Eighth Circle

'You said they would come and rescue us.'

'I got it wrong.' Tom admitted.

'You said they had flying chariots.'

'You saw them yourself.'

'So why didn't they come and get us?'

'They might have been drones.'

'What's that?'

'A flying chariot with no one in it.'

'What's the point of that?'

'They go on spying missions.'

'How can they do that if there's no one in them?'

It was a pointless conversation. Balduur's world was totally different from the one they had entered. The man belonged to the iron age. It would take an eternity to explain what was going on and Tom wasn't sure he knew.

The flying chariots were clearly aircraft but totally different from any he had seen before. They could hover silently and vanish in a flash. The Eighth Realm was far more advanced than the Sixth Realm where he was born.

Tom had developed a theory about realms. It was based on some ideas he had got from quantum theory. He figured that realms were what happened when worlds divided and went their separate ways. They had different futures. Two realms might start off together but would always drift apart. That was why they were different. The Seventh Realm had evolved slowly and remained in the past. The Sixth Realm had chugged along at a faster pace. The Eighth Realm had raced into the future.

'What's that?'

Balduur pointed out to sea. The storm had abated and it was possible to see more than before. Tom strained his eyes and saw a dark object coming through the waves towards them.

'Looks like a rowing boat.'

'Aye,' Balduur nodded. 'But I can't see any people. It's probably one of those drones you talked about.'

Tom decided that he had misjudged Balduur. The little man was catching on fast.

'Dolphins!' Balduur waved his arms.

'What about them?'

'Can't you see 'em? Those flying drones would have sent them. They're towing the boat. We use them in the Seventh Realm.'

The boat came nearer.

'Mermaid!' Balduur shouted.

'What?'

'There's a mermaid with them.'

Tom saw a human form amongst the lithe bodies racing along in front of the boat. She had green hair and carried something that looked like a gun. Suddenly, one of the dolphins ducked down and she climbed onto its back.

The thing in her hand looked even more like a gun now. Tom watched as she swivelled round and sprayed the water with brilliant flashes of light. Puffs of steam rose where they hit.