Awakening: The Elder Chronicles, Volume 1
Page 22
She swept her arm toward the opening and said, "After you. Age before beauty." Alec laughed at Aden's expense.
Elena looked inside the yawning black void of the opening, absent of any light.
Aden switched his miner's torch on again and, gave them a weak smile. "How is it possible I can see nothing?"
He began to descend an almost completely indiscernible obsidian stairway winding its way down into the temple. Elena and Alec also switched on their lights and quickly followed.
As they came to the base of the stairs, Aden blurt out in astonishment, "It's a sepulcher!"
Deceptively smaller than she had expected it to be, the chamber's walls were lined with niches containing desiccated and decomposed bodies. The stuffy air held no smell of rot or decay, as would be expected. Instead, the many bodies appeared to be mummified. At the edge of the light's beam could be seen another stairway descending deeper into the temple below.
As she moved to continue downward, however, she noticed an inscription written around the opening in the same language she'd seen in the corridor outside the city. It read: "Enter those who despair, for those who do not must beware." She said the words to her companions. "Aden, what does it mean?" she finally asked.
Aden shook his head. "I'm not quite sure," he said thoughtfully. "It sounds like some kind of warning. It could be something to warn against grave looting."
Elena chuckled a little, finding the warning ironic. "It's funny," she said in a low voice, "a race of beings capable of creating a place like this thousands of years before modern humans existed would have to worry about grave robbing."
"Is it really far-fetched?" he asked her. "Daimones are as jealous, greedy, and power hungry as any other race of beings. I mean, look at why you are here. One powerful Daimon tried to usurp control from the Elder, and the war has waged ever since. We may look like angels, but we are not perfect."
Aden chimed in, "Very true. There are lots of treacherous Daimones on both sides of this war. Humans are the real victims, usually because they wind up our pawns."
Elena paused for a second. "If there's a warning against grave robbing, then it would stand to reason there was something within the grave to rob or...someone?"
"It's entirely possible," Alec suggested, "but do you think someone as important as the Elder would be so easy to find? Right out in the open? In the first cemetery in the city?"
Elena considered it for a few moments. "Well then," she said, "how about this? We head down and scope it out. It doesn't hurt to look, right? I mean, what's the worst that could happen? If he's not down here, then we climb back out and keep looking."
"Sounds good to me," Alec replied. Aden simply nodded. But as they made their way over to the opening, he called over to Elena, "You go first."
"Sure," she pointed her headlamp down into the darkness below.
As they descended further into the pyramid, Elena noted the vastness of the space. The greater expanse, however, made for many more bodies, fewer of which were mummified, owing to increased moisture in the room. The walls around the chamber's perimeter were dressed in the same smooth, glassy obsidian.
Their search of the niches did not identify any evidence of the Elder. The burials were communal with no caskets or solitary tombs anywhere. After a quick discussion, they agreed to explore the next layer down.
By the third level down, Elena noticed the size of the chamber had not changed. The farther they were from the natural, although redirected, light in the upper layers, the more the darkness became oppressive. As they continued to the lowest of the pyramid's tiers, another warning much more dire than the first had been engraved around the entrance promising certain death for any who would disturb their ancestors' remains.
As Elena approached the stair to the lowest tier, Aden called out to them. "I will stay up here," he said to her. "You two go ahead without me." He pointed to remains in one of the niches and said, "This is my grandfather." Elena looked at him, wondering how exactly he knew whom the body belonged to. However, the burning curiosity of whether or not the Elder would be below them ate at her. She needed to head to the lower tier to find out.
The darkness below seemed almost alive, seeking to crush them. Shadows moved and danced across their vision as they descended to the pyramid's lowest level. The cramped room smelled of dampness. Elena scanned her surroundings and quickly slid out of the way so Alec could step inside the small chamber. Surveying the place as Alec approached the bottom she noticed unlike the upper tiers, which had bodies lying on the floor and in niches and shelves, there were no bodies located below chest-height.
As Alec stepped from the bottom stair and moved over toward her, his right wing brushed against one of the nearby shelves disrupting several bones. The disturbance, after thousands of years of stability, caused the remains to instantly disintegrate. They crumbled to piles of dust, wrappings, and bones. Elena could see the glint of gold and silver within the dust. Instinctively, she reached out to examine one of the gold pieces.
As her finger touched the precious metal a sound came from above which startled both her and Alec. Rumbling assaulted their ears from all around. Above, an obsidian panel slid across the entrance. The headlamp's glow caught movement. Water seeped and poured through the wall. The floor shook as more water erupted from below.
Aden, Elena screamed out, help us, please. We triggered some kind of trap. Her body shook as she looked around. Alec rose along the stairs pulling Elena close behind.
The water rose fast. In seconds, it covered the floor, and moments later reached their knees. Dammit! Elena screamed. But no one answered her cry, not even Alec.
"Alec, can you hear my thoughts?"
"I haven't heard anything."
"I've been reaching out to you and Aden," she said in exasperation, "but neither of you responded. What the hell?"
Alec remained quiet for a moment. She directed her beam at him but the headlamp could not dispel the stygian darkness of the obsidian chamber. He stared off into space and then turned his eyes upon her. "Didn't you hear me?" he asked her. Elena looked back at him, perplexed.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I tried to contact you," he told her.
"I can't hear anything," she conceded. "There must be something blocking our abilities." Elena conjured a mental strike, but before she could even see it fully form, it absorbed into the surrounding obsidian. "It's the obsidian," she shouted at him. "It's absorbing our mental energy."
They both whipped their heads around as they heard something splash in the water. The dancing shadows caused by the light of their lamps refracting on the surface of the rising water made it hard to make out details of anything below. But soon something surfaced a few feet away from their location and then sank back into the water.
"What the hell?" Elena exclaimed, her voice shaking. She'd been more confident before when dealing with the Daimones. Without her powers, she was impotent, as if she'd never begun to awaken.
Alec craned his neck hard at the sound of another splash off to his right. Something swam in the water and given the warning, it would not be friendly.
"Elena," he called to her. "Climb up here. Get away from the water."
"Dammit," she screamed. "Something brushed my leg." They both trained their lights on the water. She screamed out as fire exploded through her right calf. She jerked it upwards. However, whatever had gotten hold of her had a strong grip and fought back.
Plumes of crimson blossomed in the water as the wound bled freely. He swung his headlamp toward the source and Elena's heart sank. She recognized the long, sleek body of the fish attacking her injured leg from one of her zoology texts. It belonged to a barracuda.
Alec reached down and pulled Elena up out of the water, cradling her in his arms. Her slick blood ran down his left arm. The barracuda attached to her leg had relinquished his grasp as she rose from the water. The water boiled with activity as the fish swam through the plume of her blood.
She wanted to shut down in despair. When things were bad back at home or at school, she could cope with the situation and find a solution. But here, trapped in a flooding fish tank filled with man-eating fish—frustration, anger, resentment, and fear overwhelmed her.
Her blood boiled as it all took its toll. Without thinking, she lashed out, striking at the massive obsidian block that had slid in place to block their escape from the fatal trap with a rage-filled scream. A split second after her fist flew into the air, she realized punching the solid surface with as much force as she'd directed could be a bad idea. At the very least it would hurt, but she figured it more likely the blow would crush the fragile bones in her hand and wrist. But by the time she realized it, she had already passed the point of no return.
Yet as flesh met volcanic glass, the effect startled her. She felt no pain as the obsidian cracked.
A web of cracks spidered out from the point of her fist's impact, spreading across the glossy black surface of the block. Astonished, Elena examined her fist. It appeared intact. She quickly flexed and contracted her fingers a few times until satisfied nothing had been broken in her foolish belligerence.
She threw her left fist, striking the same impact point. A third and final blow from her right hand succeeded in shattering the massive obsidian block into pieces, which began raining down around them into the water below. They worked to clear the debris from the opening. Within a matter of seconds, they were ascending the stairs back into the third tier.
"Aden," Elena yelled as she crested the stairs. "Aden, where are you?" Her cursory scan of the room did not reveal him anywhere she could see. And being they were still in obsidian-lined rooms, she couldn't try reaching out to him telepathically. She ran up the next few flights of stairs, ultimately bursting through the opening atop the temple and nearly bowling Aden over.
"You're out!" he shouted. She could hear the surprise in his voice. "What happened?" he asked. "You had climbed down when the floor suddenly closed up."
When Alec finally joined them on the roof, he and Elena related to Aden what had happened in the lower tier. After the few minutes it took to tell the story, Aden finally asked, "So, no luck with finding the Elder down there, then?"
Elena shook her head. "No, not so much. And, even if he was down there, he's barracuda food now, anyway."
Aden nodded. He eyed them both, and then asked, "So, do you want to hear something interesting?"
Elena looked at him blankly, not sure how to take his question. "Uh, sure," she replied. "I hope it's something good."
"Oh, it is," Aden responded. He pointed to the far wall of the cavern housing Sheol. "Do you see the gate over there?" he asked. "It is the entrance to the old city. It is where I think we will find the Elder's resting place. It's where my mother went when we were here."
She hadn't even considered the possibility there could be more to Sheol. Looking to Alec, then back to Aden, she nodded. "Then, what are we waiting around here for?"
They decided flying would be the most efficient way to continue. Their search of the new city had been fruitless, and they were certain they would not find any clues to the Elder's whereabouts there. Approaching the arched gateway on the far wall, beyond the reflecting pool and the vast plaza, Elena could see the massive portal with greater clarity. It must have been five-stories tall, surrounded with the images of all manner of creatures. There must have been hundreds of different animals depicted around the opening. Elena could even see some large reptiles. Are those dinosaurs? she asked her companions.
Alec answered. Yes, I believe so, he replied. The Elder has been alive for a very long time. None of us actually know how old he is. So, yes, it may be possible those are drawings of dinosaurs.
Impossible, Elena insisted. The dinosaurs went extinct about sixty-five million years ago. She had to admit despite it being a new skill it felt good to be using her telepathic abilities again. She would have to remember the effect obsidian had on Daimon abilities.
Well, Alec retorted, then you can ask him when we reach him. You asked a question, and I was answering it.
As they flew through the portal, Elena saw the river bisecting the city flowed through the gate as well. Beyond the portal, they followed the river along into another cavern much smaller than the last.
Aden guided them. This is the old city. Our kind lived here for many millennia before the population grew large enough to necessitate our spreading out into the other chamber. Once some of the newer generations began moving into the new city, the old city was held in reserve as the center for our government and for the homes of our eldest and most powerful.
Elena could see the buildings here were much older. The tremendous state of disrepair seemed sad, but what disturbed her far more littered the ground below.
Strewn across the cavern floor were the lifeless remains of literally thousands of Daimones. Intermingled with the bones were pieces of armor and different types of weapons. Considering they had flown from a sepulcher, she found it eerie so many dead lay unattended on the floor below.
Aden continued. This is where the battle was fought. The leader of the Opposition tried to assassinate the Elder. She brought with her a massive entourage of her followers from the new city who were sympathetic to her cause. To kill the Elder would have been the ultimate symbolic gesture for her cause. It would have represented the casting off of the old traditions of human–Daimon cohabitation of the earth and a demonstration her will was mightier than his.
Her attempted coup failed, though, Aden continued, because the Elder has many who are faithful to him and to his mission. My parents were among those who fought to protect him. The Mistress was defeated and cast out of Sheol. But the Elder was angry at all of us and so cast out of Sheol all but a handful of Daimones. My parents were among some of those unfortunate enough to be cast out in his rage. Even so, they were called back to him in gratitude for the tremendous service they had done in protecting him.
Below us you see the bodies of all those who died in protection of the Elder, he said reverently. Their bodies still litter the streets because there has been nobody here to give them a proper burial.
Elena scanned the city below and found it much smaller in scale. Compared to the numerous buildings she had seen in the new city, the old city had a few dozen. And these buildings were spread much farther apart on the landscape. It seemed to her these were the mansions of the wealthy, standing apart from the urban development of the new city.
The small river wound its way through the old city. Many of the larger buildings were located close to its banks. Several ponds were visible in the yards of these estates. As she followed the river with her eyes, she could see its source lay somewhere beyond one of the cavern walls at the far end of the chamber. Of course, the larger estates were located much closer to the source of the river.
Out of the corner of her eye, Elena saw something moving along the ground. She quickly moved downward to explore. As she approached, it looked like part of the floor had an iridescent, moving glow, similar to the glint she'd earlier seen. The shimmer reminded her of a mental thread. Not an accidental optical illusion, but something sentient.
There is something moving down there, she cautioned Alec and Aden. It seems to be aware of us, but I don't know what it is.
A deep voice erupted in her head like the rumbling of an earthquake. You do not know what it is? Or you do not know who it is?
No, she replied to the voice, I know now both what and who you are. You are the Elder.
The tendril of telepathic thought rose above the ground and solidified before her. She could see a massive tendril glowing with unimaginable power. It bore a striking similarity to her own tendril.
It moved towar
d her slowly, almost like it studied her, and she instinctively shielded herself. Do not fear me, Elena. We have much to discuss. It is long since you have been home.
Home? she asked. What do you mean home?
Come, he invited. We will discuss it. In an instant, his mental tendril latched itself onto her shield and retracted itself. As the tendril moved, so did Elena. In the blink of an eye, she no longer floated above the old city. Instead, she sat on a plain wooden chair at a finely crafted table. Before her, an ornate chessboard held a game already in progress. The small, brightly lit room seemed familiar, like something from a dream. On the walls were fine paintings with inscriptions in Malachim. She chuckled to herself when she noticed one of the inscriptions actually read, "Home, sweet home."
Where am I? she questioned.
This place, this room, is a projection of your mind. Your body is still within Sheol with your companions. But inside here, you are with me.
Across the table from her sat a middle-aged man with glacier-blue eyes and curly platinum-blonde hair. His high cheekbones were sharply defined, and he had a strong jaw and an aquiline nose. He reminded her of what Michelangelo's David would have looked like in real life. She couldn't help but feel they had met before.
I look exactly how you want me to look, the Elder replied. I do not really look this way. He paused. And, yes, we have met before. In fact, you would not exist if it weren't for me. You were minutes old, but your memory is quite astounding.
What are you talking about I wouldn't exist if not for you? What do you mean? she demanded.
Elena, isn't it evident? The Elder smiled widely with pride. I created you.
Chapter Twenty-One
The words he had said echoed in her mind: "I created you." Those were his words. Numbness spread through her face. She had hoped for answers to the millions of questions burning in her mind since she left her college, her mother, and her life behind her. Instead, the Elder gave her a statement forming a million more.