The Dream Sanctum: Beyond The End (7 page)

“Well, this is a first for me,” Alastor said, looking down at it with
interest.

The smaller whale was much more energetic, and while the larger whale never
completely submerged itself, the younger one dove underwater and back again,
occasionally leaping into the air and crashing down again, sending forth waves
that rocked the ship slightly.

“Eventually that baby whale will grow up and become an island of its
own,” Alastor explained. “I read about these but I’ve never seen one. They’re a
lot bigger than I expected.”

The whales swam alongside the ship, coming closer and closer until Kai
could almost reach out and touch the trees on the older whale’s back. The
younger one circled the ship, dipping underneath the waves and appearing on one
side then the other, looking excited for the company.

“Would you like to explore the island?” Kwin suggested.

“Wait, what? Really?” Kai replied, and she nodded.

“Why not? What else is it there for?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kwin leapt over the side of the ship and
landed easily on the whale island’s sandy shore, causing the few land animals
that had gathered on the edge of the small forest to dart away into the trees.
She surveyed her surroundings for a moment before glancing back up at Kai.

“Don’t make me explore alone!”

Kai relented and jumped down after her. Despite the island being alive,
it felt very stable, as though he were standing on solid ground; however, every
time the whale swept its massive tail, the island would sway slightly. He
jogged after Kwin, and soon they found themselves in the midst of the forest.

It was quiet, but in a calming, pleasant way. The ocean breeze whispered
through the trees, and a myriad of colored birds perched comfortably on the
branches, uninterested in the newcomers below. A small creek ran by them, and
they followed it for a few minutes, watching as it flowed through the forest
and to the shore, trickling back into the ocean.

“How does this all work?” Kai asked. “Does this not hurt the whale or
weigh it down too much?”

“I doubt it. This creature is large and strong, and the water must make
its weight less of an issue. However, we can’t apply the logic of our world to
this one; sometimes the most wonderful things are created simply because they
can be.”

“That works,” Kai replied, feeling that there was nothing he couldn’t
appreciate about this world.

“I also wanted to come here to search for something,” Kwin continued,
looking at the ground and around the trees as they walked. “Alastor told me
that on every one of these islands there is a jewel of sorts, one that is
formed by the whale when its island is first created. As it grows, the jewel is
hidden within the forests, sands and waters of the island. He said it is part
of the power that keeps the entire ecosystem alive, and that they are very,
very rare.”

“What would you do with it?” Kai asked.

“I would probably bring it back for study,” Kwin answered simply. “To
have an item this rare would be a great discovery. Apparently only one has ever
been found, and it was lost to the ages so long ago that it has turned from
fact into rumor and myth. I would do much to be the one to find another.”

They explored the island for half an hour, covering as much ground as
they could, but found nothing. As they leaned against a tree to take a break,
Elvia appeared in front of them.

“I apologize if I am disturbing you, but you need to return to the ship.
We will be arriving at the borders of the map in the coming hour, and it is
important that we are all ready.”

Before the other two could say anything, she vanished again, and all was
silent. Kai didn’t move. It was hard to believe that the event they had been
waiting for was nearly upon them. He thought about what Kwin had said about no
one ever returning, and suddenly felt nervous.

“We should get going,” Kwin said quietly.

As if on cue, a deep rumbling emanated from below them, and Kai froze.

“What was that?”

“I suspect our whale friend is politely informing us it would like to
move us,” Kwin replied.

As they climbed back over the side of the ship, they noticed that
Hercules was indeed already back on board, but that his focus was entirely
dedicated to the massive whale. They walked quietly to the upper deck to meet
the others, not wanting to draw his attention.

“We’re just about there,” Alastor said, pointing at the map overlay. Kai
could see that the blinking dot that showed their location was approaching the
border drawn on the map, inching toward it in a way that made Kai start to feel
rather anxious.

The whale suddenly let out another deep rumbling sound that seemed to
cause the very ocean to vibrate, and they watched as it moved its great fins to
pulled away, making rippling waves that tilted the ship. Lindsay instinctively
grabbed Kai’s arm as the ship moved.

“So, did you guys find anything interesting over there?” she asked
excitedly. “I wanted to go but I get dizzy pretty easily.”

“Nothing amazing; it was pretty much a normal island once you got past
the fact that it was alive,” Kai replied quietly, still not wanting to attract
Hercules’ attention. “Kwin said there’s apparently some jewel thing on every
island like it, but we didn’t find anything.”

“Ooh. That sounds neat,” Lindsay said, taking a moment to stare after the
departing island. Then she looked back to the map. “So what will happen when we
get there? I mean, do you think we’ll see anything?”

“Probably not. It’ll probably be just more water, more water, and lots
more water as we go,” Alastor explained.

Lindsay looked slightly disappointed, but also relieved. After Kwin’s
horror stories, Kai couldn’t blame her.

“Good to see you all up and about, shipmates!” Hercules shouted from the
lower deck, finally realizing that the others were present. “What say the map?”

“We’re doing fine. Do you think you could jump off and check the rudder
for me? Just in case there are any creatures growing on it, you know.”

“I doubt it! Not on a ship this new!” Hercules replied, confidently
patting the railing.

“Okay, fair enough. How about climbing up as high as you can on the main
mast while I turn the wheel violently from side to side?”

“Now that would just be silly. Don’t you worry, shipmates, I’ll teach you
everything you need to know about traveling the high seas! Now, if you’ll
excuse me, I’m off to relax below. Let me know if anything needs my attention,
Number One.”

“Over my dead body,” Alastor muttered as Hercules disappeared below deck.
Kwin patted his shoulder sympathetically.

“You try too hard. Perhaps we can find somewhere to leave him while we
explore. He is the type who would get lost at sea, so we simply need to ensure
that happens.”

At this, Lindsay looked over at Kwin with a horrified expression on her
face.

“That’s horrible! You can’t do that! He’s weird, but still, that’s just
really mean.”

Kai thought he saw a look of evil pleasure flicker over Kwin’s face
before she sighed in resignation.

“I suppose not. However, if by chance we meet a civilization out here,
let’s leave him with them. Would that be more acceptable? I want him gone one
way or the other, and I cannot compromise on that.”

Seeing that Kwin was serious, Lindsay simply nodded. Kai knew she was too
afraid to argue with Kwin, but he understood her point of view. Even in a dream
world, and even for someone they disliked, leaving someone out in the middle of
the ocean with little hope of return was a fate he wouldn’t wish on anyone.

The rest of the hour was spent mostly in silence as everyone watched the
waves and occasionally looked down at the map to see how close they were to the
border. As they approached, Kai looked expectantly at the horizon. While he
knew there probably wouldn’t be anything out there, the fact that they were
venturing into what was essentially a new world filled him with anticipation.

“Here we go,” Alastor said softly as they approached. Kai looked from the
map to the water, almost expecting to see a dotted line in the water to match
the map.

But the experience was anti-climactic, all things considered. Apart from
a quiet beep that the display made to mark their crossing, nothing else of any
interest happened. Kai wasn’t surprised, but he couldn’t help but feel a little
bit disappointed. In the back of his mind he wished very much for the success
of their voyage, not only because it would make for great stories, but also
because the alternative was dragging his friends on a long journey for
absolutely nothing. It had been his idea, after all.

“Well, this is it,” Alastor sighed contentedly. “We’re in uncharted
territory.”

“The sky is clear and the water is smooth, so keep your eyes out for
anything on the horizon,” Kwin told them.

“Are we expecting something?” Kai asked, but Kwin simply shrugged.

“No and yes. No one knows what is out here, so it is best to be prepared
equally for excitement and disappointment.”

Kai glanced at Lindsay, who was looking over the ship’s rail down at the
waters below with an inquisitive yet slightly worried expression.

“What’s up?” he asked, walking over to her. She smiled gave him an
embarrassed smile.

“Well, I was just trying to see what sort of things are in the water,”
she explained quietly, tossing a fleeting look in Kwin’s direction to make sure
she wasn’t listening. “We just saw a whale that could have probably fit
Alastor’s mansion on its back… I just hope that nice animals are the only ones
that get that big.”

Kai felt a small jolt in his stomach; he hadn’t thought about that. All
the same, he forced the thought out of his mind and tugged gently on Lindsay’s
arm.

“Don’t worry about it. Even if something did try to mess with us, we’ve
got Kwin, Alastor and Elvia aboard. I’m more than sure they can handle
anything. Plus, don’t forget you can fly. You’ll be safe.”

Lindsay nodded, though the look of anxiety didn’t completely leave her
face.

They went to the kitchen where they spent the next few hours, talking
about whatever came to mind in an attempt to pass the time. While Kai tried to
follow Kwin’s advice and expect nothing, he couldn’t help but feel that there
was something that he
should
be
expecting. What it was he didn’t know, though his heart leaped when he heard a
cry from outside.

He and Lindsay hurried out of the room and up the stairs to meet the
rest. Hercules came from below, tripping over himself as he ran up the stairs.
The others were focused keenly on the distant horizon, looking as though they
had seen something important.

“What did you see?” Kai asked the group at large. Hercules groaned
quietly as he squinted to see whatever it was they were all looking at.

“I say… it looks like an enormous hippopotamus is on the horizon!”

“It looks like a set of islands,” Alastor replied quickly, his voice
slightly louder than normal. “That hippopotamus over there looks like a place
we should investigate.”

“You guys must have really good eyes,” Lindsay said, standing on tip-toe.

From their side, Kwin raised her hand, and a pure white dove appeared out
of nowhere in front of her. It immediately flew off in the direction of the
distant islands, and Kwin closed her eyes. Everyone was silent as they watched
her expression change from one of curiosity to puzzlement, then back to one of
interest again, though Kai thought he detected a hint of uncertainty.

“What did you see?” Alastor inquired.

Kwin opened her eyes again, appearing slightly dazed.

“You will be happy to know that the islands are very much worth
exploring,” she stated. “There are three, though only one is large and has
anything on it. However, you must also know that the main island is inhabited.”

“Wait, what?” Kai said in disbelief. “I thought no one had ever made it
out this far.”

“As did I,” Kwin replied simply, keeping her gaze on the approaching
islands. “The mystery continues.”

T
he islands approached at a
painfully slow pace, despite the speed at which they were traveling. As they
grew larger and larger, Kai saw that Kwin had been right; what had initially
looked like one island turned out to be three; two small mounds of sand dotted
with trees were settled about twenty yards away from the main island.

The main island was something else entirely. Tents of all shapes, sizes
and colors were set up between the trees and on the quiet shore. Fires blazed
here and there, and fabrics as colorful as the tents hung on lines all across
the camp. Kai could see many figures moving around, some pointing and waving at
their ship. However, as the ship approached, they all vanished into the trees.

“Either they’re afraid of us, or–”

“Or they’re plotting to assassinate us!” Hercules said loudly,
interrupting Alastor.

“The only reason they would do that is if they just realized
you
were on board,” Kwin snapped. “We
are nearly there. Prepare to anchor the ship; I don’t feel like moving ropes.”

Within a few minutes, the ship rested comfortably a few yards from the
island in surprisingly deep water. There were still no signs of any life on the
beach, and Kai wondered just what sort of welcome he should expect.

“All right, everyone off. We’ll fly from here to shore,” Alastor said.
Then, when an almost sadistic smile, he added, “Ah, and Hercules… you can go
first.”

“Of course!” Hercules said, looking completely oblivious. “Captains do
tend to lead their expeditionary parties.”

“Where on earth did you learn a word with six syllables?” Kwin asked.

“In school! I did tell you that I was–”

“
Get off my ship
,” Kwin hissed,
giving Hercules a powerful shove. Unable to maintain his balance, he toppled
over the guard rail and into the waters below with a loud splash. “O captain,
my captain, our fearful trip has just begun.”

She and the others took to the sky, landing comfortably on the shore a
few minutes later and standing back to watch as Hercules trudged up to them,
sopping wet but looking only curious.

“I wonder where they all went,” he said loudly. “Let’s go look for them!”

“Well, there’s not much else we can do,” Alastor agreed, and the six
companions walked slowly toward the nearby line of trees.

They passed a number of tents on the beach. Kai couldn’t help but glance
inside a few of the open ones, and he saw that they were simple and ordinary,
most of them furnished with just a bed and a few hanging clothes. From the
design of the clothing he guessed with relief that the island’s inhabitants
were human.

Just as they reached the line of trees, a large group of the island’s
inhabitants jumped out in front of them, who instantly froze. Alastor seemed
pleased, Kwin watched them warily, and Lindsay looked almost frightened.

The humans on this island didn’t look altogether frightening, though they
were quite strange. To start, their skin was pale blue, and the tallest among
them was only a few inches taller than Kwin herself. They wore strange,
decorative crowns of branches, twigs and leaves, and the colorful clothing they
wore covered most of their bodies.

“By the gods,” Hercules explained. “We’ve entered the island of the
Smurfs!”

“I beg your pardon?” a small woman called out loudly with a voice that
Kai would have instead attributed to an older and perhaps larger human.

“He’s not ours,” Alastor declared quickly. “Don’t pay attention to him.”

“It is all fine!” said a young man in the front of the crowd. “I am the
leader of this island tribe. We are called the Shuski. It is rare for us to see
anyone this far from civilization. We welcome you to our humble home! Woop!”

The air around them was suddenly filled with a chorus of ‘Woop!’ as the
rest of the blue humans on the shore joined in the cry, repeating themselves a
number of times before quieting down.

“Er… thanks!” Alastor said, clearly at a loss for words. “What do you
call this place anyway?”

“Well we heard that some folks back over on the mainland call it the
Forgotten Isles,” the first woman explained. “But that’s just silly, ain’t it?
If it was forgotten how come we still remember it?”

Another chorus of ‘Woop!’ filled the air, and Kai could tell that it
would not be long before their chanting started to get annoying.

“You have a lovely home,” Kwin said, her voice laced with innocent
civility and warmth. Kai wasn’t used to hearing this tone from her, though he
immediately guessed that this was only her diplomacy kicking in. “Might we have
a look around? I’m afraid we don’t have long, but we absolutely needed to
explore!”

“Of course!” the tribe leader replied. “Ah, my name is Elkid. Elkid the
17
^th
, to be precise. And you are…?”

“My name is Kwin,” Kwin replied sweetly. “This man is Alastor, his
partner Elvia, my good friends Kai and Lindsay, and this one here is Smurf
Boy.”

“I say, that is most inappropriate!” Hercules protested. “If you must
know, my name is Hercules, and I am the hero of our age, the protector of all
that is–”

“Loud and irritating,” Alastor interrupted before turning back to the
others. “Actually, Hercules here is a wonderful explorer who doesn’t get the
attention he deserves. Could he perhaps get a separate tour, one that lasts
much longer
than ours?”

Elkid seemed to understand and nodded quickly.

“Find a tour guide for this man!” he called out, glancing in Hercules’
direction. “We will make sure he gets to see every inch of our home!”

“Thank you,” Kwin told him with an expression of exaggerated relief on
her face.

“Not a problem, my dear!” Elkid said happily. “Now, if you’ll follow me, I’ll
start by showing you what we’ve got. I think you’ll find it very interesting.
Woop!”

Another outburst of chanting filled the air, and Kai saw Kwin struggling
to maintain her composure.

Their tour took them far away from Hercules, Kai managed to forget about
him within the first few minutes. The entire village consisted of tents – even
their storage rooms and large eating halls were tents. Each one was intricately
designed and sturdily-built, which gave Kai the impression that these people
had the ability to build better structures if they so desired.

The people’s strange appearances, their odd styles of dress and their
unusual quirks left Kai wondering who exactly these people were, and whether
they were real people with strange tastes or part of the Sanctum itself.
Normally it wouldn’t have been too difficult to tell, but the Shuski seemed so
unusual that he was almost tempted to ask.

Kwin seemed to be thinking along the same lines and, during a pause in
their tour that Elkid used to explain the history of yet another tent, she
pulled Kai aside.

“These people are quite peculiar, don’t you think?”

He nodded. Her question was innocent, but Kai knew that there was more to
it than that.

“There must be something in this town of theirs that will give some hint
as to what they’re doing here,” Kwin continued quietly. “The only reason I am
curious is because, if they are real people, they might have more knowledge
about the ocean out here than our maps can give us.”

“I don’t know. I think they must be part of the Sanctum. How could you
get any real people, much less so many of them, to take part in all… well,
this?”

“There are plenty of communities in the real world based around common
interests in strange things; frankly I’m surprised the Sanctum has so few. It isn’t
difficult to simply pull in other people until you have a respectable
community. However, it does make me wonder what these people are like in the
real world.”

Their walk took an hour, and it had covered everything from the village
square to the shore and the opposite side of the island. As they leaned down
against some trees to relax, Kai found himself surprised at just how many
people were on the island.

He had also discovered that the blue tint of their skin came from dyes
they made from plants native to the island rather than just using their
imaginations. It was odd, but then, Kai expected that was their goal, and he
had to admire their dedication.

“So, travelers, what brings you out this far?” Elkid asked the group.

“We’re looking to explore the world beyond the borders of the map,” Kai
explained. “Our maps, anyway. This island is past the border, and I don’t think
any of us expected to find a place quite like this so soon.”

“There aren’t many like it, as far as I know,” Elkid replied. “Few
travelers have come this way, but none of them ever mentioned seeing anything
apart from this island. They always seem to travel past us, though. There’s a
whole ocean out there, I wonder why they come this way.”

“It’s the best route,” Alastor said thoughtfully. “The dock at the north
tip of the Golden Capital is closest to the border, the seas are fair and the
wind is always right where you need it. Anyone looking to travel swiftly and
easily would come this way.”

“Fair enough!” Elkid nodded. “So how far did those other fellows get,
anyway? I’m assuming they had lots to tell when they got back, eh? Woo – er,
sorry.” By now he had become quite comfortable with them, and seemed to
understand their frustration at the tribe’s outbursts.

“Actually, from what we can tell, no one who has ever ventured out this
far has ever returned,” Kwin said solemnly.

“Are you serious? That’s terrible!” Elkid exclaimed. “I do wonder what
happened to them. They would always pass by here, stay and chat, then continue
on. We never saw them come back, but we figured they just passed out of sight.”

“How many people would you say came past here?” Alastor asked.

“Oh, not too many. I would say about ten in total? A few different small
groups, that was about it. If you ask me they weren’t very well prepared. Just
a few at a time in rickety little boats that seemed like they were going to
fall apart at any second. No maps, no guides, nothing. I didn’t want to pry, it
seemed like it’d be rude, you know?”

“So you never heard anything back from them, either?” Alastor pressed.

“Nope! Well, now you mention it… we did have something rather interesting
float up on our shore about a year ago. We’ve kept it as relic of sorts; we
don’t usually find anything lying on the beach.”

“Could we take a look, please?” Kwin asked with almost overwhelming
innocence. It didn’t take long for Elkid to agree, and as the others stood up
to follow him, Kwin passed Kai a wink behind his back. Kai knew that this was
exactly the sort of thing she had been hoping for, and his curiosity increased.

Elkid took them into one of the larger tents, then into a smaller tent
inside the first one. There was nothing inside it except for a small table upon
which rested a heavily damaged book.

“Ooh, wow,” Lindsay murmured and reached to touch it, but to her
surprise, Elkid brushed her hand away.

“Sorry, but we don’t allow anyone to touch it. It’s very important, you
see.”

“How is this relevant to what we were talking about?” Alastor asked politely,
attempting to keep the conversation on topic while they still had time.

“Well, when we first looked at it, it had a number of names in it and a
bunch of writing; it appeared to be like a journal of sorts. It had writing
about sailing and exploring, so we figured it was from one of the ships that
had passed by.”

Kai could see Kwin’s eyes flicker at this news and knew that obtaining
that book was now her top priority.

“Please, sir, can’t we have a look?” Kwin asked with wide eyes. “We’re
explorers too! And the trip is so long and boring, I just want to have
something to read on the way.”

“I don’t think so,” Elkid replied, but it seemed to cause him pain to
refuse her. “I just can’t allow this to be touched or taken anywhere.”

“Oh but you must!” Kwin persisted with a pout. “I’ll return it, I
promise! It’s just that… I always wanted to be an explorer when I grew up, and
now I finally am! I want to read stories of people who have gone sailing before
me, people who know what it’s like out there. I’m little, and I can’t do much
to help, out so I want to be prepared!”

By now the expression on Elkid’s face was one of mental torment as the
girl in front of him stared back, hopeful and pleading. Kai almost didn’t
recognize her. He might have even called her “cute” – a word he would never
have previously associated with the intimidating girl who had turned herself
into a dark-winged, scythe-wielding fighter on more than one occasion.

At this point Elvia stepped over and patted Kwin on the shoulder
sympathetically.

“I am sorry. We should not bother this man any longer. Come and let us
get your things ready for the trip. We will bring out the ship’s dictionary for
you to read again.”

At these words, Elkid looked absolutely appalled.