Solidly Grounded

A Chapter by Eddie Davis

The residents of Flux learn of their abrupt change of location.

21.

Solidly Grounded

Joila let out a scream that caused the Drow girls sitting with her in the outside reception area of the museum to jump up at once.

She pointed toward a large glass window and the others glanced through it expecting to see some horrible accident or strange creature about to attack.

But nothing seemed out of the ordinary to them. They were about to ask her what was wrong, when they noticed that those on the street outside were standing around looking up at the sky or glancing all around.

“What happened?” Aranthi asked their Half-Elf friend.

“Something changed!” She replied, shaking like a leaf. Though she was in a non-smoking area, she unconsciously brought out her case and lit a Dart’loxinchu cigarette.

“What changed? What do you mean?” Aranthi pressed for more details as her sisters went over to the window to see what the others outside were looking at.

“I-I don’t know! I was just staring out the window blankly and there was a moment when the light dimmed like when the sun goes under a dark cloud. When it ended, the sky seemed…different to me. The air even smells different.”

“It just smells like Dart’loxinchu to me.” Aranthi teased gently, waving away the smoke.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I think we’ve been teleported some place else.”

“Teleported?”

“Yes.”

“Joila, that’s insane. We’re in Flux, who would do that?”

“Uh, you know, I think she’s right.” Sirya called from the window, “Something has happened. Everyone on the street is looking up at the sky.”

“But we’re still in Flux!” Aranthi responded, “We’re still in the Museum. Do you mean the whole city has been teleported somewhere else?”

“I don’t know.” Sirya gestured out of the window, “But look for yourself. It was a clear day this morning, now there are heavy clouds and I think it feels colder. Weather doesn’t change that quickly.”

“The air feels heavier to me.” Leah added as Joila and Aranthi came over to the window and glanced out.

The city was exactly the same, but the sky did look different. Wintery clouds hung over some of the sky and the sun seemed weak and a pale yellow.

“That’s how it looks in Westmark in wintertime.” Aranthi commented.

“I thought so too.” Sirya added, “What could have happened?”

Leah looked at her friend and Joila shrugged, “I have no idea.”

They were about to head outside when there came a flash of light inside of the museum and down the hallway the Watchers appeared, quickly dispersing into every direction. All of them were talking amongst themselves.

Sophia, Eioldth, Deborah and Khord all went to the nearest window and glanced out, looking up at the sky.

“What has happened?” Joila asked her mother.

“Many things.” She replied, frowning at seeing her daughter smoking, “But you probably mean what has changed that you sense. Flux is no longer where it was. Yesh has moved us into Synomenia.”

“Synomenia!” Joila and Aurei’s daughters all exclaimed together.

Eioldth relayed to them the changes Yesh had implemented, while Sophia, Khord and Deborah all went outside of the building to glance around.

“Wow, that was some meeting!” Sirya replied after the Elven lady finished.

“It was indeed.”

“It’s a lot to process.” Joila said, finishing her cigarette, and then walking outside to put the butt into an ash bin. By then others were gathered around Sophia, Deborah and Khord, who were explaining the changes that Yesh had implemented to the crowd as a team .

Joila felt an arm around her shoulder and turned to find her father standing beside her.

“Hello, sweetheart.” He said to her.

“Have you heard the news?”

“Just now. I guess we’re back on Synomenia again. I’ve not seen so many changes made at one time.”

“It’s amazing, Dad. I guess things don’t really change for us here, except for location.”

“Yes, but now we can die - again- here in Flux and if we do we leave this all behind for good.”

“I’m not sure I like all these changes.”

“We really don’t have any choice.”

“Yeah, I guess not. So I guess this will inspire you and Mom to renew your attempts to get me to stop smoking?”

“I didn’t know we ever stopped.” He squeezed her shoulders, “Don’t worry, sweetheart, it is your choice. Just understand that it should be easier for you to quit now.”

“I know. We’ll see; I suspect we’ll all be going through a hectic time very soon.”

“You’re probably right.”

Eioldth joined them just then and they stood and listened to Sophia, Khord and Deborah explain the changes to the inhabitants of Flux.

***

“What a day!” Sophia sighed as she closed the door to her office and immediately lit a Dart’loxinchu cigarette.

Khord sighed softly, his hope that her small sip of Eioldth’s tea would have kept the cravings for the drug away, now gone.

“So are you going to give that up?” He asked his wife as she leaned against the desk, rubbing her pregnant belly and as she heavily dragged on the cigarette.

“I’m going to be pregnant for nearly three more years now.” She said with a long exhale of smoke, “I’ll be too wound up to quit.”

“Sophie, you are rapidly running out of excuses not to quit.”

“I’m not making excuses, Khord!” She replied, pulling on her cigarette, “I enjoy Dart’loxinchu. Why is that so hard for everyone to understand? When you grow up around it and have smoked for all of your adult life, without any harm done, why would I not want to continue it?”

“Because you don’t have to anymore.”

“No, but I WANT to.”

“Why, Sophie?”

“Khord, you heard what Yesh said - Dart’loxinchu will no longer sicken anyone. It won’t make any woman want to smoke by being exposed to it. Even our daughters won’t be addicted to it - which is what you;re worried about. So what harm is there now if I continue to indulge?”

“Because there is really no reason that you need to do it anymore, Sophie. If you were to give it up, the cravings for it would end soon.”

“Yes, I’m sure they would. But if it is something I like, which now is not even an irritant to anyone, why would you care?”

Khord sighed and shook his head, “Alright, I can see you aren’t ready to yield yet.”

“Good boy. It’s been a rather stressful day.” She purred, “I will now be waddling around like this forever.”

“Not even three years, Sophie.” Khord corrected, touching her belly, “As much as I wanted to see our babies, I must admit, you are extremely alluring in your maternal state.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.” She pulled him to her and they kissed, then she pulled slightly away, “There will be more of that later. For now we need to bring everyone working for us up to speed on the changes, and then I’m going to see if Deborah will take a bunch of us around in her jet to see more of the island.”

Khord grinned. She was certainly adaptable, he thought approvingly of his wife.

prev chapter