Tales of Midbar: Secret Priest

The next moment we were at a similar place and I felt we hadn’t gone very far this time.

“Three!” said Egrindreth.

Before I could complain my foot had landed on something sharp, we teleported again. Yet another similar place, or back to the first one, I wasn’t sure.

“Four,” said Egrindreth.

This continued until Egrindreth said, “Nine. Now the next one’s nasty so take deep breaths.”

Suddenly we were out in the open desert with Aleph shining in the sky. However, it was very hot and I could hardly breath.

Fortunately we teleported again and materialized in the open desert again but this time there was an illuminated city in the distance and the air was breathable.

“Eleven!” said Egrindreth, before I had a chance to ask where we were.

This continued. It seemed we’d teleport between similar places ten times and then go to somewhere noticeably different.

“Ninety nine. There might be some people at the next place, don’t worry about them.”

We materialized in dim red light and my feet hit what felt like wooden floor boards.

“One hundred!” shouted Egrindreth as lights came on.

I could now see we were in an alcove on one side of a room with several small, wooden tables with wooden chairs round them. There was a large screen on one side. There were also windows but it was dark outside. On one side of the room there was a counter, with what looked like a small kitchen on the other side. The whole thing reminded me of a bar or cafe.

“This is Beit Melden dog house,” said Egrindreth, gently pushing us out of the alcove, “in sephir Credmin.”

“Where?” Dwendra and myself both asked.

“It’s a parallel universe.”

“Is this actually helping?” I asked, raising my arms with the palms turned upward. “You thought I didn’t have enough problems and now you’ve taken me to a parallel universe?”

“I’m only allowed to help you if your life’s in danger,” said Egrindreth. “However I can tell, what’s your name?”

“Bedri Dwendra.”

“I can tell you there’s food and drink here,” Egrindreth indicated the kitchen area, “which you’re welcome to help yourself to. There’s also a toilet through that door, if you want to use it. There are rooms down this corridor,” she indicated a door, “where you may sleep if they aren’t locked, lock the door behind you. If some other people come they’ll be Haprihagfen or at least anavim who are friendly with Haprihagfen so they won’t hurt you unless you attack them or start smashing up the place or something. Now Bedridrida ...”

“Bedri Dwendra.”

“She uses a family name because she thinks it’s before the Cataclysm,” I said.

“What art the Cataclysm?” asked Dwendra.

“Anyway you need something less religiously objectionable to wear. There’s a store of clothing so I’ll help you find something.”

She ushered Dwendra down the corridor with the sleeping rooms.

“You can help her and tell her stuff but not me!” I shouted after them.

“Yes exactly,” said Egrindreth, grinning as they left.

I took off my one remaining boot, which was a relief. I opened a door Egrindreth hadn’t mentioned. Outside it was red night, illuminating an unfamiliar landscape in red. It looked like farmland with fields and large animals. There seemed to be a garden around the building and I could see a cluster of similar buildings some distance away with lit up windows. A warm wind was blowing with a strange smell. In the distance there were some large hills or mountains. I briefly considered running away but I knew Egrindreth had been telling the truth about this being a parallel universe and I had no idea how to get back to my own or how to get to a better place in this universe. Also I only had one boot and that was too tight.

I got myself a drink of fruit juice and a sandwich and then tried to get the internet working on the screen. It didn’t have internet but had a complicated set up that seemed to combine several different technologies. Thankful for my knowledge of devices, I fiddled with it and got something showing pictures with speech in strange voices speaking a language I didn’t understand and some writing at the bottom in a language I couldn’t read so I couldn’t really tell what was going on. There was some creature with long ears fighting what looked like a gone-wrong cat with a black cloak and helmet. They seemed to be on a space ship and fighting with glowing swords.

Eventually the girls returned, now with Dwendra dressed in a smock and trousers.

“I’ll help Dwendra by telling you she isn’t mad,” said Egrindreth. “You’re first teleport, you go back in time a thousand years, kill the leader of the Nuharas and rescue his beautiful, sixteen-year-old anavah wife ...”

“Bride the marriage wert not consummated!” said Dwendra.

“... Nice work, I’m impressed! Now I’d better go and erase some memories.”

With that she dematerialized before I could process what she’d just said.