Tri-ethereal Ch. 07

I woke up lying in a patch of grass next to a dirt road. I was naked. My eyesight was blurred and I had a terrible headache. My stomach was upset. I turned over on my stomach, got up on my hands and knees and started to throw up.

After several minutes my vision cleared. But I stayed on my hands and knees, breathing heavily.

After several more minutes someone put his hand on my shoulder and said something to me. I didn't understand a word he was saying; he was speaking to me in a language I had never heard before. He wore scandals, a sarong around his waist and a strange looking pyramidal shaped hat on his head. It was made from straw.

He kept talking to me in that foreign language and pointing to the road. He had a flogger in the hand he was pointing with. He kept looking up the road with a worried look on his face. Meanwhile he was beckoning for me to get up and get on the road.

I looked to the road to where he was pointing and saw hundreds of males pulling on six long ropes. Most of them were naked and circumcised, but some of them had on scandals and sarongs or loincloths. Then I figured out what this stranger with the flogger wanted me to do. He didn't appear to want to strike me with the flogger. He wanted me to start pulling on one of the ropes with the others before his superiors found me lying on the side of the road.

By now my stomach had calmed down a little bit, although my head still hurt. I wondered if this is what a hangover felt like. I have never had one but I've heard other Tri-etherealians talk about it. It felt like that's what I had; a hangover from swallowing the vinegar and hemlock concoction.

I didn't want him to hit me with the whip so I started pulling on one of the ropes along with the others. I looked to the sky. The sun wasn't too high. I estimated it to be about seven or eight in the morning. Then I thought of my counterpart. I whispered softly to her, "Johanna, Johanna are you there?"

I got no answer, although I whispered softly to her several times. It was unlike her not to answer me. I hoped she was alright. But I couldn't do anything else, not with hundreds of naked males all around me. I decided to wait until I was alone before trying to contact her again. Maybe she was in deep transition.

I noticed another male dressed just like the first one. He too had a flogger. But more importantly, this one didn't look too kind. I saw him hit one of the other naked males across the back with the flogger. He hollered something at him but I didn't understand what he said either.

While pulling on one of the ropes, I started to sweat. This is hard labor, I thought to myself. I have never worked so hard in my life. I looked behind me to see if I could discern what it was that we were pulling. All I could see were the bobbing heads of the other males pulling on the six long ropes.

After about ten or fifteen minutes of pulling on the ropes we passed the body of another naked male. He was lying on his stomach. He had welt marks all across his back, buttocks and thighs and a spear sticking out of his back. I could tell that he was dead. Now I understood that the first male with the flogger didn't want me to get beaten and stabbed with a spear.

He obviously didn't know that Trimorphs couldn't die from spear wounds.

This caused me to start thinking about where I was. The last thing I remember was choking on the hemlock poison and hearing Johanna crying. Then nothing until I woke up here.

But where is here? Is this Corporeal? It couldn't be Corporeal, I answered my own question. It wasn't a summer or a winter solstice when the poison was forced down my throat. Besides, I'm not unconscious and paralyzed.

I speculated that our drugged body must have been thrown back into the wagon and then brought to this place. I figured that it must be some part of the unexplored southern part of Tri-ethereal that is beyond King Andrew's jurisdiction, or maybe I was in the deep interior of either Bi-ethereal or Ethereal. I wondered how long I had been drugged.

By now I had come to the conclusion that those of us who were pulling the ropes were the slaves of those who were wearing the sarongs, or more probably, we were the slaves of someone else and these others were just guards. I watched them hit several others with their floggers, except the kindly one. I saw him walk toward the rear and then disappear.

After about half an hour of pulling on the ropes, one of the guards barked out an order. Everyone around me dropped the rope they were pulling on and moved to the side of the road. I quickly joined them as I didn't want to get signaled out and beaten. With all of us standing on the side of the road I could now see what it was we were pulling.

It was and immense stone block. Its height and width was twice my height and its length four times my height. It was on a sled to which the six ropes were attached.

I assumed that we must hauling stone blocks that were destined for building some kind of monument, maybe another Stonebridge. But this stone wasn't black or white. It was sand colored.

Soon another group of naked circumcised males -- some wore scandals and loincloths or sarongs -- came from behind the stone block, picked up the ropes and started pulling on them. Meanwhile, the group that I was with was herded to the rear of the stone block.

There was a mule drawn wagon there with a huge bowl of what appeared to be porridge. Two slaves were handing out dirty bowls and spoons. Another slave filled our bowls with the porridge.

I didn't know how often we would be fed and when our next meal was so I ate it. The food from the prison tasted better. If I wasn't so hungry I don't believe that I would have eaten it.

After about an hour one of the guards ordered us to put our bowls into a big clay pot and our spoons into another clay pot. Then we were ushered to another immense stone block. I could now see that there were four, possibly five, immense stone blocks that were being hauled by thousands of slaves.

To where and what were we building? I asked myself. I also asked myself why they were using such primitive methods to build whatever it was they were building. Hadn't they heard of blocks and tackles and fulcrums? They seemed to be centuries behind Tri-ethereal.

We started pulling on the six ropes attached to that sled while another group of naked and nearly males were herded to the clay pots that held our bowls and spoons, presumably to eat their slop too.

All this time I still hadn't heard from Johanna; I was beginning to worry about her. True, she could be in deep transition. But I doubted that.

I tried to figure out how long it had been since we went through union during our ride to Stonebridge. From that I could figure out about how long she had been in transition.

Our body was tied to the X cross late in the afternoon. I have been pulling on these ropes for at least half an hour, maybe an hour and another hour to eat. If I woke up the next morning after drinking the vinegar and hemlock, then it would have been at least eighteen or nineteen hours that she's been in transition. We should both be experiencing misery by now.

I couldn't think straight. I thought maybe my mathematics had been off some kind of way. I decided I wouldn't think about it again until later, after we were allowed to stop pulling on the ropes and were given some time to rest.

Then on the other hand, I didn't want Johanna to come out of deep transition at this time, not with hundreds of naked slaves all around me and guards with floggers who were hitting us at the slightest provocation. So far I hadn't been hit.

Nor did I know what I would tell her if she did come out of deep transition, especially if she were in pain from not going through union for such a long time. I hoped that maybe she wouldn't be in pain; I wasn't. That was something else that was bothering me. Why wasn't I in pain from not going through union?

I decided not to think about it but would concentrate on pulling on the rope attached to the sled.

Several hours later I was still pulling nonstop on the ropes along with all the other slaves. I was tired. I was dirty and sweaty. I have never felt more miserable in my whole life. I wondered how long it would be before we were allowed to rest for the remainder of the day. It couldn't be too far off. It was getting late; the sun was low in the sky.

I guessed it to be about four or five in the afternoon, about twenty-five or twenty-six hours since I went through union with Johanna. Still no word from her. But I wasn't in any pain; I hoped she wasn't either.

After about another hour or so the guards told us to stop. At least that's what I figured they said because all the slaves who were pulling on the ropes stopped and sat down in the dust. I sat down too. Some of the others began whispering to each other in that strange language. It was the first time today any of these slaves spoke, although most of them just sat in the dust in silence. I guessed that they were like me, too exhausted to do anything except sit in silence.

After several moments the guards began hollering at us. Everyone got up and walked behind the stone block we were pulling. We lined up by the wagon for more food. Again, we were going to be fed from the same dirty bowls the group before us used. I debated with myself to eat it or not.

Suddenly one of the slaves began to argue with the male giving out the food. The argument didn't last long. Two of the guards came up and began beating the slave who was arguing. Then they dragged him off and stabbed him to death with their knives. I decided to eat the food, no matter how bad it tasted.

When I got to the front of the line I saw that we were being given a white bean soup. I could see small chunks of ham floating in the soup. But unfortunately I didn't receive any meat, just the bean soup. Luckily, it didn't taste too bad.

I had to relieve myself. Earlier I saw one of the slaves just break ranks, go to the side of the road and do his thing. Then he hurriedly returned to pulling the ropes. I wondered what I should do. I didn't want to risk getting beat or stabbed. I looked around to see if any of the others were relieving themselves. I saw a slave a good distance away relieving himself on the side of the road. I did the same.

While I was away from their hearing I again tried to contact Johanna. But I still got no answer. Then I had a thought that maybe the poison did something to her. I felt an ache in my heart. The kind of hurt one feels when a loved one dies or is very sick. I closed my eyes and grimaced.

But I had no time to think about it now. One of the guards was looking at me rather suspiciously. I rejoined the others.

Soon everyone was ordered to return his bowl and spoon to the slaves with the wagon. Then they left and another wagon came up with the guard's supper. They had bread and some kind of drink with their bean soup. From the way they were laughing and talking I presumed that their soup was better tasting than ours.

We must have been on the side of the road for over an hour, just sitting in the dirt. I saw some of the male slaves sleeping. I was very tired, like I am just before I go into deep transition. But I didn't want to let myself fall to sleep as there was no telling what some guard might do to me.

When the guards were finished eating they herded us into a field a distance from the stone blocks. The field was surrounded by a tall fence with pairs of guards posted at intervals. The sun had just a few moments before setting. We were being herded into a field for the night. We were nothing but cattle.

I let myself be one of the last slaves to sit down as I wanted to get an estimate of how many slaves were in the field. I looked to my left and right. All around me were nothing but naked and nearly naked slaves, thousands of them. All of them were preparing to bed down for the night. Some of them were whispering to each other. But just like earlier, most of them just laid down and went to sleep. I decided that the best thing for me to do was to join them.

Just before I lay down I noticed them for the first time; I was immediately horrified. There were crosses with corpses hanging on them in several locations all around the fenced in area. Some of the victims appeared to have been hanging there for several days. I didn't need to ask anyone what they were there for. Crucifixion was a form of execution for commoners in Tri-ethereal, before it was finally outlawed centuries ago.

By now I was extremely tired; I could barely keep my eyes open. But I thought I would try to contact Johanna one more time before I let sleep over come me.

I whispered softly to her, "Johanna are you there? Say something if you can hear me."

I got no answer. I tried to whisper to her softly several times but she never answered me. I became very sad. The only thing I could think of was that the vinegar and crushed hemlock leaves did something to her, maybe threw her into unconsciousness and paralysis. I cried quietly, lay down in the dirt and went to sleep.

Johanna once told me that Trimorphs don't get nightmares.

Well, I woke up with a nightmare. It was the first nightmare I had ever had in my life. I have heard of Unamorphs and commoners having them but neither I nor Johanna had ever had one.

In the dream, I saw Johanna sinking into a pool of quicksand. She kept calling to me, asking me to help her get out. But I couldn't help her because I was all tied up with the ropes that I had been pulling all day.

I sat up. The cool night air sent chills through my naked body. I looked around me. Everyone was sleeping, even the guards. I stood up and looked at the sky. None of the constellations or stars looks familiar. I fell back down I was so shocked.

"What's going on?" I asked myself. I'm with strangers who speak a foreign language. I'm a slave. I'm not in any pain yet I haven't been through union in over . . . what 36 hours or more. Johanna doesn't answer my calls. The constellations and stars don't look a thing like I remember them."

The only conclusion that I could come up with was that our body was sold into slavery to some foreign country in the interior of either Bi-ethereal or Ethereal north of the equator where the constellations and stars are different. But then that would have meant that we were drugged for several weeks or maybe even months.

It was all too confusing. I lay down and went back to sleep.

I awoke the next morning when one of the other slaves shook me. The guards were herding us back to the stone blocks. It was a repeat of yesterday. We hauled stone blocks until about eight or nine, ate breakfast of porridge, pulled on the ropes for another nine or ten hours and then ate supper of white bean soup. After supper we were bed down for the night, only in a different field.

On the third day I got to see what the stone blocks were meant for. Our captors were building three immense pyramids. In fact, one was nearly finished. The pyramids were quite a distance apart but the land between them was flat so that I could see all three of them. What the purpose of the pyramids was I had yet to find out.

All this time none of the slaves spoke very much. Those that did didn't speak above a whisper. That's because the guards would beat anyone they caught speaking. Of course, not knowing their language, I didn't speak to anyone.

Nor did I hear from Johanna. My heart was heavy. I wondered what had happened to her. What had the hemlock poison done to her?

It was the same thing the fourth and fifth days. Haul stone blocks, eat and sleep; that is all we did. The only difference was that on the fourth day one of the guards dropped his knife. He didn't realize it. I waved my hand in his face and then pointed to the knife lying on the ground behind him. He picked up his knife and then gave me a strange look. I just looked away from him and continued pulling on the rope.

On the fifth night I had another nightmare. This time Johanna was drowning in the ocean. I couldn't save her because I was tied to the mast of a ship. I woke up in the middle of the night sweating.

The sixth morning the guard who dropped the knife grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. He said something to me but I didn't know what he said. He beckoned for me to follow him. My first thought was that he was going to beat me or stab me. But he seemed too friendly. I thought I would just wait and see what he wanted.

He stopped me in front of one of the food wagons. He said something to one of the slaves and then left. The slave pointed to the clay pot of food bowls and said scapi. I guessed that I was to stand behind the clay pot with the bowls and hand out the bowls to the other slaves. By now I understood the word bowl. Spoon was oon and esca was food or maybe it was porridge or bean soup. All I knew was that esca meant something to eat.

Later that morning I saw the same guard approaching my food wagon. He was with the kind guard I had met on my first morning. The kind guard was carrying a white sheet and some scandals. When they got to my wagon the first guard said something to the second guard who then handed me the sheet and scandals. Not knowing their language I couldn't say thank you so I just bowed in respect. They both smiled and walked away.

I immediately wrapped the sheet around myself sarong style and put the scandals on. I love to go naked -- although not as much as Johanna -- but I was never more glad to put clothes on. At least now I had some protection for my legs and ass from the hot sun and something I could cover myself with on the cool nights. I also had something to protect my feet from the pebbles and the burning sand.

When the slaves were bed down for the evening we weren't put with them. We were brought to a large open air kitchen. Next to the kitchen were five or six other mule drawn wagons. The mules were un-tethered and herded into a corral. We were allowed to sleep under the wagons, although some of the slaves slept in the grass near their wagon.

Things were finally looking up. I had something to wear for protection from the elements. I could guarantee myself a clean bowl to eat out of. I had an easier job with a roof of sorts over my head at night. As for the food, I could also guarantee myself a piece of meat along with my bean soup in the evening. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to make the porridge taste any better.

That night I had a dream of Johanna repairing books in Lord Kennington's library. She asked me, "I'm tired John. When are we going to go through union so I can go to sleep?" Then I woke up when one of the other slaves nudged me. It was morning. He said something to me and pointed toward the corral with the mules in it. I got up and hitched a mule to our wagon and we were ready to start our day.

After we were bed down on my seventh evening here Johanna finally contacted me.

"John, can you hear me," she whispered in my inner ear.

I sat up immediately. I whispered to her, "Johanna is that you? Where have you been?"

"I've been watching you since this afternoon. Where are we?"

"Wait," I said to her. Then I got up and walked over near the corral of mules. Then I stooped down as though I were relieving myself.

Johanna told me that right after I swallowed the poison she rapidly lost all her senses. She couldn't see, hear, smell, taste or feel anything. In fact, her senses still aren't right. She has no sense of taste or smell. Her vision is sometimes blurred and sometimes she can't see at all, everything is black. She can feel everything that I feel but it's as though she has on gloves. But there is nothing wrong with her hearing. She can hear everything I hear perfectly.