Chapter 10
Tae-Ann appraised the twenty, 19 men, one woman, all suspended in cages. She was wearing an ankle length dress, tied by a gold sash, and with long loose sleeves. The whole of her attire was heavy on blues, streaks of purple, and golden greens as if mirroring a peacock. She had a staff made of wood with a crystal imbedded in the top. She was barefoot. Cockburn screamed, and all the men went to their feet, orienting on her. The one with the octopus head struggled not to step on legs. Man rolled his eyes, clearly assessing the female as a non threat.
“Are you Justice?” Man asked.
“Not today,” Tae-Ann said. “I have need of you. Bind yourself to me, and I will release you from your debts.”
Man chuckled. “For how long?”
“This is not a negotiation,” Tae-Ann said.
“Clearly it is. You need us. We need out.”
“You will serve me until I release you, or you die in the line of dutry,” Tae-Ann said.
“I think we will stay right where we are, thank you very much,” Man said.
Tae-Ann nodded. She proceeded to walk through their midst, intending to pass. It seemed to be taking effort, each foot placement taking a great deal of concentration. She looked ahead, allowing her feet to define the path.
“I’ll go with you,” Cockburn said as she passed his cage.
Tae-Ann kept walking, testing the ground with staff as she went.
“Hey, I said, I’ll go with you,” Cockburn said.
Tae-Ann stopped and stared ahead into infinity. “Your fates are intricately linked. It will be all of you together, or none of you.” She paced ahead. “I don’t have time for this. Close your eyes, and I will be gone.”
Man smirked. “Are you trapped by our gaze, Jinn?”
Tae-Ann face him. “I recommend you being careful with your words. You can summon or sorts of demons here. Have you been here long enough to experience a soul swarm?”
“What’s that?” Cockburn said.
“Illuminated insects that like to feed on memories. They look for flesh to attach themselves to,” Tae-Ann said. She answered this while looking at Man. “I see you, Terrace Man. They will enjoy your flavor most of all. Your strength and consistent pursuit of drama.”
“You’re just trying to scare us,” Afansy said.
Tae-Ann shrugged. She turned and took a measured step, feeling the ground tentatively with toes before commit with sole. She moved like a ballerina in slow motion.
“What’s the hurry? Late to a Burning Man festival?” Man asked.
“I am the holder of the Goddess ring,” Tae-Ann said, looking into infinity. “I am being pursued. If I or the ring fall into the hands of the enemy, the world will fall.”
“We have fallen before,” Man said.
“This fall will be unrecoverable,” Tae-Ann said. “All biological life will cease to exist on this planet.”
Tae-Ann took a tentative step forwards. She saw the octopus head in her periphery vision. She was pretty sure the eye moved. She avoided looking at it. She moved forward. From nowhere, a swarm of illuminated orbs arrived, first rushing Tae-Ann. She planted her staff on the ground. It flared and all the orbs gave up their lights. They all fell to the ground, grotesque bodies that resembled a cross between Mosquito Hawks and serpents. Their scattered bodies seemed like empty shells, like the remains of grub that had become a locus. Shells, the souls long gone. One of the twenties was screaming, ‘get it off, get it off,’ as one had attached to his forehead. Its mouth was attached solidly to flesh, his third eye= dead center of forehead. It tail stuck out like an antennae, pulsing. She touched it with her staff, but it dived into his head and was gone.
“It has signaled for mates. Others will come soon,” Tae-Ann said. She continued to go.
“Can you help him?”
Tae-Ann turned to Kea. Kea remained sitting in her cage, not looking at the man.
“I cannot. He must live with that which he has summoned,” Tae-Ann said.
Kea flushed with anger, but she didn’t lift her gaze. She said nothing.
“I do not have time to sort your wounds,” Tae-Ann said. A distant sound of thunder occurred, calling her eyes to the infinity behind her. “And I am out of time. Avert your eyes and I will be gone.”
“No,” Man said. “You will free us without contract or die here with us.”
Tae-Ann smirked. “You will not die as long you are imprisoned here.”
Man laughed. “Explain the skeletons and the corpses.”
“Artifacts of your own minds,” Tae-Ann said. She considered the anomaly: “save one.”
“If you are captured or killed, the world will end, and all life on the world will end?” Kea asked.
“Yes,” Tae-Ann said.
“I will pledge myself to serving you, until death or released by your words,” Kea said.
Tae-Ann smiled compassionately. “Thank you. You are all linked and must to a one commit, or I cannot accept.”
There was evidence of an army on the horizon. It was difficult to discern much more than silhouettes, as the air shimmered as if the light between was being lensed through thermal convection. A dragon swooped down, hovering like a humming bird. It inhaled deeply, preparing to scorch the widest possible swath of land that it could. Tae-Ann unleased energy from her staff. Lightening zigzagged around the cage and hit the dragon square in the chest. It exploded. Flesh rained down over them. She turned to leave. More dragons were on the horizon. Afansy swore allegiance. So did the others. Tae-Ann made it to the far side of the cages from where she was.
“Wait,” Man said.
“I cannot wait for you,” Tae-Ann said.
“I commit myself to your protection until our deaths, or you release us. I pledge all our allegiance to you,” Man stated clearly.
“Your delay makes you suspect. I now require you to sacrifice one of your own to demonstrate loyalty,” Tae-Ann said.
“Fuck you,” Man said.
“You agreed to the terms! The decision was made before you even came here,” Tae-Ann said. “You must sacrifice one.”
“I thought you were in hurry, bitch? You want riddles and task us?” Man asked. Tae-Ann pointed to the cage with the octopus head man. The man in the cage began freaking out.
“What, why me? I don’t want to die!” he complained.
“In dying to yourself, you will find another,” Tae-Ann said.
“We don’t have time for this!” Man said.
“You speak truth,” Tae-Ann said.
Kea stood up. “What’s your name?” she asked the man in the cage.
“Baylor,” he said.
“Baylor? Do you have family?”
“My mom. My sister, my grandmother…”
“I have two kids. A daughter. A son. I imagine if you are anything like me, you would do anything to keep them safe, would you not?” Kea asked.
“I would die for them!” Baylor said.
“As I for my family,” Kea said.
“I am afraid,” Baylor said.
“So am I. I have been afraid for a long time. Maybe we’re here to face it. Let’s do that together,” Kea said.
Baylor was shaking. He nodded. “What must I do?”
“Take hold of the octopus, and gently pull it as if you were taking a mask off a person,” Tae-Ann said.
“Eww! No!” Baylor cringed.
The distant solders were now less distant. Their shapes were almost identifiable. They were reminiscent of troopers, all the faces uniform- all the sizes uniform, only- there were clearly male and female forms.
“Do as she says,” Man told Baylor.
Touching the octopus clearly took every ounce of Baylor’s strength. Just discovering it could be pulled and that he could find purchase and the sight of a human neck underneath the octopus flesh made him let go. He vomited.
“Hey!” Man snapped. “Pull it off, now.”
“You can do this,” Kea said. “Baylor. You got this. This is easy.”
Another dragon was suddenly there, as if it had broken through a barrier and was propelled instantly forwards. It descended, swooped up into a stall and would have unleashed a fury of flames, but it exploded- an energy trail leading back to Tae-Ann’s staff. A soul swarm rushed in, going for jagged bits of flesh, and another pulse from Tae-Ann’s staff dropped the lot of them. The man who had taken one on suddenly had another inside him and he fought against himself. In the process he accidentally opened the door to his cage. A snake dragon descended to catch him. He retreated.
The snake dragon turned to Tae-Ann.
“Please, I need your help,” Tae-Ann said.
It turned and flew up to the clouds. It and others of its kind emerged from the clouds near the advancing army. She turned to Baylor.
“It’s now, or never…” Tae-Ann said.
Baylor committed to pulling the octopus off. It came away leaving a human face covered with slime. A long, snake like appendage was pulled out of the human mouth; it had three roots, the one that went into the stomach the longest, where the two ends that had been in the lungs were smaller with more branches. It trailed sticky, stings of substance. The octopus suddenly came to life in Baylor’s hand. It grabbed him with eight arms and the appendage went straight to his mouth. Baylor resisted.
“Help him!” Man demanded.
Tae-Ann didn’t respond. She watched as Baylor lost the fight. One tentacle arm choked him, resulting in his mouth coming open. He tried turning his mouth away from the probing appendage. He went to his knees, unable to breathe. His body went limp, but he didn’t fall- the appendage filling his mouth and going deeper as the arms pulled itself secure to his head. The octopus settled, arms going into Baylor’s shirt. Two arms secured themselves to his back, two to his chest, two down the lengths of his arm, and two remained outside his shirt. The octopus became invisible. The face that was there was no longer the face of Baylor, but someone new. It was Baylor’s body, but a new head. The man reached down and intimately stroked the face of the man that once hosted him.
The cages dropped to ground level and the doors opened by themselves.
“Come, we don’t have much time,” Tae-Ann said. “Do not step in the puddles.”
They followed Tae-Ann. She moved much quicker this time, pausing only to tip her staff into pools of bubbling springs. Some had cages suspended above them. Some not. With staff in the pool, she stared into the illuminated crystal on her staff.
“What are you doing?” Cockburn asked.
“Just pick one,” Man told Tae-Ann.
Tae-Ann went to another.
“What is she doing?”
“Looking for a way out of this reality frame,” Man said.
“These are portals?” Afansy asked.
“Let’s find out,” Man said, pushing Afansy into a pool.
Afansy fell and disappeared, faster than just falling. It was as if he was sucked into the liquid. Tae-Ann cursed and came to the pool, sticking her staff into it.
“Leave him!” Man said.
“We are intricately linked! We must now go here. One at a time. I will hold the portal and follow the last of you through,” Tae-Ann said.
“Where does it go?” Kea said.
“Someplace not his,” Tae-Ann said.
“That makes no sense,” Cockburn said.
“I am giving you a directive,” Tae-Ann said. “Follow, and stick together.”
The man who was once Baylor nodded. He dived in head first. Man motioned, and his men followed, one by one. Tae-Ann, Man, and Kea were the last ones remaining.
“Do any of these go home?” Kea asked.
“The one over which your cage was suspended,” Tae-Ann said. “With caveats.”
“What? We could have just gone home at any time?” Kea demanded.
“Yes, Dorothy. With caveats,” Tae-Ann said. “Now, into the breach.”
Kea looked about for her original cage. There were soldiers looming on the horizon, struggling forwards- never struggling, like a fire in a portrait frozen in time.
“You made a commitment to me,” Tae-Ann reminded her.
“Kea, you will not find it,” Man said. “I will see to it you get home to your family.”
Kea took a breath and stepped into the pool. She vanished from sight. Man looked at TaeAnn as if measuring her, then followed. To her word, Tae-Ann followed. Dragons descended, uncertain. They smelled the air. They seemed too big for the pools to accommodate. Troopers arrived, and using tech they began measuring the shimmering interaction patterns on the pools. Interference patterns- shadows of light and dark ripples that defined the edges of the pools as if there was a constant source of vibration that trembled the land. A static pop proceeded a voice.
“They went this way…”
निनमित
“Stop fidgeting,” Lester snapped, wiping something off her face. ‘Stop being mean to her,” Fersia said.
“Are you a squirrel?” the girl asked Fersia.
Fersia pouted. “What wrong with you? You never saw a cat before?”
“I have never seen anything like you,” Lakin said.
Fersia purred. “Oh, that might get you laid.”
“He’s troubled,” Lester stated.
Fersia stepped away. “Seriously? Like, STD troubled?”
Lester looked at the ‘boy,’ then at Fersia. “STDs would be more agreeable.”
“Ewww,” Fersia said. “But, he’s so cute…”
“It will wear off if you resist long enough,” Lester said. He turned his attention to the girl.
He held out a hand. “Hold my hand, please.”
The girl stared at him, perturbed. “You’re not very nice.”
“I am old. I am tired. And I am holding a cane…”
“Threaten the child again, and I will kill you,” Kimber said.
Lester looked to Kimber. “I didn’t threaten her. I am actually holding a cane.”
“You implied using physical force to get compliance…”
“He’s mostly bark…” Fersia said.
“I don’t care,” Kimber said. “Bark again, I will kill you.”
“Wow,” Fersia said. “That’s rather hot.”
“Troubled,” Lester said.
“Seriously?!” Fersia complained. “Everyone I am attracted to is troubled?”
Lester considered, eyes going left, then right. “You’re a cat. Use discernment.” Back to the girl. “Please, take my hand. I will not harm you.”
The girl put her hand in his. He folded his thumb over her gently. His sleeve elongated and descended down over his, by default over hers, and extended up her arm. She tried to pull away, but Lester and the uniform had her. Kimber raised her staff to attack. Lakin retreated, knowing full well at this range the blast would likely kill them all. Fersia, put herself between Lester and the child, hair on end, and hand up, palm facing the girl.
“Wait!”
“Kimber, you shoot that, you’ll kill the girl,” Lakin said.
The girl’s dress changed. Lester let go of her hand. She turned, admiring her new outfit. She wandered off. Talking to herself.
“What did you do to her, Wizard?!” Kimber demanded.
Lester stood tall and faced Kimber. He planted both hands on his cane. The girl spun, again, her outfit changing. She laughed, speaking to someone that wasn’t there. Lakin pointed his wand at Lester.
“You heard Kimber,” Lakin said. “What did you do?!”
“I gave her magical clothing,” Lester said. “It was spawned off my own clothing. It will protect her. It will inform me if she in danger. It will provide data on her health, on her immediate environment. It will allow me to look in on her…”
“What kind of pervert spies on a little girl?” Kimber said.
“You’re angry. Righteously so. Perhaps because of your past,” Lester said. “I have discovered the child’s name is Tay. Someone tried to kill her. She ran. She ended up in what I call hyperspace. Fersia and I rescued her. It seems reasonable that Fersia and I are responsible for her wellbeing until we can reunite her with family.”
“Screw you. I will get her back to her family,” Kimber said.
Lester nodded. “Unfortunately, I am presently unable to relinquish my obligation to this child.”
“I will kill you,” Kimber said.
“You may try,” Lester said. Kimber eyes were growing fiercer. Lester took a step towards her. Her staff touched his chest. “I don’t know you. But if you’re willing to kill me, right here, right now, in eye sight a child, then I find you unfit to take charge of her wellbeing. It is reasonable for you to be concerned. I will compromise. Remain with me until Tay is once again with family.”
It became clear that the girl had recovered her sanity. She was now facing Kimber and Lester. “It’s okay,” Tay said. “I trust him and his invisible friends. He works for the Emissary.
He is friends with Jon and Loxy.”
Kimber fortified her stance, stiffening muscles. “You are a trickster.”
Lakin touched Kimber’s arm, gently. She spun to face him, hitting him with her staff. Lester took the staff from her, swept her feet with the hook of his cane to one ankle, and brought her crashing to the ground. She found herself on her butt, looking up at the business end of her own staff. When she realized she had lost, a weariness overcame her. Lester spun the staff and handed it back to her. She seemed uncertain. He emphasized he wanted her to take it without speaking. She took hold of the staff and he pulled her to her feet. He touched her hand, and his sleeve extended to encapsulate her hand. It took her fast and she retreated, spinning as the clothing took her. Lakin scrambled for the wand he had dropped when Kimber hit him. Fersia grabbed it up, pointed it at him.
“Give her a moment,” Fersia said. She then flipped the wand and offered it to him.
“What did you do to her?” Lakin asked.
“I have given her tech,” Lester said.
“You mean, like in the stories, where people had cell phones and could talk to anyone no matter where they were in the world?” Lakin asked.
“Better,” Lester said.
“The stories of old are true?” Lakin said.
“Yes,” Lester said. “Before the Fall, everyone had access to tech. Everyone was connected to each other. There were no secrets. There was no loneliness. No disease. No depression. People communed with their tech and each other. All knowledge was available at all times. People lived thousands of years. People lived in peace with nature. The world was a paradise.”
“If we were so powerful, why did we fall?” Lakin asked.
“People fall. Tech fails. Some failures are more significant than others. No one man, or group of men, could contain all the knowledge necessary to recover that which was lost over night,” Lester explained. He went towards a shelf and waved. “This is hardly even a fraction of what was lost. It takes time to recover.”
“And, there are agents who would like to not have a recovery,” Fersia said.
“Why?”
“People profit off of misery,” Lester said. “Why create a cure, when I can make a temporary remedy that masks your pain for a moment.”
Kimber had relaxed and was now interacting with her tech. Tay approached her and they together began playing with clothes.
“Aw,” Fersia said. “I remember my first time with tech. That was a really nice day.”
Lester and Fersia looked to the library door. Someone entered to remind Lester of his promise.
“We’re going to be busy,” Fersia said.
Lester nodded. “Nüwa, I need you to manifest, please,” Lester said.
A ghostly woman emerged from Lester. From the torso up, she was human. She was the first human, sister of Fuxi. From the waist down, she was serpent. Lakin retreated, his wand going up. Nüwa winked at him and proceeded to the door. She solidified, becoming less ghost and more tangible. She could touch objects.
“Tom, I need you,” Fersia said.
A large male cat emerged from Fersia and proceeded to triaging the wounded.
“There are a lot of people in need,” Lester said. “Can you put your troubles aside and help?”
“I can help!” Tay said.
“Yes, you can,” Lester said.
निनमित
Eleanor found her brother packing. His son was secured to a cradleboard. There were two others from the city present. They had summoned her out of concern.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Eleanor said.
“I am going in search of my wife and her daughter,” Bob said.
“With a baby in tow?” Eleanor demanded.
“It’s my responsibility…”
“Yes! He is. You need to stay here and take care of it,” Eleanor said.
“I have to try,” Bob said.
“And where will you try to find her? Mountains of Certia? Plains of Endar? The shadow lands? The Underneath? You’re being a fool,” Eleanor said.
“Tay is alone out there. I have to try,” Bob said.
“No, you don’t! There are some things you can’t do. You’re not a tracker. You’re not mystic. You’re a father. You’re gardener. You’re a farmer. You will do what all normal people do. You will sit here, you will take care of your son, you will pray, and you will wait. You will trust that Tay and Kea and can manage or that the gods will place someone in their path. You need to be here so if they return, there is someone here to greet them,” Eleanor said.
“What if they don’t return?!” he asked. There were tears dropping from his eyes.
“That is also part of life. You’ve been around long enough to know that,” Eleanor said.
“I don’t want to lose anyone else!” Bob snapped.
“Well,” Eleanor stammered. “Well, then, fuck you for living so long. What the hell did you think would happen if you lived forever?”
“I didn’t ask for any of this,” Bob said.
“Does anyone? Do you think I wanted a brother that would compete with me for property? Do you think this village wants to lose you? Has anyone even tried to step up and take your place? You know how much knowledge of the land and plant life they will lose if you go away?” Eleanor asked.
“The village will get by,” Bob said.
“They will get by,” Eleanor agreed.
Bob slung the cradle board over his back. Eleanor stormed out, past the villagers that were observing. Bob pushed out past them, carrying baby and a pack. Eleanor slipped out the front door. As Bob neared the front door, he found his sister blocking the door holding his ax.
Just beyond the door were the two nursing goats he had tied to a tree.
“Get out of my way,” Bob said.
“I will,” Eleanor said. “But first, I need you do something.”
“I don’t have time to cut wood for you…”
“I don’t want wood. I want your arm,” Eleanor said.
“What?”
“Cut off your arm and leave it for me,” Eleanor said.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“You’re carrying a baby into the wilderness. It’s hobbling you. Save some fucking time and cut off your arm,” Eleanor said.
Baby started crying.
“Bitch,” Bob said.
He put down his bag, un-swung the cradleboard, unwrapped the baby, and held it. He paced in front of an empty fireplace. Patting and pacing didn’t soothe it. He sat down. Eleanor dumped the pack and pulled out a bottle of goat milk. She handed it to Bob who gave it to the baby. Baby calmed and took to the milk.
“Are we done here?” Eleanor said.
Bob didn’t answer.
Eleanor touched his shoulder. “You’re good at this part. Better than I ever was. Do what you do best. Raise your child.”
“It’s not mine,” Bob whispered.
“I know. That’s why it is so important you do this right,” Eleanor said.
Eleanor left the house, put the ax back, and began the long walk to her place. The two villagers made themselves at home and sat down at the table.
“Thank you,” Bob said quietly to them.