The girls brushed off the loose pieces of forest that had caught in their clothing and stood regarding the different branches of the road.
“Which way?”
“Um,” said Cateran, considering their course. She twisted at the waist as she surveyed the roads. “That way. To the north-west. I remember the main camp moving there at one time.”
Vexyna looked around for signposts of any kind. “Cateran?” she asked. “When I was walking through your main camp, I noticed the women seemed to be performing the more menial tasks while the men didn’t seem to be doing much of anything other than maybe bossing people around.” They walking down the road Cateran had pointed out.
“That’s how we do things,” Cateran explained. “The information I gathered in your village was important to me because I have to prove I’m as good as any man Krajav has.” Her brow was knit in determination. “Now more than ever since he put those men on us.”
“Why would Krajav think I would be a threat to Din?”
Smiling almost foolishly, Cateran said, “I don’t know, but after seeing what you did to those men just by looking at them I’d say it’s a good idea to stay on your good side.”
“I wonder how long the power of my suggestions last,” Vexyna mused, looking at the dirt road. Every once in a while, she kicked a small rock down the path to see how far she could walk still kicking the same stone. It helped to pass the time.
“What if it’s permanent?” Cateran thought out loud.
“Like madness?” Vexyna asked. “What a thing to be given; the ability to drive people insane. Why me?” She held her hands with her palms to the sky and shook them.
“Ninim’s a dusty, dirty town because of all the rock dust from the mining,” commented Cateran as they moved along.
“When were you last in Ninim?”
“Well,” Cateran started. “I’ve never actually been in Ninim. I was near there with the main camp about seven months ago.” Cateran stopped walking and Vexyna did the same. “Vexyna,” said Cateran. “I know this continent from scrolls and what people have conveyed to me, but last night was the first time I’ve ever been away from the main camp. You couldn’t tell, could you?” She had her thumbs in her suspenders again and was looking mighty pleased with herself.
“No,” Vexyna admitted. “I really couldn’t tell. You disseminate your information like it was firsthand knowledge.”
“I thought you should know.”
“Thank you for being honest, but you shouldn’t feel guilty about if that’s how you’re feeling. I know a little about this continent, but I’ve never traveled outside the confines of my village. Perhaps we have been thrown together due to our similar relationships with this continent.”
“Personally, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next,” said Cateran, yawning.
“It’s been a long day for you, too. Let me take the knapsack for a while,” offered Vexyna.
“Thanks,” said Cateran. She handed the pack over to Vexyna. “I just need to get my second wind.”
The sun was slowly rising to illuminate their path. Off in the distance, they could see the outline of the foothills leading to the mountains. That was the direction in which they were headed.
“How far do you suppose it is to Ninim from here?”
“I’m not sure. It’d be nice if we could get our hands on a…” Cateran’s voice trailed off. She stared into the meadow they were walking beside.
Off in the distance was a small herd of animals grazing on the grasses and ferns of the field. The average height of the beasts was about three meters and each stood on two large clawed feet supporting two well-muscled leathery legs. Their slender bodies, only 220 centimeters in diameter, seemed dwarfish in comparison with their massive hind legs. Smaller forelegs ended in four scaly claws. Their shaggy heads were oval, and elongated whip-like ears sprouted hair at the ends. Horns growing from the back of their heads curved around to meet each other behind the creatures’ skulls. They looked like they weighed easily over a thousand kilograms, yet they moved about the field easily and with great speed. Their backs shone in the ever-brightening sun due to their tough leathery hide. A dorsal horn protruding from the base of the animal’s spine, pointing skyward, made for a bizarre tail.
“Look,” Cateran said, pointing to the beasts. “I can’t believe our luck. Those are hoppers. If we can get a pair of those, it’ll make traveling a lot faster and easier.”
“I’ve seen them used by the traders who used to visit the village. Have you ever ridden one?”
“Only once. I hope I can remember everything I was taught about them.” Cateran scratched her mop top thoughtfully. “Let me grab a couple of pieces of fruit from the knapsack.”
Vexyna swung the knapsack off her shoulder. The fruit was near the top, so it was easy for Vexyna to just grab a couple of pieces and hand them to Cateran. “Will these do? Is this the right kind of fruit?”
“We’ll soon find out,” said Cateran. She started to work her way toward the grazing herd.
Vexyna followed, but kept her distance. “Domesticated hoppers are one thing. Are you sure we can handle wild hoppers?”
“It’s worth a try,” Cateran ventured boldly. “Besides, I’ve heard it said there’s no such thing as a truly domesticated hopper. Hoppers form bonds with people in order to maintain a sense of community. You’ll never find a lone hopper. They are always in small groups. They aren’t skittish around humans because they are sociable.” The girls had been steadily making their way forward and were now standing amongst the beasts.
The animals only gave passing looks and continued to graze.
Cateran took a bite out of one of the pieces of fruit she was holding and spat it onto the ground in front of one of the hoppers.
The hopper stopped chewing on the plant it had been grazing from and sniffed the fruit. A long thin tongue darted out of the beast’s small mouth, wrapped itself around the food, crushed it and pulled it inside the long face. The creature looked at Cateran as if to ask for more. Cateran tossed the other fruit she was carrying over to Vexyna, then bit off another chunk of fruit for the hopper she’d been feeding. After expectorating the fruit, Cateran said, “Do what I’m doing. It helps build a relationship with them. We want to be on good terms with the hoppers if we want to ride them.”
Vexyna took a bite out her fruit and coughed it into her hand before tossing it in front of a hopper. The hopper responded quickly to the new food and was soon looking for more. Vexyna obliged.
Cateran began to hum softly to her hopper while stroking the sides of its head. The hopper responded by placing its forehead on hers and letting out a slow harmonic whistle in a low octave. Cateran looked pleased. “I think I can ride this one.” She beamed.
“I’m not much of a singer or a hummer,” confessed Vexyna. “I hope a little stroking and the fruit will convince this one to give me a lift.” Vexyna’s hopper finished the fruit and was enjoying having its face caressed.
Cateran looked over and commented, “Only one way to find out. Watch what I do.” She proceeded to place her hands on the right side of the back of the hopper. By using the hopper’s back as leverage, she pushed herself off the ground and swung her legs over the hopper’s back. She rested her back against the horn growing from the hopper’s spine and firmly grasped the horn coming from its head. “Now you try,” she said.
Vexyna put her hands cautiously on the back of her hopper. The beast gave no sign of moving. Vexyna easily mounted the hopper. “I guess we’re all set.”
“Good,” said Cateran. “You can steer a hopper by using the horn on the back of its head.” She pulled back on the horn slightly and the hopper started to move.
Vexyna pulled back on the horn of her hopper, but it did not move. She pulled back a little more forcefully on the horn. The hopper still refused to move. “Now what?” she asked.
Cateran had been jumping around the meadow on her hopper in order to get used to the ride. Now she was back by the ever
-motionless hopper Vexyna was on. “You didn’t hum to it, so you’ll have to find another way to entice it.”
Vexyna reached into the pockets of her cloak and produced another piece of fruit. She took a bite and tossed it in front of the hopper. The hopper let out a slow low harmonic whistle and proceeded to devour the fruit. When it had finished eating, Vexyna gently pulled back on its horn. This time, the beast started moving forward.
The girls steered their hoppers towards the road and began to bounce swiftly along the path. The motion of the hoppers took a bit of getting used to, but the girls found their seats were comfortable and secure.
The hoppers kicked up large clouds of dust as they made their way faster and faster down the dirt road. “In the old days, hoppers are said to have been able to fly,” Cateran shouted across the road at Vexyna.
They stopped only briefly along the way to refresh the hoppers in a stream running along various stretches of the road and continued to travel this way until the sun was a blazing ball of fire directly over their heads.
At this point, the road split in three directions. The fourth direction was blocked by small foothills that resembled majestic mountain peaks.
“Ninim is still further to the north-west,” Cateran stated. “It’s going to take us all afternoon to get there. I’m trying to think of some place closer where we can rest and freshen up.” She used the cloth Vexyna had given to her in the forest to wipe some road dust from her lips.
“Why don’t we stop in that castle?” Vexyna asked innocently as she pointed to the foothill.
“What castle?”
“The big white one standing right there,” Vexyna insisted, still pointing.
“I don’t see any castle.”
“How can you miss it? It has four tall spires in each corner and one really tall spire in the center. The whole building is gleaming white and the spires are trimmed in silver.”
“Whoa,” breathed Cateran. “You’re seeing all that? Right there?” Cateran pointed in the same direction Vexyna was pointing. Cateran clearly still saw nothing.
“There are two huge gates fashioned of a translucent material I have never seen before. Inside the base of the gate on the right, there is a smaller door. We might be able to enter the castle through that door.” Vexyna steered her hopper up to where she claimed the door to the castle was and dismounted.
Cateran followed Vexyna’s lead and got off her hopper. “Are we going to have room to take the hoppers with us?”
“I don’t think the people of the castle would appreciate having wild animals ricocheting about the palace.”
“They might have stables.”
“True. But this door isn’t big enough to fit a hopper through and I doubt those main gates have moved in years. They seem almost welded shut.”
“There might be another entrance,” Cateran said.
“We’re here now. Let’s try here first.”
“Okay,” Cateran offered. “I’ll try to give these hoppers a good whiff of my scent. If we’re lucky, they’ll come back to us if we need them.” She wadded up her mouth wiping cloth and stuffed it in one her armpits. When the cloth had absorbed a good amount of perspiration, she thrust it into the faces of the two hoppers.
“Ew.” Vexyna grimaced.
“I’m sorry, but that’s the politest way I can give them a strong scent,” Cateran said. She bent to tie the cloth around a stone. When she stood back up, she pitched the cloth covered stone into the field across the road.
The hoppers seemed to understand and hopped off to the meadow across the road to look for refreshment.
Vexyna turned her eyes in the direction of the door. “I don’t see a handle or knocker anywhere on this door,” she confided in Cateran.
“That’s okay,” replied Cateran. “I can’t even see a door!”
“I wonder how we can open this door,” Vexyna wondered aloud. The door slid silently into the main gate to reveal the courtyard of the castle beyond.
Cateran’s mouth hung wide open because, to her, it seemed that this newly opened doorway was floating fifteen centimeters off the ground and was surrounded by foothills. She was certain that if she wandered beyond the doorway, but not through it, she would end up in the foothills.
I wonder how that works. Both girls thought about different things and for different reasons.
Vexyna was curious about the door. Cateran was curious about the doorway.
“Let’s step inside,” Vexyna said. They stepped through the doorway into the castle courtyard.
The door silently slid closed behind them, swallowing up the last hint of the foothills and the dusty road.
Inside, it appeared completely devoid of people or animals. It was as though they were standing in a ghost town.
Sprawling out before them was a huge courtyard spanning over five hundred meters from length to breadth. Market stalls could be seen neatly organized by rows. A few vendors had their carts between the corners of the rows. The stalls were all empty and several were in desperate need of repair.
The air in the courtyard lay motionless. The only sounds came from the two girls.
“This is kind of creepy,” commented Cateran.
“No one appears to be around,” Vexyna lamented. “Let’s see if we can find the way to the castle.”
They wound their way through the rows of empty stalls until they had rounded two corners and found themselves face to face with a twelve-foot-high shiny silver sphere.
The sphere glistened in ripples as it spoke to them. “Step forward, one of Nogard blood. Step through to gain vision and insight.”
“I wonder what that’ll do?” Vexyna mused. “Are you game, Cateran?”
“Uh, sure,” Cateran stammered again. This was all really new to her and she was beginning to feel just a little overwhelmed.
Vexyna took Cateran’s elbow and guided her gently through the center of the sphere. Each girl emerged from the other side feeling as if she needed to remove some form of invisible ooze from her body. Their eyes were stinging slightly.
The other side of the sphere revealed a world unlike the one the two had left.
This side was vibrant with life everywhere. Tall trees grew to heights of twenty meters. Various species of plant and animal life were interacting in a variety of ways.
In amongst the flora and fauna were curious pieces of machinery. The stark contrast between the natural life and the technology made for an odd mixture. Silver orbs of different sizes floated free amongst the plant life.
Cateran burst out, “I can see people!” She was happy again.
A tall girl with hair so white it almost glowed with a purple sheen approached them. Her pastel rose robes seemed to flow in a breeze forever blowing them upward. The bottoms of her sandals looked as though they were barely touching the ground as she glided toward them. “One of you is of Nogard blood,” she announced.
“I think that would be me,” Vexyna pointed out.
“I am Phantasmine,” she said it as though she were saying ‘fawn taz mean’. The white-haired girl extended her hand to Vexyna.
Vexyna took the offered hand and shook it. “I’m Vexyna. This is Cateran.”
Phantasmine examined Cateran sternly. “Yes. A Vag. And a young one at that. As you are of Nogard blood, I am certain that there must be some good explanation for her.”
“Hey…” Cateran started to say, but thought better of it. She was really having a hard time grasping everything going on around her. She felt like clinging to the back of Vexyna’s cloak, but quickly fought off the urge.
“She is my friend and traveling companion. You should treat her as you would any honored guest,” Vexyna issued forth coldly.
“Understood.” Phantasmine bowed.
The girls smiled at each other reassuringly and then turned their gazes on Phantasmine.
“What is this place?” Vexyna asked.
“This is the castle city of Illusia,” Phantasmine informed them, turning slig
htly at the waist and gesturing to their surroundings. “Everything you saw or experienced in this room before stepping through the Illumination Sphere was an illusion.”
“What exactly happened when we stepped through that sphere?” Vexyna asked.
“Various regions of your brain were stimulated to activate or deactivate parts of your visual and aural senses,” explained Phantasmine. “We have the ability and the technology necessary to manipulate certain types of matter at the molecular level. We are also capable of sending targeted suggestions to specific areas within the brain in order to cause the one who is being targeted to experience the sensations we wish them to.”
Cateran thought she understood the word ‘manipulate’, but ‘molecular’ was nowhere to be found in her mental dictionary. After the way she had been treated earlier, she decided not to ask right now.
“That doesn’t explain what we saw when we entered,” Vexyna put forth.
“Tell her about the doorway into this place and how it was floating in the middle of a field in front of some hills,” Cateran blurted.
To Cateran’s surprise, Phantasmine answered plainly, “Yes, it would have appeared that way if you could only see the doorway and not the castle around it.” She faced Vexyna. “What you saw when you entered was what we wanted you to see. Even if someone managed to find the castle through the barrier of illusion, they would only find themselves within barren walls.”
“If you’re so anxious to keep people away from you, why did you reveal yourselves to us?”
“You are of Nogard blood. Your blood is also of another ancient line. This intrigues us. Perhaps you are the one who can help us.”
“You keep speaking in the plural and Cateran said she could see people,” said Vexyna, looking around the room. “I can’t seem to see any other people anymore. Where are they?”
“They are not necessary to generate anymore,” Phantasmine explained. “I shall begin to speak in the first person. I am alone. I am the last of the Illusians. I have existed in ethereal form, chained to this plane for centuries by our technology. I long for the time when the right technology will reunite me with a physical body and allow me to live out a normal physical life right to its natural end.”
“You want to be able to grow old and die. Is that what you’re saying?” Vexyna asked.
“It is,” Phantasmine said.
“Your technology makes you appear magical,” stated Vexyna. “If you don’t have a physical body, how could I shake your hand?”
“That was possible through brain wave manipulation on my part. I created the impression of pressure on your hand within your brain so it would feel like you were gripping another hand.”
“Do you know what the range of your power is? How far away could you change the perceptions of a person?”
“That would depend upon the size of the Crystal of Change I had to work with,” Phantasmine revealed. “The Crystals of Change are the basis for the technology behind illusion creation.”
A ten-centimeter-high diamond-shaped crystal appeared before their eyes and sat spinning in mid-air. It was an iridescent red. “The Crystals of Change are living crystals. They are constantly in a state of flux. Long ago, we learned how to read and affect the vibrations of the crystals so they would work for us. The harmonics of the crystals affect the vibrational qualities in the living things around them. This causes those things of a simpler physical construct to change in whichever way the manipulator chooses.”
“You can change the physical structure of plants and other things composed of a simple biological makeup? Is that what you are saying?” Vexyna queried.
Cateran was only catching what Vexyna was saying. Phantasmine’s words only served to confuse her. She decided to concentrate on making sure she understood enough through Vexyna that she wouldn’t appear completely out of it.
“Yes. I was afraid you would not be able to grasp the concept,” Phantasmine admitted.
“It isn’t easy, but I think I can keep up with you,” Vexyna said. “I have a pretty vivid imagination.”
“The crystals are quite old,” Phantasmine explained further. “When the earth shifted recently, most were either crushed or damaged so badly they could not heal themselves. After the ordeal, only a few shards remain. I am fortunate the crystal I chose to harmonize with is still intact.”
“Earth shifted,” repeated Vexyna. “How did the earth shift?”
“It rippled in waves and seemed as though some giant snake was writhing and twisting its way just under the surface of the ground. Many crystals were smashed together when they were thrown off balance. It was so unexpected it really caught me off guard.”
“I’ve seen that sort of behavior in soil myself,” Vexyna said.
“Vexyna’s village was turned upside down by that sort of thing just yesterday morning,” Cateran chipped in.
“Do you know what has caused the soil to act in such a fashion?” Phantasmine asked.
“We think it has something to do with a woman named Din,” Vexyna said. “Her men came marching into my village. The leader of the men pounded his staff on the ground and the ground started to go haywire.”
“Din?” Phantasmine looked puzzled. “I do not know anything about such a person. I do know you are of a curious mix of bloodlines. If you can get to Nogard, you may be able to help me.”
“The quest for death,” Vexyna said. She shuddered. “That’s a bit morbid.”
“Not just death,” said Phantasmine swiftly. “Physical life. Real sensations. Being able to really touch and feel things. Really taste things. Not just hollow illusions of the way things are supposed to taste and feel.”
“Um,” Cateran stammered in a low voice. “Phantasmine, how long have you been in this castle?”
Phantasmine looked at her and asked, “Has anyone in your tribe ever told you the tale of the Great Fire?”
Cateran thought for a moment and then nodded. “Yes,” she answered. “It happened a long, long time ago.”
“Yes, it did. I have been here since that time. I did have family and friends while their crystals lasted, but slowly they have all died off. Their ethereal harmony was forever stilled by the crumbling of their crystals. I would like to be able to return to dust in the normal human way.”
“Phantasmine,” Vexyna said. “I don’t know how to get to Nogard. Until recently, I had only rarely ventured out of my village. I am only out now because of the upheaval supposedly caused by Din. We are on our way to Ninim to get some Gargantuans. We’re hoping to use them to clear the rocks away from in front of the village gates.”
“May I accompany you?” Phantasmine asked.
“I can’t see why not,” Vexyna replied. “When we entered the castle, we were hoping to get some rest and refreshment.”
“I must apologize for being such an ungrateful hostess.” Phantasmine looked at the floor. “Please allow me to show you to suitable quarters. There, you may eat, bathe and rest.”
Cateran’s ears perked up at the sound of the word ‘eat’. “Is that real food or just illusion food?” she asked.
“Real food. Just as your baths will contain real water,” Phantasmine explained. “Do not forget that long ago we Illusians had physical bodies. The technology of plumbing is indeed simple. Time has done little to damage our waterways, although the earth tremors may have. Please come this way.” She led the way down a short cobblestone corridor, then turned right and went up a flight of dark stone stairs.
At the top of the stairs was a long hallway with several doorways leading off it. Varying shades of blue matched the draperies around portrait frames with the carpet underfoot. Phantasmine motioned for the girls to enter the first two rooms on either side of the hallway. “Inside, you will receive whatever you ask for, within reason.”
The girls thanked Phantasmine and pushed open the white wooden doors of their rooms. Vexyna hesitated briefly before entering her room. Cateran had already disappeared.
“Phanta,??
? Vexyna said, “why did you have such a negative reaction to Cat?”
“It is not Cateran herself; it is her heritage,” Phantasmine clarified. “The Vags and the Illusians have a history. Let us put it at that for the moment. For now, you must rest.” She turned away from Vexyna and floated down the stone stairs.
Alone at the top of the stairs, Vexyna turned to enter her room.
Inside the room, Vexyna found a large four poster bed. Each of the four posts had been ornately carved. Four pillows were perched at the head of the bed. Above the pillows rested a bookcase set into the wall.
A vanity sat to one side of the bed. A small table and two white chairs resided in one corner. A door beside another corner led to a sizeable bathroom.
A dark green marble bath tub filled two feet high with warm water greeted Vexyna. She disrobed and took great lengths to remove the grime from her journey.
A short while later, Vexyna had wrapped herself in a dark wine-colored robe that had been provided in her room. She was brushing out her long black hair when Cateran knocked on her door. “Come in,” Vexyna said loudly.
Cateran entered the room and closed the door behind her. She was attired in a similar robe to the one Vexyna was sporting. “Even if some of this is just an illusion, it is a nice illusion,” she said. She pranced over to the bed and flipped herself onto it so she was lying on her back looking up at the ceiling.
“It’s nice to get all that dust from the road off my body,” Vexyna commented.
“The bath was good,” Cateran agreed. She rolled over onto her stomach so she could examine the books in the headboard bookcase.
A knock came to the chamber door. “Vexyna?” a voice asked from the other side of the door.
“Yes,” Vexyna replied. “Please come in, Phanta.”
The door open and Phantasmine admitted herself to the room. “Is everything to your satisfaction?”
“Yes,” came from both the girls simultaneously. They all grinned at each other.
Cateran went back to checking out the books. “Are you looking for something to read before you go to sleep?” Phantasmine asked Cateran.
“Not really,” Cateran said. “I’m just seeing what’s here. I like hearing tales if you know any. There used to be many tales told around the campfire when I was younger. I can’t recall many of them.”
“On moonless nights when the stars were all hiding, did the old women of your clan tell you tales of losing husbands and fathers to the clutches of an evil woman who would seduce the men and then drain them of their life force?”
The girls shivered. “No,” replied Cateran. “I’ve never heard such a thing.”
“They say it was just an old wives’ tale.”
“Why would you bring up such a tale of terror?” Vexyna asked.
“It just came to mind for some reason,” Phantasmine admitted. “I am sorry. Let me show you some pleasing visual effects to relax you.”
Vexyna quickly interrupted her, “That’s okay. I think we both just need some sleep.”
Cateran yawned and stretched on the bed. Then she slid off the bed and wandered toward the door where Phantasmine was standing.
Both girls bid Vexyna a good night and Vexyna was left to sleep in the comfortable bed.
Chapter 5: Mining is the Pits