Realms of Eden Book 03: Whirlwind

"Is it too late to ask now?"

"No, not at all," the red robed man said jovially. "The problem is defining what you are asking, why, about."

"More riddles," muttered Sydney. "One day someone from the realms will give me a straight answer without some lecture, some pointing out of my flaws or making the simplest question into a fucking drama."

The man in the red robes began to chuckle. "Sydney we don't know, if we did we would not need someone like you to carry out the tasks of finding the questions for us."

"Don't you mean finding the answers?" asked Sydney.

"Oh everyone knows the answers. It is which question that should be asked to provide the correct one," the man replied. "For example if I tell you the answer is 4, what was the question? Was it two times two, or was it one plus three or was it the number of times a man can die before he is truly dead?"

Sydney shrugged his shoulders and hanging his head he simply shook it and waited.

"Sydney you were created in the very beginnings of the Earth, you were created to be her warrior and," the man paused to sip from his cup, "her lover. Don't you think that the Earth wants to give you something of herself in return?"

"What would a world want to give to someone like me who is simply a small insignificant speck on her surface. The Earth, if in fact she was alive, would not even know I was here," Sydney said softly. His eyes closed as he lay back on the hot surface and he felt the heat burn into his bare back, he thought he sensed his flesh heating and beginning to cook.

"Yes the ground is hot enough to cook you, Sydney. It would take some time but eventually you will provide a sufficient meal for the carrion. A waste though, when as a feast for the eyes of millions of lonely women you would feed them for many, many years. The crows would probably only get enough for a couple of days," the man said softly as he watched Sydney lying on the ground.

"I thought this wasn't about me posing naked for a calendar," chuckled Sydney softly.

"It's not, it's about you finding something within you that makes you understand why?"

"Oh yes, I had almost forgotten about that," Sydney said very softly, he was beginning to drift away in his mind as the heat from the ground penetrated his head.

The surface of the ground changed. Instead of hot bitumen he was now laying on cool grass and above him rose a majestic building of white stone and red tiles. Around him music played, it was a lively tune and he thought he saw birds circling in dance in the sky above him.

"You will not die here Sydney. This is my realm, nobody dies here," the red robed man said and got up from his chair and walked towards the building, entered through the large open doorway and disappeared.

With a sigh Sydney sat up, he noticed that he still held the goblet in his hand and lifted it to his lips. The liquid within it was cool as he drank the sweet tasting wine. He closed his eyes as he drank deeply, opening them only when he lowered the cup back to the ground. Looking at the level of the liquid he was not totally surprised that the cup was still full. "Bacchus?" he asked softly.

"Yes," came the deep voice in his head.

"So why am I here? Here in your realm, I mean, why was I taken from the bar and brought into the realms?"

"Because you were almost going to destroy the friendships that you have made in your life because of one stupid moment. One stupid moment of pride and anger. I will not allow that to happen, no matter what others think," said Bacchus as he returned from the building. He was carrying a plate of fruits and pastries that he set down on the ground between he and Sydney before sitting on the ground beside the man.

At that moment Sydney's eyes took in the sight of three beautiful women and two very handsome men as the came from the building. The five were all naked and the group walked by without so much as a glance at the two of them sitting just off the pathway. "Shall we go swimming?" asked one of the men.

"You can go, Thomas. I think I shall do some shopping before Daniel returns from work and have something nice for dinner," answered one of the women before she waved good-bye to the rest of the group and continued along a different path towards some shops that Sydney could see further up the grass covered hill.

The remaining four continued onwards, none of them seem to worry about their nudity, not even when some others walked passed them who were fully clothed.

Bacchus watched Sydney's eyes as he noted the group of naked people. "No one cares if you wear clothes or not here, Sydney. Freedom to choose is a basic right here. The same as it is not polite to stare as you are now. Though Kim does not mind, she actually enjoys being looked at," the man laughed as Sydney guiltily turned his head away from the stunningly beautiful woman that had stopped on the path before them. She had returned from the group and came back to stand beside Bacchus as if seeking permission to speak to him about something.

The woman, named Kim by Bacchus, twirled a little showing her flawless back and bottom to Sydney as she giggled. Turning back again to face Bacchus she spoke, "Shall I make up a guest room Bacchus for Sydney or are you going to take him home with you?"

"No Kim, Sydney shall not be staying with us, this time," Bacchus replied. "Later, when he realises that we are allowed to have him here will he want to return to us and stay. For the moment he does not believe that he belongs anywhere." The woman smiled, turned back towards the tavern behind them and walked slowly away. Sydney found himself flushing redly as his erection nudged against his stomach at the arousing sight of her rump swaying as she walked.

"I wonder Sydney if you would have the same reaction if Kim was a crone with saggy breasts and bottom, missing teeth and crossed-eyes?" chuckled Bacchus as he took a bite from a piece of melon he had retrieved from the platter.

"I have lain with such a woman, Bacchus. She was my teacher," said Sydney softly as he took a pastry from the plate before him.

"Ah yes Thellesera. Though Sydney, laying with her was the furtherest thing from your mind when you first began your lessons with her," said the red robed man.

Without waiting for any further comment he continued. "Thellesera was a lonely woman, living in her cave, spying on the young man as he bathed after her lessons left him sweating and dirty. However, she was still a woman and as such she had needs. Needs that for a long time were satisfied by the haft of her wooden practice sword, her eyes and her imagination before you finally found the love inside you to seek comfort in her arms."

"I get the picture, no pun intended, Bacchus. You are right, I have no need to feel cheapened or soiled because my naked picture adorns the walls of bedrooms around the nation. I shall agree to Kelsey's request. Can I go now?" said Sydney with a chastened grin and a small bow of his head.

"You could leave whenever you wanted, Realm Walker," Bacchus said as he rose to his feet. He reached a hand down to help the man up.

"Realm Walker?" asked Sydney puzzled.

"Yes, Sydney. You are the only being that can enter and leave the realms, any of them, without need to ask for permission of the realm masters. It was the one thing that the council and all of the others agreed on. Considering who your father is that was never going to be something we could stop anyway," said Bacchus as they began to walk towards the top of the hill where the path appeared to end.

"My father?"

"You will meet him one day Sydney, when you are ready. For now think about what you have learned in your travels here. Find the thing you are missing, it is not that hard but you will recognise it when you find it."

"Bacchus, can you set me on the path that will bring me back to the world before I got angry?"

"You are already on it Sydney. Goodbye for now."

Sydney found himself staring at Gareth Peterson as he grinned about his wife buying calendars for her friends to see.

"I suppose Mrs Gilroy that I am going to be Mr January?" asked Sydney.

"No Mr Douglas," she replied with a smile, "that is Simon's month. He is after all first on the batting list!"

"Actually Sydney, you are Mr December, twelfth man!" roared Robert with a loud laugh as the rest of the room began to chuckle then laugh loudly. Sydney shook his head in disbelief and mockingly clutched a hand to his chest in pain.

"The makers of the calendar told us that the December month stays up the longest on the wall, sometimes well into the next year before a new calendar is found. They also told us that it is also the most anticipated month and that women will take little peaks at it throughout the year promising themselves a little something each time they do it," said Thelma with a smirk.

Sydney smiled. "I am the promise I suppose?" he asked the smiling blonde.

"You have always been the promise. One look into your eyes gives many people the feeling that you would give them everything you have to make them happy," said Brenda softly and the people around her nodded in agreement.

Chapter 2 -- Friends

The Kiwi team needed forty runs from the last three overs to level the series and Jerome Adeane was desperate to be there at the end when they won. It was a tough ask as Caveman was bowling like a demon and had two overs left of the three to come. Looking back down the wicket Jerome watched the solidly built man begin his run and with his mantra, "Watch the ball!" playing in his head he waited. His bat struck down and through the delivery solidly and he sighed in relief as the ball skipped past the bowler in his follow through and down to the straight boundary.

"Well done mate!" came from the big dark haired man standing at mid-wicket along with some clapping. Jerome looked at him strangely and Sydney indicated the scoreboard with his head.

"Fuck me!" the Kiwi captain smiled and lifted his bat to acknowledge the crowds in the stands as he brought up his 150. It had not seemed that long ago that he had raised his bat for his century. Adjusting his helmet back on to his head he let the crowd settle back down and prepared to face the next ball.

The next two balls beat the outside of his bat as he tried to reproduce the first shot and Caveman gave him a mock glare after each one thudded into the gloves of Murray King. Sydney caught the ball from the keeper and with a small snort tossed it back to Barry saying, "Keep going Caveman, he's suddenly realised the score!"

Sydney is right, Jerome thought to himself, when I was just batting before the score meant nothing, now it is all I can think about! The next ball was almost a full toss as Caveman went for his toes and quickly his bat turned and deflected the ball past fine leg and again down to the boundary. The next one was a bouncer and rather than duck Jerome Adeane stood up to his full 190 centimetres and crashed it over the deep leg boundary for six. He played the next ball back past the bowler and called Rod through for the single.

Sydney smiled to himself, Jerome is going to win this for them! He couldn't begrudge the opposition captain, he had played superbly, defying all efforts to intimidate or trick him into making a mistake. When the fourth ball of the last over was struck to the fence for four to give the Kiwis a win by one wicket Sydney was the first hand from the Australians that found its way into the captain's big right hand. "Well done matey!" said Sydney. "Thought we might have had you with a few overs to go but you got home!"

"Thanks Syd," said Jerome, "drinks on you later?"

"If you call that watered down stuff you call beer a drink, yep," laughed Sydney as he let the man go to be further congratulated by his team mates and the other Australians.

"You know Sydney," lamented Ian Creighton as the team warmed down on the field, "he is exactly like you now!" The coach was pointing at Jerome Adeane as the captain stood giving autographs and having his photo taken with hundreds of spectators still happily celebrating at the grounds.

"I wouldn't say that Ian," grinned Caveman as he stretched beside the big batsman. "Sydney doesn't swing and miss like Jerome!"

"Nor is Jerome as ugly!" chimed in Robert as he handed out some towels for the players to wipe down with.

Ian, Barry and Sydney joined in Robert's laughter. "Not quite what I meant," said Ian, "but see how he talks to the crowds now. Back in Australia you could barely get anything out of him, now he is laughing and talking with everyone.

"He hardly came into the opposition dressing rooms to chat. There was certainly no way that he would ever have come to someone else to ask for help either!"

"Everyone needs to be able to ask for help, Ian," said Sydney nodding, he understood what his coach was saying. "Sometimes you just need to find the right friends."

"You, Whirlwind, are everyone's friend," said Barry Crawford softly. "I came into this team ready to hate you, just because you are a batsman, nothing personal. I cannot find a single thing to dislike about you, even when you smash me back ten rows into the grandstands at training. I am beginning to find the same thing with a bloody Kiwi batsman as well! I will be kicked out of the fast bowler's union at this rate!"

"Then I will have to be kicked out as well," said Gareth as he flopped down beside the group. "I want to get him out, make no mistake about that, but even when I hit him with a bouncer I am the first one to make sure he is ok!"

"It's called white line fever, Gareth," Sydney consoled the big bowler. "On the field you can fight as hard as you can. Off the field there is nothing wrong with being mates. Look at Dean and Roger, they're planning the next fishing trip as they warm down beside one another. Quicksilver and Rod are talking about a double wedding now that Rod is going out with Joe's sister and he is going out with Rod's twin sister!

"Nope, on the field is different. Off the field we are all just human beings and everyone needs a friend."

"Too true," said Barry. "And talking about weddings, Brenda and I are planning on getting married after the last one-dayer. You lot are not invited!"

"Like bloody hell, Caveman! I already got my invitation from Brenda!" grinned Ian Creighton and dived at the bowler and began to tickle him.

"Ok, ok, you're all invited," laughed the man as the rest of the team threatened to assist the coach in his punishment.

The team walked off the field together and surrounded the Kiwi captain to lift him up on their shoulders and carry him to the dressing rooms and the party that was ready to start. Jerome Adeane was overwhelmed by the actions of his opposition team and tearfully hugged big Gareth when the man checked his head once again to ensure that he had not damaged anything with the ball that had pinned him in the first over of the match.

Thelma Daintree found them all singing together in the bar in the early hours of the morning. Standing with Kelsey, Brenda and Sandy she beamed as broadly as the women beside her as almost forty grown up men sang songs to a little red haired girl who sat in a high backed stool in front of them all. "Well it looks like little Miss Gilroy has just picked up another bunch of protectors," she said with a giggle.

"At this rate I am going to have to build another house just to put her souvenirs in!" cried Kelsey as she pointed to a pile of shirts, mini-bats, caps and posters.

"The funny thing is though," said Brenda, "they all are seeing something different to what we are. Watch them closely, they are not seeing a little girl, they are seeing something else!"

"Jennifer," breathed Sandy and looked to the blonde beside her who nodded.

The little girl turned her eyes towards the four women who watched from the other side of the room and gave them a beautiful smile. Elegantly she stepped from the stool and held up her hands for silence, the men watched her, expectantly. "Thank you everyone, it is time for bed now. I will see you all at the final match, train well, play hard." Her voice carried easily to all of them and Kelsey smiled as she saw them all sigh as the little girl walked over to her mother.

The men behind them organised themselves to depart or head to their rooms. Brenda was still confounded about what they were seeing until Kelsey tapped her lightly on the shoulder and turned her towards the hallway behind them. A woman stood there, her small figure encased in a long flowing dress that showed her delicate throat and shoulders. Her brown ringlets, highlighted with red framed her very beautiful face that contained wide expressive brown eyes. Brenda was entranced by her eyes and as she looked into them she could feel the love and wisdom within them. They held a sense of familiarity as if the eyes were those of a very good friend. "Hello Brenda," the woman said softly, "I am Jennifer."

"Isn't she gorgeous?" breathed Sandy in her ear and the woman could do nothing else but nod. A warm hand from the woman clasped hers before gently tugging her into motion to walk beside the woman towards the room where she was staying with Barry.

"I hear you are getting married to Caveman," the woman asked her.

Again Brenda could only nod though she was startled that this divine creature knew about her upcoming nuptials. "I certainly hope you are able to say something when the celebrant asks," Jennifer's tinkling laughter broke the spell.

"Yes, I do," Brenda said quickly, then added, "apart from that!" She found herself giggling helplessly as the woman continued to laugh.

"I am sure that you two will make a wonderful life together, Brenda. Barry is a very caring man, he loves you madly, passionately and I sense the same in you," Jennifer spoke softly, her voice was a lilting, musical tone that Brenda found extremely easy to her ears.

"Who are you?" she asked as she held both of the woman's hands and faced the brown eyes that twinkled at her.

"Your friend, if you will have me," the woman replied.

"That would be very nice," murmured Brenda as they stopped at her door.

"Well goodnight Brenda, sweet dreams," Jennifer smiled as she pressed a small kiss on Brenda's forehead then turned to continue to walk to the end of the hallway and to the stairs that led to the top floor.

"Wait!" cried Brenda. Jennifer, Kelsey, Sandy and Thelma turned as one back to her.

"Yes," said Jennifer.

"You are Jenny aren't you?"

The woman nodded, smiled and continued to walk up the stairs.

Chapter 3 -- Enemies

Clinton Southey leaned back in his chair and read the report in his hands once again. The smile on his face was one of immense satisfaction and his eyes found the figures in the little table provided in the summary of the report. "Almost half a tonne of shit!" he crowed.

The man opposite him shared his smile. "Plus 15 people arrested here, 8 at Pitt Island and 6 hover boats confiscated. Well done, Captain," said Cue Ball.

"Not my place to take the congratulations Sir," he said as he straightened in his chair astounded that the big dark haired man had suddenly appeared in his office. He was definitely not there two seconds ago and this report had only been completed a little less than an hour ago!

"Yes it is Clinton," said the man smiling, "you kept at it even after Palena's death. I heard that you went out there and checked her quarters out thoroughly, spoke to her contacts and friends to finally track down why she was killed. I will forgive you for the deaths out there, that was necessary.

"However, Captain, you put yourself at a lot of risk in working that boat back into the warehouses with drugs on board. You could have been discovered, shot and dumped at sea! No-one would have been any the wiser. In future please let someone know you are going undercover. I do have a secure email address you know."