“I suppose I do look a little silly,” Grey said, still grasping for a plausible explanation.  “I really just wanted to see how it fit.  It was so comfortable, that I uh…forgot I was wearing it.”  Grey quickly unbuckled the belt and set the scabbarded sword on the computer table in the outer office, hoping that they could get past the awkward moment.  There had been a lot of awkward moments in Grey’s worlds in the last few days.

Kelly did not respond, but her single raised eyebrow indicated that she was skeptical of Grey’s answer.

“I bought it at the bazaar last weekend,” Grey explained further.  She still stared at him in disbelief.  “I got a really good deal on it too,” he added, hoping to get her off the topic.

“You must have,” she replied with a grave look.  “There’s at least a pound of gold on that thing, and the belt looks like it’s woven from gold wire.  What’s going on Grey?”  She looked very serious.

“I don’t know what you mean Kelly.  I just bought this from a guy in the bazaar, that’s it, end of story.  Can we look at the reports now?” he said, reaching for the papers in Kelly’s hands.

She stepped back, putting the papers behind her back and eying Grey suspiciously.  “What’s gold running these days Grey?”  Grey looked at her blankly.  “Something approaching a thousand dollars an ounce?”  Grey’s eyes widened.  Really?  “Don’t act like you don’t know what that thing is worth, Grey.  Something is terribly wrong here.  I don’t know what you’re involved in, but…”  She moved to the sword and ran her hand over it, clearly chewing on its significance.

“Kelly, I…”  Grey tried, but found no words.

She continued staring at the sword, but did not look up.  “This isn’t right.”   She set the papers down on the desk and picked up the sword with both hands.  “This is not South Asian, Grey, nor is it contemporary.  It’s very old and,” she turned it over, “looks European sort of.”

Now it was Grey’s turn to look astounded at Kelly.  How did she know that?  She glanced up at him and he seemed to recall.  Ah yes, Bachelor of Arts in Medieval History from one of the Ivy League schools, Grey couldn’t remember which at the moment.  Great.  Just great.  Of all the people to find him with a sword in his office.

“It’s a longsword,” she continued, warming to her subject, “but incredibly balanced, and I can’t believe the workmanship on the gold fittings.  They must have taken the goldsmith a year to craft.”  She looked up from the sword.  “Grey this sword is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars…maybe more.”

Grey looked at her and didn’t say a word.

“Did you find this on one of your trips?”

Grey hesitated.  “Yes.”

“Did you pay someone for it?”

She would never believe him anyway.  “No.”

She turned to look him fully in the eyes.   She was trained to get information from people. “Did you steal it?”

Fair question, though how could she think that of him.  “No.  Look this isn’t going to get us anywhere…”

“Did someone steal it for you?”

“No, Kelly.  No.  I didn’t buy it, I didn’t steal it, I didn’t hire someone to steal it.  It isn’t even real, it’s just.”  Oh that was real smart, now what do you say?  He knew he was displaying outward signs of mental panic, though he tired to keep himself in control.  She would sense it as lying.  This would not be good.  All he needed was for her to call the Legal Attache’ and then there would be official questions.

“It’s just what?” Her eyes begged him for an explanation.

Grey took a deep breath and looked into her eyes.  He needed her to see that he was telling the truth.

“I made it,” he said, plainly.

“You what?” she asked him shaking her head with incredulity.

“I willed it into existence,”  Grey said.  “I made the gold fittings with my imagination and put them into place on the scabbard.  I suppose I overdid it with the gold, but never imagined that I would be bringing it back here.”

“That’s it,” she said, reaching for the phone, “I’m calling someone.  I just don’t know whether it should be the LEGATT or the Med Unit.”

“Kelly don’t,”  Grey said, putting his hand on top of hers.  “Please.  Listen.”  She pulled her hand away.

“I’m listening.”   She sat on the edge of the table and crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

“You know that BLOG I’ve been writing?  The one about the imaginary world and the guy that moves between the real world and his fantasy world at will?”

She looked sideways at him.  “Yeeessss.”  She seemed to know what he was about to say.

“It’s real.”  He let that register with her.  “I don’t know how, or for how long, but there really is a nexus to my imaginary world.”

“Thrav-something?” she asked.

“Yes!  Thraveon!  Right,”  Grey said.  “It’s real.  And I went there, and I came back with this sword, only everything is mixed up and I don’t know how to fix it and…”  Kelly just sat there looking at him.  “You think I’m crazy.”  It wasn’t a question.

“Show me,” she replied flatly.

“What?” Grey asked.

“If it’s real,” she said “prove it.”  There was mockery in her voice, but also a bit of curiosity.   “That should be simple right?  Just open up some, what do you call it, nexus portal and whoosh us through?”

Grey reached out and grabbed the sword with one hand and her right wrist with the other.  He had to do this fast before he changed his mind.  His worlds were falling apart around him.   If he couldn’t convince her, he might end up in jail, or a mental institution, or who knew where.

“What are you doing?” she asked, surprised.

“Come with me, quickly.” he said taking three long steps back into his office.

“Grey this isn’t funny,” Kelly said.  “Please let go of my wrist, you’re hurting me.”

Grey swiped at the air with the scabbarded sword, hitting a silvery line of threadlike light in mid-swing and opening the nexus into Thraveon.   She could look inside, they would have a long talk about it and maybe, just maybe she could help him figure out what was going on.

The sounds of metal on wood and metal on metal instantly began to resound from the other side as Kelly stood there agape, staring into the nexus.   The familiar pungent smell of Uruk filled the office as Grey looked once at Kelly, then once into Thraveon.  Oh No!

“I have to help my friend,” he called, rushing through the opening.  “I think I’ll be right back.”

Stonefist was desperately fighting for his life, swinging the massive battle axe in broad arcs around his head and midsection, deflecting the pounding blows of the Uruk warriors that surrounded him.  Grey did a quick tactical scan as he rushed forward, a sinking feeling beginning to well up inside him.  A month ago he could have banished these massive warriors with a quick thought, now he would actually have to fight them.  Four of the creatures lay dead in various awkward positions around Stonefist’s feet, but seven more still pressed in on him.  Seven!  Grey dropped the scabbard as he ran, and swinging the sword overhead began to scream what he hoped was a confident battle cry, but what he feared was a strangled yelp.

Seven to two when one of the two was Stonefist weren’t bad odds, but Grey had never really done this without magical backup.  True he put on armor on the weekends back at home and beat up his friends with fake swords, but this was clearly different.   Two Uruk  turned at his approach and began to swing their over-sized falchions at his head.  He parried quickly and backed up a few steps.

“About time you got back!” Stonefist panted between swings.  “I was beginning to think you had set these on me as some sort of test!”  The dwarf swung upward quickly and caught an Uruk under the chin with the full force of the axe, sending the body up and back.
“Not much of a test by the looks of those on the ground!” Grey replied ducking an Uruk blade and thrusting forward with his own.

“Grey!  A Rapier!”  A familiar voice called out behind him.

A rapier?  He sidestepped an Uruk’s overhead swing and turned to see Kelly standing at the edge of the clearing.  She followed him?  A rapier?

“I fence, remember?  If you really can conjure things with your imagination, I can’t think of a better time.”

Grey blinked several times as he backed quickly away from his foes, trying to concentrate on everything at once.   Kelly charged in towards an Uruk, ducking deftly under it’s swing and bringing her arm forward in a neat thrust to it’s eye.  A newly crafted rapier sliced cleaning into the Uruk’s face and beyond.  As she withdrew the blade and turned to face an oncoming Uruk she called out to Grey.

“I believe you.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 at 10:32 am and is filed under Behind the Screen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.