—Chapter7 The Worldstone

Tom didn’t think much on his walk back. After parting ways with the naga he needed time to not think about anything. It took him a little under two hours to find the snake woman, so he guessed that it would take roughly the same to get back to his demon friend. Sure enough, after about two more hours of walking, he rounded a sharp corner in the path and spotted Hinba reclined under a particularly shady spot. She had her eye’s closed and appeared to be enjoying her moment of relaxation. Tom had silently wished that she would still be at her “human” height but had no luck. 

Without opening her eyes she spoke, “That’s my favorite spell, you know. The first day is always the best. I get to feel and taste all your fear and emotion.” she opened her eyes slightly, “It’s almost as good as the real thing.” 

“The naga was a dead end.” Tom wanted to move on as quickly as possible. “The amber stones were a good guess but they were too small and didn’t match the color of what we were looking for.” 

She placed an open palm on the ground as an unspoken prompt for Tom to hop on. He obliged without protest. Things seemed to go horribly when he offered any form of resistance. “I figured that.” She said calmly. “Let’s get you home.” 

“Home.” Tom repeated. It seemed like a distant memory at this point even though it couldn’t have been more than a few days at most, not even a week, since he arrived here. 

He desperately wanted to distract himself. “Your blue friend is a real charmer.” he said dryly. 

“We’re not friends.” Hinba responded but didn’t offer anything more. 

Normally Tom would be ok with the silence but there was something bugging him about his interaction with Blue. “When we first met she said I was the most interesting human she had ever met but when I ran into her an hour ago, she didn’t even remember me.” as Tom spoke he watched Hinba’s expression for any reaction. She kept eyes focused on the road ahead.

“Don’t tell me you got your feelings hurt.” she said through an amused smile. 

“It didn’t happen, did it? The first time I met her, it didn’t happen. It was just another of your fucking dreams.”  She raised an eyebrow to Tom's glaring expression. 

“Clever little human.” Her response was simple but it confirmed Tom’s suspicions.

“You were lying and manipulating me before we even met.” 

“Yes, yes. You’re very upset.” She waved her free hand. “It’s not the last time I’ll end up lying to you. I hope you realize that.” Hinba stopped walking for a moment. Tom looked around to see if they had reached their destination. He didn’t spot anything in their immediate environment that would signal that they had arrived at the worldstone. Fear welled up inside him as he whirled back around. Hinba jabbed him in the stomach with her index finger and he toppled over in her hand. It surprised him more than it actually hurt, but he was too stunned to really tell the difference. “Tom… this is only going to end one of two ways. You’re either going to be a willing meal or an unwilling meal, and I really want you to be on board with this.” 

“You say it so bluntly. Why are you giving up the act now?” He said while still doubled over, grasping at his stomach. 

She resumed walking around a bend in the path. “Look if you think it’ll make it easier on you to see things my way, I’ll be painfully, graphically, honest with you….” She really took her time emphasizing her words. “Most humans I meet find the lies comforting. You want me to tell you that it’s going to be a pleasant experience? Done! I’ve never had any negative reviews. What does a stomach smell like? Probably like a meadow of flowers. Will it hurt? Of course not!... Speaking of,” She paused her tirade to look at the human in her palm. “I know you’re just pretending I hurt you. You can stop now.” 

Tom adjusted himself back into a sitting position. “You’re a monster.” He didn’t bother mincing words. 

She nodded, “And ignorance is fucking bliss… But not for you. You, my little snack, are still convinced that you’re going to make it out of this deal alive.” 

Because I am, he wanted to say before realizing she could probably hear what he was thinking. Tom could feel her eyes on him as he tried to think of something else to say. 

“Give up those thoughts, Tom.” Hinba said after a long silence, sparing Tom from needing to speak. She held up two fingers. “These are your only options and they both land you in the same place.” Tom was lowered down and watched in stunned horror as she patted her stomach several times. “All tucked away, all mine… Forever.”

Tom wanted to scream but nothing came out. He wanted to protest but was silent. He wanted to tell her she was wrong but he couldn’t. The most he could do was bite the inside of his cheek and fume internally in her general direction. It was also the least he could do because it was the only thing he could do. He never felt so powerless. 

Unable to say anything, they just continued on for a short while in silence. 

Hinba's words cut through the static, “I really wish we had more time to examine all these complex emotions you’re having, but...“ she pointed forward, “we’re here.” 

The worldstone. It wasn’t really a stone at all but a giant tree. It absolutely dwarfed everything around it, stretching miles into the sky and its trunk was more of a flat wall than a curved surface. The already large trees of the forest stopped well before coming close to the titanous expanse of the worldstone. “That’s the worldstone?” Tom asked, craning his neck up to try and take in the massive height. 

“Sort of. The worldstone is at the base of the roots. The tree gets its nutrients from the magic of the stone and the stone is kept alive from the energy produced by the tree.” She motioned upward, “Apparently, it’s mutually beneficial. The entrance isn’t far.” 

The “entrance” was a crack in the base of the truck where it met the ground that was plenty large enough for Hinba to walk through without needing to adjust her posture. The daylight was immediately replaced by the crushing blackness. Tom could not see at all but felt Hinba continue to press forward. She must have walked though this passage dozens of times, or she can see in the dark, he thought. It was probably the former. The darkness started to break into a soft blue glow that became stronger as they progressed. 

They arrived at the worldstone. It looked like a blue tinged mirror that was held in place by brown tendrils that matched the color of the tree, piercing in and out of the glowing surface. Several deep cracks ran in every direction across its surface but Tom was still able to make out the upside down reflection of Hinba on its surface. 

Tom was trying to take in every detail of the sight before him when he was brought up to Hinba’s face. Her eyes met his with the ambient glow making her gaze all the more piercing. “Before I let you go, you need to agree to my terms. I’ll send you back but only if you promise to give yourself to me willingly.” Tom didn’t reply right away. “If not, then well… “she licked her lips, “I’m hungry now, I might just take you now and go find another human that’s more cooperative.” 

Tom started to speak, “I pro-” he stopped himself from finishing his sentence, as he watched Hinba bite her tongue in a mischievous grin. It’s another trap. If he agrees to be eaten then she has no reason to send him home. If he refuses to be eaten then she eats him anyway and finds someone else. He was doubting if she ever had any intention of sending him home. This must have been part of her plan... 

She could hear his thoughts, Tom remembered she could see right through him. His realization was on full display. “It was worth a shot.” she said as she started to move Tom closer to her mouth. It was already starting to water at the approaching meal. 

The sudden movement caused Tom to lose his footing as he was quickly brought upward. “Wait! Wait! WAIT!” he screamed and the motion stopped, “Wait... “ he said for a fourth time, raising a hand to push against Hinba’s upper lip. “I promise I will seriously consider your offer.” his voice was shaking in desperation. To his relief he was brought away from her mouth but kept at eye level. 

“That’s more like it. See? Was that so hard?” she gave an innocent smile that sent a cold chill down Tom’s spine. “I also need you to promise that you aren’t going to take what’s mine.” Tom knew her meaning, “If you try to do anything dangerous, even if you just think about it ... well I’m going to force you back here and...” she trailed off, “Let’s just say it will be really unpleasant and leave it at that.” There was a long pause, “Tom, I need you to say it.” 

“I promise I won’t do anything stupid.” He didn’t bother with specifics. He wanted to live, and that wasn’t going to change. Her being able to read his mind just meant he didn’t have to worry about trying to convince her he was genuine. 

“Now for the bad news,” Tom didn’t know how this could get worse, “since I'm missing my humans, I can't give you as much time back in your world.” she rubbed her stomach as she spoke. “Normally I really would give you the rest of your natural life. While years pass for you only a few months would pass here so it’s never an issue but I’ve already gone a long while without eating.” his heart sank, “I’m afraid I can only give you. . .” she held her open palm. 

“Five.” Tom stated as his eyes glossed over. Was she going to tell him five days? Weeks? Months? He almost didn’t want to know the answer. It was a death sentence no matter how long he had. 

“Years.” She answered his mental question. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry that I can't give you more time. But I promise I’ll leave you alone. I won’t mess with your dreams or anything” she raised an eyebrow, “unless you ask nicely.” Tom shook his head a few times before slumping over. 

Tom felt himself moving closer this time but didn’t fight it. Whether he was too dead inside to care or just knew Hinba well enough to know she doesn’t do the same trick twice was anyone’s guess. He felt the warmth of her lips envelope him. She was kissing him, or making an attempt to kiss him. The difference in their respective size made the nature of the action a nebulous endeavor. 

It didn’t last long as he was moved close to the blue glow of the worldstone. The smooth surface brought his reflection into focus. He was looking at an upside down, and slightly blue, version of himself. Unsure how this was supposed to work, he opted to reach out to the stone. The background in the reflection seemed to morph into the familiar living room of his apartment. His hand got closer and closer as he inched himself forward on Hinba’s hand, careful not to fall off after he'd come so close to getting home. As his hand made contact with the stone the background of his apartment snapped back to the deep red of Hinba’s skin. Thinking he had been tricked, he turned around to face the giant to demand an explanation. “What’s g-” he was yelling at a picture he had hung on the wall. 

He turned back to face his reflection, it was replaced by his cheap television. He was back in his apartment. “I’ll see you later, human” came a disembodied voice. 

Tom was home, he rushed to the window behind the sink. It was dark but he could still make out the grill and swing set. Finding his laptop, he opened his outlook. It was a day and a half since he last sent an email but judging by the 156 emails that were unread, he could have been gone over a month. He was not looking forward to coming up with an explanation for his sudden disappearance. 

It felt almost surreal to be back after so many instances of having to fear for his life. He pulled his collar out to confirm... Yup. He still had the tattoo Hinba had gifted him. It was the only real proof that everything he experienced actually happened. 

Well almost, he thought to himself. He reached into his pocket and ran his fingers along the smooth amber stone within. She didn’t ask about it. Whatever mechanism was at work to keep its existence out of Hinba’s perception, Tom didn’t question it. He stopped touching the stone. Better to not press his luck. If he spent too much time fixated on the little thing, there’s a strong possibility that the effect would weaken.  

“Well… I guess I made it.” This didn’t feel like a victory…