Across the Barrier, fantasy, Short Story

Across the Barrier Chapter Six

Gods ruin everything.

They accidentally made us

Played with us only to punish us and to abandon us.

Well, that’s what Baldemar thinks.

I’ve never met a God.

It’s all he talks about. Being stuck inside this place for days has lulled me to believe I will never leave it. I’ve even accepted the goo that they call sustenance.

A prisoner in the void stuck with jail mates that are a little cuckoo.

One is an old man who has killed a God, perhaps multiple times but won’t say.

While on the other hand, I have an automaton that speaks many languages fluently, knows advanced science and math and has the strength of ten people.

Both creating a device right now, that will somehow blow open the doors of heaven, or the gateway to the realm of the Gods.

This could drive me mad and join them in their reverie of a life.

I sit cross-legged on the floor under a window far from them, watching like a bird perched on the wire.

I have tried running, but the moment I stepped out of the house, the world literally turns dark. I could not see anything but infernal darkness, it still haunts me in my sleep.

Baldemar glances at me, ‘You ok, Benny? You’ve been rather quiet these past few days. The dark hasn’t scared you into madness has it?’

Perhaps he knows by experience.

‘I would prefer to be in the world I come from, I would eat a real bittergourd than the mush we eat here.’

Baldemar puts down a laser-like pen and takes off his gloves.

‘I’ll bring you some after my trip since you asked.’

‘A coke would be better.’

‘We’ll see, Ava is putting the final touches and soon I will have a key to the Realm of the Gods, now I just need Divine blood.’ Baldemar pats Ava on the back.

‘Don’t do that!’ she growls. Ava’s gets lost and obsessed when she works. It’s quite fascinating to watch from afar. I would love to see what they are creating, but I’ve been forbidden like a child with the TV remote.

‘Sorry! I’ll go get washed up and make some lunch.’ Baldemar smiles and leaves in a really good mood.

‘He seems happy.’ I stand to move closer to Ava. My legs were aching.

She simply grunts.

I move towards her. Moving around large metal boxes slowly not to scare her.

Past glass cabinets with odd items in Petri dishes sending shivers down my spine.

Ava hunches over her project protectively.

I am a few steps behind her.

Today she looked oddly ordinary.

Dressed in a normal although worn out long sleeve shirt with black jeans and black boots.

I am inches away but just as I peek over, she pauses.

‘I know you’re behind me.’

Ava is suddenly closing a wooden box and begins to wrap it with suede cloth.

‘Glad I’m done, or else you’d be in trouble.’

‘Why can’t I see it?’ I moan. I was so close.

At least I know it’s small enough to fit in a box the size of a book but what could have taken them days to complete that was that tiny?

‘You would go blind and turn into dust!’ she embellishes.

‘Right.’ I snort.

Ava pats me on the back. ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.’

What plan? For what exactly? The last time I had been left alone with her she had bullied me into answering thousands or more questions about the world I came from.

She looked hysterical, eyes glinting like a mad scientist or it could just be the glass layer over her eyeballs.

Yet, madness could run in the family. Baldemar has definitely lost his mind obsessing over the Gods.

We head down together to the kitchen just as Baldemar sets down three cups of the disgusting goo on the table.

‘Drink up boy and girl. After, I am on my way.’ Baldemar grins raises the cup to us,  a salute.

‘How are you gonna find God’s blood if they blocked us out?’ I take the cup and try not to hurl as the scent rises from the cup sending my tummy roiling like a stormy ocean.

‘A friend of yours is a God’s child. I just need their blood.’ He gulps down the content of his cup quickly like an excited child about to go outside and play.

‘Are you gonna kill them?’

Baldemar puts the cup down and stares at me lost in thought.

‘Maybe.’

My stomach turns upside down and rolls around a bit before I could muster a reply. Who was the God child? Luna is special and Metior definetly looks like a God. Lucian and Kera looked so normal it couldn’t be them.

‘Please don’t hurt her.’ I say but Baldemar simply shrugs.

‘Aren’t you playing the same role as the God that you hate so much? Doing this will take away the one I love.’ I protest further.

Before I know it Baldemar slams his fist across my face sending me backwards smashing through the table and against the wall.

I feel something besides my overwhelming emotions for the first time in a long time.

I could feel blood oozing down the side of my head.

Baldemar laughs, ‘Well, it seems your not so immune after all. I lashed out with some of my Godly essence and BAM!’

God’s are a pain.

My head hurts and the world felt like a roller coaster ride.

I feel Ava at my side.

‘He has a small concussion. He’ll be immobile for a while. He needs to rest and heal.’ As unmanly as it can get, she carries me in her arms to my little cot in the corner of the living room.

‘That is good then, I won’t have to worry about him running into the void again. I don’t have time to go looking for him. Take care of him Ava, when I’m back we can go knocking on the God’s Door.’

Baldemar doesn’t bother leaving the house through the door, he simply creates a portal and without a word disappears into it.

Suddenly the world starts spinning excessively. I’m back in Ava’s arms and she’s sprinting towards the void.

In a second, a blink, I am somewhere else.

In the middle of a crowded street of a place, I’ve never been. Or I could barely recognize with all the spinning my head was doing.

‘I’m finally here.’ Ava gently drops me on a bench and begins to walk away.

That’s not good.

Standard
fantasy, Novel, On-going Stories, The Faceless Queen, World Weavers

The Faceless Queen X

I had not killed her, but the pull was stronger. Whatever had happened had sucked us into a vortex of each other’s minds and memories. I could feel and hear her like she was right next to me even though she was in the separate room. She admitted to feeling the same connection. Constantly asking questions of the faces she sees. Hardest of all was Flora.

I walk into the main room as two of my men enter. They held a young girl who is obviously frightened. Kera looks at me with a confused look.

“I thought you have accepted you?” She said it like it was so easy.

“I can’t meet the other rulers as I am. They will judge me incompetent, and I don’t need Eydollon to hear about it.”

Strangely, as I looked at the girl, I felt no pull at all. I craved Kera’s energy.

“Kera you need to leave,” I say this as I fight the pull that grows stronger.

“No, I won’t let you do this to yourself anymore. I know you hate it and every time you do it you despise yourself even more. Your father should have loved you as you are!” She blocks my way as I head to the girl.

“Kera please, you don’t understand. Whatever happened to us last night has made my powers erratic and extremely bonded with you. I may kill you.” I brush past her but it was all I had to do with the touch of our skin, she falls to the ground faceless.

The girl begins to scream and fight against the guards hold.

My stepmother bursts into the room with Joaquin as I go on my knees to help Kera, but her face stares up at me empty.

My stepmother mumbles a few words under her breath and the girl stops screaming and faints. She points at the bed, and the guards lay her there.

“We come to pick you up only to find magic blasting through the air.”

Kera lay on the ground as if she were sleeping. Her chest rose and fell. She is alive, and no girl before have lived after.

“Go to the meeting, I will stay with her to find out how this is happening.”

Joaquin takes my arm into his, “She will solve this little mystery. For now, it’s time you met the other leaders of Eludemare.”

As I step out of the room, I want to go back to Kera, something didn’t feel right.

Halfway down the hall, I stop.

“Don’t you feel it?” I turn to Joaquin who tilts his head like he is listening to something.

“Something is disturbing the Evergreen.”

“We have to go back.”

Joaquin pulls me back to him away from my room.

“She’s just a girl, are you risking your kingdom’s place for her?”

It felt like a slap to my face. “My Kingdom is my priority, I’m sure the other rulers can wait for a few more minutes.”

I push past him and quickly head back to my room. As I enter, I catch sight of a massive black tar-like liquid floating in the air, and an old wrinkly crooked man stood over my stepmother controlling it.

While Kera lay asleep next to the other girl, who was still out cold, both oblivious to the nightmare that floated nearby.

Screams came from the dark mass, wretched faces stretched against it trying to claw their way out. Joaquin quickly steps in front of me, but the old man did not notice us at all.

“Hello again Aurora, it has been many years since my eyes fell upon such beauty.”

“Leave, you are not welcome here.”Aurora stands up stiffly moving away from the bed.

“Oh but aren’t all the little powerful rulers here to discuss what I created?” The dark cloud slowly moves around the old man and Aurora like it was alive. Tendrils stretching out towards Kera, and the girl like it was curious.

“Leave her alone old man.”  I push past Joaquin and face the old man.

“Ah, the faceless queen what a pleasure to meet you! I see you’ve just donned a new face. Quite pretty indeed.”

“What do you want?” I demand.

“Aurora! Your little apprentice is quite rude and boring.” He says looking offended as he wraps the mist around Aurora’s waist lifting her up in the air.

Aurora looks down at Joaquin, “Get out of here. Warn the others.” Joaquin hesitates but obeys, leaving immediately.

The old man only cackles. “Dumpling boy won’t make it! Come now Aurora, as much time as I have, I rather be gone from this place. Gives me quite the itch. Tell me, where did you learn the weaver’s magic? I sensed it here.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Standard