Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods (27 page)

“Yes,” I said, not able to tear my eyes from her delicate form.

“Then let us go have a look.”

PROPHECIES

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The massive hardwood doors opened before us, revealing a pitch black interior. I walked forward into the dark room, to its center, where I knew a tinderbox could be found. I felt for it.

“Are you so proud that you will not ask for assistance?” inquired Kitaya. The room began to fill with soft light. I looked up and saw a brilliant yellow sphere floating overhead, like a gaseous miniature of the sun.

“The scrolls are enlightenment from the gods, right? And the gods are all knowing and all powerful, so why would you require the scrolls? Do you not already know what has been written?”

Kitaya pushed her index finger toward me, and as she did, a pulse of energy spread out to illuminate a pane of ghost-like glass. “Let me illustrate.” A glowing dot expanded from under her fingertip. She dragged her finger down, creating a faint iridescent line ending at a second larger dot. She withdrew her finger. “Your people are becoming, and soon will be gods. It is the natural progression of the universe. Davata Notrals is not a book of our revelation to you. It is God’s revelation to us. Through it we will become what we were fated to be. Do you understand?”

As Kitaya passed through the transparency, it dispersed into gas. Softly she touched my shoulder and sat down next to me. “Why are you troubled?” she asked tenderly.

“It’s complicated.” I looked up at her.

She smiled sympathetically, her eyes examining every detail of my face.

I wanted to tell her. I wanted to confide in her, but it was too dangerous. I was vulnerable, I no longer had the power of the gods. My heart sank. Why had God returned me to Charm? Had I failed? I remembered the cold dungeon. The spirit told me it was time to go home, but where was
home?
This didn't seem to qualify. Why did I return to Vrin instead of exiting the simulation? If what she said was
true,
why had God taken away my power? Was I not
ready
to be Sam' Dejal?

The realization struck me in the chest. In my weakness, I had incited her curiosity. She must have listened to my thoughts! I had unwillingly revealed my deepest secret, and I could not take it back. Why had I let my guard down?

“Perhaps somewhere deep inside, you wanted me to know,” she said softly, still reading my mind.

I gripped my head in my hands. “I am in danger in this body, terrible danger.”

She took my hands into hers and squeezed them warmly. Quietly she examined my face. “You don't need to worry, I will not betray you.”

I looked at her intently. The others must have told her about the program and our communication with the outside.
“Am
I just a character, or is something more going on? There's a
connection
between these two worlds. I just can't put my finger on it.”

She rubbed my back. “It will come.”

The touch of her hand was comforting. There was something about this young lady that set me at ease. Perhaps it was the lack of pretense her youth afforded her, or maybe it was her innocence. Either way, I felt I could trust her, and with so many questions on my mind, I needed
someone
I could trust. I gave her a warm look. “I missed you.”

“I thought I saw Tiko exiting the bazaar, but the area was crowded,” she said, shaking her head. “I could not get a clear look at him. He disappeared into a building, so I followed, and found myself in an enormous room, and it was dark. On the other side was an open doorway, so, thinking that was where Tiko had gone, I headed towards it. But when I reached the center of the room, a figure stepped in front of the door. At first I thought it was Tiko, but then I realized, to my horror, it was Rath!

Of course I tried to use my power. I swung my arms around searching for the web, but there wasn’t a single thread anywhere.” She looked down at the floor. “And that’s when he sealed me in.”

“I had a similar experience.”

She gave a sympathetic nod. “He left me there to rot, and I did, for a
long
time. But then I figured something he missed. I could still control
my
threads. First I made my hands glow so I could look around. I knew I could not activate the threads in the room, but I figured I could break out manually. So I removed my cloak and transformed it into a sticky putty, then pressed it onto the wall. Once I had a firm coating, I pulled a thread out and stepped back. On my command the putty turned to acid, which made a large hole in the wall.

She shook her head. "We have lost ground. There seems to be no end to Kric' tu's forces. But we now have the aid of most of The Ten."

"Who?"

"Corel, Armadon, and Lorna, as you know. And Tiko joined us, but there is much tension between him and the others. Then there is Hamjin. I do not believe you know him. He is the ninth."

"So...” I stood up. “Why are we still
here?
It's obvious Rath and Kric' tu wish to force Gaza's hand, and Gaza has lost what stands between him and his threat.” I shook my head. “So
why
are we still here?"

"I do not know.”

"Is that why you're here?" I turned. "Does the Book of Reason hold the key?"

"It may. After our last defeat, we gathered for an emergency meeting. Although we believe your theory that we are in comas, we were all in agreement that there was more going on. None of us can speak to the outside, so I offered to go to The Circle of Ghosts to see if I could learn more about Kric' tu. It was my first time there, and it was
very
unsettling. At first nothing happened, but then as I was getting ready to leave, a man appeared in the center of The Circle. He was transparent, like a ghost, and he said
God
wished to speak with me!"

"Wow.”

"He warned me not to look at God, because if I did, I would be destroyed. I was terrified! I dropped to my knees and did
not
look up. The ground shook and a brilliant light appeared. When he spoke, I could not tell if it was coming from inside my head, or from The Circle. But I will never forget what he said. First, he said, we are greatly loved, and second, that Vrin is important, even though it is imperfect. And finally, he said there are answers in his book. And that is why I am here."

She stood up and stepped toward me. "You
are
something greater. You hold the secret to Vrin in your very existence. We thought the people of this world were dreams, but you are now a part of the dream."

Her words echoed in my mind.
A part of the dream.
I was no longer in Sam' Dejal. I was Charm. I had all of his memories, every detail of a life lived here in this computer generated world. Had I entered the computer, or were the people of Vrin real? I remembered the soldier sitting on his helmet. His concern for his brother showed complex human emotion. A program capable of that kind of complexity was impossible, as far as I was aware, and yet every inhabitant of Vrin apparently possessed a similar set of programming instructions.
Did I enter the program? Or were the people of Vrin real?

Kitaya was close. Yet her words were distant. "Vrin is real, Jason, and
you
are the key."

The key.
I was the key. I was not from Vrin, and yet here I stood. Was I from both places? When I was Sam' Dejal, Charm was frozen. Frozen over the book.

"The book!”

Kitaya jumped.

I ran to the case, which held the Book of Reason, and threw open the lid. The scroll sparkled on the rose felt cushion. I snatched it up and unrolled it.

"What is it?" said Kitaya, peering over my shoulder.

"I have studied these scrolls a million times. I know every inch of this parchment. There.” I pointed. “There it is!" I could hardly believe my eyes as I read, “‘Then the voice of the one true God spoke to the people, from the world in dreams beyond the darkness, and their eyes were opened. No longer did they sleep, for they knew all that God had created them to be.’ That's
IT!”

"What?"

I turned toward Kitaya. "The people of Vrin
are
real.
This
is the world in dreams beyond the darkness!”

She squinted at me. “I am not following you.”

“I don't understand how, but it's the only thing that makes sense. When I was trapped in Rath's fortress, I was rescued. I was told I would be taken home, but I'm still here. I couldn't understand why I returned to Charm when I should have gone back to my body-- the one lying in a coma where Doctor Solomon is. But I must have awakened, and then returned to Vrin through sleep! This verse indicates a world in dream beyond the darkness. If the void is the darkness, then that would indicate that Vrin is some form of shared dream state."

“I thought Vrin was in the computer.”

“Vrin is a computer
program,
but somehow I am able to enter Vrin without being connected to the computer, and it has something to do with dreams.”

“How?”

“I don't know-- but it's
very
intriguing.”

She smiled, then frowned. "That is all very interesting, but does that scroll mention anything about how to stop Gaza?"

I thought for a moment, then lifted a finger. "Yes, I believe it does."

I unrolled the scroll again, and 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.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Are
you
the prophet Tardin?”

I looked at her with wide eyes. "Apparently, and as long as this verse remains unchanged, I will learn the secret of The Circle, which will turn the tide of darkness.

"The
secret
to The Circle?"

"I won't," she said, slipping her arms around me. She placed her head against my chest. "I am glad you are alive."

The energy engulfed me, and I found myself standing on the bottom floor of the capital building, hugging thin air. I was mildly embarrassed, but recovered quickly.

"Charm!" It was the voice of Sajin. I turned and saw him walking up the stone corridor toward me. "Where is Kitaya?"

Sajin's office was not nearly as royal or regal as the other council members'. He was a man of the people, and as such, kept his office comfortable and simple. I walked over to the tall narrow window looking out over the many gardens of the capital building.

"Would you like a drink?" he offered.

"Juice would be well received. I can barely remember the last time I ate or drank."