Life Across the Cosmos

by N E Riggs

  “Yeah, probably.” He’d need to make sure his phone worked before the gateway disappeared anyway. And the thought of talking to John again made him want to dance with joy.

  “Then let’s head out. We’ll need to go through a couple of gateways to reach Kulun City and then it’s about a two mile drive.” She picked up a piece of paper from her desk and handed it to him. The paper had coordinates, a date, and a time. David gave it back to Brigid, shouldered his bag, and followed her out of her office.

  Brigid had seemed tense earlier, but she looked calmer now. She walked smoothly, and while she didn’t look happy, David thought she seemed determined. He shrugged mentally. Maybe she was just sad to see him leave. They went to the parking garage below the building and climbed into Brigid’s car. David dumped his bag in the back and relaxed in the passenger’s seat.

  As they flew out of Kumarkan, they didn’t speak. David pulled out his cell phone and snapped a few pictures of Bantong – it could do that even without reception. He’d need proof of his journey when he got back to Earth. Besides, now that he was leaving, he wanted some memories of Bantong. He hadn’t willingly spent time here, but other than these last few days, he mostly enjoyed his stay. He’d met interesting people, he’d seen amazing sights, he’d fought terrible creatures. Maybe he’d only been a mediocre Sword Priest, but he was still glad of the experience. As soon as he got back home to Boston, he’d sign up for the National Guard or the army or whoever would take him. If they wouldn’t take him, he’d join the police. He wasn’t going to live his life in regret any longer. He’d promised himself and Aeons that he’d help protect people when he got home, and he intended to keep that promise.

  They flew through three gateways in quick succession. After the last one, they arrived in a resort city on the sea, with glistening white beaches, kitschy hotels, tacky casinos, and an amusement park with cool looking roller coasters. A gigantic mountain towered over everything. David gaped up at it. It threw the entire city into shadow and covered most of the horizon. It probably wasn’t the tallest mountain, but it rose up by itself which made it look bigger.

  “Is that Mount Kulun?” he asked. Buildings dotted the lower slopes of the mountain. He’d heard and read much about Mount Kulun since coming here.

  Brigid nodded, consulting her com pad for directions to the gateway. “After Castle Eternal, it is the most sacred place in the universe. Thousands of years ago, Aeons met his Beloved here. Every year, the Beloved Priests led the First Noon Prayer to commemorate the meeting. Most Bantonans come here at least once in their life to make a pilgrimage, usually during the First Noon Prayer. Priests are encouraged to come many times.” She stared at the mountain, her face sad. “I’ve not visited yet.”

  David snapped a picture of the mountain. “Well, once you’re rid of me tomorrow morning, you could visit it. You might as well – you’re already here.”

  “I’ll be a bit too busy for a pilgrimage tomorrow,” Brigid said softly. David glanced at her and thought she looked a bit strange, but he pushed it aside. Clearly, she was just missing him and upset to be busy tomorrow. She checked her com pad again and turned a corner. After a few minutes, she stopped the car and nodded. “This should be it.”

  They stood on a side street, surrounded by cheap hotels, a souvenir shop, and a shabby casino playing loud music. It wasn’t interesting, as his last sight in Bantong, but David took a picture anyway. He quickly snapped a photo of Brigid too and wished he had taken pictures of Alosh, Anur, Conal, Niam, and Bellon. And Scatha, Rolan, Hue, Tain, and everyone else in the sixth division. He sighed and turned the phone off before he used up too much power. It might take days before someone could rescue him in Norway, he reminded himself, and he needed to be prudent now.

  He pulled his bag out of the backseat and dropped it on the ground beside him. “Where will the gateway appear exactly?” He only had five minutes. He didn’t want to waste any time.

  “Right in the middle of the street,” Brigid said, pointing. A car flew right over the spot. “We’ve a few minutes still.”

  “Yeah,” David said. He pulled his bag on his back and stared at the spot, ready to leap forward if the gateway accidentally showed up early. He didn’t think that could happen, but he couldn’t miss it. “Thank you again for everything.” He pulled Brigid into a bear hug. She stayed rigid in his arms, not hugging back, and David quickly let her go. “Are you angry at me?” he asked, staring at her. He’d just thought she was upset to see him go, but maybe that wasn’t it.

  She turned away from him, her blonde braid falling over her shoulder. She was beautiful and amazing, and he’d miss her. But he’d learned that dating people from another world didn’t work out. Even without Cethon’s warning, he didn’t think he could have made it work with Brigid. “You never intended to stay in Bantong, did you?” she finally said.

  David ran a hand through his hair. “I never pretended I wanted to. This is a great place, don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t home. Maybe it could be if I could visit Earth more often, but I can’t. I’m sorry if I upset you.”

  Brigid shook her head. “If you didn’t plan to stay, you should never have become a priest. By leaving, you’re violating your vows!” She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him.

  “You were the one who first told me to become a Sword Priest! And you knew I didn’t want to stay!”

  “I assumed you believed in Aeons,” Brigid snapped. “I assumed you’d be stuck here for years, and it would be okay. I assumed that you were the sort of person who kept his promises!” She whirled, turning her back on him. “Clearly, I assumed wrong.”

  “Shit,” David said. “That’s the problem with Bantong. Everyone assumes and no one says anything clearly. Well, I’m done with it now, and good riddance!” The gateway snapped into existence, and David caught his breath. On the other side, he saw frozen fields and dead trees and iron-gray skies. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.

  He ran into the street, not bothering to look for cars first. He leapt through the gateway and laughed for joy as he smelled home, even though none of the scents were familiar. Then he shook his head – the gateway would close in five minutes, and he had to make sure his phone worked. He pulled it out. His phone had reception, and he nearly wept with joy as he called John.

  As the dull ring sounded, David held his breath. He glanced over his shoulder to see Brigid watching him from the Bantonan edge of the gateway. The ringing stopped, and David held his breath. “Hi. This is John Haff’s voicemail. John Haff can’t talk right now, so you’ll have to make due with me.”

  “John,” David croaked. Tears ran down his face. Nine months and John still had that stupid message. He coughed and cleared his throat. “It’s David. I’m okay and I’m almost home. I missed you, but I’ll see you soon.” He hung up and dialed 9-1-1, hoping that was the emergency number in Norway.

  As he finished, someone grabbed his arm. He fumbled with the phone and barely managed not to drop it. “What the fuck—” he said as he realized Brigid was dragging him back towards the gateway. “What are you doing?”

  She tugged at him harder. She was stronger than she looked, he realized, and they were only a few inches from the gateway. “You’re coming back with me to Bantong.”

  “Like hell I am!” David dug in his feet, fighting back. He could probably throw her off, but he didn’t want to hurt her. Brigid stumbled, and fell to the ground. “You don’t want me in Bantong!” David said. “I’m a failure as a Priest. So just let me stay home!”

  For a moment, he thought Brigid would give up. She pulled herself off the ground, ran around him, and tackled him. They fell to the ground, with Brigid on top. David grunted as his head his pavement, and he looked up to see Mount Kulun – he’d fallen through the gateway. Part of him had, at least – past the knees, he was still in Norway.

  “Let me go!” he shouted.

  “No!” Brigid yelled back, clinging to him.

  “Shit, sh
it, shit!” He gave up trying to be nice to her. He rolled to the side, slamming Brigid to the ground beside him. She cried out then lay still. He climbed quickly to his feet just in time to see the gateway disappear. “No!” He threw himself forward, hoping that he still might make it home.

  He landed hard on the pavement a short distance from Brigid. He’d lost his chance to get home. He buried his face in his hands and wept. He’d been so close, he’d actually been on Earth for a few minutes. He’d even had time to call John, just enough to make him promises he couldn’t keep.

  “Why did you bring me back?” he shouted at Brigid, snot and tears running down his face.

  She pulled herself slowly off the pavement. Her jacket was torn, her palms scrapped and bloody, her hair half-fallen out of its braid. “You vowed to serve Aeons for the rest of your life. I won’t let you break that promise.” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

  David closed his eyes and sat up slowly. “I won’t be able to keep my promise anyway. I’m on trial in two days.” He glanced up at the strange stars in the Bantonan night sky, faintly visible above the city lights. “Tomorrow,” he corrected himself. “You should have let me stay on Earth.”

  “Trying to escape your mistakes?” Brigid stood and limped over to her car. She shook her head. “What kind of man are you? And to think I was attracted to you at first.”

  David finally stood up. He threw his bag in the back seat and sat beside Brigid. She started up the car, and he stared dully ahead, barely noticing the sights they passed. When they finally returned to the parking lot in Kumarkan, he asked quietly, “What do I do now?”

  “Keep working as a Sword Priest.” Brigid didn’t turn to look at him. “You’ll probably be taken off duty for a time, but not forever. They can’t spare Sword Priests right now.” She finally glanced at him. “You don’t want to become an oath breaker, David. In the next life, you’ll have nothing but suffering.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” David climbed out of the car and took his bag. “See you.” He headed into the building without waiting for her. He could get back to Valal without her help.

  The sixth division’s quarters still stood empty, save for him. He shut himself in his room, took off his heavy coat, and collapsed face down on the bed. He lay that way for a long time before he finally fell asleep.

  Loud voices roused him. He glanced up blearily, rubbing his eyes. Sunlight streamed through his window, and he realized the sixth division must have returned from their mission. He got up, ignoring his wrinkled clothes and appalling morning breath, and stood outside Alosh’s door. Alosh appeared about a minute later, chatting with Thea and Cid. When he saw David, he quickly nodded goodbye to them. “What happened?” he asked, opening the door.

  They stepped inside, and David saw his letter on the ground. He picked it up before Alosh could. “Can we talk?”

  “Of course.”

  “Somewhere else.” David shook his head. “Somewhere far away, beyond Pardis.”

  Alosh’s face creased with worry. “Okay. Give me a minute.” He exchanged his uniform for casual clothes and splashed some water on his face. “I know a nice place in Tandi that never closes.” He led David through a quick series of gateways, seven total. Finally they reached a large city filled with wedge-shaped skyscrapers. Tandi, David thought, looking around. Wires draped across every street with multi-colored lanterns hanging from them. Music and laughter emanated from everywhere, and David saw stores and restaurants and bars and theaters and a sports stadium in the distance. It was early evening here in Tandi, and people thronged the streets. David and Alosh had to move slowly. While not as crazy as some of the traveler districts David had seen, Tandi didn’t have the regularity of Pardis. The buildings had been colored brightly and often clashed with their neighbors. The people on the streets wore every type of outfit imaginable.

  Any other time, David would have enjoyed a lively city like this, but he stared at it blankly today. Tandi seemed perfectly nice. It looked like a great place to spend a fun weekend. It held no interest for him now. He’d been on Earth for a few brief, glorious moments. Boston and John had been within his grasp. Nothing could make him happy after that.

  Perhaps a mile from the gateway, Alosh pulled him inside a bar called Sword and Heart. “They give discounts to priests,” Alosh said, sitting down in a booth. He ordered beers for them both and faffo, which looked like pot stickers. The televisions showed a cricket game, and people crowded the bar, most of them wearing Lost Priest jackets. “What happened?” Alosh asked after their order came.

  David took a large gulp of beer. He put the mug down and stared into the depths. The beer was a bit too sweet for his taste. “I almost got home,” he said softly. He swallowed hard, rubbing a hand across his face. “A gateway to my Earth opened up. I went through and everything, but Brigid, my Lost Priest, dragged me back just before it closed. I’m trapped here again and tomorrow I won’t even be a Sword Priest.”

  “I’m sorry,” Alosh said. He shook his head. “In many ways, I have it easy. My family is here on Bantong. I can visit my home world any time since the gateway is stable. I forget sometimes what it’s like for other travelers.” He made David drink more beer and eat some faffo. “Is it really so bad, being here on Bantong? You seem happy enough. We have a good time together.”

  “We do, and I like being a Sword Priest, even if I suck at it. But I want to go home. Does that really make me so awful? Brigid acted like wanting to go back to Earth was like being a pedophile or something.”

  Alosh sighed and flagged down the waitress for more beers. “Wanting to quit the priesthood is considered a pretty major crime, David. Retiring is one thing, but just quitting… Well, the Yesterlords hate such people.” He scowled. “Of course, lots of priests say the Yesterlords aren’t very fond of travelers either. The whole time I was in training, the Vicar told me it didn’t matter how hard I tried or how good I became, I’d never be as good as a Bantonan Sword Priest.” The waitress left two more beers, and Alosh took a large gulp. “Yeah, I’m not the most theologically correct priest, as you can see. I say if the Yesterlords are really such assholes that they’d hold a man’s birth place against him, then I’d rather they ignore me when I die.”

  “Every religion is shit, even ones that might be true,” David said, finishing his first beer. He glared at the Lost Priests that filled the bar, wondering how many of them, like Brigid, would hate him. Hatred rose up within him, and he forced himself to look away. He glanced towards the front door just as it opened. David gaped as someone familiar stepped inside. “Malmis?”

  The man standing in the doorway, looking around, was definitely Malmis. He wore a long, loose brown coat, his dark hair hanging to his shoulders. David wondered what he was doing here – he thought Malmis lived in Jigok. Malmis hated priests, what was he doing in a bar like this? Malmis turned his way, and his eyes lit up. He smiled and walked over to their table.

  “What are you doing here?” Alosh asked, looking at Malmis strangely.

  Malmis smiled at David. “You finally left Pardis without your division. I was getting impatient, especially after I couldn’t reach you in time while you were at Kulun City. You I don’t need,” he said to Alosh. He held up a hand.

  Alosh screamed as his body twisted, his torso blurring. He collapsed on top of the table in two pieces, blood spurting everywhere. David shouted, jumping up and fumbling for Bramira. The Lost Priests screamed and started running everywhere.

  “Such commotion,” Malmis tsked. He waved a hand over the length of the bar. Louder screams filled the air as the Lost Priests and bar staff fell to the ground. The screams lasted only a moment before they all died. None of the bodies that littered the ground were in one piece, and many body parts seemed to be missing entirely. One man’s head seemed to have vanished, as had a woman’s whole torso.

  David stumbled further away from Malmis till his back hit the bar wall. He held Bramira before him in hands that shook. “What are you?” he wh
ispered.

  “Isn’t it obvious? You already met my younger sibling, Tenin.” Malmis shook his head, that soft smile still curving his lips. A faint shimmer appeared behind Malmis, and David thought he saw wings. Large, perfectly white wings, as if Malmis were an angel. “I am Malmis, eldest of the Nephilim, and I’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”

  “Nephil,” David said. He glanced at Alosh’s corpse before quickly looking away. “Wait, what do you mean, you’ve been looking for me?”

  Malmis raised his hand, his palm pointed at David. “I was very surprised when we met at Castle Eternal. I’d have killed you then, but…” He laughed. “Showing myself in front of Castle Eternal and surrounded by Sword Priests? That would be suicide. I had to content myself with making sure I could track you wherever you went.”

  The kiss, David realized. Malmis had been hunting him for months, waiting for him to leave Valal without the rest of the sixth division. He swallowed hard. If he hadn’t asked Alosh to take him far away from Pardis, Alosh would still be alive. His hands stopped shaking, and he raised Bramira. “Why do you want to kill me?”

  “That’s enough conversation, I think,” Malmis said. His tone was light, but he watched Bramira warily. “I can’t linger here. Goodbye, David Kemp.” He flicked a finger.

  David didn’t see any attack, but he threw himself to the side. In the same movement, he launched Bramira at Malmis. He hit the ground hard but still alive. Bramira sliced through the air, straight at Malmis. The Nephil hissed and ducked just in time. Bramira cut a few strands of his black hair but nothing else. Grinning, Malmis raised his hand at David again, ready to attack. David smirked. “Look behind you, asshole.”

  Malmis whipped his head around to see Bramira arc around and sweep towards him again. He tried to dodge, but Bramira cut into his side. It flew obediently into David’s hand as he climbed back to his feet. Malmis grabbed his side but couldn’t stem the flow of blood.