The Island of Echoes: A Novel Read online

  We departed Alexandria the next morning. I sat alone in the reclining room of the royal ship, hunger suppressed by emotion. I pressed my cheek to the palm of my hand as I watched the lighthouse glide by the window. It evoked my kiss with Ella when we had first spotted it, and this memory served to brighten my spirits, if only marginally. Once again, we picked up speed on the open water and the lulling of the ship provided me with the peace I sought the previous night.

  The ship had slowed its progress by the time I awoke. I stood and stretched, my mind clouded by further want of rest. I looked forward to being back in the palace apartment. Only then did I realize that I had not kept true to my word, for I had yet to ask our hosts of what was to become of us. The thought was accompanied by a tightness in my stomach. Was my euphoria wearing off? I began to fear the unknown now that my self-image had been diminished. It is incredible how differently the world appears with a shift in sense of worth.

  I stepped up to the deck and saw Daniel at the railing. Beyond him lay the shores of Capribo, the Tower of Marble gleaming in the morning light.

  “Mr. Laurence,” the priest acknowledged. “Have you come to try and convert me again?”

  I shook my head. “I have not been trying to convert you.”

  “No?” he replied sarcastically. “It certainly seemed so.”

  “I admit, I was instantly enticed by this world and its people. My only wish was to share that wonder.”

  “Mr. Laurence, do you know where I was taken while you were at the library yesterday?” he asked.

  I shook my head.

  “One of their people approached me, another speaker of Latin,” he stated. “He told me he knew that I was a religious man and asked if I would like to offer prayers at the local temple. Naturally, he got my attention. Perhaps there was some redemption for these people after all.”

  “I take it you went?” I inquired.

  “Oh yes, I was taken to a beautiful temple… dedicated to their pagan idols,” he practically hissed the words out.

  I sighed. “Do not mistake my comfort here with feeling part of the whole. I am just as much a foreigner. But unlike you, I don’t fail to see the good of this place. Peace, morality, stability, and education are qualities which this world has in abundance.”

  “They live in peace,” Daniel admitted, “but at what cost? They have sacrificed their souls.”

  "You still choose to judge them even though they have never heard of your god?" My anger began to resurface.

  "They live in blasphemy; they are sinners whether they know it or not."

  I opened my mouth to respond when we heard voices emerging from the other side of the vessel. I perceived hushed talking in the Anuprian tongue. Daniel and I could not see the source, for the elegant white pillars of the deck blocked our view. We stepped around them.

  Eireas and Rémy stood together on the other side of the deck, but I was immediately struck by a change in their actions. They somehow seemed much too informal. I could scarcely comprehend what I was seeing before the King leaned his hand over and dug his fingers into the boatman’s blonde locks. He pulled Rémy’s face close to his own and they exchanged a passionate kiss.

  I quickly stepped back behind the columns, my face no doubt crimson.

  Daniel chuckled as he observed me, his eyes squinting. “Morality, indeed,” he mocked, and disappeared below deck.

  Rémy, if you are indeed reading this as you said you’d like to do, I must take the time to properly apologize. You must know by now that I had begun to think of you as a brother. I only regret that I was witness to an act which you believed to be private.

  I would have followed Daniel below deck but I became distracted by movement at the tip of the Tower of Marble. Several segments of the metal framework slid down in their hidden grooves. Three great trumpets, each one probably seventy feet in length, emerged from the recesses of the great cone. They curved out, crowning the structure, and called out to us with a triumphant blow. I looked to the sky overhead. It was indeed mid-day already. The blast stirred countless birds from their branches throughout the forested capital and simultaneously attracted my companions to the deck.

  “Oh, we are back,” Ella delightedly observed as she emerged into the light. I took her hand and guided her up the remaining steps. She sported a ravishing purple dress trimmed in golden thread and looked to me like an ancient princess of Atlantis. Eireas and Rémy came to join us at the railing, unaware of their exposure.

  We once again proceeded to the palace with the pomp of a royal procession. The citizens of Capribo greeted their ruler with uninhibited delight. Some people shouted out to my companions and me, but it was clear that we were not the center of their attention. The man whom they elected and adored had returned home.

  I was too far removed from the details of local politics, but it was clear that whatever his actions had been in the Supreme Court in Alexandria, they had unbridled support from the Capribians.

  Eireas and his entourage immediately proceeded to the throne room, but Sarmia was kind enough to escort us upstairs.

  “Capribo just helped pass a new law,” she explained in the lift, “and it will require some work to implement. Eireas regrets not being able to spend more time with you, but high court is meeting again today.”

  “We understand. It is no insult,” I assured her.

  Our apartment, which had begun to feel like home, waited for us just as we had left it.

  “Sarmia, there is an issue of some importance which I would like to discuss,” I stated. “My group is most curious as to what should become of us now.”

  “A natural inquiry,” she replied. “I regret that we have not spoken of it sooner.”

  We settled onto the couches in the lounge.

  “You and your companions will be treated no differently than any other citizen here,” she declared confidently. “We can provide you with assistance in securing work and housing, but you are expected to become contributing members of our society. You must learn our language and follow our laws, even those to which you morally object.” Her eyes diverted to Daniel, who sat at the dining table pretending not to eavesdrop.

  I sighed with relief. “Thank you, Sarmia. Your assistance would be invaluable.”

  “Certainly,” she replied with a smile. “We offer the same to anyone in the Royal Republics. We will collect a list of your skills and interests in the days to come, though I would like to encourage you to pursue whatever paths in life you are drawn to. We can help you get started, but only you can ensure that you thrive.”

  “I understand,” I said.

  She took her leave and I happily passed the message to my companions, who found relief in the news. All but Lady Pearson, whose age was still a concern.

  “Who knows how long these people live,” she pointed out. “Their medicine is advanced.”

  “Have no fear,” Travert solaced. “We don’t have all the details yet."

  For the time being, the information put us all at ease. I noted that Ella was quiet during our discussion. The two of us came to stand alone at the wall of glass afterwards and we gazed down at the white domes emerging from the treetops.

  “It’s incredible,” Ella pointed out, “this sense of freedom.”

  I smiled. “We control our own destinies here.”

  “Phillip, I don’t pretend to know you well, but I must say that your presence on this journey has made all the difference to me.”

  I turned to look at her. She stood proud and confident, not at all the timid woman I first saw emerging from the coach at the Alexandrian docks.

  “You reflect my own feelings toward you,” I whispered.

  “But,” she continued, and my heart skipped a beat, “I must inform you that I am a stubborn woman. I speak my mind and crave neither conformity nor domestication. Unbecoming of a lady, I know, but it is something to which you must be made aware.”

  I smiled and took a hold of her hands. “Ella,” I responded softly, “I
did not think it possible, but I am now even more captivated by you.”

  Her green eyes widened a bit and I saw her lip tremble as she breathed. “Truly?” she whispered.

  I did not bother responding. I brought her close to me and kissed her with no regard for our surroundings. Her body loosened in my embrace and we began laughing in our mutual elation.

  “Shall we walk through the gardens?” she asked.

  “Yes, let’s,” I beamed.

  Rémy was reclining on his bed when I entered our bedroom later in the day.

  “How was your time with Ella?” he asked.

  “Splendid,” I boasted. “We talked of so many things. She is enchanting.”

  He laughed. “I told you she liked you.”

  “So you did,” I said, settling on my mattress.

  “I am glad to see your good spirits return,” he continued. “You were not yourself this morning. Was it something you discovered last night?”

  I nodded and recounted my time in the great library. He listened intently. But not being a historian, he needed much clarification of the details. When I concluded, he lay back and contemplated the information, his eyes studying the carved ceiling above us.

  “And this knowledge unsettled you?” he asked.

  “More than I realized,” I confirmed, likewise lying down. “It does not affect you?”

  “I guess it is what I have assumed all along,” he admitted. “They can speak Latin, so it seems logical that we are all descendants from some similar source.”

  “Yes, but it does not sadden you to know of all the people beyond the reach of this utopia?”

  “It does,” Rémy confessed slowly, “but I suppose I do not dwell on it. I consider myself lucky, very lucky, to have come upon this island. I have always felt that we must treasure the good in our lives, for we do not know what tomorrow may bring. In our case, it was something no one could have even dreamed of.”

  “I suppose,” I reasoned.

  “And do not think of us as outsiders,” Rémy continued. “We are as much descendants of this world’s past as our own.”

  “How so?" I asked. "It’s as if the song of the ancients has continued to evolve here, while our world is still busy reciting the archaic verses dedicated to war, nationalism, and countless other anachronisms.”

  “Think of it a different way,” Rémy suggested. “The world here is an echo of that ancient song, as is our own. And our home may yet develop peace. At its core, it is descended from the same melody.”

  I felt the emotional weight which I had been carrying lighten as he spoke and I realized how wise for his years the young man was. He was right, of course. Earth had not been robbed of an opportunity for progress; it had the materials necessary to cultivate it in its own way. This newfound perspective brought me great peace that afternoon. Little did I know that it would be put to the ultimate test the very next day.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  I walked through a narrow alleyway, dingy and dark. The stone beneath my feet was hard and cold, not at all like the thelísta I had become accustomed to. Never before did I realize how tough on the joints our old walkways were. By comparison, the softened cobblestones resembled grassy turf rather than firm urban establishment. The walls beside me were dilapidated. Vestiges of old paint peeled from the dark red bricks on either side. I did not recognize the alley, but I proceeded forward nonetheless.

  I turned a corner and realized I was in a maze of narrow walkways. The overcast sky above me was ripe with moisture and I had the sense that rain would break at any moment. I looked to every direction, but the corridors were identical with no doorways in sight. I began to run, but I was forever trapped in the maze. I looked up to the tops of the buildings. Our old familiar architecture stretched above me, every window out of reach. I was trapped. Suddenly a voice echoed through the maze.

  “Phillip!” it called as a burst of lightning struck nearby. The accompanying thunder shook the very ground I was standing on. I fell, my face and hands becoming covered in thick muck.

  “Phillip!” I heard the voice again, closer this time. The ground continued to shake. The cold dark stone beneath me began to melt away. It became soft and warm, my hands able to take a firm hold of it.

  And then I awoke. Rémy was standing over me, his blue eyes wide with concern. He had been shaking me in my sleep. I sat up in bed, quite embarrassed, as I immediately recognized our palace bedroom.

  “I’m sorry,” I said quickly.

  Rémy sighed and took a seat beside me. “You gave me quite a fright,” he admitted.

  “It was just a bad dream. I am sorry to have woken you.” I looked at my pocket watch and saw that it was nearly four o’clock in the morning. “Let’s go back to sleep,” I suggested.

  I had almost forgotten the dream entirely when I awoke to the sunrise horn. I lay with my eyes closed, picturing the retractable trumpets glide back into the tower as the horn ceased its call. Rémy slept through the blast so I dressed quickly and proceeded to the lounge. It was vacant.

  I decided to continue documenting my exploits. I had finished detailing our return to Capribo the day prior when there was a knock at the door. I was relieved, for my hunger had grown considerably, so it was a surprise to find Sarmia standing on the other side.

  “Phillip,” she stated, her customary warmth absent.

  “Sarmia,” my tone betrayed my confusion.

  “King Eireas would like to speak to you and your companions,” she informed me.

  “I see. Is anything the matter?”

  “No,” she assured me, “though the message is sensitive to time. I will return to escort your party to the King’s audience chamber.”

  “Very well."

  I closed the door and informed the others of the summons. They dressed quickly and we waited in the lounge for our hostess to return.

  “I knew there was trouble afoot,” Daniel boasted. “Everything has a price, I have been saying it all along.”

  “She assured Mr. Laurence that nothing was amiss,” Lady Pearson pointed out.

  “Still,” Daniel added.

  Sarmia returned shortly thereafter and we were led into one of the lifts. The King’s chambers were located on a high floor. I later learned we were some forty-two stories high, but the tower continued to stretch for a further two hundred fifty feet above us. I wondered how far up residential development continued.

  Despite its high position, the room we entered was still spacious. The curved outer wall was not one sheet of glass, but contained three great arched windows instead. The floor was an alternating tile of blue and green stone and sheets of tan limestone lined the walls. A modest rug of braided jute lay at the center of the room, atop which stood two dark leather couches. A low table of carved wood was positioned between them. In spite of its size, the chamber appeared intentionally bare, save for a dozen stone statues lining its edges. The door leading back to the hallway was the only one I could see, though a large archway was nestled within the walls to either side.

  There was a cat on one of the couches. She lay curled in a ball, though our arrival perked her head up and she observed us enter. Her body was small and cream in color, with dark points and beautiful blue eyes. I recognized the breed as Siamese, for President Hayes had received a cat identical to it several years prior. The graceful little beauty pointed out just how little I knew of the world at large. My studies had hitherto concentrated on the Royal Republics, but what of the other nations? Or for that matter, what would I find if I traveled to what had once been my home?

  My thoughts were interrupted when King Eireas entered through one of the archways.

  “Agiméra,” he greeted us with a tone of importance. He invited us to sit with him on the couches. The little Siamese cat jumped onto the floor, though she soon returned and curled up beside the King.

  “Forgive my summons, but I have some information which I thought you'd like to know,” Eireas informed us.

  “What sort
of information?” asked Daniel.

  The King removed one of the little boxes from within his robes and tapped its surface. Two of the limestone panels on the far wall slid apart to reveal a wall-screen. A dark red sphere with little black spots and wispy waves was displayed on its surface.

  “This is the sun,” Eireas said. “The color has been adjusted so that its details may become visible. Our scientists study it constantly, and they discovered something surprising.” He tapped a command into the little box and the image began to animate.

  “It is difficult to explain in detail,” he continued, “but the energy which creates a bridge between our worlds has resurfaced. It is a remnant of the event which brought you here eight days ago. It had all but dissipated when, to everyone’s surprise, it began to increase in energy last night. It is fairly certain that a second sun storm will occur in less than two days.”

  I translated the message.

  “So what exactly does this mean?” Travert wondered. “Can they predict where the storm will occur?”

  “It means we can go home,” Daniel proclaimed, his eyes wide with delight.

  “Let’s not be too hasty,” Lady Pearson cautioned. “This may all be premature. Please bid the King continue, Mr. Laurence.”

  “Like I mentioned before,” Eireas went on, “we have not had many opportunities to study this phenomenon. Two occurring in such quick succession is unprecedented in recorded history. As before, we expect the energy to distort the weather and eventually condense to a very narrow point. That spot will tear a hole in the fabric of the world, creating the bridge I informed you of.”

  “But,” I responded, “you also told me that you cannot be certain whether this bridge connects one sister sphere or several.”

  “That is correct,” Eireas confirmed. “I am sharing this information with you because you should have a choice to pursue it. As to where you may end up… I cannot even speculate.”

  I looked at Daniel, who took a long breath and sighed. We passed along the information.

  “Well this is quite a dilemma,” Travert observed quietly. “We have been fortunate to stumble upon a land such as this. Leaving it risks discovering a place far less hospitable.”