In the warmth of that reminder, Syn allowed herself to sleep once more.
25
PARTINGS
Despite waking up as early as she could, hoping to slip out onto her journey unnoticed, the bots all waited for her outside. They were now past the edge of the Cradle. The outer courtyard of the lower Settlement, the one bordering the vast wasteland of the Desert of Nod, was jammed with the bots of the Ecology. The sky above was still the dark smoky haze, but Syn could now see the subtle hint of the sunstrips light above—a small difference between now and night, but enough. There, in the silence and darkness of the early morning, the bots were all assembled.
She had descended the flights of stairs to look out at the base of the Disc, and there the Barlgharel greeted her. The two stood above the final staircase overlooking the mass of the Ecology.
“We are here to provide a lasting memory upon your journey.” He leaned back, and his yellow and green body swayed back and forth. He gestured to the assemblage and said, “You have made a lasting memory upon them. It is only customary we do the same.”
Syn pressed her lips together. “How come you all weren’t out yesterday morning for me? I said I was going to leave the night before. You even did that whole blessing thing.”
The Barlgharel leaned in and whispered, “From what I know of you, you’re never one to leave anything broken.” He turned and waved an appendage over the waiting Ecology. “Besides, neither you nor we were ready for it. I’m not sure we are wanting it this morning, but we are at least ready.”
“And how are you more ready now than yesterday?” She planted her spear on the cement ground and leaned against it, staring into the billowing smog and across the fading desert.
The Barlgharel swayed back and forth, “I think we are only ready because now we have taken up a place in your soul. Yesterday, we would’ve just been a memory. Now, we are a part of you.”
Syn could not answer that. Had the one day made that big of a difference? And how could he have known that?
Before she could reflect on his words, he leaned in and directed her gaze across the desert, to a single dot far up the rising edge of the Disc to her left. “That is your destination, little Expected Sunflier.”
“Is Blip there?” The words were out of her mouth before she thought them. And she felt reassured by them. Yesterday, she had been so lost in the work that her mind rarely drifted to him. The immediate challenges of fixing each of the bots seemed more real than the far away problem of his absence. Only last night, after she had curled up under the blankets in Arquella’s room and was certain the chrome bot had shut down for the night as it floated in the corner, only then had Syn allowed herself to face the emotion of his absence. He was not there, and she hated falling asleep without him near. It had been such a rarity, and now she was three nights without him. She had even navigated the terror of a nightmare without him. She did not want to get used his absence. She did not want the ache to stop. And yet, on that third night, it hurt a bit less. And inside, she hated herself for it.
“That is where he has been taken. I believe he is still there. That is Zondon Almighty, as the Crimson Queen has named it.”
Syn narrowed her eyes. “It’s darker over here, but I’m guessing that’s about nine kilometers away.”
The Barlgharel nodded. “9.9 to be precise. Your journey will be slow-going.”
“I can walk that in a couple hours.”
“Yes, but the dry ground, blowing dust, and the air itself will slow you down.”
Two smaller bots, both with large round cases that functioned as a body, each with one singular large eye in the center of their heads, and long, monkey-like arms draping near the ground, came walking out carrying an assortment of clothes.
The Barlgharel first picked up a pair of goggles. The rims were a bright gold, and the lenses were ruby-colored. They were the cleanest item she had seen on this side. “These will enable you to see if the wind devils strike.” He handed them to her, and she tried them on, turning the world red as she brought them over her eyes. She loved them. She lifted them up and rested them on the top of her head.
He held a red and gold-orange jacket and a scarf of the same colors. “These will keep you warm. Down here, Sunflier, it is much colder. Wear this and cover your mouth so you won’t grow sick as you move closer to Zondon.”
Syn tried on the jacket, lifting up her assortment of necklaces and slipping the collar underneath. The scarf she wrapped around her neck over the assortment of jewelry, and she let the ends hang down across the front of her body. She loved the colors. “Thank you.”
The Barlgharel turned to the Ecology below and said, “We have already blessed our friend’s journey. She is the Sunflier. The Expected One. And as she leaves, we expect her to return. Her journey is not just away. It is there and back to us.”
He led her down the stairs, and she found herself mobbed by the bots when she reached the bottom of the staircase. Most wanted to say goodbye. They nuzzled close, expecting hugs that she returned. Some tried to talk her out of the journey, but the Barlgharel shook his head each time.
She stepped to the edge of the Settlement, where the cement path ended, and the dead land lay beyond. In her world, this would be the edge of the jungle, and the world would be erupting in green, but nothing but blowing dirt, gray and soot-streaked, lay before her.
She turned and waved and several more spoke out as she did so. They all insisted that she return. She continually heard the mutter of “Expected” and cringed each time one of them spoke it.
She didn’t want to leave them. She gripped her spear tight, knowing that she had to leave but struggling to not be pulled back into the crowd. As her eyes welled up with tears, Syn blurted out, “I’ll come back.”
“Will you take us away from here? To the other world?” one bot shouted out from somewhere in the crowd. She couldn’t see how she could take them back to her Disc, but she understood why they wanted to leave this one. It was horrible. She felt the collective sense of hope, so she nodded in agreement. Finally, after being asked several more times as she waved goodbye, Syn finally declared aloud, “Yes. I promise.” She winced reflecting on that pledge—How can I keep that?
The Barlgharel drew closer. “We have one final gift to give, and we know we are still in debt to you for all you have done for us. But take comfort in this. A few of ours have offered to escort you to the gates of Zondon. We know that if you choose to step inside, they likely will not be allowed to enter, but they will not leave your side until then.”
Syn’s eyes went wide. Someone wanted to go with her? Out into that? “You sure? Who is that—” she had meant to say “who is that stupid?” but was interrupted by the whirring of Huck from out of the crowd, zipping around her head. Syn erupted into a smile. “Huck? Really?”
From behind her, someone coughed—a high-pitched sound. Bear and Arquella stood there. Bear started to speak, “We plan to go…”
Arquella interrupted, “It’s our honor to accompany the Expected.”
Syn went over to the two as Huck buzzed around. “You really sure? I’m not sure what’s out there.”
Bear spoke first and quickly, rushing to get his words out before Arquella interrupted again. “Neither do we, but we’re going. You need us.”
Syn nodded. That might be true. “Okay, then. Let’s get going.”
The Barlgharel slithered forward, “One last thing. Beware the Hazards.”
“Huh?” Syn said, adjusting her pack around her shoulders. It felt heavier this morning that normal.
The bots of the Ecology had gone quiet at his mention of the Hazards.
“I’m not sure what you might find, but you might draw the attention of some of the monsters of the Disc. There are wild things out there—some quite monstrous—and they prowl throughout Nod.”
Syn furrowed her eyebrows. “Like animals?”
“Yes, they are quite like animals. Vicious and territorial. But no. They are not made of the Sun. They are like the walls and houses. They are things made to look real, but there is no love in them. There is no spark of intelligence in them. They think only of death. And it may be that you can venture from here to there without encountering one. But beware when you do. Be careful. Keep alert at all times. Do not detour from your course.”
Syn nodded, perplexed at this new, unknown threat. For the first time in a day, anxiety began to well up in her. Oh Blip, why did we ever come here?
Hidden amongst the gray miasma, the settlements stood toward the darkness with their curved facades—attempts to portray an unnatural world as organic.
She turned and strode out into the barren landscape, giving only a wave this time. Behind her followed her friends.