Chapter 22

Rajin felt a burst of raw energy behind her, filling her to almost bursting with the power she had known before. She turned squawking in alarm. She had never “squawked” before, and it was an odd sound when compared to the static of pink noise that she was used to emitting. This body had some unusual behaviours, to tell the least. For example, since she had been out of the temple, she had seen that not everything here was land bound. Gigantic white puffy things roamed around the skies, all void of energy (though that, she was learning, did not count for much here) and other, much smaller determined things, flapping their arms for propulsion, emitting energy from their feathery arms in gouts of motion. But Rajin could tell this was how they moved around. It was clearly not how they stayed aloft. Some day she would figure out how to do that. For now she was distracted by this apparently benign being. One that shed waves of power like an uncontrolled prism-rod. But it didn't diminish. Rajin felt uncomfortable with this, and barely stopped herself from backing away. That was practically the first rule of Vinidan Same: do not run from the powerful, they will see your weakness and fear; fight to the death if you have to, but fight.

These thoughts passed in moments, with the incredible speed of the Jinrae. So quickly that Hammer had only just finished turning, confused by the squawk and incredulous at the newcomer's arrival.

They talked for a while, these two. Rajin couldn't understand what they were saying, but she was relieved when the newcomer brought itself under control, rolling that power up in a tight ball.

“Rain?” Hammer hesitated. Uncertain. Awestruck.

Yes. Rain spoke directly into his mind, but just like she normally would. Without any pretension, aside from that which she wore as a matter of course. She must not realise she was glowing.

I'm glowing?

“Yes.” Can she read my thoughts.

I... guess I can. And I'll have you know, I am not pretentious! Thank you very much!

“Uh...” Hammer kept his mouth shut and tried to quickly think of something else, “what happened?”

The glow faded and Rain began talking normally, “I'm not too sure. Tera is free. Do you know about Tera?”

“Yes. But can't you just read my mind now?”

“I have reigned that in. Would you like me to start doing it again?”

“No, no. It's fine to talk regularly.”

“That's what I thought.” Rain smiled. “I... freed Tera, you could say.”

“What do you mean? I saw you there in that room. Was Tera the giant? Evan sent me to help you.”

“Evan? You mean Avan Nerovast?”

“Avan. Nerovast?” Hammer's jaw dropped, “That's a real person?”

“Yes. Well, I thought so. I'm not sure if person is the best term any longer. Perhaps he was once, but I doubt he is now. He is too... powerful.”

“Ah.”

“And things had changed for me too, Hammer.” A look came into her eyes like a vulnerable child. Or a frog in a salamander's nest. “What happened in that room. It wasn't pleasant. Things have happened over the past few days that I haven't come to terms with yet. I did things I haven't come to terms with yet.”

Hammer recalled his slaughtering of the priests. Had he come to terms with that yet? He still hadn't thought on it, as if ignoring it could make time roll back and undo what should not have been done. What was needlessly done.

“Me too.” Was all he said.

They stood in silence for a minute, each wrapped in their own world of thoughts. Processing the events of the previous two days, each taking comfort in the proximity of the familiar, even if that was no longer what it once was.

It was Rain who broke the silence.

“Avan gave you that sword?”

“Yes.”

“And infused your skin with polysilicate?”

“Is that what it is?”

“It seems to be. Who is this?” Rain gestured to Rajin, who raised her head in challenge, feathers ruffling around her neck. Rain laughed, the gentle peals bringing a smile to Hammer's lips.

“I don't know. I followed it for a little while in the Panen temple, thinking it knew the way out. Then, when I found the exit, it followed me. I think it had no idea where it was going.” His grin widened, teeth flashing, “I haven't decided whether its incredibly smart or incredibly stupid yet.”

“That's usually a sign they're intelligent. This... thing. It isn't from here.” Rain crinkled her nose. “It smells like Tera.”

Tera was a word Rajin had heard a few times now. A word Rajin recognised; ancient stories told by the Jinrae spoke of an ancient king who went by that name. She tried to convey her thoughts to Rain, whose eyes widened.

“Oh yes, she is intelligent. As smart as either of us. Smarter probably, though in a different way.”

“She hey?”

“Yes. Her name is Rajin. She was summoned. She doesn't know why. She is afraid of both of me. She was afraid of you, but is no longer. She likes your company.” Rain burst out in laughter again, loud enough to alarm Rajin. “I'm not translating that last thing!”

Hammer grunted. “If it was going where I think it was going, I don't want to know.”

“I can give her some memories, I think. Something to help her understand this world.”

Rain reached out to Rajin, touching a finger to the flat patch between the animal's two nostrils. Trying to think of what could be useful, she poured memories down and into the beast, what life was like, the technology, human society, the animals of the realm, the geography. A broad overview of everything she could think of.

Rajin snorted, breaking the contact. Thank you. She sent to Rain. I will try to learn how I can make my way here. It seems a gentler place than my homeland. Perhaps I will go back some day, enriched. May I travel with you until such a time as that?

“It looks like Rajin thinks we will be travelling together. She'd like to join us. What do you think?”

“Sure. I'd like to go back home. You'll never guess what happened to the Llul line yesterday!”

“I think I might be able to.”

“Go on then.” Hammer smirked.

“All the stars' profiles changed to that of the ones on this side of the line, even those too far away for it to have caught yet.”

Hammer sighed. “How did you know?”

“The wound Tera tore was breaking open. The rules of our universe were being changed. I don't fully understand how things avoided collapsing, but I expect that the will behind what most people would call the multiverse – and there is a will behind it all – took pains to make sure everything kept running smoothly.”

“That sounds a bit far fetched to me.”

Rain shrugged. “I was glowing a second ago, you have skin made of glass and a sword which regenerates if damaged, and have you ever seen something even remotely resembling Rajin before? Not to mention, I'm sure Avan Nerovast demonstrated something to you; you had to get here somehow!”

Hammer grunted again. “I want to go to sleep.”

Rain realised how exhausted she was. “Yes, me too. We can go home, but without electricity, I'm not sure what it will be like there.”

“Ah, that's why Avan gave me a sword! Yes, let's go back.”

Rain bored a tunnel and the the three of them went through, the thumping of boots and the soft padding of Rajin's paws the only sound.

Neither Rain nor Hammer noticed the small black pointy creatures hiding in dark spaces nearby, waiting for the light of the day to fade so they could continue feeding. If they had, Rain would have recognised them as the things she had constructed to dispose of Torion's body. Hammer would have recognised them as the wormy beetles he saw in the temple. Rajin noticed them but didn't think they were worth bringing attention to. They were commonplace after all, and an excellent food source.