Sliding Into Antar

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Salt Also Comes In Tears

Chapter 37

XXXVII

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"It can't be!" Alex said, waving his arms in the air excitedly, "I talked to both of them, and they both love each other. Quinn can't marry someone else! He loves Wade!"

"Well he's marrying Maggie," Liz said with a shrug.

"I was sure he would ask Wade… I was sure! He lost his confidence! That has to be it!"

Liz shook her head. "Wade turned him down."

Alex sputtered for a moment and looked as though he had just been struck by lightning.

"That can't be true, Liz… It just can't be… Wade's whole existence is tied up in Quinn. Anyone whose brain had more than one sparking neuron could see it!"

Liz shrugged. "Well, she did it. You know, Alex, maybe you can't fix all the wrongs in the universe or be the universe's cupid. I know you feel strongly about this, but sometimes… lots of times really… people make mistakes in relationships. I know it sucks, but it happens."

"Not if they would consult me first," Alex replied with a distraught look but a wink.

Liz smiled. "You're just going to have to let things take their course, Alex. It's their lives."

"To ruin?"

Liz nodded. "To make… or to ruin… their choice."

"Maggie does not have the same depth of attachment to Quinn that Wade does, Liz! Wade would march into Hell with Quinn and never look back; Maggie would march with him to the gate, but Quinn would be on his own after that. Besides, Maggie had a former life that occupies a big place in her life… maybe a bigger place than Quinn does or ever will."

Liz smiled and nodded… "For what it's worth, Alex, I agree with you. But you've done all you can do. It's their lives."

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As the palace clock struck six o'clock, or, to be perfectly precise, the Antarian equivalent of six o'clock, which looked quite a bit different, the crew from the New Granolith and their guests, the Sliders, entered the grand dining room through the large entryway. It all looked very much like their own palace… except for the omnipresent aquarium-like windows to the sea. Max had been very impressed by these, but he couldn't imagine any way to have them in his own palace… short of sinking their own Antar under the sea… which was out of the question. He even considered the possibility of having huge aquariums built outside the palace and placing windows to them throughout the palace. But, then, he didn't want to seem overly envious of this Antar. They had their pleasures, and his Antar had its pleasures. In the end, it all balanced out… but he had to admit that he did love those huge romantic windows to the sea.

The host and hostess, Max and Liz, welcomed everyone as they entered and then showed them to their seats. Liz noticed that the table was exactly like the one in their own palace and capable of seating up to seventy-eight people, just like theirs… except that it appeared to be made of a different type of wood. It was set lavishly, and the food, which was already on the table, smelled divine.

As soon as everyone was present and seated, the host Max held up a long-fluted goblet filled with a rosy blue colored liquid and offered a toast… "To our friends from beyond our known dimension."

This got a rousing cheer from the other "Aquarian Antarians" present.

"To our hosts," Max from the New Granolith said, lifting his own goblet in turn… "And to new friendships!"

"Indeed!" and "Hear! Hear!" were heard from all around the table from everyone present. Then, three servers went around the table removing the lids from all the pots and plates, allowing the delightful aromas to waft freely through the room and causing Michael's stomach to growl. Maria looked at him and grinned.

"Sorry. It smells good… and I'm really hungry."

There was food already on their plates, which also had been covered; and these, too, were now uncovered by the servers.

The host Max raised his goblet again. "I want to hear your stories, but I suggest that we begin eating first."

"A wise man… a very wise man," Michael mumbled appreciatively, taking a bite of something that he did not recognize but that tasted divine. After several bites, he paused and took another drink from the goblet…

"Jubish?"

The host Max smiled. "It's our own blend of Jubish, Corvian Brandy, and Ke'cje da'nish."

"No wonder it tastes good!" Michael said, "Corvian Brandy is like liquid gold… and Ke'cje da'nish will knock your socks off! What am I eating? This is great!"

"That is the specialty of our house," Liz said, smiling, "It's Kryyken Antar… Kryyken ink bladder stuffed with pink deep sea eel, pargi fish, and purple-golden seaweed. It's slow cooked for three to four hours in Kryyken ink and Corvian Brandy."

Michael smiled and his eyes got a bit wider, but then he shrugged and took another bite… "Well, it's really good!"

"I don't think they have any yegg burgers and Tabasco on this planet," Alex said with a grin, "No land… so everything is seafood."

"That's pretty much true," the hostess Liz said, "But we do import some foods from dry planets. Obviously, they're not our specialties. They're more of an exotic item here."

"Well, I think this is delicious," Professor Arturo said, swallowing a small bite of stuffed Kryyken and patting his mouth with his napkin, "I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite like it. The texture and flavor are a bit like squid… or calamari… but much more like Maine lobster and sea scallops… and it seems to be imbued with a smattering of other delicate yet tasty flavors. I even detect a taste like veal in it. I'm sorry, but that is the only way I know to describe it."

Quinn nodded, swallowing another bite himself. "It has a ton of flavor. It's really quite good!"

"It is," Maggie and Wade both agreed.

The hostess Liz smiled… "Thank you! As I said, the Krykken Antar is our specialty. The Kryyken ink gives it a lot of its flavor… so does the purple-golden seaweed."

"And the Corvian Brandy," Kyle said.

The host Max nodded and smiled… "The Kryyken is a large squid-like creature that is found only in the Golden Sea and only at depths greater than three thousand feet. It can be two hundred feet long, including the arms or tentacles, and thirty feet in girth."

"Wow! That would make some BIG calamari rings," Isabel said.

Alex laughed and nodded.

"Aren't you worried that they'll attack your cities," Kyle from the New Granolith asked.

Max shook his head. "None of our cities is deeper than 1200 feet… and the Kryyken has never been known to rise above 3000 feet. So we're safe."

"If the Kryyken were to rise to a depth less than 3000 feet," the Aquarian Varec added, "It would rupture because of its own internal pressure, which cannot be equalized at the lesser depths."

The Aquarian Michael nodded… "When we catch a Kryyken, we have to take care of that little matter before we bring it into the city. An exploding Kryyken could do a lot of damage."

"You said that your jubish is mixed with Ke'cje da'nish," Michael from the New Granolith said, "Do Ke'cjes live on your Antar, too?"

"They do," the host Max replied, nodding, "They live in the Ke'cje Valley."

"But… I thought this planet was all under water?"

The host Max nodded. "It is. In fact, their valley city is the one at 1200 feet… it's the deepest of all our cities."

"The deepest and the highest," Liz from the New Granolith said… "The Ke'cjes' valley is the highest occupied land on our planet… and the deepest on yours. They live in extremes."

"They're shape shifters," Michael said, "They are extreme."

"We met the Ke'cjes on one of the planets we were on," Liz from the New Granolith said. "Their leader was a woman named Ta'lan, and she had an adopted son named Rahn who helped our doubles escape from the military and the FBI on their earth. Ta'lan and Rahn were both very nice. We had dinner with them in the Ke'cje Valley, and they gave us a gift to take home."

"What is it," the hostess Liz asked.

Liz shook her head and shrugged. "We don't know yet. We have to find Ta'lan's double on our own planet and give her a letter from her double in the other dimension… and then our Ta'lan on our Antar is supposed to give us the gift."

"I wonder what it is," the Aquarian Kyle said, "It sounds mysterious."

"They're a mysterious people… most shape shifters are," Liz said, "But the Ke'cjes are very nice."

"That's not the reputation they have," the host Max said, "People here are afraid of them."

Liz nodded. "People are always afraid of anyone who's different. Shape shifters are different. The Ke'cjes realized this, and they capitalize on it by encouraging the rumors. It keeps others away from their valley."

"Hmmm… perhaps I should visit them… with Liz," Max said, "I heard they were autonomous and did not recognize the royal family."

"That's not quite true," Liz said, "They consider themselves to be loyal Antarians and subjects of the king, but they also have their own Ke'cje government and rules. They are very independent… but still loyal."

"I hope that is also true of the Ke'cje people here," Max said, "I will definitely plan to make a trip to meet them and find out. In fact… why don't we do that tomorrow! You can go with us!"

"Uh, little problem there, bro," Michael from the New Granolith said, raising his hand, "We don't have those specialized sweat gland thingies that you guys breathe with underwater. When we got there, we'd be drowned."

"That's not a problem," Michael's Aquarian double said, taking another bite of his dinner.

"Well, not for you maybe," Michael from the New Granolith retorted, "But we would prefer not to drown, thank you."

"You won't drown," his double replied, "We'll go in a slider."

"Oh… You have slider tubes to the Ke'cje Valley?"

"No. The tubes can only take us as far as a couple of cities on the way to the Ke'cje Valley. From there, we would have to leave the tubes. The slider can navigate underwater on its own. It's a lot slower than in the tubes, but like you said, the tubes don't go to the Ke'cjes' valley."

"So the sliders are like submarines, too?"

Michael thought about this description for a moment then nodded… "Sub-marine… that would be an accurate descriptive name for our sliders, I guess. They do not need the tubes to operate; the tubes just give them speed… and bring air to the cities."

"Then it is a done deal," the Aquarian Max said, "I hope you will stay and go with us. Your knowledge of the Ke'cjes would be most helpful."

Max from the New Granolith looked at Michael, and Michael shrugged, then he looked at Liz. Liz smiled… "I don't know, Max… I'd kind of like to see the Ke'cje Valley here. And I'd love to see Rahn again!"

Max nodded and looked back at his Aquarian double… "Okay… tomorrow… we'll go with you."

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On her way back to her room, after dinner, Wade stopped again to look out one of the palace's windows to the sea. It was peaceful out there in the sea; at least, it gave the appearance of being peaceful. Wade watched as a couple of small eels entwined their bodies around each other in a sort of age-old mating ritual, and she smiled. If only it could be so simple. Things were never simple for humans. She sighed and kissed the window, symbolically giving the two little eels her blessing, and when she kissed the window, she tasted salt. Momentarily alarmed, Wade stared at the window, but it wasn't leaking. Then she wiped her hand over the corner of her mouth and up her cheek and nodded… Salt comes in tears, too.

End of Chapter 37

tbc…