Lawrence Watt-Evans - Out of This World

Ted snorted; startled, Pel turned to face him.

“It’s all a dream,” Ted said. “And this place proves it.”

Pel blinked. “What?”

“I’m dreaming, all of this and all of you-I mean, come on, you think this is real? Castles on cliffs? Fairies, or whatever those little guys are?”

Grummetty and the other one turned to glare angrily at Ted.

“Ted,” Pel said, “if you’re dreaming, what am I doing here? We can’t be having the same dream!”

“Of course not,” Ted agreed. “You aren’t here at all; I’m just arguing with my subconscious. It doesn’t like it when I know I’m dreaming.”

“Come on,” Nancy said, taking Pel’s arm. “Let him think it’s a dream if he likes.”

With Nancy carrying Rachel on one arm and pressing Pel along with the other, they started back around the cabin. Ted’s words nagged at Pel as he walked, and he turned for one more final look at the castle.

A beam of sunlight, breaking through the thickening clouds for a moment, sprayed color across the gray stone, and then vanished.

If they had fallen into a story, now they were about to climb back out. They had just been bit players, spear-carriers, part of the background.

“We should take a souvenir,” Pel said. “Something to prove we were really here.”

“Did you bring the camera?” Nancy asked, just as Pel remembered it.

He pulled it out of his pocket. “Hang on,” he said. “Let me get a picture of the castle.”

“Hurry up, Daddy,” Rachel said, as Nancy stopped and turned.

Pel hurried; after all, he didn’t want to be inside a story. He was quite sure that they always looked like a lot more fun from the outside, curled up reading somewhere, rather than living them. He took a quick snapshot of Stormcrack Keep and the surrounding greenery, then turned back toward the woodshed. “Let’s go,” he said.

He kept the camera ready in his hand, though.

Half a dozen paces down the path he paused and took a picture of the front of the cabin, with its two shuttered windows and leather-hung doorway and the huge trees to either side.

Then he snapped a quick shot of Nancy and Rachel on the path, the woodshed just barely visible through the trees.

Amy appeared as he did.

“I hope I didn’t ruin your picture,” she said. “I wanted to see the castle.”

“Don’t worry, it’s no problem,” Pel assured her. He stepped aside, as did Nancy, to let Amy squeeze by on the narrow path.

“Where’s Susan?” Nancy asked.

“She wouldn’t come,” Amy said. “This whole thing has her really scared; she said she didn’t want to get out of sight of that shed we came out of.”

Nancy just nodded.

Before she and Pel could continue they heard another set of approaching footsteps; they glanced at each other and stayed where they were.

Lieutenant Godwin was returning. He said nothing, but threw them a quick salute as he strode past.

Pel and Nancy waited for a second or two, but no one else appeared; they turned and walked on, Pel snapping a picture every few steps.

Raven was standing at the end of the path, at the edge of the clearing, when they arrived. He smiled at them and stepped back.

“Saw you the Keep?” he asked.

“We saw it,” Pel said.

Rachel, curled in her mother’s arms, made a noise, but didn’t say anything intelligible; Pel realized she was sucking her thumb. It was obviously time to get her home to bed.

“My home, once,” Raven said. “’Tis in the hands of the foe now, and I dare not show my face there.”

“Yeah,” Pel said. He hesitated, then added, “I’m sorry, Raven. I can’t think of any way to help.”

“Ah, but you’ve seen naught as yet but this forester’s holdings!”

“That’s all we’re going to see,” Nancy announced. “Rachel’s worn out, I’m tired, and we’ve seen enough. We’re going home now.”

“Ah? Oh, but…” Raven glanced at the shed, then uneasily at Pel.

“What’s wrong?” Pel asked, suddenly nervous. He felt the muscles in his back tightening.

“Oh, ‘tis naught,” Raven said. “Save that… that man Godwin, and the Captain Cahn.”

“What about them?” Nancy asked.

“They were here, and you were not, and they spoke fair-I fear Elani is conjuring the portal to their realm.”

“So?” Pel demanded.

Raven spread his hands. “Friend Pel,” he said, “Elani is a sorceress of the first rank, but she can maintain only a single portal at any one time. To open a way to the Empire, she needs must allow the way to Earth to close.”

“Damn it, Raven,” Pel said angrily, “I told you we were only taking a quick look! Has she already begun? Maybe the portal’s still open.” He started toward the woodshed; he wanted to get home , back to normal reality, out of this fantastic setting he had stumbled into.

Raven reached out a restraining hand, and on the far side of the clearing Stoddard stepped over to block the door to the shed with his body.

“No, no, friend Pel,” Raven said. “Know you no better? ‘Tis folly to interrupt a mage at his work-or hers, as it be in this case.”

Pel glared angrily at Raven, but could think of nothing worth saying; he fumed silently.

Rachel took her thumb out of her mouth and announced, “I wanna go home.”

“So do I,” Nancy said, hugging her closer.

“My lady,” Raven said, “I assure you, at that instant that the last of these Imperials is vanished, that would not stay to our aid, then shall I command Elani to restore the way to your home.”

“How long will that be?” Pel demanded.

Raven turned up his palms. “What know I of such magicks?” he asked. “Perhaps the fifth part of an hour, perhaps twice that-certainly no more than the half of an hour.”

“Well,” Pel said, reluctantly, “I guess we can stand to wait that long.”

Rachel obviously didn’t think so; she didn’t quite cry, but her expression made it plain that she was holding back tears only by superhuman self-control. “I want Harvey!” she wailed. “I want to go to bed!”

“Harvey?” Raven asked, with an inquiring glance at Pel.

“Her stuffed alligator,” Pel explained. “It’s her favorite toy; she takes it to bed with her.”

“Ah, poor weary poppet,” Raven said, giving Rachel a sad, funny little smile. “It shan’t be long, I promise you.”

Leaves rustled, and Pel turned to find the crew of the Ruthless marching single-file down the trail toward him, Lieutenant Godwin at their head.

As he looked at the forest, Pel noticed that the daylight had dimmed; the path was now shadowy and dim. The clouds obscuring the sun were thicker and darker.

That was all they needed-to get caught in a thundershower in this already-uncomfortable world.

He stepped aside, and let the Imperials march on past him into the clearing.

Captain Cahn stepped out to confront them, and the march stopped; the crew stood at ease, facing their commander.

“All right, men,” he said, “and you, Thorpe-you all know the situation. We’re on Shadow’s home planet here, and we’ve been asked to aid the resistance to its rule. Our first duty is to the Empire, of course, and for that reason I’ve asked these people to open a warp to our own reality, to Base One if possible. Right now the woman Elani is working on it.” Pel heard leaves rustle again, and he turned to see Amy and Ted strolling along the path toward the little clearing, side by side, not speaking.

He glanced around, and saw Susan standing by the corner of the woodshed, watching silently. They were all back from the clifftop.

“I’ll be going through that warp,” Cahn announced. “However, if any of you wish to volunteer to remain here and join the resistance, I’m willing to accept that and give orders allowing it. Now, the warp isn’t ready yet. You have until it is ready to make your own personal decisions.” He looked over the nine uniformed people before him, and nodded.