“What’s left?” Fixx asked Omeran as they paddled through the swamp.
Omeran kept paddling. “Not much. New Kwiglin was drained and sealed right before the Alkaskre attacked though.” He looked at Fixx. “If anyone is still alive on this world, they would be in there.”
“Why are you out here then?”
“I came here hoping to get help and have been living here by myself since.” Omeran scratched his arm. “They poisoned the waters to kill almost everything else. Those things you met are our people, or what they’ve become after being in the water too long. I’m afraid that you two will be next.” He looked at Maggie who was still unconscious. “I’d hate to have to—” he stopped and sighed. “You know.”
Fixx smiled. “I don’t think you have to worry about us. One of those Alkaskre on our side gave us some stuff that should stop anything.” He pounded on his chest. “It even fixed up my heart.”
Omeran lit a lantern and hung it on a pole at the front of the raft. All around them mist was rolling across the water, and visibility was declining as the sun set. “I hope you are right. Well, it won’t be long until we get to my place, and then we can get you both dry and fed.” They paddled a little faster at the prospect of safety and food.
“Maggie, you have to get up now,” Fixx said softly when they had arrived. “Omeran is here, he saved us.”
Maggie’s eyelids fluttered, and she coughed. “Where are we?”
“Omeran brought us to somewhere safe.” Fixx grabbed Maggie’s hand and helped her to sit up.
“It’s good to see you again.” Omeran nodded to Maggie and smiled. “We should get inside before you both get a chill.” He secured the raft, grabbed the lantern, then hopped off, onto a few planks of wood. “Come on,” he said before disappearing between two rocks.
Fixx stepped off the raft and helped Maggie onto the makeshift dock.
“I hope you are feeling better.” Fixx said.
“I still have a very nasty taste in my mouth, but other than that, I feel fine.” Maggie stepped through the crack and followed the light.
“That’s good to know.” Fixx bounced happily behind her until she stopped abruptly. “Sorry, but what’s the holdup?”
“Nothing, I was just taking it all in.” She moved to the side and let Fixx enter.
Around the edge of the small room, tiny candles were lit, casting long dancing shadows on the crumbling earthen walls. The high ceiling was a tangled mess of roots that grew down and was within reach. On the floor were several small pots catching drops from above and a larger one was suspended over a roaring fire. Other odds and ends littered the floor, but Omeran motioned for them to sit in a less cluttered section. He put a few larger pieces of wood over the opening of the room to seal them in and then joined the others.
“It won’t take long to warm up in here, so get comfortable.” Omeran looked into the pot and winced. “All I have is some boiled root if that’s okay. There’s not much, but it won’t take too long to make more.”
Fixx looked at Maggie, and they both agreed they weren’t hungry. Maggie patted her pockets and then stood up. “Fixx, where did I put the piece of the Way?”
“I don’t know, maybe you dropped it.” Fixx shrugged, and Maggie sat down again. “Omeran, you still have yours, right?”
Omeran laughed. “That would make things easy, wouldn’t it? Why are you here anyway?”
Fixx fished in his pockets and pulled out the card Laird gave him. He threw it to Omeran. “Our friend Laird told us to give that to the king. He’s supposed to give us something, and then we can go home.”
After looking at the card, Omeran removed his glasses and held it up to the light. He put his glasses back on and turned the object over several times. “Do you have any idea what it says?” He handed it back to Fixx.
“No. The king will.” Fixx put the card away.
“That would make things easy, wouldn’t it?” Omeran hung his head. “Can you take me home with you?”
“Are you all right?” Maggie was concerned.
“The king is dead. He died shortly after you left. Some of his kind stayed behind in New Kwiglin, but most left to bury him and never returned. With everyone trapped inside, I have no idea how you will even get to the ones that are left.” Omeran looked up at the roots. “I’ve been eating and drinking poison, dying a slow death I’m sure. Can’t we just go back to Dack’s world?”
“Sure, but the Alkaskre are trying to take over that place too.” Fixx watched Omeran’s expression grow serious.
“Our friend Laird sent us here to get something. It must be important, so we won’t leave until we have it.” Maggie tried to sound confident.
Omeran looked at them both and shook his head slowly. “Fine.” He got up and moved to the back of the room and began digging in the dirt. Out of the hole he pulled a glass jar and handed it to Maggie. “Both my scraping and the king’s are in there.”
“I thought you didn’t have them?” Fixx was shocked.
“I said it would make things easy, not that I didn’t have them.” Omeran sat down again. “I really do not want to go back again. I really do not want to fight the Alkaskre. I just want it all to go back to the way it was before.”
“You can stay here and die slowly or maybe you can help us put an end to it all.” Fixx grinned.
“Until you have everything taken away from you, you’ll never understand.” Omeran scowled.
Fixx giggled. “I wouldn’t know anything about that, no.” He shook his head and then stuck out his tongue. “You’ll get no pity from me.”
“That’s right, you spent some time away because you’re a thief.” Omeran poked Fixx.
“You remembered.” Fixx clapped. “Good. Can we go now?”
“Fixx, don’t be so hard on him. He’s been through a lot.” Maggie smiled at Omeran.
Fixx picked up a handful of dirt and looked at it. “I did the exact same thing,” he said quietly. He dropped the dirt and stood up. “Don’t lose years of your life sitting around as the host of a pity party no one knows you’re having.” He moved the wood in front of the crack and looked back sadly before going through.
“What is he talking about?” Omeran asked Maggie.
“I have no idea. No one ever lets him finish his stories, so I don’t know.” Maggie stood up and peeked outside. “He’s sitting in the dark, dangling his feet in the water.” She sat down again. “We can’t just leave you here, and I can’t promise we’ll be back.”
“I’ll be fine,” Omeran lied.
Maggie tapped her fingers on the ground and then stood up. “I’ll be back.” She exited and Omeran could hear Fixx laughing loudly.
Moments later, they both returned.
“How does this thing work?” Fixx asked, holding out the weapon Omeran used earlier.
“You can’t.” Omeran snatched it from Fixx. “It needs an orb to power it.”
“So where’s that bent stick thing you throw?” Fixx rummaged through the items on the ground until he found it. “Can I use it?”
“No, it needs an orb too. Plus, it’s curved for me, not you.” Omeran stood and held out his hand. “Please give that back.”
“Where can we get orbs?” Maggie asked. “Are there any more in New Kwiglin?”
Omeran tried to grab the item from Fixx, but wasn’t fast enough. “Why are you doing this?” Omeran stared at Maggie. “I thought you understood.”
“We do understand. Fixx, do you have it all?”
Fixx looked at her and nodded while grinning widely. “Good.”
Maggie and Fixx both grabbed Omeran tightly. Maggie whispered something, and they all felt intense pain as they arrived in New Kwiglin.
Maggie was the first to recover from the pain of pushing themselves to their current location. As she looked around the dimly lit room, she gagged from the smell of decay. Everything was covered with tiny brown-and-orange stalks.
“Well, at least the place isn’t flooded here,” Maggie said.
Fixx was holding the two pots from Omeran’s cave. “I guess we won’t need these then.” He dropped them noisily on the ground and attached the lantern to his belt. “Get up, Omeran, we need to find someone that can understand the card Laird gave us.”
When Omeran didn’t move, Fixx leaned close and stuck his finger in Omeran’s ear.
“That is exactly the kind of stuff you have to stop doing.” Maggie pushed Fixx out of the way and sat Omeran up. She lifted his head and forcibly opened his eyelid.
“How come you can do that?” Fixx sulked. “That’s far more disgusting.”
Maggie ignored Fixx while she continued examining Omeran. “He’s breathing okay. We probably knocked the wind out of him. Help me drag him out of this room.”
They both pulled him into the hallway and rested him against the wall.
Omeran coughed and looked up, still dazed. “What’s going on?” He looked around and realized he was no longer in his cave. “Please tell me this is Dack’s world.”
“We are in the upper floor of New Kwiglin, near the labs.” Maggie smiled. “I figured it would be the safest place in case it was flooded.”
Omeran sighed and adjusted his glasses. “Why did you bring me?”
“When this is over, we’ll all leave this place together.” Maggie pulled Omeran to his feet. “Okay?”
“Did you see anyone yet?” Omeran looked up and down the hallway. “Fixx, you did bring that staff, right?” He held out his hand while still staring into the dim distance. “I need it now please.”
Fixx sped into the lab, picked up the staff and the curved stick, and raced back. “I have it now.” He handed the staff to Omeran and put the other weapon in his own belt.
As Omeran gripped the staff, Fixx could see that an orb was pushing its way out of Omeran’s wrist and connecting to the wood.
Omeran grimaced as he strained to stand still and focus. “I would suggest that you two move slowly down the hall, and I will catch up soon.”
“We stay together.” Maggie insisted. “Let’s go.”
The three of them walked slowly down the hallway until they heard moaning noises and the sounds of shuffling feet behind them.
Fixx turned and saw shadowy figures following them and began walking faster. “Where do we have to go?”
“We have to go down the steps through the main hall, into the maintenance area, down the lift, and hope there are some of the king’s kind down there.” Omeran summarized as they picked up the pace.
“The same place where I destroyed the pipes?” Fixx asked.
“Yes.” Maggie stopped when they reached the top of the steps to the main hall. “This is getting hopeless.” She pointed to all those that were mulling around below, obviously infected. Small puddles and more growing fungus spotted the open area as flickering lights made it hard to concentrate.
“We can’t stay here much longer.” Omeran was watching the approaching group coming behind them. “It’s either back to the cave or through all of them.”
“I could lead them away while you sneak past.” Fixx shrugged. “Fight or flight?”
Fixx started down the steps and slipped on the slimy mixture that coated most of the main hall. He caught himself but knew there was no easy way to cross the open space without drawing too much attention. “How many things can you take out with that staff ?”
“Six or so before the orb will need to recharge in me. What’s on your mind?” Omeran walked down a few steps and looked at Maggie.
“We aren’t heroes, take us back to my cave,” Omeran said as he banged the end of the staff angrily on the stairs. “There isn’t much time.”
“Fixx, he’s right, grab my hand.” Maggie reached out and both Fixx and Omeran held on tight. She whispered something, and they were once again doubled over in pain. “Tell me you still have the lantern,” she said trying to negotiate the cramped space in the dark.
“Give me a second,” Fixx said as he tried to light the lantern.
“This isn’t the cave. ”Fixx looked around at the pipes moving the lantern around to see further. “Are we all the way at the bottom?”
“No, just inside the door to the maintenance area. I didn’t want to risk going too far.” Maggie looked at the door. “It looks like it was welded shut. We would never have gotten it open.”
Omeran stood up and looked around. “What is your problem?” He grabbed the lantern from Fixx and started walking toward the platform. “If we must stay here, at least keep moving.”
Maggie looked at Fixx and smiled. “Okay,” she said, trying not to laugh.
Omeran spun around and held the lantern up high. “I am not amused.”
“You realize, Maggie,” Fixx said bowing, “it is either me or him.”
“What are you talking about, Fixx?” Maggie demanded.
Fixx grabbed Maggie’s hand. “Unless we find someone else, you’ll have to choose between the last two men alive.” He gently rubbed the back of her hand before she pulled it away feigning disgust.
“Stay focused,” she said, pushing them both down the tunnel. She bent down at the platform and pressed a few buttons, but nothing happened. “Did someone change the code again?”
“It has been a long time since you’ve been here,” Omeran reminded her. “Let me try.” He put the lantern on the floor and hit the buttons. When the platform lit up, he smiled, stepped on it, and grabbed the lantern again. “Ready?”
All three stood quietly on the platform as it descended rapidly.
“So do you think we’ll find anything alive at the bottom?” Fixx asked, breaking the silence.
“There were a few of the king’s kind that stayed to help, so I hope so.” Omeran sighed. “If not, we need to go back to your friend empty-handed.”
The platform slowed down and then stopped at the bottom.
“It’s dry down here and I don’t see any of that funny colored stuff,” Fixx said as he stepped off and bounded toward a lit area, rapping loudly on everything that would make noise. “Someone did a real good job of fixing all the things I destroyed.”
“Don’t you think it’s odd that such a destructive force like him has a name like Fixx?” Omeran frowned at Maggie.
“He means well,” she said, keeping Omeran moving toward Fixx. “I still don’t want him out of my sight.”
They caught up with him just as he was about to turn a corner.
“It smells fishy down here.” Fixx held his nose.
“It’s better than the smell of death upstairs, but only slightly,” Omeran continued, but stopped the others when a loud banging noise ahead echoed through the air. “I think we are about to find out whether this trip was a waste or not. Are you ready to get us out of here?”
Maggie nodded, and they walked slowly onward.
The tunnel opened up into a larger room filled with pipes going in all directions. In the far corner, a very large creature stood, tapping on a pipe with a wrench. It was more than twice the height of Omeran, and they stood silently, watching it work. A shell, which looked more like black skin with white dots, stretched across its massive back. It turned slowly and saw them staring at it.
“Friend?” it said, raising the wrench menacingly.
Omeran put the lantern down and stepped forward, keeping his hands in front of him. “Friend.”
The creature moved forward quickly for its size and looked down at him. It sniffed and blew air through it nose. “Friend.”
“Can you help us?” Fixx asked holding out the card that Laird gave him.
“Help?” The creature put down the wrench and took the card from Fixx. It looked at the bumps on the card and ran its flipper over them.
“Lunch,” the creature said.
Maggie looked at Fixx. “Is he going to eat it?” she whispered.
The creature stared at Maggie.
She moved forward and smiled. “What does the card say?” she said slowly.
“Lunch.” The creature held out the card to Maggie.
“Do I eat it?” Maggie pretended to eat the card.
The creature looked at Fixx and then Omeran. “Help.” It moved to the center of the room and began turning a valve.
After a few turns, it opened a hatch and looked at Maggie. “Wait.” It jumped into the water and disappeared.
“Did Laird send us out for lunch?” Maggie snorted. “Figures we get stuck with the dumb job.”
“Should we take him back with us?” Omeran asked.
“Do you think he will understand us?” Fixx wondered.
“I think he understands. I’ll ask Laird, hold on.” Maggie turned away from the others and closed her eyes. Laird, can you hear me?
After a few moments, Maggie heard Laird’s voice. Yes?
We found Omeran and one of the king’s kind. Is it okay to bring it back with us?
Did you get what I sent you there for?
Maggie tried not to smile. I hope he brings back enough for all of us.
Be careful not to touch it. Put it in something and carry it back carefully.
Okay. What about our new friend?
If that is what you want, then do it.
Maggie paused. Is everything all right?
Yes. Tell me when you are ready to have me open the Way.
Maggie opened her eyes and saw Fixx looking at her closely.
“See, she’s okay,” Fixx said.
Omeran got the others’ attention as the creature emerged silently from the water.
The creature put two greenish bundles on the ground, closed the hatch, and spun the valve. It picked up one of the soggy bundles and held it out to Maggie. “Lunch.”
Maggie did not want to touch it. “Is it safe to touch?”
The creature nodded, and she took it, hoping for the best. It looked like a ball of seaweed almost the size of her head.
“Thank you,” Maggie said.
“Do you want to come with us or stay here?” Omeran asked.
The creature shook its head slowly and pointed at the pipes. “Stay. Safe.”
“Are you sure?” Fixx asked.
The creature nodded and pointed to itself. “Stay.”
“Well, thank you for your help,” Omeran said as they waved and walked away.
“Should we pull ourselves to the Way or the cave?” Maggie asked.
“I don’t have anything there to go back for,” Omeran admitted.
“Okay, let me tell Laird to expect us, and then we can go.” Maggie reached out to Laird again. We are ready to pull ourselves to the Way. Are you ready to open it for us?
Yes, go ahead.
“Grab hold, we’re leaving.”
They held on tightly to Maggie, and she pulled them to the Way. Moments later, the Way opened, and they tumbled through as the water poured into the hub. Laird closed the Way and helped them stand up.
Maggie held out the package to Laird who smiled broadly.
“You sounded annoyed, is everything all right?” Maggie asked.
Laird bent down to Maggie’s level. “Everything is fine now. Thank you all so much.” She stood and walked over to Omeran. “Hello and welcome.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Omeran held out his hand.
“This one has manners, how refreshing.” Laird nudged Maggie.
“Speaking of refreshing, is there any place to get freshened up?” Fixx asked while pulling on Laird’s cloak. “As you can probably smell, we’ve been in some really nasty stuff.”
“That’s actually a good idea since the others just barely left.” Laird tugged Fixx’s hair and motioned for all of them to follow her.