Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods (32 page)

I clambered onto the deck; the boards creaked loudly under my feet. “I don't feel very safe,” I said, looking around.

“Quick,” Hazel said, gesturing impatiently from the doorway. Sam slipped his arm through mine and helped me to the door.

Inside was cramped, but tidy. Hazel put her briefcase on the tiny kitchen table, stepped down into the sunken living room, and sat down in a chair next to a very thin old black woman in a recliner. The woman was intent on watching television.

“Please forgive me,” she said. “There was no time to explain. I'm Nan.
This
is Hazel. She's my mother.”

QUESTIONS

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Nan motioned with her hand. “Come, have a seat, Mom is eager to speak with you.”

I sat down on an orange 70's style kitchen chair in front of Hazel, looked at Nan, and motioned to the TV. “May I?” I asked. She nodded, so I reached out and turned the volume down. I turned to look at Hazel.

She looked to be around seventy, was wearing a flowered print dress, and was fidgeting with a bowl of buttons in her lap. “Full o' questions,” she said in a slow monotone, not making eye contact.

She took my hand gently into hers, dug a button out of the bowl, and slowly placed it in my palm. Carefully she closed my fingers around it.

“Yes. I
am
being chased.”

The tone of her voice shifted slightly higher. “No danger. No danger. You safe now.

I shook my head, confused. “--But they tried to
kill
me.”

There was an awkward pause as she seemed to contemplate a hidden puzzle. Then her eyes focused past me. She sat motionless, staring at the silent television with her head cocked, as if trying to catch a sound from it.

“Those men were not chasing
you,
they were following you, to get to us.”

“No.” Hazel looked up at the ceiling. “No danger. You
impo'tant
in Vrin.”

I stared at her, dumbfounded. “--But I'm not
in
Vrin,” I said slowly.

“Impo'tant in Vrin!” she blurted, shaking her head again. “Jes' don't remember!”

“Remember? Remember
what?”

“
Vrin,”
she whispered.

Again I stared. “But I’m not
connected
to the computer. I’m not
in
Vrin.” I was beginning to get very frustrated.

Hazel’s eyes scanned back and forth rapidly.
“When you sleep.”

“
Sleep?
” I said, trying desperately to understand. “I don't think...”

She gripped my arm and stared intently into my eyes. “You must-stop him.”

I pulled away and looked desperately at Nan.

“When you sleep you go back to Vrin,” she said. “You don't need the computer, and mom says you are supposed to stop a man who is trying to destroy it.”

“
It?”
I squinted at her.

“Vrin, the whole thing.”

My brows furrowed. “O-
kay
...” I said with sarcasm. “Let me get this
straight.
You’re telling me, that when I go to sleep, I travel to the
magical realm
of
Vrin
to try to save it from an evil mastermind?”

“Well it sounds stupid when you say it like that.”

“It
is
stupid!” I stood up. “Wouldn't you think it was
stupid
if you were me?”

Hazel piped up. “Not stupid. Not stupid.” She cocked her head slightly, hunched her shoulders, and looked up at the ceiling. “Impo’tant.”

“I don't mean any disrespect. But I came here to get answers. And this is
not
what I expected.”

“Believe me, I understand your skepticism. I didn't believe it either, but I do now. I've seen things that would make your blood run cold.”

“Well, some people with autism can play the piano without ever being trained, others can figure out enormous equations in their heads-- things like that. Well, my mom can remember her dreams, and what lies beyond.
That
is where Vrin is.”

I stepped up into the kitchen. “Perhaps we could address the most important question first.
Why
did those men want me dead?”

Nan put a teapot on the stove. “You were in danger in the lab because they didn't know how much, if anything, you would remember about Vrin. They don't want any information leaking out. But since your escape, you have slept and returned to Vrin. They must know now that you have returned, and that you are still important in Vrin.”

“Yes, so you've said, but what does that
mean?”

“First, let me explain what Vrin
is,
perhaps that will help.”

“All right,” I said, incredulously.

She paused, gathering her thoughts. “--There is a place we go when we sleep, a world that exists between life and death. When we sleep here, we go there. When we sleep there, we come here.”

“Back and forth. ”

“Yes. But it is extremely complicated. It isn't as simple as passing back and forth.” She handed a soda to Sam. “Everyone who believes and trusts in God, goes to Vrin. We believe it is the last human battlefield. There is a war going on in that realm which most are completely unaware of. However, it has devastating implications for eternity.”

“But you said
I
go there when I sleep, and that I am important there. How is that possible, when I don't even
believe
in God?” As I said the words, I realized that I was unsure if it were still true. What had changed my mind, if indeed my mind had been changed?

“I don't think you truly realize your connection with God.” Nan picked up a leather bound book and handed it to me. The cover read,
DAVATA NOTRALS
:
The Holy Truth.

I stared at it. “And what do you want me to do with
this?”

When I got there, she flipped one page, then pointed. The verse read, “In those the last days, God rose up the prophet Tardin, who having the secret to The Circle, turned the tide of darkness. And God banished Kric' tu with Rath in flames.”

“You
are
that prophet.”

I looked at her in total disbelief, then held the book out. “If this thing is from
God,”
I said, letting out a cynical laugh. “Then why is
wrath
spelled wrong?”

She smiled. “You cannot run from your destiny, Thomas.”

“I'm
sorry.
This is all just a
little
too far fetched for me.”

Sam interrupted. “I saw those men go
through
the walls, Dad. I'm ready to believe
anything.”

“Well
I'm
not ready,” I said, sitting down. Nan and Samuel stared at me expectantly. “Okay,” I said, “So let’s just suppose you're right, which I’m not saying you are, but
if
you were-- what does it
mean?”

“We don’t know yet,” said Nan. “We're hoping the code will tell us.”

I blinked at her. I did not want to ask. I did not want to know. But the word came out anyway.
“Code?”

She reached out and took the book from me. “In this book, there is a hidden code that provides information about the future. Your
name
is in the code, and we are trying to find out what God wants us to do.”

Again I stared, dumbfounded. “But what if
I
don't want to do
anything?
What if I just want to go back to my
life?”

“I don't believe God expects anything else from you, not right now anyway. You were only meant to bring us the code.”

“But I thought I was important.”

“You
are
important. But in
Vrin.”

“So they’ll leave me alone now?”

She frowned. “I don't know. They may try to capture you. But I don't think they'll hurt you, now that they know you returned to Vrin.”

That
was hardly comforting! “What about my family?”

She took the teapot off the stove. “They're not important.”

Here, words could not convey my frustration and turmoil. I put my head in my hands.

She placed a steaming cup in front of me. “Everything is working out as it should, Thomas,” she said gently. “You just need to trust in God. He has a plan.”

“Look.” I lifted my head. “I’m not a
fairy tales
kind of guy. This whole thing, although disturbingly convincing, is just a little
too
much. I’m not a prophet, and believe it or not, I have
no
interest in fighting fallen angels. I want my life back. I want to run my company. And I want to get to know my family. So, with
whatever
is going on here, I wish you well. But I would appreciate it if everyone would just leave me alone.”

“I’ll let you know when it is safe to live your life again, Thomas.” She stared at me intently. “You’re positive you don’t want to be a part of what we’re doing?”

“This isn’t my fight, Nan. This a war for--
religious
people. I’m a man of science.”

I looked at him, aghast. “You
can’t
be serious.”

“I think one of us should stay close to what's happening, so if things start to stir up we’ll be prepared. Besides, I like all this mystery stuff. I want to know more.” He gave me a searching look. “If things get too crazy, I can always come join you.” He turned to Nan. “Would you mind if I stayed?”

Her eyebrows rose. “It's pretty cramped in here, and my mom can be quite a handful. Are you
sure?”

Sam laughed. “I mean, here in Marathon, in a condo or something-- so I can help you.”

“Alright,” she said with an approving smile. “As long as you follow my rules, and don’t go bringing any unwelcomed guests back to my doorstep.”

They both looked at me for approval.

I let out a long sigh. “I can’t tell you what to do, Sam. But I hope you won’t go doing anything crazy; we barely know each other, and that's a problem I was hoping to rectify.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Yes, Hazel,” I said slowly. “Important in Vrin.” I turned and looked at Sam again. He was suppressing a smile.

“Sam.” My shoulders slumped. “I wish I could help, but this whole thing isn’t me. This is something your mom might do. She’s the one who fights the good fight, the one who struggles to make the world a better place. I’m an engineer, I invent things. I don’t...” I paused, looking for words. “I don’t
battle
the forces of evil.”