Sky Swimmer

Not What they Seem, 17

Bollingsworth leads Floe, Eric, Dan through narrow, unused tunnels.

"And you say you were a steelmonker?" asks Dan.

"A spelunker," Bollingsworth answers, "an explorer of underground caverns. A geologist of all things subterranean."

"Ah, yes. A rock scientist," says Dan.

"How'd the Soilers nab you?" asks Eric.

"I was out to prove my theory that the earth is expanding from the inside out."

"You mean growing?" asks Dan.

"Precisely, place your hand on the stone ... you feel that?"

Floe, Eric and Dan all follow Bollingsworth's example. "It's vibrating. And warm." states Eric.

"Indeed," says Bollingsworth. "I was sure it was a man-made phenomenon ... with a little help from Soilerdom. I warned the government before I was captured."

"The US government knows about Soilers?" questions Dan.

"Of course! I had given a complete briefing to Washington myself, telling them of my findings and my conclusions that a supernatural race of humanoids were using us to expand the planet to better suit their own environmental needs."

"I'm sure that went over big," says Floe.

"They told me to collect more evidence ... and, ah, that is what I was doing when I was ambushed and captured."

"And Bollingsworth, what do you know about Cylestial and Airmaids, and, and ..." asks Floe.

Bollingsworth looks at the young girl and knowingly, says, "Your parents? That is why I brought you here."

They all come to a deadend of one of the tunnels. Bollingsworth utters a few words, the wall cracks, reveals a doorway; they step through.

There are thousands of elaborately carved headstones cut from seemingly infinite variations of marble and granite covering an immense underground cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites have taken on the eerie look of leafless, dead trees that stand in silent vigil over the graves.

"Oh," says Floe, her voice small and distant.

Dan is surprised, "Soilers bury their dead?"

"These are not graves of dead Soilers." says Bollingsworth. "These are the graves of the undead. A place where enemies of the Soilers are kept. In this way their enemy's souls are trapped by Soiler lore and denied eternal peace, they are not allowed passage to the beyond."

Eric is well aware of the internal strife that now wracks Floe, he carefully asks, "Are they here? The Aireon King and Queen."

Bollingsworth places a hand on Floe, "You must brace yourself, my girl."

"Oh no," she can hardly breath. Dogs stirring deep within her.

They walk to a rather monumental grave site. Medieval likenesses of the king and queen are sculpted into the grave marker ... and so are the words:

IN UN-DEATH REMAIN THE CRIMINALS OF SOILDOM,

KING OF AIREONS, LORD CLOUDSCRAPER WINBORN AND HIS QUEEN,

LADY BREATHMAKER WINDBORN.

Floe steps forward, places her hand on the beautiful, cold, sculpted face of her mother.

Bollingsworth whispers, "Your father and mother, however, are not buried here."

Floe steps back. "I don't understand?"

"Come on Bolly, don't mess with her," says Dan protectively.

"I don't know the whole story. What I do know is that you are not the child of this Cloudscraper and Breathmaker Windborn. You are a Walker, not an Aireon. I am afraid this is all my fault. I lead the Soiler probes to you because I wanted to misdirect Hamada, to protect the identity of the real princess ..." , Bollingsworth is having a hard time getting it out, everyone is speechless. "I am truly sorry, but if they kill the princess it will be the end of all of us, including humans. I believe that only the Aireons can reverse 'The Warming'. I had no right to involve you, but I did what was necessary. Please forgive me."

"But ... but my powers ... and then who ... the voices ... who are my parents then ... I thought this was part of some kind of destiny for me."

"I don't know who your real parents are, I just picked your name at random off the internet, a Facebook profile I believe, I was looking for a girl of the right age."

"... all my life, feeling like I am a freak ... there has to be some explanation," she says more to herself than to anyone else.

"Is the real princess safe?" asks Eric.

"Absolutely. Even she does not know her own true identity. She has no idea that she is the only medium of the Night Visions, she must be protected at all costs."

Almost in unison Eric and Floe both repeat "Night Visions?."

"Livia!" says Floe.

"Livia is the princess? We need to get back to her, she needs to know what's going on. These are ... Livia's parents."

It is Bollingsworth's turn to be surprised, "You know the princess?"

"Yeah, we know the Night Visionist, she was with us when your bedeviled boulders captured us," says Dan.

"Then she is in danger," States Bollingsworth, and without a moment's hesitation he adds, "It's clear to me now, the only way to save the princess is to defeat Hamada."

"First good idea I heard all day," says Dan.

"We need Frayel's help. She is the Underlord's Sister," says Bollingsworth

"Now that sounds like a bad idea," says Dan.

Bollingsworth pays no heed to Dan and is already leading the group further across the cemetery.