Jabberwocky - 4. Nexus

IV. Nexus

When Jordan woke up, he felt a sleepy type of disorientation that sometimes plagued him after a long, deep sleep. He took stock of the room he was in: it was a tiny, circular affair, with enough room for two cots and a small table in between. He stood up and leaned over the other cot to look out the window. In the early morning sun, the towering trees and the structures built around them seemed less mysterious, more real and no less fantastic. He got up and made his bed, then opened the door. Opening a door into mid-air was indeed a bit disorienting and it took him a minute before he could bring himself to step out onto the first narrow step hugging the side of the tree. He slowly made his way down, step by step, jumping off the last one down to the ground. He took a look around from the ground, up at the trees. He saw a complex system of houses, huts, and tiny little pods like the one he and Brandon had slept in the other night, all distributed among the massive trees of the North Forest. Various walkways and bridges connected the buildings. Jordan felt a bit of apprehension about leaving his tree. How would he ever find his way back again?

“Hey, Jordan.” He turned and saw Sumna walking towards him, smiling. She looked different from when they were traveling along the road, with her hair tied back neatly and wearing a clean skirt instead of her traditional riding trousers. “Sleep well?”

“Yes, very,” Jordan said. “I feel great.”

Sumna nodded. “This place has an effect on people; it brings a sense of well being. I think it’s magical.”

“Have you seen Brandon?" Jordan asked. Magical or not, he liked this place, but he wanted a chance to see Brandon alone.

“He’s at the springs getting cleaned up,” Sumna said. “Want me to show you the way?”

“Please,” Jordan said eagerly. He knew he smelled of horses and several days worth of travel and was eager to feel clean again. Sumna led him through the forest to a cave near the edge of a grove of trees. He went down through a narrow opening, traveling further and further inside. Torches lined the walls, giving semi adequate light, and he used one hand to help feel along the walls. Right when he was about to feel pretty nervous about being so deep in the cave, the tunnel he was in branched off.

“The section that the gentleman use is down on the right, just a little ways,” Sumna said.

“Okay. Thanks,” Jordan said. Sumna was already walking away and her cheerful “You’re welcome” echoed back down the hall.

Sumna was true to her word; a few feet down the right side of the hallway, the stone opened up to a large chamber, resplendent with steam and lit by lanterns and large holes in the ceiling where sunlight streamed through. Jordan squinted, giving his eyes a couple of moments to adjust to the change in brightness. He could see several large steaming pools with wooden benches ringing them, and several smaller pools branching off. After a few minutes, he saw Brandon in one of the smaller pools, back to him, washing himself rather vigorously. Jordan cast one more nervous look around. The chamber wasn’t too crowded, but there were still other men sitting in or by the pools in various states of undress, and Jordan was aware that he was being introduced to a whole new level of public bathing that made the cramped shower stalls in the locker room at school seem like a luxury.

Trying to ignore the other people in the room, Jordan quickly shed his clothes and folded them neatly on one of the nearby benches before quietly approaching the pool Brandon occupied, sliding in behind him, wincing at the extreme temperature of the water. Brandon, oblivious at the moment, was concentrating on his bathing until Jordan came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Brandon jumped and turned rather quickly, breaking the hold Jordan had on him. Jordan gave him a rather surprised look and Brandon blushed.

“You startled me,” Brandon said by way of explanation.

“Sorry,” Jordan said. Brandon moved away a little bit and passed the soap over.

“Did you sleep well?” Brandon asked.

“Yeah,” Jordan said, working the soap in his hands to create lather. He focused on washing every inch of himself, even his hair. It was longer than he had ever allowed it to be, the edges brushing the back of his neck and his jaw. He ducked under the hot water, rinsing off and by the time he resurfaced, Brandon had already exited and was getting dressed.

“Jassa came by early, while you were still asleep,” Brandon said. “She gave us some clothes to wear. Apparently, those who live in the North Forest have a specific code of dress that we are expected to follow.”

“Like what?” Jordan asked.

“Well, everyone wears these basic whites,” Brandon explained, turning and showing off the white tunic and trousers he wore. “Then, once you have taken on an apprenticeship, you get a smock that has a certain color and design on it, and you wear it over the whites. Everything is easy to move around in, since they spend so much time going up and down the trees.”

“Interesting,” Jordan said, dunking under the water again. The water was hot and made him feel weak and dizzy. He got out with some reluctance and took the towel Brandon passed him. He couldn’t help but notice the way Brandon refused to look at him until after he was dressed in the traditional whites and had slipped his shoes back on. Jordan followed Brandon out of the caverns, combing his still damp hair back with his fingers. They met Jassa, who was waiting right outside the entrance to the caves.

“Hello,” her tone was friendly but carried an undertone that indicated she would take no nonsense. “We need to talk.”

“We?” Brandon asked.

“The four of us,” Sumna said, coming up behind Jassa. “Come on.”

Jordan and Brandon followed them through the trees. Even though he had already gotten an eyeful that morning, he enjoyed being able to look around again at the sprawling city built above their heads. Sumna eventually came to a tree and started to make her way up the winding stairs. Jordan followed. He didn’t mind living up above the ground, but the dizzying spiraling staircases were beginning to bother him. He would just have to figure out a way to stay in the trees somehow. The tree branched out into a set of walkways. Sumna navigated them with ease, Jordan and Brandon following and Jassa bringing up the rear. They eventually entered a dwelling that was more spacious than their own, with a large wooden room dominated by a long table and several comfortable looking chairs. There was a loft that held two beds, and anything else was concealed by a narrow doorway. This place looked more like a house than Jordan and Brandon’s cozy pod.

“Have a seat,” Jassa invited. Brandon settled himself on one side the table, Jordan sat next to him and Sumna sat across from them. Jassa sat put bottles in front of Brandon and Jordan, serving one to herself and Sumna, too. Jordan uncapped his and took a cautious drink. It tasted similar to a fruit drink that he would get from the vending machines at school and he relaxed, taking a deep draught. He was thirsty.

“This is our home here,” Sumna said, uncapping her bottle and taking a drink as well. “I’m sure by now you are well aware we did not come from the same place you did.”

“We figured it out,” Brandon said dryly.

“First thing first,” Jassa said. “I don’t have any doubt that you guys are what you say you are, but just so we can all feel confident, we would like to see your abilities.”

Jordan was clueless until Sumna pulled out her tablet and pushed it across the table towards Brandon. Brandon looked at it then gave Jordan a concerned glance.

“He’s still not well-”

“We know,” Jassa interrupted. Jordan felt like he should object somehow, except that Brandon was right. He didn’t feel well and Enabling was the last thing he felt like doing right now. “Do something simple. You’ve seen our talent, we have to see yours. It’s the only fair way.”

Brandon sighed and sketched something quickly, then pushed the pad back towards Jordan. Jordan smiled. A number two pencil, like they had done the first time. He linked his hands with Brandon and Enabled it easily. He felt a little troubled as he stared at the pencil that rolled innocuously off the edge of the table to clatter to the floor. Brandon had re-engaged his link with him when he had entered his dream, and since then Jordan hadn’t gotten anything from him except for vague feelings. Brandon was keeping him at a distance mentally and psychically and Jordan didn’t like it.

“Good enough,” Sumna said and Jassa nodded. “We wanted to talk to you a little bit because you seem to be largely unaware of the world you are dealing with and that is a concern for us.”

“We have not seen much of this world,” Brandon tried to explain. “We are new here.”

Jassa waved him off. “All the more reason to share what we know. We came in here a while ago. I’m assuming you know about the sacred places?”

Brandon nodded. “Yes. We came in through one.”

Jassa nodded. “As did we. We came in through the Great Tree deep in the midst of this very forest. This was the first settlement we came across. When the villagers saw us coming in from the direction of the Great Tree they were equal parts awed and frightened. They treated us highly, like the Goddess herself.”

Brandon remembered the slightly awed expression Maralya had worn when they first showed up near her home.

“The sacred places are the only places in and out of this world," Jassa continued. "They are all protected by specialized guardians that keep the people of this world from accessing those crossing points.”

“We know. We’ve had run-ins with them.”

Sumna frowned and looked mildly confused. “Pardon?”

“The hooping cats that guard the Stonestack,” Brandon said. “They tore up my back.” To prove it, he pulled his shirt up and presented his back, which still bore the pale pink lines of the attack.

He heard the deep indrawn breathes of one of the girls, then Sumna’s cool hands traced the lines on his back.

“The guardians did this?”

“Yeah,” Brandon said, dropping his shirt back down.

Sumna and Jassa exchanged a look. “Are you sure you came through at the Stonestack?” Sumna asked.

Brandon nodded. “Yeah. Big chimney like thing.”

Sumna shook her head. “You must have been attacked by someone else. The guardians aren’t allowed to hurt you.”

“Hooping cats,” Brandon insisted. “It was hooping cats.”

“Guardians don’t attack outworlders-”

“I’m telling you they did-”

“Guys, guys.” Jassa held up her hand. “Brandon, tell us what happened. You went to the Stonestack, I’m assuming.”

“Yes.”

“Was Jordan with you, or were you going alone?”

“Um… Jordan was still sick and resting.”

“So you went alone,” Jassa clarified.

Brandon shook his head. “No, some girl from the village followed me into the fields.”

Jassa rolled her eyes. “No wonder you were attacked then. Guardians guard the sacred places from the people of this world, so villagers from Odwayon can’t come into our world and so on. The only reason that the hooping cat attacked you is because you tried to take a girl from Charion to a sacred place.”

“The hooping cat wasn’t trying to attack you,” Jordan said slowly. “It was trying to get Maralya.”

“And I wouldn’t let it,” Brandon finished. “I covered her up with my body. It was going through me to get to her.” Brandon covered up his face with his hands. “Oh God, I was so stupid.”

“You didn’t know,” Jordan said. “So if Brandon had gone alone?”

“He wouldn’t have had any problem,” Sumna said. “Neither one of you would attract the hooping cats’ attention, it’s like they wouldn’t even know you were there.”

Jordan saw Brandon trembling slightly and made an attempt to take his hand. Brandon’s fingers skittered away from his touch like a nervous bug, so Jordan withdrew, dropping his hands back into his lap.

“What kind of guardians do you have here?” Jordan asked.

“Harpies,” Jassa said. “Bodies of large birds of prey, female faces with terrible fangs. They live in the branches of the Great Tree.”

“Can we see the Great Tree?” Brandon asked. Jassa shook her head. “No. They’ll attack you as well. They won’t attack us, because they guard the crossing point between this world and our world. Same with the hooping cats. If we attempted to visit the Stonestack, the cats would attack us.”

“You don’t want that,” Brandon said empathetically.

“No, I don’t imagine so,” Sumna said slowly. “Brandon, how long did it take your wounds to heal?”

“A week or so. I was under the care of a psychic healer.”

Jassa nodded as if that answered some unasked question, but Sumna continued to stare at him. “Where was this healer? Their name?”

“Dathilda at Vinez.”

Sumna glanced at Jassa and smirked, raising her eyebrows. It was the facial equivalent of an “I told you so”. Jassa rolled her eyes and looked away. “Listen you two, we believe that the two of you are just a little… lacking in your understanding of how a world like Charion works," Jassa said. "We’ve covered the sacred places. The next thing you need to know is that Charion is a Nexus world. Are you familiar with the Nexus theory?”

Brandon, as he often did when encountering something about Creating and Enabling that was not familiar to him, looked to Jordan. Jordan, however, seemed equally nonplussed.

“Not very much so,” Jordan finally said. “Are you willing to fill us in?”

Sumna leaned back in her seat. “Well, a Nexus world is not created in the traditional sense. A Nexus is like a big bundle of clay that exists on its own--pure energy. And all they need is for someone to shape them into what they want it to be.”

“So… a Nexus is like clay?” Brandon asked, his confusion evident.

“That’s a poor analogy,” Jassa broke in. Unlike Sumna, she leaned forward. “A Nexus is a special type of creation. A Nexus isn’t really created. They just are. They exist on their own. Creators give them shape. But a Nexus has a will. They decide what kind of Creation is pleasing to them, what shape they want to take. If it wants to be a cup, it will be a cup. If it wants to be a tree, it’ll be a tree. If it wants to be this-” Jassa stood up and spread her arms out, indicating the world around her “-it’ll be this. But no matter what form it takes, there will be something special about it. Something to set it apart from the rest. A cup that heals whoever drinks from it. A tree that protects the land it grows on. And a world that just… well the possibilities are endless.” She dropped her arms and her face grew serious. “Charion’s Creator. Keith. We think either he has the same knowledge level that you two do, or he is playing a very dangerous game.”

“Why?” Jordan asked. Brandon was tense and silent beside him.

Jassa gave him a solemn glance and leaned over the table. “Our sources have told us that Keith is trying to control this world. Trying to make changes.”

Jordan frowned. “He can’t do that, I don’t think. Not unless-”

“He might have the coding with him,” Brandon said. “We know they had to have copies. But I don’t see Keith making changes to the world while he is here. That’s dangerous.”

“What is coding?” Sumna asked and was temporarily ignored.

“Keith might not realize the danger. This could just be another game to him,” Jordan pointed out. “You told me that Keith was arrogant. Maybe he wants to create a perfect world and realizes that this falls short of his expectations. We know not to play God, but he would relish the idea. It’s a dangerous game, but it might be one he is willing to play. Is he a gambler?”

Brandon shook his head. “No, he would want a sure thing. If he wanted to change it, why doesn‘t he go back and do it from Earth?”

“Well, we don’t know how hard it is to travel back and forth. Or maybe he wants to be here to see how effective change is-”

“Excuse me,” Sumna interrupted again, raising her voice. “What is coding?”

“It’s a kind of special writing that Keith used to create this world,” Jordan explained.

“He didn’t create this world,” Sumna corrected.

“Shaped it, whatever,” Jordan continued. “Point is, he has the document that he used to make this world what it is. If there are changes happening here, he’s probably making them himself.”

“He needs to stop,” Sumna said with some urgency and Jassa nodded her head in agreement. “If he has the same level of knowledge that you two do, he might not know what he is doing. But the things he is trying to change are damaging this world. We talk to the people here and they tell us about the ground moving, waters flooding, and other natural disasters that are resulting from the changes this planet is going through. And that’s not all. Charion is a Nexus. A Nexus takes on what form it wants and it’s not very responsive to change. Think of a child. A very powerful, vibrant, joyful, but stubborn child. Do you know what happens when you try to get a stubborn, willful child to do something it doesn’t want to do?”

“It rebels,” Brandon said.

Sumna nodded. “Yes.”

Jassa took over. “That’s what is going to happen here if Keith doesn’t stop. Do you have any idea of what it’s going to look like here, once Charion decides it’s had enough?”

Brandon shivered visibly. He and Andrew had been fans of disaster movies and scenes from them flashed through his head, colored with a bright edge of a future reality.

“He needs to be stopped,” Jordan agreed. “I think that should be on our agenda anyway. Charion is an amazing world and should be left alone. Not to mention what he has been doing to other teams and the fact that he has hurt several people close to us. And probably killed Dathilda as well.”

“We can help you,” Jassa said. “Our objective is the same. We got close to him during our time in Driamor, but then the Queen gave birth and with all the chaos and wanting to protect Jordan, we had to abandon our plan and retreat. But we’ll be heading back in a few weeks. Since the two of you seem to know some about him it would be useful to have you with us.”

Jordan glanced at Brandon, remembered the way his hand retreated from his earlier. “That’s something we’ll have to discuss of course,” Jordan said.

“Of course,” Sumna agreed, and stood up. She crossed the room and climbed up to the loft. “I have some things you might be interested in taking a look at.” She rummaged around and returned holding a couple of books. “Here,” she said, handing them out to Jordan. “One of these is a basic history of Charion, mythology and such. The other one is from our world and it goes over some of the details of Enabling and Creating that you might be unaware of.”

Jordan took the books, looked them over curiously. “Thank you.”

“If you are hoping to survive here, you need to know a little bit more of what you are dealing with,” Sumna said. “Come, and I will show you around the village a little bit.”

Jordan and Brandon followed her out while she gave them a tour. Most of Odwayon was perched on the large branches of immense trees, connected by a series of bridges and walkways. On the main level were larger dwellings, restaurants, shops, schools and other public meeting places. Up in the slightly higher branches were private dwellings, with most of them grouped together in their own little subsections. It was huge and Jordan was again struck by the intricacy of design. He tried to imagine something like this on Earth and just couldn’t do it. None of the trees he had ever seen would be close to being able to support this kind of system. He wasn’t even sure if there was forest large enough.

Sumna finished off her tour by dropping them off at a restaurant near their pod before going off to take care of some other tasks that required her attention.

“So what do you think?” Jordan asked once they were seated inside the restaurant. Brandon shrugged, more interested in the sandwich before him than the conversation that had transpired between them and the other team.

A pile of tender, sweet smelling meat covered in a thick reddish sauce was tucked in between two thick slices of bread, and Brandon pressed the top slice down until a faint stain of sauce seeped through the bread and pieces of meat spilled out the side, littering the plate. “It’s interesting,” he offered before taking a bite of the sandwich. The sauce was tangy, the meat rich and the bread thick and soft in his mouth. Brandon closed his eyes in a brief moment of appreciation. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s fascinating,” Jordan said, “this information on Nexus worlds.”

“Do you believe it?” Brandon asked.

Jordan propped his chin in his hand. “Yeah, as a matter of fact. Now that I think about it. Like you know how Jassa and Sumna came in through the Great Tree?”

Brandon nodded.

“Didn’t Alice fall through a rabbit hole to get to Wonderland?” Jordan asked and smiled. “Think about it. I mean… it’s mind boggling. Our own planet could even be one of those Nexus worlds.”

Brandon looked up from his sandwich and raised his eyebrows inquisitively, but didn’t stop eating.

“Think of it," Jordan continued. "The same way this world has entry points… Why couldn’t we have the same? Like the pyramids, and Stonehenge. They could have been entry points, just like the Great Tree and the Stonestack. Human beings themselves could have walked over from another dimension the way we did to jump-start the human race into existence. In fact, the entire Creation story from Christian mythology sounds similar to what Jassa and Sumna told us about Nexus worlds. Creating an entire world to your whim. Bring forth the seas, the animals, anything you want. God as a Creator.” Jordan mulled it over briefly before turning to Brandon and giving him a smile. “What do you think?”

“I think you better make sure you keep that idea to yourself once we get back to Earth," Brandon said. "Not that it’s a bad one, but if the Church of the Almighty Angry Christians get wind of it, we’ll have a riot on our hands. You’re basically suggesting that God, who we are based on the image of, is an alien presence in our own world.”

Jordan shrugged. “Maybe it’s not even our world. Maybe that’s why we treat it so badly.”

“Watch it Jordan,” Brandon warned. “Someone is going to take what you say and use it as an excuse to string you up by your entrails.”

Jordan rolled his eyes slightly. “Have I told you lately that I love your optimism?”

“Have I told you lately that you’re a smart ass?” Brandon snapped back. Jordan blinked, taken aback more by Brandon’s tone of voice then his choice of words.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” Jordan asked. Without thinking, he reached up to brush some of those wayward strands of Brandon’s hair back. Brandon’s reaction, immediately, was to jerk away from his touch, almost toppling off his seat.

“Nothing,” Brandon muttered. He stood up and exited the restaurant before Jordan could react, leaving his meal half eaten. Jordan watched him go, a little puzzled, but decided to let Brandon have some time. After all, Brandon's friend had died and he had been responsible of taking care of both of them for several days. And from the way everyone was talking, it sounded like the bond strain had been harder on Brandon than it was for him. He would be rattled, too.

Jordan had some lunch instead, then returned to their pod, looking for Brandon, but he wasn’t there. He frowned and reached out psychically, but Brandon’s mind was as barricaded and protected as ever. Jordan sighed and instead of enclosing himself back into the room, found a relatively isolated piece of the walkway and sat down, taking in the sun and opening up the books Sumna gave him. Information flooded his mind and he started reading as fast as he could while maintaining comprehension. Information about Charion, its origins and mythology, was interesting enough, but the book about Creating and Enabling blew his mind. There was information here that he had never heard of, that he was sure that even Nikki and Dalaja, his main sources of information, did not know. He read for hours, losing track of time, his only reminders the steady stiffness in his limbs and the slow wane of sunlight. Eventually Jordan closed the books, stood up and went back to the pod. Brandon was there, sitting with his back against his cot and his sketchbook open and propped up on his knees.

“Hey,” Jordan said, feeling encouraged. Brandon hadn’t drawn a lot while they were traveling, understandably, but he was now, which he considered a good sign. “What are you working on?”

“Nothing,” Brandon said with disgust, flinging the book aside. True enough, the page was empty except for a few half formed lines. “What do you want?”

“Let’s go eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat anyway. Keep up your strength. We both do. C’mon.”

Jordan extended a hand to help Brandon up, but Brandon ignored it, pushing himself up with his own hands and silently followed Jordan out of the pod.

Brandon remained silent and withdrawn for the rest of the evening.