A Paradox in Retrograde

by Faherty, John

  Somehow Landaus and Xora had not followed in step as the others had. By the time Ananda had finished speaking, among those there in the room there was a sense of wide eyed enthusiasm that seemed out of step with their situation. Speaking to Xora Landaus said, "Lady Xora doesn't something about this seem a bit odd to you? Only moments ago these people here were no more than a strife filled rabble. Now they move like a well-honed blade, moving of one accord."

  "Yes it is odd Landaus, but there is more to this story that you don't yet know. Come with me Landaus there is something you need to see."

  Though few of the men and woman who had stood there listening could easily grasp these concepts, there were enough of them that they might take a shot at it. In the days that followed those best able to understand the concepts seemed to gravitate toward those tasks more suited to their abilities. This may havebeen perhaps due to very subtle suggestion laid out by Ananda. There was much work to be done however Ananda was correct inthat there was no need to manufacture these devices from scratch for these parts stolen from the scout ships would need merelyto be augmented.

  Chapter 10

  For several hours the work inside the once peaceful hall had been proceeding at a hectic pace. While most were otherwise fixated toward their tasks, Ibsen walked about virtually unnoticed. He watched as people and machinery jostled for position within the repurposed boundaries of a space not designed for such use. Despite this apparent chaos amongst these people toiling there within the space he sensed an unexpected calmness that seemed quite out of character. These usually demonstrative faces as they passed him by seemed emotionless, almost blank in expression. He was beginning to feel as if he were alone in a crowd of strangers. He was uncomfortable among them and desperately wanted no parts of it. However, drawn there he was none the less. While the adults had focused their attentions to their assigned tasks, his own were drawn inexplicably elsewhere. To this end it was then by no small measure helpful that Ibsen, unlike those around him seemed to possess some kind of immunity to Ananda's unnatural gifts of persuasion. Though he thought that he may be in fact deluding himself, he was content to be again alone with his own fixations. He would strive therefore to not allow himself to be as easily captivated as the others seemingly were.

  Left to his own devices then he would attend now to his precious if forgotten artifact. For him the object still held an unexplainable fascination. Although it seemed illogical he somehow sensed that the object was waiting for someone or something. This feeling was so strong that he was sure of it. Early on after its discovery, upon the island there had been much fascination in this strange object. However despite all the fruitless attempts by the finest minds on Baldur to release its secrets, with each passing day its mystery grew deeper. Even Ananda himself had failed to gain access into its secret workings. But not long after his arrival interest in this object was soon eclipsed by the sudden and mysterious appearance of this stranger among them. The object having been so abandoned would now play into Ibsen’s favor. For within it he pondered there must contain a far greater mystery. If he could be alone with it he knew he would somehow get to the bottom of it.

  Though he probably had no need to disguise his whereabouts he waited until the stairway vestibule was unattended. Looking around he saw that there was no one in sight. Sensing that his timing was right he made a quick dash up the stairs. Climbing out from the drafty stairwell, he came to the top of the landing. There he found a most unusual sight. Before him now was an image, familiar yet oddly different. Though it looked real enough it held the strange quality and feel of a dream. There the space within the hall was a kind of mirror image of the one he had known and it was possessed of a quietude he had never known, like that of death. Despite his young age he rightly concluded that he had entered another reality. “What is this place?" he asked aloud. Like his father had taught him he kept his fear in check. Undaunted he carefully stepped through the threshold into another world perhaps related yet different. He wandered on for a few moments until he came upon the object of his obsession. There in an out of the way alcove, he saw his unguarded possession safely stowed. For a moment he observed the object now lying on its side propped slightly up off the floor. There it seemed to glow with a diffused internal light. From its strange metallic surface a dull sheen seemed to unnaturally reflect back morelight than was shone on to it. He moved closer and as he did this ethereal light seemed to respond by glowing more intensely with each step closer that he moved. Soon he was on top of it. Placing his hands upon its metallic skin, from within it he immediately sensed a shuddering movement. Without warning he was engulfed in a brilliant expanding pulse of energy emanating from the object. This energy had seemingly past straight through his body without leaving any observable mark or sign of injury. The walls around him were painted now in a dazzling light. In an instant all was quiet and colors of the world around him subtly shifted toward the blue end of the spectrum. Ibsen in shock turned and looked around. As if he had gently slipped through another crack in time, into some bizarre limbo. Other than those made by him the world was devoid of sound and movement. Swiftly he ran down the stairs toward the auditorium. As he moved, his feet as they hit the ground made no sound. A moment later he found those same men he had earlier seen. All work had come to a sudden stop. He looked again and saw all those there including his father frozen, immovable where they had stood. He called out to them, and his calls went unheard and unanswered. Suddenly he heard someone speaking to him within his thoughts, in a voice as clear as if he had heard it with his own ears. "Ibsen my son, do not be afraid. There is important work for you." He looked around however he saw no one. He had heard of how men who had lost their minds often heard voices. "Surely I am too young to have lost my senses?" he asked out loud. He somehow knew this was real. Into the silence he cried out, "Who are you?"

  After a moment there appeared within as if emanating from midair, a vaporous blue haze. Before his eyes the mist formed from a jumble of pixels into a facsimile of a human form and began to appear as if to speak. The voice again filled his mind, "I am Amida; I have come as I always have to restrain my brother. The cycle again is complete and again it is my brother's intention to break it."

  This was quite a bit for one so small to understand. And in a plaintive voice Ibsen responded, "But I am only a child. How has this come to me? My father is the Colonel of the royal guard surely he is the one you want."

  The ball of light again spoke; "It was not I who sought you out.

  It was you who sensed my presence and it is you who shall be my voice. Do not worry no harm shall come to you by my hand. You may of course refuse but then I may not be able to help save your world. It was recorded that on a future day a wave of destruction the likes of which never before seen shall descend upon the Earth, and an age of Darkness shall again fall."

  It was now plain to the spirit that this boy upon whose face held an expression of despair and confusion was ill prepared for such a role. Observing these expressions, in an attempt to comfort him, the spirit again spoke. "Do not despair young Ibsen. You are not alone. Even now I have begun to make preparations. For if the day is ours to win, we shall have forced that destiny off yet a little while longer perhaps indefinitely. In the meantime, I would ask you to go and await my return to the crystal room. Do you know how to find it? Your father and Lady Xora will be there too. There is much he can help explain to you. The voice he heard rang clear and true, and its message gave him solace. Young Ibsen now put at ease nodded his head agreeably. Though he little understood what he was agreeing to, he somehow knew he was meant to follow him. The spirit recognized this and responded by ordering him away. "Now run along, I will find you there shortly." He was glad that he had somehow found the right words and they had done the trick. The shroud of light that held the boy in limbo was lifted and the face of the world was again as he had known it. As if he had never moved Ibsen had returned to the spot where the vision had begun. His face now shining with a renewed p
urpose, he realized that he was safe and free. So there to the temple he would obediently run. There his father would be and all sense would then be made of it.

  Passing effortlessly through the stone floor the ball of light descended as if the barrier did not exist. Within the darkened cell the aura of the hovering spirit found itself floating above the unlucky prince. He looked down with pity onto the alien child held there within. Faintly the sound of his voice filled the chamber, "To stay here, he would surely die. You shall be rescued." The captive child though cold and frightened had yet succumbed to his exhaustion. Though on the floor of his cell, he lay asleep his spirit was yet unbroken. Within the veil of sleep his dreams came easily. In this twilight trance he ran as his ancestors did, through the midst of a hunt. With a makeshift spear in hand he bounded through the primeval forest not unlike the prey he chased. He was gaining ground on the beast by sheer force of will. The chase however was not for the weak. He was running so fast he felt as if the cage of his chest would burst. His heart beat wildly, growing more and more erratic the nearer he drew to his prey. It was just then that he became conscious to the dream. For despite all of the heavy breathing, there was no prey and he was still confined to his wretched cell. Though he was most definitely alone, his senses told him otherwise. He rose up as best as he could into a defensive stance. It was just then that a voice spoke directly to his mind without a sound being uttered. Speaking in a deep velvet tone, the voice said, "young one, do not be afraid. I have come to help you. There are others here."

  Looking around he saw no one. The child feeling entitled, with all the bravado he could muster responded in disgust. "Humans? It is unbecoming for a prince to intermingle amongmy specie's prey. I would rather die here with honor."

  The voice in his head again spoke, "I suspect you are too young to understand the meaning of such a word. However, if your intention is to die, then that too can come to pass. If that truly is your will, I will not stand in your way. If that is not your intention, and if you desire to live past this day, you will listen. For my brother's plan is to use you to draw your people out. In this plan you and your people will most certainly die. With your help I will not allow this to happen. So if you wish to survive, you will obey me. And if you do value your species, you would do well to carefully follow my instructions to the letter. Do you understand? What say you then?" He waited for some sign after a brief moment the child nodded his head to acknowledge he did. "Good, that settles it. Soon the destruction of both of your worlds will be upon us. So lift up your head and be awake." There in his cell his head rose up off the cold stone floor. Awaking from a dream within a dream he was confident now that he was still in captivity. However he was not alone for he sensed now that same familiar presence. Though he could see no one there, the door to his cell as if by some miracle, opened wide before him.

  Grunhuf the Lord Mayor had been among those in attendance. His minor wounds sustained in the fighting had by this time been well tended to. Though still weary from his ordeal, his spirits had shown some improvement. It was however evenly possible that this change in his demeanor was due either to a suggestive state or the ordeal of battle. Either way since that afternoon his spirit was energized more so than he could ever remember. He found himself for the moment at a loss because there was no way he could help with the technical effort. Despite having followed Ananda's presentation he possessed no such technical skill. He found he would have to be content walking about brandishing the sheathed sword that he proudly wore in a sash around his waist. Part of him knew this was beneath him. However he was conspicuously drawn to this emotion to somehow participate in this undertaking.

  Landaus while staring blindly at the activity swirling around him, a flutter came to his eye. It was then as if startled from a waking sleep that he had a sudden moment of clarity. To his utter surprise he realized that he had willingly surrendered his command, and committed his forces to battle on no more than the words of a mysterious stranger. The evidence was surely there, he had let his side down. He wondered by what guile he had been so dispossessed. He could not even recall when the transition had taken place. Xora standing by him immediately noticed the marked change come over him. "Landaus are you feeling alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost." "Xora you spoke earlier of Ananda. You said that there was something important you needed to tell me."

  "Yes." she said, "There is something you should hear but I fear that it's not safe here. We should leave from here and speak away from prying eyes and ears."

  Just then from across the hall Grunhuf as if by precognition seemed to catch their gaze. He somehow sensed their suspicions. Crossing the room he approached them in a quick step. He greeted them, "Lady Xora, Landaus how are you both? I hope all is well." "And you Grunhuf" responded Landaus. The Lady merely nodded. Grunhuf with a sullen look upon his face asked, "Landaus how is it that we find ourselves here preparing to meet our enemy and you are standing in the shadows? I'vegot to tell you, I'm surprised. You should be there devising tactics or training men. I think that if I had half of your abilities and know how, I would be at the forefront. What say you Landaus?"

  Landaus looked at his old friend and could not imagine who he was. He had a known Grunhuf for most of his adult life. His behavior though not contrived seemed ill suited to this generally rational man. He thought carefully for a response before he spoke. "Grunhuf it is not your place nor is it appropriate for you to question me in such a manner. But if you must know I am preparing for a clandestine operation whose planning was well beyond your pay grade. Despite your ill conceived notions my first duty is to Baldur and the Royal family, and your need to know, is a distant last." This exchange had raised Grunhuf’s blood pressure to the point that his round head had turned bright red with anger.

  He did not immediately respond, he merely stood tapping his fingers nervously on the hilt of his sword. With aglare in his eye he said, "I think you've made yourself perfectly clear Landaus. If I could give you a bit of advice it would be that you should be careful with what you say in the future. Unless you haven't noticed, things are changing pretty quickly around here. You may wake up to find yourself on the wrong end of things. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important work to do." Grunhuf turned and walked away.

  Landaus stood silent for a moment until Grunhuf’s ear was out of shot range. Then he whispered to Xora. "What was that about? I've got a strange and creepy feeling from him. It's as if he were possessed."

  Xora caught a similar vibe and said, "I'm feeling it too." It was for this reason that as they exited the auditorium, Xora and Landaus would be careful to do so quietly and out of sight to Grunhuf. Though they wanted their absence to go unnoticed, it was however to no avail, for Grunhuf had already been watching them. Doing his best to act natural he watched them as they attempted to slip out of the building. Being that there was little else for him to do there; he decided he would do abit of detective work by discreetly following them. As to not be noticed, he allowed them a good fifty meters head start. Hidingin a doorway he observed them as they exited the hall and made their way toward the temple complex of Breideblic. He thought it strange that these two should be such allies. He suspected that there among them was perhaps the seed of dissent. As they passed out of sight under the stone entry of the temple, Grunhuf raced as best as he could across the avenue after them.

  After several minutes Xora and Landaus had arrived at the entrance of the crystal room, only to find that there were others already there waiting. Xora was surprised that the room had recognized others outside of her presence. It was difficult for them to see through the pulsating light whose images were there silhouetted. There was also something there she could only sense. A moment later there suddenly within the light of the chamber there appeared a presence Xora had never before felt or seen. She called out to James, "James report, what is happening here? She listened as the halting stutter of machine consciousness blinked in and out of existence. Power levels fluctuated wildly and the room was
alive with sound and light. After several minutes of this the power abruptly fell to zero. All within the room was then quiet and dark, save for a growing ball of shimmering blue light. An instant later the power came back up and a cacophony of voices rang out like a chorus of bells. The voices settled into a murmur and the ball of shimmering light transformed into a rather convincing avatar of a man. His features like Ananda's were dark with piercing eyes and an angular face. Beside it, there within the Illuminated sphere of light were the figures they had earlier glimpsed. Landaus was momentarily at a loss for words as he recognized those figures to be those of his son Ibsen and the captive child. Though still confused he forced his words to return. "What is happening, and how can it be that my son is here? You had no right to take him here. He is only a child." Landaus in a rage lunged forth to attack the apparition. Though he should have known better he was surprised as his hands passed unhindered through the body of the ghostlike image. He stepped back in confused amazement. The spirit spoke, to allay their growing dismay. "I am sorry for taking such liberties however the circumstances now dictate that action be taken as soon as possible. I assure you that no harm will come to either of these boys. I have come only to offer assistance so that your world may avoid the destruction that had befallen my own."