Coil of Worlds

Skye stared into the fire, holding his chilled hands out to the heat. He knew he needed sleep, but the day’s travel kept his mind assimilating the sights in numb disbelief. Whenever they stopped somewhere for Lara to pick up items on her list, he’d been told unequivocally to stay in the car until she returned.

Three times, Lara stopped at an odd-shaped box, explaining it was a way to acquire currency for their latest foray. He had never seen currency in the shape of green paper, though he accepted it as one more phenomenon that made no sense in this fantastical place. Lara had stopped in front of a huge, flat building. He had watched in mute wonder at the variety of individuals walking past his location. Skye shook his head as he remembered seeing so many women alone without a proper escort. Lara’s culture was incomparable to what he knew.

It made him realize the depth of her courage and fortitude while on Aradun. Her tenacity showed her character as nothing else would. It made him wonder whether she was actually more of a warrior than him in many ways. After coming to this place, he now acknowledged she faced the dire circumstances on his world with a stoicism that he could not duplicate.

Skye acceded, though only to himself, that since his capture in Gharra, he’d seen places that would leave others speechless. But as he looked up at this planet’s grey moon, he admitted to himself Earth surpassed his world in its entirety. Like the sight of the single moon, he felt lost and out of place. Skye couldn’t find this world’s rhythm, and it left him feeling unbalanced.

During their passage through the land, he saw four-legged creatures in fields that defied what his logical mind could understand. Even moving at unfathomable speeds, it had taken them a lengthy time to reach the outskirts of the city. Skye frowned as he tried to recall what Lara called the place. It took a few moments as he shifted his gaze to the trees above him. Dallas, it was named Dallas. He’d thought the population in Gharra was large, but Dallas was far bigger and more crowded, sprawling as far as the eye could see. He’d feared the entire planet was made of the strange, grey substance. His fear had abated once they left the city behind.

Even now, he could not resist another large sigh at seeing land he was more comfortable with. The lay of the land made him yearn for Pyran, reminding him of the stark grasslands south of Gharra. After their car had smoothed out, his stomach calmed, letting him watch his surroundings as they flew by.

The sun was just beginning to set when Lara stopped the car beside a small hut. Although he listened intently, their conversation made no sense. Once they passed the fence, he recognized the place for what it was. It was a large waystation, though it was different from any he’d seen. It was empty near the forested area, which is where Lara took the car.

Setting up camp entailed pulling out their blankets—called sleeping bags on this world. While he started the fire with a little instruction from the woman, Lara put together a simple meal called steak and potatoes. Although the meal tasted different, Skye was pleased to find he enjoyed the new dish. After they ate, neither had spoken a word, both deep in thought over the day’s events. He broke his gaze away from the flames to look over at Lara seated on the other side of the campfire. Her gaze was already on him, a twisted smile curving her face. He shook himself out of his reverie. It was time for answers.

“Why did you fear staying in your Dallas?”

Lara’s laugh was soundless. “My Dallas, huh?” She shook her head at him. “Skye, I wasn’t worried about me. I was worried what would happen to you. That’s why we left in such a hurry.”

He frowned at her words. He was a warrior. Though this world was different, he feared no one’s attack. Did she think him weak? Seeing his glower, she explained, “You don’t exist in my world. The police would have a field day with you.”

“Of course I exist,” he said in exasperation, pointing to his chest with both hands. “I’m sitting in front of you.” He shook his head at her strange ideas. “What is this police you speak of? I have heard you mention this word before.”

He observed her while she struggled to explain. Looking as if every word was chosen with care, she said, “Police are like the guards that patrol and protect a village or city.”

“They are warriors,” he said, nodding to show he was following her.

Jiggling both hands in front of her, she countered, “Kind of. In my country, we have separate groups of warriors. We have warriors who make up our military, and we have warriors that protect our individual cities and villages.” Skye contemplated her words as Lara ran her right hand through her hair in distraction. “The duty of the warriors in the military is to protect our borders from other nations, kingdoms. The warriors in the cities, the police, ensure that peace is kept for the people who live there.”

He cocked his head, narrowing his eyes while he processed her description. He still didn’t understand why she feared the police. “Why do you believe I need protection from the police?”

Throwing up her arms, she huffed, “Because you don’t have any identification. If you don’t have any identification, you don’t exist, which means they’d label you an illegal alien at best. At worst, you could be labeled a terrorist. We left a dead body behind in my rooms, so I’m guessing they might lean more toward terrorism. Who knows? I’ve never had to deal with this kind of thing before. I thought it was better to be safe than sorry, especially since we both must return to Aradun.”

Not wanting to show his profound puzzlement, Skye turned back to study the crackling fire, trying to decide whether he needed to adjust the branches for the night. She used words that held no basis in his culture. He could feel his frustration build, but he caught himself. Lara was plainly rattled, and they’d been awake for a full day.

Without a word, he turned toward the unrolled blankets several feet away. He grabbed one and returned to his spot by the fire. As he spread out the blanket on the flat ground, he heard Lara heave a tired groan as she stood up. She wandered over to the other blanket and dragged it closer to the fire.

Once they were both lying down, Skye said, “We are both tired, so let’s rest this night. Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”

Lara rolled over in her blankets, her back to him, and shifted around, trying to find a more comfortable spot. Skye watched out of the corner of his eye as she removed a few rocks from under her before settling for the night. Though he was tired, certain images kept replaying in his mind.

He smirked in spite of himself. Eiren would have enjoyed visiting this peculiar world. He went through the images he’d seen, trying to choose which one the small paka would have found most interesting. He might have even cajoled her into making up an off-beat ditty about the sight. He crossed his arms over his chest as he grinned, remembering the absurd lyrics she had sung about him in the past.

The deep pain in the region of his heart at the thought of never returning to Aradun sobered him. Skye rubbed his chest. He hoped Lara could figure out how to return him home.

Home, he thought wistfully. It wasn’t Pyran that he thought of as home. Not any longer. Eiren made Kureto his home by claiming him as hers. If not for her, Kureto would never fill the void left by his exile.

At least here on this world, he didn’t have a chasm where Eiren’s bond existed. It was something to give thanks for. He brushed his hand over his eyes, physically wiping away his morose thoughts. He hoped Eiren and Chion were having better luck with their task. Long after Lara’s breaths turned slow and even, he peered up at the large moon, watching it cut across the sky.

¤¤¤

The clear chirping between birds startled him from a fitful doze. Skye jerked his eyes open to find soft rays of sunlight just beginning to filter through the leaves above him. He squinted over to where the sun still hid behind the hill. It was early yet. No one moved in the waystation, including Lara.

He got up, pulled on his boots, and rolled his blanket, leaving it on top of the car a short distance away from where they slept. Leaning over to slide the knives into place, he headed into the awakening forest. He passed through the underbrush in silence, careful not to leave any tracks, and found a place to relieve himself. As he trekked further into the wilderness, Skye drifted his fingers across the trees. They were all unrecognizable.

A distance away from camp all traces of human passing trailed off, then disappeared altogether. Using that as a sign of the perimeter of the camp, he circled around until he saw the road up ahead. Retracing his footsteps, Skye went deeper into the wilderness, trying to locate a stream for a drink. When he finally came across a trickling stream, he looked around for evidence that others had bypassed here for their water, but he frowned in confusion when there were only animal tracks in the mud. Where did everyone get their water?

He shrugged. He’d bring Lara here if she wished to bathe. Skye kneeled in a dry patch of dirt and scooped up the crisp, cool water to wash his face before drinking his fill. Not in any rush to return to camp, he found a large, flat rock and sat down, his eyes searching out the tracks left behind by animals. They reminded him of the strange creatures he’d seen in the field. Each leg had had one toe. How could it grip the ground with only one toe? How could something so large move like water across the land?

When Skye reentered the campsite, Lara was already cooking their meal over the fire. He’d caught hints of smoke a distance away, but hadn’t paid any attention. “You are awake.”

Lara turned to give him a brief smile, her eyes crinkling a little, before going back to her task. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d be back in time to eat.”

He kept a little space between them as he crouched down, watching her scrape the food onto two shiny, red plates. Lara handed him one before she went around the fire to sit cross-legged on her blankets. Not knowing how to hold the food, he imitated her, curling the edges of the flat bread into a roll before taking a tentative bite.

He grunted in surprise. “What is this called?”

She flashed him a delighted smile. “It’s a breakfast taco.” As though his question had broken the dam of silence that surrounded them last night, she started rambling, “It was quick and easy to make over the fire. Since we didn’t eat anything yesterday, my stomach woke me up by growling nonstop. I was hoping you’d get back soon. It doesn’t taste as good cold.”

“A breakfast taco. I have never had anything like this. I mean, I’ve had eggs, but not like this.” As he ate, Skye took a slow, thoughtful look around, taking notice of the people nearby. “Where is a good place to train?” Seeing her frown, he added, “We both must train, except I cannot see a place large enough for us here.”

She was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. “We can’t practice here, and certainly not with other people around. If you feel you have to, we’ll need to go into the forest to find a place.”

Skye studied her for a moment. He didn’t understand the need for secrecy. If he was to survive on this world, he had to relinquish his instinctive need to control their every step to the woman. Not an easy thing to do, but Lara knew this land and its strange customs. She was confident in her reasoning, no matter his disbelief.

He sighed and asked, “Why not here?”

She laid her empty plate down and then rested her head on top of her knees. “Remember how I am a novice at weaponry?” She waited for his nod. “It’s because we don’t use swords, or even knives all that often.”

“I thought your novice status was due to women on your world not being skilled in wielding weapons to protect themselves. Much like the Pyranni women. After watching you, I decided your lack of knowledge was because your men protected women from danger.”

She rolled her eyes, a trait she did often, but she didn’t remark on his supposed naiveté. “In some ways you are correct. Historically, men did, and still do, protect women. But what I meant was that we don’t use the kind of weapons you’re familiar with.”

He contemplated her words for a moment. “If you do not use swords, what kind of weapons do you have?”

“For the most part, people in my world buy and use guns. But before you ask, I don’t think I could properly explain what a gun is without showing you one. And there’s no way to do that because I’ve never held one, much less owned one.”

A gun. He was curious to learn this new weaponry. But they’d strayed from their original topic. He felt restless and needed to feel the weight of his sword in his hands. “We must plan our next move; but first, let us practice our forms apart from prying eyes.”

“You are trying to kill me, I knew it. Have you never heard of relaxing for one day?” Her grumbling made him want to smile.

Skye murmured, “We must be prepared.”

Skye didn’t know whether his statement was accurate, considering this world was far different from his own. But it was practical not to lose their training momentum. His instincts told him there was need for preparation. As expected, his comment incited her, and he listened to her good-natured complaints the entire time they dug through the back of the car for their swords and walked into the trees to find an open field.

He made sure to keep his smirk hidden.