Summus Terra

The three Humans stole silently down the hallway.  There wasn’t a guard in sight. It was as if the Faerie didn’t think it was possible for anyone to escape this prison. The hallway went on for hundreds of feet, without any indication that anything had changed, and there still wasn’t an end in sight.

“Something’s not right!” hissed Avner. “This hallway doesn’t end!”

He scratched a mark in the door nearest to them. The deep gouge stayed in place for a second, and then disappeared. The door remained exactly the same as it had been just before.

“Not good,” said Chloe.

Christopher was studying the walls, tracing his hand along it. “It bends,” he said. “We’re in a circle.”

“There’s no way out?” asked Chloe.

“There has to be. We got down here, we can get out. It’s just got to be behind one of these doors.”

“But they all look the same! And we can’t mark them off either.”

“How about a bread crumb trail?” asked Avner.

“With what? No bread here!” replied Christopher.

“No. I was thinking more of… Chloe’s hair?” He said this with much trepidation, unsure whether or not Chloe would be willing to part with some clippings.

“Good idea, Avner,” said Chloe. Avner flicked open a small set of scissors and trimmed a lock off. It fell to the floor, and then, just as the scratch on the door had, it disappeared entirely.

“Well, there goes that one,” said Christopher.

“No haircut for me.”

“Alright, well, let’s keep walking, at least,” said Avner.

They had only taken a few more paces when a voice cried out.

“Humans? Chloe? Christopher? Avner?”

The humans were startled. Where had the voice come from? And did they dare reply to it? The three humans looked at each other nervously.

“It’s Meric, the Dryad… Is anyone out there?”

Chloe’s eyes spread wide. Meric? What was he doing here?

“Meric! It’s Chloe. Where are you?”

“Over here!” came the reply. Ahead of them.

“Are you out of your mind!” hissed Avner.

“Look, we’re not making any progress. Besides, I think we can trust him.”

“You think, huh? I need to know! So far, there haven’t been too many Faeries who’ve turned out to deserve my faith.”

Chloe thought hard for a moment. She remembered his eyes, felt a flutter in her stomach, and that was enough. “Alright, I know we can trust him. He’s as much in the dark about what’s going on as we are. Besides, we’re going to need some help once we get out there.”

Avner nodded.

“Meric, keep talking. We’re coming to get you.”

“Praise the Holy One! What’s going on? Why are you here? I thought the King was going to send you back through the gate!”

The Humans were running towards the source of the sound. Christopher stopped short. “Avner! I feel something! Right here, in front of this door. I can slide again!”

“That’s our exit! Stay there, Christopher.”

Chloe and Christopher continued to dash towards the source of the voice, finally arriving at the door from which Meric’s voice came. Avner hastily picked the lock, and swung open the door.

The Dryad appeared to be in terrible shape, bruised all over, and several cuts on his face and arms. Chloe looked him in the eye, and felt the same sudden throb as the first time.

“Time to go,” said Avner, helping the Dryad up.

“Thank you, Humans. Something is very amiss in the Kingdom, I sense.”

“Couldn’t agree with you more,” said Avner. “But no time for that now, we’ve got to get out of here. Can you move?”

“Yes, I think so,” replied Meric.

“Let’s roll,” said Avner. Chloe thought that was the strangest thing the boy from the future had said yet.

The Dryad and the two humans dashed back to Christopher. He was standing impatiently at the door. “Quick, throw me the pocketknife,” he called while they were still at a distance.

“Don’t need to!” shouted Avner. “Could you slide now?”

“”Yes!” came the reply.

“Alright, Chloe, you’re with you’re brother. Meric, hold on tight.”

When they had all arrived at the door, Avner spoke. “Christopher, we’re going to the clearing next to the tower, where we landed.”

“Right!”

“Are you sure about this?” asked Chloe.

“No!” shouted Avner.

“What’s going on?” Meric was tense.

“Just hold on! Now, Christopher!”

With a sudden rush, they were off, flying through space – through the ceiling, through a couple hundred feet of earth and then through another few ceilings. They had been deep underground, a dungeon that nobody was ever meant to escape. Of course, the dungeon hadn’t been designed to keep space sliders in.

They came to a screeching halt instants later, standing on the cobblestone path in the middle of the clearing. Chloe panted heavily. Meric looked sick.

“I love that!” said Christopher grinning.

“No time for that now!” said Avner. “Meric, we need to hide, get somewhere safe!”

“Follow me…” said Meric. Chloe didn’t think he was in any condition to lead anyone more than a few feet. It turned out to not matter at all. Someone brushed her shoulder, and she instantly slipped into slow time.

The world froze all around her. Chloe spun to see who had touched her.

“Drake?” It was the Gnome that had been in the palace with them.

“Yes, its me. Where have you been! Never mind, hurry, there’s no time. You are all in grave danger. We’ve been looking for you for almost thirty days! The King is really a Daemon, and he does not intend on letting you return home. But we’re going to get you there!”

“Thirty days?” Chloe was incredulous. “A Daemon? Who’s ‘we’?”

“Not now! No time! Do you trust me?”

Chloe had to make a split second decision. She prayed it was the right one. “Yes,” she said.

“Good. Now, touch the rest, bring them into Slow Time with you. We have to get you to the safe-haven that we’ve prepared.”

Chloe nodded, and touched the her brother and Avner, while Drake touched Meric.

The boys were confused again. “No time,” she hissed. “Just trust me again. Drake is going to take us to a place of safety. Follow him.”

“This way!” And Drake was off and running, with the Humans and Meric behind him. The short Gnomes wiry legs pitter pattered against the earth, kicking up little dust clouds. Chloe thought the whole experience was rather eerie, dashing by people and objects frozen in time. As they wound their way through the city, every once and a while, she saw a Faerie moving very slowly, and she wondered if they too were in a faster Slow Time. Once she even saw a Troll moving quickly enough, she figured they must be near the same Time. But the Troll didn’t look like he posed a threat. He merely glanced at the party and continued on his way.

They wound through the streets of the city, in and out of alleys, across bustling roads full of unmoving people and even through some buildings.

Chloe couldn’t sense anyone chasing them, but the urgency was the same. She felt hunted, like a rabbit evading the predator, scurrying around from cover to cover, doing her best to stay hidden and untrackable.

A few blocks later, Drake ducked into a courtyard and dashed inside the open doorway. Chloe felt quite winded as she followed and screeched to a halt, nearly running into Drake. He was in a room of many other Faerie. Chloe quickly counted ten others in the room. Trolls, another Gnome, a Dryad… Several other races were represented that she didn’t recognize.

When they had all gathered in the room, mostly still out of breath from the run, Drake spoke.

“Meric, Humans, we have little time. May I introduce the Order of the Sanctuary. We are a secret Order, charged with protecting the Kingdom from any threat, most specifically from a threat that was foreseen some 2000 years ago, namely the betrayal of the Kingdom by its King. That time has now come, as the King, our King, has been revealed to be a Daemon. Humans, you can confirm this?”

“I… I believe so,” said Chloe.

“Can you be sure? What color were his eyes?” asked one of older females with beady eyes and feathers in her hair.

“Red, blood red.”

“It is true then,” continued Drake. “The vision I saw through Chloe’s eyes was accurate. Humans, we vow to do all within our means to safely return you to your world. But know that you are hunted creatures. Your very existence is a threat to the False King. He is coming for you. Before he was content with imprisoning you until his plan was over, but now you must die. I ask you once again, Humans. Will you trust us?”

The three Humans looked at each other. Although they had very limited options, they were still indecisive.

Drake tapped his foot. “I’m sorry, but there is no time. What is your choice?”

Avner and Christopher both looked to Chloe. It was her call. “I’ve trusted you this far, I can do no less.”

“Good. Now, if you want to survive, I’m going to have to kill you first. But…” he raised a hand to calm the Humans. “Don’t worry, it’ll only be momentary, and then you’ll be back good as new before you know it, and your chances of making it back to Terra Firma will be much greater. I’ll see you in  a moment… Well, actually I won’t… Ariahnis here will explain everything to you. Farewell, Humans, and blessings be on you!” And then Drake was gone.

Now that they were in a room of complete strangers, Chloe felt much less secure. There was something in the little Gnome’s full-steam-ahead approach that told her she was safe. Now, not so much.

“Humans, you are most welcome here. I am Ariahnis, Priest of the Most High. I must say, your timing, while certainly it strained our sanity, is impeccable.” The fluidity of the man’s voice was calming.

Avner however was practically clawing at Chloe’s arm. “Kill us? What did he mean?”

“It’s alright, son. Avner is it? Drake is heading back to the Tower of Time. Once there, he is going to perform surgery on your lifethread. He is going to cut it, actually all of ours, and attach some very special strands in their places. Strands, that, when in place, will render us invisible to the rest of the Kingdom, unless we should choose to reveal ourselves, and unable to be tracked on the Fabric of Time, again, unless we choose to reveal ourselves. Quite harmless, I assure you, and one hundred percent pain free.”

Avner didn’t seem appeased. “It’ll be ok, Avner,” whispered Chloe.

“You must be thirsty, may I get you something to drink?” asked a gorgeous young female that Chloe assumed was a Dryad.

“Please,” Chloe replied, in awe of the lovely creature’s face.

“We’re going to die, and you’re worried about being thirsty?” said Avner.

“Avner, it will be alright. I’ll be right here. Now, have a drink,” Chloe said.

Avner grabbed a goblet from off the tray that was offered. The water was sweet and pure, cold and refreshing like water straight from a fresh spring in the mountains. It calmed his crazily beating heart, and he took a few deep breaths.

No sooner had he finished the water than the Faerie around him began to fall to the ground, completely limp, and disappear from his sight, all in a matter of seconds. Then Chloe and Christopher right next to him. The next instant, he felt a little snap and fell to the ground, quite dead.

~     ~     ~™        ˜

“Ya know what,” said Christopher groggily, “I really hate this whole wakin’ up in a different place than I remember last thing.”

Christopher was lying on a bed, face up.

“I know what you mean,” said Chloe.

“Better than not waking up at all, I suppose,” replied Avner.

“There is that to be grateful for.” Chloe, only a little dizzy, and certainly not the worst she’d felt yet here on Summus Terra, hopped off her bed onto the ground. She’d taken only a couple of steps when the gorgeous Dryad walked in.

“Oh, good, you’re all awake. We were beginning to wonder how long it would take for you Humans. None the worse, though, right? And my name is Lamanos. This is my home. Consider yourselves very welcome guests.”

Avner and Christopher couldn’t speak, overwhelmed by the Dryad’s beauty. Chloe too, found it difficult to say something. She’d never thought of herself as anything less than average in appearance by any means, but in comparison to this creature, she felt like she had all of the attractive features of a potato sack.

Lamanos was tall and shapely, and her movements were the epitome of elegance. Her long, straight hair was a golden amber and hung loosely below her shoulders. The smile on her face projected such joy into the room that Chloe could have sworn the sun beams danced. On top of her head rested a graceful circlet of branches, of which the bark was white and papery.

“You’re the Dryad of an aspen tree, aren’t you,” was all that Chloe could manage.

“I am a Dryadess of an aspen tree, yes! These trees are back on your Terra?”

Chloe loved the way her voice sparkled. She couldn’t help but smile. “They are. Aspen’s are my favorite, especially in Autumn, when the mountainside is covered in their golden foliage… is that why your hair is…?”

Lamanos nodded. “Indeed. A Dryad or Dryadess’s hair color always matches the season of their home tree. It is now the middle of the Ebbing Season. You will see many Dryads with their red and orange and golden hair. Please, you mentioned Autumn, where is this place with its groves of Aspens?”

“Oh,” said Chloe, “It is not a place, it’s merely our name for the season when the harvests are held, and the trees begin to color and drop their leaves… Wait! What happens in winter to your hair! I mean, the season after Ebbing?”

“In Deeping Season? Why, it merely turns white, or black as the case may be for some. Unless you are the Dryad of an evergreen. They tend to not have seasonal changes.”

“Thank goodness, I was afraid…” Chloe felt embarrassed to say what she was thinking. “I was afraid your hair would actually fall out.”

Lamanos’ joyous laughter filled the air. “Oh, dear Child, you do make me feel quite full of life in these dark times.”

Being called a ‘child’ by Lamanos stung Chloe. The Dryadess didn’t appear to be any older than her mid twenty’s.

“But come now,” Lamanos continued, “It is time for the Order of the Sanctuary to convene, and you, all three of you, are summoned. I’m sure you have many questions for us, as we do you. Come now!”

Avner and Christopher followed like obedient puppies. After a short walk down a hallway and down a wide, curving staircase, they arrived in the main hall of the house where thirty days ago Drake had first delivered the news of the Humans arrival on Summus Terra.

Chloe hadn’t noticed Lamanos’s outfit before, but now she saw that she was wearing the same crimson colored robe that nearly all of the other Faerie in the room wore as well. The only exception was Meric, who hadn’t changed yet from the military outfit Chloe had first seen him in. Seeing the Dryad brought back that heartbeat-skipping, blush-inducing feeling, and as much as Chloe wanted to look away and make it stop, she couldn’t. Her eyes were locked on him, begging for a glimpse into those deep, beautiful pools.

Not even a glance. Meric’s gaze was devoted solely to the other female walking into the room. Chloe felt a trickle of jealousy course through her veins, which she instantly regretted. Come on, now, Chloe Abbot. His eyes don’t belong to you. He can share ‘em with whoever he wants. Just wish he’d share ‘em with me too… she added as an afterthought.

The Faerie were all seated as they entered, but Drake the Gnome rose and greeted them. “Humans, welcome to this meeting of the Order of the Sanctuary. We have much to discuss and learn from each other. I see you came through the operation quite alright?”

Chloe nodded, unsure of her role in this foreign setting.

“Good. Well then, please, be seated, and let us begin by offering up a word of thanks to our Maker.”