The Laws of Paxia

10. It's all inside my head

Chapter Ten

It’s all inside my head

  I look at the woman, unable to speak. She offers a perfect hand towards me and I look at it with big eyes. My limbs are frozen and my mind is spinning. Lex said no one else was around and what the hell does Paxia one mean? The word friend seeps into my mind slowly and I look at her bared arm. It’s pearly white with no signs of any tattoo. The webs are completely quiet and I touch them slowly with my mind to see what happened. Instantly they start purring in delight.

  “I won’t harm you,” she says with a grin. “I have been waiting forty years for you to arrive.”

  “You look like you are twenty five,” I say slowly when I find my voice. I grab her hand carefully and she easily drags me up to my feet.

  “I don’t age. Well, not here at least,” she chuckles. “I would age slowly on Earth for example.”

  The webs are dancing around me, caressing me tenderly. It is making me feel better and not so scared of them anymore. They are helping me stand up after all.

  “Can you tell me what this place is?” I ask shakily.

  “You must know this is Paxia,” Lila says and her violet eyes are looking at me with compassion. She is long and her body is well built and thin.

  “I do,” I answer her frustrated. “But that doesn’t explain what this place is! And why have you been waiting for me?”

  “I wish I found you before the tribe did. Maybe it is for the better. The boy is smart; he outlived many more capable people so far.”

  “I guess you mean Lex?”

  “Yes, a real champion in this desert. He is seeking the truth he never will find here. Take good care of him, keep him alive.”

  I growl frustrated. “He is the one keeping me alive, how am I supposed to help him?”

  “With the Tarih, of course. They will guide you and you must learn to use their power to the fullest.”

  “What is the Tarih?” I ask more confused than ever and I feel the energy in the air changing. “Is it the webs?”

  “Yes, I will find you when you do. Before then you can’t solve the Problem with Paxia,” she adds sadly. “Only you can do it. We trust you to do it.”

  With those words she disappears into thin air, just like she arrived and I jump forward in an attempt to catch her. “Wait!” I scream but it is no use. She is gone and I am left alone with a very troubling task.

  I need to find my way back to the camp, but my mind is occupied with other thoughts. I’m so confused over what just happened and I have no idea where to begin. She just dropped a bomb without explanations and expects me to solve it. I decide to sit down on the ground again and think about this.

  Why do I have to keep Lex alive?

  What does Paxia one mean and can I really trust Lila?

  What is the real problem with Paxia?

  Can I trust Tarih?

  I sigh loudly and pick up a rock and hit it against another one so it makes a smashing sound. How am I supposed to learn to control something that easily can control me? I close my fist around the rock and I feel the sharp edges sting my skin. I open my palm and reach out my arm in front of me. It feels stupid but I must try.

  “Tarih, come to me,” I whisper and I collect the webs who willingly comes to my aid. I feel them dance around the black rock and I watch in wonder how it slowly rises from my hand, rotating around its shoulder just like earth does.