Surprisingly, the blink bunny actually tasted like bunny. Most of the things of this world that looked similar to something for my world, tasted completely different. Take the Fire Lemon, for example. They look like oversized red cherries, yet taste like hot-and-spicy lemons. I’d almost expected the blink bunny to taste like cheddar cheese, or something else unbelievably weird, but it actually tasted like a normal rabbit!
Happily eating away, Laulaia asked, “Do you know anything about preserving the hides?”
“I know enough to know preserving them are currently beyond our abilities,” I replied. “In my youth, we used to tan hides sometimes. From my memory, it takes a couple of pounds of salt and more time than we’d want to invest to preserve them. The ocean isn’t too far that way,” I pointed back vaguely towards the east, “but I don’t want to be the one having to climb back down there just to dry out a ton of salt and then come back. Do you?”
“I don’t think so,” Laulaia laughed, shaking her head vehemently from side to side.
“I’ll do it,” Alaina volunteered. “If you need me to, that is.” It seems even she has things which she really doesn’t want to do – though she’ll do them anyway, if asked.
“No need,” I reassured her. “Besides, since Laulaia can alter things, can’t she just alter it to tan or preserve it?”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Laulaia answered. “I can alter shape, but not composition. I can turn a lead block into a lead knife, for instance, but I can’t turn that lead knife in to gold,” she explained.
“Can’t you just grow your gloves or boots, carve chunks of leather off those, and then reshape them?” It sounded like an easier – and faster – plan than trying to tan the hides without proper supplies.
“It doesn’t work like that, either,” Laulaia explained, patiently. “I can’t grow the boots, as they already hold permanent enhancements, but I could grow the gloves. The only problem,” Laulaia sighed, “is that they’d return to normal after an hour, or so. You can only make something from nothing while the Heart’s Flame burns.”
Shit! Turns out there’s rules to magic, just as there’s rules regarding everything else in life. What goes up, must come down. What magic grows big, must grow normal when the magic expires. Looks like it’s not as awe-powerful as T.V. makes it out to be!
“So, I guess if you alter my knife, to restore the edge back to it, sharpening it, that’d change back after about an hour?”
“Oh no!” Laulaia laughed happily. “Alterations within the scope of an item is permanent. I can reshape the blade, but I can’t grow the knife into a sword. One is simply shaping existing material; the other is creating material from thin air. If you can find me more steel, I can shape the pieces together and create a sword for you,” Laulaia offered helpfully.
“And just where the hell am I supposed to get more steel from? Shit it?” Laughing, I was beginning to see her point. Her magics couldn’t magically solve all our problems, any more than I could magically shit steel. “At least shape a nice working edge back on the blade. It’s duller than heck after all the hacking and slashing we’ve been doing with it.”
“You might be able to use the rabbit’s horn,” Alaina said, helpfully. “I was curious and tried cutting it while skinning and working up the meat. It’s almost as strong as the steel; I could barely cut it at all.”
“Part of that’s probably just because the blade is so damn dull,” I muttered moodily, “but it doesn’t hurt to make use of it somehow. Why not shape it into a bone blade, so Alaina can have something better than the crude stone thing she’s been using.”
“A spear head,” Alaina corrected. “I’d rather have a better tip for hunting.”
“Why not both?” Laughing, Laulaia picked up the long horn from where it rested on the ground. With a few odd words of power, and a gentle glow of energy from her hands, she shaped the bone from a conical peak into a double-edged blade reminiscent of an oversized arrowhead. A few more words, and another moment inside the warm glow, and the rear of the blade slowly melted and reshaped into what resembled the end of a large bolt, with deep threads notching several inches up it.
“Carve off a chunk from one of the ends of those spears,” Laulaia suggested, “and I can alter it to match the grooves and you can use it as a handle. A small wooden handle with a blade is a dagger; use a long wooden handle, and you have a spear. Like this, you can use the single endpiece for both.”
“I like it!” Eyes glinting, Alaina laughed lightly and gave Laulaia a large hug, before taking the newly shaped bone blade. Sitting down, she started immediately to work on carving out a suitable handle.
“With that out of the way,” I slowly passed my knife over to Laulaia so she could magic it next, “we’re going to have to change the way we do things up here. Down on the beach and in the jungle, there weren’t any creatures which were a danger to us…”
“They go BOOOOM!” The ghost in my head cackled merrily, interrupting my thoughts.
“…and, umm…” What the hell does it mean they go boom? “Umm… anyway… As I was saying, we’re going to need to start making a habit of having at least one person alert and on watch at all times. If it wasn’t for Shadow...”
“Creatures that live within the magics for too long, in the Dead Lands, end up dead, of course.” The feminine voice in my head seemed quite amused at the prospect – and quite chatty, for a change. “Of course,” Casper laughed, responding to my thoughts. “You are nearing closer to one of my old homes, making it easier for you to hear my voice.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Old homes?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Laulaia and Alaina both stopped what they were doing and stared at me oddly.
“It’s nothing,” I told them, shrugging slightly. “Just trying to organize my thoughts.”
“You can speak to me as I’m speaking with you, if that helps,” Casper laughed gaily. “I have many homes. As long as you continue south, you’ll find one of my old ones, after a dozen or so hours of walking, at the pace you move.”
“Can you hear me now?” Forgive me if I sound like one of those cellphone commercial guys, but trying to think my words to someone else is an entirely new experience for me. Who the hell knew psychic powers were real!
“Probably a psychic,” Casper laughed merrily. The voice in my head was light, warm, soft, gentle, and extremely amused with itself at the moment. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a person with such a vibrantly beautiful voice. Laulaia has one of the most beautiful singing voices I’ve ever been graced to hear, and it certainly doesn’t hold a candle to how powerfully charismatic Casper’s whispering voice is. IF one were to try and describe what the Essence of Woman might sound like, all they’d need do is use her gently voice.
“Thank you, but I’m not a woman.” Casper’s laughter was almost uncontrollable at this.
“Not a woman? What are you then?” Somehow, I couldn’t picture Casper as being anything except a woman. The image of some big burly guy talking in such an effeminate voice was disturbing on oh so many levels!
“Continue south, and you can see for yourself. But, for now, I think you should speak to your women. They look as if they’re growing concerned for you.” Cackling like a madwoman, Casper’s voice slowly faded from my mind, leaving me dazed and confused.
“Are you okay?” Coming over beside me, Laulaia slowly placed her hand atop my forehead. “You don’t seem yourself at the moment.”
“I’m fine,” I told her, smiling weakly.
Frowning, Laulaia bit her lower lip slightly, not believing me.
“Honest! I’m fine,” I tried harder to reassure her. “I was simply talking to some…” Pausing, I wasn’t certain exactly how to describe Casper, or what to call her. “Someone else? Something else? Anyway,” I shrugged slightly, “there’s somebody else out on these plains and they can speak to me. In my head. You can’t hear them.”
“Oh, dear God, don’t look at me like that!” The girls both look like they think I’m damn crazy. “Look, I’m not kidding. Something is talking to me in my head, and apparently no one else can hear them. They have a home not far from here, to the south somewhere.”
“Mind’s Flame?” Alaina asked, staring up at Laulaia, puzzlement covering her face.
“Maybe,” Laulaia frowned. “Or maybe some form of possession. Have you been involved in any sort of demonic, angelic, or spirt summoning?”
“Hell no!” When the hell would I have done something like that? “I’ve never been involved with anything magical. My people don’t have this Heart’s Fire, like you do.”
“If you’re not possessed,” Laulaia heavily stressed the if, “then it’s probably someone with a talent for the mind’s flame. It’s a truly rare gift, and one which is only born perhaps once or twice in the generation of a large nation, but it can be used to speak mind to mind, as you’re talking about.”
“So, what does this Minder want?” Alaina asked, obviously suspicious, and not trying to hide her doubts at all.
“Honestly, I don’t have a clue,” I admitted. “Casper first spoke to warn me about the blisterberries – that’s what she called them – and then she said for us to go south. One of her homes is there, and apparently we can meet her, if we go that way.”
“I don’t think we should do it,” Alaina immediately objected. “Minders are nothing but trouble, snooping around in people’s heads where they don’t belong. Who knows if your mind is even your own after meeting one of them! It’s best if we turn and go in the complete opposite direction.”
“Casper doesn’t seem harmful.” For some odd reason, I felt like I had to defend her. I guess it’s just because I was the only one whom she’d spoken to, and I don’t want to feel like a sap. “She did warn me of the blisterberries, and to dodge the blink bunny. So far, she’s been nothing but helpful.”
“So far…” Moodily, Alaina half snorted.
“Alaina’s right,” Laulaia said, frowning heavily. “One has to be very cautious when dealing with a Mindweaver, or else you could end up not being you when all is said and done. On the other hand,” she sighed, sounding almost reluctant to say it, “Mindweaver’s are still just people. Like all people, there are some which are good, some which are bad, and some which are more-or-less happy to just to be hermits and live at the edge of the world and only talk with the odd travelers which stumble upon their home.”
“We don’t know they’re evil,” Laulaia finally admitted, “and it might be nice to learn some more about this place, from someone who’s lived here for a long time. We honestly don’t know what other dangers are out there.” Staring out across the vibrant flowerscape, Laulaia shivered slightly at her own imagination.
“I’ll do whatever my lord-husband wants,” Alaina sighed, “but I just want to go on record and say I don’t like having anything to do with a Mindweaver.”
“I’ll do whatever our lord-husband wants as well,” Laulaia agreed, seemingly happy to dump the whole problem directly in my lap.
Now what? Follow the mysteriously feminine voice of a non-woman, who only speaks in my head? Turn tail and run in the other direction, and continue to struggle to survive on our own? Dammit! I can’t say I honestly like either of those choices. Why can’t there be one for waking up and finding out it’s early Saturday morning, the cartoons are coming on, and my mother is just now fixing breakfast for me?
Life is never that easy – no matter how much we might wish it to be.
Sighing deeply, after a few moments thought, I finally made up my mind. “Pack up girls. You too Shadow.” At least I didn’t have to worry about him looking at me regretfully, if things went wrong. For Shadow, there’s only eat, sleep, and belly rubs. He doesn’t care who we meet or where we go, just as long as he has those basic things.
“We’re going south to meet Casper,” I told the girls, as I started to get dressed and ready myself. “So far, she hasn’t given us any reason to actively distrust her, and she has helped us somewhat. Maybe we can trade, or beg, something useful from her. Or at least learn something about this place, what dangers are in it, and even how we can go home eventually, from her.
“Casper’s the first person we’ve had any contact with whatsoever for several months. We can’t just pass this opportunity up,” I reasoned.
“Fine.” Wrinkling her nose into a snarl, Alaina got up and began packing our supplies, without saying anything else.
“As you wish,” Laulaia acquiesced all responsibility squarely on my shoulders, as she silently got dressed.
Sighing, I couldn’t help but take a moment to scratch Shadow roughly between his ears. Somehow, I don’t think any choice I could’ve made would’ve been a good choice, in the girl’s eyes. I just pray that this one doesn’t turn out to be a bad one.