Chapter 12 – Answers to Questions
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      Christine and Eric headed back to the copse of trees, where they left their stolen horse.  It was just up a small hill where it commanded a good view of the fields around Ogden town.  A small trail ran up the hill towards a farm - the area where their horse was hidden was just off the trail at the top of the hill, in a wooded area.   Few farmers took notice of them, being too busy with their chores and work, but a few here and there nodded amiably at Eric and Christine as they passed, acknowledging their presence in a friendly manner.

 

      “Looks like we’re here.”  Said Eric as they found their tethered horse.  “I’ll check him out and brush him down while we wait for Kai and Maeve.”   Eric fumbled in a saddle bag until he found some brushes and combs, and got started.

 

      Christine looked through the trees to see if she could see Kai or Maeve approaching - then she remembered.  Duh... I won’t see them - they’ll be Invisible!   This magic stuff is going to take a LOT of getting used to.  Christine sat on a fallen tree, and looked about.   The trees were similar to earth pines and maples, but somehow subtly different - a shade too blue here, a shade too grey or brown there, with strangely shaped seeds.   The air was still cold and clear, and the clean smell of the countryside was refreshing after the overwhelming smells of Ogden town.  Looking closer at the seed pods, Christine couldn’t help but give an amused snort as she grabbed a handful off a low hanging branch of one of the not-pines. 

 

      “What’s so funny?”  Eric asked, looking over his shoulder from where he was currying the horse.

 

      “These seeds are... check it out, Eric.”  Christine held out the handful of seeds to Eric, barely stifling a giggle.  In her palm sat several seed pods, that for all the world looked like a male member bracketed by two wrinkled sacs on either side.  The erect part of the seed pod looked like it functioned in a similar way to the wing of a maple-seed that allowed the seed to spread in the wind.

 

      “Um...  They look like...”  Eric seemed at a loss for words, and carefully picked up a pod to get a better look.  “Is this for real?  I mean this is really strange...”  He said

 

      “I guess they grow on trees around here.”  Christine said, at which point she couldn’t keep a straight face anymore and began laughing.  Eric started chuckling also, and in a few seconds they were both laughing hard, feeding off each other(s mirth and the ludicrousness of the oddity before them.  The stress both of them had been under only made the emotional release of laughing more intense.   Soon, they were gasping for breath, tears running down their faces, and trying to compose themselves.  After they calmed themselves, they sat, snickering at the palm full of strange seeds. 

 

      Their mirth was quickly shattered when the two heard the quick sharp snap of a stick being stepped on.  Alert, they looked around for what had made the noise, their hearts pounding with adrenaline, fearing it might be their pursuers. 

 

      “Well I knew they were amusing - when I was six.”  Kai’s voice said.  “You should be more careful Maeve - your careless step gave us away.”  Eric and Christine relaxed when they heard the friendly voice.

 

      “Kai!  Maeve!  Where are you?”  Eric called.  “We can’t see you.”

 

      Maeve’s voice said “That’s the point of being unseen, Eric... although it seems I did mess up our surprise entrance.”  Maeve let her spell drop and she and Kai quickly shimmered into view as the magic faded.   “I was always better at hiding in cities anyway.”

 

      They looked bruised and bloody, and both Eric and Christine were taken aback at how hurt the two of them looked.  Kai in particular looked a little dazed and wobbly on his feet, and had a lump almost the size of a robin(s egg on his head. 

 

      “Are you two okay?”  Christine asked.  Kai looked like he could use Anvi’s help - if Anvi would help them, which Christine wasn’t sure of.

 

      Kai nodded, then leaned out to hold a tree-trunk to avoid from wobbling.  Eric rushed over to help keep him standing, and helped support Kai under one shoulder.  Eric could feel Kai shaking - like he was shivering and weak, but putting up a strong front. 

 

      “You need to sit, Kai.”    Eric’s tone of voice was full of concern, and made it plain it was not a suggestion - and surprisingly Kai didn’t argue.  Eric couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable Kai seemed at the moment, compared to the strong person they had met the night before.  The blow he took to the head must have really hurt him badly.  Eric thought.

 

      “Fine, I’ll sit - I’ll need my strength soon anyway.”  He hobbled over to the log Christine had been sitting on, and disentangled himself from Eric and sat and rested a moment.   “Those nuts you were laughing at - they have many names, many of them not speakable in polite company.  Most Valdan’s call them Ballnuts, for obvious reasons.”

 

      “It seems strangely appropriate.”  said Christine.  “Why are...”

 

      “Why are they shaped like... the way they are?”  Kai interrupted.  “Some say it’s a small perverse joke originating from Adinor, goddess of plants and animals, nature and the wild, as a reminder that from seeds, comes life - and from life, seeds.  Almost every bit of a Ballnut is useful for something.  If you break off the ... member... and eat it, it is nourishing if rather foul tasting - but the real value is in the two sacs.”  Kai broke one of the seed pods open, and a greenish sap that smelled strongly of menthol oozed out.  “This sap is called Nusia - its strongly flavoured, but highly nourishing and capable of sustaining a person in the wilderness without any other food for several days by itself.  We also often brew it into a sort of syrup, which we use in the spring and winter to heal stubborn coughs.  The seeds in the sacs we roast and serve in salted in bowls, like pub food.”

 

      “And thus another hundred million dollars will be made if we ever get back to Earth with these seeds, Christine.”  Eric said.  “At this rate we’ll have mouthwash, antiseptics, salted ballnuts and cough syrup you can all grow in your backyard.  The naturopaths will go nuts over this stuff.   We might even be able to make ‘ballnut-butter’ - like peanut butter.”

 

      Kai looked a bit puzzled.  “I assume ‘dollars’ is money where you come from?  Is that a coin?”

 

      “I guess it’s our turn to explain.”  Said Christine.   “A dollar is a form of currency, like a silver coin, except it’s made from paper because it’s cheaper and easier to make paper where we come from than to mint silver coins.  One to two dollars would buy you a loaf of bread, and thirty dollars a decent bottle of wine.”

 

      “...And about twenty thousand dollars would buy a vehicle like the one you and I rode from the Neilson Clinic, where you appeared with the Demon, to Christine’s home.”  Eric chimed in.

           

      Maeve nodded, understanding a little more.  “So those chariots you called ‘cars’ are very expensive.  You could buy five or six loaves of bread for a silver coin - and perhaps four or five heavy war-horses with barding for the cost of one car.   It sounds like your dollar is worth about one of our copper coins, and our silver maybe five or six dollars.”

 

      Kai looked like he was taking in the information as well.  “What’s a naturopath?  Is that a kind of alchemist?”

 

      Christine shook her head.  “No, it’s more like a person who emphasizes using all-natural products over chemically made products.  Like organically grown produce and vegetables.”

 

      Now Maeve looked confused.  “I don’t understand...”

                              

      “How come?” Christine asked.

 

      “Well, don’t vegetables have to be organic in the first place - if they weren’t organic, they would be inorganic, right?  I assume your people don’t eat rocks and dirt, so they must be organic.  And don’t the foods you eat have to be all natural too?  I mean, they came from your world - they must have been found growing there once, or made from growing things.  If they weren’t natural, they would be by default, supernatural.”  Maeve shook her head.  “Your world sounds very strange - your words seem to be similar, but they obviously don’t mean the same things they do here.”

     

      Eric laughed out loud. “She’s got you there, Christine.  I can’t wait to tell Angie I’m going to have some inorganic produce to go with my supernatural meat byproducts when I get home!”

 

      Christine shook her head, smiling.  It isn’t worth the time it would take to explain to her.  She thought.  “You mean a salad to go with your burger?  Yeah - I’d like to see her face when you tell her that too.”

 

      Maeve looked at Eric and Christine joking.  They seemed more relaxed, more at ease.  Either their laughing fit had calmed them somewhat, or perhaps they were reacting to the stress of their situation much better than she hoped.   I think they’re probably both stronger people than I initially gave them credit for, she thought.  Maeve didn’t want to think about what she would have to tell them if she were the cause of them not being able to go home. 

 

      “We should be going.”  Kai piped up.  “We have a long way to go to make up the time we lost, and we still have to avoid being caught by Vargas’s men, like Andred Duchesne.”  He sat up straight, and used the tree to help himself stand up.  “We also need our gear - the food, supplies and weapons we left at our camp.  Eric, Christine... after we were captured, did Andred or his men load any of our gear onto their horses, or did they leave it behind?”

 

      Eric thought a moment.  “When we left the camp, most of the stuff was scattered around - and when they came into town, their horses looked like they only had the two dead houndsmen and the knight.  I’d guess they left it behind, Kai - they were fully loaded with the men that we fought.”

 

 

      “Good.  It should still be there then.   I’ll take the horse and fetch it - while you three head straight north for the House of Broken Dreams.”  Kai said.  He saw the look of alarm on Maeve’s face, and concern on Eric and Christine’s.  “I’ll be alright.  It’ll be better this way - I would only slow you down on foot, and I can travel faster by horse anyway, not to mention load virtually all our gear onto it and meet you before you reach the bend in the Laneor river, south of the House.  There’s a number of small stone cairns just off the main trail about a mile south and east of the House - where they bury the unfortunate souls that pass away in that place.  We can probably meet there safely.”

 

      “I don’t suppose I could talk you into us all staying together?”  Asked Maeve.

 

      “Not really.”

 

      “Then may Miyaga’s luck be with you, my Friend.”  Maeve said, wishing her friend good fortune.  “We will meet again soon.”

 

      “That we will.  May Isundal and Askeline watch over us in this endeavor, and the Twins guide our hands.”  Kai’s prayer was second nature - unlike Maeve, who had mostly given up on her faith, Kai was still a believer.   Maeve may not care about the gods, Kai thought.  But I’d wager a month’s pay the gods still care about Maeve.   He saddled up, and rode north and west.  Meanwhile, the others stood quietly and headed north.

     

*          *          *

 

      “What do you mean Missing?”  Screamed Bishop Vargas, enraged.  “Am I to understand you had Maeve Varda, a heretic of the first order, locked in a cell with one of her accomplices - and when you went to bring her to me, she was simply gone?  She must have gone SOMEWHERE you fool!  Find her - and report back when you have something useful to say!”    Vargas was so angry at the jailer’s incompetence that veins were standing out on his forehead, throbbing like rivers of hate under his skin.  He said no one told him Maeve Varda was a sorceress, either, which is why she wasn’t drugged.  He shook his head in anger.  Is everyone in this damned province so useless?   He turned away from the mirror, and removed his speaking stone, an enchanted crystal on a golden necklace given to him as a perk of his rank as Bishop.   He usually didn’t use it this way - his other methods were much faster and more accurate, but ever since the demon had taken so much of his strength, he had been forced to rely on these trinkets instead of his own abilities. 

 

      No matter, he thought.  It is only a temporary burden at worst.  When I find the young man linked to the dreamer, I’ll be able to track his path from our world to his... and then my future will be assured!   Vargas knew he could use the demon he summoned before to simply take him there - but given how their last encounter had ended, it was too great a risk.  No, he thought.  I’ll do this the tried and true way.  It may take longer, but the risk is far less and the end result is the same.  I’ll only risk the fiend if I have no other choice.

 

      Vargas turned as he heard a gentle knock at his door.  It was Mistress Awai, who slipped into his chamber without waiting for him to answer.  She was still dressed in her violet and gold robes, and it seemed as if the Demon had exacted a heavy price from her as well.  She was in her late thirties, but now seemed to be fifty, and her beauty was not gone but rather much diminished - she had not aged well.   She too seemed weakened, as he was - but he could feel the care and love she felt for him, without her even having to speak.

 

      “I heard you yelling, my love.  I hope things are not going as badly as I suspect they might?”  Awai came to Vargas, and caressed his cheek.   “Tell me what bothers you, so that we can share our burdens together and make them less for the sharing.”

 

      Awai didn’t look away from Vargas’s aged features, or shun his withered form.  To her, he was still her lover and beloved.  Vargas wondered what he had done to deserve the love of this woman, and was still surprised that he felt and returned that love himself.  They had had their setbacks in the last few days, with the punishment exacted by the Demon, but he still felt if they stayed together they could pull through. 

 

      “Maeve Varda and her accomplice have escaped the prison in Ogden town, Awai.   The young man from the other side of the Void - the Anchor, might have been with her, but may still be at large.  I don’t know what they plan, but as long as she remains alive we are both in danger - if not from her personally, then from the forces of the church if she warns them of our actions.”

 

      “Then the answer is simple, my love.”  Awai said, holding his hand in support.  “We find what we set out to and finish it before they can warn anyone.   You found the young man before by delving his dreamer - why not try it again?  Perhaps we can find them and deal with them properly, before the Askelinian can take him to warn the Council?   It’s worth the attempt at the very least.”

 

      Vargas nodded.  It makes sense.  He thought.  We might as well give it a try... if it works, we can still find his world, and attempt to finish our work.   “Alright my love.  Let’s make the attempt.”

 

      “And this time, I’ll have my people track him down.”  Awai said.  “The knights you sent to stop them before probably grew suspicious that you asked them to bring Maeve to the House of Broken Dreams, rather than letting them rot in the Jail in Ogden town.  I assure you my people will have no qualms of conscience about following my orders exactly.”

 

      Vargas smiled.  “I always love it when you whisper sweet nothings to me.”  He gave her a kiss on the cheek - and then a fiercer one on her lips.  “Let’s get this done, Awai.  We have worked too long, and too hard to give up on the possible rewards now.”

 

      Mistress Awai was flushed from Vargas’s fierce display of passion, and gathered her thoughts for a moment.  “I’ll have my people prepare the area immediately.  Give me twenty minutes.”   Awai smiled at him fondly, and left the chamber to prepare the Dreamer.

 

      Soon I’ll track you down, boy.  And once I do, I’ll find your world and wake a dead goddess.  Vargas smiled a cruel smile.   Soon.

 

*          *          *

           

      Eric hurried through the forest, behind Christine and Maeve.  His leg was still sore, which was why he lagged behind, but he was grateful that he could at least still walk.  The snow wasn’t deep - most of the previous day(s snow had melted, leaving only scattered patches of it.  The ground was still mostly frozen and squishy, but not really mud yet.  They had made good time - the terrain north of Ogden was less hilly and covered in thin forest, which made their travel easier and faster than when they had headed toward Kai’s camp originally.  Eric could tell Christine’s feet weren’t bothering her as much either, which was good because they didn’t have much wensin root balm left.  Another thing Kai needed to go get.  Eric thought.  I just hope He’s okay.   He couldn’t get the feeling of how vulnerable Kai felt when he had helped him up out of his thoughts, how worried it made him feel.  That blow to the head Kai took must have really knocked him for a loop.  I hope He’s okay

 

 

      The forest had thinned a bit, and they were walking easier now.  The trees were mostly conifers, with a smattering of barren deciduous trees and bushes.   Maeve raised her hand and called out.  “Let’s take a five minute rest.”

 

      Christine must have been feeling the strain, because Eric was sure he heard her mutter “Thank God.” under her breath.  Truth be told, Eric was feeling it more than a little too.  Anvi had done a great job in helping his leg heal, but another twenty mile hike was not exactly the best thing for it right now.  It was sore, and when he examined the bandages they were seeping, but not bleeding.  Getting off his feet and sitting felt like heaven.

 

      “How much farther, Maeve?”  Christine asked. 

 

      “Just under ten miles, I think.  Maybe two hours if we hustle a bit, three if we just walk.  I’d prefer to hurry, but I know your feet are in rough shape, and Eric’s leg isn’t perfect either.”

 

      “I think I can hustle a bit.”  Said Eric.  “My leg isn’t that bad – it’s just sore.”

 

      “My feet are okay too, Maeve – let’s try to hurry.  I’d feel better the sooner we meet up with Kai and you get some weapons and we get some food and dry clothing.”

 

      Maeve nodded.  “Fair enough.  I promised you both an explanation about magic at the prison.  If you don’t mind my talking a while, I’ll explain a bit more about it.”

 

      “I’d like that very much!”  Eric said.  “I’m still a lot in the dark about this.”

 

      “You should be... it usually takes years of study and preparation before someone gets to this point.   You didn’t need the years because I think that somehow, you’ve been accessing your talent for a long time - maybe through contact with this Dreamer.”

 

      “How?”  Eric looked confused.

 

      Christine thought for a moment.  “Maybe you and the Dreamer were connected for a while on a subconscious level, Eric.  Maybe the link between the two of you is what activated your ability to travel between home and here, because somehow, subconsciously you’ve had a channel open to this planet for a long time.”

 

      Maeve nodded.  “That’s what I was thinking too.”   She stood up, and brushed the snow from her skirt and leggings.  “We should keep going - we do have several miles left to cover before we can rest again.”  

 

      Eric and Christine stood, and got ready to travel, each wincing from their respective aches and pains.  Still, they didn’t complain or argue, and soon the trio was travelling north again.

 

      After a few minutes, Maeve continued with her tale.  “We believe that all of Creation rests on four metaphysical Pillars - concepts and fundamental laws, not constructs of stone or wood.  The four pillars are The Elements, Nature’s Fury, Form and Vision, and Primal Essences.   The Pillar of the Elements contains all Earth, Air, Fire and Water - the fundamental building blocks of creation.   The Pillar of Nature’s Fury contains all the myriad creatures of land and sea, and all the functions of weather - everything from rain and snow to sun and warmth.   The Pillar of Nature is necessary to turn a ball of gas and vapor and rock into a world that can sustain life.”  Maeve stopped talking for a moment to let what she had said sink in.

 

 

      “Please, keep going.”  Eric asked.  “I want to hear more.”

 

      Christine nodded as well.  “It sounds fascinating.  I don’t pretend to understand all of it, but I’d like to hear more too.”

 

      “Alright.”  Said Maeve.  “The Pillar of Form and Vision contains the worlds of the five senses - everything a living being can smell, touch, taste, see and hear, as well as everything they think, do and believe.  Where Elements might compose the structure of the body, and Nature the forces that act upon it, Form and Vision compose everything that makes an individual unique and special, and how they interact with the World.  The final Pillar, the Pillar of Primal Essences, contains nothing - and is yet unique.  It composes the fundamental laws of reality that allow reality to function - Gravity, Time, or Fate, and the Binding force that holds the universe together.  It is the Glue of Creation that holds the previous three Pillars into recognizable form, and allows it to keep from flying apart into separate pieces.”  Maeve waited a moment to see if the others had any comments or questions, and when they did not, she continued.

     

      “Together the Four Pillars of Creation hold up Mercia and the other worlds of the Void in the Night Sky, stretching from every point in the Horizon, carrying on their arch the Vault of Heaven.  The Vault of Heaven is the home of the Celestials, who are the servants of Feana and Hathor, as well as the resting place of many of the Divine Manors of our Gods, such as the House of the Sun and Moon, the home of Isundal and Askeline.  We believe that if any one of the four Pillars was to be sundered, all of reality would come crashing down into ruin.”

 

      “That’s a beautiful explanation for how things work.”  Said Christine.  “But how does that explain magic or why Eric could do spells?”

 

      Maeve nodded.  “We style our training of magic after the Four Pillars - magic of elemental forces, magic of plants, animals and weather, magic of what you can see, hear, smell and touch, and magic of what invisible forces make things work.    We train to understand these forces by studying Words that encompass these concepts in ways we as humans can comprehend.   Words like Fire, Water, Sight, Mind, and so on.   Each Word corresponds to one of the four Pillars of Creation, and everyone who can use magic has a different strength with the various Words, much like how some people are talented at singing, while others can’t carry a tune, but can craft fine objects from wood or iron.”

 

      “So when you say I might be strong in Primal Essences, you meant magic that could affect how things like Fate or Time might work?  How does that fit with um... Binding?”

 

      “Binding is the force that holds things together, keeps them tight - much like a brick is made of tiny bits of sand held together by mortar.   If you weaken the mortar of reality with Binding, the bricks that make up an object fall apart.  If you train hard, you should be able to apply this to objects and learn to shatter or mend them in short order.  It is harder still to break the glue that separates the World from the Void, but the concept is the same - just much more complicated.   When you unlocked the door at the jail, Eric, you used Binding magic.  You turned the nature of the lock - which is to keep things shut - back upon itself, and in doing so unlocked the door.”

 

      Eric looked like he was trying to understand, and Christine as well although with more difficulty.   They walked in silence for a while, Maeve leading the way, as they tried to digest the huge amount of information she had just told them.  The only sound was the crunch of snow under their feet, and the pants of their breath in the afternoon air.  Christine was the first to break the silence.

 

 

      “So you’re good with Sight and Mind - that would be the Pillar of Form and Vision, right?”

Christine asked.  “...and Eric has some talent with Binding, which is Primal Essences.”

 

      “Yes, that’s right.”  Maeve said.

 

      “Then how do you know who’s good at what Words?  How come some people can hear and understand the Words and others can’t?”

 

      “Well Christine, those are rather hard questions to answer.”  Maeve said.  “Usually a teacher has plenty of time to see what Words his student has talent for - like I said it often takes years before a student is ready to comprehend his first Word.   As for how some people can understand the Words and some can’t I cannot say.  It’s like how some people are born beautiful, or exceptionally strong or graceful or intelligent.  It just is.  It’s an inborn gift - a Talent, unpredictable and one that cannot be granted to someone who doesn’t already have it.   All we do know is that its often hereditary, but has been known to spring up spontaneously, even in families with no known history of the Talent.”

 

      Eric tried to take it all in, and said “I guess I’m going to have a lot to learn, if I’m going to get Christine and I home safely, huh?”

 

      “That would be true, Eric - but if we’re successful at stopping Vargas, at least you and Christine will have the time for you to practice and learn before trying to go home.”  Maeve said, feeling more than a little guilt at misleading Eric and Christine.   I wish I could guarantee they could get home if we sever the link with his Dreamer, but I can’t.  Maeve thought.  These are good people - they shouldn’t have to potentially be stuck here - but I may have no choice.

 

      Maeve walked in silence for a moment, and then decided to broach a topic she had carefully steered clear of until now.  “Eric, when I found you, you were in an asylum... is that right?  An Asylum for the very rich?”

 

      Christine stopped and looked a bit shocked, but Eric just took it in stride.  “Yeah, I was.  I have a condition called Schizophrenia, which basically means I heard voices and the voices told me to do things... scary things.  They terrified me, and haunted my dreams.  We have medications that can control stuff like this, but it makes you feel hollow inside - empty, like you can move and walk and talk, but you can’t feel sad or happy or anything else - just a constant state of feeling neutral.   I didn’t take my medication much, and so I spent a lot of time on the street begging, at the whim of what my voices said to do or not do.  I don’t really know why - I guess it’s just I felt feeling something - even bad things - was better than feeling nothing at all.”

 

      “Do the voices ever go away?  Do people get better from this?”  Maeve asked.

 

      “No, not really.  The drugs mask the voices so they don’t dominate your mind, but they’re always there in the background, whispering.   Sometimes you can ignore them - but stress and other things can make that harder to do.”   Eric paused.  “I’ve heard that sometimes, rarely, people get better from this in their late forties, but I’ve never met anyone with my condition who had. I think most don’t get better - and a lot of people who do start taking their medications often stop, at least once or twice in their life.  It’s not uncommon for people with schizophrenia to kill themselves to make the voices stop.  I tried once - I don’t know why, but Norm and Dave stopped me.  The voices scared me enough, but I always thought it was the wrong thing to do.”

 

      “It must be terrifying to live with.”  Maeve said, genuine concern in her face. 

     

     

      “Its also hard for Eric to talk about.”  Said Christine, trying to change the subject.  “He hasn’t been hearing any voices since he got here, and we don’t know why.  Neither of us thinks he’s spontaneously been cured, but we don’t have an explanation for it either.”

 

      “Hrmmm.  When we reach the point where Kai is to meet us, I’d like to try something, if it’s all right with you.  Like I said before, I’m skilled in Mind magic - maybe I can see something inside you that might explain what’s happening.” 

 

      Eric thought about it for a moment.  He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of someone poking around in his head, his thoughts - but he’d had his thoughts invaded before, by voices far less friendly than Maeve.  Maybe I should, just to see if she can find out why this is happening.  Find out why the voices aren’t here anymore - and if they’ll come back.

 

      Christine put her hand on Eric’s shoulder in support.  “I think it might help, Eric - but if you don’t want to, I support you all the way.  I’m not sure I’d want someone in my head.”

 

      “Will you be reading my thoughts, Maeve?  Or something else?  I’m not sure I like the idea of baring my soul to someone without knowing them much better, if you know what I mean.”

 

      “I would try not to do that, if I can help it.  Mainly, I’d be trying to find the source of your voices and why they aren’t there right now - I would try to avoid reading your mind as best I could, but I can’t make any promises that something wouldn’t pop through.”  Maeve said.  “It’s the best answer I can give.”

 

      “I guess I’m in.” said Eric.  “You’ve already done something in there before, at the clinic - and that didn’t turn out so bad.  I think we should try it.”

 

      “When we reach the cairns south of the House of Broken Dreams then.  Should be about an hour or so.”

 

      The three walked on, talked out for the moment.  Only the crunch of dead, frozen leaves under their feet and the call of some winter birds were heard in the crisp air.  The sun showed it was early to mid afternoon.

 

*          *          *

 

      Kai waited behind some brush, near a pair of stone cairns - burial mounds for some hapless souls who died at the House of Broken Dreams in years past.  If they had been given a marker, it had long since been removed or rotted away.  Damned shame, Kai thought.  To have an unmarked grave, and not be remembered by anyone - just another nameless soul, forgotten.  Kai always knew he wanted to marry one day, and have grandchildren to tell tall tales to on cold winter days such as this one.   Of course, trying to find romance while dodging an assassin’s knife with Maeve is a lot easier said than done.   He had thought of trying to forge something with Maeve in the past, but they were just too different.  Maeve was cold - she needed to be, to get her job done - but that same coldness made it difficult for anyone to get to know her well, or become close to her in any way, including romantic.  After a while, he just decided to be her friend instead, which made their working relationship much easier in the end.  I just wonder where in the seven hells they are!  They should have been here by now...

 

 

      Suddenly, he heard something carried on the wind, south of his camp - the quiet chuckle of someone hearing a joke, and the sound of footsteps on snow.  He crouched down and scanned the area - he was too close to the House of Broken Dreams to be careless now.   A few moments later, he relaxed as Maeve, Christine and Eric came into view from around the bend of the river.  Eric was chuckling at some joke, and they seemed in good spirits, if worn out.  Good.  At least that means they didn’t have any nasty encounters.   Kai had almost not been as lucky.

 

      “Hey!  Over here!”  He called quietly, so his voice wouldn’t carry.  Christine heard him first, and when she looked over he waved his arms.  They saw, and moved towards him.   A few minutes later had them clustered about the two cairns, resting, as he broke out some food and waterskins so they could eat and drink a bit while they rested. 

 

      “Well met.”  Said Maeve.  “How did your journey go?  Anything interesting happen?”

 

      “Well almost.  I was about a mile from where our camp was when we fought Sir Andred and his men, when I was nearly spotted by a pair of men combing the area.  Lucky for me they didn’t have dogs, or I might not be here right now.  I suspect they’re looking for us - and I saw signs of more men in and around that area.  If we have to flee, it would be best to flee north or east if we wish to avoid a confrontation.”

 

      “That puts us towards either Yaskar or Madragoor, Kai.  Neither of them are good choices at the moment.”  Maeve said.  “We may have to risk a confrontation.”

 

      “Why?”  Asked Christine.  “We came this far, figuring we’d get an explanation - how about explaining things for us?” 

 

      Kai nodded in agreement.  “It’s only fair Maeve - we can’t keep them in the dark.”  He waited until Maeve nodded too, and continued.  “We are going to the House of Broken Dreams to kill the mageborn dreamers, because we believe that Vargas is using them to search other worlds - like yours - for a lost Goddess, Tiamat.  If he can find her and wake her or bring her location back here, Hrask will eventually find her and their reunion will spell the end for our people.  After we are done, we will all flee to a place where Maeve believes we can travel without being detected to Arathel, where we can inform the church of Bishop Vargas’s treason, and not risk being caught by his men.”

 

      “And,” continued Maeve, “Once we get to Arathel, we can get you some training so that you should be able to go home, if you want.”

 

      “Should?!”  Eric and Christine both yelped at the same time.

 

      “Well, I think you and the Dreamer who Vargas used to send the demon to your world are linked somehow - and I suspect it might have been that link that let you find Mercia in the Void, Eric - otherwise I’m sure you would have been lost and we would all have died.  I think you used her like a beacon or a lighthouse to guide you here - and if she’s dead, you might not be able to navigate your way home.”

 

      “So we might be stuck here forever!?  You just decided to tell us now?”  Eric yelled, his voice clearly upset and angry.   “We thought you were trying to help us!”

 

      I knew this was coming eventually, Maeve thought, looking upset as well. “I do want to try and help you - I really do, Eric!”

 

      “Damned funny way of showing it!”  Christine retorted.

 

 

      “By the gods, will you give me a chance to explain?”  Maeve yelled back.  “And while you’re at it, yell louder so Vargas and his men can’t possibly miss us if they’re within five miles of us.”

 

      Christine and Maeve stared daggers at each other, while Eric just looked angry and upset.  A few moments passed, and tensions died down a bit.

 

      “All right Maeve... explain away.”  Eric said taking a deep breath to calm himself.

                 

      “You know we have to kill the Dreamers - I’ve already explained why.  With Eric explaining that there was a dead goddess on your world named Tiamat as well, who may very well be the same Tiamat that left our world at the dawn of time, there is even more reason.   The sooner we sever the link between your world and our world, the more likely we can foil Vargas’s plot and keep him from setting into motion events that could destroy our country and our people.”

 

      “So we’re just casualties of war... is that it?”  Asked Eric.  “You can’t risk him using the Dreamer to find the way to Earth, so you kill her - even if it traps us here forever?”

 

      Maeve shook her head.  “You don’t understand Eric!  He doesn’t need her to find your world - he needs YOU.  You should have an innate sense of where ‘home’ is in the Void - but that sense will be stronger if the Dreamer is alive.  She needs to be killed so that he can’t use her to find you - because frankly the safest way to keep him from finding your world is to kill you, not her - and I don’t particularly want to kill either of you, dammit!”

 

      “You mean you’d kill...”  Christine began.

 

      “Let me finish!  I need to say this, because it took a lot to get it out in the open.   I like Eric - he reminds me of my brother as he would have been today, if he hadn’t been killed.  My duty, strictly speaking required me to kill Eric as soon as I discovered what he was.  Obviously I didn’t.  Instead I’m looking for another way - one that keeps him alive.”  Maeve turned from Christine to Eric and explained to them both.  “If that way keeps Eric... you... alive, then I consider that a win, even if you’re trapped here.  I promise I’ll do everything I can to help you get back to your world and to your lives there, but if that means killing the Dreamer then waiting a half-dozen years for you to be trained enough to go home on your own initiative, then so be it.  At least you’ll be alive.  At least I won’t have to kill you.  I don’t think I could if I had to.”

 

      Eric and Christine stood there, mute in shock.  Christine’s jaw was agape at Maeve openly confirming a large number of her suspicions.   “So you admit you’ve had the thought that you might have to kill us in the back of your mind all this time?”

 

      Maeve nodded, sadly.  “Yes.”

 

      Eric was mute, stunned with the admission.  Tears ran down his face, and he confronted Maeve. “Why not just kill us then.  Why not just kill us now.  It’s your World, your Gods and Humanity you’d be protecting.  Why not just slit my throat?  It would be easy.”  Eric pulled open his coat, and pulled his shirt and collar away from the side of his neck.

 

 

      It was Maeve’s turn to be stunned into silence.  “I can’t.  Besides the fact you remind me strongly of my younger brother, whom I loved dearly, and besides the fact you’re innocents in all this - caught up by the actions of forces you couldn’t control, and besides the fact I often am called upon to kill for my Faith and my Country... I don’t see myself as a murderer, and I don’t kill when I don’t have to.  I don’t enjoy it - in fact it makes me sick.   I drink to forget, and I act like a cold-hearted bitch to keep people from getting too close to see how much it hurts me to do my job.   Yet I do my job because I know it needs to be done, and that for some reason the Council of Hierarchs has the belief in me to get what needs to be done, done.  I need that belief - I need to know that people trust me for something.  I do my job because the Country I love needs me - and because they are good people doing good things.”

 

      Christine went to Eric, and pulled his coat shut.  “Eric... no, it’s not right.”   Eric allowed her to close his coat, tears still running down his face.  Christine turned to Maeve.   “So now what?  What if you kill all these Dreamers and then your Church says you need to kill Eric, just to make sure?  What then?  Will you kill him, or help us get home?”

 

      Maeve looked at them both, and then Kai, who looked just as upset, sad and angry as the other two.  Maeve herself looked grave, and muttered a quick prayer, even though she hadn’t felt the warmth of the God’s nearness in over five years.   “No, I won’t kill him or you on the church’s orders - which I doubt they would ever give.  If it came to that I would find a way to flee Valris with the two of you, and train you myself - or assist you in finding trainers so that you can attempt to go home yourself.  I swear it, on my honor, and my eternal soul in front of the entire Divine Familia, that I will do everything in my power to help you in this endeavor, for as long as it takes, or until you decide you don’t want to go home!”  Even though she had lost a great deal of her faith, Maeve took her oath of honor just as seriously.  She would keep this promise, or die trying.

 

      Eric looked at Christine, who looked back at Eric.  “I guess we can’t ask anything more, then.  If there is a way to try and take the Dreamer linked to me with us, can we at least attempt it before you decide to kill her?   If we have to... well, you know... you can do it later.  Can we at least try that, first?”

 

      Maeve looked at Kai, and from the look on his face, she knew that’s what he wanted too - at least a chance to avoid killing at least one more person.  He was right - she had been wrong.  “All right.  But if things go to hell, we may have no choice after all.”

 

      Kai smiled.  “You won’t regret this, Maeve.”

 

      “Gods I hope not.”   She replied.   “There’s just one thing that I think needs to be said.  Eric, you said Tiamat was cut in two and half her body made your world, and half made the heavens, right?”

 

      “Yes...”  Eric answered hesitantly, not sure where the question was going.

 

      “Vargas will attempt to first contact Tiamat, either through magic or by actually going to your world.  When he finds her dead, he will try to resurrect her.  What do you think will happen to your world - and your Gods - when She comes back and when Hrask turns his attention to your homes and your people for slaying her all those thousands of years ago?”  

 

      Eric and Christine first thought was dismissal - that the entire idea was ridiculous - until they remembered that Eric had opened a door without touching it and brought them from their Earth to another world through magic powers.  They thought again, and shuddered at that thought.  

 

      “That is another reason - one relevant to your own interests - to prevent Vargas from finding how to get to your world.”  Maeve said.  “... and that’s all I’ll say on the matter for now.  I just figured as long as we were airing our dirty laundry about his whole situation, it too needed to be said.”

 

 

      “Are you always this cheerful?”  Asked Eric.

 

      Kai answered for her.  “Not really - you should see her when she’s being a pessimist.”  He was totally deadpan when he said it - so much so that Eric and Christine, for a moment believed him.  When they realized he was being sarcastic, the humor of the answer struck them, and they laughed.  All of them could feel some of the tension that had been building drain away, and felt better for it.  Maeve even made motions as if she was going to slap Kai upside the head.

 

      Kai smiled, and clapped his hand onto Eric’s shoulder.  “Let’s rest a moment, and gather our thoughts before we move forward and attempt to finish the next step of this awful but necessary endeavour.  I think it would do us all some good.”

 

      And really, there was nothing more to say.

 

 

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