Not Quite Time, Not Quite Space

Codd’s landscape unfurled in shades of grey and hills of ash and lost valleys. Once a place of floral sweetness and golden sap musk, Codd reeked of stagnant lakes and rivers run dry. Crossing Codd became a war with dust for Emma and Auden as every step they took kicked up clouds refusing to settle and as Emma looked over her shoulder at the shuttle, she could make out their long path by dust alone. To Codd’s credit, there was still enough of her left to show progress in Emma and Auden’s travel as mounds that were once cities, and valleys that were once mountains became indicators of passing kilometers.

“Why did Count Gree destroy this place?” Emma asked, feeling dust enter her mouth and wick away moisture.

“He was looking for the crown.” Auden’s answer came slow like he was assessing every word before speaking it. Emma looked down at the Reverse Clock Crown in her hands; the dark rock shined despite the dust, and grew cool at her fingertips. “If Count Gree and Audra had such a tumultuous background, how come I never knew about it? I mean, Audra never mentioned him to me and she told me a lot of things.”

“It’s painful.” Auden answered and Emma considered Auden was speaking for both himself and his mother as the discomfort over the conversation made him quicken his pace. Emma watched the bow across Auden’s back and the arrow in his hand, both collecting dust. Looking up, Emma saw the massive orange-grey haze that was the sun and the billion flying specks that were the final remains of Codd’s living history. Those specks irritated Emma’s eyes and inflamed her nose, but Emma did not mind so much the tears or leaky nose as it was the least she could offer the planet that was no more.

As Auden’s long legs carried him further from Emma, the young woman allowed the space, sensing Auden needed it. With his head bowed, and arms restless at his side, Auden appeared more lost in thought than concentrating on where he was or what the destination was, if one existed. Emma reflected on the first time she and Auden met. On a moon in a solar system so far from Earth. She remembered him as angry with a brow so heavy it could level any monster and hands so capable they could crush a stone just as easily as they could fix a vessel. By chance their first meeting happened because Audra wanted to show Emma what a Moon Rise Festival looked like with all its glowing towns, dancing crowds, constant music, leading up to a quiet sunrise rumored to be one of the most transformative experiences in the universe. It turned out Auden was there that same night with intentions geared toward a partygoer, a king’s diplomat, he was sent to assassinate.

The assassination failed, but only because Audra figured out what her son was up to and that had led to an entire moon’s military facing off with a well-trained fighter. Again, it was Audra who stepped in, removed her son, and left the moon to its party. The fight afterwards between mother and son was a quiet one, with neither Audra nor Auden raising their voice to each other and it only ended when Auden shrugged off his mother’s hug and turned away. In that moment, Auden spoke to Emma for the first time before leaving. He had said ‘Don’t let her fool you, there’s only pain out there.”

“Who used you?” Emma suddenly asked from a few paces behind Auden. Auden stopped, looked up at the sun, ran a hand over his ringlets releasing a wave of grey dust, and then shook his head. “Nobody used me. I went searching for Count Gree, found his crowd, and they offered me what I thought I needed.”

“What did you think you needed?” Emma did not round Auden or force him to look at her. She spoke to the back of his head and watched the young man’s back tense at her words.

“To be found. I didn’t know where I was on the inside and for a long time, I convinced myself I didn’t need to be found, but that was a lie. I did need to be found, and it was an even worse lie when I told myself I needed someone else to find me.” Auden sighed and then coughed at the inhale of so much dust. Looking over his shoulder, Auden watched Emma and waited for her to turn around and leave, but then he realized that was another lie. Emma would not leave him, in the same way he would not leave her.

“Emma, Count Gree wanted nothing more than to ruin my mother and recruiting me as some student was a win in his eyes. Count Gree consumes things. He lays waste to families, gobbles his enemies, feeds those who stood against him to death. He’s the worst kind of being, because when he dies or when you think you’ve killed him, he just comes back like a plague on everyone you love.”

From behind, Emma took Auden’s hand. There was dust between the two palms, but also warmth and fire. “It’s not your fault.” Emma whispered.

“I take blame for my actions. I know the things I’ve done are wrong.” Auden whispered back.

“We’re going to find Count Gree and finish what my mother started.”

“Count Gree?” A voice, deep and thundering, sounded from over a small hill. Emma and Auden turned to the grey hill, waiting for something or someone to appear at the top. Time passed, and no one revealed themselves. Exchanging looks with one another, Emma and Auden approached the hill and ascended. Auden fed the arrow in his hand through the bow and aimed it at the ground. When the youth’s eyeline met the hill’s crown, they paused and, with caution, looked at the valley below. Muddled and claimed in charcoal mud was the massive form of a bull, his nares flared, his broken horns dripped grey, and the lake of muck he stood in went near up to his chest. Opening his mouth, the bull exhaled heat onto the youths and then sucked down air, dust, and the viscous mess he stood in.

“Count Gree did this to me.” The bull raged. Emma was first to the edge herself to the hill’s greatest height. “What’s your name?” Emma asked, as she had long ago learned from Audra that asking anything in space its name, whether or not it be human, was the best way to deter an unneeded fight.

“I am called Bovem.” Bovem spoke in what Emma thought was intended to be a calm tone.

“You are Emma of the Dream and that next to you is Auden, Son of Audra.” Bovem’s dust filled eyes watched Emma and Auden. “How do you know our names?” Auden asked.

“I’ll answer all your questions if you promise to remove the sword from my chest?” Bovem ignored Auden and rose higher so that he was looking down on Emma and Auden. There, at the mess of fur on his chest, was a sword. “You’ll have to kill me for it, but it’s the only way to end Count Gree forever.” Bovem’s voice shook the ground and Emma swore she saw the very thick mud the bull stood in vibrate like a puddle. “The Codd Bull.” Auden mumbled under his breath and before Emma could ask what he meant, Auden voiced his accusation.

“You’re The Codd Bull, holder of the planet and reason the sun rises and falls. If I kill you, this entire planet gets sucked into nothingness.”

Bovem said nothing and Emma thought the mighty bull might plummet himself into the earth out of pure agony. “I am Bovem of Codd, and if you kill me, it will let Codd be reborn. Ask your questions.” Bovem demanded.

“Where do we go to find Count Gree?” Emma asked.

“First, you need a blessing of Green and then in a dream you’ll find Count Gree.”

“That makes no sense.” Emma shouted.

“If I speak it, it will make sense when the time comes.” Bovem answered and bowed his head. The time for questions was over and while Emma disagreed, Auden raised the bow and aimed for Bovem.

“I know your names, because Audra whispered them to me in a dream.” Bovem said as Auden released the arrow and watched it strike the bull. Bovem melted into the lake and the lake shuddered, gulped, and spewed as it vacated and emptied to a place Emma and Auden could not see. With a gust of an exhale, the lake disappeared and left behind was the sword caked in grey.

“We better hurry,” Auden said as the ground below began to shake.