Betwixt and Between

The dawn of stars mounted on poles was brightening into reality. A siren screamed on like a scared herd beast. The avatar-Grahamth shivered a little in the dew that had begun to collect on his uniform. He paced a little faster along the sidewalk, lightstick swinging beside him, illuminating things at random. A voice crackled into being on his shoulder.

"Officer Kingsley, there is a domestic disturbance on 16th street. You are the closest to respond."

"Officer will respond," the avatar-Grahamth told his shoulder, and his pace changed to a fast trot, turning toward a lighted street. "I'm just around the corner."

"Be careful," the shoulder-voice advised, and it was gone. The avatar-Grahamth was comfortable now that he was exerting himself. The chill of the night watch was pleasant in the summer.

Avatar-Grahamth turned the corner and a lighted building came into view. There were Pernese standing in front, shaking their fists and shouting. The avatar-Grahamth slowed, transferring the lightstick to his left hand, putting his right on the metal thunder-maker that hung at his hip.

"This is the police!" he called, directing his attention to the fighters. "Please stand apart!"

One turned, pulling something from its belt, and the avatar-Grahamth heard a thunderclap as blood and pain blossomed into being in the joint of his right hip. It was joined by twin points of pain in his left shoulder before he fell into unconsciousness, screaming at his shoulder-voice, "I'm hit!"

Grahamth awoke, his wings spread, screaming mentally and physically. K'rry was at his side, stroking him, talking frantically.

"Grahamth, what is wrong? Are you okay?" Grahamth noted a tear in his rider's voice and made a effort to calm himself.

I am alright. A bad dream is all.

Lithiuth was looking at him. That was not a bad dream. That was not a story either.

Then what was it, Lithiuth?

I don't know.

Then that is a great deal of help.

Grahamth was much older now, and many of his friends had already gone between for the first time. Today was his chance. K'rry, we must go between today. We should go to the training field to meet Mollitainth's rider.

"Yes," K'rry sighed aloud. "Yes, today we go between."

Rider and dragon walked out of the weyrling barracks and onto the grounds with the stiffness that comes of nerves. Grahamth crooned a little a K'rry so he would not be so tight he hurt when he mounted.

K'rry smiled a little and patted his blue's shoulder. A memory of the pain in his dream dashed across it, and Grahamth shivered.

All he had heard of between did not draw it as a lovable place. It was dark, cold, and unnatural. His body tensed for flight, letting Mollitainth project the image of the star stones into his head. A part of his consciousness he had not know existed grabbed the picture and held it as a dragon holds a herd beast carcass.

The leap from the ground was exhilaration as always. The power in his haunches propelled him into the air, the sail of his wings snapping taut under the strain of the air. Soon, they were high enough to leave the world as K'rry and Grahamth knew it.

Grahamth found himself experiencing the oddest sensation. It was like floating in two places, but being in neither, as near as he could have described it later. He saw the star stones, and then he was between. It was dark and cold. There was no air, and for a moment, Grahamth panicked. His lungs seized, his mind fogged, and he thought he was lost, but K'rry's voice was with him.

The beeping of machines all around his bed woke him from a daze. There were people, some crying, some just standing, blank. He tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat as he tried to move his arm. Pain shot through him, dulled and indistinct as the world was, but enough to discourage movement as well as speech. The sight faded again as he sunk back into the well he come from….

The vision was the clearest yet, and Grahamth was torn between the feeling of existing in two places again. He was frightened. They came out above the star stones, K'rry whooping.

K'rry, I have been there before.