Chapter 7

"We are not from this place. Not from this land, this world ... this universe."

She Who Saw's words flowed over Sam, like a flood over drought parched crops. She leaned forward, body almost vibrating, little Jay held in her lap. Nothing else mattered. Nothing except this woman's words. They were the key to her lost love.

"We are Seekers. Seekers of Truth, of Truth beyond what is know, what is unknown. I Saw. Saw the Truth. Sought to spread that Truth. Sought to bridge the void between us ... and the Gods."

That ... sounded dangerous. Or stupid. It depended, in Sam's mind, on whether those gods existed. If they did, no one in their right mind would attract their attention.

"They came to me. Sisters. The Sisters you see around you, and oh so many more. Sisters who believed, believed in what I Saw. Believed we could achieve greatness." She paused, smiling at those gathered. They smiled back. "We built a temple. A temple, on an empty paradise world at the edge of reality. The universe was thin there. We could work in peace, away from all distractions..."

She Who Saw's expression clouded. Her head dropped.

"I failed. We failed. That is all I can think of, to explain what happened. The gods ... rejected us."

"How?" Sam felt Heather's hand on hers, warm, reassuring. She tried to restrain the urge to yell for the woman to just get to the point, to tell them about the vision of Jack, and Polly. That's all she wanted. The mystery of these creatures was just a distraction...

The woman took a long drink of water.

"They removed us from reality."

The Holy Place was filled, overflowing with white clad sisters.

Gilala was pleased. From her place behind the central altar, the one who had taken the Holy Name 'She Who Saw' reveled in what they had done. What SHE had done. From nothing, she had built up this faith. From nothing, she had created this Temple, designed the machinery surrounding them. Created the tools that could bridge worlds, universes, realities. Women from all over had flocked to her, desiring what she desired, providing the hands, hearts, and minds that had made all this possible.

And today all that bore fruit.

Maybe. Gilala was a realist, when it came to experiments, and for all the others were saying everything was proven this was, in fact, still an experiment. Nothing might happen. Again. That would be embarrassing. You don't call every sister away from job and home lightly. But, none would want to miss being here if it did work, and they would need all their prayers and energy if it indeed was to have any chance of success. The risk was worth it.

The risks were always worth it.

A grey furred Sister shyly came up to Gilala, bowing low.

"We are ready, Lady."

There was a time when Gilala knew every sister in the Temple, by sight and name. Now, with them spread all over nearby systems, and even a far Temple on the verge of being completed, it was not possible. Such was the downside of success. Nodding her head, she smiled at the young woman.

"Thank you. Please ring the bell."

Gilala closed her eyes. Time. It was time. The bell rang, silence falling over the Temple instantly. In self imposed darkness, she raised her arms.

"Sisters! The machinery is complete!"

"Complete!" Half a thousand voices rang out in reply. Half a thousand souls encircled her, encircled the picnic table altar where the daemons would appear. Where ... where...

"Sisters! The spells are cast!" She didn't even hear their answering chant. Time ... it was time...

The bell rang again.

"NOW!"

Silence.

The whirl of invisible machinery. Of colliders, of Boson reactors and Quantum untangles. The chanting of spells, from the edges of the Temple chamber. Louder. Picking up speed.

Soon.

SOON.

BRAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Sound exploded into the chamber.

A brown furred woman stood to the human's right, head bowed.

"I saw it. We," she gestured at those around her, who rose as well, "saw it. Saw..."

"I saw a tree," the woman next to her said, eyes firmly on Sam. "I saw a tree floating in space. I saw Humans, real humans, male and female, around the tree. I saw them. Saw them, and was afraid..."

"I saw it," came a voice from behind them. Sam turned, eyes wide, as another group of the creatures rose. "We saw it. Saw the walls dissolve. Saw letters. Huge, glowing red letters floating before us. Human letters. Five letters spelling out ... BELLS."

"I saw it."

It was the young woman from before. Judit. She stood tall, surrounded by others edging her on. Her eyes focused fully on Sam.

"I saw them. Three humans, expressions startled, scared. Blood flowed from and around the pregnant woman. Then ... then..." Her expression fell, tears coming to her eyes.

"Then we died."

It all happened at once.

Darkness exploded into the temple. The structure shuddered. The screams had barely started when half were suddenly silenced. Light burst into the chamber, through ornate ceiling windows.

A solid rock face now ran through what had been the central chamber.

"The Temple vanished from our world, appearing in yours. Appearing ... half inside the mountain."

Cathy's hands flew to her mouth. She had read tales of magic. Tales of magical travel. The idea of vanishing and appearing half inside something else had haunted her childhood dreams. She Who Saw nodded, sadly.

"Yes. Half of our sisters were taken from us, never to be seen. They are up there, still, in the mountain." She sighed. "The Temple jutted out from the mountain like a knife thrown at a tree, but it was not built to exist as such. It only took a few moments for the walls to snap, for it to fall, with us inside, onto the mountain side, the Holy Place now open to the sky, our screams rising to Gods who had rejected us."

It took all of Heather's diplomatic skill to refuse the squirrel's offers of hospitality for the night. Something about their ... enthusiasm disturbed her. In the end, she accepted use of the chairs, an ample supply of fire wood and drinking water, and a promise to attend another mass gathering the next day. Lil found a good clearing a ten minute ride from the village, and with torches blazing Heather set up camp.

Sam just sat on one of the chairs, leather armor discarded, Jay sleeping in her arms. Heather let her be. Her friend needed time. Time to digest, accept, what they had heard. Maybe not believe, but ... accept. Ben and Cathy helped with the tent, holding the poles and ropes as needed. Once the fire was going, she set the two youngsters on vegetable peeling duty. There was much giggling, Ben's distracted mood gone, for now. As Heather stood off out of the firelight, leaning against a tree, Lil fluttered down onto her shoulder.

"Have you ever heard of a story this silly?"

"Not outside of a book," Heather sighed. "Poor Sam."

"I say we assume they lie, and go on. Keep following the arrow."

"And if it turns around and points back here as soon as we ride west of the village? What then?"

"We worry about it then. I don't want to stay here."

Heather turned her head, regarding the small creature. Her dark form was silhouetted against the firelight. So beautiful, although no the same way Sam was. Lil was getting fat, she noticed. Her formerly taut stomach now showed a slight bump.

"You're free to leave any time, my fairy friend."

Lil gave her a look, one that said more than words could. Heather acknowledged it, sighing again.

"I know, I know." With a grunt, she pushed herself off the tree. "Come on, let's get dinner going. I want to see how little potato is left after a blind boy uses a knife on it."

The ale wasn't helping Sam's mind blot out the singing.

The music was faint, coming from the village, through trees and down into a dell. Faint, yet it overwhelmed the night air., beat and melody combining to disturb all thought. And Sam had to think. Had to reason her way through this.

They were saying her love was ... gone.

Not on this world.

That's what the story was hinting at. That, somehow, the Witch's spell and theirs ... crossed? and both went wrong. And where did the flying tree come in? Or the word Bells?

Bells. Bells was the key. That was the word from the prophesy. 'From the ruins of the acorn of knowledge, the path to the bells of destiny shall grow.' The temple. That had to be the ruin. So, the path ... was it Ben's bells? The ones in his head? But he no longer heard them. No. The path was TO the Bells, not the path itself.

Life was so much simpler, when she was just a father's daughter.

"Hey."

Heather's voice was soft, worried. Sam's eyes stayed on the fire, half empty mug dangling between her legs, as the sound of one of the metal chairs creaked as it was moved over next to her. A moment later a presence that could only be the long haired blonde settled next to her, shapely thigh pressing against hers.

It felt good. Comforting. Heather always felt comforting. Always made Sam feel welcome, happy. Content. Sam would have given up long ago if not for her. She ... she was her rock.

"Don't think about it," Heather's voice said, soothingly. "Leave it for morning. The children are asleep. We should join them." Her hand, gentle, brushed some of Sam's hair aside. Raising the wooden mug, Sam took a long swig. The dead hunter's ale went down rough. She let her arm fall back down.

"A year, Heather. A year." She could feel tears coming. "A year gone ... and for what? Why?"

"But we're close, Sam."

"Are we?"

There was a pause. Heather's arm moved, over and around Sam's shoulders. She felt herself pressed against Heather's body.

"You know we're close, Sam." Heather's voice had a strange catch in it. With a groan, Sam let her head fall over onto her friend's shoulder.

"It's just ... maybe I should have settled down, somewhere. Raised little Jay in a little village. This..."

"You're doing good. You're a good mother. We can do this. I'll help you do this." Heather's hand began running up and down Sam's bare right arm. It felt good. Unthinking, she nuzzled her head against the comfortable shoulder. As her body shifted, Heather's hand moved to keep pace ... finding itself touching the side of Sam's breast.

There was a sound that could have been a gasp. Sam paid it no mind. She just wanted her arm rubbed some more. After a few long moments, the hand began slowly running its fingers along the side of Sam's breast. They traced where the mound met her chest, the thin material of her shirt offering little resistance. Tentatively, that up and down path began to move up the side of her breast, short nailed fingertips lightly massaging as they traveled. Sam let out a relaxed moan.

"I like that..."

" ... do you?"

Silly question. Of course she did. It had been so long. So long since...

" ... Jack..."

The fingers stopped. Slowly, they retreated to her arm.

"W-we'll find him, Sam. We'll find him..."

"Oh, that was a brilliant seduction there. Is that how humans do it?"

"I should squash you like a bug."

"Try it, lover girl."

Heather sat on one of the chairs by the fire, a tired Lil on her shoulder. Kik lay on a nearby branch, either asleep or not wanting to get involved. He tired easily now, it seemed. Heather glanced over at him, speaking softly.

"He holding up, Lil?"

"Yeah." Her voice didn't sound that confident. "The mating tired him out, then that stupid arrow ... bad timing, that's what it was."

"Mating?" Heather's eyes went to the female fairy's figure again, eyes widening. "Oh! That's fast! How long?"

"Depends," Lil groused. "Day or three. Depends on how many eggs are in there. He's strong, so I could easily push out a few dozen."

Heather blinked.

"So the thing about you starting a new clan..."

"Yup. Baby machine." Lil yawned. "One reason I don't want to stay here. It doesn't feel right. I don't want to set down roots here."

Heather nodded.

"Agree with you there. Hmm ... Assuming you need some sort of nest, is it something we can put on the extra horse? Hang off the side?"

Lil looked at her, startled.

"You'd ... do that?"

"Naturally. Stay with us as long as want. You're one of us."

It was the middle of Heather's watch when the noise came.

She rose quietly from her chair, outside the circle of firelight. She always kept her sword unsheathed, having had a nightmare about being unable to draw it in time to save Sam. Slowly, as the rustling increased, she grabbed the weapon from against the tree. It could just be an animal, or...

Three of the squirrels entered the small clearing. Seeing the low burning fire, they stopped, looking around. The middle one, Heather thought, was the one with "visions" of Jack and Polly. Deciding there was nothing to be gained by just leaving them be, she walked noisily into the light.