’t you give me any?” Caleb asked.
“The medicine is useful and important when things are severe,” Ingrid said. “It can help with the minor and early symptoms, but that would defeat the purpose of your training.”
“You have to learn to adapt to time’s pressure,” Midnight said. “So you’re always going to deal with, and have to push through, some symptoms of chronial poisoning on your own, to develop immunity, or at least a resistance. If I gave you medicine for every little bit of discomfort, your body would never adapt, and the training would be worthless.”
“So… what comes next?” Caleb asked, dreading the answer.
Midnight sighed. “You’re going to need to take medicine for the next five Earth days. I’ll give you the medicine and a watch that’s set to Earth time so you can stick with it. Once that’s over… you can resume your training.”
“I sense there’s a ‘but’ coming on,” Caleb said.
Midnight nodded. “With how terrible things got for you, you’ll only get one more chance,” he said. “Even if you took on the slower version of my training, if you show any signs nearing acute chronial poisoning… that’s it for you. You’ll never use Time Magic again.”
Silence stretched long and imposing through the dining room. Midnight didn’t look at Caleb, finishing off his pancakes and piling some more onto his plate.
“So I have to take a break, after already being out for two weeks,” Caleb said. “What do I do in that time? Do I just stay here? Should I leave? Is there any kind of training you can give me that doesn’t involve Time Magic?”
Midnight leaned back, musing. “You came here to learn Time Magic,” he said. “I can’t teach you that until you fully recover. And any kind of strenuous combat training while you’re on your recovery medicine could slow your return to full health. But you’re a stubborn fool, so maybe you don’t care about that. However…” Midnight had a strange look in his eyes. “I have an idea. I’ve been meaning to make a trip. How about you come with me? You could learn a thing or two about the Enchanted Dominion.”
“I can come with you?” Caleb asked, shocked at the offer.
Midnight nodded. “Sure can,” he said.
Ingrid leaned over the table, grinning. “He only makes this offer to his favorite students,” she said. “Normally he goes everywhere alone.”
“Don’t you have work to do?” Midnight asked with a glare.
“Work’s already done,” Ingrid said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Midnight frowned, turning his attention back to Caleb. “Before we go anywhere… I need to ask you a few questions.”
Caleb stared at Midnight. “Why does that sound so ominous?”
Midnight just stared right back at him.
“Okay, start asking,” Caleb said, breaking eye contact.
“When finished with your training, where would you go?”
“Back to the others,” Caleb said. “We’ve talked about this. That’s why I was training to begin with.”
“And who are the others?” Midnight asked.
Caleb blinked in confusion. “What the heck is this?”
“Acute chronial poisoning can damage your memory,” Ingrid said. “Most symptoms are only temporary, but if you have memory problems now, it could be permanent.”
That got Caleb’s attention. “Isabelle, Delilah, Lorelei, and Chelsea,” he said in answer to Midnight’s question.
“Who are they to you?” Midnight asked.
“Isabelle’s a girl I promised to help get home,” Caleb said. “Delilah’s my little sister. Chelsea’s my girlfriend, and Lorelei is Chelsea’s best friend.”
“What is Isabelle’s home called?” Midnight asked.
“The Library of Solitude,” Caleb said.
“Do you have any other siblings?”
“I’m the oldest, and Fae is the oldest after me. Then there are the twins, Shias and Shana.”
“How did you arrive at Midnight Bridge?”
“I took a train from Chronoshin.”
“You made a friend there, too.”
Caleb nodded. “Ted. We played chess.”
“But there was someone else. Someone who troubled you.”
“There was a man who wouldn’t speak… he wouldn’t even look at me. Until my train was leaving. Then, while I was looking at the window, he finally looked up. But I didn’t get a chance to talk to him.”
“How do you channel your magic?”
“Through a silver pocket watch, given to me by my father.”
“What was the last meal you had before you passed out from chronial poisoning?”
“Midnight Mushroom Sandwiches.”
Midnight sighed, leaning back in his chair, his expression softening. “Well, you seem all right,” he said. “I’m glad you told me so much about your life and journey before our training started, or it would have been hard t
o test you.”
“Are there any other long-term effects I should watch out for?”
“Fatigue is common,” Ingrid said. “You’ll suddenly feel extremely tired for no reason. Eventually your body will get back to normal, but you may want to take occasional naps or sleep longer.”
“You might also struggle with balance and coordination for the next few days,” Midnight said. He pointed to his ear. “Time’s pressure can mess with your inner ear, leaving you a bit disoriented. You might struggle to breathe occasionally. And you’ll probably feel some pain and soreness in your joints, even when you’re fully rested. Most of the pressure falls on your joints, and chronial poisoning likes to seep into those areas.”
“You also might have less… self-control,” Ingrid said nervously. “Of your… bodily functions.”
“Pack a few extra pairs of underwear,” Midnight said, chuckling.
“Lovely,” Caleb said with a sour face. “Are all of these guaranteed, or just possibilities?”
“Possibilities,” Midnight said. “Things to watch out for. So? You coming with me, or staying here?”
“I’m with you,” Caleb said, standing up. He felt refreshed from the pancakes, his stomach settling so that he could stand up straight. He swayed for a moment, and even when he could see that he was standing straight, the room looked askew, like it was slowly tilting to the right.
“It’ll pass,” Midnight said, rising. “Take your time. The train won’t be here for a while, anyway. Which is good — you need more rest.”
Caleb changed into fresh clothes, and Midnight provided him with medicine and a watch set to Earth time. Ingrid gave Caleb a list of possible symptoms to be aware of, which included early warning signs, as well as his schedule for taking his recovery medicine.
“This is it?” Caleb asked, shaking the small bottle of pink liquid. “It’s supposed to last me five days?”
“You take very small doses,” Ingrid said, showing Caleb the measuring cup for him to drink from. It was quite tiny, about a quarter of the size of the plastic cups that came along with most liquid medicine. “Just make sure you take it on time, and don’t take too much. You don’t want to run out.”
“The schedule says I should start it right now,” Caleb said.
“That’s right,” Midnight said. “Drink up.”
Caleb measured out a small dose of the pink liquid and took it. He swished it around in his mouth for a moment before swallowing, smiling at the surprisingly good taste. Like strawberries. Strawberries were Caleb’s favorite.
“And now, it’s time for you to sit down,” Midnight said, leading Caleb to a couch. “Kick back and relax. Feel free to fall asleep. We’ll wake you when it’s time to go.”
“I…” Caleb started to say, but he was suddenly very drowsy. He leaned his head back against the cushioned back of the couch, closed his eyes and smiled.
Things are gonna be okay. This detour is taking a lot longer than I thought it would, but… it’s turning out to be quite exciting.
And as he drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts were of those most important to him.
Chelsea, Delilah… I hope you’re doing all right. You probably are. You girls are beasts. Take care of Isabelle…
I’ll be back as soon as I’m ready.
Chapter 40: Song of Solitude
— G —
“You have a message from Mommy?” Isabelle asked.
The blonde man nodded, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out a miniature tablet. He detached a stylus from it, and began tapping and swiping on the screen.
“Where’d you get that?” Chelsea asked. Delilah wondered the same thing. They’d seen some technology here in Starlight Spires, but nothing quite that modern.
“A traveler from Earth gave it to me,” the man said with a nervous chuckle. He did that a lot, ending his sentence with a small “he-he” or “ha-ha,” almost under his breath, like he was trying to diffuse tension that only he felt. “It’s very useful. Here… this is it.” He tilted the tablet’s screen towards the girls, who came a little closer to see it better. It was a video, and it was impossible to mistake who the woman on the screen was. The apple-red hair, the striking blue eyes, the soft facial features could only belong to…
“Mommy?” Isabelle asked, her voice shaking as she took another step closer, staring at the screen in disbelief.
“It’s… well, it’s just a recording,” the man said. “Please l-listen closely.”
“Isabelle,” the woman said. Her voice was warm and kind, making Delilah’s heart ache for her own mother. Isabelle’s mother looked sad and hesitant. “I’m so, so sorry that I lost you, sweetheart. I still don’t know exactly what happened. I lost Maribelle as well, and I’ve been unable to find her. Despite being certain I knew where your other sisters were, I failed. They aren’t where I’d hoped, and my search since then has proven futile. I…” She broke off, looking away from the camera. “Sorry.”
“My Lady?” came the voice of the blonde man. “S-should I —”
“No,” Isabelle’s mother said, looking back at the camera with a determined glint in her eyes. “Isabelle, I know it must be hard for you, out there alone and unable to get home. I…” She sighed. “I should have just taught you the Song of Solitude. Then you’d be home at least, even if you’d be alone. But thanks to Lahain — he’s the one recording this, say hello.”
“H-hello,” came the blonde man’s voice. “I’m Lahain.”
Isabelle’s mother smiled. “He’s quite shy and has difficulty speaking,” she said, “but he’s loyal. And loyalty is in unfortunately short supply these days. You can trust Lahain. He is going to find you. As for why I won’t…” She looked away again, her expression filled with bitter sorrow. “I cannot. Not until I find the one who did this to me, who dares to keep me from my daughters. But I will find them, and end whatever horrid magic they’ve worked. So be patient, dear Isabelle. Lahain will give you the song. Go home and… do your best.” She sighed sadly. “I wish I had more time. I wish I could say more. Good luck, my dear daughter. I love you very much, and I’m so sorry.”
The video ended as Isabelle’s mother blew a kiss at the camera. Isabelle reached, grasping at the air and then pressing her palm against her cheek.
“So you’re Lahain,” Delilah said, testing the name out. “How long have you been looking for Isabelle?”
Lahain did that nervous chuckle, looking down at his tablet as he tapped away at the screen. “It’s hard to say,” he said. “I, well… Lady Kodoka found me about…” He looked up. “I’m sorry, some of you are Humans, aren’t you? So time here is strange and I… well, I don’t know the conversion to Earth time, sorry to say…”
“Calm down,” Chelsea said, pursing her lips. “You’re all over the place. Aren’t you supposed to give Isabelle the song for her to be able to go home?”
Lahain nodded. “Yes, right, sorry,” he said quickly, glancing at Chelsea only briefly before ducking his head. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” Chelsea said. “Just pull yourself together.”
“Lahain,” Lorelei said, giving Chelsea an admonishing look before approaching the blonde man. “We’re trying to help Isabelle, too. Can you give her the song now, or is there something else you need to say or do?”
“I hid it,” Lahain said. “Umbran Wing. Follow me.”
Lahain stood, leading the way up two different flights of stairs and then along a walkway that had a view out across the rest of the music library. Delilah was glad for a railing to slide her hand along as a guide, because she couldn’t stop staring to her left, at the expansive repository of knowledge around her.
The music library had a sort of chaotic design to it. Stairs came up here and there, in different sizes and styles, leading to walkways or small lofts and alcoves. There was rarely very much open, unbroken floor space, almost as if a series of hundreds or even thousands of platforms had been forced to connect to each other in a s
ingle gargantuan room. There were no floor-to-ceiling walls, so the entire library seemed so open and spacious once she saw it from higher up.
The walkway the girls were currently on quickly led to another ascending staircase that curved to the left, up to a loft with a rack of twelve-string guitars and several wooden, armless chairs. From there, they crossed a miniature suspension bridge with cables holding its interlocking wooden planks together, and it dipped and swayed as the group crossed it.
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