A Mapwalker Trilogy

by J. F. Penn

  “Follow me!” Perry stepped past Zoe and sent his flame into the darkness ahead, burning a path through the writhing bundles, turning them to ash before they could even emerge. He turned and hurled balls of flame either side of Sienna and Mila, freeing them enough so they could follow.

  Together, the four Mapwalkers darted through the tomb, beating back any birds that made it through, pursued by inhuman shrieks.

  The end of the chamber emerged through smoke and dust. A solid wall painted with images of ibis slaughtering worshippers of Thoth, bloody limbs hacked from torsos, heads rolling as the birds overran the temple grounds. An avian massacre dedicated to the god who ruled them.

  “How do we get out of here?” Sienna shouted above the din of screeches, pounding on the wall with her fists.

  “There must be a way.” Zoe scanned the wall for anything that might help. “The priests of Thoth would have made a door. The god is often shown carrying an ankh symbol, the key to life. Look for that.”

  Perry stepped in front of them, forming a barricade of fire to keep the birds away as the others scoured the wall, searching for a way out. He could feel the slow creep of shadow seeping into his veins as he blasted the enlivened carcasses, the stink of burned feathers and desiccated flesh filling his senses. This place drained more of him than it should. Something in the atmosphere seemed to deaden his very life force. They had not considered what might rule this place between the worlds, or the risk in crossing it. But it was too late to turn back.

  “Hurry, I can’t keep this up for too much longer.”

  Perry understood the price of his magic, and he accepted the risk, even knowing what his father had become. Sir Douglas was one of the great Shadow Cartographers, but Perry was still haunted by the image Sienna had painted of him on their return from the refugee camp on the last mission. She said he was closer to shadow than man now, his material self more inconsequential every day. Perry only wished to reach his father before the end — and have enough flame to finish the man himself.

  A skittering noise broke through the roar of the inferno.

  The clatter of skeletal feet.

  The ibis surged over the barrier of flame, running up the walls and across the ceiling in some perversion of gravity, scything their beaks back and forth as they dive-bombed Perry.

  He swung one hand above, burning them with a lance of fire as they dropped. A stinking rain of ash fell in their wake.

  Perry retched as it filled his mouth and nose and eyes, chunks of stinking cadaver collecting around his feet. As the birds continued to advance in an unrelenting wave, Perry knew they would drown here in the dust of the dead in this god-forsaken place.

  10

  “Here!” Zoe shouted.

  The clunk of levers and the sound of stone rasping over sand.

  Perry surged his flame into the birds in a final blast of magic. As hands pulled him back into a dark cavity, he burned the last of the ibis, pushing them away as the door swung shut. He sank to the ground, retching and gagging as he spat out the remains of the dead creatures, the taste of the grave lingering in his mouth.

  Perry explosively coughed up the last of the feathers, then sank back against the cool stone. “I really don’t want to go through that again.”

  Sienna reached out and placed a finger on his lips, her eyes flashing a warning as she pointed into the chamber beyond.

  They sat on a wide ledge above a gigantic cave, the cold of the rock and freezing air a welcome relief from the claustrophobic heat of the ibis chamber.

  Mila shone her torchlight out over the expanse, illuminating a roiling, churning mass of serpents below, like an undulating sea. They were all different sizes and colors, writhing together, hissing and rattling at the disturbance above. The giant loop of a colossal snake rose from the mass, each black scale as tall as a man, the powerful musculature of its body pulsing as it moved, slithering beneath its kin. An ancient creature, formed from magic and nightmares.

  “Apep,” Zoe whispered, her eyes wide. “The giant serpent, embodiment of chaos, sworn enemy of light and truth, devourer of souls.”

  Perry slumped back against the wall and sighed. “Seriously?”

  Sienna pulled her grandfather’s journal from her pack and opened it to the pages of hieroglyphics and sketches of the underworld path.

  “Here.” She pointed to the hand-drawn map. “After the guardians of the gate, presumably the ibis, there is a path of snake charmers. A way through the chamber of serpents.”

  Zoe pointed at the page. “This also says there is a high path, past the watchers. Perhaps that could be the better way?”

  Mila turned her torch toward the ceiling of the chamber. Stalactites dripped from the roof of the cave, some sharp as a blade, others bulbous and curved. They glistened in the light as crystals within flashed with colors of turquoise and emerald, opal and gold. Droplets of water ran down to splash on the serpents below.

  Then the light caught what lay beyond and between the needles of rock. Leathery cocoons, over six feet in length, each hanging down over the space below. Each pulsing with life.

  “The watchers,” Zoe whispered.

  Mila thought of the winged statues she had seen in front of the sunken pyramid beneath Ganvié, a battalion of dark angels ready to fight. Could these cocoons be their resting place? She had wished to see such miraculous creatures in the flesh, but down here in the realm of the dead, that suddenly seemed like a bad idea.

  Sienna shone her torchlight below the cocoons, following a scar in the wall, a narrow path between the serpents below and the unknown creatures above. “That way,” she said. “As quietly and as carefully as possible.”

  Zoe saw the sense in Sienna’s choice, but it didn’t make it any less terrifying. The ledge curved around out of sight to the left of the cave, a precarious track, wet with dripping water. It looked slippery with only the rock to grasp onto and a precipitous drop to the pit of serpents below.

  Perry’s magic could be useful if they needed to fight, but he looked exhausted, drained from the battle with the ibis. He struggled to stand, pulling himself up from the wall as they prepared to leave the safety of the ledge. Zoe wanted to reach out and help him up, but she turned away. Perhaps he didn’t want to be seen in a moment of weakness.

  Mila had also used her magic recently, opening the tomb and controlling the flood, while Sienna had mapwalked them all here from the Ministry. Each of them weakened, drops of shadow pooling in their blood, while her own magic was but a faint glimmer, an almost useless gift.

  For a moment, Zoe wished she were back in the calm, safe world of Antiquities, the smell of old books, ink and coffee with the occasional sound of a turning page. No reanimated corpses to fight, no ancient Egyptian nightmares to run from — but no miracles either, no friends with magic in their fingertips, no sense of wonder.

  “Are you coming?” Sienna asked softly, as she stood at the edge of the way ahead.

  Zoe nodded. “I’ll follow you.”

  The Mapwalker team crept in single file along the trail, Sienna in the lead, then Zoe, with Perry and Mila behind. Zoe hugged the rock face, edging almost sideways to keep as much of her body weight away from the precipice as possible. They walked on in silence, their breath frosting in the air.

  Suddenly, Sienna tripped on a rock.

  She clutched at the wall and righted herself, but tiny stones skittered off the path, disappearing into the writhing serpents beneath.

  Zoe held her breath as the giant snake paused in its movement at the sound. Its head was still buried under the sea of squirming creatures and she really didn’t want to see what happened if it emerged.

  She had read of Apep’s battle with the sun god, Ra, his magical gaze freezing the deity, his undulating body creating earthquakes in the world above. His terrifying roar was said to cause the underworld to shake as he devoured those who trespassed in his realm. To banish chaos and evil, the priests of ancient Egypt would build an effigy of the serpent eve
ry year and burn it for protection against the darkness — but the snake would rise again once more.

  After a beat of silence, they inched along the track, each halting footstep placed carefully to stay quiet, hands reaching for holes in the rock wall to help steady the way. Sienna turned a corner where the path narrowed even more, disappearing out of sight. Zoe reached a hand around the edge to balance herself—

  Her fingers brushed against something hairy, something with thick legs. She gasped as a sharp pain pierced the back of her hand. She jerked her arm back from the rock, glimpsing the orbed body of a spider squatting in the hole as she took a step back — into nothing, falling, tumbling away from the path.

  Perry reached for her, his fingers brushing hers, but he couldn’t get a grip.

  Zoe screamed, her cry echoing around the chamber.

  Time slowed, her vision narrowing as she fell, the eyes of the Mapwalkers upon her, helpless to stop her descent.

  In that moment of terror, Zoe shifted her vision, and the cave was at once patterned with strings of light and cords of shadow, both making up the weave of the underworld.

  Zoe reached for the strands, spinning them into a net of star and shade with the liquidity of water and the strength of rock. It cushioned her fall and held her above the sea of serpents on a web of gold. She lay there, stunned, hardly able to believe what she had just done.

  The hiss of the creatures below intensified at the disruption.

  “Move!” Mila shouted down.

  Perry and Sienna pointed in desperation at something behind her. “Get up here!”

  Zoe turned on the web, leaning on its bonds, comfortable in its embrace, sure of her safety — to see the giant serpent rearing up from below.

  Its head was flint grey with sharp angular scales, its mouth open as it lunged with bared fangs. Zoe rolled sideways across the weft of strands, the snake’s head passing by her so closely that she could feel the rush of air and smell the sulfur stink of its breath.

  A drop of its venom fell onto the web, dissolving the cords. The lattice collapsed beneath her.

  Zoe clambered away, pulling herself up even as the snake turned to attack once more. Her breath came fast, her arms aching as she tried to haul her body weight up. The golden strings glimmered, flickering in and out as her vision narrowed, her magic fading as fear rose within. She scrambled faster, looking up to the Mapwalkers above. She had to get to them.

  Mila stood on the edge of the path, her arms outstretched. She drew drops of water to her from the dripping rocks, spinning them into what looked like a whip.

  As the snake lunged for Zoe, Mila lashed out, smashing the creature’s head with a spear of icy water. It stopped and turned at the sting, giving Zoe a little more time to pull herself closer to the rock. She climbed, only meters from safety now.

  “Come on!” Sienna called down.

  Perry lay on the path and reached for her. “Just a few more meters. You can do it!”

  Zoe could see the desperation in his eyes, the hope of safety in his outstretched hand.

  The snake hissed and lunged again. Mila cracked the whip once more, but the serpent ignored the barb this time, charging at Zoe’s dangling legs as she hung from the rock, exhausted and panting with fear. As she looked back, it was as if the Shadow came to life in the creature, knitted together from darkness and magic, its only purpose to protect the way between the worlds.

  It opened its mouth wider, closer now. Zoe felt pinned by its stare, hypnotized by the black gleam of obsidian—

  A crack of pain on her arm, a sting of water. Mila’s lasso.

  “Grab it!” Zoe snapped out of her reverie and wrapped the water noose around her, using the last of her magic to wrap golden strands around it, turning the liquid into golden threads strong enough to hold.

  The Mapwalker team yanked her up and away as the serpent smashed into the wall where Zoe had been just seconds before. Its frustrated hiss filled the cavern, its writhing brethren joining the chorus in a cacophony of reptilian rage.

  They lay panting on the narrow ledge. Zoe sat up, her body shaking with the aftermath of the encounter, her clothes wet from the lasso. She looked at Mila.

  “Thank you.”

  Mila shook her head. “You did most of it. What happened down there anyway? We saw you suspended in thin air, and you did something to my water lasso to make it hold your weight.”

  Zoe frowned. “You mean you couldn’t see the web?”

  They all shook their heads. Sienna looked at Zoe with interest. “Your weaver magic seems to be far more than just mending maps.”

  Perry touched Zoe’s arm. “Are you okay?” She looked up into his blue eyes and noted the genuine concern.

  “I’m just a little shaky. I’ll be okay.”

  Perry helped her up, his strong arms a welcome sanctuary. “We should get moving—”

  A screech cut through the cavern, an inhuman sound like nails scratching on flint, like ice shearing off the face of a berg. Then the flap of giant wings in the dark.

  11

  A giant bat flew across the cavern toward the Mapwalker team. Its leathery wings were several meters across with ragged claws halfway along. Thick black fur covered its body but its face was hairless, pale skin, an abomination of ridges and scars, an upturned snout above a mouth of razor-sharp teeth. As it dived for the team, it raised its hind legs, each toe topped with a sharp blade to slash its prey to pieces.

  The Mapwalkers pressed themselves against the rock, making as small a target as possible. The bat’s claws scraped against the stone above, sending a shower of sparks down upon them.

  As it flew past and wheeled up into the air, Sienna pushed off from the wall. “Run!”

  A ripping sound echoed through the chamber, like flesh torn by a ravenous predator. The cocoons split apart and more giant bats emerged from their sleep, dropping into the black, screeching as they flocked together in a dark mass.

  The sound of their cries thrummed through Zoe’s body, the pulse of the underworld creating a rhythm along with their running feet. They darted along the path, each footstep on the edge of the precipice, but Zoe was no longer afraid of falling. Something had shifted when she fell, her confidence rising as she learned more about her magic.

  The bats dived for them in waves, swiping with sharp claws as the Mapwalker team crouched and ducked and hid in crevices as they ran on. One creature caught Perry’s pack, lifting him from the ground. He reached back and shot a ball of flame into the bat. It dropped him quickly, its cry of pain sending the others into a frenzy.

  But Zoe could see the toll even this little bit of magic took on Perry. He was still exhausted from the battle with the ibis and they all needed to rest — but there was no respite from the attack.

  Sienna ran on, shouting and waving her arms to attract the creatures. “Over here!”

  They dive-bombed her, leaving the others alone for a moment, enough time for Perry to catch his breath. Zoe turned back to see Sienna crouching under an overhang, several of the bats scraping at it, trying to pull her out with long talons.

  “How much further?” Mila asked in frustration. “This cave is never ending. It’s like we’re running in circles.”

  Her words echoed in Zoe’s mind, reminding her of something she had seen in the three-dimensional map back in the Ministry, a cavern spiraling into darkness.

  “You’re right.” She pointed down into the mass of snakes below. “It’s a circle. The way out is through the bottom of the chamber.”

  Mila shook her head. “Might have been useful information a little earlier.”

  Zoe flushed. “I’m sorry, I—”

  “A little help over here, guys!” Sienna shouted from beneath the overhang.

  Mila spun her water whip, pulling down droplets from the stalactites. She lashed out at the bats, harder now, with a vortex of spinning liquid interspersed with particles of rock. She ripped into the wings of the bats, dark blood spurting from them as they screamed a
nd wheeled away. But above them, the next wave of creatures prepared to dive.

  Sienna ran back to where the others stood, her face red with effort, panting for breath. “What are you waiting for? We have to go on.”

  Mila pointed down. “Apparently it’s that way.”

  Zoe nodded. “I’m so sorry. I only just remembered that the map had a chamber like the circles of hell. The way out is through the bottom.”

  Perry pointed ahead in the gloom. “She’s right. Look, that’s where we came in. We’ve almost run a circle of this damned place.”

  They gazed down into the mass of serpents, the giant one undulating at the center like an angry god.

  “But how do we get down there?” Sienna wondered aloud.

  “We jump,” Zoe said, a plan forming in her mind even as she shifted her gaze in the cavern. Strings of light and shadow emerged from the darkness, forming a pattern that overlaid the creatures of nightmare. A well of power rose within and she reached out, fingers entwining strands in the air, creating a funnel down into the depths.

  “You know we can’t see anything, right?” Perry said, his voice doubtful. “You expect us to jump into nothing. Toward them.” He pointed down at the pit of snakes.

  “You have your magic, I have mine,” Zoe said.

  Sienna nodded. “We’re a team. We trust each other.”

  Her words gave Zoe a flush of pride, a recognition that she was truly a Mapwalker. But there was no time to enjoy the feeling now. They still had to get out of here alive.

  She wove the threads together and then opened them up, creating a space between the serpents below, a funnel of light patterned with shadow. Both needed to make up the underworld.

  As she manipulated the strings, Zoe felt eyes upon her. Not the eyes of the team, but something behind the creatures that surrounded them. Something gazed through the deformed snakes and bats, a knowing presence. Zoe shuddered as she felt its icy chill and worked faster. They had to get out of here.