Welcome to Weimar Berlin, where a heady stew of occultism, art, politics, and decadence barely covers the scars of the Great War and desperate poverty that followed - and where the veil between the waking world and the Dreamlands is wearing thin.
Philulhu wrote:”He had her tied up in a cupboard,” replied Alex tersely. ”Just as well we got here when we did. He was talking about putting her on a boat to God knows where!”
"Mein Gott," Louis says. "We should leave here at once!"
Philulhu wrote:He tried to give Elsie a reassuring pat on her arm but he was tense - they weren’t out of the wood yet. He looked back at the building they had come from. He walked back towards the doorway and shouted through, “Cone on you two! Let’s go!”
Elsie presses closer, clearly welcoming the gesture.
"I think people usually settle things in Hlanith by dueling," says Max, "but even if one of us won a duel, there's more than one of them, and sometimes people here don't stay dead."
Alex looked aghast at Max and shook his head. ”And you think that’s a reason to stay here?! You’re crazy! We’re better off sticking together and working out how to get out of here than going on some boat trip with a would-be kidnapper!”
"It shouldn't be difficult to get out of here" says Karl, following the sounds of the raised voices. "Just wake up, back in Berlin. We're just going to stay a little longer."
"I'm not sure, but I can remember we've been here before several times and woken up normally," says Max. "We should be able to will ourselves to wake up, just like we can alter the world around us through will."
"We have been here a few hours, but we cannot be sure time passes the same way, so there is no telling how much time there is before we wake up," Helmut says. "However, I do not recall my previous visits with any clarity, both Karl and Max remember my being killed, and here I am. So it appears the danger in this journey is limited."
"There are other dangers than death," Friede puts in.
Louis hunches down at the mention of his killing Helmut, trying to look small.
"I am not getting aboard that ship with them, no matter what," Elsie insists.
”That settles it. I’m staying here,” said Alex, adamantly. He looked at Max and Karl. “You really think it’s safe to go with him?’ He shook his head. “I’ll see you back in Berlin. Come to the bar and let me know you’re ok.”
Max and Karl,The Dotherite's prediction proves true. The rest of his community are willing to give up some of the donated food for Max, Karl, and Helmut - they are also effusively grateful to the three dreamers for being willing to help in this quest - and it does indeed appear that most were unaware of the preceding kidnapping plot.
After a short while, one of the Dotherite's colleagues comes to say the ship is ready, and you're all led there. The ship is small and the six Dotherite men appear to be enough to sail it by themselves. It's two-masted, with lines low to the water, and space below decks where the supplies are stored and half the crew sleep at a time. There's a built up cabin at the stern, which is set aside for you - it's cramped, but you can all fit - there are three cots, but it appears two of them are hasty additions, as only one is bolted to the floor. The physicist in Karl finds himself very much hoping you don't run into a storm.
As you cast off, the water is that inky shade of blue the Mediterranean sometimes takes on, the one the Greeks called wine-dark. The docks of Hlanith recede from view remarkably quickly, far more so than the speed you're travelling should indicate. The pale streaks across the sky gradually turn golden, the black expanse between them filling with blue - none of you consciously see the moment it changes, but in time the Sun is up in a normal sky, its reflected light making the dark water glitter.
At some point during the voyage, each of wakes up back in Berlin, though you all have the sense in your mind that the journey is still happening, and when you next dream, you will find yourselves still upon it.
Alex,When you Elise, Friede and Louis find yourselves back on the streets of Hlanith, the pale streaks in the sky are darkening again, as if for evening, though it's many hours too soon for that to be happening. You can hear the distant sound of what appears to be cars, although you heard nothing of the kind earlier, and the dockside streets retain their mediaeval character.
As you walk, one by one each of Louis, Friede and Elsie disappear from sight, and then you awaken to a Berlin morning.
