by JN Chaney
Terry sat beside Ludo across the table. Moments ago, Hux had invited them into his ship, eager to understand what sort of trouble the two of them had gotten themselves into. As Terry told the story, Hux’s smile grew wide and excited. “Ludo’s wife was taken to the border,” Terry explained. “We’re going to get her back.”
“And you killed the Lord of Three Waters,” Hux said, like it was a joke.
“There was no other way,” said Ludo, firmly.
“Your eyes are true, Little Traveler. I’m inclined to believe you. Though, if you’re planning on heading north, why take the caravan? I’ve talked to them in the market. They mentioned the routes they use. There’s at least two military checkpoints along the way.”
“Small outposts,” said Ludo. “No more than a few guards to inspect passing travelers, and the caravan is well known by them. They rarely give them trouble.”
“Rarely is not the same as never, my stout friend,” said Hux.
“It’s our only option,” Terry interjected.
“Is it?” asked Hux, taking another bite of fruit.
Terry leaned forward. “Do you know another caravan with a better route?”
“I’m all out of those,” said Hux, chewing and swallowing. “But I do have a ship.”
Terry glanced at Ludo. “Would that be faster?”
Ludo considered the question. “I am no sailor, but—”
“It’s faster, Little Traveler. I assure you,” said Hux. “If I were to take you north toward Edgewater, you could cut several days from your journey. I was heading to Tharosa after this, anyway, so the extra stop would be no trouble.”
“What about the military?” asked Terry.
“There are no checkpoints on the open seas.”
Taking a ship along the coast certainly seemed like the better alternative. The countryside had shown them no kindness, with so many enemies out to find them. Instead of moving through the chaos, perhaps they could simply go around it. “Ludo? Would you be okay with this?”
Ludo looked at the sailor across the table, then again at Terry. “Do you trust this wavemaster?”
“He risked his own safety to keep the guards from finding us. I trust him.”
Ludo gave a soft smile. “Then I shall as well.”
“Wonderful!” Hux grinned, wiping the juice from his beard. “We leave in a few hours.”
******
Hux’s ship, called the Waveguard, was a mid-sized vessel with a crew of thirteen. Apparently, his men had spent their night at the local inn, drinking and eating as they often did when visiting harbor towns. According to Hux, it was custom for the crew to leave and rest while the captain remained to watch the ship. It was his property, after all, and he had too much invested to leave it in someone else’s hands for the duration of the night.
Shortly after the two suns had risen above the horizon’s edge, the crew gathered on the deck of the Waveguard to begin the next leg of their journey. They loaded supplies, including packaged spices and ointments from the local market, which would be taken to Tharosa for selling. Hux was a trader, Terry soon discovered, whose routes took him all over the known world. Sometimes this meant Capeside and Edgewater, but other times he found himself along the desert coasts of Lexine and Free Harbor to the west. “You should join us sometime,” Hux told Terry while they waited for the crew to load the last of the cargo. “Once your journey is at an end, that is.”
Before the market had even opened, the crew of the Waveguard lifted its anchors and unfurled its green sails. The ship left the harbor, curving into the wide sea, and a breeze of salted air blew through, opening Terry’s senses.
The waves grew stronger and the water clearer the further out they went, until at last they found themselves far from the shore. The shadows of what must have been fish swam a short way below the water’s surface, dispersing as the vessel floated by. Facing Capeside, Hux raised his outstretched hand, closing his left eye and hiding the town behind his thumb.
“When will you come back here?” asked Terry.
Hux lowered his hand. “My route takes me all over the world. It’ll be a year before I come this way again.”
“And your home?” asked Terry. “How often do you go back?”
Hux glanced at him sideways and grinned. “The sea is my home, just as it is for every wavemaster.”
“What’s a wavemaster?” asked Terry, having heard the term several times by now.
Hux raised his brow. “You’ve never heard of us?”
“Should I have?”
Hux laughed. “Everyone knows of the wavemasters.”
“I don’t,” Terry admitted, shrugging.
“You must truly be from far away, Little Traveler, to not have heard the stories they tell.” Hux ran a finger through his mangled beard. “The wavemasters control the four seas. We travel all over the world. Some do trades, like me. Others explore, both above and below. You would be surprised at the wonders resting far beneath your feet.”
“So, wavemasters are sailors?” asked Terry.
Hux let out another chuckle. “Don’t be absurd, my friend. A wavemaster is much more than a simple sailor. They’re a force of nature.”
“Captain,” called one of the crew, motioning for him. “One of the barrels is leaking. Should we toss it?”
“Excuse me,” Hux said, dismissing himself. He stepped away to join the crewmate.
Terry stood alone, watching the distant town of Capeside grow smaller by the second. It would still be a while before his gifted eyes could no longer see it, but eventually it would be lost to the horizon, replaced by a sea of dancing waves, bending in the light.
******
Bravo Gate Point
February 11, 2351
John waited inside the portal room for Mei to arrive with her team. Brooks had spent the last day trying to fix the com system, but it only grew worse with each passing hour.
John placed his pack on the floor near the entrance, then leaned against the wall, scratching a small hole in his jacket with his index finger.
Mickey and Track stood to the right of the gate, tossing a tiny ball around. The toy had originally belonged to Track’s sister, who gave it to him the last time he left Central. John didn’t mind him having it. Anything to keep the boys busy and their minds occupied while they sat down here, essentially doing nothing.
A slight vibration ran along the wall. The beginning of the activation process, no doubt, as the machines kicked on and began receiving Mei’s signal.
In seconds, the space between the giant ring filled with darkness, fluttering like a curtain in the wind, morphing into a clear and present image—a door to the other side.
The formation surprised Track, who fumbled with the ball and let it go. The toy bounced high, falling onto the raised platform nearby, and finally into the gate itself. John watched as it continued to bounce, disappearing to one side, out of view.
A woman’s laugh soon followed. “Who’s throwing things?” she asked. It sounded like Zoe.
“Sorry!” called Track.
A moment later, three figures appeared on the other side of the gate. Mei, Bartholomew, and Zoe.
Mei turned around and motioned to someone. “Five hours, Sophie. Don’t forget.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she answered.
John watched as the three scientists stepped through the portal, waving at them and smiling. As they ascended the ramp, he raised his arms. “Welcome to the party.”
“Is there any cake?” asked Zoe.
“I think Short has some frosted crackers in her pack, if that counts.”
She scrunched her nose. “Sounds great.”
“So, you’re already having issues, huh?” asked Bart. “No surprise. This is what you get for not bringing me along.”
Mei looked up at him. “Don’t start with that again. You know I need you back at camp.”
“It’s like she’s loaning you out,” said Zoe.
Bart scowled. “I’ll loa
n you out.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure you will.”
“Focus, you two,” ordered Mei. “John, where’s Brooks? She should be here to hand over her notes to Bart.”
“Don’t bother,” said Bart. “Just give me some space and a few hours. I’ll get there faster on my own.”
“Brooks has been working all day on it,” said John.
“She’s not an engineer, is she?” asked Bart.
“No, but—”
“Then she’s worthless to me.” He looked around. “Is there a repeater nearby? Let’s start there.”
John waved Mickey over. “Show Bart here where the signal repeater is.”
“Yes, boss. Anything else?”
“When he’s done, escort him to the surface.”
“You got it,” said Mickey.
Bart started to follow him to the back of the room. “Don’t let me catch you hovering.”
John turned back to Mei. “Where to?”
“Zoe’s here to check on the flippies while I collect some soil samples,” explained Mei.
“Mortimer’s battery died so I’m swapping it,” said Zoe, holding up a small box.
“Track can escort you around,” said John, nodding at the soldier.
“Is that the guy who threw this ball at us?” she asked, opening her palm to show the toy.
“The same,” he said.
Zoe turned to Track. He sat at the base of the ramp staring at the floor. “Hey, you. Guy.”
He blinked, looking up. “Huh?”
She tossed the ball at him. “Catch!”
Track threw his hands in the air to try and grab it. He missed, and the ball bounced into the corner. “Thanks!” he said, running after it.
“Guess I’ll see you guys when I’m done,” said Zoe.
“Looks like the kids are taken care of. You ready to head out?” John asked Mei.
“Sure. Did you manage to capture another animal for me?”
“Not yet, but we’re working on it. There’s a pond in the woods with some kind of snake thing in it.”
“You never mentioned that in the last report,” she said.
“Too busy worrying about the com system. We also found a tree.”
“Huh?”
“Not just any tree,” he pointed out. “A red one!”
“Oh, my,” she said, placing her hand on her chest, feigning excitement.
“That’s right. I’ve got a whole list of things you can gawk at.”
“My, my,” she said, wrapping her hand around his arm. “You sure do know how to show a girl a good time.”
******
John led Mei to the eastern edge of camp. “It’s a walk to get there,” he told her when speaking of the red tree. “Twenty minutes or so.”
She scoffed. “Easy.”
John laughed, and together they headed east. Along the way, they passed through a small forest where his team had come the day before. Some of the trees had been marked with white lines to show the correct path.
The woods came out into wide and open plains, cerulean grass beneath their feet. The crimson tree lay further still, standing tall with outstretched limbs, towering above like a red cloud in a blue sea.
Mei stopped when she saw it, her eyes widening.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” asked John.
“It’s beautiful,” she muttered.
A set of hills rose in the distance, blocking the horizon. “What’s over there?” asked Mei.
“We don’t know,” he admitted. “Could be more of the same. Could be something new.”
They sat together at the base of the tree, a blanket of red and orange leaves beneath them, staring out into the blue fields. Mei leaned against his arm. “It makes you wonder what else is waiting for us out there.”
They stayed there a long time.
******
John sat in the kitchen with his hands in his lap, dangling his little feet beneath his chair, waiting for his mother to finish making lunch. Soy burgers, she had promised him, but he’d have to stay quiet if he wanted some. He tried his best to keep from fidgeting, but it was tough. He had so much energy.
His mother stood next to the stove, cutting open a box of frozen patties. One at a time, she dropped the burgers on the countertop with a light thud. John wished he was bigger. He wanted to help. Maybe if he did, the food would get there faster. He wouldn’t be little forever, though. One day he’d be big and tall, just like his brother Trevor.
John had never met his brother, but Mother showed him pictures all the time. “He’s so smart,” she would say. “He always gets the highest grades in class. Trevor’s on the fast track to the Science Division. Just think, Johnathan. You’ll have a brother who’s a scientist! He’s coming home next year, too, so you’ll get to meet him. Isn’t that nice?”
John liked to think so. Having a brother seemed like fun. Maybe Trevor could tell him some cool stories. It really didn’t matter, so long as he was kind.
His mother flipped the soy burger box around and began reading. “Let’s see now,” she said to herself, studying the directions. She turned around to look at Johnathan, revealing a large, swollen belly. “Ten minutes and they’ll be ready, okay?” She smiled.
He grinned as wide as he could. “Okay!”
His mother placed her hand on her hip. “Whew,” she said, exasperated. “Your little sister is killing me.”
John laughed. “She wants burgers, too!”
His mother rubbed her stomach. “And watermelon, if my cravings are right.”
“Gross,” said John, and he made a stinky face.
A buzzer rang through the apartment, startling them. His mother went to the box on the wall and tapped it. “Hello,” she said.
“Samantha?” asked a voice on the other end. “It’s Raine.”
“Hey! How is everything?”
“Oh, you know how it is. Go here, go there. I’m always on the run,” she said, laughing.
John ignored the conversation. Grown-up talk was so boring. Even worse, it meant he’d have to wait longer to get his hands on one of those burgers.
“Well, I’d like to get lunch with you, Raine, but I have to wait for Mr. Huxley to come by tomorrow.”
“Is it evaluation time already?” asked the lady on the phone.
Mother looked at John and frowned. “Yes, I’m afraid it is. My little man is growing up.”
“Hard to believe,” said Raine. “My son’s got his eval next week. Doesn’t seem like it’s been four years, does it? Only three more to go until our boys are gone. Off to bigger and better things.”
Mother’s eyes dipped. “Oh, of course. I suppose so.”
John squirmed in his seat. “Mommy, I’m hungry.”
“One second, honey,” she answered. “Raine, I have to go. Johnny’s getting—”
“I heard,” said Raine, giggling. “Hey, I’ll see you after the evals, hm? We’ll definitely catch up. I have so much to tell you. I’ve heard some crazy rumors lately that you would not believe.”
“Sounds good, hon. You take care.” She disconnected the call. “Sorry, Johnny. We’ll eat in just a second.”
John clapped his hands. “Yay!”
She placed the food in the oven, setting the timer for ten minutes. “Alright, there. Now we sit back and wait. Sound good?”
He nodded. “Sounds good!”
She grabbed another chair and placed it next to him, then sat down. “It’s hard to believe you’ll have a new sister in three more weeks,” she told him. “When Trevor gets here, we’ll have all three under one roof.”
“Trevor!” he exclaimed.
She smiled at him, brushing the side of his hair, then looked again at the box on the wall. John watched as her smiled morphed into a frown. “Bigger and better,” she muttered.
“Mommy?” he asked, tugging on her dress. “What did the lady say?”
“Huh? Oh.” She paused. “Don’t worry about that stuff, alright? It’s just grown up
nonsense.”
He nodded, but didn’t understand.
She wrapped her arm around him and pulled him closer. “You know I love you, right, Johnny?” she asked, suddenly.
He nodded. “Yeah, Mommy. Course I do.”
She squeezed him tight, then kissed the top of his head, pressing her cheek into his hair. It tickled, and he laughed. “You remember that, Johnathan,” she whispered. She began to tremble. “No matter what else happens, always remember I love you.”
******
John opened his eyes to a bright afternoon light. Vast, blue plains stretched before him, and a red-leafed tree stood overhead. He licked his lips and yawned.
He felt movement on his chest. “Something wrong?” asked Mei, shifting to look at him. Her eyes were heavy, same as his. How long had they slept here together?
“I had a dream,” he said, softly.
“What about?” she asked.
He thought back to it, trying to remember the details, but already they were fading. “I was a kid, I think.”
“Oh? Was it a memory?”
“Yeah,” he said, and his eyes drifted to the ground. “I think my mom was in it.”
John felt Mei’s hand squeeze his fingers. He turned to look at her, only to see her smiling at him. “Let’s go check out those hills,” she said. “What do you say?”
“Sure. You think we’ll find anything?” he asked.
She gave him a playful shrug. “Only one way to find out, right?”
They walked through the valley, away from the red-leafed tree. The hillside slope wasn’t nearly as steep as it had seemed, and John found he could easily get his footing. His boots were made for this, grabbing and clinging to the hardened earth, and together he and Mei pulled themselves to the top in no time. As the horizon came into view, John heard a faint rumbling somewhere far into the distance.
“What is that?” John scanned the new countryside with his eyes. More of the valley lay ahead, with a blanket of trees beyond it. Further still, a couple of mountains pierced the sky, though they were encased in heavy clouds.
Mei tilted her head, listening, waiting. “I hear it!” she snapped, after a bit. “It’s getting louder.”
