It’s been three days since we entered the other Universe. A lot has happened.
First of all, we are going to retrieve the Books of Law. All five of them at once. We hope. There are a few things we’re uncertain about but we have no way to test them. The biggest question is: Will we be able to put a Book of Law into the Family Inventory? Everything revolves around that. If we can’t, we’re screwed.
Second big question: If we remove the Books of Law from this Universe, will it collapse? Addie is reluctant to destroy however many billions of souls just to settle a feud. I concur. Penny has been doing extensive research into this topic and we have come to believe that now that this Universe has been established it will continue even without the Books. Much like Emulgren’s Universe continued to exist after the Books were taken.
Third big question: How fast will the Gods of this Universe react once we take the Books? We are assuming the answer is very fast. Better safe than sorry. Sub-question: How will they react? Penny’s research suggests some form of Heavenly Tribulation. In other words, lightning and lots of it. Rio and I have been assigned the task of finding a way to protect us from that. Lightning strikes can deliver 120,000 Amps of electricity with temperatures up to 30,000 degrees Celsius (54,000 F). Don’t know how we’re going to manage to handle that. We’re calling ourselves Team Tribulation!
I’ve also been experimenting with my Focus Boon. The skill called Absolute Focus will put every Family member into a state where their thoughts become completely ordered and logical. Since the plan is detailed and logical, it will give us a slight advantage. Tests have shown it to last close to four minutes. It might be enough.
Addie has Blood Bound the bunny girl, the nereid, and the lamia. They’re an integral part of her plan since they can travel in her shadow. We also confirmed that since they are Addie’s slaves they have the capability to put things into Family Inventory. Yeah, slaves. Harsh term but it’s the reality. She’s working them pretty hard. We thought she was hard on us sometimes but we clearly had no clue. I feel for them but they don’t seem to resent their status. They want this plan to succeed just as much as we do. Maybe more.
So what does she have them doing? Rehearsing. Again and again. They spend most of their time in the mock-up we made of the Book room. Perfecting their plan. Acting out each nuance. Developing a contingency plan for each possible variation that we can think of. Hard work, but their lives will be on the line.
We’ve mapped out an escape route from the Temple to our exit point. Addie has tested it and she can make it in five shadow jumps. We also have set up three alternate routes for if, or should I say when, things go south.
Rio and I have been mostly working in those jump locations. Setting up wards for the tribulations we expect. I hope that she can jump faster than the Gods can shoot because I’m not at all confident that what we’ve set up will be good enough.
Everybody has a role on the day. Mostly everyone should be back in the caverns when we kick off. Just Addie with the three ladies in her shadow and myself. I’ll be waiting at the second jump point. Addie will grab me there and I’ll be setting off the wards as we move through the shadows. It’s my responsibility and all our lives will be on the line if I fail.
This is Nix. Kari and I have withdrawn to the caverns.
Roger. Saki, Rio, where you at?
I just got into position at the second jump.
I’m in position in the cul-de-sac, I project mentally.
All right. It’s showtime everybody. Saki, please activate Absolute Focus in ten seconds.
10
9
8
7
6
Jumping into the pre-position!
4
3
2
1
Absolute Focus Activated!
Jumping now!
And all Hell breaks loose.
I’m scared. So very scared.
We’ve trained and practiced so much. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t see how we can fail.
Is that hubris? Am I going to die now? We’re going up against the Gods. How can we win?
I just have to trust my Mistress. She believes in me and I believe in her. The signal comes and it starts. I feel the artificial calm of Absolute Focus take my thoughts under control.
I can feel the twist in my chest as my Mistress jumps into the Temple and runs into position. The order comes and I jump out of the shadow right next to Book 4. All four of us reach out simultaneously and touch a pedestal. The Books are chained to the pedestals so we have to take the whole thing.
The Books go into Inventory and I reach to my left to get the last book just as Holtasoley reaches to her right to do the same thing. To my right I hear a pained squeal and get knocked to my knees as Tulika gets hit by something and slams into me, spinning me around. I feel a crossbow bolt pass through the space where my head just was and realize that Tulika’s misfortune probably saved my life.
That thought lasts until a second crossbow bolt drives into my breast. I fall toward my Mistress’s shadow, Tulika’s arms wrap around me and guide me. I see Holtasoley falling as well, as the crossbow bolt that missed me glances off her skull. With my last thought, I reach out and touch the pedestal of the final remaining Book and it disappears into inventory just as we all fall into darkness.
It has been a tense few minutes as I wait for the door to the Book room to open. Then an interminable wait as the guards move toward the entrance. Each of them has a cocked and loaded crossbow. As they approach the door, I give Saki the countdown for Absolute Focus.
The countdown hits zero and I jump to a shadow at the far end of the Book room. I run five steps toward the first pedestal and crouch down to set the light enchantment on the ground. Out of the corner of my eye I can already see the guards starting to react.
A bright light comes from the enchantment and my shadow stretches out across the floor. I give the girls the signal and they emerge from my shadow right on cue. Almost as if we are one person we each reach out and touch our assigned pedestal. They disappear into Inventory and immediately my mind is assaulted by an angry pressure. The Gods have taken note of our actions.
A shiver runs down my spine as I see all three of my Blood Bound get hit by crossbow bolts. Thankfully, Calanthe manages to grab the last Book as they all three fall into my shadow and disappear. So far, mostly good.
I drop and roll as the light enchantment cuts off right on schedule. New shadows emerge. I slap a hand into one and jump.
As soon as I emerge I jump again. I hear lightning strike my first jump point. Saki is waiting for me when I emerge. Three more to go. Saki has already activated the Wards as I grab her and we jump again.
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As we emerge, I hear lightning strike the second jump point. I jump again just as I feel a tingle of electricity going down my back from a strike on the third jump point.
Lightning strikes the fourth jump point immediately. The heat and noise are indescribably intense but the Ward holds. I make my fifth and final jump into a Hell of electric fury. The Wards do their best but they’re overwhelmed. It feels like the flesh is melting off my bones.
A hand reaches out from the door and drags us into the caverns. The last sound I hear is the slamming of the door and an almighty
For the first time in my life I’m glad that I can’t see. Addie has third degree burns over her whole body. Saki, my best friend, is almost as bad. Rio’s arm is burned to the bone.
Kari and I jump into action just as my fantasy trio pop out of Addie’s shadow. Tulika has two crossbow bolts in her back. Calanthe has one in her chest. Holtasoley has been knocked out by something which left a bloody gash across her scalp. I leave those three to Kari with her medkit as I frantically begin channeling healing energy into the girls.
Rio makes his way over to Kari but I don’t think the medkit has anything which will solve his problem. I want to cry. I want to scream. But I can’t. I have to be strong so my friends can live. Slowly but surely, the damage to Addie and Saki is repaired. Once they’re stable, I reach over and start working on Rio’s hand. I work myself to exhaustion, rest, and start again.
As I’m pulling out the first crossbow bolt, I hear a noise and look up to meet Ember’s shocked gaze. I guess she came down to see what the noise was. I see her look at the burnt bodies of my friends. She turns away and drops to her knees as her stomach empties itself out. Poor girl should never have had to look at something like this.
But she’s brave, and strong, and proud. After just a few moments she gets back on her feet and runs over to help me. She doesn’t give the blood and gore another thought after that. She’s gonna be a Dragon fer sure when she grows up. Within a few minutes we’ve gotten Addie’s three Blood-Bound patched up and stable.
Addie and Saki are going to take a lot longer. They’re looking better but Nix is turning gray as he runs out of Spirit energy. He must have helped Rio some as well because his arm is looking a mega-bunch better.
I grab Nix and convince him to drink some water and eat something. He pulls something out of his Inventory which gives him some energy back. He heals some more. This turns into a cycle that lasts for the next three hours.
Everyone’s a hero today. Everyone ‘cept me. I didn’t do hardly nothin’. Guess I’m gonna have to step up my game.
Excerpt From Saki’s Journal
The pain. The pain was … intense. I have no words, actually. Perhaps it’s best not to think about it. Addie had swept me up in a princess carry and we ran, jumping from shadow to shadow like mad-women.
I had set up my best wards. Specifically designed to counter lightning. Penny and I spent days designing them for maximum protection. All to no avail.
I guess they must have worked once or twice or we never would have made it to the end. Probably worked there too. Just enough to keep us from being atomized.
I found Nix sitting on the floor next to me when I woke up. He was out cold. Addie was sleeping on a cot on the other side of him. She looked well. I checked myself over. No scars, no burns, nothing. My skin, in fact, was baby-bottom smooth. And pale. Very pale.
Which means that it was probably even worse than I’ve been imagining. All my skin burned off. I’m weak as a kitten, too, so probably a lot of muscle, too. Just how powerful is Nix? That he could save two people who were essentially burned down to bone?
He’s scary. I’m glad he’s my friend.
###
Once Addie woke up, things started happening. We cleaned up our space and sent Ember back to her mom. Contracts were reviewed and either renewed or shifted. Both Calanthe and Holtasoley elected to shift their contract to Nix. They will most likely stay in his soul until we leave the Palace. They’re a bit shell-shocked.
And my guess is that Nix is more than a little bit afraid of them. They are aggressively, overwhelmingly female and he’s still an extremely shy teenager. It was funny watching them snuggle up to him whenever he let his guard down. The look on his face was priceless. Maybe it’ll be good for him. He can build up some defenses, develop a tolerance or something. Like ingesting poison to build up a resistance. Since every woman he heals seems to develop a crush on him, he’ll need it.
Except me and Addie. We seem to be immune to whatever weird charm he has. But enough about that dumbass.
Penny has gone silent. For almost a full day now. We can’t find her in the Library of the Aedificium either. At about the same time, a new door appeared. A simple archway exactly where the doorway to the other Universe used to be. It leads to a set of descending stairs. Addie and Rio do a last check. We’re ready to go now.
I hope.
Down the stairs and through an archway. I’m the last to enter the room. A robed and hooded figure kneels there in front of a shrouded body on a catafalque. Her face is hidden in shadow, her hands folded into her sleeves. My vision goes haywire for a moment and I stumble. There is a power to her. The streams of fate gather and twist around her in dizzying swirls.
With a visual snap, my sight returns to normal. Now all I see is a woman of average height wearing a simple gray robe. She lifts one arm and points at an alcove to the side. “Please place the books there,” she says. Her voice is familiar yet not familiar.
At a nod from Addie, Kari steps over and pulls the Books of Law out of Inventory one at a time. The pedestals they rest on are ornate. The books themselves appear quite ordinary: each of average size with clean cloth bindings. I don’t know what I was expecting, but nothing happens. The return of the Books of Law to this Universe generates little fanfare.
The figure clears her throat and our attention returns to her. “Thank you,” she says. “You did well. The other Gods and I, those who are still alive, will remember.”
“Who are you?” asks Addie.
“I am Tremina, Goddess of Knowledge.”
Saki steps forward, her fingers flashing with questions. The Goddess raises up her hand to stop her. “I know you have questions. All of you. But I will not answer them.”
“Why not?” asks Kari, a puzzled look on her face.
“Because that wouldn’t be any fun at all. Every one of you likes answering questions. In fact, you thrive on it. It’s what you do. Each of you, in your own way, cherishes a mystery. I will not take that joy away from you.”
I do not know what to think about that. Honestly, she’s right. Does not make it any less frustrating for us, though.
“I have a request for you. A selfish request,” the Goddess speaks again.
Addie smiles, “What could a Goddess ask of us?”
“Something simple. I want you to take care of my daughter. I know it’s something you would do anyway without my asking. It’s just that … I worry.”
“Your daughter? Who is …”
“I must go,” the Goddess cuts Addie off. “Farewell my friends. I have left a reward for each of you. May you find joy and prosperity in your lives.” The room glows brightly for a moment, blinding me. A strange burning feeling comes and goes in my chest.
When the light fades, I see the robed figure collapsed on the floor. Kari reaches her first, dropping to her knees to cradle her in her arms. Saki goes to her knees beside her and gently pushes back the hood to reveal … Penny.
I awaken to find myself in Kari’s arms. The rest of my family is gathered around, peering down into my face anxiously. Um … Hello? I sign.
“Are you okay?” Kari asks anxiously. Turning her head, she shouts, “Nix get over her and check out Penny.”
I’m okay, I answer her. Confused, but okay. Where are we?
“Um, not sure,” says Rio.
I want to stand up. Saki takes my hand and helps me up. I look around and suddenly know where I am. Or remember. It feels like a memory. Like I’ve been here before but I don’t know how or when.
Nix hits me with a spell; green energy flowing out of his hands, spreading over my body and then returning to him. “She’s fine. Physically, at least.”
Impulsively I reach out and hug him. Then hug each of the others in turn. I hug Addie last and as I release her I find that I’m afraid. I have … something to tell you.
“Go on.” They all focus on me and I get even more nervous.
I begin, just like I had planned and rehearsed in my head. I … I am not who you think I am. I am Penny, but more than Penny. I … we … the Penny you know and the person I am were separate. Sharing a body and a soul but not all of the memories, thoughts, and feelings of the other.
We are once again one person. It will take some time for adjustment. I hope that you, my … Family … can have patience with me.
They look at me, with varying expressions of bewilderment. Finally, Saki signs, Who are you? What are you?
That is a difficult question to answer. I am still your friend and sister, Penny. Please don’t forget that. There are two things that I can tell you that may help you understand. Though … I’m not sure I really understand them myself. Not yet.
First, I am many thousands of your years old. So old that I can’t remember what it felt like to be young. Except I do … maybe. I’ve been born, lived, and died many times. Too many times to remember. My memories are … not clear.
Addie reaches out and takes my hand. “I will help you with that. What is the second thing you want to tell us.”
The second thing, I hesitate, then plow forward quickly to get it out before they can start asking questions. The woman who is resting on the catafalque behind me … the woman whose tomb we stand in now … is Tremina, the Goddess of Knowledge. My mother.