The House of Yeel (23 page)

“She’s a hero!”

“She is. But she’s only
bought you a few weeks at most. It’s enough time to carry out our
plan, if you’re a man of your word.”

“I am. Speak of it later. Now, take her and
heal her, please!”

“I intend to,” Yeel said.

Chapter 17: The Balancer

The room was gently lit by
glowing orbs in all four corners. Yeel slid in carrying Jymoor’s
corpse.

“The location is logical
enough,” Yeel said to himself. “A course of exactly nineteen
degrees from north, departing from the main fountain, which
corresponds to the nineteen machines made by the genius Jegerni. Or
perhaps some other algorithm was involved? No matter, here I
am.”

An altar of shiny metal
dominated the center of the room. It had a lid which lay open,
revealing a wavy substance filling a central reservoir. A
fist-sized pyramid glowed a dull green atop the device. One of
Yeel’s tentacles whipped out and adjusted a setting. In response, a
humanoid-shaped depression formed in the filling material of the
altar.

Yeel reverently removed the
moon armor and placed it aside. Then he put the body into the
depression and arranged Jymoor’s arms and legs to fit.

“Hmm. I hope I took care to
remember this correctly,” he said to himself.

Yeel engaged the mechanism
by turning the green pyramid ninety degrees. The lid slid shut over
Jymoor’s body.

A steady vibration made
itself felt through the floor of the chamber. Yeel’s massive foot
picked it up immediately. It was a steady droning thrum, building
in energy.

Yeel fished through his
reagents and brought out a tiny cluster of plant bulbs. He wrapped
the bulbs in a loop of tentacle and crushed them, emitting a puff
of tiny pink particles into the air. The faint cloud dissipated
almost immediately.

Finally, the vibration
peaked, causing a snap like a heavy timber cracking under a
load.

The pyramid turned red briefly, and then
returned to its familiar green glow. Yeel unlocked the device by
returning the pyramid to its original position.

Then the lid slid open, revealing the person
within. She looked similar to the previous occupant, though Yeel
immediately noted subtle differences in clothing and physiology.
Most notably, this creature was breathing.

She opened her eyes and bolted upright in the
altar.

“Who are you? Where am I?”

“I am Yeel. This is my house.”

Jymoor blinked. “Yeel? That name is somehow
familiar.”

“No matter.”

“This is your house?” She sat up. “Why am I
so calm?”

“I haven’t brought you here
to harm you,” Yeel hastily explained. “You’re calm for now, because
I thought it best to lace the air with a sedative. That is, I cast
a spell to keep you from being afraid.”

“What is this stone bed I’m
on?” Jymoor ran her hand over the edge of the human-shaped
depression.

“It is a machine. A
magnificent machine called Jergerni’s Balancer.”

“I don’t recall ever hearing
of such a machine. Why can’t I remember my arrival? This is unlike
any place I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m sorry for the shock of
it all. This is not your world. You’ve been brought to
another.”

“Is that even possible?”

Jymoor stepped up out of the machine.

“It is. Don’t worry, you’ll
find much is familiar here. You won’t have to start over completely
from scratch. That might be depressing. Now, you live in this
world.”

“Why?”

“This place is very much like the place from
which I summoned you. So alike, there was a copy of you living
here. But she died. So, I have brought you as a replacement.”

“If I replace myself…if I
replace her here, then there is no me…at my old world.”

“Some universes have need of entities like
Jymoor. Like you. Others have surpluses of them. Some universe
needed her to be dead. This one needs her to be alive.”

Jymoor blinked.

“But why…why did you select
a replacement to be like me…like her, when she failed?”

The new Jymoor saw a mirror on the wall and
walked slowly toward it. Yeel followed.

“She was a good candidate. Circumstances
conspired to end her reign quickly. But her qualities were very
desirable in a Crescent Knight. She did not die a failure. She died
a hero.”

“And I’m exactly like
her?”

“Yes. No. You are a quantity
that replaces her in this existence and is replaced by her in your
existence in a way that improves the balance across the two.
Usually this means you are very similar—unless someone has
previously tampered with the balances before, in which case they
started unequal and the trade was not equivalent. It would tend to
balance them out. That is what I did in this case. Someone
previously increased the power of a universe out there, probably
selfishly, and this device made use of that difference, taking a
bit out of your universe, to supply me with a living version of you
instead of a dead one. Either that, or you are a net negative on
whatever existence you enter, and I had it backward. Given what I
know of you that seems unlikely.”

“I don’t want to know,”
Jymoor said. She looked at herself in the mirror. “I think it’s
still me, as far as I can tell,” she said.

“You have a sword at your hip,” Yeel
said.

“I fence. My brother taught me,” Jymoor said.
“Though honestly, I prefer a bow and arrow, which better suit a
scout.”

“And you know no Yeel in your world?”

“Yeel? A creature of myth.
Wait…are you…?”

“Yes. And your shadow worked with me,
here.”

“In this world, I worked
with Yeel…as the Crescent Knight! Now I know you’ve hypnotized me.
This is impossible. It’s so ludicrous that I know it’s not
true.”

“It is true. Please. Try to
absorb this knowledge and remember it. Your doppelganger’s
sacrifice should not be in vain. Your people need you in this copy
of your world.”

“What’s going
on?”

“A massive barbarian
invasion. You and I are allied to stop it. I’ll give you your armor
and show you around. The armor will help you to feel
better.”

Yeel showed the new Jymoor how to wear the
moon armor.

“The individual pieces feel
heavy, but as you get most of it on, it lightens, or you
strengthen, I’m not sure which since I haven’t worn it myself,” he
said.

“It does feel…different,”
she said. “I think maybe I’m still under your spell. All of this
does not seem alarming.”

“Good, then you can get used
to it for a while. I’ll tell you what I can.”

“I think I’ll need help,
being in a different world. Shouldn’t I be mad that you’ve taken me
here?”

“This world needs you more. And you can be
more, here. The Crescent Knight. The scout who retrieved Yeel to
aid your people.”

“Maybe.”

“Your teacher, Master Kasil,
will help you. Her memory is much better than mine. No doubt she
can tell you many details I’m not able to relate. Minutia, maybe,
but in their totality it should help.”

“Master Kasil? Does she know
I’m a…different version?”

“I told her you’ve been
through a great trauma. Of a supernatural nature. She won’t be
surprised if you act differently. She’ll simply teach you as best
as she can, although now, since you already know the sword, you’ll
presumably have more bad habits to break.”

“Thanks for the positive attitude,” Jymoor
said.

“That’s exactly what the
other Jymoor would say! Oh, and one more thing,” Yeel said. “I’m a
horrible, rubbery, multitentacled monster. So don’t fall in love
with me.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Thank you for letting me know,” Jymoor
said.

“It’s the least I could do,”
Yeel answered.

Chapter 18: Gifts

“What’s going on?” asked
Jymoor. Mercenaries milled about in Yeel’s house.

“Yeel has given us gifts!” a
soldier exclaimed, showing Jymoor a longsword. “This weapon warms
the hand in cold climes and it won’t rust!”

“He’s giving these out to
everyone?”

“No. He’s given a unique
gift to each of the Companions. He’s been up all night! I told him
of my campaigns in the north and of my plans to return there after
we’ve saved the capital. This sword is a priceless treasure for one
such as myself! And he says he memorized my name!”

“Companions? Did he hire a mercenary
troupe?”

“No. Don’t you recognize us?
We’re the ones he saved from the stone garden. Oh, you’ve been hurt
in the duel, haven’t you? Don’t worry, your amnesia should be
temporary.”

Another soldier walked by, examining a
longbow so intently he almost collided with Jymoor. A third looked
back at Jymoor through a clear crystal shield and waved at her.

Jymoor watched the other Companions nearby
for a moment. One stood at the balcony, peering out over the land
through a spyglass. Another patted a small bag at his belt with a
wide smile on his face.

Several soldiers stood by a
large pile of chain shirts discarded on the floor. They each wore a
jerkin of a thick, gray material. The whole group had their daggers
out, and they were stabbing each other in the chest playfully, yet
apparently no one had been injured.

Jymoor caught sight of Yeel at the far side
of the room, next to a giant table covered in bags and baskets.

“Everyone? Thank you all so
much for your pledge to fight at my side. I’ve carefully remembered
each of you.”

The Companions turned as one to look at Yeel.
They quickly fell silent. Jymoor carefully made her way forward
through the throng as Yeel continued to speak.

“I’m so grateful to you, my
Companions. I hope these items enhance your safety as well as
increase our combined chances of success.”

The Companions cheered.

“If I may remind you, don’t
forget your hemostatic stones. Please each of you take two!
Remember they’re very easy to use, and replaceable, so don’t
hesitate to use them if arteries get cut. Good luck! We’ll be
leaving soon.”

The active talk resumed.

“He saved us all. How could I do anything
else but fight with him?” an adventurer was saying as Jymoor
passed.

“I’d follow him into a nest
of acid vipers,” a woman replied. Jymoor glanced at her. It was a
tall woman with a heavy black staff.

Jymoor walked over toward Yeel.

“Oh, you’ve returned? Feel
free to take a hemostatic stone yourself. Have you been told how to
use one?”

“Yeel, I—”

“And the mail replacement.
Oh wait, you have the moon armor, of course. Never mind…though it
could afford some protection across the junctures, or in the case
of attack from the rear…”

“Yeel, I’m so
sorry.”

“Oh! You aren’t coming with
us. No need to apologize! I’m so ashamed to have deceived your
predecessor. Of course I couldn’t expect you to trust
me—”

“I am coming. I meant I’m
sorry I was angry before.”

“You didn’t seem
angry…”

“No I meant me. The other
me. You see, I’ve begun to experience some of my memories. Some
of
her
memories.”

“Really? That’s remarkable.
I hadn’t anticipated that. Perhaps it’s the moon armor? Oh, it’s
such a good thing I didn’t murder the other you and hoped you
wouldn’t figure it out! Just think. You would now know of my
deed.”

“So, the other me was angry at you for not
returning her affection. And crazily jealous of Vot. I think the
armor may have magnified it.”

“It was understandable. As
you now know, I’m also a monster to your view. A hideous creature
of the unknown, a demon, no doubt a thing whose motives are
parallel to its terrifying appearance…”

“I know you’re trying to
save my people. I’m sorry for thinking you selfish. It was a shock.
But you were a friend to my…previous self, and you’ve proven
yourself to be my friend, too. And your attachment to Vot is only
reasonable…given that she must also be…a tall green
creature.”

“Oh. Yes, she is. Very smart of you to
realize that on your own.”

Jymoor tried to see through the illusion, but
all she sensed was a confused man, albeit an unusually tall, thin,
and knobby-jointed confused man.

A soldier ran into the chamber, calling for
Yeel. Everyone directed him toward their leader. The soldier came
up to Yeel and Jymoor.

“Word was sent from Vot. The attack is
approaching Ascara-home! She pleads you to embark immediately!”

“Companions! The time has
come sooner rather than later!” Yeel called out. “To the fountain
room! Await me there. Please don’t harm the creatures in the
water.”

“Has King Aruscetar been informed?” Jymoor
asked the soldier.

“He will be soon if not already.”

“Come with me, Yeel,” Jymoor urged. “We need
the army.”

“I hope he meant what he said.”

They followed the soldier back through the
roveportal to Maristaple. They arrived in a courtyard adjacent to
the inner keep. Soldiers formed up in the space, though many more
could not fit in the open area.

“It looks like the word has
spread. Let’s find the king,” Jymoor said.