Into the Outside
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The following morning, as they were having breakfast, a short man emerged from the jungle and walked up to them. He wore only a loincloth and a leather pouch slung over his shoulder, and carried a wooden throwing spear. He pointed at the food, and Michael gestured for him to join them.
He appeared very thin, and ate much more than Trevor would have guessed. He spoke occasionally, but it was in a language that Trevor was unfamiliar with. After the meal, he got up and walked up to Faye’s leg. Extending his arm, he gingerly placed his hand on one of the huge scales. He smiled nervously at the dragon, then shouted something towards the tree line as he capered about.
The man waved at them as he walked back towards the trees. “What was that all about?” wondered Trevor.
“He was hungry, and wanted to see a dragon,” replied Michael.
“Why wasn’t he afraid, though?”
“If a man has been hungry for long enough, a dragon is of little concern,” said Faye. “But the real reason is that I stop here occasionally to trade.”
“They are why we stopped here for the night,” she continued. “There are more pleasant places to sleep along the way, but none with people so pleasant. Now come along. We have about nine or ten hours ahead of us yet.”
Trevor had to help Tasha up onto the dragon’s hand, and had some difficulty getting up himself. Everything felt so heavy and cumbersome. He wondered if he was falling ill, or if there was something about the journey that was affecting them somehow.
As they positioned themselves on Faye’s back again, little clusters of people began gathering along the edge of the woods. Tasha waved, and Trevor joined her. Faye gathered herself, and sprang into the air again, clawing for altitude with her broad wings.
And then it was more flying and more portals. Oh, how sick Trevor felt of portals. He did not know how many they had gone through the day before, or today.
Then they started to see towns and cities as they emerged from the red portals at the base of the pillars. This was a welcome change for Trevor, and he felt his enthusiasm building again. Once, as they approached the portals at the top, he even saw a colorful flying machine emerge from the red portal. Tasha watched avidly as it descended past them.
They had just passed the largest city they had seen so far, with tall towers and spires, and little things moving about in the streets. He watched a cluster of will-o’-the-wisps dance mysteriously next to them, wondering what the next world would be like.
The trip through this portal seemed longer than usual. Trevor grew impatient, wanting to see what the next city would be like. He waited, and waited.
Suddenly there were no more lights, just pitch black. Did something happen to the portal? It was painfully, achingly dark. In front of him he heard a sharp intake of breath from Tasha. He strained his eyes, and thought he could maybe see a few fuzzy light patches. He looked behind for the red portal ring, but his eyes met only blackness. There was a cold feeling that was more than just temperature.
“Michael, what is this place?”
“This is the Outside.”