Balmythra

Chapter Nine

  Questions and Quagwogs

  For the next few minutes, we ate in silence.

  Then Jor spoke. "The thought net is secure. Can you feel it?"

  I assessed my sense of safety and knew it was true. With a nod, I turned to Matt. "Want to have a look around now that it's safe?"

  Instinctively knowing I needed to distract myself, I concentrated on my friend. After all, I was Guardian now. Other people's concerns should be put above my own, and he definitely deserved answers.

  "Yeah. Might help me shake off this feeling that I'm stuck inside someone else's nightmare."

  "Like our visit to Bingo Land?"

  "Exactly, but without the ping pong balls." Matt got to his feet and offered me a hand up.

  As I stood, I stepped on the edge of the pillow on which I'd been sitting and nearly did the splits when it slid on the highly polished floor. Matt and I both burst out laughing. That felt very, very good even though I experienced a pang of guilt that I could still be amused after all I'd heard and imagined.

  Face solemn, Jor stood, too, and expertly sidestepped his pillow. "Bingo Land?"

  "Private joke," I told him, miffed that he'd apparently lost his sense of humor. I remembered other days long years ago when Jor, Rocc, and I had more than our share of fun. This Jor was a stranger.

  He gave me a long look, but didn't comment other than to say, "I should come, too. You’ll have questions."

  "It's not like I've never been here before." I didn't want him to join us. I had doubts about Jor, serious doubts I wanted to bounce off Matt.

  "I insist. It’s my duty as your host to escort you."

  "Whatever." With a sigh for his stubbornness, I headed out of the room and down the hall to ornate double doors that served as exit from the majestic building. I pushed them open and stepped outside, pausing to take in the city sights that greeted me.

  "Time for questions?" Matt peered all around the bustling metropolis with obvious interest. I saw he'd placed some cheese between two rolls and taken it to-go.

  I felt a rush of affection. Thank goodness he'd grabbed my wrist just before Jor hurled me into the Xephyr Stream. Caught as I was between two worlds, I really needed him right now. "Ask away."

  "What is Balmythra?"

  "Exactly what I told you it was. A world sharing space with earth."

  "I remember. Now tell me the real story."

  "That's it."

  "No, that's the plot of one of those stupid comic books Kenny reads. I want the real scoop, and I want you to start at the beginning." Matt kept pace with me as he ate, his gaze straight ahead.

  "Okay." I thought for a moment before beginning. "My people are called Ionians. According to legend, they originally inhabited Nodyra."

  "Okay."

  "There are a couple of theories about how the first Ionians found the Xephyr Stream and crossed over. Most of us believe that they were philosophers from Patmos—"

  "As in Greece?"

  "That's right, and they had better-than-average mental abilities. One story says that they walked into a heavy mist, and when they walked out of it, they found themselves here. Another says that they believed the Stream must exist, finally found and used it, then couldn't figure out how to get home again or didn't want to. I don't know which idea is true. Maybe neither. But the Sairons were here to greet them."

  "Is Balmythra as big as earth?"

  "Not even close. It's about as big as...as...." I thought for a minute. "Mexico, maybe."

  Matt shook his head. "This is really hard for me to understand, you know? I mean, is Balmythra in the exact same spot as, say, Pringle's? Am I, please, please, please, standing on Mad Matilda's head?"

  I laughed so hard at that mental image that I couldn't answer for a second.

  Jor cleared his throat rather loudly as though to remind us he still tagged along. "Balmythra is more like an air bubble floating in a bowl of water—a different type of space, but still part of the whole."

  "Thanks for the info." Matt's headshake told me he didn't quite get it. I didn't blame him. Mere hours ago I'd have thought the possibility of intra-dimensional space total nonsense. Intra-dimensional space? I shook my head. My Eniywan moments seemed to be coming more frequently, and I found them downright weird.

  I pointed out my favorite structure in Saironalis, a concert hall on our left. I remembered the last time I visited there. My parents, Ceedrill and Koann, had taken me. The Saironala, a woman's percussion group of some fame, had played especially well that evening.

  "That's the gatharena, the Sairon equivalent of a community auditorium."

  "It looks Asian." Matt eyed the curved pagoda-style roof. A bright green door served as backdrop for an emblem in the shape of a golden dragon. Red carpet covered the entranceway. This splash of color brightened that whole side of the square since the buildings nearby were constructed from marble.

  I could tell that Matt liked the look of the place as much as I did. "Other cultures sometimes influence our architects, who like to travel, then come back and experiment. The same goes for our clothes. We try everything, but usually stick with whatever's most comfortable." I began walking again, Matt at my side, Jor now one step behind. "Want to see the school?"

  "Sure."

  "It's right over here." As we walked, I felt nearly as awed as Matt looked, thanks to Jor stealing my memories. With wide eyes, I gazed at the brightly-dressed minstrels who performed on nearly every busy street corner. At that moment, a squat four-legged creature with lots of hair crossed the street in front of us, stopping at our feet.

  Matt stopped short, looking down on what appeared to be a walking dust mop. "You have dogs. I mean cats. Er, what the heck is that thing?"

  "A quagwog."

  As if on cue, the creature sat up and spoke. "May I inform you, sir, that Tannaus serves palatable abrasions of most fine quality, the best in the land."

  Matt stumbled back and almost fell. I laughed as I grabbed for him. "He's just a house pet that someone has trained to pass along a compliment. It's a real honor to be qwagwogged, you know."

  "Er, right." Matt eyed the retreating creature with some suspicion as it waddled away. "How do you guys get from place to place?" He turned in all directions, probably trying to see something with wheels. But there were no vehicles, no road signs, and no signal lights. Was he up for another shock? "Please tell me you don't walk everywhere."

  "We don't. As for what we do… I'm thinking it might be better to show than tell, but not just yet. Okay?"

  "Okay."

  I smiled my thanks for his patience and shifted my attention to the sights and sounds before me. I heard people talking quietly and leisurely enjoying their day, so different from the hectic bustling of even a small town like Wexton, with its cars, trucks, glaring horns, and smelly exhausts. I began remembering other things I liked about my world: shopping in the open air markets, playing with my friends, watching my mother at work.

  "You know—" I glared at Jor "—a few memories of home would've been greatly appreciated while I was stuck at Pringle's."

  He blew me off. "You should be thanking me for taking them. That kept you safe from the Dagonel for eleven years."

  "And just when are you going to tell me about these Dagonel?" I pivoted to face him. The top of my head barely reached Jor's chin, but that didn't stop me from staring him down...or up. "I’ll need to know everything before I go back for Rocc."

  Jor shook his head. "You’re not going back."

  "Wanna bet?"

  Matt caught my shoulders, spun me around, and then pushed me into motion, effectively making sure I continued our exploratory walk instead of arguing with Jor. I tried to look back over my shoulder at the infuriating Sairon, but Matt didn't allow it.

  "Oh no you don't." He blocked my attempt to switch directions and step around him. "I have to have a lot more information before I can figure out whose side I'm on. So you'd better start answering my questions."

 
He'd actually side with Jor? Not sure, I gave in. "Fine then. "

  "How'd you manage to deck Rocc and Jor last night?"

  "My superior mental skills." I said that more to irritate Jor than to explain.

  Jor snorted. "Yeah, right."

  Yeah, right? I almost laughed. Jor was that much out of character with the whole slang thing. "What are you saying?"

  "That you caught me off guard," said Jor.

  "Hmph. Maybe, but we both know female Guardians have mental powers other inhabitants of Balmythra don't have. While we aren't necessarily as strong physically, we can sometimes win a psychic battle and get the same results...even when the opponent is a Sairon."

  Matt thought about that for a few seconds. "So we're back to the Guardian thing." Since we'd now left the tiled streets of the business district behind, we walked on cobblestone. Matt kicked at a loose pebble, sending it flying with his toe. "What, exactly, is that?"

  "An Ionian with especially strong mental skills and the advantage of Eniywan," I said. "Guardians are leaders of their people because of this special knowledge."

  Jor agreed. "It's a birthright. In your world, she'd be royalty."

  "My world is the U.S. of A., and all we've got is a president. But I get your drift." He grinned at me. "So you're the first daughter of this fairy land."

  "Kinda, sorta, but not…ish."

  Matt laughed. "So explain this: if Rocc's your brother, why isn't he a Guardian, too?"

  "First, Rocc is my half-brother. We share a mother. His father Feygyr M'Aristo was a Sairon who went missing on a journey to Nodyra. A match between a Sairon and a Guardian always results in offspring who have limited psychic abilities. No one knows why. On Balmythra, that can be quite a hardship, especially in a Guardian family. My own father is Ionian."

  "I'd like to know more about Eniywan," Matt said. "From what I've heard so far, I'm guessing it's something that usually comes much later than seventeen."

  "Yeah, but only because it's manipulated." I thought for a minute about Eniywan, the coming of age of female Guardians. "If I'd stayed in Balmythra, my mother could've controlled my Eniywan, letting it happen gradually so I could absorb all the knowledge better and learned how to use it. She'd have stretched out the process over many years."

  "But it actually starts when?'"

  "When I..." Shy about things like that, I glanced at Jor. "Can you explain this better?"

  He shrugged. "Eniywan comes to a female of the House of Cassiopeia during the process of changing from a girl to a woman."

  "Ah. Good ol' puberty." Matt wasn't a bit fazed.

  Another reason to love him. "Exactly. But since I went through all that on Nodyra, Eniywan has now crashed in on me, and it's only going to get worse."

  Jor agreed. "The whole thing is a mystery, even to Sairons."

  "Tell me about Sairons," said Matt. "What exactly are they?"

  I gave the floor to Jor. "Your turn."

  "Sairons were the original inhabitants of Balmythra," said Jor. "We have our folklore, too, and many, many theories about how we got here."

  "Sairons have more mental abilities than anyone, Guardians included," I added. "They're sort of like the oracles, shamans, or psychics on Nodyra, I guess. They're very in tune with nature, more than any other inhabitant of Balmythra."

  "So how come you're called the Guardian of Balmythra instead of just Guardian of the Ionians."

  "Hmm." I bit my lower lip as I thought. Count on Matt to ask the hard questions. "The Guardian answers to her own free society, but in a larger sense she connects with the Sairon Council and everyone else in Balmythra."

  "You're their leader."

  "Well, really more like their servant. I help the people of Balmythra by utilizing the collective wisdom of the Ionians and taking advice from the Sairon council."

  "So how long does this Eniywan thing take? I mean how long before it's complete?"

  Jor's sudden, intense stare made me really uncomfortable. Was he wondering that himself? More important, could I ever become a true Guardian after missing out on the training I should have received from my mother? I felt so useless at the moment. So inadequate.

  "Eniywan is never really complete because the Guardian constantly learns from her people's thoughts, memories and experiences. That's what keeps us strong." Or did. I could only hope it was still true.

  "Got it. Last question...for now, anyway." Matt turned, and, walking backward, directed his attention to Jor. "What made you think I was a noble?"

  "The spelling of your name. In Balmythra, double consonants indicate Guardian family status."

  Remembering that they'd assumed Matt was my boyfriend, something that might embarrass him, I pointed to a row of houses to his left. "Look, Matt."

  Ranging in style from Greek to Asian, they sported lawns and gardens as unique as their architecture. I thought he'd appreciate the variety as much as I did.

  He did. "I can't believe these were built from nothing."

  "Crazy, huh? The more complicated the structure, the more mind power it takes to erect it."

  "And once it's finished, it never evaporates like those columns did?"

  "That's right."

  Matt nodded toward a dwelling designed with a distinct mid-eastern flair. "Want to explain that to me?"

  I saw where he pointed and noted that a cloud hovered high above one house, raining just within the boundaries of that particular yard. Gentle thunder rolled an accompaniment.

  "Apparently whoever lives there likes rainy days."

  Matt blinked but didn't comment.

  "Oh, there's the school." I pointed to a low building with a domed glass roof. It was as stately and beautiful as it had been when I left.

  Matt eyed the amazing structure. "You went to school in Saironalis?"

  "Half the year so I could learn Sairon meditation techniques and some other things. The rest of the time I attended school in Vannarius."

  Sun rays kissed the dome and the windows, refracting into millions of sunbeams on contact. All kinds of flowers, a glorious splash of color against the white marble building, spilled out of the gardens and onto the walkways. Several fountains and various statues added to the majesty of the place. I also spotted some intricate water sculptures that had been added in the years I was exiled. One consisted of floating fish swimming in iridescent rainbow colors. I couldn't begin to imagine how much psychic energy was behind its creation. I saw some teenagers exit the building and wondered if I knew any of them.

  "I see Ilsada." Jor answered my unspoken question. "The two of you played together when you were little, didn't you?"

  "Yeah." I easily picked out the teen in question, with her Asian features and her long platinum hair, but didn't make any effort to get her attention. A wave of strong emotion almost knocked me sideways. I'd loved this school, something I couldn’t say about Wexton High. The Pringle's group didn't really mix well with townies there. Except for Ashley, of course, who got along with everyone. Just as quickly, it dawned on me how much I missed her and all the other poPs. My eyes filled with tears, and I blinked rapidly to hide that sign of weakness from Jor and Matt. This was definitely not the way a Guardian should behave.

  "School lasted all year?" Matt asked.

  "Uh-huh, but it wasn't bad at all. We took loads of mental field trips, and spent a lot of time outside. Oddly enough, we studied the heavens from inside. The glass of that dome magnifies them. It's way cool."

  "Were you in first grade, when M'jorca, here, tossed you in the Stream? You did say you were six when it happened, didn't you?"

  "We don't have grades—at least not like they have in Wexton." I didn't meet his gaze. "We do have levels of knowledge. I'd gotten to trientus."

  "Which was advanced for her age." Jor had anticipated Matt's next question. "Alleana has amazing abilities, the reason we need her here in Balmythra instead of Nodyra, looking for Rocc, who can take care of himself."

  "Here we go again." Matt sighed. "
Maybe if you explained about these Dagonel, she'd appreciate the threat a little more."

  "I'll do better than explain. I'll show them to you now."