I tumbled through the nether space that connects all worlds, falling no further than a person falls off a couch, re-materializing in a cozy room with curved walls, a bowl for a floor, and a dome for a ceiling.
A plush silk rug, round and boldly floral, filled the center of the floor. A glow reminiscent of a sunny day filtered through gauzy curtains. The windows were perfectly round. Even the door was round, just like a hobbit’s. A curving bookcase lined the back of the chamber, stocked with everything from the classic to the obscure. I couldn’t imagine how any of those books could be real, even though Luther had one open on his lap.
He reclined, propped on his elbow, in a day bed quilted with something plush and satiny. Empty beside him was a thick and blocky armchair of distressed leather, patches of suede marring the otherwise polished pebble grain. Bern knelt before a hearth, fanning pinkish flames that radiated a cozy warmth throughout the chamber.
“Oh my Lord!” said Luther, looking up from his book. “What took you so long? I thought you were anxious to see your girlfriend?”
“Where are we?”
“Where else? Same place you left us. On the brink of the Deeps.”
Bern rose to his feet and hobbled over, bearing a stack of folded clothes.
“I was hoping we wouldn’t see you again,” he said, displaying a bittersweet grin. “It’s never a good thing to come here, if you can help it. What’s got you down this time?”
“Nothing,” I said, as I was getting dressed. “It just kind of happened … out of the blue.”
“Oh, come on. That’s not how it works. Something brought you back. Some emotional state. A feeling of distress. What was it?”
“Um. I was actually doing fine. We just had a nice dinner. We were starting a long car ride. I was about to nod off when something just came and took me.” I gave Luther a suspicious glance.
“Who? Me?” Luther rolled his eyes. “I wish. If only I had the power, I would have dragged you back hours ago. Never would have let you leave. A waste of precious time, this is, though not if you manage to find my friend Olivier, I must say. And I have to admit, this is a nice respite from all the hubbub up in the village.”
He swung his legs off the day bed. “But enough is enough. We should get moving.” He tossed his book into the hearth, where it went up in a blaze of purple flames as it were doused in fuel oil
“Unless!” said Bern, holding up a finger. “James wishes to reconsider. He’s had time to think about the folly of his decision.”
“What folly?” said Luther. “I think it’s splendid. If only more of us could be so bold.”
“But there’s no guarantee he ever make it back here, or to life.”
“There are never guarantees, Bernard. Not even for us. Who’s to say we ever see the sky again?”
“I’d say it’s a pretty good bet, traveling with a snake charmer like you,” said Bern. “And listen, James. The Deeps is not just another corner of the Liminality. It’s a distinct place, with less porous borders, to say the least. And worse, Luther tells me there is some kind of roaming portal there with the potential to pack you away into an even more unpleasant and permanent existence.”
“The Horus.” Luther dismissed this concern with a wave of his hand. “From what Yaqob tells me, it is easily avoided. It’s the deluded fools who worship the thing who suffer the consequences.”
“So what do you say? You ready to pack it in?”
“No,” I said, after a moment’s hesitation. “I guess I … I’m willing to chance it.” But my own words rang hollow in my ears. The patter of my heart didn’t lie. I was scared. Only the power of Karla’s dying words kept me determined to at least go through the motions.
