Chapter Eleven #4
She ordered her food and a bottle of Rumian wine, and it was soon brought back to her. The food was delicious, as was the rare wine. Ziggy truly did have magnificent business acumen. She had built this place from the ground up to what it was today—a money-making machine.
Kartog finished her appetizer and cradled her wine glass in her hand while people-watching over one of the gaming halls.
There was such a cosmopolitan mix of people here, all different colours and creeds, humanoids and people with differences.
It certainly was a mix of all the members of their realm.
Kartog spotted Ziggy, prowling around the tables with her hands behind her back.
As successful as Ziggy was, she never took anything for granted.
For the rebellion she was essential, keeping touch and reporting anyone who might cause them problems, like Cardo, whom Ziggy heard was on his way, after booking a ship berth.
Or if there were Abnobians there, and for the resistance to keep clear.
Being neutral, being welcoming, even friendly to the Abnobians meant they let Ziggy’s business do as it wished, because she rolled out the red carpet for them or any leaders in the realm that needed to be entertained by them.
Ziggy kept all that going, while in the background protecting many of the resistance members who were on the run.
She had special rooms below the bedrock of the moon, where she hid them. The walls were impenetrable to scanning equipment, keeping them safe.
The main thing that made Ziggy’s so exciting, and so perfect, was the ability to melt into a crowd here and disappear, if that’s what you wanted.
Brogan had gathered up the plates and put them on the trolley they were brought in when Camber came back with her satchel, and from it she pulled out her map. She spread it out on the coffee table in front of her.
“This looks so delicate. It looks so old, but beautiful,” Brogan said.
“It is. I swore to protect this as long as I lived, as a small child.” And I always will, Camber thought.
She smoothed her hands over the creases. Creases that must be hundreds of thousands years old.
“I want to confess something, Brogan.”
Brogan looked puzzled. “Confess what?”
“When we were running, and I said I was working on finding your planet—I wasn’t. I didn’t know you, and I didn’t trust you, so I’m starting from scratch here. I’m sorry.”
Camber didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t a soft smile. Brogan cupped and stroked her cheek, making Camber shiver.
“That’s okay. It’s much better to do it when we’re friends, surely?”
Camber smiled and nodded. Why did she have to be so sweet? It made it harder thinking of her going one day.
She put her hands, palms down, on the map. “I’m trying to channel what you’ve told me about your home, Ireland, about your friends, so hopefully it will take me to some point in the map.”
Camber closed her eyes and let her hands skim over the map. The feeling was weak, so she stopped.
“Brogan, you can help me. Sit on the other side of the table and put your hands on top of mine.”
Brogan moved around, and as soon as her hands touched Camber’s, she jumped at the jolt of energy.
“Whoa. Did you feel that, Camber?”
“Yes. I think this will really help me.”
“Does that normally happen?” Brogan asked.
Camber looked deeply into Brogan’s eyes and said, “No.”
Then the urge in her hands to move was extremely great. Her hands moved apart. One hovered above Danus, where Vorka and the Tuatha De Danann monks worked and lived at Danu’s temple, and the other was over GallowGlas.
GallowGlas? Camber thought.
“Camber? What does this mean?” Brogan asked.
“It means there are two ways to get home. One is a junction, a portal junction that’s on Danus.”
“Junction?” Brogan asked. “I thought you just went in one side of a portal and popped out the other end.”
“A junction means you have to know where you’re going. Probably only Vorka and the monks know it’s there. The map has been erased in the top corner. It would normally show the different places it led, but it’s been deliberately erased.”
“This is crazy,” Brogan said.
“It sounds to me like when you were thrown, that you tumbled through into that place you described with the whirlpools. That’s where you make your choice. You fell through a random junction, and then fell into my path,” Camber said.
“And the other?”
“GallowGlas has one, clearly. It is perhaps where your ancestors came through to your Earth.”
“Why was the junction to Earth wiped off the map?”
“I really don’t know. It feels like it must have been done before my time,” Camber said.
“How many Map Keepers have there been?”
“I don’t know. All I do know is that the ancient beings that made the portals—Danu was one of them—gave the first Map Keeper this map, and the power to use it.”
Brogan pursed her lips and then grasped Camber’s hand. “You don’t mind me asking these questions, do you?”
“No. I trust you. I’ve never trusted someone out of my circle—even resistance members I’m supposed to not trust completely, in case they are shapeshifters—but I trust you. I don’t know why. I choose to believe it’s for the right reason.”
“I’m sure lots of people have said it to you before, but you can trust me. When were you chosen?” Brogan asked.
“When I was a baby. When a Map Keeper is coming to their end, they are led to the next one and hand over their satchel and the map to the new Map Keeper’s caretaker.”
Brogan didn’t want to ask if her caretaker was a parent, not now. It might upset her.
“That satchel of yours, is it magic?” Brogan could feel Camber’s thumb making circles on the back of her hand.
“It must be. I don’t know how or why it was created, but it always seems to have what I need at the right time.”
“Now why was it scrubbed off, there must a reason,” Brogan said.
“Maybe someone was trying to protect Earth or isolate it. In your past, do you think there were other paranormals that came through?”
Brogan thought for a moment and nodded. “After meeting the people I’ve met and hearing your stories about our similar experiences—the vampires, the shapeshifters, the fae, the witches—I’d say yes.
It reminds me of Earth’s mythology. There’s even a Celtic mythology of your Tuatha De Danann from where I come from, in Ireland. ”
“Really?” Camber said with surprise.