Number three beckoned and she walked up to another platform at the base of what looked like monkey bars that stretched out twenty-five feet to the other side. As she prepared to take hold of the first bar, the metal turned into a writhing snake. She cried out and jerked her hand away. As she watched, the snake turned back into a metal bar, and she realized it was another illusion. She couldn’t look away this time; she was going to have to grab hold of the snake. It looked real. Its red eyes bored into her and its jaws opened revealing long sharp teeth. It hissed at her as she took a deep breath and grabbed it. Instantly it became solid metal under her hand. She swung her body and grabbed the next snake with her other hand and it, too, became solid. As her confidence grew, she gained momentum and was able to get to the far side.
Okay, I’m getting the hang of this now. Nothing is as it seems.
At number four, vertical, horizontal, and diagonal laser lights stretched thirty feet in front of her inside a large tunnel that she would have to get through to reach the other side. The lasers gave off sparks and an electrical current hummed irregularly. She surveyed the pattern of lights. She would have to crawl on her stomach underneath diagonal lasers for a few feet and then it looked like she could stand—or crouch—and step over a one-foot-high light. She couldn’t see a path through the lights beyond that.
That’s great! I’ll be fried to a crispy critter before I make it three feet in! Even if I do manage to contort my body, I’m pretty certain I won’t be able to avoid all the lasers.
She stood in thought, wondering what to do.
What if this is an illusion? What if these lasers aren’t real?
She picked up a handful of sand and threw it in front of her and saw the grains descend through where the lights had been. The lasers momentarily disappeared. As the sand settled on the ground the lights reappeared, crackling and popping and sparking the air.
With a deep breath she stepped into the lights and felt . . . nothing. In fact, they disappeared as she confidently walked through the tunnel across the thirty feet.
Number five was on a sign next to a narrow building without windows. When she opened the door, she found an empty space boxed in by concrete walls. The heavy door closed behind her with a soft click and when she tried it, she found it was locked.
Now what? How do I get out of here?
The room was only five feet across and twenty feet deep. On the near five-foot wall was a screen with a keyboard under it. She turned to the screen and a word appeared.
READY?
Ready for what?
She walked around the room looking for cracks or seams where there might be a hidden door, but there was nothing. When she got to the opposite wall twenty feet away from the screen, she put her ear to it, and she heard a sound like the slow laborious starting up of a large machine. She jumped back as hundreds of sharp knife-like projections slowly emerged from the wall. When they stuck out five inches they stopped. Then, to her dismay, the wall began slowly moving towards her.
Danica stood transfixed and frozen to the floor until the sharp projections were nearly touching her.
Maybe this is another illusion!
She jumped back and gingerly touched one of the knife points and drew her hand back from the sharp metal. No illusion. She took a step back and the wall continued its advance.
What’s happening? I’ve got to get out of here!
She ran to the door and pulled hard on the knob, turning it in every direction. It wouldn’t budge. She heard the slow advance of the wall and realized that no matter where she stood in the room, the wall and its knives would eventually impale her. She pounded on the door.
“Help!! I’m locked in! Help!”
This is crazy! There has to be a way out!
As if in answer to her thoughts a chiming sound came from the screen. She moved in front of it and again saw the word: READY?
What does that mean?
She quickly typed in “yes” on the keyboard. The words ‘cottage …. Swiss .... cake’ appeared on the screen.
What is this? Some kind of code?
Then she typed in the question, ‘what does this mean?’
The words came back on the screen: ‘cottage …. Swiss .... cake’.
The machinery was grinding and the wall advancing. Her mind was in a panic. She took a deep breath.
Okay, okay, calm down. Calm down!
Then she noticed the capital ‘S’ only on the word Swiss.
That must be significant. These words must have something in common.
She forced herself to breathe normally. One breath. Two. The wall advanced.
I’ve got it! If I add the word ‘cheese’ to all the words, I’ll get ‘cottage cheese’, ‘Swiss cheese’ and ‘cheesecake’!
She typed the word ‘cheese’ and immediately the three words disappeared and were replaced with: ‘dive …. light .... rocket’.
Beads of sweat trickled down her face. Dive, light, rocket? Light, dive, rocket. Rocket, dive, light.
Yes! She typed in ‘sky’ and the words disappeared. She looked over her shoulder. The wall was steadily advancing and looked to be no more than ten feet behind her. When she turned back to the screen new words greeted her: ‘pie …. luck …. belly’.
Her hands hovered over the keyboard. She consciously slowed her breathing and closed her mind to the sound of the wall advancing towards her. Quickly she typed in ‘pot’ and then with the words: ‘stick …. maker …. point’ she typed in ‘match’. Then, after a slight hesitation on the words ‘right …. cat …. carbon’ she typed ‘copy’.
She felt the breath of the wall on her back as the words ‘home …. sea …. bed’ appeared and without hesitation she typed ‘sick’. Instantly the previously locked door swung open and Danica wasted no time in diving out, tumbling to the ground in a somersault in her rush to escape. She heard the machinery grinding to a halt and when she looked inside, she saw how close she had been to getting impaled on the knife points.
After a brief rest and a few deep breaths, she moved on. The next three trials were predictable and included a zip line without a protective harness over a simulated jungle with hyenas growling and circling below, waiting for her to lose her grip. Then a series of trapezes, and then a climbing rope wall that changed from a diagonal orientation to vertical and then upside down. Winded but energized, she came through the first eight trials proud of herself.
She looked around for number nine and found it near a canal full of water with a strong current heading south. There was a rowboat tied to a mooring and an arrow pointing north.
This will be tough!
She climbed into the boat and grabbed the oars and then untied it. Immediately the boat drifted with the current in the opposite direction the arrow indicated she was supposed to go. She began to row, pointing the canoe north. After a short while she started to make headway, but the current seemed to be getting stronger. She pulled on the oars in earnest, and soon up ahead she saw number ten, the next number in the sequence. After struggling against the increasingly strong current, she finally pulled up to a mooring and was able to tie off the boat.
Nineteen
Danica climbed out of the boat and investigated the dense woods where number ten pointed. A path led deeper into the dark interior. She took a long drink of water from the canteen and stepped into the woods. After a few paces, she turned around and she could no longer see the entrance.
I guess I’ll just keep walking until I see the next number. What else can I do?
As she walked into the forest, the air grew cooler and there was less light to see by. Huge trees with outstretched branches bordered the trail creating a canopy overhead, and it was difficult to see beyond the thick foliage in any direction. The compass indicated she was heading northwest. She had the feeling someone—or something--was watching her. Suddenly she heard what sounded like wings beating and felt something brush the top of her head. A loud screech penetrated the silence.
What was
that!
She ducked instinctively and looked up. There was nothing but the canopy high above, but as she searched the trees, she saw dark shadowy forms flying through the branches.
What are those? Not birds. They look more like dragons, but that’s not possible!
One of the creatures dove towards her and as it got closer, she saw fierce yellow glowing eyes in a narrow black face, a long neck, short body with bat-like wings, and a long, pointed tail. It appeared to be only two feet long from head to tail, but the talons on the ends of its feet looked menacing. She hit the ground and the creature soared past and up into the trees. Danica wasted no time in getting to her feet and running as fast as her legs would take her down the path. One creature grabbed her hair as it flew past her. As she raced, she reached to her belt and unsheathed the dagger. Her footfalls were loud in her ears. Soon she heard flapping wings behind her and felt a hot wind on her back. She probed its sinister mind, and without breaking stride, she turned at the exact instant it was nearly upon her and slashed upwards with the dagger. Then she rolled into a somersault and regained her footing. The creature screamed and fell to the ground, hot entrails spewing from its belly. Without hesitation she continued her race down the path until she couldn’t run any longer. Her legs ached and her lungs felt like they would burst. There was a large tree ahead and when she reached it, she hid behind it. Bending over, she put her hands on her knees and gulped air all the while listening for the screeching shrieks of the predators, but all was quiet.
Finally, when her heart resumed a more normal rhythm, she stood up and looked around.
The path was gone. Thick trees and dense undergrowth surrounded her.
Now what?
She sheathed the dagger and took the compass out of her pocket. She turned it to line up the north end of the needle with the orienting arrow. When the arrow on the dial pointed NW, she stopped.
The canal was running north/south, and when I entered the forest I was heading northwest. The path hasn’t been straight, but I think I’ve been heading mostly northwest the whole time. I’ll keep going in this direction. Maybe the path will turn up again.
She took a long drink from her canteen and began walking. It was hard going through thick underbrush, but she kept the compass in front of her and she was making headway. The woods were dense, and she had to crawl over and sometimes under many downed trees.
Suddenly a tremendous roar seemed to shake the earth beneath her. The echo of it dripped from the trees and rang in her ears. She stopped and then slowly stepped backwards until she came against a tree. Another roar split the air around her. Then she saw it walking towards her down a path that hadn’t been there a few seconds before.
There’s the path, she thought absently as she clutched the tree behind her.
It was a huge beast, leonine, with a head as large as the culvert that had been behind her old house. Gray striped hair framed its head and long menacing teeth dripping saliva glinted in its open maw. It stopped ten feet away and fixed its green eyes on her. Danica stared back, terrified.
Is it real? Maybe it’s an illusion, but the dragon-birds weren’t illusions.
She forced herself to breathe slowly. The creature’s mind opened to her revealing its menace. It was hungry but it was wary of her. Used to a diet of four-legged prey, it had never seen an animal like her before. It hunched into a crouch.
Using her power, she put an image of a wounded deer in a meadow nearby. She kept her eyes on the creature and her mind on the image of the wounded deer. Soon it looked in the direction of the meadow. It stepped backwards and then leaped into the trees towards the wounded deer. It had decided the deer was a safer bet than Danica, and she exhaled slowly. Her hands were shaking as she searched for the compass and found it on the ground in front of her.
At least the path is back.
The compass showed her the path led northwest, and as she walked, the forest grew darker. Long vines hung down from trees, like fingers trying to ensnare her. They plucked at her hair and shirt. She put her attention to avoiding them and so she didn’t notice the dark shape on the trail ahead until she was nearly upon it. Then she brought herself up short and stared at it in the gloom. It was human-shaped, but its edges were blurry, like an out-of-focus photograph. She squinted at it and blinked, trying to will her eyes to see it more clearly.
“Who are you?” she asked.
The figure slowly came into better focus. It was someone, something, dressed all in black, including a dark hood covering its head. Two glowing eyes stared at her menacingly from the dark interior of the hood.
“Step aside. I need to pass,” she said, with what she hoped was authority.
Instead of doing as she had asked, the figure took a step toward her. Danica immediately assumed a defensive posture, keeping her eyes trained on the dark presence. The creature reached into its tunic and pulled out a short sword.
Not fair!
Suddenly it lunged at her, the sword held high in its right hand. Danica deftly twisted her body and leaped into the air. She grabbed a low branch from a tree and swung herself upward as the dark thing passed beneath her. She struck out with a foot, catching it deftly in the back of the head. It didn’t seem fazed as it turned quickly and came at Danica again. She landed on both feet and barely had time to meet its advance, side stepping as it plunged toward her. The blade caught her shirt, ripping the sleeve and grazing her upper arm. She barely felt the pain as she calculated its next move. She was ready when it spun around. As it ran at her, she leaped toward a tree and ran up the side of it coming down in an arc and crouching behind the thing. She grabbed its arm and twisted hard. The blade fell to the ground and in one motion Danica released the thing, grabbed the blade, and plunged it into the creature. She felt it going through the cloth and into …nothing. She was breathing hard and staring as it slowly deconstructed in front of her eyes. The black material turned into flakes and floated to the ground, and a vaguely human shape was left in the ashy detritus. The thing that had been there a moment before was gone. The menace she had felt had disappeared. She was alone in the forest holding the short sword in her hand. As she looked at it in her open palm, it, too, disintegrated into flaky ashes that blew away in the breeze.
Her hands were shaking as she took a long drink from the canteen. She examined the cut on her arm. It was bleeding freely but not profusely. She took the bandanna from her neck and wrapped her arm as well as she could, using her teeth to pull the knot tight, and then she continued down the path. After another half hour she spotted the next number. The forest path opened into a clearing where a signpost was stuck in the ground declaring number eleven. Danica looked around. There was no indication of where number eleven was supposed to take her.
Where do I go now? There’s no arrow. What direction do I take?
She was circling the clearing looking for a clue. As she drew close to the signpost, the ground beneath her feet suddenly gave way and she found herself falling into a wide hole that turned into a sloping tunnel propelling her downward. Clods of dirt followed her. The tunnel wasn’t large enough to send her tumbling head over heels, and not steep enough that she feared for her life at the landing, but the slick sides didn’t permit any stopping or slowing. There was nothing to grasp onto, and it seemed like a long dark slide at an amusement park. Finally, it leveled out and she slowed to a stop in a cavernous opening tall enough to stand in. Lit torches were stuck into the rock wall at regular intervals and gave off enough light to see across the expanse.
She realized she was deep underground. The air was thick and heavy and smelled like wet black earth. She dusted some of the dirt off her clothes. The knees of her pants were ripped, and her hair had come out of the tie and hung in a disheveled array around her face. Stalactites hung from the high domed ceiling. Three dark man-sized holes—more tunnels she guessed—were hewn into the cavern wall. There was no indication of which way to go.
There’s got to be a sign around here somewhere.
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She sat on a rock and took a drink from the canteen. As she was pondering which tunnel to take, a boy walked out of the one on her left. He stopped when he saw her and squinted at her. That’s when she got a better look and realized he wasn’t a boy. He was a small, odd-looking man. His face was smudged with black dirt, and his clothing looked like it hadn’t seen soap and water for a long time. A cap was pulled low over his forehead. He carried a lantern and toted a large lumpy gunny sack over one shoulder. The clunky boots he wore seemed too large for his feet.
“Who are you? What is this place?” Danica stood up and her words echoed back to her.
The little man walked closer. His eyes were huge round orbs with black irises in a small head. He squinted up at her and his thin lips parted into a grotesque smile.
“Are you lost?” he cheerfully asked in a whispery gravelly voice. The walls echoed the question.
Danica took a step back. Something about this small man gave her the creeps. The torches sent wild shadows dancing on the walls of the cavern.
“Yes. Maybe. This is where number eleven took me, but I’m not sure where to go from here,” echoed her voice.
The little man cackled, seemingly overjoyed at her bewilderment.
Danica frowned. “What’s so funny?” she asked. She nudged his mind and found confusion. There were no clear thoughts to grasp on to.
He’s a Bane! She realized.
“Don’t worry dearie, I collect lost souls. I can help you find your way. I know these tunnels like the back of my hand, I do.” His words echoed in the vast cavern.
The Acolyte: Magicians of the Beyond Page 11