Coil of Worlds

“Two guards block the passageway,” the woman informed him, gripping his arm tighter than necessary. The cart trailed behind them, groaning its impending arrival. Lara pulled back on his arm at the same time Skye heard the clang of steel. He stopped in mid-step, bringing the cart to a halt behind him. Skye lowered his head as if exhausted from the march.

He fought to hide a grimace when the woman dug her fingernails into the meat of his arm, needlessly warning him to stay silent. If their situation wasn’t so precarious, he’d forcibly remove her hand. He heard Chion’s low rumble as he greeted the guards.

One guard demanded in a rough voice, “Your purpose?”

He didn’t hear Chion’s response, but the two guards’ footsteps crunched toward them. The Abani let her hand fall to her side, and he flexed some feeling back into the abused limb without letting go of the handle.

Chion’s voice was closer when he next spoke, as if he trailed behind the two guards. I requested the use of one of the Pyranni captives.

One of the guards grunted his acknowledgement and moved toward the back of the cart. “I’m to search the cart before you may continue on your way. Aven, here, will accompany you through each of the farms.”

He heard the man rummage through their foodstuff, then he heard the wheels creak and felt the handles shift beneath the added weight. They slipped from his grip, and his hands burned from the friction. Sensing the second guard nearby, he didn’t show any sign of irritation or pain. He worked hard to give the appearance of a cowed captive, tucking his head into his chest and closing his eyes. He felt Eiren’s anger on his behalf, but she remained silent. The man clambered down from the cart.

Skye didn’t hear another word pass the guard’s lips, but the woman took hold of his arm again, a silent order to step forward.

Eiren breathed, The Goddess be praised! The weapons are safe beneath me.

As we enter the farms, would you provide their description?

My Lord, it will not be necessary. When he balked, she said, You will soon see my meaning.

She didn’t say anything further, though he felt her growing excitement. The eerie sound of a large door opening came from ahead, and he understood what she meant.

Skye was struck with a sight he could never have imagined.

He blinked several times, his eyes tearing at the brightness surrounding him. Once he passed through the door, he gaped in disbelief. Threads of golden light covered every surface within sight. The glittering room was the epitome of what the poets described as the God and Goddess’s throne. It was too much to take in a single sweep. The brightness forced him to segment the room and he was able to see the brightness for what it was—a large cavern.

The glitter took shape. Golden strands covered every cave formation pushing up from the ground and hanging from the ceiling. Many formations were one solid column, and the entire tier was tightly wrapped in silult. Strands of light covered the walls like vines from the ceiling to the ground. A distinctive odor pervaded the cavern, and Skye sniffed several times to identify it.

He spotted a narrow trail before them, which provided them a path through the golden, pulsing strings without fear of trampling the silult. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a wriggling movement. Turning, Skye realized embedded in the strands of light were giant creatures scaling the walls, the ceiling, and the natural formations.

These were the ults of legend. These were the animals that spun the silult, leaving it behind on every available surface. The legends didn’t portray the ults like this. He hadn’t known they glowed a dim yellowish gold. The smell came from the hundreds, if not thousands, of ults living in the cavern.

When he looked to the side, he noticed the woman tilted her head one direction, then another, her eyes as wide as they would go. At first, he thought she was in awe of the spectacular sight. Then he caught the sounds of her hyperventilating intermixed with odd words escaping through lips pinched so tight they looked like they might shatter.

“Spiders. Lots and lots of spiders. So many.”

He shook his head in disbelief. Here was a sight to behold and she was scared witless. As he looked around, trying to eternalize the memory, Skye realized the gold strands were distinct from one another. Some of the silult was a duller gold while others were almost a light tan color. Where the silult had diluted to translucence, farmers were extracting the strands with painstaking patience and rolling them onto large spools. He watched as the farmers moved in and around the large ults, sometimes nudging the animals aside to reach a difficult patch of silult. The farmers held no fear of the creatures.

When they trundled past several large storage huts, Skye was conscious of the eyes watching from the shadows. He looked on as a toddler began bawling upon seeing the trespassers. One young woman was smiling as she straightened from her task, but her expression twisted to fear and shock upon seeing him.

He averted his gaze, looking down at Lara as pain radiated up his arm. Her face was white from shock, her fingers clawing him. Clearing his throat startled her, and her eyes shifted to him. She blinked, and he was relieved when her fingers loosened on his arm.

Facing forward, he realized they were past the first farm and walking through another. This field was much larger, the golden room encompassing a cavern that had a basin in the center. The path wound around and through the cavern, permitting them to see the ults from a closer angle. Only one or two strides away, they skittered across the ground, running from the cart’s discordant sounds.

Lara recoiled, bumping into the cart, causing the cart to tilt precariously. He lost his grip, coming close to smashing the vulnerable-looking threads on the cavern floor. Skye grunted in irritation.

Beyond the basin, several dozen strange structures were blanketed with strands of silult. Squinting his eyes, Skye realized they were man-made. The farmers had resurrected piles of materials for the ults to better spin their silult. Recalling the natural formation in the first farm, Skye understood. Because of the cavern’s open room, these structures took the place of the natural formations.

The farmers inspected the field and walls, looking for silult ready for harvest. An older woman carrying a large bucket caught his eye. With an economy of motion, she dipped a wide-brim cup into the bucket and then flicked it away from her and out onto the field. Every few steps, she repeated the action. The ults swarmed her from every direction. They clambered over each other in their attempt to reach the thrown material. The ults followed her, skittering across her path and across her feet. She was feeding the creatures.

The buildings they passed for this second farm were packed closer together. Families came to their respective doorways to watch them pass through. He caught a few guards leaning against the side of one building as they kept vigil. This silult community had double the number of storage huts, making him wonder just how big the cavern was. Past the buildings, they walked through a natural funnel until they were brought to a stop. They waited while the guard opened a door that led into the corridor.

The door shut behind them. Skye’s eyes strained against the deep black, missing the two guards standing watch by the door.

He felt a brush of air as the silent guard walked by and pounded on the door in front of them.

As a barrier was lifted from the heavy door, Chion said, I thank you for your troubles. We will now continue on our journey.

Not waiting for the guard’s reply, the woman placed her hand on his arm and pulled him insistently to the right. He turned the cart without a word and strode down the corridor.

After a lengthy amount of time, Eiren said with blatant satisfaction, We have made it through the silult farms unscathed. Did you enjoy the view, My Lord?

Yes, the sight was beyond my imaginings, though I don’t think the woman enjoyed the farms.

He felt her curiosity peak at the information. I wonder why ever not. Many poems have been written in an attempt to convey the sight to those who cannot visit.

He shrugged as best he could with the burden he pulled behind him. Remembering the word the woman had spoken, he asked, Do you know the meaning of the word spider?

Spider?

Yes, the woman said the word over and over under her breath while we traveled through the farms. By God’s own teeth, the words she uses hold no meaning.

He felt Eiren contemplating his observation. She has used many words and strange phrases during her time with us. Perhaps the Abani hold different customs.

He pounced on her comment. I do not believe she is what they claim. Chion spoke as if they must continue to pass her as an Abani.

But if she is not an Abani, then where is it she calls home?

Neither could answer the question, leaving them to mull it over for the rest of the day.

<< >>

Lara decided she was grouchy. She was tired of traveling. Since being transported to this planet, she hadn’t stopped walking or running. The days, the nights, the places bled together. How long had it been since she was last in Olun?

She scrubbed her face before she remembered the dirt and grime coating her hands. Her mouth twisted in disgust. Now her face was filthier than before. Why couldn’t she have traveled to somewhere that had running water and readily available soap? And no giant, creepy spiders?

She shivered, recalling the mass of skittering creatures. It took everything within her yesterday not to screech at the top of her lungs. She rubbed her arms as goose bumps popped up yet again. The shining threads of silult had been awe-inspiring. But until she emerged on the other side of the farms in one living, breathing piece, awe was the last thing on her mind. She wished she could have enjoyed it, but all she could focus on was the ults’ skittering movements around her feet and on the walls.

They’d been everywhere. Beside her. Above her. She hadn’t even noticed the people until the second farm. She now thought there had been people working at the first farm, but she couldn’t remember for certain. She’d been too terrified the spiders—no, ults—would climb or fall on her.

The one advantage out of the entire visit was that her fear of the ults overrode the emotions emitted by the farmers. She’d fretted the farmers’ emotions would overwhelm her, making her act out in a way that would bring scrutiny to their group. She frowned. She was still embarrassed from the last time she giggled nonstop. It was beyond ridiculous. Lara couldn’t control the intensity of others’ emotions, especially if more than two or three people were nearby. She’d love to go back to feeling only her emotions and hers alone. They made her lose her restraint, something that rarely happened before the bond.

Lara stomped down the passageway, her temper getting the best of her. Chion’s tail vanished around the next corner. Seeing him above her, having walked up a sharp incline, she regretted losing her focus. As the warrior’s guide, it was her job to talk him through the tunnels. Lara reached out and touched him tentatively, not wanting to startle him.

Since the skirmish with the thieves, her esteem of the warrior had risen. Finagling personal information out of the Pyranni no longer mattered to her. The man could fight. He’d saved her life. It was all she needed to know. She would be forever grateful for his abilities. No one in the man’s proximity could help but watch him as he flowed around his opponent. Seeing him fight had been a revelation. She now believed sword fighting was an art, not a sport. Now that she knew what to look for, he walked with that same confidence and grace. Walking beside him made her feel cumbersome and awkward in comparison.

“In a couple of strides, we will start up a sharp incline,” she warned. She scowled when she got an enigmatic grunt in return. Halfway up the steep ramp, she was gulping air. By the time they reached the plateau, she was breathing like she’d run a marathon. Lara really needed to exercise more.

“We’re going to the left,” she huffed, pushing on his arm. His brows lowered, though he didn’t comment. She blew out a breath of air, trying to calm her heart rate and even out her breathing. Her panting was embarrassing enough. But the Pyranni had the added chore of pulling the cart behind him, yet he wasn’t the least bit out of breath. The only evidence showing he exerted himself was the perspiration dotting his forehead and back.

Earlier the injured paka had gotten down and walked a short distance. Reminded by how Eiren walked with one leg held out before her while using her other three legs made her feel petty about her own complaints. None of the paka’s wounds were healed enough for her to remove even one bandage, so she was still covered, looking like a patch-work quilt. Despite her injuries, Eiren had been adamant, determined to walk unassisted at least a short distance.

And here she was complaining about walking—albeit internally—on healthy legs. It was annoying to know she was acting so immature.

So, she was grouchy.

Chion called back to her, bringing her out of her reverie. My Lady, you do not want to miss this.

The night before, while the four of them shared a meal, the paka had described what they could expect the next day when they reached the Bithon crossing. But she could only vaguely picture the Bithon crossing in her mind as something reminiscent to the Grand Canyon. She’d asked question after question until Chion admitted his need for sleep. He left her hungry for more after he said, You will see soon enough.

They climbed another steep ramp before catching up with Chion where he looked ahead. Into nothing. The tunnel ended at a sheer cliff. The sight made her forget to bar Skye from walking any farther. As she stared at the chasm before her, Lara only dimly paid attention to Skye bringing the cart to a halt at Chion’s sharp command.

Lara inched closer to the edge so she could look over and down. She couldn’t see the ground below. A whirl of wind flapped her clothes and tugged her hair, making her spring back. Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, Lara kept sliding backward until she slammed into the tunnel wall.

Lara couldn’t look away from the dark wonder before her. She tilted her head back and realized she could see the cliff above her. It was almost as if huge sections of the cliff had tumbled away, creating the break in the sheer vertical drop from top to bottom. Chion stood several meters out from the cliffs above him.

A bridge was only one, small step away from Chion. Lara jerked her eyes up and peered across the empty space, following the line of the bridge until she saw the other side. Though she could barely make it out, the opposite cliff was shaped into an obtuse V-shape angle.

She stared at the Bithon crossing, and the others moved around her, talking quietly amongst themselves. Gathering her courage, she inched toward the edge again to see whether the two cliffs met on both sides of the crossing. Keeping both hands planted on the wall nearest her, she tilted her head around the lip of the wall. The wind tickled her face and hair. Through bangs that whipped in every direction, Lara stared at the vision before her. Her jaw dropped in disbelief, leaving her gaping like the colloquial fish out of water. The opposite cliff crept closer before it fell away again. Neither side met for as far as she could see in both directions. Her entire body shook when she compared it to something she had seen once in her life.

The Bithon crossing was indeed similar to the Grand Canyon, except for one important fact. The Grand Canyon was tiny compared to this monstrosity. The two sides were further apart and went deeper than the Grand Canyon.

They were supposed to cross this? Was Chion crazy?

She gulped loud enough she heard it over the wind whistling around her. The last of her courage flew away with the wind. Lara slid her feet sideways, keeping her back against the wall of the tunnel until she was firmly surrounded by the tunnel corridor again.

Lara shuddered. She couldn’t do this. She could not do this.

The bridge was too long, making it too unstable to cross. What happened if it broke while she was halfway across? There would be no surviving a fall from that height. The wind would tear her off the bridge—if the bridge didn’t snap in half from her weight first. Using stealth, she inched backward, keeping everyone in her sight to make sure they didn’t try to stop her. As soon as they were lost to sight, she careened down the rest of the ramp and turned to the left, taking the new corridor.

She heard the high-pitched scream just before she found herself at another bridge. Panicking, she skidded until both feet stopped on the first board of the bridge. Her feet slipped out from under her and her butt met the ground hard enough to snap her teeth together.

Lara crawled backward in a mad, crablike scramble. She heard another eerie scream echo off the cliffs below her. Huddling in on herself, she covered her ears. Oh God, what was that sound?

It was the wind.