The Fourth World

by Marina Sandoval

  “Are you saying I'm dead? I knew it!”

  Habel and Theo stared at each other; they knew it was not right, it was not Zauber’s place to give those explanations, especially not in that way.

  “Boy, that's not important... I mean, it is for you, of course. But I need you to concentrate here. We must go after the woman and then, you will not be half-dead anymore.” Zauber forced a grin.

  “I don’t think it is fair to hand her over to these sermerios.”

  The old man did not foresee this, and he forced himself to find the right words. “You don’t understand. She will not live, never again. One day, they will discover her, and they will execute her. It is useless for her to hide.”

  “I don’t know...”

  “You don’t have to worry. When you get back to life, you will remember nothing about this place or what has happened here.”

  They were silent for a while, and Zauber added earnestly, “It is a unique chance you have. They might have given you a mission you could not accomplish.”

  Hubert looked at Habel and Theo, who’d listened to everything in silence, and noticed for the first time that Theo was just like him—a human.

  “What is he doing here?” Hubert asked.

  “He's on a mission; the sermerios want me to do... one thing for them and Theo is helping me.”

  “And how will he come back to life?”

  “When I deliver what they want.”

  Once again, silence settled over them. Zauber did not take his eyes off Hubert.

  “Let's do it like this: You consider it; meanwhile, I'm going to the waterfall to find out how we can get across. Feel free to ask Habel or Theo if you need anything. But remember, we have little time... and your friends might be in danger.”

  It was the old man's last move. He got up, moved to the table, picked up some things, and left.

  “Sorry,” said Habel, as soon as the door closed. “It was the only way you could understand us...”

  Hubert looked at Theo, thinking that he, too, would apologize, but that did not happen, so he turned to Habel again. “All right, I guess... so, you work for him, too?” Hubert asked Habel in a whisper, though he didn’t know why.

  “Yes.”

  “And you trust him? Do you believe what he's asking me to do is right?”

  Habel seemed uncomfortable with the question and only replied, “It's like he said: She will die, anyway.”

  “That's not what I asked. If he asked you, would you do it?”

  She hesitated like she was searching for the right words, but nothing came out of her mouth.

  “Maybe it's better if I leave and find my way alone. First, I want to find my friends. You don’t think they truly are in danger, do you? The woman did not look dangerous.”

  “I don’t know...” Habel answered with a lump in her throat.

  Hubert got up and collapsed. Now that the numbness had passed, he felt the pain in his ankle again, which was growing increasingly swollen.

  “Wait; let me take care of you first.”

  She asked Theo for help, and they helped him walk. They crossed a wooden bridge and entered a small hut. There was a feather bed in one corner. They placed him there. Theo analyzed the wound and Habel prepared an herbal remedy.

  “Do you like working for him?” Hubert asked Theo.

  “Yes... I've learned a lot.” He barely opened his mouth to speak and Hubert did not believe a word he said.

  “Would you do what he's asking me to do? In fact, why can't you go do what he wants?”

  “Because I already have a mission... and he would not let me...”

  “But would you do it?”

  “I don't know... maybe... I... it's complicated.”

  Hubert saw the mark on Theo's hand and inquired what it was. As Theo explained, Habel took care of his ankle.

  “You should think with your own head instead of asking what we would do,” Habel said when Theo finished explaining.

  Hubert felt his face grow hotter and he replied, “It's easier to say you would do the right thing when you're not involved.”

  “Right and wrong are best friends, you know?”

  Hubert looked unconvinced and continued his reasoning. “Why should that woman's life be worth less than mine? I was about to kill myself!”

  “You still don't understand. You have a chance to live; she doesn’t. If it's not you, it will be someone else who will turn her over.”

  “I'll get you something to eat,” said Theo as he left the room. He seemed bothered by the conversation and Hubert understood that it was easier for him to feel the way he did than it was for Habel. After all, she would never have to make such a decision; this place was her world.

  “What exactly are you? A kind of angel?” Hubert asked.

  “No! I'm an Arvelian. We all have wings. It is common for humans to call us angels.”

  Hubert felt a sharp pang in his ankle. “I don't know how I got hurt like this.”

  “Must have been when you collapsed.”

  “I fell? I thought I had surfaced... it's too weird, to be honest. Hey, so, Arvelians are our angels?” Hubert's head was spinning; he wanted to understand everything at once.

  “You ask a lot of questions, you know? Well, there are four worlds. One is ours, where sermerios and other beings like me live. Then, we have the world of the Gods, the world of the dead, and your world. Angels live in the world of Gods, and Arvelians are their descendants. That is why there is a resemblance.” She lifted her hair, revealing her pointed ears.

  “I still think you're an angel.” He smiled, and they stared at each other for a while.

  Then, Theo came in with an iron tray. On it was meat, bread, and wine. Hubert ate everything without saying a word and then thanked him with his mouth full. “Do you think your... boss will let me go if I don't choose to take part in his plan?”

  They glanced at each other.

  “You don't have to do anything. I mean, you just have to obey the sermerios,” replied Theo.

  “Maybe I'd better leave before he comes back.”

  The room was silent for a moment, and Hubert was about to get up when Habel spoke. “We can help you get out of here. Then, we'll tell him you escaped without us seeing you.”

  “If he knows we helped...” Theo said.

  “He won't.”

  “And where are we going to send him? How are we going to get him out of here?”

  “I can send him to Kyla,” she said in a whisper.

  “Kyla? What does she have to do with... no! You're not thinking...”

  “She told me he was researching this.”

  “Can you two explain what you're talking about?” Hubert said angrily.

  “There's a wizard. He lives far from here, but I have a friend who works with him. She told me he's researching the possibility of getting the humans out of here without them having to go through the sermerios’ missions.”

  “If that's true, why didn’t you seek his help?” Hubert asked Theo.

  “Because I'm already fulfilling my mission! And it's a simple mission compared to others. Eventually, I'll be able to go back. I don’t want to take any chances.”

  Habel lowered her head, saying, “You don’t know if you'll be able to complete your mission. He's doing experiments on you; if anything goes wrong, you can die before he's done.”

  At that moment, the door opened and Zauber was standing there.

  Chapter VI - Zauber

  Upon seeing Zauber, Hubert shivered. Habel glared at him, and Theo walked backward until his back touched the wall.

  Zauber smiled. “So, Lorne is trying to get the humans out of here?”

  Habel opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her head was empty.

  “When did you find out about this?” said Zauber, entering the room and closing the door.

  “Just… just a few mon— days.”

  Zauber's expression changed; his smile faded; his eyebrows knitted togeth
er; his face was as stiff as his words. “I wonder why you didn’t tell me this before. Maybe I treat you too well.”

  Zauber held up his hand, and Hubert could not believe his eyes. Lightning came out of his fingertips and electrocuted her. Without thinking about what he was doing, he grabbed the tray and hit Zauber over the head with it. Stunned, the wizard fell back. Hubert hit him again, this time with more force. He pulled the knife from his boot and set the blade against the wizard's throat.

  The mage would not move; his head was bleeding and the knife was bruising his skin. “You're making a serious mistake. I could have helped you with the sermerios.”

  “I don’t want your help.”

  “If that's the way you like it.” The wizard closed his eyes.

  “Let's get out of here! Now!” shouted Theo, opening the door and running out.

  Hubert took the knife from the wizard's neck cautiously as Habel grabbed him by the arm and forced him to run. They crossed the bridge, entered the main room, and as they emerged from the front door, a shower of lightning fell inside the house. Theo was already outside, shouting for Habel. A bolt of lightning almost hit Hubert. Habel flew away, and Hubert jumped out of the house. She broke his fall, but the two of them rolled across the floor. Once they got up, they ran into the forest.

  “Let's go to my old house!” shouted Habel, flying close to them.

  Hubert was having difficulty running. Theo noticed. “I can carry you!”

  Hubert only understood what he meant when he saw him shift into a magnificent white tiger.

  Habel's old house was not far; it was a small shanty in a treetop. She flew in and threw a ladder to them.

  Hubert climbed off the tiger that had shifted back to Theo’s human form and they climbed up. They could tell she had not been there for a long time; it was filled with flowers and leaves were scattered all over the floor like cobwebs. When they emerged at the door, Habel was rummaging inside a cabinet.

  “What are we going to do?” Theo demanded. “He'll find us. It's all your fault! If you'd just kept your mouth shut…”

  “I'll send a message to Kyla. Let's go to them. The last time I talked to her, they were in the desert. Let's go that way.”

  “How do you know he will receive us?”

  “I don't! But it's the only idea I have. And Kyla speaks highly of him,” Habel said as she struggled to persuade even herself.

  “I thought you were a human!” Hubert said to Theo, unable to believe the man had just turned into a white tiger.

  “I am; what you saw is the consequence of an experiment that Zauber conducted on me.”

  Habel went to the window with a flute in her hands and played a melody, but then stopped and spoke to them. “What are you doing just standing there? Take whatever you find that might seem useful.” She played the flute again and then moved to help them.

  “What made you change your mind?” Hubert asked. But Habel was thinking of a thousand things at once and did not know what he was talking about. “At first, you seemed convinced that I had to go to these sermerios. Then you changed your mind. Why?”

  She was not sure why, and as she looked for the answer, the pink swan Hubert had seen in the lake landed at the window. Habel went to him and Hubert thought the bird looked at her tenderly. Habel took a paper, wrote on it in ink, whispered something to the swan, and it flew away. She fumbled in the cupboard again and this time, she found what she wanted. It was a small ampule with a clear liquid inside it.

  “What's that?” Hubert asked.

  “That's what will get us out of here. Stay close.”

  She threw the bottle on the floor and a little whirlwind enveloped them. Hubert felt like all the dust in the house was seeping into his eyes and he closed them tightly. Suddenly, he felt as if there was no floor underneath him, and then he was sinking.

  The wind ceased. He rubbed his eyes and when he opened them, he saw only a sea of sand.

  Chapter VII - King Grant

  The asadelis was crossing a gray, rainy sky. Its structure was like a sailing vessel, but from its sides came two wings that beat from time to time. Four Rabans on one side and four on the other controlled them. Instead of sails, there were balloons at the ends of the masts. The crew checked the fire that kept the balloons full, from time to time. All the passengers were in their rooms, for the night was cold enough to freeze the bones. Virginia and Chad were in a luxurious room in a gilded cage hanging from the ceiling, tied to each other. One of the sermerios slept on the bed. His breathing was heavy.

  But the lizard did not sleep; his eyes were fixed on the prisoners, and a chain with the key to the cage dangled around his neck.

  The others were in another tiny cabin; there were two bunk beds made of iron with thin mattresses.

  “You said we were traveling to the desert,” whispered Steven. “We need a plan to escape by the time we get there.”

  “I said we only had money to get to the desert. The sermerios paid for the journey to Sermeria. The Rabans are going to stop at the Oasis, to rest and replenish with food and water, but we can’t escape,” answered Lácio.

  “Why not? We need to try!” Steven said.

  “You don't understand. We will be in the middle of the desert. Where are we going to run to? Without supplies, with the sermerios on our asses, we will not survive three days.”

  “I have a map; we could steal supplies and escape to the nearest town,” Richard said, his confidence waning.

  There was no reply.

  “What's the problem?” Steven demanded. “Maybe it was you who informed the sermerios, and it was all a rehearsed scene.”

  “I keep my word,” Lácio replied bitterly.

  “If you were willing to kill a child, why wouldn’t you kill Virginia, too?”

  Lácio advanced towards Steven and punched him in the mouth. Richard and Proctor stepped in front of them, holding them back. Thomas remained where he was, playing with a coin.

  “I didn’t turn her over! I should not even be helping you; we have our own lives to worry about!” shouted Lácio and then he declared, “This is the only opportunity that my brother and I have to get back to life! If we run away now, they will hunt us down, and we may lose any hope for ever getting back to life again. I'm sorry, but these are the rules. You'll learn...”

  “You don’t realize what we've been through. We've been here a long time,” said Proctor. “We are not cowards who break promises and betray friends, but we’re in constant danger. You still don’t realize that. You don’t understand... It's like spending every second with a knife at your throat.”

  No one else said anything. Everyone went back to their beds and remained there, immersed in their own thoughts, until sleep took them away. Steven, however, was not sleepy. His mouth was swollen and aching. He looked around; the cabin was dark, but he could hear the others sleeping. He got up slowly and tiptoed out of the room. As soon as he closed the door, the blue-haired sermerio came towards him.

  “I didn’t realize I was a prisoner, too,” Steven said.

  “If you were, I would have already cut your legs off.”

  Steven turned and headed for the stairs. The sermerio placed himself in front of him.

  “I thought I was not a prisoner.”

  “I need to know where you're going.”

  “I'm going for a walk; I can't sleep. Want to take a walk with me?” Steven asked sarcastically.

  The sermerio smashed Steven's head against the wall, and he did it so quickly that Steven only realized what had happened when he was on the floor.

  The sermerio knelt next to him. “This is so you will learn not to be insolent. You can take your walk now.” He turned and stood guard again at the bedroom door.

  Steven had a bump on his forehead. He felt consumed by anger, but he rose and climbed upstairs. There was not much to be seen; the fog was so heavy that he could only see a few feet ahead of him. Steven moved to the edge and looked down. Still, he could only see the fog. T
he noise of the Rabans making the wings and propellers work was almost meditative, like a song, and it reminded him of the rustling of rusty doors, creaking open and closed in synchrony.

  He wanted to think of something that could help him save Virginia and Chad, but his ideas seemed like the fog, gray and scattered.

  A movement behind him made him look back; it was the Rabans, changing shifts. Steven smiled to himself; those beings were a little awkward at first, but they had a nice way about them. Most of the Rabans who worked in the asadélis were small. One, who had just gotten off his shift, saw Steven watching them and stared at him.

  “You should not be out here in the cold.” His voice, like his height, resembled that of a child, but much more determined.

  “I'm not sleepy; I'd rather stay out here.”

  The little fellow looked around and gestured for Steven to follow him. Seeing no reason to refuse, Steven followed. The crew cabins were on the opposite side of the passengers' rooms. His cabin looked like a small house; there was a hammock, a wood oven, a small table, and three benches. He gestured for Steven to sit down, and he prepared a drink for him.

  “They were not like that before the new king.”

  “Who?”

  “The sermerios.” He sat down at the table with Steven and placed an iron cup in front of him. “Drink it; you will feel better.”

  Steven was not sure if he wanted to drink it; it was a magenta liquid and it had a strong smell he could not recognize. Not wanting to be rude, Steven took a sip and found that he liked it. It tasted like cinnamon with a little spice and he felt his body warm up soon after.

  “I saw when you boarded with the woman and the child... the new king of the sermerios is called Grant, and he was the one who changed the rules of the game. Before, you would have been embraced by them...” The Raban submerged a piece of cloth in boiling water and extended it towards him.

  “There were no missions?” Steven asked, taking the cloth.

  “Put it on your mouth; it will relieve the pain. A long time ago, humans came here, and everyone thought they were ghosts. They were afraid; they fled, and humans died. It was the sermerios who discovered who the humans were and where they came from. Then, they spoke to the Gods, who placed them in charge of receiving the humans and sending them back. The Gods created three portals and scattered them throughout our world. All beings had orders to send the humans to Sermeria and help them, if possible. All the humans came back. Some died on the way; I guess their bodies could not take it, but there were no missions... everything was like this for a brief time, until one day, the Gods called on the sermerios. They realized that it was a mistake to send them all back, for death was simply the fate of some. Then came the missions. The Gods sent the Stone of Fate, which is in the palace of the King of Sermeria. The humans placed their hands on the stone and the missions appeared. It was the mission that chose the human, but Grant thought he could take advantage of the missions. He hid the stone and gave dirty work to the humans, such as killing and stealing. Whatever he considers too risky for his guards or that which can expose him; he tells the humans to do it. No one defends the humans; they don't have a tribe, and no race cares what happens to them.”