Realmwalker

by Jonathan Franks

  Jewel squeezed back. “Me, too.”

  Kissel returned with three mugs. “I saw the lovely Jewel had joined you, so I took the liberty of providing a drink for you, too, my dear.” He handed a mug to Jewel, then one to Hope, then raised his aloft. “To reunions,” he toasted.

  “To the tides washing in, bringing home what was once lost at sea,” Jewel countered.

  Hope didn’t say anything. She just clinked her mug into the other two and drank. They were both right, though. It was awfully good to be here.

  chapter 13

  Gen’s phone rang at 10:02 PM. She was sitting at her desk, writing in her journal (because she was fourteen now and refused to call it a diary). She jumped at the loud chirping and she lunged for the cordless phone. It ran twice before she could push the button to answer the phone. Just as she said, “Hello?” Her mom yelled from downstairs.

  “Genevieve? It’s ten o’clock! You have school tomorrow!”

  “I know, Mom!” Gen yelled back. “Sorry!”

  “Hello?” Gen said into the phone again.

  “Um, hi,” Jim said. “Sorry, am I calling too late?”

  “Eh, a little, I guess.”

  “I thought you had your own line now.”

  “I do,” Gen said. “The ringer was on loud, I guess. I turned it down, now.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble,” Jim said.

  “Nah, it’s fine. Like I said, I turned it down.”

  “I guess I didn’t think about it. You call me this late all the time.”

  “Yeah,” Gen said, “but your dad’s not usually there. Anyway, what’s up?”

  “Well,” Jim said, “the computer club meeting is tomorrow, but we’re meeting in Mrs. Gates’ room, and she doesn’t have either of the school computers in her room. I was thinking about bringing my computer, but we’d need the AV cart.”

  “Great idea! You should totally bring your computer! You have some programs you’ve made or whatever, right?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think anybody wants to see any of those. I think they want to see games and stuff,” Jim said.

  “I think they’ll want to see whatever you show them.” She thought for second or two, and said, “You should teach me how to program computers.”

  “You really want to learn? I can show you some stuff. I’ll give you some of my computer magazines to read.”

  “Cool.”

  “Genevieve!” Her mom called her from downstairs again. “Five minutes!”

  “Okay, Mom!” Gen yelled down again. She laughed and said to Jim, “Five minute warning.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Jim said. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

  “Don’t worry about it. My mom’s a spazz and she wants me to have, like, plenty of rest and everything.”

  “She’s just trying to help. Sounds nice.”

  They were quiet for a moment. Then Jim cleared his throat and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring you down. Okay, so, what do I do about my computer? I’m kind of nervous about bringing it to school and leaving it my locker. I don’t want to just leave it in a classroom, either.”

  “You could probably leave it in the office during the day and it’ll be fine. And I’m sure getting the TV cart is no problem.”

  “Okay. Good. I’m really nervous!” Jim confessed.

  “I bet. I’m nervous, too!” Then she quickly added, “But it’ll be fine! Totally fine! It’ll be fun!”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hey, Jimmy, I’m glad you called. And I’m really proud of you for doing this.” She immediately felt a cold band of fear circle her chest, worried she’d gone to far or said something stupid or embarrassing. Screw it, she told herself. She braced herself and said, “I’m excited we could do this. I am happy to be spending time with you. And I’m sure it sounds stupid and corny and whatever, but I am proud of you. You’ll be great.”

  “Thanks. That means a lot to me. Thanks for getting me to do this.”

  “No problem. Thank me tomorrow after you’ve done it!” She laughed, trying not to sound nervous. Then she lost her nerve. “Okay, I gotta go. Good night, Jimmy.”

  “Good night, Genny.”

  Gen hung up and went downstairs, wondering why she was such an idiot. “Sorry, Mom. I’m off the phone now. It was Jimmy.”

  “Oh,” her mom said. “You should have said so. Nice of him to call. How’s he doing?”

  “He’s fine.”

  “That’s great, sweetie. You getting ready for bed?”

  “Yeah. I’m getting a drink of water and then going to bed. Good night, Mom.”

  “Hey, Genevieve, come here for a minute,” her mom said.

  Gen stood in front of her mom. “Yeah?”

  Her mom spread her arms and took her into a big hug. “I love you and I’m proud of you. I just wanted you to know.” She kissed Gen on the cheek. “Good night, baby.”

  Gen almost reflexively wiped her cheek but she resisted. “Night, Mom.”

  She got a glass of water and went up to bed. She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time, thinking of Jimmy, thinking of her mom, thinking of what it would be like not to have her. She hoped as hard as she could that Jimmy would be okay tomorrow. She was sure everything would be fine.

  -

  Gen was right. Getting the TV cart was no problem. What was a problem was the cable to plug the computer in. Jim had remembered the power supply, but he’d forgotten the monitor cable. Gen ran out to find someone to help get a cable, leaving Jim and Mrs. Gates in the classroom.

  “Thanks for letting us do this,” Jim said to Mrs. Gates.

  “You’re very welcome,” she said. “I really respect your initiative. Freshmen don’t usually start new clubs. I’m proud of you guys.”

  Jim had no idea what to say, but he was saved by someone walking in.

  He looked at Mrs. Gates. “This is the computer club, right?”

  Mrs. Gates tilted her head toward Jim.

  “Uh,” stammered Jim. “Yeah, this is the computer club.”

  “Awesome! I’m Mike.”

  “I’m Jim. Do you have a computer?”

  “Yeah,” said Jim, and pointed to his Commodore.

  “Oh, cool! You brought it! I have an Apple, but I didn’t bring it.”

  “That’s okay,” said Jim. “What kinds of things do you do on it?”

  Gen burst back into the room. She managed to get a coax antenna cable and gave it to Jim. He hooked his Commodore up to the TV. He turned on the computer and Gen flipped on the TV.

  “Why’s the screen black? I thought it was supposed to be blue,” Gen said.

  “It is. With the normal cable, it usually comes right up,” Jim explained, patiently, “but since we’re on coax you have to change the channel. It should be channel thirty six.”

  Gen dialed the TV to the right channel and the familiar blue screen came up. “There it is!” Then she noticed Mike. “Oh!” She said, surprised, “Hi. I’m Gen. With a G.”

  Mike looked at her, a little confused. “I’m Mike. I have an Apple.”

  “Cool. I don’t actually have a computer. But Jim’s showing me how to use his,” she grinned. “So, what do you want to show us, Jim?”

  Jim started typing something and two more kids walked in. They introduced themselves, and then a few more came in. Jim became engrossed in talking about how to put a red dot on the screen and make it move around.

  Gen stood in the back of the classroom, next to Mrs. Gates, beaming at Jim and feeling her crush, all soft and warm in her chest. He was brilliant.

  Mrs. Gates was supportive and let them stay well past their scheduled hour. They went on for about an hour and a half. They ended having seven other kids, all talking about computers and games and watching Jim write his red dot program in BASIC. He finished the program, taught everyone how to change the color of the dot, and then offered to print the program code before the next meeting so everyone could have it.

&nbs
p; The club dispersed, and Gen and Jim helped Mrs. Gates rearrange the desks and move the TV cart into the hallway. Then Mrs. Gates locked up her room.

  “That was a great turnout,” she told them. “I’m really happy for you guys. You did a great job. Same time, next month,” she smiled, and said, “See you two tomorrow.” She walked off down the hall, then stopped and turned around. “Jim?” She said, “You really did well. Keep it up. And remember to bring the TV back.” She waved and left.

  Gen and Jim started rolling the cart on opposite sides, Jim pushing and Gen pulling. That turned out to be awkward and Jim ran over Gen’s toes, twice. Gen came over to his side and they pushed it together. Her heart about stopped when their hands brushed together while they pushed and it was all she could to fight the reflex to pull it away. She forced herself to leave it there on the shelf the VCR sat on, touching Jim’s hand, while they pushed the cart down the hall. She was very disappointed when they reached the office and they had to let go of it.

  They left the cart in the office, went back into the hall, and she closed the office door. She looked at Jim. Jim looked back at her. Her mouth felt very dry all of a sudden. She had no idea what to say now, and she was incredibly relieved when Jim broke the silence.

  “Thanks, Genny. I had such a great time, and I never would have done this if it wasn’t for you.” He stepped toward her and hugged her. She pressed herself into him as she put her arms around him, too. They hugged for a long time and she sighed, perfectly content.

  Eventually, reluctantly, she pulled away. “Come on, I don’t want to spend all day at school.” She held her hand out and when Jim didn’t immediately take it, she reached down and took his hand. They left the school together and walked home to their block, holding hands the whole way.

  chapter 14

  Veen stared off toward the horizon, deep in thought, as he’d been since Herron had delivered his report. He turned around and faced Herron.

  Veen said, “Tell me again, man, about the water.”

  “I don’t know for sure that it was even water,” Herron said. He added, hesitantly, “It tasted… It felt like tears. That’s what I was reminded of when I touched it, when I tasted it. It just felt like tears.”

  Veen looked at Herron, obviously concerned.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, boy,” sneered Remmis. “Where in the world would a puddle of tears come from? Especially down there! Maybe it was rain water that dripped down there the last time the portal was open.”

  “Maybe, sir,” Herron said. “Of course, there’s no way to be sure.”

  “Mmm,” Remmis intoned, a deep, condescending noise from the back of this throat. “No way to be sure.”

  Veen flew over to stand in front of Herron. “That’s true. There’s no way to be sure what it was, exactly, and we’d have to wait another month in order to go back in there. It could have dried up by then.”

  “Or flooded the chamber by then,” Herron countered.

  “Quite so, lad,” agreed Veen.

  Remmis rolled his eyes at that. “Flooded the chamber, let’s not get carried away.”

  “The best solution,” Veen said, “is to consult with the Oracle. At least he’ll be able to indicate whether this is something we should be worried about.”

  Remmis began to protest once again, but Veen held up a hand to silence him. “Herron, you will travel to The Caverns and consult the Oracle. Make haste, for this may well not be a serious matter. But if it is, I’d like to know before the next new moon.”

  Herron bowed and excused himself from the hall. He had tremendous respect for Veen. Veen was a fair-minded, well-spoken ambassador who had a unique gift of being able to make compromises both sides could be pleased with, rather than compromises both sides were equally unhappy about. Remmis, on the other hand, was a viper. He didn’t care for the man at all.

  He returned to his quarters and refreshed his travel pack. Usually he had a couple of weeks where he could stay here at home, launder his clothes, and catch up with his friends before he ventured back out into the Realms. Herron liked to be on the move and he rarely stayed in The Sky for more than a few days at a time. Now, he was needed. That was one of the draws to his life as a Realmwalker: being needed.

  Most Realmwalkers lived in The Sky. It was one of the most convenient hubs to travel from Realm to Realm. Herron was originally from here, but not all Realmwalkers were. Even those who didn’t come from The Sky ended up moving there, just for the sake of convenience. This is where the Realmwalkers were headquartered, and this is where most of the action was dispatched.

  He greeted a few of his colleagues on the way to his rooms. Remmis had insisted that this be kept secret, at least until such a time when they knew the nature of this mystery, so he kept his greetings warm but short. It wasn’t that unusual for a Realmwalker to return home and immediately have to go back out, but when it happened the circumstances were usually interesting enough that it warranted gathering details, and Herron had no details to give.

  He packed lightly, as usual, but he decided to take extra caution. He equipped himself with a long, silver dagger with a curving blade, a sling and heavy, metal ball bearings and bolas – a thrown weapon used to entangle a target. Once he was packed, he was off.

  It was a sixteen hour journey, give or take, from his home in The Sky to The Caverns if he flew himself. It would be a long and tiring journey. Instead, he went to the aviary to see whether he could borrow a bird. The sparrowhawks were quite a bit faster than fairies, but they did tire out. He could probably make it to The Peak in an hour, and down to The Caverns in another four. The sparrowhawks were birds of prey and they were prized for their hunting stoops: deadly, extremely high-speed dives. The Peak was nearly straight down from the aviary.

  Securing a bird turned out to be no trouble, and soon Herron was mounted and ready for flight. The bird keeper cooed to his charge, communicating something Herron couldn’t possibly understand, then turned to Herron to review safety and care instructions, along with instructions on how to secure the saddle so the bird could return safely home by itself.

  Herron envied the bird keepers - any fairy, really, whose gift involved communication or empathy with animals. He’d always loved working with them. Beast speak was a gift he would never have, he mused. But at least he’d be able to ride this bird while she plummeted downward at speeds he could never dream of achieving himself. He was very excited about it.

  The bird keeper walked the sparrowhawk to a large wooden plank that extended over the edge of the cloud upon which the aviary was built. He touched his head to the sparrowhawk’s head, murmured some more words to it, then nodded to Herron. “You’re ready. Just give her a little nudge with your heels and off you go.”

  “Thanks,” Herron said, then kicked the hawk into action. She leapt off the plank and flapped her wings, then circled in descent for three or four wide revolutions under the cloud. Herron smiled at the view. Seeing the Realms spread beneath him like this was one of his favorite things about living in The Sky.

  The sparrowhawk steadied herself in the wind, then he felt her back tense up. Her wings curled and swept back and Herron was in free fall for a moment, only remaining in the saddle because of the straps over his now weightless legs. Then they plummeted toward the ground, far below them. The wind blasted Herron’s face, so he shut his eyes against the constant blast, then realized his stomach was lurching. He opened his eyes to reestablish some balance and perspective against the ground and the horizon and the motion sickness settled down.

  His mount was still diving fast. They burst through clouds that didn’t have anything on them, and ducked and dived around the clouds with sky islands in them. Most of the sky islands, especially the smaller ones, didn’t have anything built upon them. They were considered wilderness, and Herron and the sparrowhawk were rocketing past them. Herron was loving the feeling of speed - he could never reach this sort of velocity on his own. But it was disorienting, seeing everything whizzing by s
o quickly, and not being in control of it all. All he could do was hang on and wait.

  After a while, the waiting became the hardest part of the ride. They had to descend for a long, long time. Eventually Herron got restless and stiff, but all he could do was sit in the saddle, hold on, and wait.

  It took about an hour before The Peak was within sight, but once he could see it, it only took a few minutes until the sparrowhawk stretched its wings again and their descent leveled. The hawk made a piercing cry, and Herron could see it attracted the attention of a couple of fairies at the aviary below. The hawk began a gradual, circling descent, then landed on a wooden plank overhanging the side of the mountain, much like the plank above at The Sky. As soon as they had touched down, the attendants from the aviary were there to help Herron dismount and secure the bird’s saddle.

  They were very polite, but very matter of fact and clearly in a hurry, so Herron simply bowed and said, “Thank you very much,” and headed through the aviary toward The Peak. Herron had never been fond of The Peak. He was originally from The Sky, so the view here couldn’t compare to his view at home. Somehow, the air was thinner down here than up in the clouds at home, and it was noticeably colder. The architecture here consisted of a lot more stonework and the entire city was very gray. The fairies here were a bit more blunt, a bit less tolerant, and a bit more hurried, and Herron’s overall impression of the place and its people was not a warm one. He was happy to be setting off soon.

  The fastest way to The Caverns from here was to fly down and circle the mountain to the west, drop into Vera’s Ravine and head downward. Herron smiled, remembering the first time he’d received directions to The Caverns. “If you reach The Foothills, you’ve gone too far.” He gathered himself, double-checked his pack and his weapons, then lifted off.