A Winter Wasteland (Robotics and Necrotics Book 2) Read online

  It had been hard to leave him, but eventually she had too. It wasn't safe for Saythe there. And he would've wanted them to be safe.

  "I appreciate the thought, but…" She shrugged. "I know nothing's going to bring him back now."

  Erile's mouth flashed with a small grin. If he could bring him back, well… That would be amazing. He would help his newfound friend, and definitely her son. But… It was difficult. The God of Dark was a rather stingy bastard, and it was difficult to get him to let any souls back into the Rith.

  Difficult… But not impossible.

  "I can promise you that he can be brought back, but not immediately. Listen… God, I guess now I need to start from the beginning."

  He stood up, took what seemed like a pen from his bag, and began to draw on the walls.

  Except what he drew glowed in the dark.

  "We are in the Rith." He drew a circle, though with that pen, it looked… Weird. It was tinged with a purple light. "And I…" He said, drawing another circle that overlapped the first, creating a sort of Venn diagram. "Am from the Ea." He indicated the second circle, which was tinted green. "This section." He said, pointing to the middle section where both circles crossed. "Is the Vale. And that's where your boyfriend is."

  She stared at the strange drawings on the walls. This was just another one of the weird things he had, and it was only getting stranger and stranger. He shouldn't have these things. These things shouldn't exist, but yet he had them anyways.

  So instead of calling him a crazy idiot, she sat quietly and listened. Her silence was a cue for him to continue.

  Maybe it was because he was talking about Shaun, maybe it was because he was kind, maybe because he had all sorts of strange technology and knowledge about the Aurans. Who knows? But for now, she'd sit and listen quietly.

  She… She was listening.

  By The Gods

  "Shut up, Erile. Nobody cares about your stupid tech." It was an Olvish boy. There were three of them, and Erile was just trying to get home. There weren't many humans in the Ea, only about fifty or so. He was the son of one of the most hated, and therefore… It passed to him.

  "But if you'd just listen, you'd see how amazing it is." He smiled. He had been young, then. Innocent. He didn't know what they wanted, he just thought they didn't understand.

  So he took out the prototype pen, which he had spent months getting just right, and started drawing on the wall.

  One of the boys took it and threw it to the ground, crushing it beneath his boot before Erile could even react.

  "Think about that the next time you try to show off."

  ---------------

  Erile coughed. This wasn't the time.

  "To get from the Ea to the Rith." He continued, indicating both circles. "You also have to pass through the Vale. But that's not the only way to get there. You don't have to physically go there in order to bring something out."

  He then dove into his bag and brought out something wrapped in a very soft, very fine fabric.

  He unraveled it, to reveal…

  The most beautiful piece of technology Aisling had ever seen.

  It seemed almost fluid in nature. Beautiful, seemingly moving on its own yet remaining stationary.

  It was mesmerizing.

  "This can pull souls from the Vale."

  Her lips parted with surprise, and for a moment she almost reached out to touch it. It was mesmerizing, and beautiful, and completely otherworldly. She hesitated, withdrawing her hand as she looked up at him with wide eyes. "… Oh my god. You're not lying."

  She carefully sat up, mindful not to jostle Saythe. "I- how? I don't-" She furrowed her brows. It was completely improbable to the scientific part of her brain, but the creative, wonderful, innocent part of her brain was alight with excitement.

  She looked up at his face. "… How does it work?" Her voice was quiet.

  That was when his face fell.

  "That's… The tricky part. You see, I just finished building it, but… It's no use to me. The only way it works is if it stays in the Rith." He said, wrapping it back up gently. He then looked to her and began to explain.

  "This device monitors the rift between the Ea, Vale, and Rith. When it notices someone traveling from the Ea to the Vale… It can use the energy to select a soul. You'd choose the soul by placing something of theirs in it, like a shirt, or a hair, or a gun… Anything touched by them will work. Then, if someone travels from the Vale to the Rith… The soul can hitch a ride."

  His voice… Well, he was absolutely serious. And that was absolutely insane.

  He then set it down on the ground, and looked up to her.

  "I… I was going to use it for my sister, but… Do you have anything of Shaun's?"

  She stopped herself. His sister? No- no. She couldn't take this from him. That would be cruel.

  "No- I can't." She shook her head, withdrawing away from it even though she wanted oh so badly to use it. "Use it for your sister. Shaun- he-" She took a deep breath. "He's been dead for a long time. Use it for your sister. It's yours anyways."

  She did have something of Shaun's. His necklace. But she wouldn't mention that. "I'm not going to take that from you."

  Erile looked at her inquisitively, and then looked down to his bag.

  When he next spoke, his voice was crackly. It wasn't anger; it was more like sadness, and happiness, all rolled into one complex emotion that not many people would understand.

  But she would. Shaun had showed the same emotion to her, when he woke up and saw her face. And realized that he had forgotten her name.

  "You… You are the first person to hug me in ten years. The first person to treat me like I matter. And… Well, you're the first one to listen to me."

  He put his pen away, but the drawings remained.

  And then he took the device from his bag and placed it on her bed.

  "I have the blueprints. It'll take a few years, but… I can make another one. My sister has another chance, and I can see her in the Vale. You… This is your only one. And you may underestimate a hug, but to me…"

  He turned around, trying to hide the tears that formed on his face.

  "It's more powerful than what you expected me to ask for."

  Aisling hesitated, looking down at the device. She wasn't sure whether he was telling the truth or not, but after a moment she reluctantly lifted the device into her hands and examined it. "… Thank you." She murmured, looking up at him humbly. "… How do I work it, then…? She tilted her head to the side.

  "I- I've never seen technology like this before." She furrowed her brows, turning it in her hands to examine it. "It's so… It's otherworldly. I've never seen anything like this, and I'm damn good with technology."

  It only solidified the fact that he was telling the truth. He had to have gotten this from… Well, somewhere other than the world she lived in.

  "I'm one of the only people who's allowed to travel between the Ea, the Vale, and the Rith, without forgetting all of their memories. I kind of have a deal with, uh… Well, to you, he would be God."

  Well then. That was a bit of a stretch, and even he knew that.

  "But this is a combination of technology made in the Rith and the Ea. The Ea has focused more on developing magic, but… The technology they do have is created using it. Which means…"

  He pressed what seemed to be a button on top of the black device, and… The top half turned into a liquid.

  What the hell?

  "You drop whatever is theirs into the liquid. Don't worry, you can get it back, but… Once you do it, I wouldn't risk taking it back out. It can take years for someone to travel from the Ea to the Vale, and then longer to travel to the Rith. It's not as common as I make it sound. The next instance will probably be me again."

  He looked to Aisling with a sympathetic glance. "I know you just met me, and don't trust me. But I built this myself. I've tested it before. I just wish I had tested it with my sister."

  His eyes took on a s
olemn look before he glanced back up to her.

  "I hope this works for you."

  Aisling nodded and reached up around her neck. She unclasped the necklace she wore, and held it in her hands for a moment or two as she studied it. She silently took the pendant off of the chain, and then dropped the chain into the liquid as she put the pendant in her jacket pocket.

  She stared at the liquid for a moment or two, before her eyes lifted to his. Purple. Genetic enhancements hadn't been introduced yet… So these were all natural.

  "… How will I know when it's worked?" She murmured after a second, eyeing the mysterious device.

  "That… That's another tricky part." He said, pushing another button and causing the liquid to miraculously reform into a solid.

  "You see, there isn't a way to control where he'll come out. So he could come out right by your side… Or halfway across the world. The only thing you can really do is… Wait."

  He sighed, shrugging his shoulders and putting his head in his hands.

  "I've tried to change it, tried to make it work better, but… the God of Dark is a tricky son of a bitch. He doesn't let anyone back into the Rith without a fight."

  Erile seemed to realize what he said, and looked up to her. "Sorry. The God of Dark is your God, the one that everyone believes in? He's had a few different forms, and even split himself into a bunch of parts once to screw with some people. Poor Greeks."

  "So… God is just some weird fucking god of the dark?" She furrowed her brows. "And our god? What does our god even mean? Are there others?"

  She hesitated and looked down at the device before she carefully set it to the side and laid back down. She pulled Saythe into her arms and held him close, resting her chin on top of his head. "All scientific evidence points to the fact that there isn't a god." She said. "… Is he just doing a really good job of covering himself up, or am I going to be smitten or some fuck for now believing in him? Because if he's supposed to protect us, he's doing a shit job."

  She was… A little bit bitter.

  "… Will that thing do anything if he comes back?" She asked. "Will I know he'll be in our world?"

  Erile chuckled a bit. He'd met the God of the Rith more times than he could count, but he never really answered any questions. He'd learned a lot from the God of light, however, and therefore was reasonably educated on the subject.

  "There are two Gods. One, your God, controls the Rith. He's the one that advocated for no universe. Nothing. He didn't want anything to exist, until the other God created the universe. They split because of his anger and sadness. So he came to this dimension, the Rith, and locked her out of it."

  He looked up to her with a grim expression on his face. "He doesn't care. He doesn't care about anything but the plague, war, and destruction that comes about from us humans. So every once and a while he'll start something. Hell, I've got half a mind he caused the Auranis."

  He waved his finger in a circle above his head, indicating everything around him.

  "He doesn't protect you. All of you are on your own. The only time he helps is when he's got something to gain. Like me. He only lets me go back and forth between his realm and hers because he knows that I'm the most useless tracker there is."

  Erile's voice wasn't the infectious, happy one that he had shown earlier. He had taken on a somber tone.

  "He knows I'll never amount to much."

  He coughed a bit, as if trying and failing to clear the tension, and then said, "And no. You won't know when, or if, Shaun comes back."

  She stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Some useless God, then." She muttered. She glanced down at her son and reached up to lightly run her fingers through his hair. If no God was going to protect them, then so be it. She'd protect her son herself.

  She reached over, pulled a blanket from her bag, and wrapped it around herself and Saythe. "… There's another blanket in there if you want it. It's kind of thin, but… It's better than nothing." She shrugged. "And if you're going to be traveling with us, you have to be able to pull your own weight. You're a kind man, but… Kindness doesn't keep you alive." She held his gaze, purple eyes gleaming through the darkness. "We won't stop for you. We can't. Lost minutes can mean the difference between life and death."

  She was quiet for a moment.

  "… Saythe comes first. No matter what." She glanced down at her son. "I'm serious. Nothing can happen to my son. And if something does, and it's your fault, I will kill you."

  She was kind of overprotective.

  Erile nodded his head. He didn't exactly know how she felt, but he knew what it was like to give anything and everything for a person.

  He laid down on the mattress, not needing her gift of a blanket, or at least hoping he wouldn't. He faced away from her, and didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that he was going to sleep in a suit.

  Maybe the future was weird in that way.

  One thing was for sure; this man was either absolutely insane, or… Something very odd was going on.

  Something much bigger than the three of them.

  She stared at him for a moment and then pulled her knife from the sheath on her hip. She slept holding it, as one couldn’t be too careful these days. After the first time someone is startled awake and they don't have a weapon, they typically keep one on their person at all times. She held tightly onto the handle as she closed her eyes, taking in the sounds of the room. She needed the rest. They'd be starting out early the next morning if she decided not to wait to let Saythe sleep.

  She was tough as nails, but he wasn't, and she hoped he'd never have to do some of the things that she had done.

  With that one final thought, she let herself drift away to sleep. She had always been an insomniac, but lately she had simply just been so exhausted that sleep happened the second she managed to find someplace safe. Sleep. Eat. Travel. That was her life.

  Burning Skin

  Erile woke to the sound of groans.

  "Hsst sst." He made a strange sound, kind of like a quiet hiss, but it was loud enough to wake Aisling up. He looked to the helo-gun, but it didn't have enough charge. Usually if kept in the sunlight, it could keep firing, but at night… It slowly diffused until eventually, it became a lump of metal.

  He was on his own.

  Erile slowly opened the door, and peaked his head out.

  And then he shut it violently, his face going pale.

  "There's… Hundreds."

  Aisling jolted awake, looking around with wide eyes. They locked onto Erile, and she nodded her head resolutely.

  "Barricade the door." She set the still-sleeping Saythe down in the corner of the room and grunted as she pulled a huge bookcase in front of the door. She then grabbed a filing cabinet, laying it down on its side so it pressed against the bookshelf and the wall- ensuring they wouldn't be able to open it. She grit her teeth, peeking out of a small window that was barred from the outside. They wouldn't be strong enough to get through that, and even then, they could easily block it up.

  "Fuck- fuck-" She paced back and forth, bringing her hands up to her hair. "Where the hell did they come from? There shouldn't be a horde this far out here-" She was panicking, but kept her voice low so she wouldn't wake Saythe up.

  "I- I-" She bit her lip. "Where's that flashlight you had? Or the gun- fuck- what's the range on that thing? Could it get all of them?"

  Erile shook his head, panic evident in his eyes as well. "The flashlight's only good if they haven't got a scent. And the gun won't work; it needs to be charged by the sun, and it's three in the morning or something, so we don't have the luxury."

  He dove to his bag and began rummaging around frantically. It was then, and only then, that a sense of calm seemed to settle over his shoulders. He stood, keeping his back to the both of them, and sighed audibly.

  Saythe had woken up, and was crying as he pressed against his mom's side. He was just a child, and even though he tried to act tough… He didn't want to die. Not like this.
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  "I need you two to put these in." Erile said, and his voice… There was an awful finality to it. It wasn't exactly the giving-up kind of voice one would expect in the situation, however.

  He then threw two pairs of earplugs back at them; one pair for Aisling and one pair for Saythe.

  "What? Why?!" Aisling furrowed her brows, and after a moment grabbed the earplugs. She picked up her knife from the bed and carefully put the ear plugs in her and Saythe's ears. She grit her teeth, and after a moment knelt down in front of her son. She hugged him tightly, pressing her lips to the top of his head. "I'm going to protect you." She murmured, and after a second stood up and ushered him into the corner, brandishing the knife as she placed herself in front of him protectively.

  "… You’d better know what you're doing." Aisling narrowed her eyes at Erile for a second. She needed to get Saythe out of there. She had to protect him.

  "Don't open that door." She gestured to the door, narrowing her eyes. "The window slides open. But don't you fucking dare open that door. They'll get in. The bars on that window will hold them back."

  "It's a weather tower." When he turned to look at her, his eyes… Well, they flickered in the dark. They reflected all the light in the room and gave his face a ghastly shadow, and yet… They still seemed kind.

  "Which means there's more than one story. And usually…"

  He looked around on the ground, until he seemed to find what he was looking for. He pried what looked like a trap door up, revealing a staircase leading to an underground room.

  "A basement."

  Saythe gaped, and then ran towards it. He knew what a basement meant; safety. The Aurans didn't like going underground, unless they knew for sure that people were down there. That was why sewer cities lasted for a few years before they were overrun.

  He dragged his mom along with him, yelling, "Mom, come on!" Erile nodded to them, holding… Holding what looked like a grenade in his hand.

  Aisling stepped down a step, and glanced towards Erile. "… What about you?" She eyed the grenade-looking object in his hands. She grabbed her bags and handed them to Saythe so he could drag them down into the basement. She looked him up and down nervously. "… Saythe, wait for me to come with you. We don't know what's down there." She looked to her son, and then lifted her gaze back up to Erile.