Eyes (short story)

 was the ninth story in The Book of the Enemy.

Pre-Narrative Briefing
Briefing J

Story
Induce, a member of the Exoteric Threats Committee, comes to find Captain Zauro in his cell in the Institution for Mental Deviancy to learn about an event, an irregularity in the history of his timeship that the Eighth Homeworld cannot understand.

Zauro says that seven years ago he was watching black holes generate gravity waves as a starship, the Royal Corvette of the Tyleth Peoples, wrought of silver and gold, hailed him and asked him to head home with them. He agreed, and they opened a portal to their universe. In meeting with the Queen, he felt all sorts of reactions, religious, aesthetic, carnal. The people, the Tyleths, possessed inhuman beauty, weaponising the sterility of the Great Houses. The Queen of the Tyleth said she wished him to understand what must be done, as he would be listened to, why war must come.

Zauro and the Queen walked across the planet, psychic gemstones puncturing the ground, alien horses diving through solids as if they weren't there, and warriors wielding bow-like weapons that aged parts of the body when hit. She took Zauro to the foundry, showing him their ships of war, where they had the Secret Fire that burns throughout the universes and attached it. Turned on their universe, and it would melt.

Zauro asked her why? Why must they bring these weapons against the Great Houses? The Queen's eyes turned empty, as did the crystals all around him. And looking through these gaps in reality were eyes. The Queen said the beings there sometimes sent larvae through to Zauro's world, but the dull laws of reality they have diminish them. Her universe is not so lucky. Every year they take 700 Tyleths. Zauro ran, calling his timeship to him, and fled. When he returned to his universe, 17,000 years had passed.

He insists to Induce, "The Queen of the Tyleth is going to come and feed us all to Hel-", but she refuses to listen, thinking him insane. She walks outside, and decides his timeship will have its memories erased. She looks at the stars, certain they don't stare back.

Characters

 * Doctor-Assessor Induce
 * Captain Zauro
 * The Queen of the Tyleth

Worldbuilding

 * Weapons of the Tyleth include the Reckless Harp, the Spear of Mortal Pain, the Song of Love, the Song of Snakes, the aelfshot, the Nuckalavee Protocol, and the Red Javelin.

Continuity

 * The Eighth Homeworld previously appeared in PROSE: The Taking of Planet 5.