“You bet,” replied Clod. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her sedan chair. All bright red with shiny tassels. It was sittin’ on two long green poles bein’ held up by four big brutes.”
“Sounds pretty,” Cateran said. “I guess Din’s a bit flashy.”
“Flashy don’t half describe it,” Clod agreed as he turned his weathered face toward Cateran. “You should’ve seen it when she stepped out from behind the curtain.”
“What was she wearing?” Cateran had to know.
“First, she stuck her foot out so she could open the curtain just a little ways. I figure she must’ve been checking out the crowd before making her entrance.”
“That would be a logical assumption,” offered Phantasmine. “It is always best to know what one is getting oneself into when dealing with a crowd.”
Clod continued, “Then she dug her claws, uh, I mean ‘nails’, and they were pretty fancy nails at that, all polished up shiny and sharp. So, she digs her nails into the curtain and rips it open. Then she stands there looking at us. I’ve never seen a woman in a velvet dress before. She had a green hat on, too. Her hair was long and black. About as long as yours.” Clod pointed to Vexyna.
“Sounds like she really has a thing about the color red,” Cateran observed.
“What did she do once she was visible to the crowd?” asked Vexyna.
“She made some speech about bowing down to her and giving her everything we had,” Clod answered. “I don’t remember much about what happened after that. That’s when we told her to shove it and her gang went around town with their incense. No one in town remembers Din or her escorts leaving.”
“No one in Ninim can remember anything after the incense incident?” It was Phantasmine who was curious.
“Nope,” replied Clod. “Several of the town’s men went missing after Din’s visit.”
“Missing? Do you think they joined Din? Only men went missing? No women?” Vexyna was full of questions. “Why would anyone join Din? That’s what I can’t figure out. How does Din control her troops? What makes them loyal to her?”
“Not a single woman was taken. I don’t rightly know what happened,” Clod confessed. “I can vaguely recall a sense of peace and happiness settling over me when the incense first started to burn.”
“Euphoria from the incense,” Phantasmine said.
“Maybe Din can do what you did to those soldiers,” Cateran blurted to Vexyna.
Although her eyes could not been seen from behind her dark glasses, it was obvious Vexyna was glaring at Cateran. Through clenched teeth, she said, “I don’t think parlor tricks would quite cut it.”
“Parlor tricks?” Cateran was puzzled. Then it dawned on her that the incident with the men in the clearing in the forest wasn’t something she should mention in front of strangers. “Oh, yeah.” She laughed nervously while looking at Clod. “Tell me about your family, Clod,” she said, quickly changing the subject.
Clod and Cateran struck up a short conversation.
Hey, Phanta. Vexyna focused her thoughts on the crystal in her pocket.
Yes, Phantasmine thought back.
What sort of vibrations are you getting from Clod? Do you feel you can trust him?
He seems honest. He answers his questions earnestly. I am concerned about his repressed memories of the incident with Din.
I don’t suppose there’s any way you could probe his memories?
I can only sense surface thoughts. I cannot visit memories.
Are you going to tell him that you are an Illusian?
I do not believe I will tell him that piece of information. Perhaps only if he presses the issue. I do not believe he will. We seem to have done a good job of distracting his attention away from that point.
“Clod,” Vexyna said, to interrupt the conversation going on between Clod and Cateran.
“Yes?” Clod turned to face Vexyna.
“Would you tell us about the missing men? Do all the men who are missing have anything in common other than being residents of Ninim?”
“I’ve never really stopped to think about any similarities between the men,” Clod said. “There aren’t any, I don’t think.”
“Do you know all the men?” Phantasmine asked.
“Sure I do. Everybody knows everybody in this town. It’s only big ‘cause of the Gargs.” Clod grinned. “Ninim only has about a hundred and fifty people living in it.”
Vexyna addressed Cateran and the image of Phantasmine. “Let’s visit the families of the missing men and see if they can provide us with a clue about what ties all the men together. Why did Din kidnap those particular men?”
“Right,” said the other girls in unison, nodding.
“Clod,” said Vexyna as she stood up from her chair. The other girls followed suit. Vexyna continued, “Will you take us to the families of the men who were abducted?”
“We’re all busy folks around here,” Clod stuttered unexpectedly. “I’ve no time to be dallying here with you any longer. I’ve given you all the information I’m prepared to at this time. Now, please be on your way.”
The girls were taken aback by Clod’s sudden abrupt behavior. Phantasmine spoke. “We had best be on our way then. Thank you for your time, Mr. Loam.”
Clod dismissed them with the wave as he shuffled some papers on the desk.
The dusty man in the Information Office was left to sort out his affairs and the girls found themselves standing outside the yellow shack.
Phantasmine spoke. “Clod’s vibrational pattern suddenly changed. I had the impression earlier while I was scanning him that he was holding something back. That is why I was not so forthcoming with the truth concerning my age or anything to do with Illusia.” She turned to Cateran. “You must also learn to curb your tongue. Be more guarded in the information you pass along freely to strangers.”
Cateran looked at the tips of her index fingers, pushing them together at her waist. “I turned the conversation around. I managed to bury it. Didn’t I?” She looked up at Phantasmine and then over at Vexyna.
“You did,” said Vexyna. “But you shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.”
Phantasmine spoke. “I would be curious to know exactly what you did to those men in the clearing in the forest.”
“You have a good memory,” Vexyna commented to Phantasmine.
“Thank you,” replied Phantasmine. “You could say my memory is etched in stone.” She smiled and waited for the other two to comprehend the reference to the fact that she, Phantasmine, was the crystal in Vexyna’s cloak and, thus, she truly was a stone.
Even Cateran caught that one. “That’s funny. I didn’t know you knew how to be funny, Meen. You always use such big words I didn’t think you had a sense of humor.”
“A person’s utilization of verbiage of a particular caliber beyond one’s own level of development is in no way indicative as to whether or not that person has a predilection for humor.” Phantasmine spoke directly to Cateran, who immediately became confused.
Vexyna thought to Phantasmine. You purposely constructed that last statement with words you knew would confuse Cateran. Didn’t you?
Phantasmine’s thoughts flowed back to Vexyna. Of course. Now I am showing that I know how to tease someone. I can be fun.
Cateran was still trying to piece together the puzzle of what exactly Phantasmine had said when Vexyna said to her, “What happened in the clearing in the forest is no one else’s business but ours. Never mention it again. Do you understand?”
Cateran nodded her understanding. “I won’t mention what happened ever again.”
“Good,” said Vexyna. She turned to include the image of Phantasmine in the conversation. “I will tell you about the incident in the clearing in the forest at another time. For now, we should formulate a plan of action. Where to now? How will I get back into my village if the Gargantuans are sick and can’t remove the boulders from in front of the gates?”
“We must uncover more information
concerning the occurrences in this town,” affirmed Phantasmine.
“How did the incense affect the men? Why did it have such a lasting impact on the Gargantuans? Those are the questions I’d like answered,” Cateran offered.
“I wanted to ask Clod if the smoke of the incense was a thick royal purple,” said Phantasmine.
“Would the color and the thickness of the smoke have any significance?” Vexyna queried Phantasmine.
“Yes,” Phantasmine answered. “It would narrow the possibilities as to the nature of the substance being burned. If we knew what their incense was made out of, we may have an idea of how to come up with an antidote for the Garagantuans.”
“We could try asking some of the other townspeople,” Cateran suggested. “Let’s check inside some of these other buildings.”
The girls went from building to building trying to ask the different people questions about the town and the incident with Din, but no one would speak to them.
“The behavior of these people is strange,” Phantasmine commented. “When I scan them, it appears as though another pattern of vibrations has been superimposed over their regular pattern.”
“What could that mean?” Vexyna pondered.
“It means these people are being controlled somehow,” Phantasmine explained. “It could just be an after effect of the incense. We have no idea…” Her voice trailed off as if she was in thought.
“Phanta?” Vexyna asked.
“The Gargantuans are paralyzed and the townspeople are under some influence that makes them forget,” Phantasmine stated. “This sounds too much like the Purple Fog used to expedite the Forgetting.”
“Purple Fog?” Cateran was curious. “I think I’ve heard about that. What is it?”
“After the Great Fire two hundred and fifty years ago, the people of this continent decided it would be best to destroy all weapons and knowledge about the construction of weapons. Ridding the continent of weapons was not the problem. The problem was eradicating the knowledge of warfare and weapons making from the brains of the people. So the great alchemists of the time came up with a substance which, when burned, created a thick smoke the color of royal purple. This heavy smoke sank to the ground. Great airships were launched to spread the fog across the continent. The people lapsed into a state of peace and serenity,” Phantasmine said.
“The Gargantuans, however, slipped into comas,” Cateran interrupted. “I just remembered the story about the Gargantuans’ long sleep. I haven’t heard the story since I was about four years old.”
“The Purple Fog made people forget?” Vexyna wanted to know.
“Yes and no,” explained Phantasmine. “The Purple Fog made people extremely susceptible to suggestion. The suggestions were posted around towns and in people’s homes. General impressions were read through loud speakers aboard the airships spreading the Fog. They told the people the things to remember for many years.”
“I guess they wouldn’t have reminders of things to forget sitting around,” Vexyna offered.
“The Purple Fog covered this land for twenty-five years,” Phantasmine added.
“It sounds as though Din has somehow discovered the formula for producing the Purple Fog,” Vexyna concluded. “Is there an antidote?”
“I am not aware of one,” Phantasmine admitted. “Perhaps the laboratory where the Purple Fog was invented might have an antidote.”
“I wonder if the place still exists,” Vexyna pondered.
“It used to be along the eastern coastline. It was set on the cliffs overlooking the sea,” Phantasmine informed them.
“There’s still a big facility in that area, but I don’t think anyone’s left inside,” Cateran let them know.
“We should check the ruins of the laboratory. We might find something useful,” said Vexyna.
“Agreed,” said Phantasmine. “The old laboratory just might hold the answer we are seeking.”
“It’s a long way from here,” Cateran said. “All the way over on the eastern most coast. It’ll take two days by hopper.”
“We should return to Illusia to prepare for the journey,” advised Phantasmine.
The girls left Ninim and jumped on their hoppers. They headed back down the road to Illusia.
After traveling down the dusty road for about an hour, Vexyna commented, “One of the airships used to spread the Fog would be handy about now.”
“Such vessels are sure to still exist somewhere,” Phantasmine theorized. “I could not hazard a guess as to the condition of said vessels at this point in time.”
“They might be rotting hulls for all we know,” Vexyna observed.
They rode for another half hour and arrived at the spot where Illusia lay hidden.
As they dismounted and set the hoppers to grazing in the meadow, Vexyna struck up the conversation about the lighter-than-air vessels. “We should try to dig up more information about the airships and where they were docked.”
“If only I could link up with my people, I could probably get us that information,” Cateran said with a narrowed brow. She kicked at the dirt. “My people,” she said dejectedly.
“I believe you have chosen a higher calling, Cateran,” Phantasmine told her.
Cateran looked up from where she had been kicking at the dirt. “I think so, too,” she said. “There’s something going on that’s going to affect the whole world, not just my little band of rovers. I need to be a part of that. Besides, my curiosity is killing me! There are too many questions and not enough answers.”
Vexyna looked at Cateran. “When’s the last time you stuffed some food into that face of yours?”
“I had a bit of the fruit I just gave to the hoppers,” Cateran told her. “I’ve been snacking all day on the rolls Meen made this morning, but I’m ready for something more than just bread. That small taste of fruit wasn’t enough.”
“I’m ready for a nap,” Vexyna said with a stretch to relieve herself of the strain of the ride. “I suppose an airship would be more difficult to maneuver than a hopper. I was amazed at how easy it was to ride a hopper.”
“They’re built for riding,” Cateran put in. “All you have to do is sit on their backs and steer them where you want to go. Easy.”
“Let us proceed inside the castle,” Phantasmine said. “Once inside, I will see to your nutritional requirements and you may rest.” Phantasmine opened the doorway to the Illusia castle and the three entered.
Along the way to the staircase, Phantasmine said, “Vexyna, please place my crystal back in the resting place you found it. I can do more from there than I can from your pocket.”
A short time later, the three women were once again convening in what had become Vexyna’s room in the castle. Vexyna and Cateran were back in their robes, having each just taken a bath to relieve them of the dust of the trip. Vexyna was sitting up on the bed. She felt the towel covering her hair to check the dampness. Cateran was trying to stretch as much of her body as possible without putting herself into any impolite positions. The image of Phantasmine sat in the white wicker straight-backed chair beside the vanity on the west wall.
Cateran stopped stretching and reached into her robe’s pocket. She pulled out a large triangle of paper and proceeded to unravel it.
“What’s that?” Vexyna asked as she turned her attention to the calluses on her feet.
“Oh, Clod had a sandwich. It was pretty messy, so I wrapped it up in a piece of paper before I stuffed it in my pocket,” Cateran confessed. “I guess I shouldn’t have stolen his lunch, huh?”
“That was improper behavior, Cateran,” Phantasmine chastised her. “Other foodstuffs are readily available to you. What propelled you to do it?”
“The sandwich looked really good,” said Cateran. “It was also something other than fruit or rolls to eat. I’m sorry. It is one of the ways of my people. Sometimes it is necessary to survive.”
“‘My people’,” Phantasmine intoned. “For that reason, ‘your’ people are not held in
high regard by the population of this continent.”
“I take it the Vags have been annoying you for a long time?” Vexyna ribbed Phantasmine.
“The Vags have existed since before the Forgetting. Some believe that it was they who started the Great Fire as an act of sabotage.”
“The Vags… started the Great Fire?” Cateran couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“The rival factions in the war both relied heavily on Vag spies and saboteurs,” Phantasmine explained. “Both sides arranged for their respective Vag personnel to use powerful explosives to ignite the other side’s main weapons depots. Both explosions occurred almost simultaneously.”
“You would think the Vags would’ve been in communication with one another and would’ve accepted only one mission,” observed Vexyna.
“The Vags were greedy,” Phantasmine stated flatly.
“The Vags are not greedy,” Cateran fought back. She had finished unwrapping the sandwich and held it gingerly in her left hand. The paper it had been wrapped in was sitting on the bed beside Vexyna.
“No, not anymore,” said Phantasmine. “Not after the Forgetting.”
“I had no idea the Vags have been around that long,” Cateran admitted.
Phantasmine added, “The Vag’s have not yet found their place in the organization of the world. They wander because they have yet to find where they fit.”
Vexyna was looking at the paper that had housed the sandwich. “Where did you get this paper, Cateran?”
“It was sitting on top of one of the desks. Why? What is it?”
“It’s a purchase order for minerals and tools,” Vexyna informed them.
“Is that significant?” Phantasmine asked.
“The order is to be sent to the Vangrash Research Laboratory,” Vexyna said. “It’s to be sent to a Dr. Deathbrain.”
“That’s the old lab on the east coast!” Cateran exclaimed. “So there is somebody still there. I wonder how many people Dr. Braindead has working with him.”
“Dr. Braindead,” Vexyna repeated, snickering. “His name is ‘Dr. Deadbreath’.” She stopped and thought about what she had just said. “No, wait…”
Cateran was doubled over with laughter. She interrupted Vexyna, “Deadbreath… Dr. Braindrain!” They both started laughing again.
“Doctor Broody-dude, I presume,” Vexyna mocked through lips that couldn’t help curling up into a smile.
“Little Doctor dooty-booty,” Cateran pounded her fists on the floor while convulsing in gales of laughter.
“If you two are quite finished,” Phantasmine chastised them, “then I suggest we study that purchase order a little more closely.”
The snickering of the other two girls subsided and Vexyna picked up the purchase order. “Let’s see what good old Doctor D.B. has ordered. Titanium, scandium, manganese, stronium and platinum.”
“I can make no sense out of that combination of elements,” Phantasmine admitted. “Dr. Deathbrain must have different applications in mind for each mineral.”
“He’s also ordered several steel cases,” Vexyna continued. “They’re a pretty good size, too. The measurements here on the paper say six feet by four feet. A person could stand up in a case that size.”
“It would be handy if that someone needed to get to where those cases are going,” Cateran added. “We need to hightail it back to Ninim and make sure Dr. Dooty-Booty gets his order filled.”
“Those would be shipped from the metal works,” Phantasmine offered.
“I wonder if Ninim ships items using the zero-G disks?” Cateran wondered out loud.
“Zero-G disks?” Vexyna asked. After thinking for half a second, she said, “Oh, yeah. The ‘zergs’. Some towns and villages use them to perform various functions. They would be handy for hauling large cargo over a great distance.”
“Like us.” Cateran beamed.
“Right,” said Vexyna. She stood up from the bed. “Cateran, go get dressed. Phanta, we’ll need supplies. Let’s get ready for the journey back to Ninim and then on to the lab on the east coast.”
“We’ll need plenty of food and liquid for the trek,” Cateran advised them.
“I wonder how those zergs work?” Vexyna was curious.
“The ions in the air are stimulated to cause the formation of miniature storm clouds under the surface of the zero-G disk. That is how it is able to float on air and move about,” Phantasmine stated matter-of-factly.
Both of the other girls dumbfoundedly looked at Phantasmine. It was Vexyna who spoke. “Storm clouds?”
“That is the closest explanation to what you could possibly understand,” Phantasmine said glibly. “Unless you would like to take the time to study aerodynamics, thermodynamics, and a few other sciences along the way in order for me to properly explain to you the true nature of how the zero gravity disks work.”
“Storm clouds are good enough for me,” Cateran pitched in.
“I thought they might be,” replied Phantasmine with a hint of a smile.
“Storm clouds will have to do for me, as well,” Vexyna confided. “You’re right, Phanta. We couldn’t possibly know as much as you know. All you’ve had is time on your hands.”
“That is true,” said Phantasmine. “I have existed here for over two hundred and fifty years. I have had plenty of time to study. As you observed before, with my crystalline body, I have a permanently ingrained memory.”
“Some day perhaps we’ll be able to find you a body of flesh to live out your days as you wish,” Vexyna said solemnly.
“I shall make preparations for our sojourn,” Phantasmine said abruptly. Her image began to disappear slowly down through the chair she had been occupying.
“I’ll go get dressed and make sure the knapsack is ready,” Cateran said as she bounced toward the door.
“Wait,” Vexyna blurted to both of them. “Let’s take a rest first. The order isn’t going to be shipped until after it has been placed. Since we have the purchase order, we can go whenever we’re ready.”
“A rest would be good,” Cateran said.
“How long would you like to rest?” Phantasmine asked the other two girls as her image slowly rose back into the chair.
“It’s the middle of the afternoon, so we should decide when we’d like to make the trip,” Vexyna said.
“Let’s go under cover of dark,” Cateran said with an air of mystery.
“That would make sense if we are to sneak aboard those metal cases somehow,” said Phantasmine.
“Fine then,” Vexyna concluded. “We’ll nap for about three hours and then head off to Ninim.”
“What if the shipments don’t travel at night?” Cateran wondered.
“We’ll worry about the details of the trip to the lab after we reach Ninim,” Vexyna assured her.
“In three hours then,” said Phantasmine before disappearing completely through the floor.
Cateran opened the door and exited the room. Vexyna was all alone.
Vexyna unraveled her long black hair from the towel. She massaged her scalp, slowly at first, then more vigorously. Her brush was quickly at hand and she began passing it through her extensive tresses. When she was satisfied her hair was dry enough to sleep with, she reclined on the bed. Vexyna propped her head up with two of the four pillows on the bed. Positioning herself on her back in the middle of the bed, she proceeded to fold her arms over her chest and fall into a deep sleep.
Chapter 7: Go West, Young Women