“We’re currently on the continent of Larencia,” he explained. “This continent is the last stand of the peoples of this earth. All of the other continents have already fallen.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “They aren’t fully terraformed, or there would be no going back. The logic of this world still supports us, or there would be no hope left. But the invaders, and the cult that worships them, have taken over the governments of all of the other nations of this world. There are some pockets of resistance, but they remain at large primarily through hiding. As the climates of their countries continue to change, it becomes more and more difficult for them to survive. And consuming food that has been altered or infected by the invaders will cause a person to become infected as surely as being attacked by a parasite.” He silently shook his head. “Some people choose to be turned rather than consign themselves to death by starvation.”
When he spoke about it, he got a haunted look again. It was clear that he had experienced much that was gruesome and horrifying.
“Once a person becomes a host to one of the invaders, they cease being a person,” he said flatly. “We have no way of saving them. Sooner or later, they will turn. The only recourse is to kill them before they infect others and incinerate the body.”
This is just like a zombie horror movie, she thought to herself tiredly. Everything is so terrible and bleak.
But then—
“Wait,” she said. “I managed to do it,” she said, her voice rising in timbre as she got excited. “That horrible parasitoid was already in the process of turning you,” she explained. “I could tell that much just by looking at it. And I managed to get it off of you. You’re safe and whole.”
“Yes,” he said after a moment of thought. “As I understand it, that is the first time that has occurred since the invasion began. I believe that it was only possible because of the logic you brought with you when you came to this world. Your existence has created the possibility of a new outcome.”
“But why?” Demi asked, still confused. It wasn’t as if she’d had astonishing magical powers in her own world. She’d just been a perfectly ordinary young lady of an aristocratic family.
But Aelfric shook his head.
“That’s unclear,” he admitted. “You don’t seem to have any understanding of magic, and you keep insisting that it doesn’t exist in the world you came from. Despite your absurd catalog of skills, I have no reason to doubt that you’re telling the truth, not the least of which being the fact that you seem to be terrible at lying.”
She grimaced. That was at least partially true. She was actually fairly apt at lying, at least in her own way. She had developed it as a necessary survival skill. But that didn’t mean that she liked doing it. She particularly hated lying to people that she trusted and cared about.
“It’s possible that you created this logic yourself, out of your own desire to change what could not be changed. I believe that this might be possible, with a strong enough will and an unshakable belief. A world’s logic can be somewhat malleable, given the correct conditions. And you are a goddess administrator now,” he pointed out.
Demi shook her head. “It’s still difficult to wrap my head around the idea that I can do things that Hollyhope can’t,” she confessed weakly. “I’m not sure how to feel about that.”
“You can do things that she can’t, and she can do things that you can’t,” he said evenly. “Your capabilities are dictated by your native logic. If you could both do all of the same things like carbon copies of one another, I believe this world would be doomed. She summoned you here because of the potential you have to change this world with new logic.”
He looked away for a moment, as if he found the wall fascinating.
“I am glad—” he said haltingly. “I am glad you are here. I can’t imagine that this is something that you wished for, but regardless—regardless. I am glad that you are here.”
She was touched by his sincerity, and leaned forward again to put her hands on his.
“I don’t know what I would wish for,” she admitted, “But I am glad that I’m here,” she said honestly. “Because it means that I got to meet you.”
There was the unexpected sound of the chair scooting back against the hardwood as he abruptly got to his feet. He turned his back on her and immediately clasped his hands behind his back.
“Hollyhope exhausted herself erecting the barrier that surrounds and protects this continent,” he said, having apparently returned to his lecture. “That’s one of the reasons she’s sleeping now, and why her holy spring has been growing weaker over time. Without that barrier, we would all be lost already.” He made a brief dismissive motion with one of his arms. “But even with the barrier, things are bad,” he said honestly. “The presence of an advanced abomination here, far past the northern border of the quarantine zone, ought to be enough to prove that. The blightwood that you cleared was the largest in Prystir, but there are others. The largest one on the continent is to the south, in Annarrow. We can’t begin an offensive until the blightwoods have been purged from Laurencia.”
“But just getting rid of blightwoods isn’t enough,” Demi pointed out, her brows drawn. “I mean, of course, we have to do that. We’ve got to stop the process, and then work to undo the harm that’s already been done. But many people face food insecurity because of the changing climate, or were driven out of their homes completely by the invasion and are now forced to live as refugees, right?” she asked pensively.
That was bound to happen in any situation where territory was lost for any reason, due to war, natural disaster, or in this case, terrifying cosmic invaders.
“You are correct,” Aelfric admitted, looking at her steadily.
“Then it isn’t just a case of ‘let’s defeat all of the bad guys, and then everything will be fine,’” she said. “The invaders have been messing up the climate for decades, right?”
“A century,” he confirmed.
She closed her eyes and thought about things.
Aelfric continued watching her.
I’m sure she’s feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, he thought to himself. Anyone would be. But she’s got to face the reality of the situation.
He was readying himself to give her some quiet encouragement when she opened her eyes again.
“I think even more than magic I don’t fully understand, the real special power I have is a thorough and modern understanding of management, logistics, and governance,” she said frankly. “This is not something I can do alone,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s going to take everyone working together, and it’s not something that will be done in a month, or even an entire year. But I do believe it is possible. Or rather, I feel that it must be possible.” She smiled then, and it was beautiful and brilliant because it was true and sincere. It was a smile that had the power to ignite the hope of others. “This is the best of all possible worlds because it’s the world that we’re living in, where I met you, and all of the other wonderful people here. Because this is the best possible world, there must be a way for us all to make our way to a future worth having.” She shook her head. “I refuse to accept anything else. So we’ll begin here. We’ll begin in this place. Let’s save this world with agriculture, ecology, and public policy!” She tilted her head to the side slightly, and asked, “Will you help me?”
Aelfric, a committed realist who had suffered more misery and despair than one man ought in a dozen lifetimes, answered without even thinking about it.
“I will,” he said quietly, but with an intensity that made the color rise in her cheeks.
She laughed then, leaning back against the pillows behind her. It was a laugh of elation and relief.
Of all of the people she had met in this world, he was the one whose help she needed most. She did not fully understand why she felt that way, but she did. If she was going to put a halt to the devastation of this world, then she would need his help.
He was the Hero, after all.
“I’m glad,” she said honestly. Then she hesitated for a moment, but finally asked, “What are you going to tell the princess-king?”
He didn’t hesitate to answer because he had already taken action.
“I’m going to tell her that I haven’t found you yet, and that I’m still investigating the strange phenomena around Cradle,” he said. “In fact, I have already done so. Freedom of action is what’s most important to you at this point in time. You don’t need to become embroiled in the politics of Prystir and Annarrow at this stage. I will work to keep you concealed for as long as it’s possible to do so, so gather your strength.”
She nodded.
“I appreciate your discretion,” she said, and then she shifted on the bed, swinging herself around to put her feet on the floor. Before he understood what she was doing, she had gotten to her feet to bow.
It was a beautiful bow, one filled with earnest sincerity, and polished from years of etiquette lessons.
And just as her smile had, it struck him through the heart.
He had not been so moved in a very long time, centuries, perhaps. The feeling was unfamiliar, and a little frightening.
As unfamiliar as this feeling was, he knew what it truly meant. It meant hurt, pain, anguish. It meant loss.
If anything were to happen to her—
He pushed the thought from his mind and buried the realization as best he could.
“Raise your head,” he said abruptly, and it came out more sharply than he had intended.
But she was apparently unperturbed.
“Thank you,” she said honestly, then turned to look toward the window.
It was still dark out, but it would not stay that way forever.
“Let’s go downstairs and make something to eat,” she said. “A good day begins with a good breakfast!”
He nodded silently and followed her out of the room.
It was a first step.
It was a first step, after a first step.
She would keep moving toward the future.