by J. F. Penn
Mila thought of the Castle of the Shadow and how they probably tested people like her and Ekon. Perhaps there might be children there with water magic, too. She pushed down a shudder at the thought of what studying them might mean.
She shook her head. “No, but let’s not start now. We need to get out of here before dark.”
They swam on past ornate columns, each decorated with a statue of a giant beast, some recognizable on Earthside, some strange hybrids she had only seen in mythological books. Mila floated beneath the statue of a lion, its paw resting on a globe, its mane eroded by time. Tiny fish swam in and out of its mouth, open in a roar, darting between its teeth with no fear. It looked as if it could step down from its pedestal and prowl this ancient city again.
They passed over mosaics, intricate tiles of brilliant color revealing scenes of city life — market stalls filled with produce, and busy street vendors with skin colors from all over the world. A huge octopus dominated one tableau, its tentacles reaching out, spiraling to the edge of the design. As they swam on, the mosaic displayed a scene from what must have been a brothel, naked bodies entwined with lust in all kinds of positions. Mila swam a little faster, trying to control her rising blush which of course, Ekon wouldn’t even see down here.
He looked over at her, his smile cheeky once more. “I think you have this kind of thing on Earthside, right?”
“Umm, of course. But not usually displayed as a mosaic on the high street.”
Ekon laughed. “Some say the city was destroyed because of sin. The people loved pleasure too much and they paid for it eventually.”
“Like Sodom and Gomorrah?”
Ekon shrugged. “I’ve never heard of that. Remember, our histories differ even though we share common ancestry.”
They swam on until the central pyramid loomed high above them. It was more imposing as they approached and light filtered down from above cast an eerie gloom over the place. It exuded dark energy, as if it pulsed with something inside. Mila had seen pictures of the Egyptian pyramids and those in South America, but somehow this was different. A wave of apprehension swept over her and she edged closer to Ekon. He had been down here many times and he had returned safely. She would be fine as long as they were together.
Toward the bottom of the pyramid, the density of the city increased, as if people crowded closer to the object of their worship. Temples crammed up against tiny dwellings and shops that must have once teemed with people.
In front of the pyramid there was an open area with huge stones in the shape of a circle, a magical symbol in so many cultures. Mila thought of The Circus back in Bath, a long way from here, for sure, but perhaps this pyramid had once been a powerful gate.
Two giant stele flanked the final approach to the pyramid, stone slabs covered in strange writing, somewhere between cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics, a hybrid language lost along with the city.
Mila ducked down to look at it more closely and traced the lines with watery fingertips, wishing she could read the script. What would it tell of the history of this place? Would it warn of future destruction? She hoped the Mapwalker archaeologists could come down here and find out more at some point.
Ekon pointed toward the peak high above them. “There’s a ceremonial entrance at the top of the pyramid, but that was blocked up a long time ago. I found another round the back. There are rocks barring the way, but I think we could get in there together.”
A shiver ran down Mila’s spine. Strange, because she was never aware of the temperature of the water once she swam within it, her flesh altering to become part of the liquid, but his words made it suddenly cold.
She followed Ekon around the side of the pyramid — straight into an army of statues. Some carried spears, others knives, others curved throwing implements. Some stepped forward with menace, others stood to attention waiting for command. They were of varying sizes, some little more than children, others taller than the tallest man on Earthside. They gazed up the slopes of the pyramid with empty eyes.
The statues were green with algae in places and fish darted in to eat from their flesh, picking pieces from their skin. A sea star crawled across the face of one soldier, questing tentacles poking into the nasal cavity as it traveled across the dead stone.
A group of statues stood in their own battalion with wings folded on their backs like dark angels ready to take flight. Mila called back to Ekon. “Are there winged people in the Borderlands?”
Ekon shook his head. “I’ve never seen them, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. I haven't traveled much, to be honest. Not like you.”
“We don’t have them on Earthside, at least not anymore. Only in stories and myth.” Mila looked closely at the angels, searing them into her memory. These were real once, perhaps they still were.
No matter how many times she came into the Borderlands, there was always a surprise to look forward to. On Earthside, everything had been mapped. There was little of the wild left and technology meant that you could find anything on the Internet. It was a miracle, enabling people to see into worlds they would never visit on their own, but it also meant there was no mystery left.
The things down here had been lost to Earthside before technology could capture them, before cameras, before anything more than oral storytelling. These creatures had been passed down in the tales of myth, but to see even statues of them was a thrill.
Mila swam between the ranks of statues, looking up into their faces. They were all individually sculpted, each with a slightly different expression. The level of craftsmanship was incredible, further evidence of this advanced civilization.
She turned in the water to look up at the pyramid from the perspective of the soldiers. The dark lines of the stylized death’s head stood out in different colored stone and at its center, a pile of rocks where the entrance must be.
Ekon followed her gaze and nodded. “That’s where we need to go next. Are you ready?”
Mila looked up at the symbol of death, the entrance at its center. What choice did she have? They couldn’t go back without investigating further. She nodded and together, they swam toward the entrance.
14
Mila kicked and swam ahead of Ekon, trying to ignore the looming symbol that surrounded the entrance. The boulders had clearly been placed there to stop people entering and over the years, the rocks had fused together with coral and layers of silt. Together, Mila and Ekon generated small whirlpools of water to lift the detritus of years away and once the rocks were revealed, they began to shift those too. Mila was fascinated to see how differently Ekon lifted. She used her watery hands just as she would her solid flesh on the surface, whereas he floated a tiny wave underneath the rock and then brushed it to one side with a sweep of his hand.
He caught her watching him and shrugged. “I guess neither of us was taught the proper way to use our skills.”
“I like your way better.” Mila copied Ekon's actions and together they moved the rocks with little effort.
Mila swam through the narrow entranceway first, suddenly aware of the tonnes of rock above her, wondering if this was such a good idea after all. The sound of the ocean faded away as she went deeper within, the clicks of fish feeding on the coral, the call of whale song all muted now. It was as if the atmosphere of the ancient culture still remained, sucking all sound within as panic rose inside her.
Just as she was about to turn and swim out again, the small entranceway opened out into a chamber big enough to park a huge truck. It was dark with only a glimmer of light seeping in through the tiny entrance.
The chamber tapered away into blackness and Mila stopped in the water column, all her senses telling her to flee. It was too dark, as if the dead pyramid sucked all living things into it.
She felt a cool touch on her arm, like the fingers of a corpse. She yelped in fear.
“It's only me,” Ekon said. “You're jumpy as hell.”
“It's too dark.” Mila’s tone was annoyed, but mainly with herself.
“We'll never find anything in here.”
Ekon opened his hand and a green glow rose up from his palm, a whirling mini tornado of sparkling emerald and silver.
Mila couldn't help but smile. “Bioluminescence. How did you do that?”
Ekon shrugged. “I’ve always been able to do this. Try it yourself.”
Mila opened her palm, conjuring the water with its microorganisms, drawing it to her. She could spin rain into whips, so why shouldn’t she be able to spin water down here into a bioluminescent torch?
She concentrated on whirling it above her palm, drawing in particles until it began to pull light from Ekon's own.
“Hey! Enough already.”
They laughed together and for a moment it felt less cold, less like a tomb.
They swam deeper into the pyramid, holding their bioluminescent lights up high. The chamber narrowed and then narrowed more until it was a slender tube heading into the depths of the pyramid. Mila swam slowly, remembering that Egyptian pyramids were full of traps and dead ends to confuse robbers, and tombs the world over had curses guarding what lay inside.
They finally reached the grand inner chamber, green light reflecting off statues of many-handed gods in each corner.
A stone sarcophagus sat in the center. Mila darted to it, brushing layers of silt from the surface. A six-pointed star was carved into the top, more like an occult hexagram than a Jewish Star of David. Curious. Mila frowned.
“This looks similar to the one in London, but how could that be? This city is thousands of years older.”
Ekon moved around the other side, examining the edges of the lid. “Time moves differently here, you know that. As Earthside pushes things out, our world shifts.”
Mila nodded. “And Mapwalkers can walk through gates that link to different times. Perhaps one of the plague knights ended up here.”
“I guess he couldn’t get back home.”
“Or perhaps he found a reason to stay.” Mila couldn’t help the blush that rose up her cheeks.
Ekon broke the moment and used a whirlwind of water to widen a crack. “Help me open it.”
“What if it's dry inside and we flood it after so long?”
Ekon shook his head. “I think whatever is in here is long gone.”
Together they inserted watery fingers underneath the edges of the lid and lifted it with a waft of their hands, floating it down beside the sarcophagus.
A soup of deep reddish-brown rose from its stony interior. Mila couldn't smell underwater but she darted away, not wanting to touch the fetid remains of whoever had lain here so long.
Ekon created a series of little whirlwinds in the water to corral the foul substance into one corner, keeping the particles separate but leaving the heavier, more dense material inside.
They both peered into the sarcophagus. On the bottom lay pieces of what may once have been bone, some jewelry, brooches … and a lead box marked with the same stylized death’s head skull.
Mila looked at Ekon. “This has to be it.”
As she lifted the box from inside, the sound of rushing waters came from above.
Ekon looked up, confusion on his face. Then realization dawned.
He grabbed Mila’s hand. “We have to go — now.”
As they swam for the exit, stone blocks moved above them releasing a huge dump of sand from the roof. It just missed them but it swirled up in the water, making it impossible to see.
Mila clutched the box in her watery hand as Ekon urged her on, confident in his sense of direction. But as they reached the final chamber, a massive rock fell from the ceiling and pinned Mila’s leg to the ground.
She screamed in pain, pushing at the immense rock with futile hands as agony blazed through her. She pushed the box at Ekon. “You need to go before we’re both trapped here. Take this.”
Ekon knelt next to her and brushed a hand over her forehead, soothing her. “Think water,” he whispered. “You are water. You cannot be pinned down. No rock can trap you.”
His words cut through her pain, shifting perspective as she understood. Mila closed her eyes and visualized her body like Ekon's, liquid in motion. The weight shifted from her leg and she opened her eyes to see that she had slithered out from beneath it. The pain was gone.
She couldn't believe it. It was amazing what she had learned from Ekon in such a short time. Part of her was angry that no one had shown her this before, and a part of her wondered how much more she had to learn.
They swam out of the pyramid into the open water above the city as rocks tumbled down in front of the entrance, covering it once more, blocking the way into the tomb within.
Mila took a deep breath and shook her head. “That was close. How did you learn about your skills?”
Ekon smiled but there was an edge of regret in his eyes. “I was pinned once, just like that, but with no one to help me, no one to tell me what I should do. I lay alone for three days, and it was only in the depths of delirium that my perspective shifted. Perhaps one of our ancestors whispered it across the veil. It worked and now you know, too.”
“I wonder what else we can do.”
They smiled at each other, suddenly aware of their potential.
Mila looked back across the city and up to where they needed to go next. Back to the surface, back to her friends, back to responsibility.
They began to swim back up, keeping an eye out for sharks, and as they lifted away from the city gates Ekon reached for Mila’s hand, their watery fingers entwined as they swam back to the entrance.
Sienna paced back and forth next to the pool of water, looking down into the darkness every few seconds, wishing for Mila’s return.
“She’s going to be okay.” Perry sat by the edge of the cave, leaning back against the stone, his lanky frame relaxed as they waited. “Mila wouldn’t follow him into danger. She knows better than that.”
Sienna stopped and knelt by the pool. “But she’s never met anyone like Ekon. She doesn’t know how far she would go for him.” She couldn’t help but glance over at Finn. They still hadn’t been able to find time alone to talk about whether there was anything between them, anything more than an unrequited mission romance. Jari kept close to him, and she was certainly more than just a fellow traveler.
Finn smiled. “Ekon will look after her. She’s special and he knows that.”
Jari snorted. “We can do without them both. We just have to—”
“Look!” Sienna shouted with excitement, as twin shadows appeared in the dark blue waters below, growing larger as they rose to the surface.
Mila’s head broke first and a moment later, Ekon surfaced beside her. They beamed at each other, hands still entwined until they realized the others were crowded round the pool. They broke apart and quickly clambered out, their shimmering outlines solidifying once more into smooth skin.
“Did you find anything down there?” Sienna asked.
Mila held out a metal box. “This was within the pyramid in a stone sarcophagus that looked just like the one in London.”
Sienna lifted the box and placed it down on one of the rocks. “How do we open it?”
Perry walked over. “Let me have a look.” He cupped his hands around the metal, summoning a subtle flame, an exploratory spark. He closed his eyes for a moment, then frowned. “I just need to soften the metal a little without burning whatever is inside.”
A moment later, he took his hands away, smiling with triumph. Two of the rivets had loosened in their sockets, the metal sides collapsing in on themselves revealing a piece of map within.
Sienna prised it loose and unfolded it with gentle fingers, sensing the same vibrations as the other piece from the library. She pulled it from her inner pocket and fitted the two pieces together. The ripped edges matched and she imagined the long-dead knight pulling it apart, hoping that he was doing the right thing.
What was the right thing now? Find the other pieces of the map or destroy these two here and now? Burn them to cinders and brush t
he ashes into the water to sink into the deep. No one could find the plague island then, no one could find a way to send the disease back to Earthside.
But something held Sienna back. Something about the way Finn looked at the pieces she held, as if his life depended on them. She had to find out what was going on and the only way was forward. Find the next fragment, the final piece of the map, and then face whatever came next.
There was no way the Shadow Cartographers would stop now. The final piece lay ahead and that is where the real battle would begin. She hoped Finn would be by her side.
The others gathered close to look at the pieces.
“Where next?” Jari asked, her no-nonsense tone breaking the silence. “Where’s the final piece?”
Perry checked the inside of the metal box. “There’s nothing in here, no indication of where it might be hidden.” He looked at Sienna. “So where do we go?”
Mila cut in. “I saw something down there on the sarcophagus that might help. A six-pointed star, but not a Star of David. It was more like a hexagram, an occult symbol.” She dipped her finger in the water and drew a star with droplets of liquid. “I’ve seen it before in a translation of the Emerald Tablet, popular in medieval times as a Hermetic text. It means ‘as above, so below.’”
Finn frowned. “But how does that help us know where to go next?”
“Perhaps it’s the other way: as below, so above.” Mila drew the symbol again, reversing the triangles.
Jari stepped closer, biting her lip as she examined the marks. “There is a city of air, built into the hanging rocks of a lost canyon, a place so far out in the Uncharted that few dare to travel there.”
Sienna could see the apprehension on her face. They didn’t have any other clues for the next location, but what could possibly scare the warrior woman so much?