The night crept along, and it was not a peaceful one. I heard the humming of the wind as it blew along the narrow city streets, or hissed through the cracks between the stone blocks of the wall at my back, or stirred the dust of centuries that lay thickly along the dark corridors beyond our room. I told myself several times that it was only the wind, and yet I could not stop listening closely for any change. Sometimes I would nod off, then suddenly awaken and stare at the entrance to the room, the open arch that showed me nothing except the shadowy wall across the corridor. My tired eyes saw movement where there was none, light where there was no light. I glanced down at my hands and saw the flesh squirm, an illusion born within my eyes, and I knew that I could not depend on them. I held my breath and tried to quiet my thudding heart, but whatever noise I might have heard or imagined, whatever had awakened me this time, did not come again. And that was somehow more frightening. I could not shake the feeling that something stood just out of sight, making no noise at all, waiting for me to sleep again. My education told me that I was being foolish, that I was suffering from hunger and exhaustion and a primordial fear of the dark shared by us all, but knowing the cause did not help me shrug it off. More than that, in this ancient world, the darkness had taken shape. The darkness screamed in the wind. The darkness would steal your soul. When Cory sighed deeply and shifted uncomfortably in his sleep I gasped in surprise. Then I rubbed sweaty palms down the front of my jacket and tried to calm myself. The knife was on the bench to my side, filling the room with light, and I had no reason to be afraid. Then I stared once more at the entrance to the room and waited for the night to end.
Something fell heavily on my shoulder and I yelled out, then opened my eyes and saw Cory leaning over me. He said, Good morning. At least, I think it is. Here, chew on this. Have some water, too. He handed me a piece of dried meat and the water-skin. Enjoy the food as much as you can, every swallow, because its the last of it. He sat down next to me and drank some of the water. And I cant hunt again because the bow is broken. The arrows, too. I think it happened during the fight last night. I was stupid not to have stowed them under the bench. I just left them in the middle of the floor. Stupid! Real stupid. Well figure something out. I was thinking of our lander. It was well stocked. But I was also becoming resigned to the idea of going home alone. I suspected that Cory would rather starve then leave Meara. Sure. And as long as we have water we can get along without food for a few days. It hurts, but we can survive it. We finished eating in silence then gathered up our backpacks. I started to pack the knife in mine, then held it out to Cory. Whats this? he said. You want me to carry it? Take it quickly. It burns my hand. He took it from me but did not put it away immediately. I said, I suspect Ive already done a lot of damage to my eyes from handling that thing. Besides, if you really intend to stay behind when I leave, then youll need it to get through the pass and back to your farm. Good point. I wish Id had it in my hands last night. So do I. He put the knife away. We were within a few blocks of the cellars and the escape I believed was there, and I could not imagine that I would need that knife ever again, not for any reason. I could not then imagine something that I had never experienced before, and that is the overpowering need for revenge.
We went searching for the entrance to the cellars and it did not take us long to find it. We started by walking through the city in a direction away from the mountain. The wind was strong and cold, but it helped to orient us, since it was blowing down the length of the valley, parallel to the mountain range. Standing against the wall of the last building we scanned the open landscape of the valley. We had put the lander down on a flat plane of ice, but the valley was not flat now. The unrelenting wind had piled the snow into drifts, some higher than the buildings behind us. Cory turned and stared up at the mountain. Looks different, he said. You may recall seeing big chunks of the mountain all over and around this city when we first saw it. They arent here now, which I take as evidence that weve come back in time, before the mountain blew up. He raised his hands to his face to block the icy wind and stared up and down the valley. I think we first walked into the city up that way. We didnt have to go very far before I recognized the courtyard of columns. So did Cory. All of a sudden everything was familiar. We were walking the narrow streets wed walked before. And it wasnt that long ago. Only a few weeks. I didnt know exactly how many because Id lost track of time while lying sick in Hugos temple. How long have we been here, Cory? Have you counted the days? Fifty-two. Seems longer. Seems a lifetime. Thats because of Meara. I feel like Ive known her my entire life. Youve only known her a few days, since the spring thaw. Are you really ready to marry her and call this planet home for the rest of your life? I belong here. I closed my mouth and did not say anything more. Two nights ago I had reached that same conclusion about Cory.
We stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at the landing below. I couldn't see any candles, but there was light. Cory backed up and studied the small room around us, the ceiling, the walls and the floor. "Are you sure this is the right place?" "I'm certain." "It looks like someone else is here. There's light down there. Maybe it's your friend, Amathaon, asleep in one of those pods. We don't know how long he might have been hibernating when we found him. He might have been there for eons." "He doesn't need light. He doesn't have any eyes. But you're right. It could be him, and he's provided the light for our benefit. As he did before." "So it could be another trap. All of a sudden I'm not liking this one bit. I think that going down there is a very bad idea." "I have to go, Cory. But you've convinced me that you belong here, and that your future is with Meara. I wish you well, and I thank you for getting me this far. I will always be grateful. Good-bye." I turned for the stairs, but he grabbed my arm. "Nope. Me first. What the heck! My stories of this adventure will get me free beers at Onkar's for the rest of my life. And they'll want to know if you got home safe, or were eaten alive by slobbering monsters at the foot of the stairs." "Just tell them whatever you think they want to hear." He punched me lightly on the arm and grinned. "To be honest, Andy, I don't want to lose any sleep for wondering about it myself. Oh, now, what's this? Don't get all female on me." He laughed and threw his arms around me in a strong hug. "I had no idea that my losing sleep would matter to you. Nice to know, since I've got a hundred bug bites that will keep me awake for a week, all because of this nutty adventure." I sniffed and blinked away the tears that had taken me completely by surprise. "Then let's get this over with."
Yeah, I know. I can't decide about them. And I've had this terrible craving for mush. *fighting it...fighting it...fight lost* Hugs and tears...lightweight mush. Craving over. Whew! Besides, my little actors have started doing the mushy stuff every chance they get. I have to 'X' out serenades and tender kisses every time I call them on stage. Cory has a real thing for kissing Andy up the arm, too. It's cute. But I wonder about him, because he still has three sparks for Meara and dreams about her. I guess sims can't see what's going on inside another sim's thought bubbles, or Andy would slap him silly.
Cory started down the steps and I followed closely. We did not find any candles, but there was light enough to see our way. Cory paused on the first landing. Wheres the light coming from? Its coming from the stone. Look, you can see it leaking from where they join. It must be some kind of compound that puts out light when it meets the air, or the oxygen in air. Youre a geologist, Cory. Havent you seen this before? Bleeding stones that burn? No, I havent. At least its not green. The light on the stone under Hugos temple was green. We went down another flight of steps, and then another, until we reached the bottom, five levels below the street. I recognized the heavy stone columns that filled the small chamber and supported the weight of the structure above us. I could almost hear them creaking with the strain, and I suddenly felt closed in. I kept my eyes focused down or straight ahead, and concentrated on the need to find the temple. Cory came up to stand beside me. Its gone, he said. Or maybe I should say its not here yet? Whats gone? I looked around at the columns that crowded so close to us. That beautiful hunk of calcite. I was hoping to take it back to Brydia with me. He scratched at the beard growing on his chin. Do you realize we dont have a language for time travel? How do we refer to something that we have seen in the future, where weve been, but arent now, and wont be, because weve already been there, but will be, because that moment in time has not yet arrived? Please, lets just look for the corridor to Amathaons temple. Maybe your calcite is there. As I recall, he led us down a twisting passage from out of that room full of pods. That room is over this way. We moved through the columns and saw the opening into the next chamber. We didnt go any further. The calcite may have been gone, but not the pods. The other room was full of them, looking exactly as it had the first time we saw it.
I could hear Cory breathing deep and slow. I remembered his anxious efforts to get away from the telepath, horrified by the other’s ability to reach into the living brain, to touch the fragile memories there, and to hear the words never spoken. It is a form of intimacy well beyond the physical. I had never before in my life felt so exposed and vulnerable. But it had also been completely fascinating because I knew that no on else had ever experienced what we were feeling at that moment. Cory had not been fascinated. For him it was an unbearable invasion. He was remembering that now. “Andy,” he said. “This is not good. I’ve never been one for the touchy-feely-fuzzy-navel-hug-the-universe business, but my fuzzy navel is screaming right now. It’s saying we should get outta here.” “Then go. Go now! I got into this world from here so the way back home must be here. It has to be.” “You’re thinking that it’s like a door. I can’t believe that folding or warping time takes the simple form of a door. Come home to the farm with me now. Listen to me, Andy! We don’t know how far back we came. It might have been only five years. The lander itself might be sitting right out there waiting for us when we come back in a few years. Heck, it could be there now, buried under the snow. The safest way to get to the future is to live for it one minute at a time.” “Good-bye, Cory.” I moved away quickly, before he could stop me, and went into the pod room. I would never be reconciled to Chaos.
He did not follow me, nor did he leave. He stood on the far side of the arch and watched me. I went to the first pod and looked inside. It was empty. I went to the next one. It was also empty. They were all empty, those in this room. I looked up at Cory and shrugged, Theyre all empty. For a moment he leaned close to the frame of the arch and examined it, looking for the hidden door that would lock us in. I waited patiently while he reassured himself that the opening would not disappear. Finally he came over to look at the pod in front of me. They could still be here, he said, just not in hibernation. They could be walking around somewhere down here, or up in the city. I didnt say out loud what I was thinking, that they could actually be standing right in front of us, but erasing the awareness of themselves from our thoughts. By the look in his eye, I could see that Cory had had the same thought . Well, he sighed, if theyre here, they know that we are, so theres no point in doing anything except finishing what we started. Wheres that passage? A few minutes later we thought we might have found it. I surveyed the chamber around us, trying to remember what Id seen before. It hadnt really been so long ago. But in that time, wed lived a life that only a year ago we would have said could not exist, not on any world. I looked at Cory, and then started down the passage. I heard him walking behind me.
At first I believed we had found the passage to Amathaons temple. I remembered the look of the walls and floor. Weve got it, I thought. Were almost there. I dont remember this, Cory said. I do. It has to be right. I remember granite, not this mudstone. What? I stopped and peered at the walls. They had changed. They were no longer familiar. This is wrong, I said. It wasnt like this a few minutes ago. Not when we started. I looked back, behind Cory. It was pitch black. I turned and looked the other way. I saw light. In the past few days I had sometimes sensed a monstrous struggle between the forces that ruled Chaos. The feeling hit me hard now. I was being pushed toward some action, and no matter how much I tried to run from it, I could not escape it, whatever it was. I remembered Hugos charge to me: kill the sorceress to prevent the birth of the Destroyer. Was I being forced into that horrible act? Didnt they, whoever they are, understand that I was not capable of murder? I wouldnt do it. I would never do it. Wed better keep moving, said Cory in a low voice. Im hearing things. Yes, I whispered. I started to run, then slowed when I saw something in the corridor ahead of us. Cory said, What is it? Someone who didnt make the right choice. I stared down at the skeleton. What are you talking about? Hmmm, well. So he died here, but at least he wasnt torn limb from limb. That makes me feel better. Cory, I can hear it. Somethings coming. Run!
We ran. The noise became a rumble of claws on stone, getting closer with every twist and turn of the narrow passage. Ahead of us, unexpectedly, the passage ended with a small door. We burst through it and found ourselves in a huge chamber. On the other side was another door, big and solid, reinforced with iron bands. We headed for that one. Behind us, the creatures flooded into the room, the same creatures that had pursued us in the canyon, ugly monsters that howled now, because they had seen their prey. They were too fast. They started to surround us, and then seemed to hesitate, as if deciding which one to attack first. “The knife!” I yelled. Cory pointed at the iron-bound door. “Run, Andy. Run now!” “The knife!” “I’ve got it.” He pulled it out. The blade shed no light. None at all. Cory shouted at me, “RUN, stupid! It’s still a weapon. Run, run, run!” I ran. When I got to the door, I heard Cory yelling, “Over here, boys! Are you hungry?” I had thought he planned to follow me. As the door slammed shut, and I stood helplessly on the other side of it, I heard the screeching frenzy of the beasts. I didn’t hear anything else from Cory. I leaned against the door, listening to the creatures howl, and then, in a little while, I heard nothing at all. With shaking fingers I grasped the big iron ring and pulled. The door wouldn’t open. I pounded on it with both fists, and as I did, it changed, becoming rock that was indistinguishable from the wall around it. The door had disappeared. I backed away. “Cory!” I shouted. “Can you hear me? Where are you?” No one answered me. I screamed.
My scream faded into the distance, and then, for a long time, I just stood there, staring at the blank wall. How could he be gone? Hes not. It isnt possible. It didnt happen. He must be in there, as confounded as I am by the disappearance of the door. Hes trying to get out. I should stay here and wait for him to find me. No, I should keep going because his only way out of there is through that other little door, and that doesnt lead here. It leads somewhere else. I need to keep going so that he can find me. I turned around and started running, and when I was too tired to run I walked. The passage stretched ahead of me, receding into the dark mist of distance. The only light came from the slime that oozed out of cracks in the wall. The only sound was that of my boots on the crumbling rock of the floor. And my only companion was the memory of Cory telling me to run. I would find him. He was here somewhere, looking for me. I dont know how long I walked, or how far. I stopped only when my foot hit something, a step. I raised my eyes. Everything around me had changed. The crumbling mudstone of the walls and floor were gone, replaced by walls built of brown stone blocks. I walked up the stairs. Candles burned, lighting the corridor at the top. I followed it. I went up more stairs. I wandered through the huge building, along its dark corridors and vast, empty rooms. I didnt find any furniture except an occasional rack of candles, and in one corner, some shackles and a broken cart. I was not in Amathaons temple, but I knew I had seen this place before. I just couldnt remember where. Not until I found a window and looked through its grimy pane to the courtyard below. Then I knew. I had seen this place in my dreams. It was the Temple of Makhist.
Yes, this part was a little rough, but it's important to how things turn out. It couldn't be avoided. :(
How did I get here? Stupid question, Andy. You were pushed here, led here, manipulated in every way, to get you here. And now you are going to get the **** out of here. But I was not going back through that endless tunnel, even if I could have found it again. I wanted to be outside under the open sky, feeling the wind on my face, no matter how cold. I would wait for Cory out there. I leaned closer to the window and could just barely see a huge set of doors, the same doors I had approached and entered in my dream. They were one floor lower than where I stood, and in the other wing of the L-shaped temple. I retraced my steps back to the staircase and down. The corridors and rooms did not connect in any sensible plan. Chaos, I thought, but at least they didnt change shape right in front of my eyes, like the underground passage, and the door that had cut me off from Cory. At the bottom of the staircase, I turned in the wrong direction and got lost in the labyrinth again, then remembered enough of the layout to find my way to the anteroom with the doors. I pushed on them, and they didnt budge. I pushed harder and heard the wind whistle around the edges. The wind was fighting me. I fought back, and got one door opened just enough to squeeze through. My backpack was caught. I slipped the straps off my shoulders and left the bag behind. There was nothing of use in it anyway. I walked down the steps to the courtyard where I stopped and turned to look back at the temple. Behind it was the mountain, rising into the grey fog of clouds. I had not met anyone. I had not seen any evidence of life at all. The temple seemed to be abandoned--an ugly, crumbling monument to a dead god.
I looked away from the staring windows of the temple, pulled the ragged edges of my cloak over my shoulders and walked toward the shelter of the smaller outbuilding. I heard something slam, like a door. A moment later, I heard it again. Nervous, but thinking it might be Cory, I moved closer to the side of the other building. The slam came again, louder, and sounded even more like a door blown shut by the wind. Staying close to the wall, I moved quietly toward the front of the building and peered around the corner at the columns of the portico. The slam came again, like a thunderclap, and I realized that it was the door to this outbuilding, seized by the more powerful gusts of the wind because the latch had broken. Or someone had left it open. I moved around to the front of the porch, and up the short flight of steps, and felt the entire structure shudder when the door slammed shut once more. But it didnt stay shut. It slowly opened again in spite of its size and weight, perhaps because it hung unevenly in its frame. I ran to the door and slipped through, and before it was caught by the wind, I pushed it closed and dropped the latch into place. The door rattled. Dust and splinters clouded the air, but it did not open again. The wind was gaining strength. Its voice was stronger, hissing past the stone walls and finding its way in under the eaves. I glanced up toward the distant ceiling, and then down toward the far end of the large chamber. There were no corridors here, no rooms. It was one large hall of stone with only a handful of windows. At the far end of the room was a low dais, and on the dais was a long glass case, guarded at each end by stone figures of hooded men. Inside the case lay the body of a woman. The door behind me rattled in a violent gust of wind. A voice whispered, Kill her.
