by Jack
‘The veil?’
Adrina frowned. ‘The veil between worlds. Dirk Provin says it’s breaking down. That’s how he got to our world. And how the others —’
‘What others?’ The Demon Child began to circle her curiously.
‘The Tide Lords in the metal machine. Cayal and Declan.’
R’shiel reached out and poked Adrina on the shoulder, quite painfully. ‘And what are you doing here, while we’re on the subject of imaginary friends.’
‘I am not imaginary,’ Adrina protested. ‘I happen to be as real as you are, thank you very much.’
R’shiel looked around and caught sight of her reflection in a dusty mirror leaning against a stack of old papers. ‘I have to say, I’m not even sure I’m real, any longer. That doesn’t look like me.’
‘What do you think you look like?’ Adrina asked.
‘Not what I think I do, obviously.’ R’shiel caught sight of something else behind the mirror. She reached over and pulled it out. It was a stuffed toy, but nothing like any animal Adrina had ever seen before. ‘Look at this.’
‘Excuse me?’ Adrina was a little miffed by R’shiel’s short attention span. Several worlds were at stake. They didn’t have time to reminisce over childhood toys.
The girl smiled at the stumpy-legged creature, with its large nose, flat face and fluffy ears, and then put the toy down and began to poke around some of the other accumulated junk. There were abandoned toys lying about — a pair of pink satin shoes with long ribbon ties and square toes poking out from beneath a pile of dusty books, a wheeled, metal contraption. There were other items that might have been sporting equipment. Or weapons. Adrina really wasn’t sure. In her reality, they were one and the same.
‘This place feels like nobody has ben here fox years. I wonder who this stuff belongs to.’
‘I’m sure, once we get my little problem sorted out, there are many happy hours ahead of you rummaging through ... well, whatever this junk is. In the meantime, young lady, as you clearly know your way around this place, you must take me to the Creator.’
R’shiel looked up from a box she’d found containing what appeared to be a set of children’s coloured blocks. ‘I don’t know who you’re talking about.’ Something else caught her eye and had her rummaging through dusty boxes. ‘Founders, there’s a whole lifetime belonging to someone in here.’
‘That’s wonderful, I’m sure,’ Adrina said, rolling her eyes. ‘You have to help me find the one,’ she added, opening her arms to encompass the cluttered, doorless storeroom, ‘who created all this. We need to fix this veil problem, R’shiel, so we can all get on with our lives.’
‘What veil problem?’
Before R’shiel could answer, the loud buzzing noise came back.
This time, Adrina was ready for the flash of intense, terrifying light. She reached out just in time, grabbing R’shiel’s arm as the floor gave way and once again, Adrina felt herself falling.
* * * *
Chapter IX
The room was gone. Adrina had landed in a field of lush emerald grass, the undulating fields rolling away toward a line of misty hills in the distance. The sky was overcast, a gentle misty rain was falling and when she finally gained her feet, she discovered behind them a series of tall standing stones arranged in a circle.
R’shiel had fallen with her. She also climbed to her feet and looked around, but she seemed intrigued by where they’d landed, rather than alarmed by it.
‘Any idea of where we are now?’ Adrina asked, shivering in the sudden chill of the misty rain.
‘I’m not sure ...’ R’shiel studied their surroundings for a moment. ‘I’ve seen it before, but the horizon seems further away every time I come here.’
Adrina was starting to despair of ever getting any sense from the Demon Child. Maybe the Provin lad was right about something happening to the Creator — only the problem wasn’t that something physical had happened, but that he was going mad and his first victim was R’shiel. ‘So you know this place? What is it?’
The girl shrugged. ‘I don’t think it has a name yet.’
‘Do you know what that buzzing noise was? And the light?’
The Demon Child shook her head, squatting down to feel the texture of the grass. ‘It started a while ago. About the same time as the voices.’
Wonderful! Now she’s hearing voices.
‘And what did these voices of your say?’
‘Gibberish mostly,’ she said, running her hand through the damp grass without looking up. ‘They were very odd ... they sounded like they were giving instructions. Things like, lie down, ma’am, wrists on seven ... ninety-eight degrees north by north-west of the nipple ... can we have your date of birth please?’ R’shiel stood up, breathing in the aroma of the rain-soaked grass with an appreciative sigh. She smiled. ‘This place is amazing.’
Adrina wanted to stamp her foot with impatience. R’shiel was speaking nothing but nonsensical claptrap. ‘What about our world?’
‘What about it?’
‘What about it?’ Adrina repeated incredulously. ‘While you’re here chatting with the voices in your head and admiring the scenery, my girl, our world — your world too, you might recall — is falling apart. Have you forgotten that?
‘No ...’
‘Then have some mercy, at least. I’ve been pregnant forever!’
The Demon Child glanced at Adrina’s swollen belly. She reached out and placed her hand on it for a moment, smiling apologetically. ‘I wonder if you’ll have a boy or a girl.’
‘I’m beyond caring, to be honest.’
R’shiel removed her hand and studied Adrina thoughtfully. ‘Do you want a girl? Or would you rather a boy who grows up to be like his father?’
‘Hah! That would imply you’re going help me do something about my child growing up at all, doesn’t it?’
Her tone seemed to wound the Demon Child. ‘This is not my fault, you know,’ She looked past Adrina, her attention suddenly elsewhere. ‘Did you see that?’
‘See what?’
‘I’m not sure.’ R’shiel seemed puzzled. ‘I think I saw something moving, which is odd, because there’s never been anything alive here before.’ R’shiel pushed past Adrina and broke into a run, heading for the standing stones. She disappeared inside the circle. A moment later, something emitted an angry squeal, like a puppy caught in a trap, and R’shiel reappeared clutching a strange creature by the scruff of its neck. It looked like a large, animated doll dressed in an odd red suit, with tiny leather boots and jaunty green scarf tied around his neck, which R’shiel was using to maintain her stranglehold on its squirming body.
The creature wiggled furiously, trying to escape the Demon Child’s firm grasp, cursing at her in a variety of languages, his little face wrinkled with angry malice.
‘Gods!’ Adrina said. ‘What is that?’
‘I have no idea,’ R’shiel said. She lifted the creature to look him in the eye, keeping him at arms length to avoid his wildly flailing limbs. ‘What are you?’
‘I am ye death!’ the little man screeched. ‘I am ye worst nightmare! Put me down, woman, or I’ll smite ye where ye stand!’
R’shiel smiled. ‘Smite away, little one. I am the Demon Child. I smite back, you know.’
The little creature suddenly went limp, his anger forgotten. He hung in her grasp, eying R’shiel curiously. ‘Ye are the Demon Child?’
‘In the flesh. Who are you?’
‘What are you?’ Adrina added with a frown, fearful this might be the Creator. They were in serious trouble if it was.
‘I be one of the Lairds of the Leipreachán,’ the little man announced as proudly as he could while dangling by the scruff of his neck. ‘My name is ... well, it’s none of ye damned business, actually.’
‘Well, Lord None of Ye Damned Business,’ R’shiel said, ’we’re looking for the Creator. Do you know where to find him?’
The leipreachán’s eyes narrowed slyly. ‘I might. Wh
at do ye need her for?’
‘Our worlds are in danger,’ Adrina explained. ‘Falling apart. The veils between them are breaking down.’
The little old man sniggered. ‘That’s because ye are the old worlds. The Creator is done with ye.’
‘How do you know that?’ R’shiel demanded, shaking him to emphasise her point.
‘Because this be the new world,’ the leipreachán said with a smirk, opening his arms wide to indicate the rolling green hills surrounding them. ‘The old worlds will fade into nothingness as the Creator forgets all about ye.’
‘How do we stop the Creator forgetting about us, my lord?’ Adrina asked politely, wondering if R’shiel’s intimidation tactics were actually making things worse.
‘Ye have to know the magic word,’ the leipreachán said.
‘And just what, exactly, is the magic word?’ R’shiel asked.
Before the leipreachán could answer, however, the loud buzzing noise started up again.
As if he knew what was coming, the little man started wriggling again with renewed vigour as the intense light blinded all three of them. R’shiel lost her grip as the rolling, misty hills disappeared and once again, Adrina was falling.
* * * *
Chapter X
Every morning, a small brown bird flew down to eat the crumbs the High Princess of Hythria sprinkled on the sill outside the living-room window of her borrowed apartment in the Medalonian capital, the Citadel. This morning was the same as every other morning. The small brown bird flew down to eat the crumbs on the sill outside the living-room window of her apartment. The little bird landed on the very edge on the stonework, tentatively approach the crumbs, tweeting softly ... and then snatched up the fattest crumb and flew away, disappearing amidst the shining white spires of the city with its prize.
The same bird, the same time, and, Adrina was certain, the same damn crumb.
‘We did this yesterday,’ she said, climbing awkwardly to her feet as the sparrow dived and swooped away.
Damin glanced up from the scroll he was reading by the fire. As usual, he was up before she was, by the fire reading. As usual, Adrina thought it odd, because Damin wasn’t the sitting-by-the-fire type.
‘Did we?’
As usual, Damin was distracted. No, worse than that. Utterly disinterested.
‘I’ve been pregnant forever.’ The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
‘Tell me about it.’
Adrina glared at her husband — sitting there sipping mulled wine as if he didn’t have a care in the world. ‘It’s all right for you, Damin Wolfblade. You’re the wastrel who spends his days swanning around the Citadel with Tarja, pretending he’s important.’
He grinned at her.
‘I’m the High Prince of Hythria, Adrina. I am important,’ she said in unison with her husband.
Damin stared at her in surprise. ‘How did you know ... ?’
‘What you were going to say?’ she finished for him. ‘The same way I know the next thing I should say is something about how I’ve nothing to do but sit here incubating your precious Hythrun heir.’ She held up her hand before he could interrupt, adding To which you will reply that you rather thought I liked the idea of being here in Medalon because I kicked up a big enough fuss about coming along.’
Damin was studying her as if she was going a little bit mad.
‘I know ...’ Adrina sighed wearily as she stretched her aching back. ‘You think I’m crazy. So I’m going to ask you if you ever feel as if we’ve been here in the Citadel forever. You’re going to tell me you never really thought about it. And we’ll go back and forth, talk about going for a ride and such for a while until I lose my patience and throw something at you.’
Damin still couldn’t think of anything to say, although he looked like he was wracking his brain for something that wouldn’t land him in trouble. He was saved by the knock at the door to their apartment — precisely on cue.
‘That’ll be Tarja ...’ she said as Damin crossed the sitting room to open it, still looking at her like she’d suddenly sprouted a third eye in the middle of her forehead.
He opened the door and stepped back to allow their visitor into the room. Sure enough, it was Tarja.
The Lord Defender bowed politely to both of them. ‘Good morning Damin. Your highness.’
‘Good morning, Tarja,’ Adrina said. ‘Shall we go visit your prisoner?’
Tarja stared at her in surprise. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You’re hoping to borrow Damin for a while. You have a bit of a problem and think he might be able to help.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ he repeated, looking at her oddly.
‘Adrina seems to have acquired the ability to predict the future,’ Damin explained, closing the door with a decidedly worried frown. ‘It’s more than a little spooky, I have to say.’
‘I’m not prescient, Damin,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘We’ve been here before and I just want to save time. So take me to Dirk Provin. Now.’
Tarja glanced at Damin. ‘How could she know about Dirk Provin?’
‘I have no idea,’ Damin said. ‘I don’t even know who he is.’
‘He’s the prisoner,’ Tarja said, looking even more rattled than Damin, ‘claiming the world is about to end.’
* * * *
Chapter XI
The stone cellblock was dimly lit as usual, the only daylight coming from the narrow windows at the top of each cell with bars set into the thick granite blocks. Dust motes danced in the infrequent light, stirred into frenzy by their passing. Dirk Provin stood up from his pallet as they approached the bars of his cell, his expression filled with hope and expectation.
‘My Lord Defender —’
‘Don’t start,’ Tarja warned the young man. He turned to Damin. ‘Did you want some time alone with him?’
‘Damin doesn’t need time alone with him,’ Adrina declared, pushing her way forward. ‘All he’s going to tell Damin is what he’s been insisting all along: he comes from an entirely different world. His world has two suns and we speak the same language because we all come from the same Creator.’
Dirk Provin stared at Adrina with a look very similar to the one her husband and Damin had treated her to, earlier this morning.
‘How do you know that?’ he asked.
‘It’s a long story,’ Adrina said, ‘but to save time, let’s just agree that the veil between our worlds is breaking down and you crossed into your world near a place on your world called ... well, truth is, I can’t remember what it was called, but it doesn’t really matter.’
‘Omaxin,’ Dirk said, looking very unsettled. ‘It was near Omaxin.’
‘Well, there you go,’ she said, turning to Damin and Tarja. ‘Release him.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Release him,’ she repeated.
Damin asked what everyone was obviously thinking. ‘Why?’
‘Because we have to meet up with the others.’
‘What others?’ Dirk asked, even more puzzled than Damin and Tarja, who’d had a short while to get used to the fact that she seemed to know everything that what was going to happen next before it happened.
‘The two Tide Lords who are about to come crashing through the veil in a large mental monster that makes no sense to anybody. If we’re going to figure this out, we’re going to need them too, I suspect.’ She turned to Dirk. ‘You came out of the veil east of the Citadel, didn’t you?’
He took a step closer to the bars, close enough now to grip them. His fingers were bloody and swollen, but seemed to be intact. ‘You know about the veil?’
‘I do,’ she said.
‘How?’ Tarja asked, not attempting to hide the scepticism in his tone.
‘Because this has happened before, Tarja. And it keeps happening, only like Dirk Provin says, the veil is breaking down, so some of us are beginning to notice.’
Damin and Tarja s
eemed unconvinced, but Dirk was positively excited. ‘You’ve met people from other worlds?’
‘They called themselves Tide Lords. I think they have magical powers of some kind, so we’ll need their help.’
‘With what?’ Damin asked, looking at his wife as if she had gone completely mad.
Adrina paused for a moment before answering, and then shrugged. Either Damin was right and she’d lost her mind, or this was their only salvation. Right now, instinct told her the latter was her best option.
