If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Freedom, finally, after three years of captivity. Free from concrete and metal cells. Free from malevolent spying eyes. Free from the site of their worst nightmare.
Free from those who hated or feared them. Free from authority. Free to stay up all night watching TV and overload on junk food.
Free to take any road they pleased.
Freedom didn’t matter much to Paul. When he lost his parents, he did what his uncle said. Then, in the Eastwood Facility, he did what Dr. Adelaide said. Now, he’d do what Lea said.
Paul followed directions and wouldn’t disobey orders; it was never worth the effort.
Uncle Lumière was a good man. Dr. Adelaide knew how to be downright fun with her tests. And Lea… Lea was the perfect girl. Lovely, smart, graceful, and confident. Why would he fight her?
As for romance, Paul didn’t stand a chance. No point in trying. Simply being near her satisfied him. He’d test possibilities elsewhere as they came.
The dawn woke them. Excellent weather had convinced them to sleep beneath the stars on a lush grassy hill. After years underground with motion-activated lights, nobody anticipated the sun’s rude alarm. Their groggy, post-celebration morning came slow and lazy.
An illusory widescreen television played in the background. Cassandra received radio broadcasts and projected them as sight and sound with minimal concentration. These transmissions leaked in through a nodal world portal open to a secluded corner of the Eastwood Forest.
Two huge conical ears—Cassie’s head seemed tiny by comparison—served as satellite dishes. The bat girl shared a blanket with Rana, the girls sitting cross-legged and shoulder-to-shoulder. For pajamas, Cassie wore sweatpants and a fanged smiley face t-shirt. All her shirts were adjusted for wings, with the slit-side bottoms tied at her waist.
One wing draped over Rana’s back while Cassie’s batlike leg-hands held a crystal ball swirling with dark clouds. She recorded a hundred channels of airtime to her Shew Stone throughout the morning—her real attention on Rana as they talked. Cassie gave a half-smile as she scrunched her cute leaf-shaped bat nose at something funny.
Leanan sat on a segregated pillow in her lacy, long-sleeved white nightgown. The Libra girl guarded herself against accidental skin contact. Paul knew touch increased the intensity of her Charming magic, but not the details. Lea ignored the others as she twisted a strand of blond hair around her fingers, preoccupied with planning their day.
Daniel and Wendi chatted about the show on screen while Paul idled between them. The young Angel of Ruin looked much better today. Since Rana healed his mortal wound, Daniel’s dark skin glowed with health, and his overall appearance shifted from ‘skeletal’ to ‘skinny.’ The circle of bare ground around Daniel declared him no closer to controlling his race’s destructive touch. The boy’s velvet black robe being one exception among a scant few that didn’t include food and water.
How could anyone suffering eternal hunger and thirst be as optimistic and friendly as Daniel?
The Caprid girl Wendi might be their most visually startling member. She had an endearing smile, red skin, darker red hair, blue eyes, huge curving horns, and cloven hooves with bare girlish legs. Enormous hands, each weighing as much as an ordinary girl her age, dominated Wendi’s physical features. Her prodigious strength contrasted with her cheerful demeanor and gentle touch.
However, she carried an evil twin inside they called ‘Wendigo.’ Paul didn’t know what triggered episodes of the blue devil, but he’d try to avoid them at all costs.
She reclined on her side much closer to Daniel than most would dare, her innate toughness and superhuman regeneration a rare match for the Angel boy’s Ruin magic. Wendi wore loose plaid night pants and a powder blue polka-dotted button top with long sleeves bunched at the elbows for pajamas.
Kenta cooked breakfast over a small fire in their campsite kitchen. Wisps of black hair drifted like twisting streams of smoke from his shoulders. They explored his surroundings, catching on rocks, empty cans of soda, or the edges of the tacky carpets laid out to designate their campground. Tendrils of hair held bowls and whisks to mix things, pans and spatulas to cook them, salt and pepper shakers for seasoning, and a fire poker to adjust the flames while the young man sat on a hair-braided highchair overseeing the work.
Their eldest, around fourteen, the Kaminoke’s stern yet handsome face and slanted eyes displayed the inner steel of his resolve. Kenta filled out his collared burgundy silk nightshirt and matching trousers well. Though he floated on hair, Kenta kept himself on eye level with the others instead of towering over them when he spoke.
Paul tried some breakfast to his inevitable disappointment. The yellow forkful didn’t smell or taste of anything and had a texture reminiscent of chewing gum. Frankly, he didn’t get the appeal. What bothered Paul was how the others were eating hot, fluffy, scrambled eggs with bacon bits and chopped onion. That’s the price of a wax body.
Rana took several extra portions to no one’s surprise.
The frog girl ate like a machine, fast and efficient. She shoveled down calories with no regard for taste. Fuel for her superhuman metabolism. Rana was strong, both magically and physically. She’d exercised rigorously during their confinement to keep her gymnastic figure.
Rana never changed outfits, as far as Paul could tell. The girl’s sleeveless black top and athletic shorts fit her utilitarian needs. All her color came from her skin, which matched some exotic frog species. Hydro-something Ba…stara? She’d specified a proper name at one point.
A bright red band on her forehead brushed her broad human nose, blackish-brown on her upper lip spread across her eyes and cheeks, and cream flowed from her lower lip to her throat, chest, and hips. The deep brown extended symmetrically down her sides while her arms and legs marbled light and dark. A stripe of red followed her spine from neck to tailbone and seeped under her shock of brown hair.
Daniel smiled at their breakfast ritual, high on interpersonal contact despite his lack of participation. Not that Paul blamed him. In fact, Paul admired the way Daniel didn’t make a pathetic attempt to play along.
Paul looked at his smooth white hands and rubbed them together. He felt nothing, never had. He was wax. No prints on his paraffin fingers. No belly button, either.
In movies, those were the things that proved you were you. Clones, evil twins, and doppelgangers could never get right the things that marked you as a special, unique person. Paul didn’t have them, never had. It didn’t matter much to Paul. Those were human things.
Your Flame mattered to the Children of The Way. The unique Flame on your head proved you were you. That made him special. His uncle had said so.
Paul looked up to see Wendi happily gobbling eggs from a fork pinched between her fingers like a needle. His lip quirked into a smile.
Drawing everyone’s attention as she stood, Lea met their eyes as her magical raiment shifted from pajamas to daywear. She kept the white blouse and black ribbon bow at the neck from yesterday, but her pleated long skirt and shoes were now a metallic green stark against white stockings. “Remember, every second saved on meals is one further down the road.”
Kenta objected. “But every hour we spend here is a hundred we can watch later thanks to Cass.” The bat girl averted her gaze, trying to stay out of the argument. “Surely there’s time for a warm bath, perhaps a cup of hot tea—”
Paul agreed, taking it a step further, “—Why not stay for a few days?”
This, however, upset Kenta, “I didn’t say we shouldn’t leave!”
“Where are we going?” Wendi asked with a kind of oblivious curiosity Paul found… disturbing. If he could, he’d be sweating bullets.
“We’ve got to get back to—oof.” Rana interrupted Kenta’s words with an elbow to the ribs. The frog girl always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
“—Exploring.” Daniel finished. Paul hadn’t expected Daniel to be so in-the-know at this point. Had it all come back to him last night? Or parts? The young Angel had been distracted lately… a faraway look in his eye in stolen moments.
Wendi grinned. “That sounds fun; when can we leave?”
:Bullet dodged,: Paul privately sent to Daniel, who smiled back. Daniel distracted the Caprid girl with idle chat and simple tasks, packing up as the others continued the discussion. When Wendi walked, her massive hands fell short of scraping the ground by an inch, and her thin spade-tipped tail waved from side to side in time with her hips.
Lea sent to the group, minus Wendi, :We should all be careful what we say.:
The Kaminoke’s grumbling broadcasted through their shared Rosetta Stone telepathy channel.
:In all seriousness,: Cassie sent, :Why can’t we stay here for a while?: Paul felt a slight surprise at her agreeing with him. But, at any rate, her reasons were likely better informed than his and less selfish.
Kenta shook his head. :Out of the question. We have to find the Traveling Orphanage.:
:Hold on,: Daniel got their attention, :I hate to be blunt, but how do we know they’re alive if they never came back for us?:
Had Daniel recovered his memories last night? Paul and Rana helped him conceal the amnesia and fill in the blanks during their escape to avoid embarrassment. If Daniel remembered everything, it gladdened Paul he seemed to be taking it well.
Ready with an answer, Lea cut off Kenta before the angered boy could reply. :We have discussed this at length, Daniel, but I shall repeat for your benefit. There is no evidence the Demon slew the other members of the Traveling Orphanage. In all likelihood, they escaped Persephone’s blast radius, mistakenly assumed we died in the destruction, and departed through one of the other nodes—ignorant of our survival.
:Even so, it wouldn’t hurt to consider our options,: Daniel sent.
:Options?!: came Kenta’s incredulous response.
Not wanting to earn the boy’s ire, Daniel clarified, :We’ll examine different ways to approach the problem. That’s efficient puzzle-solving.:
Cassie nodded. :Yes, we wouldn’t want to go in blind.: The others agreed.
:Rana,: Lea began, :You have traveled the Wilderness. If anyone knows our options for finding the Traveling Orphanage, it is you.:
In the spotlight, Rana looked like she regretted allowing them to remember her existence this morning. She finished her bowl of eggs and straightened her back to rigid, :Are you asking for my opinion, or looking for me to spout some common knowledge?:
:Why would we not want your opinion?: Lea asked.
The frog girl sighed. :Because I think we should give up.:
Paul’s feelings were mixed. On the one hand, he missed his uncle. On the other… there were so many ways things might go wrong.
:You craven—!: Kenta choked on the indignity, :You’d give up on finding your own brother?:
:Yes… at least for now.: Rana stared him down. :We’re kids. This would be easier as adults when we’ve really figured out ourselves and our abilities. I haven’t seen him in three years, why not wait another ten?:
Arms folded, Kenta tapped his forehead with a tendril of hair. :Are you insane?:
Lowering her lids to slits, she sent, :Only if you’re an idiot.:
Ten more years, Paul thought, Harumi would be an adult. She’d become a completely different person by the time they’re reunited. The two of them would be total strangers.
Kenta strode off, though it wouldn’t put him out of range, :I won’t be a part of this ‘discussion.’ I’ll go by myself if I have to… but I’ll wait here for the rest of you to come to your senses. A Kaminoke never leaves anyone behind.:
Rana continued, doing her best to ignore him. :As we are, we won’t survive the Wilderness. The fact we’re alive and free after three years without guardians is a miracle.:
The experience of escaping the Facility burned vividly in Paul’s mind: the tension, the terror, the hopelessness. It had been so horrible; he couldn’t imagine doing it all over again or facing something worse. Rana went on.
:As I see it, we have three options—all bad but workable. First, staying here for ten years or so isn’t as insane as it sounds. We have everything we need, there doesn’t appear to be much traffic in the area, and Cassie should hear anything dangerous in time to run away. Ten years of practice with our abilities should give us the experience we need to survive in the Wilderness.:
:Plenty of space to spread our wings,: Cassie joked, flapping at the wide expanse of hills.
:All the television and junk food we can stand,: Paul added with a chuckle.
:The problem being,: Lea countered, and the black marbles orbiting her head spun faster the more agitated she became, :What is safe for us is not necessarily best for us. Another ten years by ourselves? Ten years of the same shows and the same food and the same stealing and the same argument about what we shall do when we finally get started. What will change?:
Daniel debated, :It wouldn’t be so bad, there’s a whole world to explore.: He looked around. :Two, in fact.:
:They are not our worlds!: she sent, :Those shows were not made for us, and the people of that world will not accept us.: Lea turned to Rana, :You were the one who told me a year of sparring is not the same as a minute of life and death battle. We will stagnate if we stay here.:
After nodding her tacit agreement, Rana announced, :Option two, nobody’s going to like.: They braced themselves. :We march up to the gates of the City itself and surrender.:
The response was overwhelmingly negative, with exclamations, moans, and head shaking. Except for Daniel, who tried to cover the confusion he must be feeling. He probably didn’t know anything about the City or its mages—he may never have known, regardless of any holes in his memory. Paul resolved to talk to him later.
Lea thought about the second proposal. :If we cross the border without being caught, we could apply for Citizenship. By their own rules, they would have to allow it. Then we negotiate contracts to keep us working as a unit.: She frowned. :But if we are caught, we shall be sold separately into slavery.:
:Working for the mages at all is slavery,: Cassandra sent, and she shivered.
Playing devil’s advocate, Rana sent, :Even as slaves, our lives are all but guaranteed. We’ll get that battle experience through the safety of a Guild and eventually buy our freedom… Though that may take longer than ten years.: She paused to let them digest. :Both of those options were awful in their own way. Understand the third option is, by far, the worst.:
Paul wondered what could be worse than stagnation or slavery.
:Option three, we go looking for the T.O. Years gone, they’re probably on the other side of the Wilderness and moving constantly. To catch up, we’ll be forced to take shortcuts through dangerous territory—exposing ourselves to the worst of the Wilderness. All we can do is pray our luck holds. It won’t. I guarantee you, as we are now, we will die before we find them.: Rana’s deadpan delivery gave her words a sobering certainty.
Yet Lea was unbelievably stubborn, :As much as I respect your opinion, I cannot help but feel you are underestimating us.:
After quickly glancing at each member of the group, with Kenta glowering back, Rana sent, :I’m really not.:
Lea didn’t register the comment. :We have a Guide,: she pointed to Paul, :Defense,: meaning Kenta’s hair, :Muscle: she glanced at Daniel, who did a double-take, :An Expert,: she granted Rana the title, :The Intimidator,: nodding to Wendi, who currently pursued a butterfly with her larger than bug-net sized hands, :Our Early Warning doubles as a Quick Getaway,: that was Cassie and her giant bat-form, :And we have a Leader,: indicating herself. :I think we will be able to succeed, provided we are not unnecessarily distracted or choose our fights poorly.:
Cassandra saw where this was headed, and her enthusiasm deflated. Rana seemed to have resigned herself. Kenta looked excessively pleased, and Daniel wasn’t arguing for either of the other options. For himself, though, Paul couldn’t keep the sour expression—that’s what they called it, though Paul’s experience was secondhand—off his face.
:I suppose we have one minor advantage,: the frog girl conceded. :Diversity. Another of our kind would be obligated to, if not help us, at least do no harm. Including our allies by extension.:
Paul knew better than to suggest they find a settlement. ‘Do no harm’ was one thing. The races had no love for their rivals. Requesting aid would be a bridge too far.
:A Kaminoke would aid our search to find Harumi as far as their responsibilities permit.:
Daniel did the mental math. :With ninety-nine races, we’d have a flat 7.07% chance of avoiding conflict per encounter.:
:Better than that,: Lea added with a questioning look at Rana, :Are not some races extinct?: The frog girl nodded. :And they would not all have the same population.:
:Plenty of frogs in the Wilderness,: Kenta met Rana’s eye, but she didn’t take the bait.
:Bats, too,: Cassie defused the rude statement before it turned into an argument.
Paul frowned. If their guardians were present, Calephor would have given Kenta a rough scolding about insensitive comments.
:Shall we put it to a vote, then?: Lea asked, and they reluctantly nodded. Appointing herself as moderator, she began, :First, I know not everyone here has someone waiting for them in the T.O. However, I remind you we truly have nowhere else to go. Where in this universe can we find a home?: Unable or unwilling to voice a legitimate objection, no one could match Kenta and Lea’s combined stubbornness. Once again, it was ‘unanimous.’
Paul changed his raiment from baggy t-shirt pajamas into his linen tunic as the others ‘dressed’ for the day. They packed equipment and supplies using their dimensional pocket tool—a sword necklace Kenta kept which could slice open a small hole in reality.
:If that’s settled,: Daniel raised a thought as they broke camp, : I wonder what, exactly, is our next step? What’s the plan?:
Lea turned to face him, :Is it not obvious? We have our supplies, now we set off.:
:That’s fine as an ultimate goal,: Daniel agreed, :If a bit reckless…:
:What are you getting at?: Lea’s skeptical look wasn’t a good sign as far as Paul could recall.
:I’ve been told there are more of these things,: Daniel gestured to the Portal Ring and Shew Stone, :Available at the nearest Terminal. Shouldn’t we stock up; maybe look at some ‘road signs’ to figure out where we are in the grand scheme of things?: Paul suspected Rana had given Daniel the idea.
Lea might have rejected his plan out of hand if it hadn’t been so darned sensible. :Well-reasoned. We shall find this world’s Terminal and better prepare ourselves for the journey.:
Paul breathed an inward sigh of relief. Finding this world’s Terminal, an unchanging, unmoving, ancient location, was a simple task. Secretly, he waited for the axe to fall.
If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Freedom, finally, after three years of captivity. Free from concrete and metal cells. Free from malevolent spying eyes. Free from the site of their worst nightmare.
Free from those who hated or feared them. Free from authority. Free to stay up all night watching TV and overload on junk food.
Free to take any road they pleased.
Freedom didn’t matter much to Paul. When he lost his parents, he did what his uncle said. Then, in the Eastwood Facility, he did what Dr. Adelaide said. Now, he’d do what Lea said.
Paul followed directions and wouldn’t disobey orders; it was never worth the effort.
Uncle Lumière was a good man. Dr. Adelaide knew how to be downright fun with her tests. And Lea… Lea was the perfect girl. Lovely, smart, graceful, and confident. Why would he fight her?
As for romance, Paul didn’t stand a chance. No point in trying. Simply being near her satisfied him. He’d test possibilities elsewhere as they came.
The dawn woke them. Excellent weather had convinced them to sleep beneath the stars on a lush grassy hill. After years underground with motion-activated lights, nobody anticipated the sun’s rude alarm. Their groggy, post-celebration morning came slow and lazy.
An illusory widescreen television played in the background. Cassandra received radio broadcasts and projected them as sight and sound with minimal concentration. These transmissions leaked in through a nodal world portal open to a secluded corner of the Eastwood Forest.
Two huge conical ears—Cassie’s head seemed tiny by comparison—served as satellite dishes. The bat girl shared a blanket with Rana, the girls sitting cross-legged and shoulder-to-shoulder. For pajamas, Cassie wore sweatpants and a fanged smiley face t-shirt. All her shirts were adjusted for wings, with the slit-side bottoms tied at her waist.
One wing draped over Rana’s back while Cassie’s batlike leg-hands held a crystal ball swirling with dark clouds. She recorded a hundred channels of airtime to her Shew Stone throughout the morning—her real attention on Rana as they talked. Cassie gave a half-smile as she scrunched her cute leaf-shaped bat nose at something funny.
Leanan sat on a segregated pillow in her lacy, long-sleeved white nightgown. The Libra girl guarded herself against accidental skin contact. Paul knew touch increased the intensity of her Charming magic, but not the details. Lea ignored the others as she twisted a strand of blond hair around her fingers, preoccupied with planning their day.
Daniel and Wendi chatted about the show on screen while Paul idled between them. The young Angel of Ruin looked much better today. Since Rana healed his mortal wound, Daniel’s dark skin glowed with health, and his overall appearance shifted from ‘skeletal’ to ‘skinny.’ The circle of bare ground around Daniel declared him no closer to controlling his race’s destructive touch. The boy’s velvet black robe being one exception among a scant few that didn’t include food and water.
How could anyone suffering eternal hunger and thirst be as optimistic and friendly as Daniel?
The Caprid girl Wendi might be their most visually startling member. She had an endearing smile, red skin, darker red hair, blue eyes, huge curving horns, and cloven hooves with bare girlish legs. Enormous hands, each weighing as much as an ordinary girl her age, dominated Wendi’s physical features. Her prodigious strength contrasted with her cheerful demeanor and gentle touch.
However, she carried an evil twin inside they called ‘Wendigo.’ Paul didn’t know what triggered episodes of the blue devil, but he’d try to avoid them at all costs.
She reclined on her side much closer to Daniel than most would dare, her innate toughness and superhuman regeneration a rare match for the Angel boy’s Ruin magic. Wendi wore loose plaid night pants and a powder blue polka-dotted button top with long sleeves bunched at the elbows for pajamas.
Kenta cooked breakfast over a small fire in their campsite kitchen. Wisps of black hair drifted like twisting streams of smoke from his shoulders. They explored his surroundings, catching on rocks, empty cans of soda, or the edges of the tacky carpets laid out to designate their campground. Tendrils of hair held bowls and whisks to mix things, pans and spatulas to cook them, salt and pepper shakers for seasoning, and a fire poker to adjust the flames while the young man sat on a hair-braided highchair overseeing the work.
Their eldest, around fourteen, the Kaminoke’s stern yet handsome face and slanted eyes displayed the inner steel of his resolve. Kenta filled out his collared burgundy silk nightshirt and matching trousers well. Though he floated on hair, Kenta kept himself on eye level with the others instead of towering over them when he spoke.
Paul tried some breakfast to his inevitable disappointment. The yellow forkful didn’t smell or taste of anything and had a texture reminiscent of chewing gum. Frankly, he didn’t get the appeal. What bothered Paul was how the others were eating hot, fluffy, scrambled eggs with bacon bits and chopped onion. That’s the price of a wax body.
Rana took several extra portions to no one’s surprise.
The frog girl ate like a machine, fast and efficient. She shoveled down calories with no regard for taste. Fuel for her superhuman metabolism. Rana was strong, both magically and physically. She’d exercised rigorously during their confinement to keep her gymnastic figure.
Rana never changed outfits, as far as Paul could tell. The girl’s sleeveless black top and athletic shorts fit her utilitarian needs. All her color came from her skin, which matched some exotic frog species. Hydro-something Ba…stara? She’d specified a proper name at one point.
A bright red band on her forehead brushed her broad human nose, blackish-brown on her upper lip spread across her eyes and cheeks, and cream flowed from her lower lip to her throat, chest, and hips. The deep brown extended symmetrically down her sides while her arms and legs marbled light and dark. A stripe of red followed her spine from neck to tailbone and seeped under her shock of brown hair.
Daniel smiled at their breakfast ritual, high on interpersonal contact despite his lack of participation. Not that Paul blamed him. In fact, Paul admired the way Daniel didn’t make a pathetic attempt to play along.
Paul looked at his smooth white hands and rubbed them together. He felt nothing, never had. He was wax. No prints on his paraffin fingers. No belly button, either.
In movies, those were the things that proved you were you. Clones, evil twins, and doppelgangers could never get right the things that marked you as a special, unique person. Paul didn’t have them, never had. It didn’t matter much to Paul. Those were human things.
Your Flame mattered to the Children of The Way. The unique Flame on your head proved you were you. That made him special. His uncle had said so.
Paul looked up to see Wendi happily gobbling eggs from a fork pinched between her fingers like a needle. His lip quirked into a smile.
Drawing everyone’s attention as she stood, Lea met their eyes as her magical raiment shifted from pajamas to daywear. She kept the white blouse and black ribbon bow at the neck from yesterday, but her pleated long skirt and shoes were now a metallic green stark against white stockings. “Remember, every second saved on meals is one further down the road.”
Kenta objected. “But every hour we spend here is a hundred we can watch later thanks to Cass.” The bat girl averted her gaze, trying to stay out of the argument. “Surely there’s time for a warm bath, perhaps a cup of hot tea—”
Paul agreed, taking it a step further, “—Why not stay for a few days?”
This, however, upset Kenta, “I didn’t say we shouldn’t leave!”
“Where are we going?” Wendi asked with a kind of oblivious curiosity Paul found… disturbing. If he could, he’d be sweating bullets.
“We’ve got to get back to—oof.” Rana interrupted Kenta’s words with an elbow to the ribs. The frog girl always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
“—Exploring.” Daniel finished. Paul hadn’t expected Daniel to be so in-the-know at this point. Had it all come back to him last night? Or parts? The young Angel had been distracted lately… a faraway look in his eye in stolen moments.
Wendi grinned. “That sounds fun; when can we leave?”
:Bullet dodged,: Paul privately sent to Daniel, who smiled back. Daniel distracted the Caprid girl with idle chat and simple tasks, packing up as the others continued the discussion. When Wendi walked, her massive hands fell short of scraping the ground by an inch, and her thin spade-tipped tail waved from side to side in time with her hips.
Lea sent to the group, minus Wendi, :We should all be careful what we say.:
The Kaminoke’s grumbling broadcasted through their shared Rosetta Stone telepathy channel.
:In all seriousness,: Cassie sent, :Why can’t we stay here for a while?: Paul felt a slight surprise at her agreeing with him. But, at any rate, her reasons were likely better informed than his and less selfish.
Kenta shook his head. :Out of the question. We have to find the Traveling Orphanage.:
:Hold on,: Daniel got their attention, :I hate to be blunt, but how do we know they’re alive if they never came back for us?:
Had Daniel recovered his memories last night? Paul and Rana helped him conceal the amnesia and fill in the blanks during their escape to avoid embarrassment. If Daniel remembered everything, it gladdened Paul he seemed to be taking it well.
Ready with an answer, Lea cut off Kenta before the angered boy could reply. :We have discussed this at length, Daniel, but I shall repeat for your benefit. There is no evidence the Demon slew the other members of the Traveling Orphanage. In all likelihood, they escaped Persephone’s blast radius, mistakenly assumed we died in the destruction, and departed through one of the other nodes—ignorant of our survival.
:Even so, it wouldn’t hurt to consider our options,: Daniel sent.
:Options?!: came Kenta’s incredulous response.
Not wanting to earn the boy’s ire, Daniel clarified, :We’ll examine different ways to approach the problem. That’s efficient puzzle-solving.:
Cassie nodded. :Yes, we wouldn’t want to go in blind.: The others agreed.
:Rana,: Lea began, :You have traveled the Wilderness. If anyone knows our options for finding the Traveling Orphanage, it is you.:
In the spotlight, Rana looked like she regretted allowing them to remember her existence this morning. She finished her bowl of eggs and straightened her back to rigid, :Are you asking for my opinion, or looking for me to spout some common knowledge?:
:Why would we not want your opinion?: Lea asked.
The frog girl sighed. :Because I think we should give up.:
Paul’s feelings were mixed. On the one hand, he missed his uncle. On the other… there were so many ways things might go wrong.
:You craven—!: Kenta choked on the indignity, :You’d give up on finding your own brother?:
:Yes… at least for now.: Rana stared him down. :We’re kids. This would be easier as adults when we’ve really figured out ourselves and our abilities. I haven’t seen him in three years, why not wait another ten?:
Arms folded, Kenta tapped his forehead with a tendril of hair. :Are you insane?:
Lowering her lids to slits, she sent, :Only if you’re an idiot.:
Ten more years, Paul thought, Harumi would be an adult. She’d become a completely different person by the time they’re reunited. The two of them would be total strangers.
Kenta strode off, though it wouldn’t put him out of range, :I won’t be a part of this ‘discussion.’ I’ll go by myself if I have to… but I’ll wait here for the rest of you to come to your senses. A Kaminoke never leaves anyone behind.:
Rana continued, doing her best to ignore him. :As we are, we won’t survive the Wilderness. The fact we’re alive and free after three years without guardians is a miracle.:
The experience of escaping the Facility burned vividly in Paul’s mind: the tension, the terror, the hopelessness. It had been so horrible; he couldn’t imagine doing it all over again or facing something worse. Rana went on.
:As I see it, we have three options—all bad but workable. First, staying here for ten years or so isn’t as insane as it sounds. We have everything we need, there doesn’t appear to be much traffic in the area, and Cassie should hear anything dangerous in time to run away. Ten years of practice with our abilities should give us the experience we need to survive in the Wilderness.:
:Plenty of space to spread our wings,: Cassie joked, flapping at the wide expanse of hills.
:All the television and junk food we can stand,: Paul added with a chuckle.
:The problem being,: Lea countered, and the black marbles orbiting her head spun faster the more agitated she became, :What is safe for us is not necessarily best for us. Another ten years by ourselves? Ten years of the same shows and the same food and the same stealing and the same argument about what we shall do when we finally get started. What will change?:
Daniel debated, :It wouldn’t be so bad, there’s a whole world to explore.: He looked around. :Two, in fact.:
:They are not our worlds!: she sent, :Those shows were not made for us, and the people of that world will not accept us.: Lea turned to Rana, :You were the one who told me a year of sparring is not the same as a minute of life and death battle. We will stagnate if we stay here.:
After nodding her tacit agreement, Rana announced, :Option two, nobody’s going to like.: They braced themselves. :We march up to the gates of the City itself and surrender.:
The response was overwhelmingly negative, with exclamations, moans, and head shaking. Except for Daniel, who tried to cover the confusion he must be feeling. He probably didn’t know anything about the City or its mages—he may never have known, regardless of any holes in his memory. Paul resolved to talk to him later.
Lea thought about the second proposal. :If we cross the border without being caught, we could apply for Citizenship. By their own rules, they would have to allow it. Then we negotiate contracts to keep us working as a unit.: She frowned. :But if we are caught, we shall be sold separately into slavery.:
:Working for the mages at all is slavery,: Cassandra sent, and she shivered.
Playing devil’s advocate, Rana sent, :Even as slaves, our lives are all but guaranteed. We’ll get that battle experience through the safety of a Guild and eventually buy our freedom… Though that may take longer than ten years.: She paused to let them digest. :Both of those options were awful in their own way. Understand the third option is, by far, the worst.:
Paul wondered what could be worse than stagnation or slavery.
:Option three, we go looking for the T.O. Years gone, they’re probably on the other side of the Wilderness and moving constantly. To catch up, we’ll be forced to take shortcuts through dangerous territory—exposing ourselves to the worst of the Wilderness. All we can do is pray our luck holds. It won’t. I guarantee you, as we are now, we will die before we find them.: Rana’s deadpan delivery gave her words a sobering certainty.
Yet Lea was unbelievably stubborn, :As much as I respect your opinion, I cannot help but feel you are underestimating us.:
After quickly glancing at each member of the group, with Kenta glowering back, Rana sent, :I’m really not.:
Lea didn’t register the comment. :We have a Guide,: she pointed to Paul, :Defense,: meaning Kenta’s hair, :Muscle: she glanced at Daniel, who did a double-take, :An Expert,: she granted Rana the title, :The Intimidator,: nodding to Wendi, who currently pursued a butterfly with her larger than bug-net sized hands, :Our Early Warning doubles as a Quick Getaway,: that was Cassie and her giant bat-form, :And we have a Leader,: indicating herself. :I think we will be able to succeed, provided we are not unnecessarily distracted or choose our fights poorly.:
Cassandra saw where this was headed, and her enthusiasm deflated. Rana seemed to have resigned herself. Kenta looked excessively pleased, and Daniel wasn’t arguing for either of the other options. For himself, though, Paul couldn’t keep the sour expression—that’s what they called it, though Paul’s experience was secondhand—off his face.
:I suppose we have one minor advantage,: the frog girl conceded. :Diversity. Another of our kind would be obligated to, if not help us, at least do no harm. Including our allies by extension.:
Paul knew better than to suggest they find a settlement. ‘Do no harm’ was one thing. The races had no love for their rivals. Requesting aid would be a bridge too far.
:A Kaminoke would aid our search to find Harumi as far as their responsibilities permit.:
Daniel did the mental math. :With ninety-nine races, we’d have a flat 7.07% chance of avoiding conflict per encounter.:
:Better than that,: Lea added with a questioning look at Rana, :Are not some races extinct?: The frog girl nodded. :And they would not all have the same population.:
:Plenty of frogs in the Wilderness,: Kenta met Rana’s eye, but she didn’t take the bait.
:Bats, too,: Cassie defused the rude statement before it turned into an argument.
Paul frowned. If their guardians were present, Calephor would have given Kenta a rough scolding about insensitive comments.
:Shall we put it to a vote, then?: Lea asked, and they reluctantly nodded. Appointing herself as moderator, she began, :First, I know not everyone here has someone waiting for them in the T.O. However, I remind you we truly have nowhere else to go. Where in this universe can we find a home?: Unable or unwilling to voice a legitimate objection, no one could match Kenta and Lea’s combined stubbornness. Once again, it was ‘unanimous.’
Paul changed his raiment from baggy t-shirt pajamas into his linen tunic as the others ‘dressed’ for the day. They packed equipment and supplies using their dimensional pocket tool—a sword necklace Kenta kept which could slice open a small hole in reality.
:If that’s settled,: Daniel raised a thought as they broke camp, : I wonder what, exactly, is our next step? What’s the plan?:
Lea turned to face him, :Is it not obvious? We have our supplies, now we set off.:
:That’s fine as an ultimate goal,: Daniel agreed, :If a bit reckless…:
:What are you getting at?: Lea’s skeptical look wasn’t a good sign as far as Paul could recall.
:I’ve been told there are more of these things,: Daniel gestured to the Portal Ring and Shew Stone, :Available at the nearest Terminal. Shouldn’t we stock up; maybe look at some ‘road signs’ to figure out where we are in the grand scheme of things?: Paul suspected Rana had given Daniel the idea.
Lea might have rejected his plan out of hand if it hadn’t been so darned sensible. :Well-reasoned. We shall find this world’s Terminal and better prepare ourselves for the journey.:
Paul breathed an inward sigh of relief. Finding this world’s Terminal, an unchanging, unmoving, ancient location, was a simple task. Secretly, he waited for the axe to fall.
