Tuesday, 06/25/2030. The surface of this planet is hotter than any hot day I’ve ever felt. “What is that smell?” “Smells like rotten eggs, Your Highness. Let’s move on to where it’s not so smelly.” “Oh, just call me Oo.” “Ok, Oo.” Oonagh tries to fly but she is coughing hard with the smell of hydrogen sulfide. “How about we get out of this spot now.” We walk out of that area with the geysers and gasses and find a lush forest filled with all manner of strange plants. The air is better among these trees and Oonagh catches her breath. I am startled when a vine abruptly wraps itself around my ankle and tries to drag me into the undergrowth. “Get it off me!” “You alright?” Using my power, I smite the protuberance, forcing the vine off of Oo’s ankle, and it shrivels up. “Let’s get up in the air before anything else decides to introduce itself.” “Sure.” We take flight above the tree canopy and see only forest for miles. In the distance, I see a cluster of Roots of the Empty hiding in the shade of the trees, emitting clouds of poison. “In recent weeks, the Roots of the Empty had been appearing in numbers unthought of in past centuries. I suppose we should be glad that it’s not just happening on Tewira.” “And on Earth.”
Ida Crawford goes out early to check on the store. Arriving in the back of the lot, she, wearing the Wanderer’s Mask, looks in the window, not only seeing that the dark sigils remained, but that the aisles and fixtures were melded with Roots of the Empty, prompting her to return to the James house. “So, you think Cthulhu, the Great Dreamer, is in Dad’s store?” “No, more like Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos. Where he goes, rest vanishes.” The boys are in the living room, playing a Lovecraft tabletop game, Eldritch Horror. “You two having fun?” “Yeah.” Silo is wearing his Cthulhu T-Shirt and Kyle’s shirt depicts R’lyeh in all its sunken glory. “Tonight, we’re going to try to get video confirmation that the ritual worked.” Buck’s cell phone rings, and he immediately feels a sense of foreboding. “Why am I getting the sense that it hasn’t?” He answers. “Hello, this is Mr. Crawford.” What follows is a litany of confused screaming and terrified mumbling coming out of the phone which Buck desperately hangs up. At that moment, the boys just knew that the ritual had failed. Something far more powerful would be needed to cleanse the store.
“Orin?!” The Queen’s voice echoes through the castle. “Orin Rhianh!” “Yes, dear?” “Where is our granddaughter?!” “I let her go.” “Without telling me?!” “She wanted to help them bring Tewira’s eggs back from the Nightmare Hills. There’s only about a week left before they hatch, sweet.” “If they were to hatch in that horrible place, they will never know the great forest of their ancestors.” “Who told you that Oo left?” “The twins.” “Right. They did overhear me telling her she could go with the Silver Guardian.” “Suppose she just wanted to prove herself one day worthy of the throne. To our people.” “Sorry, Grandfather.” “We thought she ought to know that Oo was away.” “Can’t keep anything to yourselves to save your lives, can you?” “Don’t be mad at them, Orin.” “Since the Silver Guardian placed a shield of her own around Tewira, this means the rest of our eggs are safe, right?” “Sure. It must be so.” The twins go off flying outside and Niamh follows them. “The only question is, how long before they recognize her? Your brother, son, nephew, and their wives? They may try to corrupt her if given the chance and we may never see her again, except on the field of battle as enemies. I only hope that she never learns who they are, if she were to ever meet them.” “I do not believe she will fall to evil so easily, Edessa. Even if it is her own parents who make such an effort.” “I hope she does not suffer the fate of my eldest, Majesty. I only hope she is surely stronger.” “I know she is. She’s my granddaughter. Our future Queen.”
We, having landed, walk through the forest, following the urgings of the Earth and Seed stones. A person on the ground spots us and we land in the bushes. Shouts erupt from the group. “Who are you four?!” The group of people approaches us, carrying spears. “We come in peace. We mean you and your people no harm.” “Come with us to the King. It’s the law.” “Very well.” We follow the spearmen towards the largest hill where an edifice is carved into the rock, likely a castle. A man with graying dark hair and piercing yellow eyes stares at us from a balcony and shouts at us, his speech clearly slurred. “Who are all of you?!” “By Ijen’s light! They come in peace, Father!” “Are you with that wicked bird, slinking in the trees?!” “We are enemies of the Darkness, Your Majesty!” “Really.” The King comes all the way down from that level of the structure and approaches us in his gruff disposition. “Father, be polite. And I told you, no more whiskey.” Taking the flask away from his father, the Prince turns to us. “Prove you’re not with the Darkness. Anything.” “Gladly, Your Royal Highness.” I bring out the Star and the cranky old man is strangely calmed by its light. “All right, let them in. The Silver Guardian is here.” “Can she do it, Surt?” “We will see, Father.” “I hope.” The King stumbles back into the mountain castle.
TJ wakes up from a brief nap underneath some eggs. He regards the water, warm like soup, as a welcome relief from the bitter cold of the mines. The collective white light inside the black shells of the eggs illuminates the vast Alvearium. He can hear the spirits within the eggs whispering things he can barely understand. “You can hear me, spirits? Hear me, now. There are worlds far beyond this bleak mountain and red-gray sky. There are beings of light and fire scattered throughout the heavens. When you are hatched, seek the light of the stars. Go far away from the evil of this place. I will make sure you can escape. When you are hatched, go up.” He then hears some less pleasant voices. “Can’t stand that they glow so bright. I hate being here.” “Hear, hear. Can’t wait for them to dim. They’d better, if they know what’s good for them. I believe the ritual is quite unpleasant to go through or witness, but I’m sure they’ll do their best, the little blighters!” Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to himself, he slowly guides eggs on the bottom of the pile into the warm water. The inner light of the eggs is scattered throughout the lake, creating an eerie glow.
“Yesterday’s vandalism of Crawford’s General Store has sent shivers throughout Montpelier. So far, owner and manager Bradley Crawford as well as the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office have not given any indication as to when the store will be able to reopen. The store has been deemed a hazardous premises due to a danger which cannot be disclosed to the public at this time. The Sheriff’s Office asks only that citizens avoid the premises until such time as the area is deemed safe for public use. Let’s go to the weather. Gordon?”
Prince Surt leads us into a hedge garden filled with bizarre plants. The hedge is made of green plants whose leaves are edged with what looks like gold and their flowers are bright yellow, like with sulfur on the outside and vivid blue on the inside. Their scent is pleasant, but also strong and almost prideful in their volcanic surroundings. “What are these flowers, Your Highness?” “They are the flesh of our great mother Ijen. Sweet smell but can also put you to sleep if you get too close, like the hot geysers. Our people are hardened to the heat, gases, and radioactivity of the volcanoes as well as the harsh sun. We live mainly inside the mountains and tunnel underground. How advanced are your people?” “We are a global civilization that is tentatively exploring space, but no mortal has ever gone further away from home than our moon, which was over 60 years ago. My planet is called Earth.” “Earth? How?” “Some immortals returned after the curse to protect their mortal brethren after the Shadow Queen summoned unspeakable horrors to strip them of magic and immortality.” “It was this that saved my people’s immortal ancestors.” I show him the Star. “Then the prophecies are true. The beginning of the end of the Shadow Queen’s reign is here.” “What is the name of this world?” “This planet is called Ijen. We are not capable of Star travel though we do trade with other worlds for food and defense. Five years ago, the Queen, Dagmar, wife of Sigurđ of House Hreiđmar, my mother, was abducted by the Shadow Queen and enslaved within the Nightmare Hills. It was only because of our inability to travel interstellar space and because we lack powerful enough warriors that we could not attempt to free her from the Stronghold of Great Darkness.” “Aren’t there allies you could call on?” “Interstellar communications on Ijen are limited and almost no one has the strength or will to dare invade the Shadow Queen’s fortress.” Surt sees Oo’s wings. “And what are you?” “I am Oonagh, heir of House Rhianh, future Queen of Tewira, and I have joined the Silver Guardian’s quest to defeat the Shadow Queen. She has also stolen something from my planet that is precious. 53 eggs have been reported missing by my people and I hope to return them to their parents before they hatch.” “Your people lay eggs, Your Highness?”, he replies, not thinking that a humanoid species could possibly be oviparous. “And they are supposed to hatch in about a week, so there is little time to waste in getting there.” “Having heard your motivation for leaving your home, I am almost tempted to join your fellowship if not for the fact that my father needs me here, to guide our people and to comfort him during his moods.” “We understand, Your Highness. No matter how long it takes, we will find her.” “Pardon my asking, Your Royal Highness, but why is the King” “Drunk?” “Yeah.” “Ever since the Queen was captured by the Darkness, he’s lost almost all hope because only she could calm him down and bring out his true self.” “We’ll find your mother, Your Royal Highness. And we won’t return to this planet until we do.” “She is truly his other half, Guardian. If you can’t bring her back to us, no one can.” The Prince, like the rest of his people, has gill-like structures on the sides of his neck, each fold of skin dripping with a yellowish “sweat”. These structures must be used to filter toxic gases and excess heat from the air. His ears are also rather large and thin at the top and trailing edge, thin enough to see tiny blood vessels as the sunlight shines through them. He looks almost like an elf with gills. His skin is pale yellow like the soil punctuated with tiny blue spots, each the width of a grain of rice, in patterns unique to each person. His shoulder length hair is black and secretes an oily substance. This is most likely a natural form of sunscreen, for I suspect there is a somewhat weak ozone layer to filter out the harshest ultraviolet light from their planet’s parent star.
Surt’s big ears perk up. Suddenly, he looks up and we see his father falling backwards out of a window. No sooner had Surt screamed did I catch the King, unconscious and cheeks flushed. “Thank you, Guardian, for catching him! I certainly can’t go away with you, now. Not if he’s going to be falling out of windows.” The Prince carries his father and puts him to bed, placing a guard on him to prevent any more accidents, the King twitching and wincing in his sleep. The pattern of blue spots on Sigurđ’s cheeks go from underneath his eyes down to the gills on each side of his neck, like they were streams of tears. In the dark bedroom, the King’s spots glow blue. “Dagmar?” Surt places his hand on his father’s face. “They’re going to bring her home, Father. We will see her again.” “When?” “Very soon.” “If she’s even alive.” “She is, Father. We must have hope.” “You don’t know that, boy. She could be dead in that place and we’d never know it! And if she is gone, I don’t know what I’d do.” “No matter what, they’ll bring her home, and then we’ll know.”
Surt brings us food in the garden. “Your parents must have been very close, Your Highness.” “They were, Guardian. Her being taken utterly broke him.” “I’m sure she’s still fighting on, finding ways to escape.” I bring out the Star once again. “Ancestors! Protect this land from the Darkness! Let no more of their kind be snatched! Banish the dark spirits from this world for all time!” Like on Tewira, a sudden flash from the Star encompasses the planet, pushing the bird spirit out of the shrubbery and casting it beyond the bounds of the Ijen System. “What was that light?!” The King is looking out over the balcony. “I just ensured that no more of your people can be snatched by the Shadows, Your Majesty.” “With that Star you’ve got in your hands?” “Yes, Your Majesty. I promise, we will return with your Queen or not at all. I got rid of the wicked bird just now.” “No evil spirit can ever come here again?” “No, Your Majesty. I swear by all the Stars in the sky.” The weary King smiles, if only slightly, before turning to go back inside. “Surt?” “Yes, Father?” “You may as well show them where they are.” The King goes back inside and as we finish the meat he gave us, Surt stands up. “Where are we going, Your Highness?” “A geyser near where my men and I found you. Come.” Having eaten our fill, we follow the Prince out of the castle and back to the field of geysers. “This pool is where I used to play a lot as a child. I’ve known about the two stones in the water since then, but up until now, I’d believed they belonged to our fire goddess Ijen. But now, I’m getting the sense that it’s bigger than my world or my people. They’re not that deep in.” Looking down into the boiling water and trying not to pass out from the heat and smell, I see two bright lights: red and yellow, sitting in the water. Using my telekinesis, I lift both tetrahedra into the air and take them into my sack, and I feel even stronger than before. “They are the creation of Ijen, but they’re worth it if it brings my mother back to us.” “I am grateful to you, Your Highness, and to all your people for this sacrifice.”
Having gotten the hang of moving eggs into the water, TJ grows tired and tries to make a little recess in the mound of eggs. While digging, he accidentally disturbs a sleeping woman. “Sorry,” he whispers. The woman gets up, yawns, and perks her big ears up. He then notices her spots, blue and glowing, and her gills on either side of her neck. “That’s all right, boy. My name is Dagmar, wife of King Surt of House Hreiđmar. I am Queen of the Ijeni.” “How long have you been here, Your Majesty? I’ve been here at least a week or two.” “Five years. I think.” “Is there food here, Your Majesty?” “There’ll be stale bread at the end of the day. The eggs always seem to know what time it is. It’s been long since I’ve seen the blue flames of our goddess, Mother Ijen, burning in the night.” The eggs pulse their light slightly. “They know it’s almost night time. We best come out before they come with the bread.” The pair come out and, climbing the hill of eggs for a better look, TJ sees some hobgoblins passing out bread. The food, from what he can see, is in no way appealing or like anything fit for consumption. “Come on, scum! Don’t want to be left without, do you?!” TJ and Dagmar reach out their hands for the bread, with each being handed half a loaf. The pair return to the water’s edge to eat. Taking a bite, TJ gets a bland taste in his mouth. “This is terrible.” “I’ve gotten used to it over the past five years. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it used to make me sick to my stomach. I would simply feed off of the heat of the lake in here. My kind are accustomed to heat.” “If it isn’t the cat boy and the sulfurous old hag, sitting by the water.” Dagmar turns around to see the nasty Shadow woman looming over them from higher on the mound of eggs. Standing up from her spot, the spotted Queen retorts, “Didn’t get your daily bread? Poor thing.” “You’ve got a lot of nerve to mock me, don’t you? Just remember that your husband is a sad old drunk who thinks you’re dead in a hole here somewhere. Rotting and rank.” The demon’s face twists into a contorted mess of contempt and mockery as she taunts the Queen of Ijen, making Dagmar’s spots flare brighter as Her Majesty lets out a hiss, pinning her ears sharply back. Then, having had her fun, the Shadow woman leaves, her cruel laughter echoing throughout the Alvearium. “Vicious little harpy. She’ll get hers one of these days.” The Queen’s big ears are pinned back as she finishes her bread. “She likes taunting me, if that wasn’t readily apparent.” “Yeah. She beat up a Vädish woman because the latter tried to help me escape to the sunlit side of this planet. She works in the mines. It’s a miracle the Shadow Queen didn’t have her executed.” A voice calls out, “Five hours rest, now!” “Well, then. Best we get to sleep.” TJ digs a recess in the mound of eggs as does Dagmar, her long, disheveled hair bunches up under her head like a pillow.
“Please! I just want to go home, Your Majesty! I am no threat to you and yours. I don’t have what you want. Just please let me go back to my family.” “Then, surely, your witch of a grandmother must know where it is. Or your deathless friend with the silver-white hair? Or her brother with the spots?” “He’s here?! On this planet?! In these wretched mountains?!” Billy’s expression lifts upon the mention of his friend’s name. Then, it turns to terror as the Queen begins fighting herself again and he thinks he can hear a young woman screaming in pain, torturous pain, her face, or rather, what he can see of it, twisting in agony. She abruptly leaves the tower, leaving him with food and further confusion.
“I don’t know how I could thank you for what you have done and what you have sworn to do.” “You need not repay us, Your Highness. The happiness of you, your people, and your father is all the reward we need.” Handing us his spear, gold with some blue mineral wrapping around it, he tells us, “You might need this, Guardian. My mother may be in a weakened state. This should give her strength so she can fight her way out.” “I’ll tell her that her people and her family send their love.” “Thank you, Silver Guardian.”
“Ya know, I just thought of something weird that happened a couple years ago.” “What was that, son?” “At the time, I thought I was imagining it, but I woke up one morning and I thought I could see my whole window blacked out, even though it was 6:30 in the morning during the summer.” “Weird. I think I might also have had my window blacked out during twilight.”
TJ wakes up and remembering the Vädish woman’s words about the 53 stolen Tewir eggs, he silently gets up and starts looking for them, looking for any eggs that aren’t giant hexagonal crystals. After just five minutes, he finds a dozen of what look like foot-length, smooth, pearlescent objects among the crystal eggs. In quick fashion, he stashes them one by one in the bag in his amulet, knowing that in there, they will be beyond the Darkness’ reach. Thinking he could look for more of them and making note of how many he just collected, he continues wandering around the Alvearium, only to be put on guard by the bickering voices of hobgoblins hanging out at the top of the mound. Not wanting to draw attention, he goes back to where he was laying down and goes back to sleep.
Reaching the spot where Surt found us, I open the Book and summon the Bridge. “Show us the ocean world.” The Book and Bridge advance in the direction of the Andromeda Galaxy and show us a world covered entirely in water save for what look like a few tiny islands dotting the planet’s azure face. Dad stashes the spear Surt gave us in his amulet, and we step through.
Previous Episode: Wings.
Next Episode: The Golden Nest and the Sea.
