The Moon Temple

by Mark Hare

****

  V.

  The remainder of the voyage took over a month.

  They needed two weeks alone to sail around the great island of Skyros. Storms, adverse winds, and navigating tricky passages between reefs and islands further slowed them. On several occasions, the captain’s superb skills kept them from wrecking or floundering. Few people live up to their reputations. Akahele exceeded them.

  The weeks at sea living in close quarters tortured Bane. He came to hate the night when the fickle, whimsical breeze tormented him with fragments of conversation and lovemaking from Kai and Elsu. Jealousy corroded his heart until left nothing remained but contempt. The terrible thought seeded in the archive storehouse many months before now blossomed into terrible flower. Bane no longer looked on Elsu with friendly eyes, though he took great care to hide it. At night, by starlight, whenever he glimpsed Kai standing naked at the prow looking out over the waves, something she did more and more each night while Elsu slept sprawled across the pallet like a thrown doll, untroubled by the nightmares plaguing Kai, Bane unlocked his feelings and let them breathe in the darkness.

  His one consolation was the pendant Elsu always wore, unaware of its true import. Perhaps the old captain knew or guessed Bane’s state of mind because he sometimes regarded Bane with a curious, thoughtful gleam in his eyes.

  For his part, Elsu treated Bane more coolly than before, sometimes mocking him with ungentle sarcasm disguised as the ribbing of an old friend, seemingly aware of Bane’s feelings for Kai. Despite his apparent indifference, Bane wondered at the frown that sometimes made the furrows in Elsu’s forehead crease into three parallel lines when he saw Bane and Kai close together in conversation, though he never said a word beyond the occasional caustic comment. If he suspected anything, he did not mention it. The silence worried Bane.

  Akahele, the old navigator, gave Bane the opening needed to put his plan into motion.

  On the morning before arriving at Angor Drava, he called everyone aft. “Before you dive,” he began in a solemn as he leaned against the tiller, “we must think about what the Master Archivist told us about the death awaiting in the tower...”

  “Master, I am more concerned about the sharks than any old tale,” scoffed Elsu. Kai paled slightly and laid a hand on his arm. “So long as I don’t cut myself while underwater, I should be fine,” he told her. “If we arrive during the slack tide like the Master Archivist said, I won’t face any strong currents. I don’t see why anyone should be worried,” he added, smiling.

  “The slack tide will be at night,” Akahele pointed out. “And there’s still the question of what might wait for you inside the temple. We could hold off for a different...”

  “No! I promised Kai the dragon eyes and she will have them! I can’t wait one day longer.” Elsu reached for her hand. “Once she has them, nothing could ever keep us apart.”

  Akahele frowned, shaking his head and waving for Elsu to desist.

  “I keep saying you don’t have to do this,” said Kai, gently freeing her hand. “Why don’t you listen? Forget about the eyes. Let me ask for anything else. Just don’t risk your life for...”

  Elsu glared at her. “I’m not a coward! I won’t turn back, not even for your sake.”

  “You’re wrong,” she hissed, knowing by now he would never change his mind. The same argument had played itself out countless times over the long voyage until it had attained a ritual air, the scripted motions of temple tragedy, where each person had an assigned role and repetition had dulled the lines until they became mechanical. “This area is filled with tiger and great white sharks. I heard Bane talking with Master Akahele. What if they take you for a snack?”

  “I’ll fight them off! Do you believe sharks will stop me?”

  Kai closed her eyes, shook her head tightly, upset by his bravado. “You have no idea what could be in the temple,” she warned.

  Bane bit his tongue and almost choked. He knew the secret of the terror waiting in the temple, the secret he had gleaned from manuscripts and many fragments of forgotten lore, but held his silence.

  “Darling, you worry too much,” huffed Elsu.

  After so many months at sea, Bane knew the signs of Kai loosing her temper. The flush of red across her neck and shoulders, the dark glare in her eyes, the way she squared her shoulders and stiffened her torso all warned of the impending explosion. In full fury, even Elsu stepped softly around her.

  Bane cut her off. “There is a better way,” he said.

  He produced a scroll from a bag. “Look, I found this back in Ikrona. I believe it might help you.” Nervousness made Bane chatter and he could not look Elsu in the eye. “This architectural drawing shows the great temple of Skyros. According to legend, the temple is a copy of the one in Angor Drava.”

  “I remember you mentioned that. You’ve found a valuable prize,” said the navigator, “assuming they didn’t make too many changes.” He studied the drawing closely. “Hm. Lord Elsu, how long can you hold your breath?”

  “Maybe five or six minutes.”

  “Then I see a problem. If it is the same design as the temple of Skyros, you have to use this long hall to reach the central chamber.”

  “So? There are other halls.”

  “Who knows if they are still intact after a thousand years? Even if they are, no matter how fast you swim, you won’t have enough air to go from the ship to the temple, past all the sharks, down the hall to the dragon hall, and back again.”

  “What about the tower?” asked Kai suddenly.

  Elsu frowned. “What about it?”

  “If it’s like the temple at Skyros, the tower at the center of the temple is right above the main hall. Remember? We went there one day. It has a gallery and a colonnade of arched doors and windows running around its top at several points. See? There? The tower has an atrium. We can anchor the ship against the temple and you can swim down from there.”

  “A good idea,” said Akahele slowly, squinting at the diagram in the lantern light, “but the hall will be dark and I’m worried about what you can’t see. Lord Elsu, what if you swim in from the outside, get the eyes, and swim up to the top of the temple? The tide should be low enough for the top to be above water. That would save you time and give you a chance to make sure there aren’t any traps or obstructions waiting for you.”

  “Traps?”

  “There must be a reason for the temple’s reputation,” suggested Bane.

  Elsu nodded. “I like this plan. However, Kai is right. The sharks will be a bother...”

  “I think I can also help there,” Bane injected. Tension made his voice awkward. “I bought an ointment to repel sharks. I...I wanted to save it as a surprise.”

  The captain narrowed his eyes. “Such things are rare and expensive,” he said in a dry, husky voice. “You are a true friend indeed. Elsu, you have a treasure in this man!”

  Elsu accepted the vial without a glance. “Thanks, Bane.” He stopped, looked at the vial in his hand and then smiled, reaching out to collar Bane by the neck and hug him the way they used to do as kids. “I knew you would never let me down,” he said. “You’ve always come through for me.” Pausing, Elsu smiled down at his friend. “I hope it’s not too late, but I apologize for misjudging you.” Turning to Kai, he said, “See? It will be too easy!”

  Kai was unconvinced. “Master, what is this death you talk about?” she asked.

  The old man scratched his neck and looked toward the horizon. “They say…”

  “It’s nothing, just something the Master Archivist had prattled on about.” Elsu moved to pull Kai toward him but she resisted.

  “One more thing,” said Bane, pointing at Elsu’s chest. “Some claim the pendant is a charm against the guardian of the city.” Bane winced at the unnecessary lie.

  Kai twisted, surprise on her face. “Guardian?” It was the first she had heard of it and the mention left an icy sickening of
her heart.

  “You must be careful when you enter the chamber of the idol,” warned Akahele, repeating something the Master Archivist often intoned. Elsu snorted, not inclined to listen. The old man sighed and his thoughtful gaze lingered long on Bane.

  Kai also fell silent and stood apart from the others until nightfall. Fear and agitation shone in her face. Bane almost relented at the sight of her staring at the ocean, her arm wrapped around a guide rope to steady herself against the swell. The moment passed when Elsu went to Kai, kissed her shoulder, and rubbed the flat of his hand across her back and hips. After a long moment, Kai relented, arched her neck, and kissed him longingly.

  There was no time to think after that.

  With the tide going out and the sun vanishing below the horizon, they depended on the skill of the navigator and Bane’s old maps to reach the city intact.

  The temple, a huge tower stained by weather and the sea, thrust up from the waves like a small mountain. Moonlight glinting off the weathered marble made it shine like a lighthouse and Bane found it hard to believe it was thousands of years old. Kai was the first to see it, her muscles tensing as she pointed. Akahele moved the rudder and the ship heeled, slanting as it followed the wind. Even at a distance, half obscured in the night, the temple brooded with a sullen, alien, implacable spirit, leaving everyone quiet and thoughtful at the awareness of something powerful and malefic sheltering within it.

  The sea ebbed with the tide. The navigator skillfully brought the ship alongside the temple. They saw the shelf-like ledge running around the tower, the remains of a balcony, and dropped anchor so close to the tower the hull almost touched. Elsu and Bane climbed the mast, threw ropes weighted with stones and hooks until they got a solid purchase. Elsu climbed up, hauling up a rope ladder behind him.

  Against Elsu’s heated opposition, Akahele and Kai mounted the rope ladder after Bane. Akahele risked a torch as he led the way inside the temple. As Kai predicted, the interior of the tower was hollow. A dozen fathoms above, they saw a skylight, a ragged opening suggesting a dome of bronze and stained glass once crowned the top, now an open, gaping wound filled with stars and the sound of seagulls nesting. Below them, still and flat as a mirror, the sea filled the interior of the temple, creating a black pool. Kai wished she wore clothing, for a sudden chill touched her skin. The empty temple frightened her. The open end of the tower suggested to her the maw of some massive stone beast and the image refused to let go of her imagination. Akahele leaned over the edge, holding his torch over the water, but saw nothing. The torch reflected a red glow, casting long shadows, and did not penetrate the inky waters. Wings rustled as gulls woke, disturbed in their sleep by the flickering torch and the voices ringing in the salty night air.

  The old man knelt by the pool, torch outstretched, and waited, still as a graven image, head tilted slightly as if listening. “That is a long way to dive without knowing what is down there,” he said at last, standing with a grunt.

  Elsu silently agreed as he glanced through the open archways toward the sea lit by moonlight. “Bane, did you take a sounding?”

  “Yes. It’s roughly four and half fathoms deep.” The reading had surprised Bane: he did not expect it to be so shallow.

  “I can make that easily. How long will the slack tide last?” he asked.

  “Just over an hour. Come, let’s prepare.” The old man paused and looked up. “No clouds and the moon will soon be over head...” Shaking his head as if tossing aside a useless thought, he motioned for them to follow him back to the ship. “You are fortunate. That means you will have light for the ascent,” he concluded.

  Kai tried one last time to stop Elsu, even though she knew it was hopeless. Part of her loved his brash confidence and he looked too handsome for words strapping on an obsidian knife and stout leather belt, breathing heavily to oxygenate his lungs for the dive. She melted whenever he looked at her and she feared losing him. “Love, are you sure you want to do this?” she asked, despairing of his answer.

  “I’ll be all right. I promise! I’ve seen the Ceremonies of Light and Dark among the H’suai of the Ice Rim. Nothing could frighten me after that.” He lifted her chin with his fingers. “When I get back, we can wed.”

  “You don’t have to do this! You never had to win my love! It was always yours!” she protested.

  “You say that because you’re afraid.”

  “No! You don’t know what’s down there! You don’t need to take this risk! You’re a fool, Elsu.” Tears rimmed her eyes. “A brave, dead fool!”

  His face hardened as his eyes flashed. “Don’t say that! I’ll be back! Bane, where’s that ointment?” he demanded.

  Bane slathered the foul-smelling ointment across Elsu’s chest and shoulders. As he moved down to the legs, he let the vial slip from his hands. It clattered on the deck and almost tipped over the side, but Kai snatched it. Bane apologized for his clumsiness as Elsu waved him off. Bane sighed in relief, hiding his joy. The chemical repelled sharks, but not other things.

  With a quick kiss on Kai’s lips, and a promise to return, Elsu picked up a lead weight, laughed, took a final deep breath, and dove into the sea.

  Cold water electrified his bare skin. Elsu swam for the bottom, aware speed was necessary. While he was a superb diver, able to hold his breath for six or seven minutes, time was against him.

  He glimpsed the shadows of sharks gliding above him. They sensed his movement and angled downward.

  Elsu reached for his knife, cursing himself for trusting Bane, remembering the many times he noticed Bane’s eyes watching Kai with an unhealthy gleam and how the pair flirted with each other. The ointment must be worthless, he told himself as the sharks arrowed for him with hungry, unfriendly flicks of their tails.

  Elsu dove deep for the bottom.

  He glanced back to see the sharks swim away and relief washed over him. Elsu chided himself for being suspicious of his friend, for Bane again proved faithful and true. Once close to the sea bottom, he dropped the lead weight and sped on.

  Moonlight filtered through the water, lighting everything in shifting reflections, warping buildings into fantastic shapes. Coral encrusted most of the tumbled stone, further distorting the outline of the city. Elsu noted a huge number of life-sized statues, white as alabaster, displayed throughout the city. All were of nude young men and women caught moments of transcendent joy or stark fear, it was hard to tell which. Each statue was a masterpiece of realism, untouched by lichen or coral, so detailed and lifelike Elsu knew they were the works of masters.

  What surprised Elsu were the other nude statues scattered throughout the city in countless random places where no statue should stand, positioned as real people caught in the middle of their daily lives. Elsu found the range of subject matter, from the very young to the very old of both sexes, odd and tasteless. He thought it frivolous to decorate the streets and courtyards so lavishly with ordinary people caught in unappealing poses. The general expressions of those statues veered between fear and astonishment.

  Elsu disregarded the statues and followed the wall. From a drawing of the temple Bane had copied, Elsu knew where to find the main entrance. It was a short swim down the twisting hall to the central chamber. He shivered to a stop when a huge shark flashed past him. Something brushed against him. Pain burned along his forearm where he scraped against the skin of the shark. The scent of blood drove it mad and it thrashed after him, suddenly breaking off and swimming back outside. Elsu attributed this to the ointment and quickly swam on, hoping the blood would not draw more predators.

  He reached the central chamber just as his lungs began to burn for air. He had a few minutes left. The bleeding arm left a thin red trail in the water, but Elsu did not have time to dwell on it.

  The moon illuminated the huge circular chamber from above, but Elsu saw other light sources not on the diagram. A number of skylights in the sloping upper top of the cham
ber added more light, enough for Elsu to see the chamber and for him to wonder why it had seemed so dark when they looked down from the surface.

  White sand covered the floor. Elaborate colored tile patterned walls indented with little alcoves, each containing a life-sized stone statue of a beautiful man or woman. More niches climbed up the side of the walls, numbering perhaps into the hundreds. What caught his eye, triggering a faint tremor of alarm, were the several dozen more nude statues, both male and female, scattered randomly about the chamber. The statues, all caught in poses as if swimming, all showing expressions of surprise or fear, seemed luminous in the pooled moonlight and so life-like Elsu expected them to move. A few looked crushed or broken.

  It gave him pause, but then he saw light glinting off the statue’s diamond eyes.

  The idol, almost invisible at the far end of the chamber, appeared as a ghostly white form cloaked in shadow. The barest outlines were discernible in gloom, enough for Elsu to note something was strange about the shape of the dragon.

  Elsu kicked off the sandy floor. The sense of danger grew stronger the nearer he swam toward it, but he pushed the feeling aside.

  Elsu saw the trap too late.

  The glint of metal caught his eye. All the statues wore pendants like the one around his neck. For a fatal second, he hesitated, his mind refusing to process the implications as the possibility Bane had lied darkened his thoughts.

  The head of the idol moved, opening its jaws.

  The creature shifted into the light and Elsu saw this was no dragon, but a creature unknown to him, for he had never seen a basilisk. Elsu knew fear for the first time in his life as the overpowering presence of the ancient creature filled the chamber with a malevolence that made his skin twitch.

  One glance at the diamond eyes shining bright in the shuttered moonlight told Elsu that something vast, powerful, and deadly now hunted him, something that radiated hunger and even perhaps inhuman amusement.

  Elsu had seconds to choose his options. He could swim toward the hall, but sharks waited outside and there was no time to swim that way with a basilisk uncurling behind him, his lungs aching for air, and his forearm still trailing blood.

  That left either the skylight or the moon pool far above.

  The basilisk moved faster. A wave seized Elsu and tugged him back.

  He kicked for the skylight, laughing to himself, certain the creature could not follow through the small opening. There would be time later to steal the eyes. He would defeat the dragon yet. Oh, the stories everyone would sing of him....

  Images of Kai’s adoration, the cheers of his fellow warriors, all of it fled his startled mind when his head struck something hard. He reached out a hand, felt something smooth and invisible bar his way.

  It never occurred to him that a pane of glass covered the window. A trick of water and light hid it. The glass was thick and did not break or scratch when he clawed at it with his knife.

  Behind him, the basilisk slowly slithered up, its elegant jeweled coils looping and writing as it approached. Air escaped his lungs in a few bubbles of exasperation. The bubbles hit the glass and rolled, refracting pale light.

  Elsu gathered his wits and kicked off the glass. He intended to fight his way to the top of the pool where Bane and Kai waited: surrender, like failing, did not enter his thoughts.

  The last thing he saw was the open mouth of the basilisk, revealing rows of long, curved ivory fangs and eyes that glowed brighter and colder than the moon, glowing eyes that chilled flesh and bone.

  He remembered too late the warning not to look at the eyes.

  Coldness burned through him in an icy tide as his limbs stiffened and refused to obey, growing heavier with each passing moment. His breath nearly gone, tumbling through the clear water, he caught sight of his hand. His white stone hand. Blackness crushed him as his body turned to stone and dropped to the sandy floor of the temple, splaying a thin cloud of sand as he settled.