After the girls had freshened up and slipped into their newly laundered clothing, Doctor Deathbrain greeted them in the hallway outside their rooms. “Dinner is served, ladies,” he said as he took a short bow and extended his arm to point the way down the hall.
Cateran was the first to move in the direction of the food. Vexyna followed and Doctor Deathbrain brought up the rear. Once they were out of the narrow hallway containing the girls’ rooms, they were able to walk abreast.
“What’s for dinner?” Cateran had to know.
“I’m not exactly sure,” confessed the doctor. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we can spice it to your liking. I have an invention I think you’ll like. Perhaps we’ll try it out at dinner.”
“Invention?” Cateran looked skeptical.
“What sort of invention, Doctor?” Vexyna asked with a little concern for her friend.
“Nothing harmful, I assure you,” Deathbrain said. “I have a theory about taste and chemistry. One person’s particular preferences of the pallet are peculiar to their pallet owing to their own individual chemical balance. If we know the particular chemical balance of a person and know how the chemicals in the foods that person is about to ingest will react on that person’s system, then we should be able to make sure the balance is such to create the best possible dining experience for that person.”
They had stopped momentarily in a larger hallway as Deathbrain explained his theory.
“Design the meal and its spicing to the exact taste of the diner? Is that what you’re saying?” Vexyna asked.
Cateran shook the mop of red hair on top of her head. It was still wet from her shower and some of the water splashed on the other two. She looked at them sheepishly. “Sorry. It didn’t have time to dry.”
Shaking various parts of their clothing to remove any bits of water, the trio proceeded to the dining room.
“Yes.” Deathbrain nodded. “That is exactly what I mean. I can take saliva tests on willing subjects and do a chemical analysis. Based on what I find, the rest should be easy. Of course, I’ll still have to ask a few taste-related questions.”
They arrived at the dining room and Deathbrain motioned for the girls to take seats around the circular metal table in the center of the room. Each girl took a seat opposite the other, leaving a spot in between for the doctor. The chairs’ frames were singular metal tubes bent to form a number five without its top, and a leather-like fabric stretched across the tubing to form the seat and back.
Draped over the table was a fine white linen tablecloth. Two candlesticks adorned the central display of flowers. Around the flowers, various metal and crockery serving dishes had been laid.
Several aromas lifted Cateran’s nose high over the table. “It smells wonderful,” she almost drooled.
“Will Cinnamon not be joining us, Doctor?” Vexyna asked. “Does she need to eat?”
“She should be here already,” the doctor said with a bit of concern. “Yes, her body is the same as a normal person’s. It’s only her brain that is ‘special’. Please help yourselves. I’ll go see what’s keeping her.” He left the dining room.
Busily trying the various dishes displayed before them, the girls were startled when Doctor Deathbrain backed into the dining room.
They sat staring blankly at the doctor, who pointed in their direction, asking, “Are these the ones?”
Wide-eyed wonder swept across their faces when Raj, wearing the outfit of one of Din’s people, entered the room holding Cinnamon. “Those are the ones,” Raj confirmed. He handed Cinnamon over to the doctor and moved toward the table as he said to the doctor, “Leave us.”
Deathbrain tucked Cinnamon under his arm and departed.
“Now then,” said Raj as he looked back and forth between the two girls. “You two will not escape this time. I have been sent by Her Imperial Highness the Empress Din to ensure you are here when she arrives.”
Jaws dropped as the girls took in his words.
“Raj! What’s happened to you?” Cateran asked, tears welling in her eyes.
A stern look took command of Vexyna’s face. “I know what’s going to happen.” She stood up, leaned over the table and grabbed the front of Raj’s tunic. Bending him swiftly over the table with one hand, she removed her glasses with other before staring intensely into his eyes.
Raj was instantly transfixed.
“Sit down,” commanded Vexyna.
“Are you gonna make him strip?” Cateran was curious.
“What?” Vexyna looked at her friend. “No, I hadn’t…” She paused for split second before adding, “Well, now that you mention it… No, no. That wouldn’t be right.” She turned her attention back to Raj. “Tell us what is supposed to happen after you find us.”
In a zombie-like state, Raj found a seat. “I was sent to ensure you would not escape.”
“When is Din expected to arrive?” Vexyna kept up her line of questioning.
“Exalted Empress Din will arrive by mid-morning tomorrow.”
Vexyna said to Cateran, “At least that gives us a head start. Let’s see what use we can make of this visit before we leave.”
Cateran sat staring at the hollow husk of the man who used to be her treasured friend. “Can you help him?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Vexyna. “I can try.” She intensified her gaze at Raj. “Raj,” she said. “Remember who you are.”
“I am Raj,” he slowly stated. “I am in the service of the Red Empress. I am…”
“Raj!” Vexyna cut him off. “You are not in the service of Din. You are a member of the people known as the Vags. You have a dear friend named Cateran. You adore her.”
Raj’s eyes blinked wildly. “I am… a Vag?” His mind was obviously trying to grasp the concept.
“Oh, Raj!” Cateran cried while rising from her seat and rounding the table. In a flash, she had her arms around him and was giving him a heartfelt kiss. When she pulled away, she held onto his shoulders and looked into his eyes.
“Cateran,” he said softly as his senses returned. “Cateran,” he said again as he pulled her in close for hug.
“Is it safe?” The question came from Doctor Deathbrain, who stood in the doorway of the dining room.
“Yes, Doctor,” said Vexyna. “I think we have everything under control at the moment.”
“Good,” said the doctor as he made his way back to his seat at the table. “I could tell by this man’s eyes he was under the influence of a fog or a mist. Without knowing the antidote, how did you snap him out of it?”
Vexyna measured her words carefully. “We tried a couple of methods. The second method did the trick.”
“Which methods would those be?” the doctor insisted on knowing.
“The second method worked, but I’m not sure how or why. It was a kiss from Cateran. But how did a kiss from Cateran finally snap Raj out of Din’s trance?”
“It’s a chemical thing as well as an emotional thing,” theorized the doctor as he finally helped himself to some dinner.
Raj spoke quietly to Cateran as she sat in his lap. “I had infiltrated Din’s troops to learn more about her, but her subjects are exposed to fogs and mists to keep them in line. I should’ve realized that, after being exposed I, too, would begin to forget who I was and start to really follow her orders.”
“What exactly did happen, Raj? The last thing we knew you were off to Ninim to put in that purchase order.” Vexyna wanted some answers.
“I didn’t tell you everything the last time we met,” Raj confessed. “Krajav ordered me to spy on Din. He provided me with passwords and this outfit. I was to infiltrate her ranks, find out her strengths and ambitions, and report back to Krajav.”
“Obviously that didn’t happen,” Vexyna said dryly. “Let me guess. You slipped in amongst her men and got gassed by one of the fogs.”
“Or fogged by one of the gases.” Cateran giggled. She had returned to her dinner.
“When did this happen? Do you recall saying anything to Din
about us?”
“I got picked up by Din’s caravan on the road to Ninim. They found the purchase order among my things during a routine inspection of all the troops’ belongings. Din likes to know where her men have been. That aroused suspicions about this facility. I was interrogated. I…” Words seemed to stick in Raj’s throat. He reached for a glass from the group slightly off to one side of the center of the table. Licking his lips, he picked up the pitcher of water and poured himself a glass. He gulped the first mouthful, but took his time and sipped the second. Finally, he said, “I told her about Nogard and your candlestick. I told them you were trying to get here. That’s why she sent me here. Din thought I would be the best one to stop you. If all else failed, I was supposed to try to kill you. I told them everything I know about you.” He took another quick drink and put the glass down hard on the table. Stooped over in his chair, he rested his face in his hands and gently rocked.
“You betrayed us,” Vexyna stated flatly.
“Under the influence of certain fogs and mists, people will do anything,” interjected the doctor. “You really can’t hold the boy responsible.”
Abandoning her meal, Cateran went to the sorrow-filled Raj and took hold of his shoulders. Smiling down at him, she said, “I bet you learned a lot about Din while you were with her, didn’t you?”
Raj looked up at Cateran and nodded. “I wasn’t with her main caravan long. They were already planning to split off and head to Dilbu for some sort of meeting. I did learn an interesting fact or two, though.”
Cateran returned to her seat as Raj poured himself another glass of water.
Taking a sip of the water before speaking, Raj said, “I know how Din is causing the earthquakes.”
“Earthquakes?” It was the doctor’s ears that perked up. “What’s all this about earthquakes? Oh, yes, Vexyna mentioned something about a tremor ripping up her village.”
“How is she doing it, Raj?” Vexyna had to know.
“Din has found an ancient race of earth-beings. These are beings composed only of soil. One of the younger members of this clan of earth-beings has gone missing and Din has convinced them it was stolen by one of the humans.”
“Beings composed solely of soil? That sounds impossible.” Vexyna was skeptical.
“On the contrary,” said Deathbrain, “such Elemental beings exist throughout Antasta. There are also beings composed solely of fire, water, air and wood. We just never see them anymore. Generally, they work as one consciousness even though there seem to be many of them. I wonder how it is that one of them could possibly be lost from the others.”
“Another form of mind control on Din’s part, perhaps? Elemental beings. Just when I think the world couldn’t give me a wilder ride.” Vexyna shook her head. “Exactly what does the kidnapping of an Elemental youngster have to do with Din?”
“Din told the earth-beings she would help them find their missing child. She’s been going around pointing out possible sites that might have the child. Then the earth-beings run under wherever it is and wreck the place.”
“So it was the Elementals that caused the disruption in Shojiki?”
“Yes. They were signaled by means of a staff that emitted sound waves into the ground when it was tapped.”
“I told you that staff thing sounded like a signaling device,” Deathbrain put in.
Frowning, Cateran said, “I bet Din kidnapped the Elemental kid herself.”
“That would make sense,” Vexyna said as she thought about it. “That way, she would always know where it was and could continually lead on the other Elementals.”
“Mind control plays a factor, as well,” Deathbrain stated. “From what you’ve said about this woman, it definitely sounds like her work.”
“How do we fight it? What are the antidotes to the various fogs and mists?” Vexyna needed some real answers.
“When is this Din person supposed to get here?” Deathbrain asked Raj.
“Midday tomorrow.”
“Then we need to prepare for departure. This place will be much too dangerous if Elementals are involved.”
Cinnamon, who had entered quietly after the doctor and taken a seat at the table, suddenly shot her right arm out in front of her, causing her food to fly across the table onto Cateran’s chest.
“Hey!” Cateran exclaimed. “There are less messy ways to pass food around.”
“I am so sorry,” apologized Cinnamon, who was getting up from the table. Rounding the table towards Cateran, the child picked up a linen napkin. She stopped in front of Cateran. “Please allow me to take care of that mess.”
“Sure,” replied Cateran. She held her wrists up to her shoulders so Cinnamon could get at the large wet spot on the front of her coveralls.
Leaning in to dab up the spill, Cinnamon informed Cateran, “This is worse than I thought. Please remove your clothing so that I may launder it.”
“Right here?” Cateran was a bit embarrassed. “During a meal?”
“Cinnamon,” Doctor Deathbrain said, “go fetch Cateran a robe. Cat, you’ll find enough space to change in the pantry through the door over there.”
Food was consumed by the others as the two youngest people in Vangrash hurried about fetching and changing.
While Cinnamon was off procuring a robe for Cateran, Vexyna seized the opportunity to ask, “Doctor, why did Cinnamon throw her food at Cateran? Is that just the typical action of a six-year-old?”
“Six-year-old girls do throw food,” Raj confirmed. “But generally you can see it coming. Cinnamon’s actions didn’t seem voluntary.”
“Occasionally in the development of Cinnamon’s organic brain the nanobot weavers cause neurological disturbances. These disturbances can create a variety of involuntary muscle reactions,” Deathbrain informed them as he finished his meal and pushed away his plate.
“Tell me, Doctor,” Vexyna enquired, “how real a person is Cinnamon? And are you attached to her or is she just another experiment?”
Frowning, Doctor Deathbrain looked straight at Vexyna as he said, “Cinnamon is much more than just an experiment to me. Obviously, after years of interacting with her, I’ve grown fond of her. Humans naturally attach human qualities to the things around them. How real is Cinnamon as a person? That depends on her memories. Like the rest of us, her personality is a composite of her experiences. On the other hand, you could argue she has no personality at all because she is incapable of independent thought. She acts, reacts and does what she is told, but she is not yet capable of initiating thought.”
“Will Cinnamon ever be able to start her own thoughts?” asked Raj.
“The more she experiences, the greater a reserve of reactions she will be able to call upon, so it will increasingly appear she is thinking independently.”
“Another illusion, Doctor?” Vexyna mused.
“Indeed,” responded the doctor. “However, Cinnamon lacks a core spirit. Whereas her body is alive and functioning as it should autonomously, there is no soul inside that body to make it move, think, and feel.”
“Let me get this straight,” Vexyna tried to clarify what the doctor had just said. “Cinnamon’s body is alive, but there is no real personality called ‘Cinnamon’ independently motivating the body.” She looked at Raj. “Did that make sense to you?”
“I think so,” Raj replied.
Wrapped in a fresh robe, Cateran was once again seated before her food. She dug into the food heartily.
Demurely seated across from Cateran, Cinnamon finished her meal and got up. “What should I do now?”
“Well, Cinnamon, I’d say it’s time we gave ‘Senomar’ a test run,” the doctor said to his little girl.
“I’ll go on ahead to the docking bay and prepare for launch,” Cinnamon told her creator before scurrying off.
“Senomar?” Vexyna was curious.
“You’ll see. In the meantime, let’s adjourn to the lab.”
Deathbrain led the way back to the laboratory he had shown
the girls before.
“For every fog, there is an opposite mist,” he explained. “The Purple Fog can be combated by the Yellow Mist, for example. Different forms of airborne contaminants produce different effects. The Purple Fog is deep mind control.”
“Do you have everything you need to create the different fogs and mists?” Vexyna asked the doctor.
“Almost. There are a few missing minerals. Right now, I’m more concerned about what to take and what to leave.”
“You don’t think Din is going to try to harm this facility, do you?” Cateran asked.
“It would fit her pattern,” Raj interjected.
“Then I must prepare for the worst,” the doctor said with determination. “Please leave me. Through the door in that wall and down the hallway you’ll find the room we entered when we first came inside this building. Wait there. Read some of the books if you like. I will join you when I am ready.”
Raj and the two girls left the doctor to see to his departure preparations and ventured off to the stone room with the circular center filled with comfortable chairs. There, they waited for what seemed hours until finally Doctor Deathbrain appeared.
“It’s time to leave,” he announced. “Please follow me.” He led the way out of the building and around one side of it.
Standing in the middle of the field beside the research facility was a colossus like none any of the travelers had ever seen. The jaws of all save Deathbrain dropped as they gaped up at the monstrosity.
“Is this some sort of vehicle, Doctor?” Vexyna gaped in wonder.
“Senomar is probably unlike any vehicle or mode of transportation you have ever encountered. Senomar was genetically bred and developed, by me, as a pet for Cinnamon,” the doctor explained as they walked closer to the blue shiny mass.
“You mean this thing is alive?” Cateran cart wheeled backwards, almost knocking down Raj.
“Senomar, like Cinnamon,” the doctor went on, “also has a nanobot brain.”
“Banana brain? What?” Cateran shook her head as she landed.
“Nanobot brain,” Vexyna corrected. “Those tiny machines the doctor told us about.” She turned to the doctor. “Please understand, Doctor, we are from cultures that don’t have such strange devices. It’s a lot to comprehend and sometimes it does get a little overwhelming.”
“I understand,” said Deathbrain sympathetically. “When you weren’t touched by the Forgetting, it is easy to forget that a great many other people were. Generations of some of them.” Deathbrain stood a moment looking at the three travelers. “Everything is still manual where you come from, isn’t it? No machines, other than the odd freighter and whatnot? Torches? No electric light?” The inquisitive nature in the doctor seemed to come through.
“What does electric mean?” Cateran asked.
“There’s no time for me to explain about electricity,” replied the doctor. “Suffice it to say, you don’t know about it.”
“That’s right,” said Cateran. “That’s why I’m asking about it.”
“We’ll talk about that later,” Vexyna cut in. “Right now, we need to know more about how Senomar is going to help us.”
“Senomar is the first in what I hoped would be a series of symbiotically enhanced robotically amplified peripheral harnesses.”
“Symbiotically? What?” Vexyna was a bit confused.
“They help each other,” said the doctor. “Without the driver, the harness is useless. With the harness, the driver can move the harness and do many things. Senomar is the prototype of the SERAPH series.”
“Exactly what does that mean?” Cateran looked more perplexed.
“Every vehicle needs a driver,” Deathbrain continued. “The driver in the Senomar is Cinnamon, because her brain can be linked directly with Senomar’s. In essence, Cinnamon becomes Senomar and, thus, can handle all of the vehicle’s functions. It’s meant as much to be an educational aid as a vehicle. Senomar isn’t mentally conscious enough to move around without help. Cinnamon provides that help.”
Cateran looked up at the doctor. Biting her lower lip, she asked, “What about ‘automatic pilot’?”
Vexyna gave her friend a stern look. “Let’s stay on topic, shall we?”
“Sorry,” Cateran said sheepishly, her shoulders drooping.
Turning to the doctor, Vexyna asked, “Doctor, is this sort of thing normal for a six-year-old child from Illusia?”
“Quite honestly, no,” the doctor confessed. “But there seem to be some things happening hereabouts that need looking into. All my research and years upon years of work could be in jeopardy. There are ways to make sure Cinnamon still grows up like a normal child. Let me worry about the wonders of technology. Where should we head from here?”
“Since you say you are from Illusia, take us back to Illusia,” Raj suggested.
“Nice try, Raj,” Vexyna stopped him. “We’ve been to Illusia. You haven’t. I’ll bet you’ve narrowed down the possible spots on which the castle might rest, but you don’t know for certain. If you insist on going to Illusia, you will have to be somehow robbed of your memory of its location.”
“Vex!” Cateran cried. “Why are you being so hard on Raj?”
“Look at the outfit he wears,” Vexyna said, pointing to Raj’s tunic. “We have no idea what side effects the mist he was exposed to might cause.”
“Illusia would make a good destination, though,” Deathbrain stated. “Simply blindfold Raj to keep the whereabouts of Illusia safe.”
“Does Cinnamon know where Illusia is, Doctor?” Raj was curious.
“Yes, as part of her geography lessons,” answered the doctor. “She knows the map of the ancient world. Other than remote contact with Ninim and Dilbu, we haven’t heard from anyone else. Perhaps the odd Vag like you two.” He pointed at Cateran and Raj.
“You knew we were Vags?” Cateran looked dumbfoundedly at the doctor.
“Certainly,” replied Deathbrain.
“You never let on.”
“It is of little consequence. Let us get aboard.” Deathbrain pressed his right palm into the blue surface of Senomar. A two-meter-wide split appeared in Senomar’s side. The split expanded vertically until it had created a doorway three meters high.
Once again, the three travelers were stunned. “Believe me, this is nothing compared to the marvels you will find in Nogard or Illusia.”
“I think Illusia had machines like what you call robots,” Vexyna said. “Are you saying Nogard has machines like this? Machines grown like plants?” It suddenly dawned on her what she had just said. The whole concept of what Senomar, no, what Cinnamon was, firmly came to grips in her mind. “Doctor Deathbrain, you grow organic cells in your laboratory and they form into different bodies.”
“Yes, that’s correct. It all started as part of my experiments into prolonging life. There is something I need to tell you, but please get aboard.”
“I don’t understand the longevity thing, Doctor. Why did the Illusians want to live so long?”
“They wanted to outlive the Forgetting so they would be around when peoples’ minds were free again. Someone had to be here all along just to make sure everything worked out and everyone kept their promise to lay down their arms.”
Deathbrain impatiently waved the trio through the opening in Senomar’s side.
Senomar’s interior gleamed with a luminous aquamarine shine. It exuded a bright, cheery feel. The exterior of Senomar seemed enormous compared with the compact and cozy little room in which the four now found themselves. Seats seemed to swell up out of the floor and pour from the walls. Senomar had grown itself into several fern-like plants to adorn the room. A large round table sat off to one side of the room.
They each found a place to park themselves.
“Where’s Cinnamon?” Cateran asked, looking around for the little girl.
“Cinnamon is safe,” the doctor replied noncommittally.
“Tell us more about your experiments, Doctor,” Raj prodde
d.
“No,” the doctor said, somewhat coldly. “I think it’s time you people told me exactly what has been going on in the world. You have given me some bits and pieces, but before we go any further I need to know what I am getting myself and my little girl into.”
“I understand, Doctor,” Vexyna said. “We have tried to tell you as much as we know.”
“There are a few details we could provide,” Cateran suggested. “About Din and all.”
Raj looked around the room. “There are no windows.” He laughed. “I guess a blindfold won’t be necessary after all, eh, Vex?”
“I suppose not. I’m sorry, Raj. I’ve been a bit on edge lately.”
“That’s understandable coming from someone in your situation.”
Deathbrain interrupted them. “Each of you should tell me how you got to know the others. That way, I can probably piece together what’s happening. Cinnamon is already moving Senomar toward Illusia.”
“How does Senomar move, Doctor?” Vexyna queried.
“I told you to leave the technological wonders to me,” the doctor admonished her. “Just tell me your stories and any side pieces of relevant information.”
“At least tell us how long the journey to Illusia should take,” Cateran said.
“Just long enough for each of you to have contributed your tale,” said the doctor.
This statement caused the other three to cease any movement and stare at the doctor.
“Get on with what you have to say and worry about the length of the voyage later,” Deathbrain told the group.
So they did. Each, in turn, told of how they became involved with Din and the events taking place across Antasta.
At the end of it all, Deathbrain said, “Incredible. The ancient evil really is on the move once again. The resurrection of Dacreel must be close at hand. Getting Vexyna to Nogard is urgent.”
“Why so urgent?” Vexyna asked.
“You appear to be some sort of link between the followers of Dacreel and the people of Nogard. I wouldn’t ask Din for any answers. I’d go to Nogard.” He gave a hard look to Vexyna. “End your search for your mother. No good can come of it.”
“No, Doctor, I will not end my search for my mother. She has answers to some of my questions and I will not stop until she gives me those answers. Please try to understand.”
While staring at the floor, the doctor whispered, “I hope it all works out.”
Cinnamon spoke and everyone whirled around to look at her. No one had seen her enter the room. “We are at Illusia. Please prepare to disembark.” She turned away from them and appeared to walk straight through the wall.
Vexyna spoke. “Did she…?” She was lost for words.
Doctor Deathbrain let out a hearty laugh and patted his stomach with both hands. “You forget, Vexyna, we are Illusians. Not everything you see around us is real.”
A hatchway melted away in the side of Senomar and the party departed the craft. Once on the ground outside Illusia, two of the trio of non-Illusians noticed that Senomar could not be seen. It had blended itself into the countryside and, thus, became invisible. The last trace of Senomar disappeared once Cinnamon had walked down the tiny ramp to the ground. The third non-Illusian had been outfitted with a blindfold and, therefore, could not see anything.
“Illusia,” Vexyna said heavily. “Doctor, are there any special funeral or burial rites for Illusians?”
“Ah, yes,” thought the doctor aloud, “Phantasmine. She was one of the ruling classes of Illusians. Might even have been queen at one time.” The doctor chuckled. “That’s the problem with an organic brain. It wears out after a while.”
“Rites, Doctor. Are there any?”
“Oh, sorry. Sure, it depends on what Phanta wanted. We should look for any records of her last wishes.”
“I wouldn’t know where to begin to look for such things,” Vexyna lamented.
“Let’s get inside first,” Cateran suggested.
“After you, Doctor,” Vexyna offered. “You seem to know the spot. Can you find the door?”
“Right here,” said the doctor, easily finding the entrance.
They stepped through the gate into the empty market surrounding the castle. Raj had his blindfold removed just before the group passed through the Illumination Sphere and into Illusia castle. They were stunned by what greeted them.
Chapter 12: Behold the Crystal Queen