badly_knitted (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
badly_knitted) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
1character2025-11-16 06:10 pm
badly_knitted) wrote in 1character2025-11-16 06:10 pm
Healer (50 very long sentences about Varian)
Character: Varian
Fandom: The Fantastic Journey
Theme Set: Alpha
Rating: G
Warnings: Thematically very tame, but I have shamelessly abused grammar and punctuation with these.
#01 – Speak
Varian warily watches the people surrounding him, but he doesn’t dare speak, doesn’t dare break his disguise even by so much, to explain what he was doing and why, so he continues to pretend he can’t understand what’s being said to him, that he doesn’t know their language, because he cannot afford to trust these people, not yet, not after what happened with the privateers, no matter how much he wishes to believe they’re different, and that he might at last have found the companionship he’s been seeking; it’s simply too great a risk, he won’t make the same mistake a second time.
#02 – Touch
Touch comes as naturally as breathing to Varian, because in the time he comes from, people are more tactile than in the past, openly affectionate with each other, especially among family and friends; it’s a gentler, kinder time than his travelling companions are from, however, so at first he holds back, keeps his hands to himself as much as he can, not wanting to make his new friends uncomfortable, but it’s too deeply ingrained in his nature, and anyway, they don’t seem to object.
#03 – Memory
All Varian has left now is the memory of Gwenith, the beautiful, gentle woman he’d dreamed about, met, and married in scarcely more than a day, only to see her sacrifice herself to her people’s volcano god in order to save his life; a memory isn’t much to hold onto, especially not when compared to the life he’d hoped to have with her, but it’s better than nothing at all, and it’s more than most people have, so it will have to be enough.
#04 – Vanilla
Closing his eyes, Varian could still remember the subtle vanilla scent of Gwenith’s hair as they’d held each other throughout their single night together, after the first joining ceremony; he’d been so happy in that moment, a happiness beyond anything he might have known back in his own time, and he’d truly believed he’d found everything he hadn’t been aware he’d been looking for, but now, weeks later, he couldn’t be sure how much of it had been real, or if any of it had been, nevertheless his heart ached with missing her.
#05 – Chocolate
This fair was nothing like the carnival where Apollonius had almost ripped the small band of travellers apart, there were no rides, no looming mechanical contraptions, just games, sideshows, and stalls offering gaudy trinkets and foods the like of which Varian could never have imagined, like this confection Scott had called a chocolate brownie; it tasted so good it drew an almost indecent moan of pleasure from his lips, causing both Fred and Jonathan to give him funny looks, but Varian couldn’t find it in himself to care, he only knew he wanted more chocolate!
#06 - Ways and Means
The sonic energiser was designed for healing, that was its sole purpose, to direct and focus the thoughts and energies of the healer it belonged to in order to treat the sick, the injured, the troubled, and thereby relieve their suffering, and as a healer, Varian had only ever used his for those purposes, until he’d found himself stranded on this strange island; but now, due to circumstances beyond his control, he’d been forced to learn other uses for the device, opening locks, short-circuiting machinery, altering the molecular frequency of various substances, and worse, acts of destruction that would have been frowned upon in the twenty-third century.
#07 – Belief
Until his transport had lost power and crashed on this island, Varian had thought his beliefs, the principles by which he lived his life his childhood, set in stone and unalterable, but everything was different here, by necessity, and he found to his shame that he could no longer afford to hold to such lofty ideals, not if he was to defend himself and this small band of travellers he’d somehow become responsible for; they were under his protection, such as it was, and he had no choice but to do whatever was necessary to keep them safe, no matter how much it troubled his conscience.
#08 – Linger
They have an unknown distance yet to travel before they reach the eastern shore of the island and the place known as Evoland, and Varian knows they should keep going, because they’re not on a pleasure jaunt, they’re trying to get home to their own times, their own lives, and yet instead of pushing on through the zone, he’s tempted to linger, because… there’s music here, and as a musician, it feeds a hunger deep in his soul that he hadn’t even been aware of until this moment; he wants nothing more than to sit, and listen, and let the music fill the empty spaces inside him, lifting his spirits and making him feel whole again.
#09 – Luminance
The glow from the walls was becoming bothersome, a strange luminance that never faded to full darkness, and after weeks of sleeping beneath the complete absence of stars and moon, Varian found the brightness of their current accommodations… not conducive to sleep, despite feeling so worn out he’d expected to be asleep the moment his head hit what passed for a pillow; instead, here he was, still awake while the others slept around him, so in desperation, he pulled the covers over his head to block out that intrusive light in the hopes that he might at last get some rest.
#10 – Ornament
Most things in the twenty-third century are designed to be eminently practical, from the towering cities, to the machinery, to clothing… there’s little reason or need for any form or ornamentation, the beauty of nature is considered ornament enough, and yet there are still small touches of decoration to be found, like a fancy belt buckle, or a clasp to a cape that really doesn’t need to be so ornate, but… well, perhaps it’s a touch of vanity in a way, but Varian finds he prefers this cloak to the plainer one, even if there are times when the clasp almost gets the best of him.
#11 - Coup de foudre
The dreams had been so vivid, so intense, visions of a beautiful, mysterious woman, twirling and dancing in the sunlight, smiling in his direction, so that when Varian had awoken he’d been driven from the cave by an irresistible urge to find her, go to her, wherever she might be; he didn’t know anything about her, not even her name, didn’t understand how or why she’d haunted his dreams, and yet none of that mattered, because when he found her, sitting beneath that tree as if she’d been waiting for him, the instant he looked into her eyes, he knew he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her.
#12 – Archway
Varian paused before the archway, letting Fred and Ben go ahead of him to deal with the privateers ready and willing to prevent their prisoners from escaping; the fight was over quickly, and didn’t appear especially violent, although Varian didn’t consider himself a good judge of such things, being a pacifist himself, and coming from a time where violence was a thing of the past, but as soon as the way ahead was clear, he dodged the fallen men, pausing again, waiting patiently for the two he’d just freed from their prison to catch up with him.
#13 – Fate
He’s already lost his new bride, and Varian is determined that he will not lose anyone else he cares about, he will not leave Jonathan to his fate, because despite Apollonius insisting that Jonathan Willaway is no more, Varian can still sense him, huddled deep inside the body Apollonius now inhabits, forced down into a small, dark corner of his own mind, a second, far weaker set of alpha waves, just barely detectable but not yet snuffed out; Jonathan can still be saved, and no matter the cost, Varian will not give up until he’s forced Apollonius out of the other man’s body and mind.
#14 – Pulse
Feeling for a pulse, Varian finds it, weak and thready but there, meaning that despite current appearances, Jonathan IS still alive, and where there’s life, a healer can fan the spark into a flame, so he takes the sonic energiser from it’s pocket on his belt, and focuses his thoughts and energy through it, diagnosing the injury - a quite severe concussion, along with damage to the optic nerves from the device blowing up in Jonathan’s face - and working slowly, painstakingly, begins to repair the harm that has been inflicted on his friend; sonic manipulation of matter, he’d explained once when asked, but that’s a massively simplified version of a healer’s methodology… this will take time and considerable effort.
#15 – Envelope
Folding the last sheet of paper, a letter written in a flowing script, Varian tucks it inside the envelope, seals it, and writes a name on the front, before gathering all but one of the envelopes and sealing them inside a larger one; he doesn’t know how long it will be before they reach Evoland, but he senses they must be getting close now, and when he parts from the people who have become such dear friends, he wants to send them on their way back to their own times with something to remember him by, a message that he hopes will let them know how much they mean to him.
#16 – Cold
It shouldn’t be this cold, not here, not in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, and yet it is, perhaps because of the pouring rain and the gusting winds, and although they’ve found shelter in this cave, that’s about all they have found; nothing is dry in this rain, all six of them are soaked to the bone, and Varian is angry, not at his travelling companions but at himself, for his lack of foresight when, sensing that rain was on its way, he hadn’t thought to collect wood for a fire while it was still dry enough to burn.
#17 – Need
In his own time, solitude had never bothered Varian, he’d enjoyed his own company, the opportunity to relax, and read, or sleep, whenever he wasn’t occupied with his work as a healer, but here, cast adrift on this island, the need for company, for companionship, has been growing stronger day by day, and even though the native Arawak tribe who helped him after he escaped from imprisonment in the privateers’ compound have been beyond kind and generous, they have no wish to leave their homes; yet Varian knows if he’s to find his way back to his own time, he’s going to need people to travel with, because he can’t face making the long journey across the island alone.
#18 – Drunk
It wasn’t that Varian didn’t drink alcohol, or even that he didn’t have a head for it, he enjoyed the occasional glass of wine, or at least he used to, back when he’d had access to a good vintage; he simply hadn’t been aware that what he was drinking had a high alcohol content, and no one had thought to tell him, so now it appeared that he might be a little drunk, a fact that only occurred to him after he tried to walk through a door without opening it, and almost knocked himself out…
#19 – Mask
Apollonius was wearing Jonathan like a mask, a disguise to conceal his true identity, and he had clearly believed that the rest of the travellers would be taken in by the deception… and perhaps the others would have been, but not Varian, not after the first few moments of talking to what had at first appeared to be his friend; the alpha waves he was picking up didn’t match those he’d become familiar with, and yet he could sense that Jonathan was still there, trapped, suppressed, his thought patterns overlaid by something else, energy waves that simply did not belong, the same energy waves he’d detected surrounding Apollonius earlier.
#20 – Rose
Breathing the sweet fragrance, Varian gently cups the wild rose in one hand, caught unexpectedly in a memory of Gwenith, even though lilies had been her flowers rather than roses; the petals are as soft and pink as her cheeks as she’d smiled up at him when he’d found her, sitting beneath a tree, playing her harp, and he can see her in his mind as clearly as he saw her that morning, before she ever told him her name, before he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but although the memory brings him pain, it brings him joy as well, because despite having little more than a day together, for the short time he had with her, he’d been happier than he’d ever imagined he could be.
#21 – Two
The ceremony was over, and Varian was filled with a profound sense of elation that he and Gwenith, who had stepped into the chamber as two people, alone and apart, were now united as one, for all of time; it was the greatest joy he’d ever experienced, a happiness he doubted he could ever have found in his own time, simply because he would never have imagined that the auras of two distinct individuals could ever be so perfectly aligned that they were as one.
#22 – Fresh
The aroma of freshly baked bread drew Varian like a magnet, and the rest of small group of travellers found themselves having to almost run to keep up with his long strides as he followed his nose along village streets, right to the door of the bakery from which the delicious scent emanated, where he came to an abrupt halt; although they were all hungry, having run out of supplies the previous day, there was the small problem of not having anything resembling money with which to buy food, but perhaps Varian could trade his skills as a healer in return for fresh supplies.
#23 – Bribe
Apollonius is desperate, taking over someone else’s body is the only way he’ll ever be able to leave the zone he’s trapped in and hopefully return to the time he came from, to challenge the gods anew, but he doesn’t deserve freedom, and Varian will not let the magician take Jonathan, no matter what his justifications might be; he knows he’s winning the battle when Apollonius offers to share the secret of Evoland, if only Varian will allow him to keep the body he’s stolen, calling it a small price, but if that’s his idea of a bribe, it falls flat because there will never be any price high enough for the life of Varian’s friend.
#24 – Error
It was a massive error in judgement, Varian realised a moment too late, he’d foolishly believed Queen Halyana would be reasonable, but apparently he’d read her wrong and now he was to be locked away in one of Coriel’s jail cells, with no means of escape available, all because he’d denied her what she’d wanted to know; it would have lowered his energy levels, true, rendered him more vulnerable to the poison they’d all been dosed with, but would it really have been so difficult to demonstrate the use of the sonic energiser to her, to show her how he could use it to heal?
#25 – Appetite
Varian had little appetite for the food their hosts were offering, and if truth be told, little appetite for the company of said hosts, a group of boorish men who saw women as no more than chattel, slaves to service their every need, not as people at all; such attitudes did not sit well with him, they were barbaric, uncivilised, demeaning, but he forced himself to remain as polite as ever, because if these people were indeed holding Liana captive, antagonising the men of Coriel was unlikely to secure their friend’s release, and might get the rest of them in trouble as well.
#26 – Refrain
His travelling companions seem to be under the mistaken impression that Varian is somehow incapable of committing physical violence, that if someone hits him he doesn’t have it in him to hit back, but that’s not it at all, and if he chose to, he could lash out as his friends might when faced with such a threat, he simply makes a deliberate choice each and every time to refrain from meeting violence with violence, accepts the punishment meted out against him and holds firm to his own deeply held belief that violence is counterproductive, a waste of energy and effort, and something that should not be condoned, especially by a pacifist such as himself.
#27 – Family
Back home in 2230, Varian knew his father must be wondering what happened to him, perhaps mourning the unexpected and unexplainable loss of his only son, and at one time he’d wanted nothing more than to get back home to his own time, resume the life he’d had there, but then there’d been Gwenith, and dreams of a new home, the two of them together, perhaps raising a family of their own, and all other thoughts had been swept from his mind; but now Gwenith is dead, and Varian’s dreams for the future are in ashes, but he isn’t alone, because he still has his travelling companions, his friends, and for now they’re all the family he needs.
#28 – Grieve
He needs time, and perhaps a degree of privacy, to grieve for Gwenith, his sweet, gentle bride and, devastatingly briefly, his wife, but Varian has neither because long before he met her, before he even dreamed of her, he made the commitment to guide this small band of travellers across the island, to Evoland on the eastern shore, where they hope they might find a portal that will return them to their own times; so he carries his grief with him, a heavy burden upon his heart, yet finds some comfort in the presence and support of the people who have become his dearest friends.
#29 – Vapor
The swamp is a place of mists, with uncertain footing and the swirling vapours rising from the ground and wrapping them in a damp embrace, making it difficult to see where they’re going, so Varian reaches out with his mind and his senses, hoping to detect that way what his eyes are failing to find, but there’s no trace of Liana and surely the storm should have dropped her close to where he, Scott, and Fred had been deposited, but then Scott disappears as well, and while searching for the missing boy, Varian turns around to find that Fred has also mysteriously vanished, all without Varian sensing anything out of the ordinary, which shouldn’t be possible…
#30 – Tea
Supplies are running low again, but there are still just enough herbs remaining for Varian to brew tea over their campfire, a hot drink that will warm them all inside and perhaps help to ease their aching muscles from their long trek through the unforgiving terrain of the zone they’ve just left; with any luck, between the restorative properties of the tea, a bite to eat, and a few hours’ sleep, they’ll all be able to dredge up enough energy in the morning to keep going, in the hopes of finding somewhere they can rest for a day or two and acquire fresh supplies.
#31 – Medicine
Medicine in Varian’s time was different to the way it was in the past, it no longer meant doling out pills and potions, or carrying out surgery with a knife, a method that seemed horrifically barbaric to the healer; he much preferred the cleaner, less invasive, less dangerous procedures of the twenty-third century, where music and the power of the human mind could be focused and directed at the source of most physical, emotional, and psychological problems, relieving pain, balancing mind and body, and repairing damage by means of the sonic manipulation of matter, it was so much cleaner.
#32 – Moth
Seeing the moth fluttering feebly on the moonlit water, its fragile wings trapped by the surface tension, Varian crouched down, balancing precariously on the rocks at the edge to dip one hand carefully into the pool, scooping the insect up, letting the water trickle away between his fingers as he rose to his feet once more, gazing in fascination at the rescued creature, which remained perched on his hand for several long minutes, fanning its wings to dry them, before finally taking to the air and disappearing into the night.
#33 – Perfect
The perfect peace and harmony of this zone, among its gentle, innocent population, is a balm to Varian’s soul after the violence and cruelty they’ve encountered so often, and there’s a part of him that wishes he could lay down the burden of leadership, tell his travelling companions that they must go on without him because this is where he chooses to remain, but he knows that no matter how content he could be here, he won’t stay, because he still longs to get home to his own time, and anyway, after everything they’ve been through together, watching his friends leave without him for a second time would be too painful to bear.
#34 – Rope
He’d let his senses guide him in his search for Scott and the other boy, because that was the way he did things, his mind and his mental abilities the most powerful tools available to him, and his senses had indeed led him in the right direction, but these children were not friendly, nor as reasonable as he’d hoped they might be, despising adults as they did and now he was a captive, hands secured behind his back and a plastic rope fastened with a slipknot around his neck; Varian knew if he made any attempt to escape, that knot would tighten, choking him at least to unconsciousness, if not death, and so he allowed himself, without the slightest resistance, to be led wherever they would take him.
#35 – Wind
The wind comes out of nowhere, gusting so strongly it’s difficult enough for the travellers to remain on their feet, let alone make progress against it, and yet they have little choice out here on this barren plain, where there’s no shelter of any kind, and huddling together won’t help them evade the approaching vortex storm, so Varian wraps one arm around Liana, holding her close to his side, using his height to shield her and Sil-El from the worst of the sudden gale, ducks his head down, and forges onward, knowing Fred is doing the same for Scott; if they can keep moving, maybe they’ll be able to get out of the storm’s path before it reaches them…
#36 – Crossroads
Pausing at a crossroads in the trail they’re following, Varian frowns, unsure which way to go, not because he can’t tell which path will take them on towards the east, the path ahead continues in that direction, but because they’re all weary from the countless miles they’ve already walked over the past three months, seldom stopping anywhere for more than a day or two, and the path veering off to the left leads to a shining city, visible even from here; the only question is whether it’s worth taking the chance that the inhabitants might be friendly, but it’s not solely his choice to make, so perhaps he should leave it up to his companions to decide.
#37 – Summer
It seems as though this island ought to exist in a kind of endless summer, but Varian and his fellow travellers are already discovering that isn’t always the case, since weather conditions can be wildly different between one zone and the next, just as the landscape tends to change completely when stepping through one of the gateways; but here, in this zone, summer holds sway, and Varian smiles, tucking his folded cape into his bag, and tilting his face up to the sun as a soft breeze threads its way through his hair, like phantom fingers combing through the unruly curls… perhaps they shouldn’t be in too much of a hurry to pass through this zone.
#38 – Candy
Of all the things he and his companions had encountered on their journey through the various time zones, all the peril they’d endured, it was faintly embarrassing for Varian to realise the greatest danger to his own wellbeing had turned out to be candy, something that really wasn’t common in his own time, but had been so abundant in the zone they’d recently passed through, and so sweet, not to mention endlessly tempting, that he’d overindulged, resulting in a sugar high that had left his friends ready to kill him after dealing with his erratic, hyperactive, and downright manic behaviour for the best part of a day before, to their relief, he’d finally crashed.
#39 – Photograph
The carnival spread out before them was just like the ones Varian had seen photographs of in the history books he’d read back in his own time, except for apparently being utterly deserted, not a soul in sight; all the rides stood still and silent, towering above the small band of travellers as they made their way amongst them, and Varian was so fascinated by it all that he didn’t know which way to look next, trying to take everything in at once…
#40 – Spoon
Picking up the spoon, preparing to dip it into the oil surrounding the flame before him, Varian frowned as something tugged at the edge of his memory, something to do with the dream he’d had the night before, the dream of Gwenith that had led him to her; it was something to do with flames and fire, but it slipped away from him even as he tried to grasp it, so he pushed his vague misgivings aside, dipped his spoon in the oil, and completed his part of the wedding ritual, combining his flame with Gwenith’s.
#41 – Forest
This is different, a forest rather than a jungle, tall trees that really don’t belong on an island in the area of ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle, massive evergreens stretching as far as the eye can see in every direction, the rich, resinous aroma rising from the fallen pine needles with every step they take, and filling the air with a scent reminiscent of Christmas, so that Varian can’t help smiling because of the childhood memories it evokes, but at the same time, he feels an aching sense of sadness at being in this place so far from home, family, and all that was once so familiar to him.
#42 – Mirror
A maze of mirrors should surely be harmless, no one was ever harmed by their own reflection, but to Varian this room, with mirrors on every wall, reflecting back and forth to infinity, is anything but, not merely because Scott entered it only to vanish when there appears to be no way out other than the doorway through which they all entered, but because he senses a shadowy presence, something alive, something other than the people around him, and yet he can’t tell exactly what or where it is, just that it’s there, and its very presence is warning him to proceed with caution.
#43 – Smoke
Smoke drifts lazily up from their campfire, rising to vanish in the starless, moonless night sky, and Varian knows he should be sleeping, he’s weary beyond anything he could have imagined before crashing on this island so many months ago, but for some reason, tonight sleep simply won’t come; without ever intending to, he’s become responsible not only for his own safety but for the lives or four other people and one small cat, and how can a man morally opposed to any form of violence hope to protect even himself, never mind the people who have already come to rely so heavily on him?
#44 – Shine
The rocks in this echoing underground chamber are strange, they seem almost metallic, and the way the shine in the light of the burning torch Varian took from its sconce on one of the walls produces flickers of light all around him, in silver, blue, purple, green, gold, sometimes even red, making visibility uncertain and stirring shadows that seem to move in disturbing patterns, even though at present he can’t sense anything alive in the vicinity, so although he moves cautiously, and as quietly as he can, ducking to pass through the low openings leading from one cave to the next, there doesn’t appear to be anything to fear in this mysterious place; still, that doesn’t mean it’s safe to drop his guard, even for a moment.
#45 – Balloon
It had all seemed so marvellous when Varian and his travelling companions had first arrived at the carnival, all the rides towering above them, and the booths around them had made him feel that he’d stepped into one of the photographs from the history books he liked to study, a place of wonders and excitement, bright colours, and oddly shaped balloons bobbing in the wind; it wasn’t until they’d entered the funhouse and gone down the slide, knowing they couldn’t get out the same way they’d come in, that he’d begun to feel uneasy, his mind detecting something… unnatural, perhaps even malevolent, but by then there’d been no choice other than to keep going, in the hopes of finding where Scott had disappeared to.
#46 – Vine
This place is so peaceful, so harmonious, with its open windows, complete lack of doors, the bright flowers and the fragrant vines twining around graceful arbours, it reminds Varian almost painfully of the home he’s trying to return to, and at the same time, it makes him long to stay, at least for a while, letting the peacefulness soothe away the stresses of their long journey; he thinks he could perhaps find something approaching happiness here, and he’s tempted to accept Rayat’s offer of a permanent home, but he’s committed to guiding the others across the island, and he cannot, will not, break the promise he made to Scott’s father, not a second time.
#47 – Butterfly
Sitting on a rock beside a crystal clear stream, feeling the warmth of the sun soaking through his shirt, helping to ease the tension from his shoulders, Varian watches a colorful butterfly flitting gracefully from flower to flower, drinking nectar, and finds he almost envies its seemingly carefree existence, only itself to care for, find food and shelter for, no other responsibilities of any kind weighing it down; then, as it flutters away, he casts his gaze around his fellow travellers, all of them as weary as he is, and realises that despite everything, he’s right where he wants to be, among the people who have become his dearest friends.
#48 – Gloves
Varian hadn’t expected to need gloves here, on an island which, for all he’d seen of it before he’d begin the long trek across it, had seemed to be mostly a sub-tropical paradise, so he’d left the only pair he had with him back in his crashed transport, and now he was bitterly regretting it, because the night was unexpectedly cold, and scouting around had taken longer than he’d expected, meaning night had fallen before he and Fred had returned to the others at their chosen campsite; crouching by the small fire, he held cold fingers to the warmth of the flames, hoping it would be enough to chase away the chill.
#49 – Venom
He could heal most things, his training in medicine was as thorough as, and perhaps in some respects better than, what Fred had received in medical school in the nineteen-seventies, but this… this was beyond anything he’d had to deal with in all his years as a healer, and despite Fred’s considerable skills, the young doctor was all but helpless, not having anything is his medical bag that might treat this kind of poisoning; Varian knew he was Scott’s only chance of survival, he just wasn’t sure he knew enough about the effects of rattlesnake venom on the human body to be able to counter them, and yet he had no choice but to try.
#50 – Remain
When they reached Evoland, the plan was for all of them to return to their own times through the portal and resume the lives they’d left so precipitously, but when it’s his turn, Varian realises he can’t go home, simply because he isn’t the same man who crashed on this island more than a year ago; travelling on foot through dozens of time zones has irrevocably changed him, because to protect himself, and more importantly his friends, he’s been forced to commit acts of destruction that would be considered crimes in his own time, and how could he possibly explain his actions in a way they would understand and accept?
Varian warily watches the people surrounding him, but he doesn’t dare speak, doesn’t dare break his disguise even by so much, to explain what he was doing and why, so he continues to pretend he can’t understand what’s being said to him, that he doesn’t know their language, because he cannot afford to trust these people, not yet, not after what happened with the privateers, no matter how much he wishes to believe they’re different, and that he might at last have found the companionship he’s been seeking; it’s simply too great a risk, he won’t make the same mistake a second time.
#02 – Touch
Touch comes as naturally as breathing to Varian, because in the time he comes from, people are more tactile than in the past, openly affectionate with each other, especially among family and friends; it’s a gentler, kinder time than his travelling companions are from, however, so at first he holds back, keeps his hands to himself as much as he can, not wanting to make his new friends uncomfortable, but it’s too deeply ingrained in his nature, and anyway, they don’t seem to object.
#03 – Memory
All Varian has left now is the memory of Gwenith, the beautiful, gentle woman he’d dreamed about, met, and married in scarcely more than a day, only to see her sacrifice herself to her people’s volcano god in order to save his life; a memory isn’t much to hold onto, especially not when compared to the life he’d hoped to have with her, but it’s better than nothing at all, and it’s more than most people have, so it will have to be enough.
#04 – Vanilla
Closing his eyes, Varian could still remember the subtle vanilla scent of Gwenith’s hair as they’d held each other throughout their single night together, after the first joining ceremony; he’d been so happy in that moment, a happiness beyond anything he might have known back in his own time, and he’d truly believed he’d found everything he hadn’t been aware he’d been looking for, but now, weeks later, he couldn’t be sure how much of it had been real, or if any of it had been, nevertheless his heart ached with missing her.
#05 – Chocolate
This fair was nothing like the carnival where Apollonius had almost ripped the small band of travellers apart, there were no rides, no looming mechanical contraptions, just games, sideshows, and stalls offering gaudy trinkets and foods the like of which Varian could never have imagined, like this confection Scott had called a chocolate brownie; it tasted so good it drew an almost indecent moan of pleasure from his lips, causing both Fred and Jonathan to give him funny looks, but Varian couldn’t find it in himself to care, he only knew he wanted more chocolate!
#06 - Ways and Means
The sonic energiser was designed for healing, that was its sole purpose, to direct and focus the thoughts and energies of the healer it belonged to in order to treat the sick, the injured, the troubled, and thereby relieve their suffering, and as a healer, Varian had only ever used his for those purposes, until he’d found himself stranded on this strange island; but now, due to circumstances beyond his control, he’d been forced to learn other uses for the device, opening locks, short-circuiting machinery, altering the molecular frequency of various substances, and worse, acts of destruction that would have been frowned upon in the twenty-third century.
#07 – Belief
Until his transport had lost power and crashed on this island, Varian had thought his beliefs, the principles by which he lived his life his childhood, set in stone and unalterable, but everything was different here, by necessity, and he found to his shame that he could no longer afford to hold to such lofty ideals, not if he was to defend himself and this small band of travellers he’d somehow become responsible for; they were under his protection, such as it was, and he had no choice but to do whatever was necessary to keep them safe, no matter how much it troubled his conscience.
#08 – Linger
They have an unknown distance yet to travel before they reach the eastern shore of the island and the place known as Evoland, and Varian knows they should keep going, because they’re not on a pleasure jaunt, they’re trying to get home to their own times, their own lives, and yet instead of pushing on through the zone, he’s tempted to linger, because… there’s music here, and as a musician, it feeds a hunger deep in his soul that he hadn’t even been aware of until this moment; he wants nothing more than to sit, and listen, and let the music fill the empty spaces inside him, lifting his spirits and making him feel whole again.
#09 – Luminance
The glow from the walls was becoming bothersome, a strange luminance that never faded to full darkness, and after weeks of sleeping beneath the complete absence of stars and moon, Varian found the brightness of their current accommodations… not conducive to sleep, despite feeling so worn out he’d expected to be asleep the moment his head hit what passed for a pillow; instead, here he was, still awake while the others slept around him, so in desperation, he pulled the covers over his head to block out that intrusive light in the hopes that he might at last get some rest.
#10 – Ornament
Most things in the twenty-third century are designed to be eminently practical, from the towering cities, to the machinery, to clothing… there’s little reason or need for any form or ornamentation, the beauty of nature is considered ornament enough, and yet there are still small touches of decoration to be found, like a fancy belt buckle, or a clasp to a cape that really doesn’t need to be so ornate, but… well, perhaps it’s a touch of vanity in a way, but Varian finds he prefers this cloak to the plainer one, even if there are times when the clasp almost gets the best of him.
#11 - Coup de foudre
The dreams had been so vivid, so intense, visions of a beautiful, mysterious woman, twirling and dancing in the sunlight, smiling in his direction, so that when Varian had awoken he’d been driven from the cave by an irresistible urge to find her, go to her, wherever she might be; he didn’t know anything about her, not even her name, didn’t understand how or why she’d haunted his dreams, and yet none of that mattered, because when he found her, sitting beneath that tree as if she’d been waiting for him, the instant he looked into her eyes, he knew he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her.
#12 – Archway
Varian paused before the archway, letting Fred and Ben go ahead of him to deal with the privateers ready and willing to prevent their prisoners from escaping; the fight was over quickly, and didn’t appear especially violent, although Varian didn’t consider himself a good judge of such things, being a pacifist himself, and coming from a time where violence was a thing of the past, but as soon as the way ahead was clear, he dodged the fallen men, pausing again, waiting patiently for the two he’d just freed from their prison to catch up with him.
#13 – Fate
He’s already lost his new bride, and Varian is determined that he will not lose anyone else he cares about, he will not leave Jonathan to his fate, because despite Apollonius insisting that Jonathan Willaway is no more, Varian can still sense him, huddled deep inside the body Apollonius now inhabits, forced down into a small, dark corner of his own mind, a second, far weaker set of alpha waves, just barely detectable but not yet snuffed out; Jonathan can still be saved, and no matter the cost, Varian will not give up until he’s forced Apollonius out of the other man’s body and mind.
#14 – Pulse
Feeling for a pulse, Varian finds it, weak and thready but there, meaning that despite current appearances, Jonathan IS still alive, and where there’s life, a healer can fan the spark into a flame, so he takes the sonic energiser from it’s pocket on his belt, and focuses his thoughts and energy through it, diagnosing the injury - a quite severe concussion, along with damage to the optic nerves from the device blowing up in Jonathan’s face - and working slowly, painstakingly, begins to repair the harm that has been inflicted on his friend; sonic manipulation of matter, he’d explained once when asked, but that’s a massively simplified version of a healer’s methodology… this will take time and considerable effort.
#15 – Envelope
Folding the last sheet of paper, a letter written in a flowing script, Varian tucks it inside the envelope, seals it, and writes a name on the front, before gathering all but one of the envelopes and sealing them inside a larger one; he doesn’t know how long it will be before they reach Evoland, but he senses they must be getting close now, and when he parts from the people who have become such dear friends, he wants to send them on their way back to their own times with something to remember him by, a message that he hopes will let them know how much they mean to him.
#16 – Cold
It shouldn’t be this cold, not here, not in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, and yet it is, perhaps because of the pouring rain and the gusting winds, and although they’ve found shelter in this cave, that’s about all they have found; nothing is dry in this rain, all six of them are soaked to the bone, and Varian is angry, not at his travelling companions but at himself, for his lack of foresight when, sensing that rain was on its way, he hadn’t thought to collect wood for a fire while it was still dry enough to burn.
#17 – Need
In his own time, solitude had never bothered Varian, he’d enjoyed his own company, the opportunity to relax, and read, or sleep, whenever he wasn’t occupied with his work as a healer, but here, cast adrift on this island, the need for company, for companionship, has been growing stronger day by day, and even though the native Arawak tribe who helped him after he escaped from imprisonment in the privateers’ compound have been beyond kind and generous, they have no wish to leave their homes; yet Varian knows if he’s to find his way back to his own time, he’s going to need people to travel with, because he can’t face making the long journey across the island alone.
#18 – Drunk
It wasn’t that Varian didn’t drink alcohol, or even that he didn’t have a head for it, he enjoyed the occasional glass of wine, or at least he used to, back when he’d had access to a good vintage; he simply hadn’t been aware that what he was drinking had a high alcohol content, and no one had thought to tell him, so now it appeared that he might be a little drunk, a fact that only occurred to him after he tried to walk through a door without opening it, and almost knocked himself out…
#19 – Mask
Apollonius was wearing Jonathan like a mask, a disguise to conceal his true identity, and he had clearly believed that the rest of the travellers would be taken in by the deception… and perhaps the others would have been, but not Varian, not after the first few moments of talking to what had at first appeared to be his friend; the alpha waves he was picking up didn’t match those he’d become familiar with, and yet he could sense that Jonathan was still there, trapped, suppressed, his thought patterns overlaid by something else, energy waves that simply did not belong, the same energy waves he’d detected surrounding Apollonius earlier.
#20 – Rose
Breathing the sweet fragrance, Varian gently cups the wild rose in one hand, caught unexpectedly in a memory of Gwenith, even though lilies had been her flowers rather than roses; the petals are as soft and pink as her cheeks as she’d smiled up at him when he’d found her, sitting beneath a tree, playing her harp, and he can see her in his mind as clearly as he saw her that morning, before she ever told him her name, before he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but although the memory brings him pain, it brings him joy as well, because despite having little more than a day together, for the short time he had with her, he’d been happier than he’d ever imagined he could be.
#21 – Two
The ceremony was over, and Varian was filled with a profound sense of elation that he and Gwenith, who had stepped into the chamber as two people, alone and apart, were now united as one, for all of time; it was the greatest joy he’d ever experienced, a happiness he doubted he could ever have found in his own time, simply because he would never have imagined that the auras of two distinct individuals could ever be so perfectly aligned that they were as one.
#22 – Fresh
The aroma of freshly baked bread drew Varian like a magnet, and the rest of small group of travellers found themselves having to almost run to keep up with his long strides as he followed his nose along village streets, right to the door of the bakery from which the delicious scent emanated, where he came to an abrupt halt; although they were all hungry, having run out of supplies the previous day, there was the small problem of not having anything resembling money with which to buy food, but perhaps Varian could trade his skills as a healer in return for fresh supplies.
#23 – Bribe
Apollonius is desperate, taking over someone else’s body is the only way he’ll ever be able to leave the zone he’s trapped in and hopefully return to the time he came from, to challenge the gods anew, but he doesn’t deserve freedom, and Varian will not let the magician take Jonathan, no matter what his justifications might be; he knows he’s winning the battle when Apollonius offers to share the secret of Evoland, if only Varian will allow him to keep the body he’s stolen, calling it a small price, but if that’s his idea of a bribe, it falls flat because there will never be any price high enough for the life of Varian’s friend.
#24 – Error
It was a massive error in judgement, Varian realised a moment too late, he’d foolishly believed Queen Halyana would be reasonable, but apparently he’d read her wrong and now he was to be locked away in one of Coriel’s jail cells, with no means of escape available, all because he’d denied her what she’d wanted to know; it would have lowered his energy levels, true, rendered him more vulnerable to the poison they’d all been dosed with, but would it really have been so difficult to demonstrate the use of the sonic energiser to her, to show her how he could use it to heal?
#25 – Appetite
Varian had little appetite for the food their hosts were offering, and if truth be told, little appetite for the company of said hosts, a group of boorish men who saw women as no more than chattel, slaves to service their every need, not as people at all; such attitudes did not sit well with him, they were barbaric, uncivilised, demeaning, but he forced himself to remain as polite as ever, because if these people were indeed holding Liana captive, antagonising the men of Coriel was unlikely to secure their friend’s release, and might get the rest of them in trouble as well.
#26 – Refrain
His travelling companions seem to be under the mistaken impression that Varian is somehow incapable of committing physical violence, that if someone hits him he doesn’t have it in him to hit back, but that’s not it at all, and if he chose to, he could lash out as his friends might when faced with such a threat, he simply makes a deliberate choice each and every time to refrain from meeting violence with violence, accepts the punishment meted out against him and holds firm to his own deeply held belief that violence is counterproductive, a waste of energy and effort, and something that should not be condoned, especially by a pacifist such as himself.
#27 – Family
Back home in 2230, Varian knew his father must be wondering what happened to him, perhaps mourning the unexpected and unexplainable loss of his only son, and at one time he’d wanted nothing more than to get back home to his own time, resume the life he’d had there, but then there’d been Gwenith, and dreams of a new home, the two of them together, perhaps raising a family of their own, and all other thoughts had been swept from his mind; but now Gwenith is dead, and Varian’s dreams for the future are in ashes, but he isn’t alone, because he still has his travelling companions, his friends, and for now they’re all the family he needs.
#28 – Grieve
He needs time, and perhaps a degree of privacy, to grieve for Gwenith, his sweet, gentle bride and, devastatingly briefly, his wife, but Varian has neither because long before he met her, before he even dreamed of her, he made the commitment to guide this small band of travellers across the island, to Evoland on the eastern shore, where they hope they might find a portal that will return them to their own times; so he carries his grief with him, a heavy burden upon his heart, yet finds some comfort in the presence and support of the people who have become his dearest friends.
#29 – Vapor
The swamp is a place of mists, with uncertain footing and the swirling vapours rising from the ground and wrapping them in a damp embrace, making it difficult to see where they’re going, so Varian reaches out with his mind and his senses, hoping to detect that way what his eyes are failing to find, but there’s no trace of Liana and surely the storm should have dropped her close to where he, Scott, and Fred had been deposited, but then Scott disappears as well, and while searching for the missing boy, Varian turns around to find that Fred has also mysteriously vanished, all without Varian sensing anything out of the ordinary, which shouldn’t be possible…
#30 – Tea
Supplies are running low again, but there are still just enough herbs remaining for Varian to brew tea over their campfire, a hot drink that will warm them all inside and perhaps help to ease their aching muscles from their long trek through the unforgiving terrain of the zone they’ve just left; with any luck, between the restorative properties of the tea, a bite to eat, and a few hours’ sleep, they’ll all be able to dredge up enough energy in the morning to keep going, in the hopes of finding somewhere they can rest for a day or two and acquire fresh supplies.
#31 – Medicine
Medicine in Varian’s time was different to the way it was in the past, it no longer meant doling out pills and potions, or carrying out surgery with a knife, a method that seemed horrifically barbaric to the healer; he much preferred the cleaner, less invasive, less dangerous procedures of the twenty-third century, where music and the power of the human mind could be focused and directed at the source of most physical, emotional, and psychological problems, relieving pain, balancing mind and body, and repairing damage by means of the sonic manipulation of matter, it was so much cleaner.
#32 – Moth
Seeing the moth fluttering feebly on the moonlit water, its fragile wings trapped by the surface tension, Varian crouched down, balancing precariously on the rocks at the edge to dip one hand carefully into the pool, scooping the insect up, letting the water trickle away between his fingers as he rose to his feet once more, gazing in fascination at the rescued creature, which remained perched on his hand for several long minutes, fanning its wings to dry them, before finally taking to the air and disappearing into the night.
#33 – Perfect
The perfect peace and harmony of this zone, among its gentle, innocent population, is a balm to Varian’s soul after the violence and cruelty they’ve encountered so often, and there’s a part of him that wishes he could lay down the burden of leadership, tell his travelling companions that they must go on without him because this is where he chooses to remain, but he knows that no matter how content he could be here, he won’t stay, because he still longs to get home to his own time, and anyway, after everything they’ve been through together, watching his friends leave without him for a second time would be too painful to bear.
#34 – Rope
He’d let his senses guide him in his search for Scott and the other boy, because that was the way he did things, his mind and his mental abilities the most powerful tools available to him, and his senses had indeed led him in the right direction, but these children were not friendly, nor as reasonable as he’d hoped they might be, despising adults as they did and now he was a captive, hands secured behind his back and a plastic rope fastened with a slipknot around his neck; Varian knew if he made any attempt to escape, that knot would tighten, choking him at least to unconsciousness, if not death, and so he allowed himself, without the slightest resistance, to be led wherever they would take him.
#35 – Wind
The wind comes out of nowhere, gusting so strongly it’s difficult enough for the travellers to remain on their feet, let alone make progress against it, and yet they have little choice out here on this barren plain, where there’s no shelter of any kind, and huddling together won’t help them evade the approaching vortex storm, so Varian wraps one arm around Liana, holding her close to his side, using his height to shield her and Sil-El from the worst of the sudden gale, ducks his head down, and forges onward, knowing Fred is doing the same for Scott; if they can keep moving, maybe they’ll be able to get out of the storm’s path before it reaches them…
#36 – Crossroads
Pausing at a crossroads in the trail they’re following, Varian frowns, unsure which way to go, not because he can’t tell which path will take them on towards the east, the path ahead continues in that direction, but because they’re all weary from the countless miles they’ve already walked over the past three months, seldom stopping anywhere for more than a day or two, and the path veering off to the left leads to a shining city, visible even from here; the only question is whether it’s worth taking the chance that the inhabitants might be friendly, but it’s not solely his choice to make, so perhaps he should leave it up to his companions to decide.
#37 – Summer
It seems as though this island ought to exist in a kind of endless summer, but Varian and his fellow travellers are already discovering that isn’t always the case, since weather conditions can be wildly different between one zone and the next, just as the landscape tends to change completely when stepping through one of the gateways; but here, in this zone, summer holds sway, and Varian smiles, tucking his folded cape into his bag, and tilting his face up to the sun as a soft breeze threads its way through his hair, like phantom fingers combing through the unruly curls… perhaps they shouldn’t be in too much of a hurry to pass through this zone.
#38 – Candy
Of all the things he and his companions had encountered on their journey through the various time zones, all the peril they’d endured, it was faintly embarrassing for Varian to realise the greatest danger to his own wellbeing had turned out to be candy, something that really wasn’t common in his own time, but had been so abundant in the zone they’d recently passed through, and so sweet, not to mention endlessly tempting, that he’d overindulged, resulting in a sugar high that had left his friends ready to kill him after dealing with his erratic, hyperactive, and downright manic behaviour for the best part of a day before, to their relief, he’d finally crashed.
#39 – Photograph
The carnival spread out before them was just like the ones Varian had seen photographs of in the history books he’d read back in his own time, except for apparently being utterly deserted, not a soul in sight; all the rides stood still and silent, towering above the small band of travellers as they made their way amongst them, and Varian was so fascinated by it all that he didn’t know which way to look next, trying to take everything in at once…
#40 – Spoon
Picking up the spoon, preparing to dip it into the oil surrounding the flame before him, Varian frowned as something tugged at the edge of his memory, something to do with the dream he’d had the night before, the dream of Gwenith that had led him to her; it was something to do with flames and fire, but it slipped away from him even as he tried to grasp it, so he pushed his vague misgivings aside, dipped his spoon in the oil, and completed his part of the wedding ritual, combining his flame with Gwenith’s.
#41 – Forest
This is different, a forest rather than a jungle, tall trees that really don’t belong on an island in the area of ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle, massive evergreens stretching as far as the eye can see in every direction, the rich, resinous aroma rising from the fallen pine needles with every step they take, and filling the air with a scent reminiscent of Christmas, so that Varian can’t help smiling because of the childhood memories it evokes, but at the same time, he feels an aching sense of sadness at being in this place so far from home, family, and all that was once so familiar to him.
#42 – Mirror
A maze of mirrors should surely be harmless, no one was ever harmed by their own reflection, but to Varian this room, with mirrors on every wall, reflecting back and forth to infinity, is anything but, not merely because Scott entered it only to vanish when there appears to be no way out other than the doorway through which they all entered, but because he senses a shadowy presence, something alive, something other than the people around him, and yet he can’t tell exactly what or where it is, just that it’s there, and its very presence is warning him to proceed with caution.
#43 – Smoke
Smoke drifts lazily up from their campfire, rising to vanish in the starless, moonless night sky, and Varian knows he should be sleeping, he’s weary beyond anything he could have imagined before crashing on this island so many months ago, but for some reason, tonight sleep simply won’t come; without ever intending to, he’s become responsible not only for his own safety but for the lives or four other people and one small cat, and how can a man morally opposed to any form of violence hope to protect even himself, never mind the people who have already come to rely so heavily on him?
#44 – Shine
The rocks in this echoing underground chamber are strange, they seem almost metallic, and the way the shine in the light of the burning torch Varian took from its sconce on one of the walls produces flickers of light all around him, in silver, blue, purple, green, gold, sometimes even red, making visibility uncertain and stirring shadows that seem to move in disturbing patterns, even though at present he can’t sense anything alive in the vicinity, so although he moves cautiously, and as quietly as he can, ducking to pass through the low openings leading from one cave to the next, there doesn’t appear to be anything to fear in this mysterious place; still, that doesn’t mean it’s safe to drop his guard, even for a moment.
#45 – Balloon
It had all seemed so marvellous when Varian and his travelling companions had first arrived at the carnival, all the rides towering above them, and the booths around them had made him feel that he’d stepped into one of the photographs from the history books he liked to study, a place of wonders and excitement, bright colours, and oddly shaped balloons bobbing in the wind; it wasn’t until they’d entered the funhouse and gone down the slide, knowing they couldn’t get out the same way they’d come in, that he’d begun to feel uneasy, his mind detecting something… unnatural, perhaps even malevolent, but by then there’d been no choice other than to keep going, in the hopes of finding where Scott had disappeared to.
#46 – Vine
This place is so peaceful, so harmonious, with its open windows, complete lack of doors, the bright flowers and the fragrant vines twining around graceful arbours, it reminds Varian almost painfully of the home he’s trying to return to, and at the same time, it makes him long to stay, at least for a while, letting the peacefulness soothe away the stresses of their long journey; he thinks he could perhaps find something approaching happiness here, and he’s tempted to accept Rayat’s offer of a permanent home, but he’s committed to guiding the others across the island, and he cannot, will not, break the promise he made to Scott’s father, not a second time.
#47 – Butterfly
Sitting on a rock beside a crystal clear stream, feeling the warmth of the sun soaking through his shirt, helping to ease the tension from his shoulders, Varian watches a colorful butterfly flitting gracefully from flower to flower, drinking nectar, and finds he almost envies its seemingly carefree existence, only itself to care for, find food and shelter for, no other responsibilities of any kind weighing it down; then, as it flutters away, he casts his gaze around his fellow travellers, all of them as weary as he is, and realises that despite everything, he’s right where he wants to be, among the people who have become his dearest friends.
#48 – Gloves
Varian hadn’t expected to need gloves here, on an island which, for all he’d seen of it before he’d begin the long trek across it, had seemed to be mostly a sub-tropical paradise, so he’d left the only pair he had with him back in his crashed transport, and now he was bitterly regretting it, because the night was unexpectedly cold, and scouting around had taken longer than he’d expected, meaning night had fallen before he and Fred had returned to the others at their chosen campsite; crouching by the small fire, he held cold fingers to the warmth of the flames, hoping it would be enough to chase away the chill.
#49 – Venom
He could heal most things, his training in medicine was as thorough as, and perhaps in some respects better than, what Fred had received in medical school in the nineteen-seventies, but this… this was beyond anything he’d had to deal with in all his years as a healer, and despite Fred’s considerable skills, the young doctor was all but helpless, not having anything is his medical bag that might treat this kind of poisoning; Varian knew he was Scott’s only chance of survival, he just wasn’t sure he knew enough about the effects of rattlesnake venom on the human body to be able to counter them, and yet he had no choice but to try.
#50 – Remain
When they reached Evoland, the plan was for all of them to return to their own times through the portal and resume the lives they’d left so precipitously, but when it’s his turn, Varian realises he can’t go home, simply because he isn’t the same man who crashed on this island more than a year ago; travelling on foot through dozens of time zones has irrevocably changed him, because to protect himself, and more importantly his friends, he’s been forced to commit acts of destruction that would be considered crimes in his own time, and how could he possibly explain his actions in a way they would understand and accept?