The Fourth World Read online

  Justine wanted me to save her... but I couldn't.

  The conversation continued for a while, until everybody went to sleep. All except for Richard, who was assigned the night watch.

  Chapter III - Raban

  As they advanced, the landscape became more deserted. There was not a single leaf on the trees; dense dust covered the road. Lácio told them to wrap pieces of cloth around their faces, leaving only their eyes bare. The horses ambled with their heads down, struggling to breathe.

  After walking in those conditions, everyone’s clothes were filthy. They still had to spend a night in that place and it was the worst one yet. No one slept.

  Virginia thought she should leave; she didn't want to create trouble for the others. But she could not make it to the Oasis alone.

  “Aren't you going to disguise yourself?” Steven asked.

  “With that cloth on my face, I don't think it will be necessary. And I have nothing to wear as a disguise.”

  “You could cut your hair; speak in a deep voice; put on a man's outfit... not a fantastic disguise, but it's better than nothing. Remember, these men executed a nobody just because he was wearing the captain's clothes.” Thomas suggested.

  Virginia hesitated, but she knew it was better to change her appearance a little. The men offered to help her, but she preferred to do it by herself. She entered the tent, and with a dagger, she cut her hair short. Her appearance had not been a concern to her for some time, but she could not help but feel a little sad. She didn't have a mirror to examine how she looked, so she tried to look at herself in the blade of a sword. It was awful.

  The next day, no one saw how short Virginia's hair was, for she left the tent with the cloth wrapped around her head. They traveled for half a day; when the carriage stopped, they twisted their bodies in the wagon, hoping to see a town, a village, or anything that would get them off that road. But what they saw instead was a sea of black lava with a volcano in the middle.

  “We will cross the bridge now; sit still,” Lácio said.

  “We’re going to the volcano?” Thomas asked indignantly.

  “Raban lives inside the volcano.”

  They stared at Virginia to make sure it was true and sadly, she confirmed it.

  “I guarantee it's safe. The bridge was made with volcanic stones and magic. There is no solid bridge. Do you really think if it wasn't safe, I would be so calm?” Lácio said with a smile and a tone of debauchery that pleased nobody.

  Still not convinced, Steven studied the bridge with his eyes. It seemed solid. The rocks were black and irregular. In some parts, the borders were high and in others, not so much.

  “It's secure,” declared Virginia, and Steven felt a little silly. He shrank back into the wagon, shoulders tighter than ever, as the crossing began. They progressed slowly, and as the bridge was rough, the wagon swayed a lot. Steven noticed that the bridge was not as solid as he'd hoped. It seemed to have nothing linking one stone to another.

  It must be the magic that holds them together, he realized with discomfort. That statement didn't help much. He knew nothing about magic, except the kind of magic that appeared in the legends and the fairy tales his grandmother had told him as a child.

  They felt the heat rising from the lava, and it made Steven even more nervous. The others looked strangely calm, including Thomas and Richard, but in fact, they were as uneasy as he was. The pirate was too arrogant to show his fear, and Richard—like any young man—was too competitive to admit he felt so terrified, he could vomit at any moment. So, the young man kept his mouth shut and occasionally closed his eyes, trying to control his gag reflex.

  Steven’s fear paralyzed him; he couldn’t talk and could barely breathe. He felt even more ridiculous when Chad leaned over the edge and stared down with some enthusiasm. The boy was smiling. He knew where they were taking him.

  Proctor slept soundly, and Virginia admired the scenery with wondering eyes. “I was like you when I first came,” she told Steven.

  When they approached the volcano—which turned out to be a small island—Steven blew all the air out of his lungs. Looking around, he observed metal rings circling the walls of the volcano, making several floors, the inhabitants of Raban walking in and out.

  “How is that possible?” Richard asked Virginia.

  “The volcano is empty; it's like a hollow mountain. You'll see when we go in.”

  There was a short line to enter Raban; the gate guards were taller than all of them.

  Steven noticed their lower teeth coming out of their mouths, covering their upper lips. They had half-square faces and small eyes. Their bodies were not proportional; the arms reached their knees and were very thin, compared to the rest of their sturdy bodies. Their hair and beards were red. Though peculiar, there was something sympathetic about them.

  “What are they?” Steven asked in Virginia's ear.

  “What do you think? Rabans.”

  “Of course.”

  Lácio spoke to the guard. “We are all together. We need transport to Sermeria.”

  The guard peered at each of the group members, but their heads were still wrapped in rags, so they could only see their eyes. Virginia's heart beat fast.

  “I need to look at everyone’s marks,” the guard said in a deep voice. But all Steven, Richard, and Thomas understood were meaningless sounds.

  “Did you understand what he said?” Thomas asked Virginia.

  “You need to take the potion to understand.”

  Lácio stretched out his hand to the guard. Proctor showed his mark while saying, “They don't have the mark yet; they've just arrived. We found them on the way and gave them a ride.”

  The guard made a sound sounding like an annoyed growl and let them in.

  The city was suspended between the bottom of the volcano and the mouth. As they expected, it was small. There were six floors and it was as hot inside as it was outside. The houses and roads were made of the same material as the bridge, but the stairs leading from floor to floor were made of iron. Steven didn’t believe anyone could enjoy living there.

  What caught their attention were the tiny golden lights that crossed and illuminated the whole city. “What's that?” Thomas asked.

  “They are small salamanders,” replied Virginia.

  Many beings were coming and going on the streets. Some were like the guards, but not all Rabans were tall like those at the gate; some were the size of children, but by their expressions, they were clearly adults. They also encountered humans and other beings they didn't recognize.

  Richard approached a salamander. It looked like a tiny snake, and its hair was black and glowed intensely. He wanted to touch it, but he felt the warmth that emanated from that little being and realized that there were flames around it. He had the urge to pick up his canteen and put out the flames, but he realized that the being wasn't alarmed by the flames; it seemed thrilled and twirled around.

  His attention strayed from the salamander when he heard Thomas ask, “How do we get out of here?”

  “We can only get in and out through the air or over the bridge,” replied Virginia.

  “We need to find a place to sleep,” Lácio said. “I don't know if I have enough money for all of us, but let's try.”

  “I have coins,” said Virginia.

  “That's good news.”

  They climbed one of the spiral staircases, walked a little, and entered a place with a sign that said, “Decrepit Swamp”. They could tell that Lácio knew where he was going. Steven wondered how many times he must have been there.

  This time, they were not surprised to see that all the furniture in the tavern was made of the same lava stone. Lácio spoke to the innkeeper, who—though frightening at first glance—was gracious and polite.

  While Lácio negotiated, Proctor whispered in Virginia's ear, “Don't turn around.”

  Steven heard him and peeked. He saw three men sitting at a table. Like them, their heads were wrapped in rags, leaving only their g
ray and gleaming eyes exposed. Steven thought they seemed to possess their own light, but he didn't want to look for too long. There was an animal resting on the ground near them; it looked like a big lizard.

  “Sermerios,” whispered Proctor again, this time to Steven. Virginia trembled, and to calm her down, Steven held her hand, but she did not hold it back.

  If they catch me with them... It was the sole thing running through the woman's head. She didn't want to put them in danger.

  The agony ended quickly. Lácio picked up a key, and they moved upstairs. To save money, Lácio took only one room. Like the rest of the tavern, the room had no decoration; there were fur mattresses scattered about the room and two hammocks. The window was a round hole in the wall.

  “You'd better remain here,” Proctor said to Virginia and Chad. “We'll bring something for you to eat later.”

  “I'll stay here with them,” Steven said.

  The air in the room was a bit better. Virginia sat by the window and took the cloth from her head. Chad played with Ivy, and Steven joined Virginia. Of all the things he wanted to ask, what came out was, “Do you trust them?”

  “Yes... for the time being.”

  “Does that mean you think they will betray us?”

  “They will not betray you because they won’t get anything for you, and that's how it should be.” After a brief pause, she continued. “If they turn me over to them... it's not your concern.”

  “How can you say that? I told you to come with us, to get out of hiding! I didn't realize it was so dangerous. You should have said...”

  “You assumed I was insane, didn't you?”

  “I thought you could be overreacting...”

  “I left because I needed to. You were right. It wasn't worth remaining in that place.”

  “I didn't mean it was better to run at death with open arms. We can help you locate the wizard.”

  “The more time you spend near me, the riskier it is for you. Why is it so difficult to understand?”

  “Maybe because no one explains anything to us!” The remark came out in a more aggressive way than he’d wished.

  “You're right...” She glanced out the window and recalled the first time she had been in that city and how frightened and fascinated she was. She knew that for him to understand why he should leave her, she would have to explain. “All right. I'll explain what happens here.”

  She glimpsed at Chad. For some reason, she didn't want him to listen; it was better not to remind him of his fate. The boy rolled on the floor with the wolf; he paid no attention to them.

  She cleared her throat and spoke slowly. “We're not dead, but we're not alive, either.” Steven stared at her. “We are halfway between death and life. The only ones who can determine whether we die or return are the sermerios. Somewhere in our world, our bodies are sleeping, and no one can wake us, but we still breathe, and our hearts are still beating. You're a doctor; you must have seen people in those conditions.”

  “Of course. Some people die; others wake up remembering nothing... the missions... are they the ones who decide?”

  “Yes...”

  “What if someone refuses to do what they ask?”

  “They will be stuck here until they accept it. Many people decline but end up agreeing. It's complicated to live here without their support and everyone knows if something happens to your body, you die. The time we have is limited.”

  “How has no one ever heard of this place?”

  “When people come back, the sermerios take their memory. People remember things without meaning, as if they’d had a strange dream, and others remember nothing. For most, it must be a comfort to come back to their lives without recalling what they had to do here.”

  “But you didn't finish the mission, even though you knew you would not remember.”

  “As much as I wanted to go back, I didn't want to kill anyone... and I don't wish to forget.”

  “If this mage can get you back, will you still remember?”

  “Wizards are the only humans who can travel through both worlds freely. The Sermerios don't like them very much, but there are things only the wizards can do. I don't believe this wizard will aid me. He has everything to lose if he does. Sermerios give them freedom to do as they wish, as long as they do not interfere 'in the natural order'—that's what they call the missions. But for the moment, he is my only hope.”

  “Maybe he's willing to do a good deed and get nothing in return.”

  Virginia laughed. “Do you actually believe that?”

  “You need to be more optimistic. In the end, he's human, like us. He may want to help.” Steven looked back at Chad. The boy had made a ball with his socks and held it high while the wolf tried to catch it. The doctor leaned toward Virginia and whispered, “We can't let them kill a child...”

  Suddenly serious, she replied, “His situation is the same as ours; it doesn't matter if he is a child... many people are suffering because of my escape. I had no idea; I hid in that place and didn't imagine that what I did could affect all the others... it is not right to put you in this situation because of me. You need to go to them. We were lucky to find Lácio. For all new arrivals, the sermerios explain everything, give them a map, money, and a means of transportation. Most importantly, they make a mark on their palms and give them the potion that makes them understand all languages.”

  “And why is that mark so important?”

  “Because many cities don't like humans. They only let us in if we have the mark because they do not want to mess with the sermerios. Here, it is not the case. The Rabans like us; they are peaceful. You noticed how they didn't have a problem letting us in, but, depending on the guard, that could have been more challenging. He could have called one of the sermerios to take you. They are always around. When they suspect someone doesn’t belong here, they stop them and request to see their mark. So, when someone has just arrived and is lost, and doesn’t know where to go or what to do, they take them to Sermeria.”

  “And what is the mark?”

  “It looks like this.”

  Steven looked at her scar. It was of two diagonal Vs, one overlapping the other, with a line cutting them in half.

  “It was black before. When I failed the mission, I felt a pain, and I was bleeding. That's why my mark looks like a scar. Lácio's and Proctor's look like tattoos. If any of them come to take me, they'll know.”

  “And what should you have done? Go back and accept death?”

  “Yes, come back and accept death, for it is the agreement I made.”

  “And how did they learn you let him live?”

  “I don't know, but they did. I thought it was impossible to escape them. But after I managed to hide, I realized that whatever they are, they are not infallible.”

  “So, we are as vulnerable here as we are in life; we can die the traditional way, right? Like Proctor, who had a wound?”

  “Of course. We can die before completing the mission, or even before we get to Sermeria. If we fall into that lava, for example, we will surely die.”

  “Then why did you say Hubert didn't die?”

  She took a moment to remember. “I had already forgotten him... you will see how you think less and less about others and more about yourself the longer you are here.”

  “You still think about others...”

  She ignored him and continued. “The one I should have killed hid me in that place. He learned of a story of two guardians of the lighthouse that disappeared without a trace. Nobody wanted to take their place, because the people told all kind of stories, so they made another lighthouse and the first one was forgotten. After a while, they supposedly traveled to Arvel, but no one cared enough to go there to confirm the tale... the clothes I gave you were from these men. Anyway, he said it was better for me not to go to Arvel alone, because he didn't know how it worked. He said I should use that passage only if somebody found me and I needed to scape. So, he left me there and went to the wizard to convince him
to save me. The supposed passage to Arvel is where your friend threw himself.”

  “And how do you know the wizard is in the Oasis?”

  “That was the last message I got from him.” She took a small piece of paper from her coat pocket. It was all crumpled and torn in some places, as if it had been read and reread many times.

  It said: I could not find him in Arvel. I'm traveling to the Oasis. Hold on and do not leave.

  “He didn't write much because he was afraid it would fall into the wrong hands. But it's been a long time since he sent this message... I assume something must have happened.” Tears appeared in her eyes.

  Steven placed his hand over hers. “So, there's a way to persuade the wizards!” Steven said, almost ignoring what she had just said.

  At that moment, the others entered the room. “The sermerios are staying here; you cannot leave the room,” Lácio said to Virginia and Chad as he closed the door.

  Steven wanted to keep talking, but Virginia turned away from the subject.

  Proctor gave them an apple and some bread. “We have to save money.”

  As they ate, Proctor asked Richard and Steven, “What made you join the army?”

  “Everyone needs to enlist,” Richard replied.

  “You had to, but he did not.”

  Steven looked up. He didn't like to talk about it. His motive had a name and a face—Justine. “I thought it was my duty to... what did you do before you came here?”

  “We were hunters.”

  “That explains a lot,” Richard stated, and they laughed.

  After eating, little by little, each of them fell asleep.

  Chapter IV - Sermerios

  Raban was like Virginia’s old hideout; it was impossible to distinguish the day from the night—although in Raban, it was because of the thick smoke that covered the entrance to the volcano.

  Lácio was the first to wake up. He put on his boots and left the room carefully, so as not to wake the others.

  When Lácio returned, they were waiting for him. Knowing the sermerios were there, no one dared to leave the room. Lácio had bought food, drinks, blankets, some clothes, and medicine he’d traded the wagon for. “I got a place in an asadélis. But I must inform you; it will be tight.”