The Infinite Expanse (The Journals of Krymzyn Book 2)

by BC Powell

  “Are you real?” I ask.

  “I’m real,” she replies.

  I fall against her legs. She rests a comforting hand on my head and pulls my face against her thigh. Her other hand keeps its grasp on her spear.

  “Where are we?” I ask.

  “We’re in the Infinite Expanse,” Sash replies. “Your fears are alive here. If you don’t shut them out, they can kill us both.”

  “I’m so tired,” I murmur, looking up at her.

  “You have to control your mind,” she says calmly.

  She reaches for a flask on her waist, but her head jerks up. Arching my neck to look behind me, I see Balt and a row of at least twenty Murkovin lining the top of a nearby hill.

  “Finally, I have what I want!” Balt screams.

  When they charge down the hill at us, Sash grabs me by the hair and turns my face to hers.

  “They’re not real!” she yells. “Shut them out!”

  “I don’t know how!” I cry out.

  “You have to try or they’ll kill us!”

  “I can’t,” I whimper.

  “Did you drink nectar?” Sash frantically asks.

  I nod in response.

  “I’m sorry, Chase, but this is the only way to save us.”

  She rears her spear back and slams the shaft against the side of my head.

  Chapter 24

  I hear the sound of a gentle waterfall beside me when I regain consciousness. While I lie on my back looking up at the sky, Sash pours a handful of soothing water over my face. My vision is blurred, my head is pounding, and I have no idea where we are.

  “I’m sorry I had to do that,” she says, caressing my cheek with her fingers. “Nectar takes your mind to a place where you can’t control it. Your fears would have killed us.”

  “Where are we?” I groan.

  “On the edge of the Infinite Expanse, near the Gateway.”

  She lifts my head from the ground and holds her flask to my lips. As the sap flows onto my tongue, I try to gulp all I can. After only a few sips, she pulls the metal away from my mouth.

  “I’d give you more,” she says, “but I can’t. I don’t have enough for both of us. If I don’t drink what I have left, I won’t be able to return us to the Delta.”

  “I understand,” I reply.

  “You’ve had enough that you should be able to walk and keep your mind clear for a while. I’m not sure yet how we’ll get past the Serquatine, but I’ll take care of it one way or another.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t have the sign for the Infinite Expanse. They won’t let you return without it, and you can’t ask for it here. Only in the Delta or on the Mount.”

  Sash holds her hand out in front of me. Above her palms, a rainbow of color careens over her skin.

  “I don’t understand how I got into the Infinite Expanse,” I say.

  “You swam through the Gateway, but you must not have known it. I’m sure your mind was confused by the nectar. When I arrived at the Springs, Hycinthea told me what happened in the pool. She tried to protect you with the maelstrom, but you swam underneath the water through the Gateway. You ended up on the side of the pool in the Infinite Expanse and ran down the hill before she could stop you.”

  “But when I ran down the hill, it was exactly where I had come up.”

  “The backside of this hill is like a reflection of the front side. It looks exactly the same. The land to the north of the hill looks like the Barrens, only without sustaining trees and with many colors of light overhead.”

  I look down at the series of pools and falls on the side of the hill. They’re identical to those I saw when I climbed up the other side. At the bottom of the hill, the river flows into what looks like the Barrens. I realize the river is flowing to the north on this side of the hill, the same direction the light overhead is always pointing. Between the nectar I drank, losing my bearings in the whirlpool, and Darkness falling, I couldn’t put that thought together when I first entered the Infinite Expanse.

  “If the Serquatine saw me enter, why won’t they let me return?” I ask.

  “You didn’t have the sign to enter. Only those with the sign are allowed to pass through the Gateway in either direction. In their eyes, you never should have been allowed into the Expanse. They won’t let you pass through the Gateway, and they’ll kill you if you try.”

  “I can’t sneak through the barrier of light?”

  “You’ll disappear forever if you try to pass through it,” she answers. “You won’t be dead or alive, but forever trapped in the light. Do what I say, and I’ll figure out a way to get you through the Gateway.”

  As she helps me to my feet, I’m still dazed, groggy, and not sure what’s happening or what she’s planning to do. We climb over a few black granite boulders to the edge of the same pool I was in with the Serquatine. Sash guides me to a round, flat rock on the side of a small waterfall that spills behind us into the Infinite Expanse. The rock looks just like to the one I remember stepping onto on the other side of the pool.

  “This is the Stone of Passage,” Sash says to me. “One round rock similar to this one stands on both sides of every Gateway.”

  All seven Serquatine are nestled in the lilies, lingering around the edges of the pool beyond the shroud of colored light. When they see us, one by one, they dive under the water and reappear in front of us. Each of them looks almost identical to the next except for the different colors illuminating the ends of their hair. Sash holds a hand out in front of her body to show them the chromatic light in her palm.

  “We seek our return through the Gateway,” Sash says.

  “You have the sign,” Viridania replies, “but does he?”

  “He’s not from this world,” Sash says calmly. “He wasn’t aware of what he did when he entered.”

  “That has no bearing on his return. Without the sign, we cannot allow him to pass through the Gateway.”

  Sash turns her head to Hycinthea. “You know who he is.”

  “I would grant passage if I could,” Hycinthea says. “You know I cannot. The law is the law, and he does not have the sign. We must obey our covenant to Krymzyn.”

  Sash nods to her, drops her eyes to the water, and then looks up at Viridania. “If he has the sign, you must guarantee his safe return.”

  “That is our covenant,” Viridania replies.

  Turning her back to the Serquatine, Sash steps to the front of me. After setting her spear on the ground, she takes both my hands in hers. Interlocking her fingers with mine, she stares directly into my eyes.

  As she tightens her grasp on my hands, her eyes glaze over and her body trembles. Warmth burns through my palms and into my veins before gradually spreading through my entire body. She squeezes my hands so firmly that my bones feel like they’re about to crack. When the swirling amber inside her eyes flares into mine, her knees buckle and she falls against me. Resting her forehead on my shoulder, she takes several deep breaths.

  “Are you okay, Sash?” I whisper.

  She raises her face to mine, nods to me, and turns to the Serquatine. “We seek passage out of the Infinite Expanse,” she says softly. “We both have the sign.”

  With her eyes focused on Viridania, Sash grabs my wrist and holds my hand up in front of us. Seven different colors of pure brilliant light are fluctuating over my skin.

  “He was not given the sign by Krymzyn!” Viridania shouts.

  “The sign is the sign,” Sash evenly replies. “Krymzyn gave him the sign through me.” Never taking her eyes off Viridania, she bends down to pick up her spear.

  “He did not have the sign when he entered!” Viridania snarls.

  Pointing her weapon at the Serquatine, Sash yells in a commanding tone, “If you refuse to fulfill your covenant, it will be known to Krymzyn!”

  Viridania and Sash hold each other’s glares, neither of them looking away.

  “I grant your return,” Hycinthea suddenly calls out. “You bot
h have the sign.” She swims to the edge of the pool, pulls herself out of the water, and sits on the rock with her back to us.

  Viridania grimaces in our direction but doesn’t say a word. Keeping a watchful eye on Viridania, Sash climbs onto Hycinthea’s back. She wraps her legs around the Serquatine’s waist before motioning for me to get on. Crouching behind Sash’s body, I loop my arms around her waist and clamp my legs to Hycinthea’s hips. Sash grips the Serquatine’s shoulder with one hand while keeping her spear in the grasp of the other. She doesn’t hold the weapon in a threatening position, but her arm is flexed and tense.

  “We’re ready,” Sash says.

  “Take in a breath,” Hycinthea replies.

  Sash and I deeply inhale, holding the air inside our lungs. With effortless grace, Hycinthea dives into the water and powerfully kicks both her finned feet. The multicolored wall of light reflects in the depths around us. Deep under the surface, we cross through the Gateway, an oval void absent of color in the center of the pool.

  Small waves wash across the top of the water when we break into air on the other side of the barrier. Hycinthea glides to a stop near the shallow waterfall, directly in front of the flat rock that I briefly stood on when I first came to the Springs. Sash and I climb off her back and onto the Stone of Passage.

  Sash looks down at Hycinthea. “Thank you for your service,” she says as she bows. “We’re grateful to you.”

  “I have fulfilled my covenant to Krymzyn,” Hycinthea replies solemnly.

  Sash holds the Serquatine’s emerald eyes in hers for a moment then steps down from the rock to the side of the pool. After unclipping one of the three flasks hanging from her belt, she drinks the entire contents. When she finishes the sap, she presses the point of her spear against her wrist. Sliding it across her skin, she makes a small but deep incision. As blood drips from her arm, Sash holds the empty flask below the gash until about half a cup enters the steel container.

  “You’ve shown us great honor,” Sash says to Hycinthea. “This is my gift to you.”

  Sash holds the flask out in front of her. Hycinthea strokes to the side of the pool, takes it from her hand, and quickly drinks the blood inside.

  Stepping away from the pool, Sash unscrews the top of another flask. While pouring a tiny amount of sap onto her wound, she notices my rope belt lying on the ground. She bends over to pick it up and throws it over her shoulder before jumping onto the rock beside me. Taking my hand in hers, she leads me towards the southern side of the hill.

  “Hunter!” Hycinthea shouts from behind us.

  We both stop walking and turn to the Serquatine.

  “The Origin is the only being who has ever had the ability to share light from inside with another creature.”

  “I know,” Sash replies.

  “Only The Source could have bestowed that gift upon you. There must be a greater purpose to you having this power than just to rescue a Traveler from the Infinite Expanse.”

  “Time will tell,” Sash says.

  I follow Sash down the rocky slope. Even though my mind is still hazy, I remember Hycinthea telling me that Sash’s spectrum is the same as The Origin’s. This is the second time I’ve heard Hycinthea make a comparison between the two.

  Sash is quiet as we climb down the hill, but she keeps my hand in her grip the entire time. She helps me maintain my footing through steep parts of the descent and maneuver the giant boulders in our path. When we reach the bottom of the hill, she consumes the sap from the two remaining flasks on her belt and tosses them to the dirt.

  “I should have enough energy to get us back to the Delta,” she says. “Are you strong enough to hang on?”

  “Honestly, I don’t think so,” I reply.

  She drops her spear to the ground and takes my rope belt from over her shoulder. After using it to tie a knot around one of my wrists, she removes her belt from her waist. Kneeling beside me, she knots the rope around one of my knees.

  “Climb on,” she says, turning her back to me.

  Once I’m on her back, she ties my hands together in front of her chest. I raise my knees, and she uses the other rope to bind my legs around her waist. Without bothering to pick up her spear or the flasks, apparently leaving them behind, she loops her hands under my legs and runs to the south.

  When she reaches a sprint, we stream into the beams. While the Barrens blur past us, I drift in and out of consciousness. We seem to float over the hills, silently sailing through the air. Sash never travels in a straight line, cutting deep into the Barrens at times then back towards the river, probably making sure we can’t be caught in a trap. I start to fall backwards a few times, but Sash grabs the rope securing my hands and pulls me against her back.

  There is no time. Just clouds over our heads, the waves of the river at our sides, and empty black hills passing by us. Sash’s motion sometimes becomes labored, even sputtering and slowing, but she manages to always maintain her blend.

  I finally see the bridge above the fork in the river reflecting light in the distance. Sash speeds past it, slows a few seconds later, and stops at the road leading to the Delta. The moment she finishes untying the ropes that bind my hands and knees, she collapses to the ground. I fall to the dirt at her side.

  She heaves for breath, drained and exhausted, but I can’t do anything to help either of us. I don’t have any strength left in my muscles, and there’s no will in my mind.

  Two Watchers run over the arch of the bridge from the Delta. As they get closer to us, I recognize both their faces. Vona reaches us first, with Cavu close behind. After kneeling beside Sash, Vona helps her sit up and holds a flask to her lips. Sash gulps the contents, holding the steel over her mouth until the last drop falls to her tongue.

  Cavu drops to his knees by my side and quickly finishes untying the ropes from my hands and legs. As he raises me into a sitting position, he slips an arm around my shoulder. Propping me up with one arm, he pours sap into my mouth.

  “You’ll need much more sap to clean the nectar out of your blood,” Sash says to me when I finish Cavu’s flask. “I’ll take us to our habitat.”

  “You’re exhausted,” I say.

  “I’m better now,” she replies, but her voice betrays how tired she is. “Can you stand?”

  “I think so,” I say.

  While Cavu helps me to my feet, Vona stands and extends a hand down to Sash.

  “Do you want me to summon help?” Vona asks after pulling Sash up.

  “No,” Sash answers, “but thank you. I feel better now and just want to get to our habitat. I appreciate all your help, Vona.” She turns to Cavu. “Thank you for coming to our aid so quickly.”

  “I was on the wall farther north,” Cavu says. “I saw you when you reached the bridge above the fork. I ran to the gate and told Vona you were here.”

  “You’re always so alert, Cavu,” Sash graciously replies. “I’m honored to serve Krymzyn with you.”

  Before Cavu bows to Sash, he blushes, a physical response I’ve never seen from anyone in Krymzyn.

  “Thank you for your help,” I say to Vona and Cavu.

  They both nod to me.

  “Get on, Chase,” Sash says, turning her back to me. “Let’s get to our habitat.”

  “I think I can walk,” I reply.

  “Please don’t argue. Nectar can be very damaging to your spectrum, and you need more sap.”

  Vona and Cavu help me climb onto Sash’s back. When I’m safely in place, she jogs over the arch of the bridge and sprints down the other side. We pass through the gate before blasting into light.

  Seconds later, we coast to a stop in front of our habitat door. With her arm around my waist, she guides me through the tunnel. After calling out “Awaken,” she steers me straight to a stool at the table and fills two cups with sap.

  “You should have four or five cups,” Sash says as I drain the first.

  While I fight to keep my eyes open, she refills our cups again and again. My mind is s
teadily clearing, but the fatigue is almost unbearable. Sash looks just as worn out and exhausted as I feel. We both finish a fifth cup of sap, cross the cavern to the bed, and collapse onto the mattress without even taking the boots off our feet.

  “How did you know where I was?” I ask.

  “Maya sensed your pain when you were injured,” she replies. “She was on the Mount and told Larn.”

  For the first time since swallowing the nectar, I remember the incident on the road. The image of Beck’s body splattered all over the pile of branches fills my eyes.

  “Beck is dead,” I say quietly.

  “He met death when he hit the blockade in the road,” Sash replies.

  “The Murkovin set a trap. They were trying to capture me.”

  “I know,” she says. “Larn traveled to the Delta after Maya told him you were in great pain. He saw what had happened on the road and told me. I went to the Mount to ask Maya what she had felt. When she described your pain, I went the Reflecting Pool. I asked where you were, and it showed me you at the Springs, but you were on the wrong side of the Gateway. I immediately asked for the sign to the Infinite Expanse, saw the light in my palms, and traveled to the north. Larn gave me his flasks, but I didn’t want to waste time getting canisters from the Delta. That’s why I didn’t have more sap with me. Larn wanted to come with me, but I knew he couldn’t match my speed. When I reached the Springs, Hycinthea explained to me what had happened. I searched along the river in the Expanse, hoping you’d stay near it.”

  “Thank you, Sash. I feel terrible about Beck. That should have been me.”

  “You can’t let yourself think that way,” she says.

  “They were after me, Sash. I heard the Murkovin talking about it.”

  “The Murkovin have never done anything like this before. No one could have known.”

  “It’s still my fault.”

  “Larn believes it’s his fault,” Sash argues. “He said he shouldn’t have let an Apprentice travel with Beck knowing how reckless he could be. It’s nobody’s fault, Chase. This trap was going to happen sooner or later, and anyone could have been killed.”