A Messenger from Nephelokokkygia

The Ladder Versus the Trapdoor

Chapter 19: The Ladder Versus the Trapdoor

"Kastchey himself cannot be killed by mortal means, since he carries his life not in his body, but in a secret place that is known only to himself."

--George Post Wheeler, "Tzarevich Petr and the Wizard"

In a certain field in Kansas, surrounded by miles of land too flat to describe, there exists the most fertile soil in the world. It does not look out-of-the-ordinary: brown, gritty, liable to stain things. Yet, it somehow possessed the property that anything (even inorganic matter) planted in it invariably produced a crop. A metal tree exists where a farmer forgot a hoe in a rush for his lunchtime. By the time he came to collect it, the tool had already taken root.

Similarly, a jellybean produced a stalk just as well as any regular bean's seed. The extra fertility caused the stalk to grow until it reached the heavens. Not the physical sky, which past a certain point runs out of the carbon dioxide plants need, but the Astral version. Like the hall of doors Grace traversed her first night from of the Ambrosius Institute, this magical acre linked many dreamscapes.

Getting to a place as absurd as Nephelokokkygia naturally required an equally absurd method. Luckily, Bennu knew to steer his party to the proper (rather, improper) solution—founded on nursery rhyme logic rather than physics.

Schrodinger did the actual work of shadowboxing them there. It proved bumpy, as he navigated to a place he had never been.

"I can travel to any part of the world," he explained. "Though I'm disinclined to oceans. The sky, however, is literally my limit. Grimalkins belong on land. Merely thinking about air travel fizzles my powers. Shadowboxing requires a firm, but relaxed attitude."

Being thin and light, Bennu could not personally courier Ridil or any ingredients not already attached to him. Grace and Goldtalon knew they could help. The others, however, had no obligations. Grace figured Fox and Diana were still part of the quest because—despite their general negativity—neither wanted to be left alone. For her part, Grace felt better for their company. Even when their behavior annoyed her.

"How is something this ridiculous even possible?" asked Fox.

Bennu chuckled. "It only takes a fertile imagination."

"Agh, what's everyone else seeing?" asked Diana. "Is it amazing?"

Fox snorted. "Amazingly stupid."

Bennu fidgeted. "I led us here because this is the absolute quickest way for us to reach the sky. But somewhere on this acre is the nest of a monstrous spider called the Djieien. In my centuries circling the globe, I've never had to encounter it myself, but survivors say it's pointless to fight. Long ago, the Djieien cut out its own heart. Now nothing can injure it."

"If it cut out its heart, shouldn't it have just died?" asked Fox.

"I'm no expert in arachnid anatomy," Bennu admitted.

"The Djieien is not a creature of flesh," Schrodinger added. "It's a class of nightmare dreaded by our earliest mammal ancestors. Mammals were the first dreamers, subsisting in a world of big bugs and even bigger reptiles. They wished for a time where they'd be on top... which, naturally, came true. A small asteroid helped. But nothing Astral is ever forgotten. Memories may be buried. But like fossils, they can be dug up. Bad dreams sometimes resurface on their own."

"Our only method," finished Bennu, "is speed. If it appears, we can only evade it till we're high enough on this jellybean stalk. Just think of it as a ladder. Of candy."

"Can candy support our weight?" asked Diana.

"Trust me, Di, this thing's huge." Fox arched her head back, failing to spot the top. "How'll we keep from sliding off?"