Trafalgar Boone and the Children of the Burnt Empire

by Geonn Cannon

  Ketcham pondered that. “British?”

  “No. These were natives. They were members of the Ru... Uru... something tribe.” She closed her eyes and tried to remember. “One was named... Matthew.”

  “A member of a local tribe named after a Christian prophet?” He chuckled. “I find that very unlikely.”

  “Matta?” she said under her breath, but it didn’t sound right, either. The sharp edges of her memory were becoming blurry. She and Trafalgar had been saved by Captain Neville. They traveled through the forest to... a safe place, where she helped nurse Trafalgar back to health. There had been people in that place. Or... now she wasn’t certain. It was like telling the details of a dream hours after waking up. She couldn’t see faces or hear voices. Maybe it had just been her and Felix in the wilds.

  Ketcham said, “For what it’s worth, you and Trafalgar were alone when we found you. I’m sure Rute can confirm that when she gets back.”

  “Yes, and when might that be?” She scanned the trees. The sun had risen enough to brighten the general area, but there was no sign of the brutish woman.

  “She keeps her own schedule. Like your friends seem to.” He grimaced as he swallowed another chunk of granola. “It’s morning. Surely they would’ve made contact by now if it was possible. Clearly something happened to them. We should retreat somewhere safe and consider our options.”

  Cora said, “No. We wait until midday. If we don’t receive some sign of life by then, we’ll go into the caves ourselves.” She had walked away from one team lost underground, and she wasn’t about to repeat that sin. “Besides, we can’t go anywhere with Captain Neville still unconscious.”

  Rute chose that moment to rejoin them. “I’m not dragging him. It was bad enough I had to carry him.” She nodded at Ketcham as she passed them on her way to the lake.

  “That was your fault,” Ketcham said. “If you hadn’t knocked me out...”

  She crouched and dipped her hand into the water, then dragged her palm down over her face. “Burnt Empire folk seem to be nocturnal. I stopped hearing them toward dawn. Once the sun came up, it was like they were ghosts.”

  “Speaking of ghosts,” Cora said, “do you recall if, when you met us last night, Trafalgar and I were accompanied by two men?”

  “Matta and Viejas,” Rute said without hesitation. She paused and tilted her head to the side. “No. Wait, that’s... what wasn’t you, was it...?”

  Cora said, “Those names do sound familiar...”

  “I might be remembering a different expedition.” Rute didn’t sound certain, but she stood and walked to Neville. They had wrapped him in a blanket and given him one of their packs for a pillow. “We need to wake him up.”

  “We don’t know what happened to him. His mind may be damaged. If we wake him before he’s ready--”

  “If we wait until he’s ready, he might get killed in his sleep because he’s not able to run.”

  Cora sighed. “We wait until midday, then we venture into the caves. We owe that to Dorothy and Trafalgar.”

  “I’ll go,” Rute said. “You can stay here with--”

  “No.” Cora’s voice was stronger than she could remember ever making it in the past. Even Rute seemed taken aback. “I’m finished with sending people into the unknown dark while I cower safely above. When the time comes, I’m going.”

  Rute nodded slowly. She was looking at Cora differently, as if truly seeing her for the first time. Cora knew she came off as studious, but she went into the field as much as Dorothy and Trafalgar before sidelining herself. This mission was exactly what she needed to reconstitute her former backbone. She just hoped it didn’t prove disastrous for her friends.

  #

  They fell asleep facing each other in the same bed, lying on top of the furs. At some point during the night, Trafalgar heard Dorothy say her name but she didn’t respond. After a moment, Dorothy kissed the corner of her mouth and pulled away from her. Trafalgar let her go. When she woke again, she rolled over to find Dorothy already dressed and sitting on the other bed. The clothes were very basic - a V-neck tunic and diaphanous slacks - but Dorothy looked magnificent in them.

  “Is it morning?” Trafalgar asked.

  “Probably close enough.” Dorothy looked at her and seemed to make a point of not looking away from her nudity. Her gaze drifted over Trafalgar’s chest, to her thighs, and then back up toward her face. “How did you sleep?”

  “Very well. You?”

  “Not at all. But it’s fine. Hardly my first sleepless night.”

  Trafalgar sat up and gathered the furs around her shoulders. “Sleepless due to the timeline problem, the Burnt Empire, or because of what happened between us?”

  “All of the above. Yesterday was an extremely full day.”

  “It definitely was, yes.” Trafalgar wet her lips. “If you’re worried that this will affect you and Beatrice’s relationship--”

  Dorothy said, “No, no, that’s not it at all. Trix and I are solid. I’m concerned about you.”

  “Me?”

  “You’ve never expressed a romantic interest in women before. You’ve never spoken about it. After the adrenaline wore off, I began to fear that I’d... that my... enthusiasm... combined with the dire situation might have pushed you into doing something you weren’t comfortable with. I wanted to ask you again once the emotions faded and the rush had time to wear off.”

  Trafalgar got up and sat next to Dorothy. “When it comes to romance, you and Beatrice are exclusively interested in women. Desmond was the other end of the spectrum. It seems as if most people in London have a very strict opinion of who they wish to be with regardless of circumstance. I’ve never wasted much time on that sort of thing. I was approached by men and I returned the attention of those that intrigued me. Then I met you. I saw the possibilities. And the more I got to know you, the more I found myself curious. I’m grateful for what we shared last night. I wouldn’t have wanted to share that with anybody else. I hope it can happen again in the future.”

  Dorothy put her hand on Trafalgar’s. “Me too. And I hope you find someone like Beatrice.”

  “I don’t know if it will be easier now that I know more about what I’m looking for, or more difficult now that my options have literally doubled. But I think I shall enjoy myself on the search.”

  “And excellent point of view to have.” She leaned in and kissed Trafalgar’s cheek, then shifted to her lips for a nearly-chaste kiss.

  “I have to admit,” Dorothy said, “it was a unique experience for me as well. I’ve never been with anyone who was bald. I never realized how much I like grabbing a handful of my lover’s hair.”

  “Damn. I finally regret the decision.”

  Dorothy chuckled. “Don’t grow it back on my account. You look very debonair.”

  “I would have to agree with that assessment.” D’janira’s voice echoed off the stone as she stepped into the room. She wore a cloak similar to the one she’d been wearing when they met, but it was loose to reveal her chest was wrapped in what looked like thick layers of gauze. “I trust you spent the time since we last spoke thinking about my request.”

  Dorothy looked at Trafalgar, who gave a slight nod. She would go along with whatever Dorothy said in this moment.

  “It seems to us that we have little choice but to help. We cannot allow the Burnt Empire to spread to the civilized world. Ideally, we would want to stop them from affecting history, but if we must fight them, then we won’t walk away.”

  “Fantastic. I’ll give you the chance to finish dressing.” She turned to indicate the door. “Follow this passage. Breakfast will be waiting for you when you’re ready, and we can discuss a plan of attack.”

  Trafalgar dressed, and they left the room together. The sound of running water had been present from the moment they descended into the caves, and they’d both long since stopped thinking about it. But as they moved deeper into the labyrinth of rooms, the sound was almost deafening. The volume was explaine
d when they emerged into what could only be described as a naturally-formed cathedral filled with a crystal-clear lake. It was fed by a dozen waterfalls pouring out of cracks and holes in the domed walls. The surface of the lake was broken at random intervals by broken plinths which were wide enough to serve as stepping stones.

  In the center of the lake was a platform which was wider than any of the other stones. D’janira was sitting upon it with her legs crossed in front of her, cloak removed to reveal her bare arms.

  “Welcome to the heart of the Pratear.” Her voice reverberated off the water and stone. It took several seconds for the echo to fade completely.

  “It’s... lovely.” Dorothy stepped forward, cautious. “This is what we’re meant to protect from the Burnt Empire?”

  D’janira nodded. Her movements were slow, almost as if she was drugged. “This is what they seek, what will give them the power necessary to dominate your world the way they’ve dominated the forest. That cannot be allowed to happen.”

  “We’re willing to help you defend this place. If you let us go back to the surface, we can enlist our friends to help us.”

  “They’ve been lost to us.”

  Dorothy tensed. “I beg your pardon?”

  “The anomaly you came to prevent has grown stronger. The friends you left behind no longer exist in this particular history. If you returned to the surface, you would find no sign of them.”

  “That can’t be,” Trafalgar said. “We remember them!”

  D’janira said, “This place exists separately from the outside world. You will remember history as it was until you leave.”

  “I’m getting half-sick of this entire thing,” Dorothy muttered, hand to her forehead. “Navigating timelines and history... it’s madness.” She sighed and composed herself. “Everything that’s going wrong began here. You said this is the heart of the river.”

  “Felix Neville found this place. He could sense its power. He tried to take it.”

  Trafalgar was closest to the entrance. She could hear movement behind them and turned so she could see the corridor from the corner of her eye.

  Dorothy was scanning the room for anything that seemed mystical. All she saw was water and stone. “There must have been something that contained the power of the Pratear. He must have taken it or destroyed it.”

  Trafalgar said, “Dorothy...”

  “I hear it now,” she said. The sound of falling water had been joined by a chorus of hissing. Dorothy moved to the edge of the water, not taking her eyes off D’janira. “You aren’t the protector of this place. The snakes are. And you’re what they’re protecting. The water has some amount of magic, but that’s not the important part of the equation. That’s just a side effect caused by the fact you live here. You’re what the Burnt Empire is coming to steal.”

  “They always believed the river was the true treasure. Captain Neville’s presence in the forest, his attempts to set things right, revealed the truth to them.”

  Dorothy looked at Trafalgar. “She erased his memory so he wouldn’t come after her again. If he remembers...”

  “We will have to protect her, not only from the Burnt Empire but from Neville himself. Difficult to do if we’re not in the same timeline.”

  “If we protect her from the Burnt Empire, perhaps... there may be an overlap...” She pressed her fingers to her temples. “Goddamn it, I hate this! We’ll deal with Neville when and if he presents a threat. For now, we have to hope Cora realizes the threat he poses and stands in his way.”

  Snakes had started flowing into the room like an inky river. Black, orange, yellow, red, white, they all blended into a single sea of writhing scales. Dorothy tried to step back out of their way, but the snakes moved across her feet on their way to the water. She decided it was safest to remain still and let them go where they wanted to go.

  “They only attack if provoked,” Trafalgar said.

  “That is not helpful.”

  Trafalgar said, “Just relax.”

  Dorothy took a steadying breath and remained motionless until the last tail had passed over her foot. The water seemed alive now, unsettlingly active just beneath the surface. D’janira stood and went to the edge of her platform. She crouched and slipped her hand into the water to allow one of the slender snakes to wrap around her wrist before continuing up her arm. She let it settle across her shoulders and smiled at its diamond-shaped head. Then she looked at Dorothy and Trafalgar.

  “Let’s begin.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Cora and Rute were preparing to descend into the caves when Ketcham called them over to Captain Neville. “I think he’s beginning to come around.”

  Cora crouched beside the older man. “Felix? Can you hear me?” She pressed her hand to his forehead. His skin was red and warm. His eyelids fluttered and then opened, staring at her without focusing. She smiled and moved her palm to his cheek. “There you are, Captain. You gave us quite a fright.”

  “Lady Boone?” His voice was rough, raspy.

  “No, it’s me. It’s Cora Hyde.”

  He squinted. The lines around his eyes seemed deeper. “I apologize. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure. I’m Captain Felix Neville.”

  “I...” Cora glanced at Ketcham. “What do you remember, Captain?”

  He searched the ground next to him. “Do I have a canteen? I need water.” Rute stepped forward and offered hers. He thanked her and took a long drink from it. When he finished, he handed it back. “Dorothy Boone and I traveled from the... the wreckage of Flight 372. She was going to help me undo the damage I caused to history. We were traveling with... with...”

  Ketcham said, “Rute and myself.”

  Neville looked at him, then at Rute. “No. I don’t believe so.”

  Cora said, “How can he not remember either group?”

  “He remembers Boone,” Rute said.

  “Well, Dorothy Boone is a bit unforgettable,” Cora said. “But if anything, he should remember all of us. Arriving at this place seemed to merge the man from both timelines into one. Captain Neville, look at me. Do you remember Miss Trafalgar?”

  “Yes,” he said. “She was... with me, briefly... I think. We stayed at the camp for a while. She was hurt. She was ill...”

  Cora nodded. “Yes, that’s true. Someone came with her to the camp. Someone helped you carry her. Do you remember? You offered her coffee, but she asked for tea...”

  “So civilized. A true British woman, after being so long among Americans and savages.” There was a touch of a smile on his face. “A lovely woman. Black hair...” He looked at her, and she saw recognition in his eyes. “Was that you, my dear? I’m so sorry. It is my mind that’s faulty. I’m certain a better man would find you impossible to forget.”

  She tried not to blush at the blatant flirtation. “It’s quite all right. You’ve had a harrowing couple of months.” She remembered the painkillers from Trafalgar’s bag and motioned for Ketcham to hand it to her. “We have medicine that will help you handle any pain you’re feeling. Mr. Ketcham will stay here in case you need anything.”

  “Where are you going to be?”

  Cora nodded to the cave. “We have to find Miss Trafalgar and Lady Boone. They went into the cave yesterday and we haven’t heard from them since.”

  Felix grabbed her wrist. She was too surprised to cry out, and his grip was too strong for her to pull free. She stared at him in surprise as he sat up straighter, the life returning to his face.

  “You cannot go down there. I always intended to go down alone, with the rest of you safe up here.” His second wind was fading fast. He was slumped over now, his hand merely resting on Cora’s wrist. “She’s too... she’s dangerous...”

  “Who?”

  Felix closed his eyes. “The woman. She’s the powerful one. I woke her up. I caused all of this to happen. I set it in motion and... it’s my fault.” He swallowed hard. “I can’t remember... my mind... she did something to my mind...”

 
Rute cleared her throat. “Maybe I could try something.”

  Cora was hesitant, but she didn’t feel they had many options available to them. She moved out of the way and let the larger woman kneel next to Felix.

  “Captain Neville, do you remember me?”

  “No. Seems to be going around.” He looked at Ketcham. “You... are bland enough that I might not even remember you if I was healthy.”

  Ketcham twisted his lips, uncertain if he should waste the energy to be offended.

  “My name is Rute. You may not know me, but I know you very well. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the past few weeks. I want you to close your eyes and remember a year ago. Before the Burnt Empire existed. You had just arrived in the forest. You had the location of the Pratear that someone had given you. It was written on a piece of paper and slipped under your hotel room door. It brought you here, to this spot. It told you to look for the cave. You climbed down. And once you were below the surface, what did you find?”

  He looked like he was asleep, but his eyelids were parted just enough to see the whites through the lashes. “D’janira.”

  Cora looked at Rute, impressed.

  “And who is she?”

  “Not who.” He was still speaking as if in a dream. “She’s... something else. Something different. I woke her up. I thought she was... protecting the river. She wasn’t. It’s her. The river is just... where she... lives. She’s the thing. She’s... it’s her.”

  Rute shook her head. “I don’t understand what he’s talking about. Did that help you at all?”

  Ketcham collapsed face-first on the grass, arms slack with no attempt to break his fall. Cora grabbed for the gun at her hip as Rute immediately rose into a fighting position. Something sharp pierced Cora’s throat, followed by a second impact on her right shoulder. Cora’s legs wobbled underneath her, both fists raised but moving in circles rather than braced for a fight. Cora reached for her, but all the strength seemed to have gone out of her limbs. She fell like laundry cut from the line and blades of grass pressed sharply against her cheek.