by C. A. Farlow
“Quiet, please. My head is not ready for loud noises.” A honey-tinged alto voice rang in Lauren’s head and made her smile.
“Sorry about that, but I can’t stand drool. And Ice knows it. She did that on purpose.” Lauren glared at the wolf.
Alex lifted her head. “Hello, Lauren.”
“Hello. Do you mind letting go of my hand?” But the pain was not the only thing Lauren felt. Astonishment, too. “Wait, I can hear you.”
“Of course, you can hear me. I am speaking to you.” Alex released her hand and Lauren felt cold. Must be a reaction to the burn.
“No, what I mean is, I can understand you. Before I couldn’t, and the wolves were translating in my head. Now I hear your voice.”
Alex nodded. “As I, too, can now understand you. The wolves are my bonded companions. I can hear them, because I am bound to them as they are to me. I do not understand how you are able to hear them, but I am grateful you can. I am sure you would be even more lost were we not able to communicate.”
Lauren glanced down at her hand. Too true. I would be totally freaked instead of only half freaked. I’m acting like an idiot. Alex needs my help, focus on that not on yourself.
Alex chuckled. “I do not think you are an idiot. I think you are a highly intelligent and resourceful woman. One whom I am lucky to have met when I did, or I would be dead or a prisoner now. I owe you a heartfelt apology for the delay in my properly thanking you for your aid.”
Lauren leaned away from Alex, tilting her head. “How did you hear me? I called myself an idiot, but I thought it.”
“Because I can hear your thoughts. It seems we are bound as well.”
Lauren gasped. “That’s not possible.” Lauren’s fear drove her to her feet in an attempt to distance herself from Alex and the companions. Snow huffed and rolled onto her side, still asleep. I can’t be bonded to Alex, or anyone else for that matter. I can’t be part of a relationship. It never works. Focus on the immediate needs: Alex’s injuries, getting her back to her home, getting myself back home. Thoughts whirled through Lauren’s bruised mind. And I’m certainly not bound to another without my consent.
Lauren stepped out of the sled. Everything that had happened coalesced into a blinding fear. Moving to the far wall, she raised her hands, trying to create a physical barrier. “Please just leave me alone. I don’t understand what’s happening. I’ll continue to care for you as I promised. I’ll help you get home. But nothing more than that.” Overwhelmed, Lauren hugged herself.
Alex slowly approached Lauren. “I cannot make it stop. I do not understand all that is happening to you or to us. Somehow, you crossed a nexus membrane from your reality into mine. Something only my family can do. In doing so, you bonded with my companions and then with me. Something else only my family can do. But you have done all these things. That is all I know. That is why you can hear us in your mind, and we can hear you. That is how you are learning my language, and I am learning yours. I understand that you feel lost. We may all be lost. There is only one thing to do and that is to make it back to Fuar Ćala.” Reaching out, Alex gently laid her hand on Lauren’s arm, and Lauren felt an electric shock shoot up her arm.
Lauren recoiled. “Please don’t touch me. I’ll care for your injuries and get you back to Fuar Ćala as safely as I can, but then I’ll go back to my cave and try and find a way back to Colorado.”
Alex pulled her hand back. “All right, I will not touch you, but the situation remains the same. We are bound. The bond is what you felt when I touched you. And it is growing.” Alex rocked back and hung her head. “I must reach my home. I must warn the Keep that the Comin may have crossed the nexus.”
Lauren pushed past Alex, her thoughts too jumbled to make sense of. “I said I’d help you, but I won’t stay after that. I need some air and some space to think. I need some distance from you and talking animals for just a bit.” Always the physician, she added over her shoulder, “You need to settle down and get some rest. I won’t be far. If you need me send one of your companions. And I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Lauren left the cave, thinking some distance would do her some good, but somehow she knew in her heart she couldn't escape this reality.
Chapter Seven
LAUREN CLIMBED A SMALL hill a short distance from the cave. Anguish tore through her. She'd always kept her emotions in check. Never revealing herself to others. Never being introspective. Well, except with Jamie. Worry resurfaced as she thought of Jamie. He was her friend.
She always knew where she was going. Always! She’d never been lost before. It didn’t matter if she was working or in school, she always had a focus, a project to guide her, a goal to accomplish, a direction to go. But here she was lost, lost in a world she didn’t know, with beings from another race, another world even. Where they could hear her thoughts. No privacy. Here it would be impossible for her to maintain the emotional distances she needed to protect herself from others.
She sat down, overwhelmed by all these emotions. What could she do? Relaxing back on her hands, she looked up. The celestial sphere arced across the night sky. The stars didn’t twinkle here. They blazed and flared, and tonight there was no moon to mute their brilliance. So small. This was her only conscious thought. She lost herself in the multitude of stars.
As her mind quieted, other questions came to her. How did I choose a direction? You never asked yourself, did you? You just followed one direction and then another and another. All the directions just flowed one into the other, creating a meandering path through your life. Did you ever choose a direction or did you let the direction choose you? Lauren huffed at herself.
It’s not about the direction. It’s about the journey. She heard her grandfather’s age-mellowed voice in her head. And your life’s journey has brought you here. It doesn’t matter where here is, at least not right now. It matters that you are here. So, what are you going to do about it?
She watched shooting stars trail across the sky. For all the marvels that the night sky held, she realized that the life as she knew was over. That’s it. It’s in the past, and Lauren couldn’t change it. At least she couldn’t change the past in her reality. Here, she wasn’t sure what was possible.
Thoughts of “here” threatened to break her fragile grasp on calm. But what was reality really? Nothing but a construct of presumptions people took for granted. What are the facts? The universe was made up of galaxies. A galaxy was made up of solar systems—stars and their planets. Earth revolved around one such star. North was one way and south another. The day was twenty-four hours long. Wait a minute. Stars! What did I see back in the Zirkels when I was trying to find my way back to the trailhead? I was looking for the North Star.
Lauren knew the North Star was a celestial body that was aligned with the rotational axis of the Earth. What does that mean? That alignment makes the North Star appear to be in a fixed position above the Earth. But the universe is expanding. And our galaxy is moving. And, if the Milky Way galaxy is rotating, then over time the star that is the North Star would change.
The axis of the Earth was tilted. Therefore, as the Earth rotates, the axis scribes a circle—making the planet appear to wobble about its axis. The planet would act like the handle of a toy top, which scribes a circle as it’s rotation slows down. With a rotating galaxy and a wobbling Earth, the star that occupies the position above the Earth’s axis would change through time. Does this reality even have a North Star? Probably.
Lauren continued to muse. If this is a parallel universe, then it's possible that more than the geography on this planet would be the same. The talking animals and humans that physically and emotionally bond with one another came from another planet. But other parts of the physical realm on this planet should be the same as on her Earth.
What did Professor Chowdury say? Think. Come on, dust off that cerebral file cabinet from Astronomy 101. He said, ‘Over time, various stars occupied the position in line with the rotational axis and were the North Star.’
It hasn’t always been Polaris. The Egyptians would have recognized Thuban in the constellation Draco, as their North Star. And five thousand years in the future of Lauren’s time, Deneb in constellation Cygnus would be the North Star. So, if I can figure out which star is the current North Star? Or South Star? If I know the star, can I figure out when I am? Would that help me reconcile where I am? Perhaps.
Lauren stared at the sky, lost in her internal game of what ifs. I can locate Polaris using Ursa Major. She narrowed her eyes, slowly pinpointing the huge dipper-shaped constellation. There it is. What constellation is in the polar position now? She searched her memory for the name as she stared at the constellation in the shape of a kite. Lyra! She shifted her gaze to the bright star at the end of its tail. What was the name of that star? Vega! One of the brightest stars in the northern heavens of her world. Excitement coursed through Lauren. If I stay here, and Vega doesn’t move away from its position in the sky then I know what the new North Star is.
Lauren crossed her legs to wait, watching the stars move across the heavens. After an hour or so, Lauren again looked to find Vega. It hadn’t moved, though the other constellations had moved around it. Ok then, Vega is the North Star in this time. Lauren knew that Vega sits opposite Polaris on the circle circumscribed by Earth’s rotational axis. She shook her head. She knew it took Earth’s axis twenty-six thousand years to scribe one rotational circle. So I must be about thirteen thousand years away from my time. In the future or in the past?
As Lauren continued to try and find herself in space and time, she felt Ice creep into the tree line. She’s keeping watch over me. She heard the wolf grumbling about the cold and lack of dinner. She’s uncomfortable. Lauren picked up random thoughts at the edge of her consciousness. Ah, Ice. She couldn’t believe she was out in the night freezing her butt off, missing dinner, to watching this crazy one pace back and forth in the night. The stray thoughts got clearer as Lauren focused on them.
“Snow should have come out here, but no, Alex had to make me do it. I do not even like this human. If she even is human.”
Well at least Ice and I agree on something. But I’m not crazy, just frightened, lost, overwhelmed. Lauren struggled to catalogue her emotions, so she gave up on that and went back to her astronomy puzzle.
Okay, I know approximately when I am. What else do I know? Still looking up at the sky, Lauren realized that she hadn’t seen any satellites orbit by. That explains why my phone and GPS handheld don’t work. She sighed. That really does make this a different world. Humans leave an imprint everywhere they go on my world. So what do I have here to find my way? Only her broken compass that pointed in the wrong direction. In this universe, what if that isn’t the wrong direction, but the right direction? If my north equals Alex’s south, what does that mean? What would cause the compass directions to change? Lauren knew how a compass worked, aligning its magnetic needle with the magnetic field of the Earth. But what if the magnetic field of the Earth was different here? What could cause that? The polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field flips every hundred thousand years or so. This flipping was recorded in volcanic rocks around the globe. When a flip occurred, north would be south and south would be north.
I would be in the future, then. In her time, north was still north and had been through the recent geological past. But the planet was nearing the end of that period of magnetic stability. Maybe a polar reversal happens sometime in the future. Ok, I can work with that.
I’m on Earth, thirteen thousand years in the future based on Vega being the current North Star. And a magnetic reversal has occurred that caused the poles to switch. This planet is Earth, maybe not my Earth, but an Earth none the less.
How did I get here? That question brought Lauren up short. One step at a time, Beckwith. She felt a bit more comfortable now that she had determined where and when she was. Even if this is a parallel universe, she knew this was an Earth.
None of this answered her questions about Alex and the companions. Talking animals, really? And Alex? Oh Alex. Lauren was realizing that Alex was more. More what she couldn’t—let’s be honest—wouldn’t acknowledge yet. What should she do now? Go back and check on Alex. The woman was moving around too much, and I could feel—no, not feel—I could see the pain on her face. Lauren couldn’t accept she felt what Alex felt. And apologize for being a crazy person and running out on her.
Lauren rose and turned around. From the top of this small hill, she saw white snowy plains stretch in all directions. She hadn’t paid attention when she left the cave. Terrific, I’m lost. She didn’t know how to get back.
A gruff voice echoed in her mind, “Come on, Lauren. I will take you back.”
Chapter Eight
LAUREN COULD FEEL ICE’S anger roll off of her as they walked back to the cave. And if she was truthful with herself couldn’t blame Ice for being upset. I’d be angry, too, if someone I cared about walked off into the night.
Ice bumped Lauren with her shoulder. “I do not care about you and would appreciate it if you did not think I did.”
“Oh, yes you do.” Lauren leaned down and hugged Ice’s neck. “Why else would you come out in the dark and cold and bring me back?”
Ice shook her off. “Stop that! I came out to watch over you because Alex made me. That is all.”
“That’s not all. I like you too. Even if you are a grump sometimes.” Placing a kiss on the top of Ice’s furry head, Lauren moved back into the cave. A huff followed her.
Lauren stopped short. Alex had removed most of her bandages and was poking at the shoulder wound. Lauren rushed over. “Hey, stop that. You’ll get dirt in the wound and get an infection.” Dropping to her knees beside Alex, Lauren took her hand and pulled it away from the wound. “Let me clean that up. We’ve got to keep that shoulder stable or the bone fragments will continue to shift and cause damage to the joint. And pain…”
Alex’s face was drawn. She was pale and perspiring. Lauren watched Alex’s jaw work as she ground her teeth against the pain. “And where is your IV?” Lauren lifted her left hand and looked at the small wound on the back.
“I do not need any more of that. It was uncomfortable and no longer useful.”
“Oh, so you’re the doctor now? I don’t think so. Given the extent of your injuries, I’m surprised that you’re even alive. You’ve got remarkable healing power.” Pulling on a pair of sterile gloves from the medical kit, Lauren began to examine Alex’s shoulder wound.
“Well as much as I said you’re not the doctor, you’re right. The wound is healing well, except for your collarbone. That is shattered, we have to keep your arm immobilized. It needs surgical reconstruction. For now, we’ll just continue to monitor you for infection and pneumonia. I want you to breathe as deeply as you can to keep your lung fully inflated. I know it will hurt but deep breaths keep the chest clear.”
Lauren pulled out her stethoscope. Fitting the earbuds, she instructed, “Take as deep a breath as you can, but stop if it becomes painful.” Lauren moved the stethoscope around Alex’s chest. “And again, again, once more please. Lean forward for me and breathe normally.” She repeated her examination on Alex’s back. Her lung sounded clear. Breath sounds were strong and even. “It’s only been four days since I found you. This is amazing. Really unbelievable.”
Alex shifted. “It is the jacket. The mesh is tuned to my bio-signature. When I am injured, the jacket facilitates accelerated healing. However, it was damaged by the blast that injured my shoulder. Without your intervention, the jacket alone could not have healed me this time. But it is not I who needs healing now, I think.” Alex looked down at Lauren’s palm. “I am sorry you are injured.”
“What?” Lauren looked down and saw the angry welts branded across her palm. The burn was patterned like a curled scaly tail. She glanced at the sword beside Alex. An opened-mouthed dragon was etched from the tip of the blade down its length, and the design ended with a curled tail at the hilt. She must have been burned when she touched the blad
e and the pattern transferred onto her skin.
Alex moved the sword away. “I am afraid that the energy backlash burned your hand. That is the tail of my dragon on your palm. The symbol of my clan.”
“It’s okay.” Lauren flexed her hand. “It doesn’t hurt, although it looks like it should. Maybe sitting out in the cold helped?”
Alex never took her eyes off the burned palm. “You will probably scar. I hope it does not hinder the use of your hand. I truly am sorry.” Alex traced the curling dragon tail across her palm with a fingertip and bent her head and placed a gentle kiss in the center of the palm. Lauren jerked at this show of intimacy but a sense of well-being swept over her. Wow, that felt amazing, I wonder if she can feel it too?
“I can and I do, Lauren. Our bond is calming to me as well.”
“I’m not comfortable with all this.” Lauren shook her head as she slowly pulled her hand out of Alex’s grasp. “This mindspeaking thing is so foreign to me, and it feels invasive. I’m afraid of it. And I’m scared I don’t have any privacy in my own mind.”
“You have privacy. You can block anyone from reading your thoughts with conscious thought-action. Just think about building a wall around the thoughts you do not want to share and when the wall is high enough, no one will able to hear them.” Alex eyed her as Lauren rubbed her palm. “I wish I could heal you as you have healed me.”
Lauren shook her head. “Wasn’t me. As you said, it was your jacket.”
“No it was you. I am here because of you. We are all here now because of you.” Alex reached out and took Lauren’s uninjured hand in hers and smiled up at her. “And you continue to heal me.”
Chapter Nine
THE EVENING PASSED IN companionable silence. Everyone had a meal and prepared for bed, knowing that tomorrow would be another strenuous day. “Good night, Alex,” Lauren said as she crawled into her sleeping bag.
