Forbidden Places

by Starscribe


Chapter 57: Blake

Blake slept uneasily his first night as a human being in months. He told himself it was just the product of having his body switched around again—after all, he had plenty of time to adjust to one only to have another take its place. It would pass, and eventually what was proper would become dominant again. It was only a matter of time.

He would never admit that he was relieved when he finally heard the roosters from outside, and the sign that it was time to return to Equestria. It's probably just that we don't have Kaelynn here. Once the group is back together, it won't be so bad. 

"You're making a mistake," Janet said, over a breakfast of hot bread stuffed with... something savory? He didn't recognize the flavor, and hadn't asked. Food was always better when you didn't know what was in it. "You should send one pony—the bat girl, she seems best at caves. Have her go in, bring Kaelynn, and come back. I'd suggest Galena, but... no bird, don't say it. We know you don't want to go alone. I'm not saying it should be you."

Blake could imagine the griffon puffed out her chest feathers, looking indignant. The human woman had none of the familiar body language—she didn't fold her arms, just sort of leaned towards Janet a little. It didn't have the same effect. "Good."

"We learned not to split up when we don't have to," Jordan said. And it was Jordan—despite what Blake's memory told him, this was still Jordan. The flirtiness was gone, replaced with his old friend's aggressively relaxed attitude. "I could do it, easy. But I might not be able to convince Kaelynn alone. Maybe Ryan can. But I don't think she'll commit to leave Equestria until she gets to go diving again."

Janet rolled her eyes. "I will not go back. Whatever magic is left over from the Worldgate—I will accept this blessing. I have to make a few phone calls. I'm still not sure how to tell my family without alerting the authorities. I've been gone for so long..."

"Don't tell anyone yet," Blake snapped. His voice was utterly insistent, fixing her with sudden fury. "Please. Once you do, we abandon any chance of secrecy. The way you went missing, with that pony sighting at your work—you will set off flags that a few missing people just won't. Give us a few days to bring Kaelynn back."

"A few days," Janet repeated. "Fine. If Jesus lay in the tomb three days, I can be as patient. That should be time to get to know the town, and plan a way to talk without attracting their attention. Family outside the US will be easier—no one will be watching Baja."

"Then we're decided," Ryan said. He'd eaten in a rush, scooping up a few of the filled meat-rolls and lingering near the door. Apparently he'd expected them to go straight out. When they hadn't, he refused to come to the table. "Let's get to the cave. If someone else finds the Worldgate, we're ten different flavors of screwed."

He was right, unfortunately. Blake rose, and Jordan finally did too. They dressed like they'd just robbed a thrift store, but at least they weren't soaking wet without any shoes. Blake even had an old sweater, that should help with some of the morning chill.

"Please come with us to the trail, Galena," he said. "We might need you to translate for us."

"Sure. But I am not going back to Equestria, not for now. Later, we will see. My mind is not made up."

They gathered up fully recharged phones, cameras, and other gadgets, then shuffled out the door. Blake stopped in the doorway, leaning down towards Janet. "Text my number if something happens. It's not an actual phone—it's a relay. It will get to me, and the phone company won't know what number it went to. Don't let my friends and I walk into a trap. You owe us that much."

Janet nodded. "I'll report any trouble, if I see it. Don't know there would be, though. We're out in the middle of nowhere. Even if we make every tabloid in Poland, we're really just some lost tourists. How long will it take for the internet sleuths to recognize my face?"

She took a step back, looking concerned. "You never heard of a pony in San Jose, did you?"

He shook his head. They'd already had this conversation more than once. "I travel too much to follow much domestic news. I'm sure you can find an internet cafe. Maybe do that before you call back home."

He hurried off to join the others, and they started their trek across Bydska. As before, they attracted stares wherever they went, with plenty of hushed whispers. The townspeople seemed to be growing more comfortable with their presence though, because they didn't scatter and fall silent as they passed. A few even made friendly-looking gestures, saying some incomprehensible words along with "Americans!"

Whether in friendship or insult, he didn't know.

The police didn't come for them, and soon enough they were across town. Only this time there were several locals trailing behind them—quite a distance behind, obviously trying not to be seen. But could he blame them? A group of tourists comes out of the wilderness overnight, buys something with gold, then turns around and never comes back? 

"Galena, I need you to go back now," Blake said quietly. "We're being followed. In a second, we're going to start up the slope. You go around the bend, and distract them. We can't let them see the Worldgate cave."

"I will do this," she said. "If you admit that it is good I am staying."

"It's great that you're staying!" Jordan said, without hesitation. "In fact, you should never come back! Poland is great this time of year!"

Blake shivered again—”great” meant somewhere in the mid-forties, and a growing wind. At least there wasn't any snow. "She—" He caught himself. "I agree with Jordan. Thank you for staying behind. We'll be back with Kaelynn soon."

There was no time for more conversation—the longer they lingered here, the greater the chance they would have covert observers with an idea of where the cave was located. Besides, secondhand clothes from ancient times didn't make climbing particularly easy.

There was very little conversation as they made their way up, other than Jordan. "This would be like a thirty second flight," he said, obviously breathing heavily. "Why are we trying so hard to stay on this side again?"

"How about those hands you're using for climbing?" Blake suggested. Compared to the others, he was in the best shape—though no one could last for long on their field team without some level of fitness. Those who didn't want to get sweaty out in some ruin somewhere usually worked behind the scenes instead. It was far safer that way. "Or that phone you just charged."

"Or your family," Ryan added. "You have someone, don't you?"

Jordan shrugged absently. "Two older brothers. A few uncles and cousins I guess, but we weren't ever too close. Whatever I had at work is gone now—even if we can make it back, I took an unscheduled leave for two months. That's toast."

Blake pointed just a little further ahead, where a scrap of fabric stood out from the stone. Fortunately for them, it hadn't been blown free of the entrance and drifted down. It was really here. He carefully removed it on his way inside, silent as he clambered over the rocks. Hopefully Galena had managed to keep the locals from looking long enough.

Someone still might find this place, eventually. It's so close to town. They would need to get some proper maps, maybe walk around town. If they made it seem like they always left in a different direction, the locals might not suspect.

There was no sign anyone else had been into the bathhouse, with every chair and bit of scrap left exactly where it had been the night before.

Ryan paused beside the table, settling each of his electronic devices into their water-box. The others followed, packing them all in. Blake was the last, and clicked it carefully closed when he was done.

Ryan went straight for the water then, without even slowing down. "You think Kaelynn is worried about us?"

Blake shrugged. "I think she knows a delay means success, or that we're dead. Going back for her is definitely the move—can't have her thinking we died in the cave, and sailing off that ship in despair."

Ryan hesitated only for a second, before diving straight through the Worldgate. He swam down towards the bottom, apparently without anything strange—then vanished, in a subtle shimmering near the edge. If Blake stared, he could almost outline the exact point where the Worldgate must be located.

Jordan sat down on the steps, and started carefully removing his shoes, then everything else layer by layer. Blake flushed deep red for a second, before he realized how absurd that was. How often had the two of them shared a hotel room during expeditions? It was an obviously practical choice—they didn't need to look like Eastern European hobos in Equestria.

"You ever think about why they're all underwater?" he asked. He stripped in less than ten seconds, though the military hadn't taught him to fold quite so fast. He piled up everything in a cubby, then walked shivering towards the pool.

"They weren't all underwater," Jordan answered. "Broken one was exposed. Maybe that's not an accident. Water might keep them insulated from damage or something. I'll ask if I ever see the princess again."

Jordan waded into the water, shivering too. It didn't matter if they would both be perfectly comfortable once they had fur, they had none now.

"Did you dream on this side?" Blake asked, following just behind him. "That weird... Dreamlands of yours. Did you go there?"

Jordan shook his head, expression pained. Like someone trying to put on a brave face, after learning their pet would be put down. "I don't remember a thing. First night in... since we went. I don't like it."

Then he jumped, vanishing into the water in a splash. Blake gave him a second, so he wouldn't take a foot to the face. Then he followed.

By now, Blake probably knew what it was like to travel between universes better than almost anyone else. When they made a movie out of all this, they better have someone cool play him. The Rock, maybe?

He broke the surface of the water a second later, in a cavern far darker than the one he'd just left. Blake swam to the edge, no longer shivering. The water on this side was warm, but that wouldn't have made a difference if it wasn't. Flames raged within him, untempered even now. If he walked into the snow, it would probably steam right off him.

Jordan—Vesper waited beside the water, one hoof outstretched. Blake didn't need the help to climb out, but he took it anyway.

It affected him no less than watching Galena emerge from the water on the other side. Water cascading off that fur, those graceful wings and slitted eyes—pretty meant something different in each world. But he was vulnerable in either one.

A soaking wet changeling in silly clothes shuffled about near the water, trying to wiggle out of it all. No reason they couldn't stash it on this side instead—they were screwed no matter which Worldgate was found.

"I marked the map as we went down," Ryan said, through his twitching shivers. "I don't want to stop for anything on the way up. We go straight for the Bright Hawk, not even stopping for food."

"Fine by me." Vesper shook herself off, not entirely unlike a dog. Blake didn't do the same, but he could feel the heat rising through his body. The water was already steaming off, and he didn't even have to do anything. "I need to fly for a bit. Catch you in a few minutes!" And she was up, without even bothering with the flashlight. 

"It's just like Janet said. Even if we're not magically trapped here, it still gets into your head. Makes it so you don't want to leave." Ryan finally shrugged off the last of the wet clothes, hurrying forward. "Let's get back to Kaelynn. She looked so sick when we left—I hope she's feeling better."