Four elephants, a turtle, an Alex, and a Cal

[between_worlds]

Alex hits the ground with a thump and groans.
He is somewhere, he has no idea where.
A thin, wide-eyed man wearing a tall, pointy hat is leaning over him.
The man says, "Umm, Archchancellor, I think we got the wrong one."
A deep voice off somewhere to Alex's left says, "Well, get on with it then Stibbons. Do it again."
Alex blinks several times and realizes the thin man is tugging on his arm, "Sorry, sorry, you need to get out of the circle."
Alex stumbles to feet and to the side of the circle, still dazed.
"What-" he starts to ask, but the man wearing the very strange hat is already chanting.
There is a flash of bright, almost-purple, almost-green light and the taste of smoke fills Alex's mouth.

Comments

[hearing_shadows]

Cal narrows his eyes at Alex's words. "How are you modified?"

He thinks of metal flashing, of people writhing and dying in alleyways. Alex doesn't look like he's one of them. Then again, appearances can be deceiving.

[between_worlds]

"I'm much harder to kill than the average person, though the fall would probably hurt."

[hearing_shadows]

More surprises. Cal wonders if Alex would be able to kill him. The thought is simultaneously intriguing and offensive. He doesn't ask, though. No need to give the man ideas.

Instead, he nods at Alex. "Lead on."

[between_worlds]

They find a few stairwells and a few more windows.
"So, where are you from?"

[hearing_shadows]

The first response that jumps to Cal's tongue is why do you want to know?, and then he remembers that Alex is supposed to be taking him home.

He contemplates his response. "A city," he finally says. "It doesn't have a name." He thinks of smoke and fog and endlessly gray years. "It's surrounded by walls, to keep people away from the rifts."

He glances out the next window. The blue is overwhelming. "What do you need to know?"

[between_worlds]

"There are a lot of cities. What are the rifts?"

[hearing_shadows]

Where to start with the rifts? Cal can't fathom a world without them. "They're cracks, in the ground," he says. "Or used to be. They're chasms now. Unbridgeable." He pauses. "I thought of building a bridge, once. But I didn't want to go mad."

[between_worlds]

"Why would you go mad? Is there something at the bottom?"

[hearing_shadows]

Cal shrugs. "No one knows." He's heard stories of people who tried to explore the rifts and never came back. "If you get too close, you go mad. That's all."

[between_worlds]

"Did they just appear?"

[hearing_shadows]

"If they did, they did a long time ago." Cal runs a hand through his hair, thinking. "The rifts were impassable even when I was a child."

[between_worlds]

"Is there anything else unusual in your world? Other things that cause madness? People with strange abilities? Non-human creatures that can think?"

[hearing_shadows]

Cal shakes his head. "Everyone is human," he says. "And all the creatures other than the animals we raise for food have died off." His mother had told him stories of creatures that could fly, cross the rifts they were all trapped behind.

He doesn't know if they were once alive, or if they were just that: stories. Legends.

[between_worlds]

"Ah." Alex walks in silence for a few moments, "Are you sure you want to go back?"

[hearing_shadows]

No, Cal wants to say, but that would be a lie. "The city is my city," he says. He doesn't expect Alex to understand. Cal isn't sure if he even understands. "There's no place for me here."

The act of remembering has roused the shadows in his mind. They whisper in agreement.

[between_worlds]

"I understand," Alex says, he should have left the organization long ago, left them to their greed, and indifference, and corruption. But he didn't, he won't, no matter how useless his efforts often seem.

[hearing_shadows]

They walk in silence for a few moments.

"When are we getting out of here?" Cal asks. He's had enough of remembering.

[between_worlds]

"Now," Alex says. There's another window, five feet up from a flower bed full rosebushes.

[hearing_shadows]

Cal looks down at the bushes. They don't look like they'll make good cushions.

They aren't that high up, anyway. He's fallen from higher places and survived. Cal clambers onto the windowsill, eyes the distance between his spot and the grassy ground just past the bushes, and says, "See you." Then, he makes the jump.

[between_worlds]

Alex follows Cal out the window, missing the grass and landing in the rosebushes.
He carefully extricates himself, the thorns are very sharp.
"Ouch."

[hearing_shadows]

Cal waits patiently for Alex to untangle himself from the bushes. He's starting to doubt Alex's competency when it comes to physical activity.

[between_worlds]

Alex quickly starts walking away from the imposing building, not meeting Cal's eyes.

[hearing_shadows]

Cal follows, cautiously examining his surroundings. He isn't sure why he's putting his trust in Alex--he doesn't seem very skilled at all. Then again, what choice does he have?

"Can you use that pendant now?"

[between_worlds]

"No, not yet. There's still too much magic in the area. I think we need to get farther away from this building."

[hearing_shadows]

Cal surveys the city before him. It's full of winding streets and strange--magic?--creatures. Shaking his head, he says, "Let's hurry up, then."