Free Game Play by Kevin J. Anderson Page A

into the dryer, microwave
ovens, trash bags with handle-ties built right in!"
    Most of the words
made no sense to Bryl ― which was to be expected, since the
Outside was such an alien place.
    "But the games they have! No wonder they've grown bored of Gamearth.
    They have
interactive computer games, role-playing simulators, and video games that hook
up to your own television set. And Trivial Pursuit ― did you know that King Kong was Adolph Hitler's favorite movie?" The golem lowered his voice
to an awed whisper. "And they have a great Sorcerer named Rubik, who created
a colorful enchanted cube that can either enlighten Players or drive them
insane!"
    Vailret frowned.
"You lost me on most of what you just said. That song you were singing a
while ago, was that an Outside song?"
    Journeyman clapped
his hands again with a wet, soft splat. "I'll bet you I can name that
tune in ... three notes!"
    Then he sang a long
ballad about a man named Brady with three sons, who met a lovely lady with
three daughters, and how they overcame their difficulties and became a single
family unit. Journeyman then sang a sea adventure of how five passengers had
set sail for a three-hour tour, but a storm shipwrecked them on a deserted
shore. Over time they had formed the kingdom of Gilligan's Island.
    Vailret grinned.
"When we get back to the Stronghold, please make sure I write those
down."
    "What you mean
'we,' paleface?" The golem became serious. "I don't expect to return.
My quest doesn't leave much room for that."
    Before Journeyman
could say anything else, a high-pitched whine grew in the air. Delrael stopped
and put his hand on his silver belt. His face appeared puzzled, then
frightened. The piercing sound drifted louder and stronger until it hurt Bryl's
ears. It seemed to be coming from the silver itself, where the Earthspirits had
hidden themselves.
    Delrael grabbed at
the catch of the belt and yanked it from his waist.
    The belt vibrated
and bucked in his hands like an angry snake, still sending out its shrieking
noise. Blue and white sparks skittered along the surfaces of the gems. Delrael
dropped the belt to the forest floor. The noise suddenly ceased, and the rush
of silence struck them like a whip cracking. The silver belt lay still among
the twigs and curling leaves, shining in the forest shadows.
    Delrael gawked at
his belt in utter shock. Sweat stood out on his forehead. Vailret squinted
down, but he offered no explanations.
    Journeyman seemed
unduly confused, astonished. "What was that? Which way did he go?"
The clay eyelids in front of his hollow eyes blinked and blinked.
    Delrael flicked his
gaze at Vailret, then at Bryl. They couldn't even talk about it. They couldn't
say anything about the Earthspirits, especially not in front of Journeyman.
Delrael could not try to communicate with the Spirits either. The Rulewoman
could be watching, and so would the other Outsiders. They had to maintain
absolute secrecy about their quest.
    But what if
something had gone wrong? Was it a signal of some kind, a calling ― or did they just hear the death scream of the Earthspirits? Perhaps Scartaris
had somehow destroyed the Spirits, and when the companions got to the end of
their quest, they might find themselves helpless after all. Bryl tried not to
think of such things, but terrible possibilities floated in the back of his
mind.
    Delrael swallowed
and picked up the belt, fastening it with trembling fingers. "Hmmm."
He shrugged, feigning a casual attitude. "Well, it's stopped ― we shouldn't waste any more time here. We've got lots of hexes to travel."
    The day passed, and
as darkness fell they reached the edge of their third hexagon for the day. The
Rules forbade them to go farther, so they camped beside the black line. Another
hexagon of forest terrain waited for them on the other side.
    Vailret and Delrael
talked with Journeyman. Bryl wondered and worried, trying not to think of what
lay ahead or about the implications of the Earthspirits'