An excerpt from the BryonySeries novel Ruthless by Ed Calkins, the Steward of Tara.
A desk and chair have no place in a women’s restroom,
but that was the image in front of Trudy as she hoped to leave not only the
restroom, but the funeral parlor. Lights were off, but she could make out a
computer monitor on the desk’s surface. She didn’t dare turn around to look at
the reflection’s source because that would mean placing her back to the
full-length mirror. That might be Eddie’s only chance to take her unawares.
“Mirrors and light”: he had a theory about that. It wasn’t an original
theory. Plato’s cave had been around far past its usefulness, but Eddie
referred to it. back when he was still creating serious poetry. The theory
compared the perception of reality to a pair of men standing backs to the
entrance, looking on each other’s shadows and thinking that they faced each
other. He’d finally started leaving that idea alone, but then the evidence came
in about the speed of light, which is constant. For example, when Eddie threw a
newspaper from his truck, the newspaper added the speed of the truck to the
power of the throw and went faster than Eddie could throw it. Conversely, the
light from his headlights was not added to the speed of the beam, which went
only at the same speed of light everywhere.
Eddie explained this in a novel, stubborn way, claiming that the true
source of light does not move. Eddie claimed that his headlights, like all
light, were invisible until they reflected off some unmoving “dark matter mirror,”
which resided everywhere in the universe where “vision” is possible. One could
see the mirror, not the light. This also changed the way he thought of time and
space. Eddie used to infuriate everyone when he talked about space travel,
saying that if people ever launched a probe at the nearest star, the star was
just as likely to get further away the closer they approached it, just like
objects reflected from a mirror get farther away as people approach the mirror.
Approach the mirror.
It made sense now. Trudy took a step.
Did the desk get closer or farther away?
It actually got closer.
The “mirror” was an entrance, like some hole in the
fabric of reality. That or these new pills, while great for depression, were
going to present some interesting challenges.
Trudy stepped out of reality and into the darkened office.
Just as she did, a light went on and a
young, good-looking man opened the door, flicked on a switch, and stepped
inside. Trudy was trying to think how to explain herself when she gasped in
recognition.
But the boy apologized.
“Sorry Trudy,” the boy said. “I’m not supposed to be here. I’ll come
back later; it’s nothing I can’t do at another time. Just please don’t tell Ed
Calkins you saw me here. I don’t want to star in another limerick.”
“Clint?”
“Ah, it’s your first time,” he replied as if he instantly knew
everything she didn’t. “Please call me Glorna from the other Tara of Ed
Calkins’ imagination, the one without humans. You know me because I’ve starred
in your dreams. Actually, you’re a queen
in this realm, which is Tara with humans.
A queen like you can call me anything you like. If I’m ‘Clint’ to you,
well that’s fine. I have been watching cowboy films, so I know everything about
cowboys.”
“Except how to raise cattle,” Trudy quipped.
“What does cattle have to do with being
a cowboy? My queen, you’re confused. Herds of cattle are in Ireland. Cowboys
live in the American west and have nothing to do with cows. It’s just a name.
Cowboys break laws, rob banks, kill outlaws for bounties….that sort of thing.
No cowboy would be caught dead doing rancher’s work. I know. I’ve watched all
the movies.
Trudy didn’t argue but looked back at the place she’d entered. Gone. The
room was different, too.
Glorna pointed at the wall. “Don’t worry. When you wish to leave, I’ll
open the portal. I’m a wood sprite from way back, so I’m omnipresent in this
office. You probably want to know where you are right now, but I can’t tell
you. I’ve never been outside this building, you see, because I’m from the other
Tara. I can tell you that we’re more back in time rather than forward.”
Pointing to the knives on either side of his belt, Glorna quipped, “I
feel like I should have more advanced weapons.”
Trudy felt the belt around her own waist. It was also a knife, but it
should have been a…what?
“Don’t expect to name anything that hasn’t been invented yet. The only
place that’s allowed is the other Tara, and The Steward of Tara won’t make that
mistake again.” Glorna explained. “Just please don’t tell Ed Calkins I’m here.
I’m supposed to be under house arrest…you know, for cowboy things.”
“There was something on that table here.”
“I’m sure there was. Are you ready to meet them?”
“Them?”
“Your subjects, my queen.” Glorna bowed low and stayed bowed until Trudy
passed. Then he rushed forward to open the gate.
Illustration by Nancy Calkins for "Ruthless"
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