The World Outside The Shell

Chapter 4: The Map

The long walk back to the marshland took hours in the overgrown forest. I was relieved to see tall grasses and open water as the sun rose in the morning.  The companions of Lady Ri were tracking me in the distance.

Gromm lifted a dagger into each hand from a leather belt at his waist, then ran with superhuman speed.

I stumbled off a ledge and landed with a splash in a small pool. I crawled out of the water and realized the rock shelter was nearby. I ran to the familiar shelter.

Gromm was too fast, and I was not able to reach the safety of the rock shelter. I heard the sharp crack of the daggers striking the rocks as I climbed the stone structure, until one dagger hit my shell. I was surprised when the attack bounced off without harm, sending the weapon flying through the air. He shouted in frustration as he searched the tall grass for the lost dagger.

I could see the second dagger still out ready for a fight, but he retreated on hands-and-knees to search the damp ground for his weapon. I heard a voice inside the shell tell me the daggers are twins and can only strike when in pairs.

Lady Ri was aware of the battle outside the shell, and as I dared a closer look, the man in the green robe appeared remarkably similar, perhaps taller. I watched him retreat to the forest and the Lady Ri said he is going to recruit the others in the search.

In time, I reached the deepest parts of the ruined rock shelter and  drifted into a light restful sleep. I could feel a sense of weightlessness and returned to the cottage.

Lady Ri stood in the center of the room surprised to see me.

The day’s events were too much for a small turtle and I wanted to reach the comfort of the bed and sleep.

Lady Ri stood quietly for a time then lowered the staff to the floor, appearing to bow. I watched her expression soften and she whispered. “Have I found the turtle with the map of the world?” The map was open on the table and it was clear she was sitting at the table and studying the details.

“I understand you!”

Lady Ri said, “And I you.”

I said, “Can I trust you?”

Lady Ri said, “Gromm found the dagger. He is preparing to rescue me from the turtle shell, by force. Turtle soup for dinner? He was instructed to wait until I could speak with you in the marshlands, a place where you might feel a sense of home.”

I said, “Do you know why I’m here?”

Lady Ri said, “The StarGlave is one of many objects we need to survive the flood. Do you not question why you know about the object I hold? I think the staff made you.”

“Magic?”

“Yes, but with elemental requirements.”

I said, “Do you think I can help?”

Lady Ri smiled and said, “No, you are a turtle. I need the map, not a turtle.”

Impressed with the sudden understating of her strange monotone chant,

In the moment, I was aware of my human body, and questioned the transformation from water creature to human, but she said nothing about my outward appearance. “Can you read the map?”

Lady Ri sat at the table and scanned the map, pointed at me then pointed to the center of the map, a large area in green with rivers connecting to a large blue lake. “Home.

The stone shelter above us was the hiding place of the staff. I found the location on a mural inside the old SkyGlave temple, behind a waterfall, and then watched you activate the sun-pools.

I was impressed, but the magic of the pools ruined the rock shelter, collapsing the small structure and making the location a much greater challenge to find in the tall grass. I said, “The stone shelter was easy for a turtle to find,” while guessing the area on the map was the marshlands and the white areas in north were the mountains.

Lady Ri traced a line from what appeared to be the marshlands to a point high in the northern mountains, in a large field of white. “Can a turtle survive in the high mountains during a winter storm?” I heard the whisper of a monotone song and the staff began to glow.

I said, “Please go away, I need to rest.”

Lady Ri said, “The StarGlave holder must travel to the mountains and stop the floods. I must reach the highest point in the land.”

I said, “Do you have a name? The other in your group appear to see you as their leader.”

Lady Ri ignored the questions and stood up, holding the StarGlave. “Ged, I am here!”

I said, “Can the others hear you?”

Lady Ri said, “I think Gromm is the only one, perhaps because we are twins.”

I said, “The daggers, I understand.”

Lady Ri smiled. “Our group searched for the sky and water elemental power staff, known as the StarGlave, at the waterfall above the marshlands. I lost a good friend during the search because he was arrogant and refused to wait for my help.”

I said, “The man in the white robe?”

“Yes.”

I said, “I want to live in peace, let me return to a quiet life in the marshlands.”

Lady Ri said, “The sacred object described in the prophecy was not found. I wonder if you are the magical item needed to stop the floods? I believe you think this is the cause of your creation, a mistaken idea.”

“Why? And do I look young or old as a human?”

Lady Ri was embarrassed by the question, causing me to laugh out loud. Was I a good looking turtle?

“Please go.”

Lady Ri said, “The turtle commands the one holding the StarGlave? He is a bold little creature!”

I sat down at the table.

Lady Ri nodded when I pointed to a place on the map. She said, “The map is the last sacred object we need, I think.”

“I have a map,” I said, “and it looks important.”

Lady Ri said, “Was the map found in the temple behind the waterfall? I searched and found nothing. The Lake of the Lost Kingdom is the name of the marshlands, and the rain will restore the water levels to the height of the temple on the hill. I lost one of my trusted companions to the dangers on the temple hill and will not lose another. I will not go back there…the floods are starting.”

“The floods?”

Lady Ri said, “The floods are a decade of rain, when all the lands are covered by water. The StarGlave ends the floods with a single command.”

“A turtle could live a happy life in a marshland filled with sweet grass. I don’t mind the rain. It gets too hot on sunny days and the rain cools things off….”

Lady Ri turned the map around to study a written description on one side.

I made a plan to run and slip into one of the deep pools in the marshlands, wanting to hide until the group forgot about me and left the area. I could hear metallic strikes on the outside of the shell, but the cottage interior was not damaged, although a picture dropped to the floor.

Lady Ri said, “It appears that I’m trapped in the cottage by unknown magic. The sounds you hear are the strong attacks of my protector. The storm-forged gedsii blades have not damaged your shell? Impossible!”

I said, “Why are you here?”

Lady Ri said, “The world outside is no longer my home. The kingdoms who force their world view on others control everything.”

I said, “Why are you inside the shell? Is this possible? Is there a way to live in both worlds?”

Lady Ri said, “As you can see, I am here.” She was looking around the room, and not speaking directly to me. The walls blurred and a ring of crystal mirrors materialized in a circle around her restricting her to a small area. “What is this?”

I said, “The cottage is the inside of a mind, and thoughts become things. If we all had the same eyes and the same ideas, the world outside would be a mirror of one mind..”

Lady Ri said, “I’m inside your mind? Thoughts? I picture a door right here, but no door has opened.”

“The mind who creates the room is the mind who creates the door. Is there a similar place, or thought, where you go to rest?” I watched her turn and look into each of the reflections, the hair color changed, the length of the hair changed, the color of her robe changed, but the expression was always the same.

“The StarGlave responds to my commands.”

I said, “Is your group of adventurers saving the world or changing the world?”

Lady Ri did not respond.

I said, “Do you know who you are?”

Lady Ri said, “Turtle. You are the key. I see reflections showing all things possible, but none of these reflections include you.”

I said, “The center of the mirror circle, the place where I stand, is the one place where all things are possible.”

Lady Ri said, “A place where I can make a dream real?”

I said, “A place where you are free to chose your path.”

The metallic pounding on the outside of the shell was becoming more intense. I tried to guess where the door should appear on the interior of the cottage and was amazed when a door opened. The mirrors dissolved into a silver mist and the time paused for a moment.

Lady Ri slammed the door closed on the way out. The door vanished before I could look outside, and for a moment I stood alone in the cottage.

© J. Bateman

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