Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  “Courage can’t be afraid!”

  “Says who? Everything can be afraid.”

  “Even you?”

  “Me? I’m terrified right now. Wouldn’t you be too if you were pulled out of the real world and transplanted here with no idea of what was going on or how things worked?”

  “But you don’t act like you’re afraid! And you turned Maria into a crone yesterday like you were in full control of your powersh!”

  “That’s a secret of courage. Being able to clamp down on your own fear and act like you aren’t. Sometimes that is the only kind of courage you can count on. It’s easy to stand up and act all big and bad when you know there is no danger to yourself. When you know you are more powerful or more skilled than the other guy. But being able to stand up when your knees are knocking together and you know you are going to die or get really hurt, that’s real courage.”

  “Wow, you're really shmart.”

  Kimberly didn’t feel like trying to explain to the boy that she was only quoting words she had read in lots of different books. That they were cliché and a bit trite in her own world. That most of the words she used were just bits and pieces of stories she had read. Even how she was dealing with him was just pieces of scenarios she had seen played out over and over before.

  She could tell the boy thought she was some kind of superhero and she didn’t want to disabuse him of that quite yet. She felt she could use that to her advantage in helping him adapt. Maybe it was just a small thing, and maybe someone else could do it better, but helping this boy was something she could do. Something that made her feel like she was contributing to this crazy situation she was in. That made her feel more sane and more comfortable. Because it felt more normal than flames being flung about at random and involved incantations and magical creatures.

  “So what’s your magical ability anyway? Everyone has magic here right? I’ve not seen much of it, but from what I gather, it comes in all shapes and sizes.”

  “It’sh nothing special. Nothing like what you can do.”

  “Special or not, it’s your power right? Yeah, I can do these amazing things by imagining it, but that has limits too. When I run out of energy, all that knowledge and skill just vanish into thin air. I don’t know the first thing about swinging a sword if I don’t turn into a knight. Heck, I can barely lift it when I am just plain old Kimi. But you have your power all the time. Even if you get tired and drained, you still have that power and knowledge in your head.”

  “I’m not very good at it yet.”

  “Did I ask if you were good or not? I just asked what your power was. I don’t expect you to be a master at it. I’m well aware no one is a master at something right off the bat.”

  Without saying a word, Jordon lifted his hand in front of him, pointing at a spot of grass as they both stopped their walk around the park. His brows furrowed in concentration as he mumbled under his breath. Kimi couldn’t hear any words, but she saw his lips moving. Slowly a patch of grass in front of her began to grow. It inched higher and higher, waving in the wind until it was as tall as she was. Jordon began moving his hand back and forth like a conductor, the grass swaying in time with his imaginary beat. He added finger movements into the mix, causing the grass to bend and warp in on itself, knotting and looping until a green flower made of the dozens of stalks teetered before her.

  He let out a breath, lowering his hand as sweat dripped from his nose. The flowers bent in the wind, but refused to fall, supported by the weight of all the interconnected greenery.

  “I can control plant life. Grash ish about the only thing I can handle right now. My teacher can make treesh walk and fight for him though.”

  “Well I still think that’s pretty impressive. Even being able to manipulate grass could be useful to your partner.”

  “How?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. What if enemy are attacking and you wrapped grass around their feet? That would cause them to stumble and trip, maybe preventing that fatal blow that was heading for their head. Or you wove a wall to hold them off for a precious few seconds. Sure, they might hack it down, but if you are running away it could save your life.”

  “The other kidsh shay it makes you weak if you run away from the enemy.”

  “Then the other kids will die won’t they? There is no shame in running away if you know the odds are against you. Story book heroes do it all the time. It doesn’t mean they give up. It just means they are smart enough not to give up their lives in a pointless stand against superior force. They retreat, and then they plan a better strategy to win while choosing a spot better fitted for that plan where the enemies greater numbers don’t matter as much.”

  “How can numbersh not matter?”

  “Hmm, how do I explain? Say you are the most powerful wizard in the world, and you are facing down a million angry monsters. You have infinite energy to cast spells so you will never tire. Are you going to win that fight?”

  “No. Even the shtrongesht can be taken down by sheer numbersh.”

  “Now, say you lured them into a canyon where only one of them could attack you at a time, are you going to win?”

  “I get it! You would win becaushe alone they poshe no threat. And ash they died, the bodiesh would pile up and create another barrier, making it even eashier to pick them off as they climb over it.”

  “Exactly. And you want to know something funny? You just used your imagination to see what I was describing even though it wasn’t right in front of you. You just role-played in it’s simplest form.”

  Jordon’s mouth fell open at Kimberly’s statement. Kimi chuckled at his look of astonishment before moving on once more. In many ways these people were a bit unenlightened. They weren’t exactly as primitive as the people currently in the real world, but they were definitely not as culturally advanced as the future Kimi came from. What did that say about Kimi’s time? That such simple concepts didn’t raise an eyebrow or sense of wonder like it did here? Were they all just jaded because nothing was new? Or was it a testament to how much more evolved they were with their easy access to information?

  “Jordon, you want to hear a story?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Well then, there was this old man who was turned into a tree.”

  “Wait! You got to shtart it like a proper shtoryteller.”

  “I don’t know how to start it like that, or even what you mean.”

  “You know, like Uncle Gram.”

  “And how does he start it?”

  Kimberly stopped yet again under a tree as the boy mimicked sitting on the ground with great care. He let out a large groan like some old man settling in and pantomimed that everyone gather around to sit and listen with his hands.

  “Gather round children and lishten to my tale. A tale of mystery and wonder. Of legendary herosh and fledgling onesh. Lishten to the wishdom of thoshe who have come before, and learn from their folliesh and their triumphs. Let me tell you a tale of wonder, a tale of the mundane, a tale of simple peasheants and lofty lordsh. Let me tell you a tale, of life.”

  Kimberly couldn’t help but grin at the serious look on the boys face as he recited word for word this opening he had probably heard hundreds of times. She could almost see Daniel sitting under the tree instead of Jordon. Could almost hear the man's voice coming from the boy's lips the way Jordon had deepened it.

  “You’re pretty good at that.”

  “Uncle Gram always tells shtories. He comes to the park twiche a week and everyone knows exactly when he will be here. Sho everyone gathersh to lishten when he doesh. He will go on for one or two hoursh recounting hish talesh. I’ve grown up hearing them for ash long ash I can remember. Now you got to shay it before you tell a shtory.”

  “All of that? I don’t think I can remember all of that.”

  “All of it. I’ll help.”

  So Kimberly recited the words with Jordon’s help. But only after he made her sit down just like he had, even motioning with her arms to gather togethe
r everyone around, even though he was the only one nearby. Still he sat at the prompting, crossing his legs and leaning forward waiting for the story. Kimi felt so alien in this world once again. It was so similar and yet so different from the world she knew. Once she was all settled in to Jordon’s satisfaction and had opened with the proper words, she raised her eyebrow at the boy.

  “Can I tell my story now?”

  “Yeah, yeah!”

  “Once upon a time, an old man was turned into a tree.”

  Kimi clamped down on her lips as the boy leaned forward waiting to hear the rest. The sides of her lips twitching as silence was the only thing that met his ears. She saw the puzzlement turn to disappointment as he realized the story was over.

  “What’sh the resht of it?”

  “That’s it. The end.”

  “That’sh not a shtory!”

  “Yes it is. It has a beginning middle and end. A main character, a conflict and a resolution.”

  “But why wash he turned into a tree? Who turned him into one? Wash he ever turned back? How old wash he? Did he have a family?”

  “All very good questions. Why don’t you answer them?”

  “But it’s your shtory!”

  “No. I already told my story. There is nothing to say you can’t add on to it and make it your own. In your story, an old man can still be turned into a tree. But if he is changed back, or you give a reason for why he was changed, it’s a brand new story now isn’t it? Because you added things that never existed before.”

  As he tried to puzzle through that explanation Kimberly chuckled silently. She remembered that same look on most of the faces of her classmates when Mr. Richards, her fifth grade English teacher, had given them that exact same story and told them to make it their own. Kimberly had understood immediately, but most of the others had trouble grasping the exercise. It was one of the many things that had set her on the course of enjoying role-playing and reading so much.

  The world shimmered around the two of them. The sky darkening and the manicured grass of the park turning to thick wooded underbrush in the space of one breath and the next. More trees were just there. Going from mirage to solid in the time it took to blink. Both of them were on their feet within seconds, Jordon clutching at Kimi, his eyes wide with terror. His voice was a whisper, but she caught the fearful words in the sudden quiet.

  “A hiccup.”

  “A what?”

  “A hiccup. It’sh like the tearsh in reality when you go on queshts, but smaller. They rarely appear in town though, we are protected by magic sho it is shupposed to be shafe.”

  “What else can you tell me about this hiccup thing?”

  “Not much. My mom and dad were taken by a hiccup. We are in the real world now. At shome random year and plache. Shomething ish not right with the timeline that needs fixed before the Due Date runsh out. If we fix it, we get pulled back to our univershe. If we fail, we get trapped here on thish shide. That ish, if we live.”

  Grabbing a nearby stick from the ground, Kimberly set the image of a knight in her mind. Striking the air to make it transform.

  But the stick was still a stick.

  “Your powersh won’t work shince we aren’t real partnersh.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Thish is the real world. Magic doesn’t work because thish ish your reality. Your power ish an Other. Sho it will only work if you have a partner linked to the reality I come from.”

  “So you are saying right now I am just plain old Kimberly Changa, with no powers whatsoever, stuck somewhere in the past of my world. With some unknown problem we have to solve in a short period of time if we ever want to get back to the other reality.”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “No, it’sh not. I’m shcared.”

  “Me too. But don’t worry, as long as we stick together we will be fine.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Kimi hoped the boy believed her, because she didn’t believe herself. What they needed was information. They wouldn’t get that by just standing around. Pulling the boy in closer with one arm, she slowly started walking in a random direction.

  “Jordon, how do mage-mediator teams know where to go and what to do when they go on quest? I mean, they have to have some idea of what to do right? Unless they know everything about everything, they won’t know how the history is supposed to be. Like what side is supposed to win in a war, or if somebody is supposed to die or not. Does somebody tell them exactly what they are supposed to do and how?”

  “Nuh-uh. The mediator comesh from Atlantish with a Map. It tellsh their team what to do that only they can read and undershtand. Mom had a pair of lenshesh that she wore on her face like yoursh. She said they told her what direction to go and what needed to be done. Uncle Gram shaid hish wash written on hish shword. That when he drew it, the wordsh were on the flat shide like they were etched there.

  “Well that doesn’t really help us much, now does it?”

  The two of them traveled along for a short time in silence. The air thickening with despair as Kimberly began to lose her courage. What was she doing? Trying to act tough for the boy? That wasn’t her. She was just as scared as he was. And now she didn’t have any kind of power to back it up. She was nothing more than a sixteen year old boring bookworm.

  Wait, books! She had found herself in this crazy alternate dimension with a book right? Maybe that was her Map item! Reaching into her shirt, she pulled out the small pouch, prying it open as fast as she could. Inside was definitely the white tome, but the pouch failed to enlarge like it had the last time. The book was as big as her fingernail, but Kimi thought she saw something black on the cover.

  “Why won’t it grow!”

  “Becaush you don’t have a partner remember? Without someone to link back to the other reality, no magic will work for you.”

  “Your magic works right? You’re linked to that other universe! So form a temporary partnership with me for real. That will make me able to use my Other powers and get this bag to expand right?”

  “I don’t know how. I know how a real partnership ish supposed to be made, and I know it is poshible to make a temporary one. But I don’t know how to go about doing that.”

  “Then tell me how! Hurry! How is a real partnership ritual performed?”

  “We cut our armsh and put them together. Then we say the ritual words.”

  “What if we just put our hands together and say the words without cutting ourselves, would that work?”

  “Maybe.”

  As the two of them grasped the others arm by the elbow the way Jordon directed, Kimi heard a far off horn call. It was like nothing she had ever heard before. It sounded angry, almost alive, as if some lost soul were screaming in agony. Kimberly quickly repeated the words as Jordon prompted her to until he said it was done. The moment he did, she grabbed for another stick, the horn call sounding suddenly much closer. Desperately she sliced the air, imagining a sword taking shape, but still nothing happened.

  “I’m shorry. It’sh my fault for not knowing enough.”

  “No it isn’t. It was little more than a wild guess on my part. Based on the little information I had available. There must be something I’m missing. Can a partnership be broken once the contract is made?”

  “Not unlesh one of ush diesh.”

  “Can a mediator have more than one contract partner at the same time?”

  “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

  Kimberly began to pace, a sense of dread filling her throat with the taste of bile. She wished she had talked to Joel and Grell more about this mediator thing. She wished she knew more about the universe she had been sucked into. Pivoting on her foot to return the way she came, the noticed something small and green coming towards them rapidly. It was still far off, but the speck was growing larger by the second. Beady black eyes forming over a large jutting nose as the humanoid shape took on more definitio
n. It stood barely three feet tall with boxing glove like fists and knuckles on skinny arms.

  It ran by pushing against the ground with those fists and swinging forward a few feet. As its arms came around again to push against the ground, it’s legs were also moving it forward fast enough to make an Olympic sprinter envious. Behind the leading creature was an army of ones exactly like it. At least a hundred spreading out through the trees. As she watched, a few burst through the trunks with powerful punches, leaving big gaping holes for the rest to climb through.

  And every beady eye was locked on the two of them as the leader opened his mouth to let out another one of those wailing horn calls.

  Jordon saw the group at the same time, a whimper coming from his lips. “Goblinsh.”

  “I think we found the source of the hiccup. Run.”

  Grabbing the boys hand, Kimberly yanked him into motion. He stumbled. but soon was keeping up. Already her side was hurting and she was out of breath. Kimi had never been very athletic, but she vowed if she survived this she would become so. Something under the leaf bed caught her foot, sending her sprawling on the ground. Jordon tugged on her arm to help her back to her feet, but the fall had cost them dearly. Kimberly could see the distance between them had shortened drastically. Their craggy features and pointed white teeth easy enough to see without having to squint or imagine from some books description.

  The boy narrowed his eyes, his lips moving in unheard words. Without warning the shrubbery in front of the two of them burst skyward, standing as tall as the trees and creating a wall in both directions a good five hundred feet.

  “Don’t shtop.”

  Kimi did as she was told, the spiny forest grass parting just long enough for the two of them to get through before snapping closed again. Kimberly saw Jordon mumbling more words, glancing back only long enough to see the greenery weaving together with some dead branches. The wall bulged but didn’t break as the goblins slammed into it. She could hear their fists going to work even as the two of them gained distance, finally finding a small cave under an outcropping of rocks to rest. Kimberly was out of breath, unable to go farther for the moment, but the boy was barely winded.