The World Walkers: Athare: Oscar: Talking to Emrys

[k_a_webb]

Sitting with Bryn was nice. I did like him, even though he believed Emrys, and I enjoyed talking with him about the plans we each had for our worlds, because we seemed to think the same way. Aubrie told me, more than once, that I shouldn’t be fraternising with the enemy. Like everyone else I ignored her. Maybe she is right about Emrys, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop talking to the other creators. They believe him – so what? We want to make the Web as safe a place as possible for our races, so I don’t see that it’s exactly a bad thing that they do believe Emrys, as what he wants to do is make the Web safe. As far as I’m concerned the only reason she’s so annoyed is Emrys trying to talk her out of putting the Witches on Raenarin. He doesn’t believe the same things she does.

Aubrie truly believes that a matriarchal society, like the Witches’, would be much better than a patriarchal one, and there is a chance that she might be right. There is also a chance that she’s wrong, which means that Emrys is right. I don’t believe that he knows this because he’s travelled to the other Webs with Athare, but my disbelief doesn’t mean that it’s not true, it just means that I don’t think his journals are proof enough, for me personally, to accept the stories he’s told us are about real Webs. Unfortunately that’s one of the main points on which the two of us disagree. She thinks that his stories make him a problem for us, although he was willing to back down on the Witches.

I don’t doubt that he has some sort of back-up plan, just in case he is right. From what I’ve heard he might be attempting to create worlds in a world, which is something I’m really interested in helping with, and that’s why I found myself standing outside his bedroom door a couple of days ago, wondering if I dared to knock. What reaction would he have to someone on Aubrie’s ‘side’ wanting to talk to him? Eventually I did gather the courage to knock, although it took me much longer than I thought it would.

“Come in,” Emrys called, sounding as though he might have been expecting someone, but if he was it wasn’t me.
When I stepped into the room I left the door open, just in case he asked me to leave. “I heard what you were doing with Gaelom.”

Emrys smiled. “I think everyone has now.” He moved to get out of bed and I found myself shaking my head. “The healers have told me that I can get out of bed every so often, as long as I don’t strain myself.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Oscar, I’m sure. Close the door. I’ll make us a cup of tea.”

Hoping that Aubrie hadn’t seen me I did just that. I made my way over to the little seating area he had and sat down in one of his chairs, making sure I was the opposite side to his notebook, because I didn’t think I could resist the temptation to look in it. “How long do you have left?” I asked.

“One more week bed rest, although the weeks here are much longer, but I won’t be allowed to do any real magic for at least another moon.” Emrys sighed. “They won’t believe me when I tell them that I’m going to be fine now.”

“You were in a coma.”

“That doesn’t make me incapable of living my life normally. All the coma did was get my body used to the amount of magic on this world, but they won’t accept that’s a valid explanation, not when other people have died.” He shook his head. “Maybe other people have died. Those people aren’t me.”

“No, they aren’t.”

Glancing over his shoulder Emrys studied me for a moment, before going back to the tea. “Bryn told me that you were with Aubrie’s group, but that you were much more open minded than her.”

“I guess that’s true.” I smiled. “Aubrie thinks there’s something wrong with you. I think your stories might be true, but your journals aren’t enough proof for me.”

“That’s a valid reason for disbelieving me. Honestly I don’t have a problem with that, but I am worried about the Witches.”

“A matriarchal society might be better than a matriarchal.”

“Some are, but the Witches… give a group of any gender the power the Witches are going to have and it’s going to affect their decision making process in some way. Even though you don’t believe me I have seen the damage that they can cause.” Emrys shrugged. “In the end all they’re going to want to do is fight each other for more power and I don’t think that’s a good thing to have in the Web, because if they do they’re going to affect the balance of their world, which will affect the balance of the Web.”

“You have an idea that might stop that from causing the sort of damage you think it would?”

“I do, as you’ve already heard. Gaelom is my attempt at making sure there are some back-up worlds, that can take the place of any world that might end up destroyed, although there is a chance that what I’m trying to do won’t work – I don’t even know if I’ll be able to make Gaelom, let alone whether the worlds will actually do what I want them to.”

“Do you need help?”

“Even though I have help, from Bryn, Piaras, and Sibeal, I would never say no to more, Oscar, especially from someone like you.” Emrys placed a mug of tea in front of me. “You have skills when it comes to creating worlds and I was surprised to hear that you were only given three. It would have been better for the Web if you’d been given more, although it does mean that I can, hopefully, get some use out of you.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.