Steven Harper - Dreamer

He tried to scuff some of the hard ground with one shoe, but the flat surface wouldn’t scuff. What was it made of, anyway? He wished he could ask Kendi about it, but Kendi wasn’t here. Sejal grimaced. He didn’t know how to feel about Kendi. On the one hand he was angry at him for not warning him about Ara and the Empress. On the other hand, he still liked Kendi and wanted to be his student. But what kind of teacher didn’t warn you that someone would try to kill you? The betrayal hurt.

Then he heard Sufur’s voice among the muted whispers around him. He cocked an ear, trying to locate the direction. Sufur sounded agitated, and that made it easier to follow the sound. Sejal eased softly closer and the terrain changed. A dozen marble steps sprang up, serving as the base for a multi-pillared hall beneath a cloudy sky. Sufur’s voice came from inside.

“-not going to lie to him about it,” Sufur was saying. “He’ll find out eventually. Besides, lying to my employees is unpleasant.”

Another voice, this one softer. Sejal couldn’t make out the words.

“They’re safe,” Sufur replied. “The lab is well-hidden. Chin Fen ran interference to keep it from being discovered before, and nowadays the Unity isn’t paying much attention to the oceans. Sejal’s parents and sister should be fine until I can get another mole into the system. But Sejal will want to see them, I’m sure.”

Sejal’s heart skipped. Sufur had information about Mom? And his dad? And his sister? He charged up the steps.

“You’d better go, then,” Sufur’s voice continued. “We’ll talk later.”

Sejal burst into the hall at the top of the stairs. A tall, willowy being with shockingly white hair turned in surprise. No one else was in the room. He hadn’t felt the ripples of anyone disappearing, either.

“Where’s Sufur?” Sejal demanded.

“Sejal,” the creature said in Sufur’s voice. “I was just talking about you. I have some news.”

Sejal froze in confusion. “Sufur?”

“I don’t suppose,” the creature sighed, “you could put a ‘Mister’ in front of that name. I am paying you a hellish amount of money, even if you don’t have any duties.”

“Uh, sure,” Sejal said, still confused. “Mr. Sufur. But what-?”

“I don’t take human form in the dream, Sejal,” Sufur explained. “Do sit down.” He gestured with long fingers at a padded chair identical to the one Sufur himself was using. It was a good five meters away from Sufur’s chair. Sejal sat, then almost immediately stood up again.

“You said something about my family,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve received word that they’re safe,” Sufur told him. “Your mother found a…facility I fund on Rust. Your father and sister are there as well. It turns out they’ve been employees of mine for quite some time.”

“Employees?” Sejal said excitedly. “What do you mean? What do they do? I need to see them!”

Sufur held up his hands. “Calm, calm. They’re doing research into the Dream. But as I said, they’re all back on Rust. You’re a wanted criminal there.”

Sejal paced in both relief and agitation. “I have to see them. I can’t stay here. It’s my mom. And…and my dad and sister. All my life I’ve wondered what my dad is like. I’ve got to see him.”

“The Unity,” Sufur pointed out, “makes that a difficult proposition.”

“No it doesn’t,” Sejal said. He circled behind the chair and grabbed the back with both hands. “I can get us through any inspection. And you aren’t wanted. They don’t even know about you. Do they?”

Padric Sufur shrugged thin brown shoulders. “They might, though as far as I know I’m not wanted by the Unity for anything.”

“Then let’s go.” Sejal dug his fingers into the upholstery. “When the customs people inspect, I can make sure they don’t even notice me. If you’ve got a medical kit on board, we can change my face like Harenn did and I can go anywhere I want. Come on, Mr. Sufur. We have to go.”

Sufur shook his head. The mop of pure white hair contrasted sharply with the nut-brown skin and enormous dark eyes. “It might be dangerous. And you’re young.”

“What does that matter?” Sejal almost yelled. “I have to see my family. Don’t you have a family?”

“No,” Sufur replied quietly.

Sejal deflated. “Oh. But I-”

“I do, however,” Sufur continued, “see your point. My drugs are wearing off, and I need to leave the Dream. I’ll think about this matter further.”

And he vanished. The hall instantly followed suit, leaving Sejal on the empty plain again. Sejal punched his palm with his fist. He was about to let go of the Dream when a rumble shook the plain. The whispers around him instantly went silent and Sejal automatically turned his eyes to the chaos.

It was moving forward again. Red lightning lashed out like scarlet tentacles dragging a black octopus. Sejal heard Silent shouts and screams as they fled it. Some voices vanished, swallowed into it. Thunder boomed. Sejal watched, horrified and fascinated. It was less than a hundred meters away, then fifty, then twenty. It loomed over him like a juggernaut, sucking up all the light. The screams grew louder and more intense, and it wasn’t just the darkness wailing. Sejal heard thousands, millions of voices crying out with every passing second. He felt the Dream disappearing wherever the darkness touched. Sejal turned and ran, but the darkness was faster. Lightning arced overhead and stabbed the ground ahead of him. Thunder smashed into Sejal and nearly knocked him down. He flung a glance over his shoulder. The darkness was gaining. He had to leave the Dream, but he couldn’t concentrate.

A tingle charged the air. Sejal threw himself flat and a scarlet streak of lightning flashed through the spot where he’d been standing. Another crash of thunder boomed into him. The voices rose in agony. Sejal huddled on the flat, hard ground with his hands over his ears. He forced himself to concentrate on his body. Something cold touched his foot. There was a sharp jerk.

Sejal opened his eyes. He was safe on his bed in his room on Sufur’s ship. Slowly he rolled over and sat up, trying to calm his pounding heart. There had been no sense of the darkness calling to him when it moved forward like that, only a sense of terrible hunger and angry pain. What was going on?

After a while he noticed an insistent noise. The door chime was repeating over and over.

“Come in,” Sejal called.

The door slid open, revealing the spider alien. Its-his-name was Chipk. It moved its multi-joined legs and waved its antennae. The computer came on line.

“Translation,” it said. “We have changed course. Mr. Sufur has ordered us to head for Rust. We will arrive in two days.”

Elation poured over Sejal, washing away his earlier terror. “Thanks, Chipk.”

Chipk withdrew and Sejal grinned from ear to ear.

PLANET BELLEROPHON BLESSED AND MOST BEAUTIFUL MONASTERY OF THE CHILDREN OF IRFAN

Kendi’s mouth opened and his eyes went wide. Then he screamed.

Ben dropped his fork. Similar howls went up all over the restaurant. Several people, all of them wearing the medallions and rings that marked them as Children of Irfan, fell to the ground and curled into a fetal position. Every one of them was screaming. The people who weren’t howling, about half the population in the room, stared in stunned amazement.

Ben forced himself to move. He leaped to his feet, knocking his chair over, and rushed around to the other side of the table. Kendi continued to scream. Ben grabbed him by the shoulders.