Three Novel Nymphs, page 30
The route was plainly marked, though for some reason, few if any other folk seemed to have gotten far along it. In due course, he reached the Ocean of Death, a formidable barrier. The stink of decay hung over the Ocean. No animals drank from it; the bones of the few that had tried were lying along its bank. No fish swam in it; their skeletons lay on the bottom. No birds flew over it. The message was reasonably clear: this was not a safe place for ordinary living folk to be. But the sage was reputed to live on an island in the Ocean where he would not be bothered by passing petitioners.
Gilgamesh knew what to do. He walked beside the gloomy water until he came to the ferry station. There was the ferryman Urshanabi, snoozing in his boat. And who was playing him?
Gilgamesh produced a gold coin from his purse. Nydia suspected this was before coins of any kind existed, but never mind. “Up, man, and row me across.” He held the coin up to the sunlight so that it flashed. “There’ll be another on my return.”
That was persuasive. Gold was a power metal anywhere in reality or fantasy. The ferryman snapped awake and rowed him smartly across the dark liquid to the island.
The sage was actually friendly, especially when Gilgamesh produced another gold coin. He had nowhere to spend it, but valued it for itself. That was part of the magic of this metal: folk were attracted to it without reason. Utnapishtim was married, but maybe he was a tinge lonely after having had no visitors for a few decades. “What is it you desire of me, Sumerian king?” The sage was old, but not ancient, with only a little gray in his hair and not many wrinkles in his skin. Since he was reputed to be centuries old, the preservative process was obviously working. He must have been locked into the age he had been when he achieved immortality.
“The secret of eternal life. It is for a good purpose. I want to save my dear friend Enkidu, who died recently. An elixir or spell might still revive him. You have escaped death. Tell me how you did it.”
“Ah, that. I fear it will not do you much good.”
Gilgamesh was impatient. “Tell me anyway. I will be the judge of what is good for me.”
“As you wish. In the early days of the earth, a great flood destroyed the men and works of the kingdom I lived in. I had done a favor for Ea, the God of Wisdom, putting him onto some passing foolishness that amused him, and he warned me of its coming. I tried to tell others, but they chose to believe that if no flood had come yesterday, none would come tomorrow. So I organized my sons and we built an ark big enough for our families, stocking it with goods and food and recreational games to last at least a week, all while the neighbors laughed at us, thinking us fools. When the rains came, we battened down within it and waited as the water rose and floated it free of the city. The neighbors had to flee, at last knowing themselves for the fools. We lived there as the ark drifted, seeing the land we had known and loved submerged. We endured for seven days and nights, drifting we knew not where, until the ark grounded on a mountain. But there was no viable land in sight; the mountain was a bare peak. So we sent out three birds of our collection: a dove, a swallow, and a raven. The first two returned, having found nothing elsewhere to perch on, but when the third did not return, we knew the raven had landed. We gave sincere thanks to the gods for our safety. We managed to dislodge the ship and float free, and were guided to an island at the end of the earth where my wife and I now live, and have become immortal. Our sons and their families took the ark and sailed it elsewhere; we have not heard from them for some time, but they surely found suitable places to live as the flood waters slowly receded.” He paused for a breath. “So I do not know the secret; it was a gift from the gods. Perhaps it is a quality of this island.”
Hades! So there was no answer here. Gilgamesh ground his teeth so hard they turned red with heat.
“Still, there just might be a way,” the sage said helpfully. “An herb grows at the bottom of the sea that will restore youth. Possibly it could youthen your friend to the point before his death, and thus renew him.”
Well now. Gilgamesh thanked the man and went into action. He tied stones to his feet to weigh himself down, held his breath, waded into the water, and searched out the herb deep under the sea. He harvested it and waded back out, removing the stones. He would need to take it to where Enkidu lay.
He paid the waiting ferryman another coin and was conveyed back to the mainland. He marched toward home. When he passed a fresh spring, he paused to drink and bathe, laying the plant on the ground. A snake appeared from hiding and made off with the herb. Gilgamesh grabbed for it, but all he got was the snake’s old skin as it turned young again and slithered happily into a thicket where it disappeared. The herb was lost.
Gilgamesh wept. Now he understood that there was no salvation for his friend or himself. All he could do was return to his kingdom and exist there until he, too, inevitably died.
Nydia emerged from the story in unmanly tears. But she had perhaps accomplished her purpose, so thoroughly submerging herself in the role that no telepath would have been able to tell that she was actually another person. She liked Gilgamesh, despite his attitude toward women, but he was not her reality.
“That was something!” Wanda said. “What part were you?”
She didn’t know? That was an excellent sign. “I was Gilgamesh.”
Wanda was amazed. “No wonder I missed you! I was checking only females.”
“And what were you?”
“An anonymous nymph who tried to tempt Gilgamesh on the way to the sage. But he—you—brushed me off with hardly even a glance. I was humiliated.”
“Don’t be. He—I—marked you as a harem prospect. I just couldn’t afford to dally at that stage. If a man had played that part, you surely would have seduced him. I did not recognize you.”
“I’m flattered.”
“And you, Knight—what was your role?”
“I was the Storm Bull of Heaven. You slew me.”
Nydia laughed. “I did not recognize you either. I might not have been able to slay you if I had.” She focused on the ant. “And you, Anthem—who were you?”
“An outraged god. I did not know it was you I was condemning.”
“You are forgiven.” Nydia looked around at the others as they emerged from the story, opening their eyes and blinking. “It is time to determine how well we masked ourselves. Oakley, please go through our number and have the others identify which parts they played, if they can. The story was fun in its fashion, but we don’t know what the aliens might do to us if they have full access to our minds. We need to know we can hide from telepaths.”
“Yes, we do,” Rob said. “I played the Lord of Heaven part, having little direct contact with other players except for Ishtar, whom I recognized, as I imagine others did too.” There was a general murmur of agreement as they looked at Lilith. “So I walked to the cave entrance and cautiously extended my awareness, masking myself as a passing serpent of no account. I got it. The telepaths like to play games with folk, projecting thoughts into their minds that they think are their own, then watching as they act on them. Like impromptu couples making illicit love, or strangers fighting for no seeming reason. They think that’s funny.”
“We are not amused,” Nydia said, speaking for all of them. “Playing roles in mythology is one thing; doing it for real is another.” There was another murmur of agreement, this one angry.
“Neither are the normal Droms here. That’s why they practice mind shielding. But sometimes they are caught with their guards down, as when distracted or sleeping, and there can be real mischief. Once a leader swallowed the tail of his partner. So they are tolerant about social blunders, knowing their origin.”
“A traveling party of innocents could be a huge target,” Nydia said. “We will try to protect ourselves. Oakley?”
“Lilith, you played Ishtar,” Oakley said. “Obviously. You will need to tone down your enthusiasm for seductive behavior, lest the telepaths pounce.”
“I shall,” the demoness agreed contritely. “Ishtar was fun, but I will try to be completely boring hereafter.”
“Who did Nydia play?”
There were a few guesses of female parts. They were amazed when Nydia identified herself as Gilgamesh. She had obviously passed the challenge.
“Ecstasy?”
Again the guesses were females. She actually turned out to be the sage, another gender crossover. Nydia had certainly been fooled.
So it went. Eartha was the Goddess Aruru, which several people did get. Oakley himself was the ferryman. Vinia was the sage’s anonymous wife; she had managed it because no one questioned her knowledge of the Adult Conspiracy. Woe Betide was a subject who prayed for relief from Gilgamesh’s early tyranny. Santo was Tammuz, who had to be rescued from Hell. Noe was the snake who stole the youthening herb. Favew was an anonymous warrior who opposed Gilgamesh on the way to the sage. Wavef was the harem girl sent to seduce Enkidu. The others applauded that performance, as no one had suspected she was not human.
Overall, they had done well. Few had given themselves away. They exchanged advice about masking themselves more effectively. They were ready to go.
“Now we must play roles of ourselves,” Nydia said, “only dull, with no thoughts of another galaxy or a larger mission. We are just tourists seeing the sights, guided by two locals. Curious because our bodies are so different from the norm, but nothing of intellectual interest. Like animals in a Mundane zoo.”
The others nodded. Their mental and emotional health, perhaps even their lives, depended on being so stupid that they simply were not worth a telepath’s while.
The animals departed the cave and resumed their trek across the boundary section. But when they reached the other side, there wasn’t much of a change; the land was still quaking and volcanoes were erupting.
Eartha lifted her hands, and the quakes and eruptions stopped. Nydia realized that they were about to lose another couple to keep this section secure for their return.
“Bogey,” Anthem said with a sinister chord.
So now the telepaths were checking out the visitors. Nydia focused on being a largely empty-headed creature and knew the others were similarly dull. Feast on that, telepaths.
They came to a settlement. Favew and Wavef went ahead to introduce the party, and explained their ability to quell the disturbance of the earth as thanks to the help of a cooperative earth spirit. The Droms welcomed them, truly appreciating the geologic peace they brought. The telepaths among them did not manifest; they were not popular because of their mischief. All the same, the visitors kept their shields clamped down tight.
They spent the “night,” and moved on in the “morning,” leaving Rob and Eartha. It was almost anticlimactic after their session in the cave. But it could all too readily have been otherwise. Their homework was paying off.
The fifth and last section was the Void. Even the natives did not know much about it; its residents kept largely to themselves and did not socialize with the other sections. Visiting it was not encouraged; those who had tried were too apt to disappear. Nydia knew how that was. This Void, too, was one-way.
But they would have to go there regardless. That was where the Demoness Andromeda was. Vinia’s green path led straight there.
Nydia paused to address the remaining Questers. “I have to go, and Vol with me. But any of the rest of you who would rather wait here …”
Her ellipsis was wasted. “We’re staying with you,” Ecstasy said firmly. “We’re all in this together.” The others nodded, even the two Droms.
Nydia felt herself tearing up, a liability she had acquired since turning woman. “Thank you.” She faced the boundary and willed herself forward.
Chapter 13
Bang
The boundary was deceptively placid. Its hills were gently rolling, its plants were ordinary, the starscape shone above, and a streamlet ran calmly through it. There were even paths winding about, seeking level turf.
Nydia trusted none of this. She glanced at Vinia. “Where is the green?”
“This is weird,” the girl said. “It keeps shifting.”
“Can you track the shifts? So that we can switch to new paths as warranted?”
“I think so. But we’d better keep Lilith and Vol close, in case a shift puts us inside a void depression.”
“Got it,” the demoness agreed.
“I am here,” Vol said. “I can nullify any void we step into.”
Nydia was satisfied for the moment. “Then lead the way, Vinia. I will follow, and Vol and Lilith will follow me.”
“I could make a tunnel through it,” Santo said. “But I am concerned that a change might redirect it, leading us astray.” He didn’t add that such an error could be lethal.
“Yes,” Noe agreed. “Best to save your tunnel for getting out of mischief if we blunder into it.”
He squeezed her hand. “My thought too.” She smiled and squeezed back.
It occurred to Nydia that though typical love might not be feasible for this couple, they had the equivalent. Friendship and mutual respect. And, of course, Noe could turn male if she needed to.
Vinia selected a path and pursued it. Nydia followed.
Almost immediately, the girl halted. “It’s changing.”
“Let me investigate,” Lilith said. She faded out.
In half a moment, she was back. “You’re right, Vin. It’s weird. Not a void, not dangerous, exactly, but subtly different.”
“Could there be illusion?” Oakley asked. “My sense of the obvious is not registering.”
“We are going toward the Demoness of Change,” Ecstasy said. “Of course things are changing.”
“Obviously,” Oakley agreed, chagrined. “You caught what I missed.”
“We are associating closely, dear,” she said. “I am picking up on your ability.”
“You are indeed.” He patted her svelte behind, and she smiled.
There was another couple that worked. But that was incidental to the mission. “So let’s proceed,” Nydia said.
They moved forward again. The scenery did change around them, but now they understood why. It was not a threat so much as change for the sake of change.
Until Vinia stopped again. “Uh-oh. Green just turned to red. I think the boundary shifted to put us inside a void.”
“My turn,” Vol said. He gestured. Nothing changed, seemingly, but Vinia visibly relaxed. He had simply shifted the boundary back. Green had been restored.
“You got the best possible man for this mission,” Anthem said appreciatively, playing a resonant chord.
“I did,” Nydia agreed. “I was lucky.” She squeezed Vol’s hand. “In more than one respect.”
“Not as lucky as me,” Vol said. They paused for a kiss.
The others smiled, understanding perfectly.
Soon they came to the other side of the boundary region. The landscape seemed to stabilize. But Nydia remained uneasy. Change was not necessarily limited to scenery.
“Perhaps we should check out the natives,” Lilith suggested. “They have surely had experience with this sort of thing.”
Excellent point. “Do it,” Nydia agreed.
The demoness popped out. Soon she was back. “I checked a town. It turned out to be illusion, streets, houses, natives, and all. There is nothing solid there.”
Favew and Wavef exchanged a lensed glance. “That perhaps explains our lack of contact with these Droms,” Wavef flashed. “They don’t exist.”
“Curious,” Oakley said. “Maybe the constant change unnerved the natives and they departed.”
“That explains much,” Favew flashed.
“It does indeed,” Wavef agreed.
Another couple that seemed to be working out.
“So no sheltered suite tonight,” Ecstasy said. “Can we find a cave?”
Vinia considered. “There does seem to be a path to one. But it’s a fair distance.”
“So we walk,” Nydia said. “Through the changes, holding firmly to our reality. Lead on.”
“It’s fun,” Woe Betide said from her floating crib.
“Would Metria think so?” Lilith asked.
“Maybe not. But Mentia would love it. She’s halfway crazy.”
“Craziness may be an asset here,” Oakley said, laughing.
“An asset,” Ecstasy said, emphasizing the first syllable as she squeezed his rear.
“Oooo, that’s a naughty pun,” Woe said. “It’s a good thing I don’t understand it.”
“Neither do I,” Vinia said. Clearly they both did, but were avoiding a nasty backlash from the Conspiracy.
Now the laughter was general. Nydia hoped it was relieving the background tension of the situation. They really did not know what they were getting into.
There turned out to be no wildlife either. This section had only plants.
In due course, they came to the cave. It was fair-sized, and edible plants grew nearby. It would do.
Vol produced rods and curtains from his endless stores so that they could have compartments providing a semblance of privacy for the “night.” He came up with glowing stones to provide light in the darkness of the cave. Also assorted fresh pies and bottles of boot rear, so they did not have to forage outside. Nydia realized that it was probably better to use their own equipment and food than to risk the transforming plants outside. They had not encountered anything poisonous, but that could change.
