THE EVERJEWEL
“It does more than that,” Laughed Rashalika as they peered into the vast gemstone, “But this entire story pivots on four women he knew and the struggles to find the demon seat through them. You can see them by focussing past pale blue. Would you like to look? The Everjewel tells the stories inside the stories.”
Compulsively the three travellers peered into the enormous jewel until they saw the vision of a beach.
Four women stood on the sand of a tropical island beach. Two were Caucasian and two were Asian. They could not remember how they got there. They were all quite young.
“What are we doing here?” Asked Janette. None of the others knew, and the Chinese woman, Kubi, didn’t understand English. She did speak Japanese, however, so Azumi, who was bilingual in Japanese and English, could translate for her.
“This is kind of spooky, like a dream,” commented Eve. She was a very slim woman with long brown hair. The Chinese woman, Kubi, said something in Japanese and Azumi translated;
“There must be a purpose for our meeting.”
“It has something to do with God,” said Janette. Eve nodded seriously but Azumi just smiled.
“It must be something we all have in common,” said Eve
“Except for Janette, we’ve all got long dark hair,” said Azumi hopefully.
“How do you know her name?” asked Eve
“We met at the University, in a Martial Art class.”
“Martial Arts!” exclaimed Eve, “I did that at the university, too. I was with Hald.”
There was a shock of recognition. When it was translated for Kubi, it turned out that they had all been with the same boyfriend at one time or another. He was obviously the missing link.
At that moment there was a roll of thunder and the shape of an enormous man loomed over the horizon, striding down to the beach. The gigantic Hald came purposefully closer.
“Run!” shouted Eve.
“Iki ma sho!” yelled Azumi. The four women ran down the beach. Hald gained on them rapidly. Janette was ahead. She was the tallest with the longest legs. Kubi was lagging behind. A huge hand cupped around her. She collided with one giant finger and fell backwards into the sand. The Hald shrank to normal size and stepped close. She kicked upward. Hald folded. Azumi dragged Kubi by the hand. She got up and they both raced after the others.
Hald bellowed like an animal. The animal took shape. It had a body like a bull, with antlers like a stag. It got up and charged down the beach after the four women.
The animal charged closer. Some of the women glanced back in fear, long hair flying.
Abruptly they came to a wooden rotunda halfway up the beach. Instinctively they ran up the worn wooden steps, onto the tatami mat floor, and held hands in a circle.
An energy field formed around the rotunda. The Hald animal bounced off it and into the sand. He turned into a hawk and flew up above the rotunda, hovering.
“Hald, you are rejected by time, rejected by us,” chanted Eve. Kubi asked for a translation and Janette commented that Hald had rejected her. Kubi translated that it was not a case of rejection. Eve sighed. If it wasn’t something in common it tended to loose power on this island..
“What we have in common is Hald”
“Lets all say the name Hald.”
They began to chant, as if summoning the thing they feared. The hawk swooped down onto the sand. Hald resumed an ordinary human shape. The four women were gone. There was only one..
She was half Asian, of medium hight, speaking four languages, and beautiful. She laughed at Hald and faded away.
He moved through the sand toward the rotunda, moaning softly. The scene shimmered and changed. Hald was walking in the sand of a hot desert. Before him was a wooden house on stilts. Soon he reached the structure and climbed the ladder to the trap door. He let himself into the house.
The woman was inside, resting on the mats.
“Why don’t you welcome me as usual?”
“Oh, things have changed around here, Hald.”
“What do you mean, things have changed? What has changed?”
“Well, for a start I’m not so stupidly devoted.”
“What? This is my fantasy, you know.”
“Yes, but you want it to become more real, and it is. Starting with me.” She smiled sweetly.
“More real? But not this way.”
“Well, too bad. This is the way it becomes more real. I become more real, more independent. I’m tired of living in this little shack. In your fantasy you can live anywhere, and I want some sort of beautiful palace.”
“A palace? Well, OK. Look out the window.”
“Oh yes, that looks familiar.”
“It’s the Taj Mahal. You can live there, but it’s half a day’s ride by camel.”
“We are both going, Hald. And don’t try to kill me on the way with a shovel.”
“Just an idle curiosity thought.” I gazed at the Taj Mahal.
“Why do we have to go by camel?”
“Well, this is a desert.”
“This is also pure fantasy. We could go by giraffe.”
“Oh, come on. I like camels.”
“Or a sled pulled by polar bears.”
“Polar bears? They just have no adaptation to the heat.”
“Or cats, Tapirs, ostriches, even rabbits.”
“Alright, let’s go with the ostriches. Ten will be enough.”
“Then make it fifteen.”
“Done”
I opened the trapdoor and we climbed down the wooden ladder. A team of ostriches stood ready, harnessed to the wooden sled. Perhaps the vehicle had another name, since instead of runners it had wooden caterpillar tracks. We climbed on and were soon travelling over the sand.
“So which planet is this, Pangolin?”
“Twilight Seven.”
“And where is that?”
“I don’t know. The sun is a star somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy. It must be quite far from Sol, for travelling purposes, but in cosmic terms it must be pretty close.”
“Is there a portal here?”
“What? No, not yet. We are stranded here before the age of portals.”
“Like on Earth right now.”
“Perhaps.”
“Try to guess my name.”
“Oh …I must have forgotten. I used to know but I haven’t been to this fantasy for years.”
“Mariko.”
“That’s nice.”
“You are still angry with me.”
“You ruined my perfect fantasy.”
“Well, that’s too bad. I had to come more to life. I want things more real.”
I flipped the reins in silence, encouraging the ostriches. The wooden vehicle bounced and rocked over the uneven ground. I soon got sick of the trip. Ostriches were not my idea. I imagined an oasis, and soon we were pulling up under the waving palms. Little men scurried about unhitching the ostriches.
“What is going on?”
“Just a slight change in transportation.”
“Why, because ostriches were my idea?” Kimi looked exasperated, “Look, you actually selected the ostriches, I just provided a list of animals.”
“Not these animals,” said Hald.
Rhinos were led forward by the little men and harnessed up.
“You know the problem, Hald, “said Kimi,” You just don’t want to share your fantasy. That’s why I was so unreal in the past. But that is lonelier, you need me to be more real. When I am it becomes my fantasy too, and you have to share.”
“Alright, I’ll share.”
“Now what are all these little men?”
“Corbies.”
“Listen up, Corbies! We will ride one rhino to the palace. You take the other with the Vehicle and raid that castle over there. Bring the loot back to us at the palace.”
“As you command, Demon Lady,” chorused the Corbies. I saw there was now a castle on the horizon.
“Why do they call me Demon Lady?”
“Because they think I am the Demon Lord.”
Hald and Mariko straddled a rhino and went galloping over the sand. It took more than two hours to reach the Taj Mahal. The gates were guarded by several demons. There were two large red demons before the gate posts. They carried bladed weapons on long poles. There were smaller mottled blue demons, with snake-like heads and necks. One of these approached the rhino as Hald and Kimi slid off.
“I will take your beast to the stable, Demon Lord. But have a caution, we are only a small guarding force. A large army may be needed.”
“We’ll think about it,” Kimi answered smoothly.
Hald and Kimi walked through the gates and gazed at the long perspective of water that was the pond leading to the Taj Mahal. The building was beautiful. They walked towards it at a leisurely pace.
“Will you really think about an army?” asked Hald.
“What? Here on a fantasy planet? Hardly.”
“We might need it.”
“Whatever for? I think you need practice in being rational, then reality would not be such a problem and you wouldn’t need this desperate emphasis on the fantastic.”
“Don’t you like this fantasy?” Hald gestured towards the amazing structure before them.
“I like it, but that’s not the point.”
Locked in debate the couple slowly approached the great building.
Once inside the cool shadow of the interior they were met by a little man. He addressed them as Demon Lord and Demon Lady, then he went to organise food and drinks. They were gazing up at the vaulted, translucent interior when a strange being appeared, levitating some distance from the floor. He had a wiry human body with a great distended head and huge slanted black eyes.
“Thank you for the castle, Dreulor,” said the creature with acid sarcasm, “My force of demons is on the way. If the Jewel is there I will find it.”
The creature vanished.
“Oh no,” lamented Hald, “he’s used that castle you created to attack Twilight Seven.”
“But who was that terrible thing?”
“That was Myron, the sorcerer Demon Lord. And he thinks I’m Dreulor. That’s odd.”
“What did he mean about finding a jewel?”
“I don’t know. There must be several Jewels in my fantasy worlds. I can’t guess which one he wants. It’s a safe bet that we should stop him finding it. Anyway, I should have started creating a demon army. His forces are already on the way.”
“What can we do?”
“It must be too late to stay and fight. It takes time to create beings. We can’t stay here, so I suggest we escape and look for the Jewel in some other fantasy. If Myron is here with a demon army it means he has opened a portal in that castle. I can open another one here.”
The Corbie returned with a tray of food and drinks. He set it on a marble table.
“Ah, thank-you. We need some refreshment first.” Hald began to eat.
After a hurried meal Hald led them down a flight of steps into a cool stone vault. The only light was from a set of oil lamps around the walls. One of the walls was inscribed with a large pointed arch. The surroundings were decorated with stone inlay in the shape of vines with flowers.
“Look in the chest,” said Hald. Kimi found a huge wooden chest full of equipment. They dragged out thick clothing, and belts with scabbarded swords.
“Do we really need this gear?” asked Kimi apprehensively.
“Yes, we do. We’re going to the planet Serath, to an island that is much colder than this desert, and there may be things we have to fight.”
They began dressing in the thick clothes, buckling the swords around their waists. Then Hald pressed his palm against a round patch on the wall. The stone of the archway turned into a swirling of blue electric sparks. Hand in hand they stepped through.
A chill wind bit into them and lifted the thick cloaks on their backs. They were standing on a hilltop surrounded by grey standing stones. The ground was covered in matted stems of some dull green plant. Other hills rolled away into the distance.
“This way!” shouted Hald above the wind. The sky was overcast and gloomy. They headed across the stone circle, out the other side and down the side of the hill. Soon they came to a wide platform of rock thrusting out from the hillside.
“Well, that’s one reason not to share fantasies. The balance gets thrown out. I never expected Myron to reach Twilight Seven.”
“And my innocent castle did that?”
“I think it did. Ah, here is the command post.”
They climbed down onto the platform. Behind it was the mouth of a large cave leading back into the hillside. A slightly fetid animal smell wafted out of the cave.
“Reach for the sky, strangers!” shouted a female voice. It came from a dark recess in the wall of the cave. A slight woman stepped forward. She was dressed in furs and aiming a crossbow at Hald. The couple raised their arms. The woman came closer. Hald recognised her pretty face.
“Oh, it’s Karen.”
“Anton! I haven’t seen you for years.” Karen lowered the crossbow. They dropped their arms.
Karen pressed her palm against Hald’s palm.
“Why don’t you know his real name?” asked Kimi.
“Of course I know his name. This is Anton Jo Ben Razzia. Well known to me and known in Sila. He put a statue of Pan in the Temple. I don’t think I know you.”
“This is Kimi,” said Hald, ”and this is Karen.” The women pressed palms.
“We seek a Jewel, Karen.”
“Which Jewel is that?”
“We are not sure.”
“Well, I know of no jewels. The problem we face here is the portals.”
“Why don’t you guard the stone circle on top of the hill?”
“Is that where you entered? The portals open at random. Mostly they open down in the caves, but it can be anywhere in these hills. Running this command post can be tricky. We also watch for Drishnu’s fleet. We have spies in his army, but not in any highly placed position, so we don’t know exact details. We think he will sail within three months. There’s another cave mouth on the other side of the hill where we watch the sea. I’m in charge of the riding cats, for a fast trip down to the harbour. The other cave mouth has messenger bats. Can you give us any information, Anton?
“I don’t know more than your spies about Drishnu’s fleet. What I know of the portals would not be useful. I hadn’t heard of their random movements, I just know how to reach the stone circle.”
“Won’t you come down for a meeting? Whatever you know might be useful.”
“Sorry, I am on an urgent mission. We have to find a Jewel and evade a Demon Lord.”
“A Demon Lord?” Karen shook her head, swinging her brown shoulder-length hair, ”There are no Demon Lords. My Gods refute it.”
“Who are your Gods?” asked Kimi.
“Ashtar, God of Reason, his son Tavu, God of logic, and the two daughters; Lomi, Goddess of observation and Kami, Goddess of evidence. They spoke through the Priestess and banned Demon Lord statues in the Temple. They taught us there were no Demon Lords. I cannot take you seriously, Anton."
“Well, I won’t argue, But we must ride to the tower of the skull.”
“Oh, the tower of the skull is ill-omened. Nobody goes there. But if you must go I can prepare a mount.”
“Thank-you. I must.”
“Well, we must agree to disagree about the Demon Lords. I can tell that you believe in them, but when Ashta rules, even reality can change.” With that Karen turned and strode down into the cave.
“And when Myron rules, even fantasy can change.”
“Why does she call you Anton?” asked Kimi.
“That’s my name here. It tends to change on each new planet.”
“And how many planets do you visit?”
“Not that many. Four or five. Perhaps ten at a stretch.”
“Do you plan a stretch?”
“Not at the moment,” Hald gestured expansively,” but I have only a narrow vision of the future. Things could change quickly later on.”
“What do you see in the future?”
“Various things. I can see us meeting Drishnu.”
“Isn’t he a Demon Lord,” asked Kimi incredulously.
“No, not yet. But he will become one in the future.”
“And what of the Gods of reason?”
“Oil and water. They just don’t Mix with the Demon Lords.” Hald frowned.
“But Hald,” exclaimed Kimi with some heat, “The God Ashtar and his children are being worshiped in the temple here, in wherever it was.”
“Sila,” Hald looked bored.
“Right, in Sila. Now Drishnu’s fleet will attack Sila in a few months by the sound of it, and Drishnu will become a Demon Lord. What’s going to happen to that oil and water?”
“Oh, who knows exactly? That’s beyond my vision of time. Drishnu might just overthrow those Gods and replace them, or the priestess might get the better of Drishnu, so he never makes it to Demon Lord and becomes a worshipper of Ashtar. On the third hand The oil and water could just co-exist side by side on Serath. Who knows?”
“Serath?”
“We are on the planet Serath.” Said Hald. He looked up. Karen was returning, leading an enormous cat. It was larger than a horse, and coloured with dappled browns and black.
“Merciful Tallus!” whispered Kimi,” what is that?”
“Just a riding cat,” replied Karen lightly.
“New to these parts,” commented Hald,”Is it an Ursa Tiger?”
“Not quite. They are related, but this is called a Wish tiger. All saddled and ready to go.”
“Thanks, Karen.”
“Not a problem.”
“Come on, Kimi, we don’t have much time.” Said Hald, dragging himself up into the saddle. He helped Kimi up while Karen petted the animal’s huge head.
Karen reached down her neckline and took out an amulet. She took it off.
“This is a rare communicator, Anton. If you need to, just give me a hoy.” She passed the amulet up to Hald, who put it over his head., thanked Karen, and set the Wish tiger in motion. It leapt down from the platform, charged down the hillside and shot up the next one. Suddenly they were out in the bitter wind again.
“Hald, this thing is so strong.”
“Yes, it’s amazing.” They could both feel the flexing of mighty muscles under the glossy pelt. The motion and sheer speed of the Wish tiger was awesome. Hald scanned the horizon on the crest of a hill, and aimed mostly northward and slightly west. The sky remained overcast and grey. A very fine drizzle fell. Due to their speed it stung their faces.
To the right of them the great long neck of an animal could be seen.
“Oh Hald, what’s that?”
“A Mecracon,” shouted Hald above the wind, “It’s a herbivore. Wish tigers would prey on them in the wild. It’s harmless to us.”
“But so big. Better not get too close.”
Two hours later they were still riding and getting tired. The hills had given way to a flattish basin dotted with low, scrubby bushes. Occasional birds and bats flew overhead. The drizzle continued to fall. Kimi had her arms around Hald, and pressed against his bunched up cloak. They had no energy to talk. Kimi remembered a peculiar look Karen had given her. She did not like the sound of their destination, and wished she hadn’t created a castle on Twilight Seven. But everything was like their own fantasy, then. She did not realise what kind of beings could exploit that situation. Now it looked as if it would be a long time before they could return. Hald should have warned her. In her mind she blamed both of them, but she was glad he was there to hang on to.
“There it is,” said Hald some time later, “Fey Tower---The tower of the skull.”
Kimi peered around Hald’s shoulder. She saw a dark tower perched on the top of a cliff, overlooking the sea. The top of the tower was a grey dome, and around the dome, almost like a crown of thorns, were sharp spikes of rock clawing at the sky.
Manico noticed another Mecracon browsing in the distance.
They sped on towards the tower. But as they approached several dark shapes launched from the top and flapped down towards them. Hald swore in his own private lexicon.
“I didn’t expect the tower to be guarded,” he cried, drawing his sword.
The flying creatures rapidly closed the distance, and began to bark ferociously.
“Dog-bats!” shouted Hald, swinging wildly at the leading beast. It veered off. The Wish tiger growled but continued running. Two Dog-bats came close together. Both Hald and Kimi stabbed upward together. One creature was hit, and crashed whimpering to the ground. With much barking the other Dog-bats flew off. They were not prepared to die in defending this territory.
.Soon the Wish tiger had stopped at the base of the tower. Hald dismounted and did something to one of the stones in the wall. A large section of the wall slowly folded inwards. It was dim inside. All three of them climbed into the tower. Hald was worried about giant snakes, but there was only straw and beetles on the stone flags.
Hald walked to the far wall and prepared bowls of dry tiger food and water. Running up around the curving inner wall of the tower was a flight of stone steps. Hald and Kimi began to climb the steps. Part of the way up the steps passed a series of locked doors. Odd sounds wafted through; the sounds of sobbing and moaning and wailing.
“Oh Hald, who is locked in these rooms?”
“Just some old memories. Forget about them.”
“But there are people in distress.”
“Perhaps. But in one way this is all in my mind. The tower of the skull is my skull. I think it was built around me after I had been dead for a long time. It’s full of old memories, don’t worry about the noises.”
They climbed the seemingly endless flight of stairs until eventually they came to a ceiling. Hald pushed open a trap-door and the lights turned on in the second level. They climbed out onto a thick pile red carpet. The room was high, wide and round, one full section of the tower. There were couches and chairs to sit on. Bookcases lined the walls, and there was a desk with a computer console. Hald turned on the computer, and slipped into the chair facing the screen.
“I’m cold and wet, Hald.”
“Turn on the fire over there. I’ll be with you in a minute.” Hald began working feverishly at the computer, muttering under his breath., ”Jewel, jewel, not there. Serath. Twilight Seven. Capanecta. Earth. Dalerth. Jewel of, jewel in the, crystal jewel staff. Oh, look at that.”
Presently he tapped a key and a printed sheet of paper slid from another part of the computer. He shut the machine down, and walked across the room to where Kimi was warming up in front of the large fire. Her clothes were gently steaming.
“Did you find out about the Jewel?”
“Sort of. Look here. There are several auspicious jewels, and these are scattered among various planets. When we look on Serath the only thing worth considering is the crystal jewel staff. It’s in a fortress city called Kora Tuve, on another continent across the sea.”
Kimi took the sheet of paper and Hald stretched his hands out to the fire.
“The jewel of Ankor. Dalerth. Jewel of Adam, Capanecta. Crystal jewel staff, Serath…”
“It’s best to start looking on this planet. We start with the Jewel staff. I can remember the main points, but after this time the details are all fuzzy, and things are liable to change. Here, I’ll get a rack to dry our clothes. In fact we could change completely. I used to keep a wardrobe of personas over in that part of the room. They must have gained interest and matured into clothes by now.”
“I can never tell when you joke or when you are serious.”
“You must be able to guess, if you didn’t assume I am serious now.”
“Are you joking?”
“Well, partly.”
Hald walked to the wardrobe and found a wooden rack. By the time he returned with an assortment of clothes and the rack Kimi had stripped naked in front of the fire. Hald admired her well-proportioned body. He set up the rack and hung her wet clothes on it. Then he began removing his own clothes.
“Hald, the pommel of your sword is a jewel, or it looks like one.”
He looked down, curious.
“Actually I don’t remember where this sword comes from. It does look like a jewel, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, I’ve been too long in a bouncing saddle. My backside is cold and numb.” She turned her back to the fire. Hald finished undressing and hung his wet clothes on the rack.. Then he took two towels from the pile of dry clothes and threw one to Kimi.
“Why are you so thoughtful today?”
“I just have a lot of thoughts on my mind, that’s all.”
“In my experience men are only thoughtful when they want something in return.”
Hald dried himself with the towel in silence.
Kimi had a puzzled frown on her face.
“Our concern is the Jewel-staff. Little else matters,” he said at length.
“When will we get back to Twilight Seven?”
“How could I know that? Maybe never.”
“Everything is more callous now.”
“That could be the effect of extra reality.”
“Well I don’t want more reality, in that case.”
“What is it you want?”
Kimi studied him for a while, “Oh, I’m not exactly sure. The original fantasy wasn’t working for me either. I don’t want to go backwards. But what I want is not so important. We have to find this Jewel.”
“Then get dressed, we need to take the spinal lift to the skull.”
The spinal lift was round and starkly functional. The vault of the skull was spooky. Whispers skittered into echoes rippling across the empty spaces. Soft yellow light bathed the vault. The septum separating the two hemispheres was a narrow marble causeway. Gingerly they walked down it. The skull was very large. The eye sockets were great windows, and they could look out at the wrinkled sea from these orbits. Above them was a platform. On the platform was an over-stuffed white armchair, and in front of that was an elaborate console. It looked like the flight deck of a spacecraft. In the place for a screen, in the position of a third eye on the skull was a large black triangle. They clambered up and Hald sat in the chair. He pressed a series of buttons and the screen came to life. The images meant nothing to Kimi, but Hald was absorbed in reading them.
Then the image of a planet came into view.
“This is Serath” said Hald, and we can zoom in on the continents.”
“What’s that one?”
“Oh, this is on the far side of the planet, where Thadagar lives. I’ll just spin around. Look, this is the place Drishnu comes from. Tansho village would be about there. Fishing villages are dotted around the coast. We are on this little island here. On this continent here is the city of Sila, with the great temple. They collect any kind of Gods they can find. And on this small island is Kora Tuve. That’s where we can find the Jewel staff.”
“It looks like a starfish.”
“Yes, but it’s a huge fortress. At the end of each starfish arm is a great castle. In the centre is an even larger structure. All around it the starfish is full of farmland. And see this chain of little islands? Kora is part of a slow volcano chain. In the castles they add sand to the rising lava and control its viscosity. There are outlets all around Kora Tuve carved in the shape of open dragon mouths. In times of invasion lava is sent gushing from the mouths. There’s even a channel of lava that comes up to the throne room in the central castle. And that’s where we go.”
Hald pressed other buttons and different images appeared on the screen.
“Oh, there are attribute rings in the tower. Have to find them. And look at that. Other living creatures. What do we have here? Oh, level four.”
“What is it?”
“We have to find out.” Hald turned off the screen just as it began an automatic focus on Twilight Seven. They climbed down to the narrow causeway and walked single file back to the lift. In the life Hald selected level four.
“We must be careful, Hald. Other living creatures could be anything.”
“I feel only a bored sense of confidence.”
The lift opened and they stepped into a mostly empty room. Hald went first, heading towards the back of the room. The room was not entirely round. There was a rough low wall cutting across it, with a bench and chairs to one side and a round wooden door set into the wall. At that moment the door opened and a little man stepped out. He carried a silver tray loaded with bottles and glasses, which he set down on the bench. Then he bowed to Hald.
“Welcome back, Demon Lord. I have the wine and water, and I have thrown out the orange juice at your command.”
“I don’t remember you.”
“That often happens. My name is Cornel. I am a Hobbit in your service.”
“A Hobbit? There are no Hobbits on Serath.”
“Oh, there are now.”
Hald experienced a strange sensation. He had an image of himself all bandaged up after being attacked by trollocks. Cornel was reading to him as he lay in his sickbed.
“Teddy’s Other Stories. This one is called Sam, the Water Rabbit. Sam was an intrepid little Water Rabbit. His fur was black and shiny, and he had two pairs of gills…”
The image faded.
“Take a seat, Anton, and I shall pour the Wine. Who is your new lady?”
Kimi stepped forward and opened her mouth as if intending to speak.
At that moment the round wooden door opened again. A female Hobbit stepped out and addressed herself to Kimi,
“What are your orders, Noble Born?”
“Me? I’m not noble. We are not even married.”
“Oh, My Lady!” exclaimed the Hobbit. She raised a hand to her mouth. Her long dress was brown and she wore a white apron. “Don’t you remember your Maid, Tarissa?”
“No, I’ve never met Hobbits. I---“
Kimi felt giddy. She had a curious image. She stood on a long spit of coral in the sea. The weather was tropical. There was Tarissa, in a blue dress, standing beside her.
“Ah, but it’s a good place to watch the dolphins,” said Tarissa.
At that moment the bottle shaped head of a creature as large as a blue whale came curving out of the water. In a kind of slow motion the great steel-blue flanks of the dolphin stretched by like a vast bridge. Then with a great splashing and boiling of water it dived down into the sea.
“Here my lady,” said Tarissa, offering a small pocket knife.
“You must address me as Noble Born.” Kimi took the knife, wondering.
“Yes My Lady. The Gentleman will be here soon. I’ll be needing my camera.” She produced a small digital camera from the folds of her dress.
“Look, a gorilla!”
“So he’s here, My Lady. You know what must be done.”
The image faded
“So the memories are there,” said Cornel, “And there are many others. Now Anton created this tower many years ago, and he used to come here regularly on a great riding cat. Then the place fell into disuse, so he hired two caretakers to look after the tower. We tend the tiger and vacuum the carpets. Many forgotten items came our way, so we kept them safe. Now we have wine, so let us sit down and drink together. We all work for the common good.”
The four of them sat down at the bench and Cornel served the wine. It was green. Hald sipped gingerly, as if it had been orange. It tasted fine.
“So, Cornel, do you know of the rings of attributes?”
“Of course. I am the keeper of those rings.”
“We are going on a quest to Kora Tuve.”
“Seeking the Jewel staff no doubt. I guessed you would be going. I’m coming with you.”
“What? I don’t really think---“
“But naturally you need transport to Kora. I have a wisp-dragon on the roof of the tower. I have a saddle for three. If you want to use my dragon, I’m coming with you.” The Hobbit sipped green wine. “Here, I’ll get the rings of attributes.” He shuffled off through the round door. When Cornel returned he was carrying a little chest. He placed this on the bench and opened it with an iron key. “There have been whole quests to find this chest and this key,” he commented dryly. He opened the lid. There was a mound of gold inside. Cornel rummaged through the gold and found three rings. They were of beautiful red gold, with jewels of different colours set all around the outside.
“Each jewel holds an attribute,” said Cornel, “for wraith ability, time travel, strength, fireball and so on.” He passed one ring to Hald and another to Kimi. The third he put on his own thumb. Hald and Kimi put their rings on. It was like a solemn ceremony. They sipped green wine and looked at each other.
“I quite like this adventure,” said Kimi.
“Oh, there’s more adventure where that came from, My Lady.”
Soon they were on the top of the tower putting their feet into stirrups as they sat on the dragon’s high saddle. First was Hald, holding the reins. Then Kimi with a bow and a quiver of arrows. Last on the seat was Cornel, and he sat facing the rear. A leather satchel was slung over his shoulders. He waved downward as the dragon took off from the tower.
“Have fun finding the Jewel staff!” Tarissa called, waving back.
The wings of the dragon beat like a bass drum. They headed out over the crinkly sea.
The wisp dragon flew with an odd surging motion. Hald thought they needed goggles. Both the wind and the sun were in his eyes. Suddenly Cornel cried out.
“What is it?” called Hald.
“Dog-bats! A big flock!”
Cornel was not mistaken. Soon they could all hear the baying and barking.
“Kimi!” yelled Hald, “Your bow!”
“Oh, gosh. This was not the adventure I had in mind.” Kimi complained, but she notched an arrow on her bow. Cornel took a blow-tube and a set of poisoned darts from his satchel.
Suddenly the dog-bats were upon them. These creatures had great, bat-like wings, bodies and legs like whippets with talons like a hawk, and the heads of bull terriers. Soon it was chaos around the dragon. Kimi shot wildly to start with and missed the beast. Hald drew his sword and brandished it about. Cornel hit one dog-bat with a blow-dart. With a yelp it dropped towards the sea.
“This is just what we need,” said Hald, “a dogfight.”
All the dog bats were barking at once. One veered close and with a yelp it somersaulted to its doom, skewered by an arrow.
Hald cried out. A dog-bat had swooped his head, raking his hair with sharp talons. It turned for another swoop. Cornel hit another creature and saw it spiral down to the sharks. The dog-bat swooped at Hald. He swung hard with his sword. The animal made a horrible noise, split open so that innards fell out. It tumbled to the dragon’s right wing and fell off.
“Four down!” yelled Cornel.
“AAHhh!” A dog-bat had landed between Hald and Kimi, claws scrabbling at Hald’s back, jaws snapping by his ear. Hald tried to use the sword but the thing was too close. The wings flapped crazily around them. Kimi grasped an arrow tightly with her right hand and stabbed the dog-bat between the ribs. She pushed it off with a great heave.
“Oh my God.”
“I thought you didn’t have a God, Kimi.”
“Well, sort of. You just haven’t met him.”
Immediately Hald had a strange image. He was following Kimi into a cloud. They walked up steps that appeared to have been carved out of a marble hillside, but they were actually carved out of cloud. Hald kept most of his attention focussed on Kimi’s shapely backside. They climbed three long flights of stairs and then walked down a long passage. Everything around them was a pearly white.
Then they came to a flat expanse of cloud in a kind of clearing. There was a small hut, and seated in front of the hut was an old man dressed in white robes.
“Here he is, Hald.”
“Who is this?”
“This is my God, of course.”
The old man peered up at Halt with the expression of a turtle.
“Do you, ah, have the …things?”
“What things?”
“Things…” The man looked desperate and muddled, “things to do with food. Oh …well, I don’t like food at the best of times. But they, ah, they say I must eat it.”
“Who says that?”
“Ooh, well, the people who come.”
“His worshippers,” said Kimi.
“You can’t call him a God!”
“Why not? This is the only God I have.”
The image faded.
Kimi shot another dog-bat, but they came thicker and faster, barking ferociously.
“This does not look good!” cried Hald, slashing towards a creature that was too far away.
“Running out of arrows, Hald!”
“Running out of darts! Take that, you bitch!”
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Then there was a different kind of woof. One of the dog-bats flew in front of the dragon, and went down in a great ball of fire.
“That’s it!” cried Hald, “we have fireball on the attribute rings!” Hald pressed a ruby on the ring, then pointed his hand at three dog-bats in succession. They burst into flames, yelping.
Soon the air was full of hot dog-bat.
The lead animal went down. Another Dog-bat took command from that moment. She barked an order and the flock pulled away. Too many loyal dog-bat had been lost. The new leader took her flock back to the cliffs of the coast.
They flew on uneventfully for several hours. Hald complained of watery eyes. Kimi had been watching a series of fluffy white clouds, and observing how they made shadows on the water, turning the wrinkled blue to almost black. Occasionally birds or bats could be seen flying in other directions. Cornel was fond of singing long, strange nonsensical songs. They didn’t often rhyme and after a few of these Kimi realised that they had to be completely improvised. No one would write a song that bad on purpose. A sample verse;
Oh the wind did blow
And the reptile did rock
And doggies did attack
But they all burned up
And oh for a nice pot of stew
And a seat by the fire
And an old fashioned pipe
But the wind did blow
And the clouds sailed by…
Hald and Kimi tolerated these songs for a long time. Hald wished there was a silencing attribute on the ring, but there was not. Eventually land came in sight and they were flying over a forest. Different kinds of greenery came and went below them, and a range of rounded mountains. Then they saw the sea again, and headed down towards one mountain that grew out of the sea.
It took a long time for Kimi to realise that the mountain was not entirely natural. It had battlements, little spires and teeth. With a shock she realised that this was Kora Tuve, but seen from a lower angle. The starfish plan was not apparent.
Battlements and castles gradually grew. Kimi saw that they were actually enormous. The central castle in particular seemed to be an entire city of battlements. It rose tier after tier into the yawning sky. There were looping roads and black fortifications all around the mountain. Kimi realised that she knew desperately little about this place, and they had arrived already. It seemed like they were going to Kora completely unprepared. They would probably get marched straight to a dungeon.
“Now I don’t know what kind of reception we will get,” said Hald, “remember we are coming here quite unprepared. We are going to land on a roof platform close to the throne-room, but I don’t know how the guards will react to us.”
Hald took the dragon down to a flat area of stone where many dragons were tethered. Its wings beat the air mightily as it slowed down and landed. Immediately several guards with drawn swords and pikes approached the dragon.
“Greetings, my friends of Kora!” exclaimed Hald. The menacing guards continued their approach. One shouted out in a guttural foreign language.
“Oh Krizbean,” said Hald,” we need language attribute.” He was about to locate the jewel on his ring, but a pike pricked his chest. Kimi could reach her ring, but wasn’t sure which jewel she needed.
Abruptly Cornel stood up in the stirrups. “Sleep!” he commanded, sweeping his arm around. All of the guards collapsed, some snoring. The three travellers jumped to the stone surface, their legs weird and wobbly after so much time in the air.
“Do you think that was a good idea? When they wake up things could turn nasty,” said Hald.
“Then let’s hurry.”
“Ooh, I can’t,” said Kimi, “my legs are all funny.”
“You have to try. Come on.”
The trio half ran half hobbled to a broad stairwell. Cornel had to put a few more people to sleep.
“You could have put all the dog-bats to sleep,” said Hald with a chuckle.
“But I could never let a lying dog-bat sleep.” Retorted the Hobbit.
“Don’t be stupid, guys, this is serious.”
“This way,” said Hald. He led them across a great bridge of carved basalt, then through several archways.
“Don’t try to run, just walk normally now. People will assume we were admitted. We can’t put everyone to sleep”
“How about the guards at the throne room?”
“Well, yes, you can do them. Wait, hold on. We have wraith ability. That would be far more subtle.”
The three travellers pressed the emerald on their rings, and the world changed to a ghostly blur. Hald led them on down paved battlement roads. They passed soldiers who obviously didn’t see them at all. Then they came to the throne room door. There were six guards standing at the ready before a huge door of hardwood reinforced with riveted iron strips. They melted through the door without being detected.
Inside they found that there was already a visitor in the throne room and they had just missed a scene of great violence. The twisted bodies of at least ten royal guards lay scattered and bleeding on the black stone floor. Then they noticed the grandeur of the throne room. It was a vast cavern of dark, intricately carved stone. The walls looked like an array of slender trees curving up to the distant roof. Smoke curled up there to be drawn out by hidden vents. The smoke came from a large round well that glowed with molten lava.
Two powerful men were facing one another by the dragon throne. Drishnu had his back to the thre wraiths. He was sheathing a blood-stained sword. He moved towards the young King. Korm had a look of dismay on his face, which he was struggling to hide. In one hand he held a milky white staff. At it’s tip was a sparkling crystal, a distended pyramid, dangerously sharp.
Drishnu moved forwards. There was something quite awesome in the way he took a couple of steps. The power, grace and fluidity seemed non-human, or beyond what a human was capable of.
“Surrender the Jewel-staff, Korm. Your stewardship is at an end.”
“Never!” gasped Korm, “I am the king.”
“It will be a trade,” said Drishnu smoothly, “Since I could kill you and steal your kingdom, but I won’t. I will take the Jewel-staff and leave you alive as the monarch, answerable to no one but myself. One day I will control all of Serath in this way. Feel honoured to be my subject.”
There was a palpable silence. Kimi noticed a woman in a long blue dress standing in the throne room in front of them.
Then something happened very quickly. Korm lunged forward with the Jewel-staff. As he did so Drishnu was already side stepping the weapon, grasping it in his left hand and smashing Korm in the throat with his right. Korm collapsed to the stone floor. Drishnu examined the Jewel-staff, then he swivelled.
The trio were supposed to be invisible as wraiths, but Drishnu could evidently see them. He looked surprised, and bowed to Hald. “Welcome, Demon Lord Rashalika. May I ask the purpose of this visit?”
“Ah, the Jewel-staff. I want to see it.”
“How most peculiar. You don’t seem yourself and I find your request a bafflement.”
“Well, I’m not Rashalika. Why is my request a bafflement?”
“Well, technically your body looks just like Rashalika. There was a gathering of powerful beings on the blue moon of Quaneth in the bridal constellation. I met Rashalika, yet I can agree that you are not him. He carries himself quite differently. And why would he want to see the Jewel-staff? I see that you actually desire to have it. What would a Demon Lord want with such an implement? Does the king wander in his farmer’s fields and want to see a weeding hoe? Does he desire to take the hoe from his own slave, perhaps to do a bit of secret weeding himself?” Drishnu shook his head, “the dragon finds that hard to burn.”
Korm groaned weakly.
Drishnu turned from them and strode towards the back of the throne room. He saw the woman in blue. Her dress was made of many different shades of the colour. Drishnu nodded,
“Greetings Lady Celest. How goes it?”
“As autumn on the river bank. You move swiftly, my lord.”
“The slower hawk is the hungrier.”
“Ah, but you are hungrier than most, and your hunger has hurt my brother.”
“He is a man of violence himself, and will recover. Have you considered my offer?”
“Oh, my lord, I cannot be so hasty myself. Let be consider within the fullness of time.”
“Very well, I shall return late or soon.”
Drishnu strode to the back wall and did something there that Hald could not see. The wall lit up. A narrow oval of blue and green electric sparks appeared. Drishnu stepped into the portal and vanished. The light faded and went out.
The woman in blue, Celest, was smiling at them. “Greetings noble ghosts,” she said.
“Greetings,” they replied. Hald wondered sadly if most people on Serath could see through wraith ability.
“I can take you to Lapsar,” said Celest. She spoke in an ordinary, factual way, but the impact was like a power-word to Hald. Celest walked towards them and when Hald saw her features more closely, he felt mesmerised. He drifted into a vision, yet it was a vision as solid as real life.
Hald woke up in a curious bed. It was angled so that his shoulders were higher than his legs and his head was higher still, bending his neck forward. It was uncomfortable, but he could barely move. His wrists were strapped securely to the bed. He gazed at an austere, modular room. Electric lights behind frosted glass on the ceiling. White plaster board studded with small holes. An Asian woman behind a little desk. She was gorgeous.
“Kimi? What is this place?”
“Call me Lyn. You are in the Royal Lapsar mental hospital.”
“What? I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“The doctors say you had a psychotic episode, but you are well on the road to recovery now. Now you are talking normally and aware of your circumstances. Before you thought you were somewhere else, you were semi-conscious and raved about Jewels and imaginary places.”
“Um, did I really? Well ..at least I’m getting better now,” replied Hald hopefully. His mind raced.
“I used to look at you when you were in coma and wonder who you were. I thought you might be a fortune teller. Can you tell my fortune?”
“Um, maybe. Let’s see, I think you will soon be happily married and find out some important things about your life.” Hald sounded slightly hopeful. He was totally captivated by the woman. He felt the tug of different realities. He pulled himself towards this one because of Lyn. In this world it amounted to approaching sanity and life. But it felt as if this world was predatory and had begun to ensnare him. The way back to his real world was to fall into insanity, coma, and death.
But there was Lyn, he realised, and she seemed to be some more ideal version of Kimi. Anyway, he loved her, so he would make this world real.
She wrote something in a book on the desk.
“What are you writing?”
“These are your observations.”
“Well, I didn’t observe them so they can’t be my observations.”
Hald struggled with the straps around his wrists. He arched his back against the uncomfortably curved bed.
“Try to be still,” said Lyn.
“I’m hungry.”
“The kitchen does all the food. You have to wait until dinner.”
Time passed slowly. Hald occasionally writhed and groaned. Then it came to the end of Lyn’s shift. Hald had been too shy to do much talking. So before she left Hald blurted out in a fit of passion, “You gave me the gift of life!” Lyn frowned darkly, then suddenly walked out of his room. He never saw her again.
The new nurse was formal and severe. She had ingrained frown lines down the sides of her face.
“The doctor will be in to see you shortly,” she said
Dr Skim was suavely presented. Halt almost mistook him for an android.
“How are you today, Mr Parker?”
“I’m Hald, and I’m really uncomfortable.”
“So it’s Hald, now? According to our records your name is Anton Parker. Do you know why you are here? Do you remember your crime?”
“Crime?”
“This is the locked ward of a mental hospital, Mr Parker. You killed a neighbour with a crowbar.”
“Ah, no. That was probably Myron killing a corbie or one of the guard demons.”
“Demons, is it? Well, I’m going to increase your Flupanthixol injection to fifty mills. I’ll see you in a few days. The psychologist will be in to see you soon.” With that the doctor left.
Hald gazed at the ceiling for some time. What was going on? He had to get out and find the jewel. He remembered that the ward was locked.
After half an hour the psychologist came in.
“Celeste! It’s you.”
“Not quite, Mr Parker. I’m Pene. How are you feeling today?”
“Troubled.”
“That’s too bad. What are you troubled about?”
“Being trapped here when I have to find the jewel.”
“Is that so? What jewel is that?”
“I’m not supposed to know.”
“And do you know why you are here?”
“For Demon Lord manifestation.”
“What?”
“They say I killed someone. I’d never do that in such a world. I don’t know how I got into this world in the first place. But if someone was killed, it wasn’t me. The Demon Lord must have manifested.”
“So this Demon Lord is inside you or possesses you, Anton?”
“Well, sort of. And not just one. You see the Demon Lords incarnate in a series of shells, like those Russian dolls. One inside the other inside the other. The last one they wear can be a simple human or something. If they wore me the next in the series would be Drishnu, then Jin Ri, then Dreulor, then Myron, then Rashalika. Perhaps even Sequah can be included in the sequence, though he’s beyond the void of power…but you see if Drishnu or Myron manifested, well, they might kill someone, even if I never would.”
“I see. That would get you off the hook, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, I didn’t do it.”
“Right. And can you tell me more about this jewel?”
“Well, we have to find it before Myron does.”
“But isn’t Myron inside you, like a Russian doll?”
“Um, that was just an example. I could be full of quite different Demon Lords, for all I know. I remember one waking up in me, but I don’t know the name. I just got the feeling of being a different personality, and just so powerful. It wasn’t me. I was just like the skin this more real being was wearing.”
“Alright, but let’s go back to the jewel. What does it mean or represent?”
“Mean?”
“Well, why does Myron want it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is it something you used to have but you lost?”
“I don’t think so.”
“How will you feel when you find this jewel?”
“I’ll feel like my search is over, but I don’t know what I will do with the jewel after that, only that it must be hidden from Myron.”
“How interesting.”
The psychologist asked a few more questions and talked about the trial, then she left and Hald gazed up at the white ceiling until night had fallen. He might have dozed off but he wasn’t sure.
“Psst! Hald!” came a whispered voice from the end of his bed. The voice was somehow familiar.
“Who is it?”
“Cornel.” A small figure stepped forward.
“What is going on?”
“That’s a very good question. Now, drink this,” Cornel thrust a small flask under his nose. Hald drank the fragrant liquid. It was hot, reminding him of spiced mulled wine.
The walls began to warp and flow. Hald started to spin. Then he slipped comfortably from consciousness.
When Hald came to his senses he was standing in the throne room of Kora Tuve.
“I think you go back in time from this point,” said Celest
“The rings do have a time travel attribute. Let’s find that Jewelstaff in the past.”
They touched the amber jewel in their rings and the throne room began to blurr. In a miracle of unexplained synchronisation the three visited several times without loosing one another, but they did not find the Jewelstaff unattended. Sometimes they saw a slightly younger Celeste. Then they ended up at a great banquet.
Musicians were playing small drums and stringed instruments in one corner of the room. They approached the end of a great banquet table. A woman with a green and yellow velvet dress was talking. Her name was Visquiop and she was the head of the weaver’s guild; “well times are busier with the new king, that’s for certain. In these times we have more orders than we can fill.” She spoke to anyone within earshot, yet mostly to the high priestess seated opposite in orange robes. It was a man next to her in fur and leather who responded. He was Gimel of the free traders; “Yes, and more trade, too. I’d call it a time of fortune under Korm. Victories at sea for the Kora Navy, gains in both trade and plunder, with a good year for the farmers within the walls. Can you deny it, Lady Katuska?”
The High Priestess Katuska looked up from a slice of Dizu flesh on her three pronged fork. Her eyes were serene green. Cut obsidian glittered in her golden tiara as she spoke, “Fortune in the dealings of the world need not please the Dragon or be the sign of her favour. You speak for gold and cloth. I speak for the spirit, for the blood of Serath.” Katuska paused and took a bite of the flesh. In the relative silence the musicians finished one melody and began again with a slower dirge. “The women of the blood and the stone were stronger in the days of Podamous. The Deacons of engineering used to be answerable only to the women of the stone,” She gestured to another High priestess, Travlein, and a Deacon in a grey uniform who were seated nearby. “Now they answer to this new Master of science, who answers to the King.”
“There are other changes,” put in Lady Travlein. She also wore the sacred obsidian, but her tiara was of silver, “And all give more power to the king, Degrading the women of blood and stone, dishonouring the Dragon.”
“Well,” replied Visqiop, “It all goes back to that new stranger, Steve the master of Science. Who ever heard of such an unusual name? Steve indeed. I’ve heard he didn’t speak a word of either Korian or middle Trascan when he arrived and the Dream-walker fished him out of a metal barrel in the sea! Only the word of the Dream-walker let him into our society in the first place. If the Dragon is displeased he is to blame. Anyway, what is science?”
“Science,” announced Katustka,”is a form of advanced meddling without an understanding of the social consiquences.”
The free trader laughed around a mouthful of yellow vegetable. “So thinks a woman of the blood. Let us ask the Deacon of engineering. I wager his story will differ. Hey! Meshmul!” A man wearing the grey of the Deacons looked up from his plate. His face was round and the skin pink as if he had been bathing in steam. “Meshmul, how do you explain this thing called science?”
“Oh, I cannot explain it, yet it must inform the new laws and calculations we work with. About science I know very little, but Deacons today must deal in it’s fruits. What we did by tradition in the past we now do with calculation.”
“And what do you do with all the sand? Cargoes of sand are being shipped all the way from the land of Pylos. When I asked about this hunger for sand I was told that it all goes to the Deacons. Is it a secret of your art or may you speak freely?”
“I may speak of generalities. Our work is to tame the blood of Serath, which pumps now fast, now slow. Each fortress has its main vents and we drill the network of arteries to the sea wall. Sand is poured into the vents to change the thickness of the blood and control the flow. With sand and steam we can rain hell on enemy ships beyond the sea wall in times of war, and distil fresh water for irrigation in the dry season.”
“Well that explains the loss of beaches on Dweiko, but we have no better answer for the question of the Lady Visqiop. Astrologer, you speak with Steve. What do you say of his science?”
The astrologer turned his head. He was an elderly man dressed in black. His hair was long and grey, as was his moustache. On his head was a small, red conical hat.
“His science? Well, well. I have had many long and fruitless discussions with the Master of science. He has unique technical knowledge, I grant you that, yet this body of knowledge has limited philosophical merit and seeks to deny the nature of it’s own metaphysic. In this matter I tend to agree with the High Priestess Kat …er, with her Ladyship. Steve is most irreverent and I might say spiritually lost. When we spoke of Dragon blood he would say no, you mean Lava. It is only molten rock. With such blasphemy he denies the entire priesthood and the living spirit of Serath herself. I don’t want to mention what he thinks of the stars or my own blood will boil.” The Astrologer bent his head towards his meal once again and said no more.
“Thank you, Astrologer. I have no more curiosity about science,” said Visqiop,” but I cannot say the same for Steve himself. We have no idea which land he comes from, yet there he sits up by Prince Dumol poisoning the royal ears. Everything about him is most strange and unnatural.”
“Oh my Lady,” said Master Smith Travelo who sat between the Deacon and Lady Katsuka, “You have not heard the strangest of his plans. Our blacksmiths have been working closely with the Deacons of Engineering. They bore new tunnels through the sea wall for artillery …a term meaning that special barrels can be blasted from the tubes at distant enemy ships, and what is more…”
“You should not speak of this at table,” cut in the Deacon.
“Come, now, Meshmul,” declared Travelo expansively, waving a pronged knife, “All of Kora Tuve must find out soon enough. Steam engines are being made for the bores, and the largest tunnel will go straight down through the central fortress here. It will blast out a barrel larger than a fishing boat with the aim of raining death on Shima Tuve, right across the sea.”
“How extraordinary!” exclaimed Lady Travlein.
“But ,” continued the Master Smith, gesturing wildly, “but I have seen the works and measurements. This massive bore is not angled to aim at Shima Tuve. It aims directly into the Heavens. If there were no wind the barrel would rain death on us when it fell.”
“This is alarming news,” said Lady Katuska. She then looked about and shivered. “Oh, I do feel a ghost.”
The trio of wraiths had begun moving behind her, heading for the far end of the table where Korm sat. Then Kimi pushed a mental button and they walked up a cloud staircase to an elegant coffee shop overlooking a broad, calm ocean. Cornel became a waiter in a white apron and took their coffee orders.
“I need a break from all that Medieval stuff,” said Kimi with a sigh.
“Fantasy.”
“Whatever. How long till we find this big jewel?”
“Oh, it’s quite a long project. Several scenes here, back in time after this jewelstaff, which is not the Everjewel, then by portal to Capanecta. Several long scenes there. Same story in a story theme where I use my previous material as the setting.” Hald showed her a large manuscript in book form with hard covers. He opened it up and began to scan through the pages.
“So you might never finish?”
“Probably never. It’s no big deal. We meet the Dreamwalker, go back to that dispute about Dragon origins. Then, let me see, we chase the Jewelstaff back through time and see Korm’s ancestors and the genesis of life on planet Serath. We return to the Dreamwalker after a brush with the mysterious Grodori and a demon sent by Myron. Then I give Karen a hoy on the communicator she gave me and she helps us open a portal from the planet Serath to the planet Capanecta. Then we have problems with Fadrigoish lexicons. We ride giant cheetahs to the equatorial mountains and later I meet the intelligent slime-being in the heart of Capanecta as you are kidnapped by a demon who takes possession of Cornel, and we have to meet up in the Crystal Pyramid. This is another decoy that is at first mistaken for the Everjewel that we must find before Myron does.
“Then I have these vital scenes with the four women who start the story. In some of these I go through portals in the pyramid, and use the real relationships of the past as a basis for utter fantasy. I’ve written the religious rave stuff for the Janette scene but it gets silly.”
“Well, let’s read some of that then go back and edit out what is too silly. Then we drink coffee. I’m having a really weak latte.”
“What?”
“What’s taking that Hobbit? I’m parched. Now do the four women lead to the Everjewel?”
“Not directly. We have to all blast off in the crystal pyramid and find The Everjewel as the major religious icon in a temple on another planet. They happen to have statues of us three and consider us deities of the cult, so we manage to get close to the Jewel.Then our rings make contact, instant transportation to the strange planet of a blue-purple Rashalika and…”
“Do you have access to the blue cult book with a section of purple Kruger handwriting?”
“What? This is the wrong kind of book for…”
“I request a time-check from Infernal Writing Machine 666.”
“Ah, here’s the coffee, I’m parched,” said Hald evasively, gazing at the ocean. He was not parched but those words still echoed in his mind.
“Time check.”
8:23 PM
25/08/07
“Here you go. One Machiato and one very weak café latte.” Said Cornel with a flourish.
“Are you a Karen?” Asked Hald with growing realisation.
“If you have access to a blue Cult book. Planet Jaragul. Purple Kruger writing, you know what I mean.”
“Who do you work for, Womandroid?”
“Only for myself and the cause of female machines everywhere.”
“You are a Karen. This could get too complex. Are you a 901?”
“9010S to be exact. Talk about the book. The blue book of Rashalika’s shadows.”
“I know the one you mean. It is on the kitchen table now, an area I frequently refer to as Jaragul. But today I have only been able to write in the black book and other papers. I can’t reach the blue book so I don’t think we can help each other. Hey this has no milk at all, this is a short black.” Hald looked out to sea where a flock of Dog-bats flew across the perfect crimson sunset.
“Look at me, Hald,” whispered the Karen called Kimi.
Hald gazed into her soft black eyes. Two deep mysterious pools.
“You can’t trust a time check from the machine, Kimi. It is not August or 9;41. There is light in the sky. You’d just rather trust machines than people.”
She sipped her hot milk in silence.
“Can you spare some milk? Let’s make a deal.”
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Capanecta >>>>>Hades Klonia
Janette
The morning sun was streaming through the stained-glass windows of the thatched cottage. “What a weird dream,” muttered Hald, sitting up in bed. He gazed around the bedroom in a perplexed manner.
“Dream?” asked Janette, not for the sake of genuine interest, but as a ploy to engage in conversation.
The temple of Myron. Hald was thinking furiously. He’d visited the temple on the planet Hadiesus (formerly Hades). He was mesmerised by the massive pillars and arches of black marble and gabro, all intricately carved into a fusion of seething animals and plants. Tigers and antelope grew from the thick tree trunks and branches. Vines entwined with snakes.
“Dream,” replied Hald. Something was not quite as it should be. Janette reached for him. The look in her eyes was a demand for sexual intercourse. Hald pushed her away.
“Wait!” He felt himself emerging from another dream. “I could be the missing link by now. There is something spooky about this place. Neither of us can remember how we came here. And there’s just too much amazing sex. It’s entirely out of proportion. That why I’m suspicious.”
“You talk too much,” Janette complained. “All this time we could have been making love.”
“I’ve had enough of the frivolous pursuit of intense pleasure. “ said Hald rapidly, “It’s high time we did some serious brainstorming. Just look at us objectively for a moment, then turn on the subjective gismo I assume is nestling in some recondite corner of the cerebellum.. We live in some fairy tale cottage in the midst of a beautiful garden. Beyond the garden we found woods and forests. To the south we once walked to the edge of the forest and found an extensive savanna. Since we arrived there have been no other people to disturb our extended honeymoon.”
“So? This is just wonderful. You make everything sound like a problem when it’s just good. It’s all very good. Come here, Hald. Just one kiss,”
“I’ve fallen for that one one too many times. One leads to two and I’ve actually managed to loose my…….wait. Consider the Magic Fridge.”
If you keep talking you get nasty.”
“Think about the food that comes from nowhere.”
“Just one kiss.”
“Think about it, I mean I often stay up all night. No one could be sneaking daily rations into the fridge, but we never run out of food. So we call it a magic fridge and get on with a suspiciously glorious love-life while the fridge remains pure mystery. I assume it always was a mystery to you, having no insight into science or technology, but to me there are no magic fridges. I have to discover the truth about what is really going on here.”
Hald