'I don't understand the physics of it very well, but Tithonus once told me -- '
'Who's Tithonus? Your leader?'
'He used to be my tutor when I was a child. He told me this world is an analogue of mine. Or mine is an analogue of this one. Or they're analogues of each other -- it all amounts to much the same thing.'
'What's that mean?' Henry asked. 'Analogues of each other?'
'Connected,' Pyrgus said. Tithonus says it's like dreaming, except you don't leave your body behind. Dream worlds can be pretty weird, but you always know the language, don't you?'
It made no sense at all to Henry, but Mr Fogarty seemed satisfied. 'So you travelled here from this other world?'
'It's not exactly travelling,' Pyrgus said. 'We call it translating. You don't actually go anywhere. You just move into another state of being. But it feels as if you've gone somewhere,' he added helpfully.
'You people have been translating here for centuries, haven't you?' Fogarty asked casually.
'Some of us,' Pyrgus said. Even through the speaker his voice sounded guarded.
'You mean like not everybody can afford it?' Henry put in.
'Something like that.' Pyrgus moved position, but the mike continued to pick up his voice perfectly. 'Look, I don't know who you two are -- '
'I'm Henry Atherton,' Henry told him promptly. He'd decided he liked Pyrgus. The little fellow was feisty.
Pyrgus ignored him. ' -- but I don't think I'm going to answer any more questions until you promise to help me get back.'
'You can't get back to your own world?' Fogarty asked, frowning.
Pyrgus said nothing.
'How can we help you if you won't answer questions?'
Pyrgus folded his arms and studied the ceiling.
Fogarty gave in. 'All right, all right, we'll help you. But you're getting nothing for nothing.'
'What do you want -- three wishes?'
'We'll work that out later,' Fogarty scowled. 'Just so you know there's no such thing as a free lunch.'
'How do I know I can trust you?' Pyrgus asked suspiciously.
'See anybody else round here who's going to help you?'
Pyrgus glared at him.
'Take my point?'
Pyrgus continued to glare for a long moment, then muttered something that sounded like, 'Can't be any worse than Brimstone.' More loudly he said, 'All right, we'll make a deal. You help me and I'll send you gold when I get back.'
'Hah!'
'Well, what do you want?' asked Pyrgus crossly. 'How much gold do you think I can carry when I'm this size?'
Something about the way he said it made Henry ask, 'Weren't you always this size?'
Pyrgus shook his head. 'Didn't have these stupid wings either.'
'I think you'd better tell us what's going on,' said Fogarty.
Once Pyrgus got started, it seemed as if he couldn't stop. There were details that didn't make much sense and gaps he glossed over. But the story was fascinating.
The Faeries of the Light first discovered the Analogue World nearly five thousand years ago when three families of seed merchants were shipwrecked on a remote volcanic island in the Land of Faerie. The place was barren and they might have starved to death if one of the children hadn't stumbled on something very odd -- two basalt pillars that burned fiercely without giving off the slightest heat. The child -- her name was Arana -- walked between the pillars. Where she found herself wasn't barren like the rest of the island, but lush, well watered and packed with a jungle of enormous plants and flowers. Even more exciting, she'd been turned into a creature with wings who could fly from one giant flower to another.
Arana played for a time in this amazing world, then started to miss her family and plucked up enough courage to go through the fiery pillars again. She found herself back on the barren island. Her wings had disappeared.
When she told her family, they didn't believe it, but she talked her older brother, Landsman, into coming with her to see the fiery pillars. Before Landsman could stop her, Arana ran into the flames. Landsman lunged
'Who's Tithonus? Your leader?'
'He used to be my tutor when I was a child. He told me this world is an analogue of mine. Or mine is an analogue of this one. Or they're analogues of each other -- it all amounts to much the same thing.'
'What's that mean?' Henry asked. 'Analogues of each other?'
'Connected,' Pyrgus said. Tithonus says it's like dreaming, except you don't leave your body behind. Dream worlds can be pretty weird, but you always know the language, don't you?'
It made no sense at all to Henry, but Mr Fogarty seemed satisfied. 'So you travelled here from this other world?'
'It's not exactly travelling,' Pyrgus said. 'We call it translating. You don't actually go anywhere. You just move into another state of being. But it feels as if you've gone somewhere,' he added helpfully.
'You people have been translating here for centuries, haven't you?' Fogarty asked casually.
'Some of us,' Pyrgus said. Even through the speaker his voice sounded guarded.
'You mean like not everybody can afford it?' Henry put in.
'Something like that.' Pyrgus moved position, but the mike continued to pick up his voice perfectly. 'Look, I don't know who you two are -- '
'I'm Henry Atherton,' Henry told him promptly. He'd decided he liked Pyrgus. The little fellow was feisty.
Pyrgus ignored him. ' -- but I don't think I'm going to answer any more questions until you promise to help me get back.'
'You can't get back to your own world?' Fogarty asked, frowning.
Pyrgus said nothing.
'How can we help you if you won't answer questions?'
Pyrgus folded his arms and studied the ceiling.
Fogarty gave in. 'All right, all right, we'll help you. But you're getting nothing for nothing.'
'What do you want -- three wishes?'
'We'll work that out later,' Fogarty scowled. 'Just so you know there's no such thing as a free lunch.'
'How do I know I can trust you?' Pyrgus asked suspiciously.
'See anybody else round here who's going to help you?'
Pyrgus glared at him.
'Take my point?'
Pyrgus continued to glare for a long moment, then muttered something that sounded like, 'Can't be any worse than Brimstone.' More loudly he said, 'All right, we'll make a deal. You help me and I'll send you gold when I get back.'
'Hah!'
'Well, what do you want?' asked Pyrgus crossly. 'How much gold do you think I can carry when I'm this size?'
Something about the way he said it made Henry ask, 'Weren't you always this size?'
Pyrgus shook his head. 'Didn't have these stupid wings either.'
'I think you'd better tell us what's going on,' said Fogarty.
Once Pyrgus got started, it seemed as if he couldn't stop. There were details that didn't make much sense and gaps he glossed over. But the story was fascinating.
The Faeries of the Light first discovered the Analogue World nearly five thousand years ago when three families of seed merchants were shipwrecked on a remote volcanic island in the Land of Faerie. The place was barren and they might have starved to death if one of the children hadn't stumbled on something very odd -- two basalt pillars that burned fiercely without giving off the slightest heat. The child -- her name was Arana -- walked between the pillars. Where she found herself wasn't barren like the rest of the island, but lush, well watered and packed with a jungle of enormous plants and flowers. Even more exciting, she'd been turned into a creature with wings who could fly from one giant flower to another.
Arana played for a time in this amazing world, then started to miss her family and plucked up enough courage to go through the fiery pillars again. She found herself back on the barren island. Her wings had disappeared.
When she told her family, they didn't believe it, but she talked her older brother, Landsman, into coming with her to see the fiery pillars. Before Landsman could stop her, Arana ran into the flames. Landsman lunged
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