“I’ve got stamps for those if you need them,” came a voice from behind the counter.
Lim looked up, a little surprised, he hadn’t even noticed the woman standing behind the counter, since she blended in so well with all the clutter. Lim smiled and returned his attention back to the photos. There was a short description on the back of each of the images and he felt particularly drawn to one of them. He flipped it over and read its description. A lighthouse! Surely not, it looked nothing like a lighthouse, well maybe a little. There were several images of it. His favourite was the view across a grassy meadow with blue sky and scattered clouds. There was something about it that looked familiar.
“That’s a nice one, isn’t it sonny.”
Lim couldn’t recall being called sonny before and he kind of liked it. It made him feel about ten years old and no doubt the cap was partly to blame.
“Yes, I like this one,” Lim replied. “Where is it?”
“Right here, just along the coast. It’s a lovely spot.”
Lim put the postcard on the counter. “It says on the back, it’s a lighthouse? It looks kind of old.”
“Indeed it is and yes it is very old. Even older than I am,” she said with a chuckle.
“Where’s its light?”
“In ancient times they didn’t have lights like they do today, back then the beacon was simply a burning fire. There’s a working lighthouse right up the road and catching the bus across the street will take you up there.”
“How do we find this really old one?”
“It’s not far from the working lighthouse.”
Lim looked at Laja. “We should be going,” said Laja.
Laja paid and they left the shop and Lim was still looking at the postcard of the old lighthouse.
“I knew I’d seen this before. It looks like the building from my vision.”
“Good work, Lim.”
“What did I do?”
“You’ve found the portal.”
“I did? This old lighthouse? You sure about that?”
“Yes. Miar mentions it in her diary and then she said something right at the end, which I think confirms it.”
While Laja held onto the postcard, Lim opened up the diary.
“Just there,” Laja underlined the words with his finger. ‘I’m like a ship lost at sea without you.’ “As romantic as that sounds, I think it’s a clue.”
Lim studied the postcard. “It really is the place. How do we get there?”
“The bus sounds like a good option and we’d look like just another bunch of tourists.”
Laja remained in town, checking out the bus times while Lim went back for Joeum and Clom.
When Lim got back to the crazy golf course he found them relaxing with ice creams. Neither of them recognised him at first, with his cap and sunglasses and when they did they thought the worst because Laja wasn’t with him. Lim explained they’d had a breakthrough and showed them the postcard of the old lighthouse.
“Where is Laja?” asked Joeum.
“He’s checking out the buses.”
“What are you wearing?” asked Clom.
“Oh, I nearly forgot, here you go. And for you, Joeum.”
“What do we look like?” said Clom, laughing.
“Tourists. Come on, you’ve worn worse things,” said Lim.
Clom screwed his face up. “Don’t remind me.”
The three of them headed into town and there were a lot more people around now, but no one gave them a second glance. They had nearly reached the bus stop when Clom spotted something which intrigued him. Why had they painted the road with black and white stripes? Joeum informed him that this was a zebra crossing, but Clom wasn’t sure whether to take him seriously or not.
They found Laja outside the shop where they had purchased the postcard and he had acquired the bus times that would take them to the lighthouse. He’d also purchased some bottles of water and sandwiches and a number of other snacks.
A few people had already gathered at the bus stop, so it was likely one was due. Clom was trying not to stare, but he was struggling not to. People around here had some really weird habits. They spent most of their time looking into small handheld devices or talking loudly into them and it looked like they’d rather do this then speak to the person next to them.
The bus arrived and they took their tickets and had intended to sit near the back, but Clom had other ideas and disappeared upstairs. They followed casually and found him right up front.
“Now this is what I call a ride.”
The bus journey was disappointingly short for Clom and he reluctantly got up from his seat and followed the others onto the pavement.
They walked for about twenty minutes, along the hedge-lined country road and were passed by a couple of cars and a cyclist, which seemed pretty normal and nothing to get excited about. They followed the road as it turned and steeply descended towards the coast and it wasn’t long before they got their first glimpse of the lighthouse.
“This is the lighthouse that tracked us last night. Are we doing the right thing by coming here?” asked Lim.
“Relax. We’re just tourists remember,” said Laja.
After making their way down to the lighthouse, they walked around it and followed the signs to the main entrance. When the sun burst through the clouds, the reflective white paint of the building made it hard to look at and right at the top, they could see the lens that was responsible for its powerful beam.
Once inside the building, they were greeted warmly and began looking around the gift section. There were many lighthouse themed items here, pens, bookmarks, paperweights, diaries and amongst the postcards were more examples of the really old lighthouse and Lim stood looking at all the different views.
“I found some more photos of the other lighthouse,” said Lim.
The others came over to take a look.
“Doesn’t look much like a lighthouse, does it?” said Clom.
“Do you gentlemen need some help?” asked the woman behind the counter.
“Is this a real lighthouse?” asked Clom.
The woman raised her eyebrows. “I believe that you gentlemen are looking at one of the oldest lighthouses in the county.”
“Oh really,” said Joeum. “We heard it was close by?”
“Of course, silly me, you’re not from around here, are you. It’s up on the hill, a mile or so as the crow flies.”
“Thank you,” said Laja. “That’s most helpful.”
“What’s the quickest way up there?” blurted Clom.
Still smiling, the woman directed them. “Top of the road, take a left along the farm track. As you near the farmhouse you will see a path that climbs the hill. Follow this until you reach a small car park and go straight up from there.”
“Sounds easy enough,” said Joeum.
“Well, it won’t be.”
A little shocked, they all looked at the woman, who to their surprise was still smiling. So had they misheard her? The smile faded from the woman’s face and there was now something mask-like about it.
“They’re waiting and won’t let you leave without a fight, so I hope you’ve come prepared for that.”
The smile returned to the woman’s face. “You all have a nice day now.”
They hastened out of the shop, shocked by what had just happened.
“The sooner we’re out of this place the better,” said Clom.
The directions they had been given were clear enough and they were soon climbing the hill up to the car park. If it wasn’t for the fear of what might be waiting for them, this would have been the perfect afternoon for a stroll. Seagulls soared overhead, their distinctive cries carried on the breeze that blew in off the sea, which cooled things a little, but not too much.
Despite the good weather, it didn’t look like it was going to last, as there was a lot of cloud moving in from the west.
They reached the car park and there were only a few cars parked here. The first c
ar they passed had its doors open and an elderly couple were sat in brightly coloured collapsible chairs, eating sandwiches. The couple were preoccupied and didn’t notice them stroll by and they were happy not to have disturbed them. At the other end on the car park stood a man looking out to sea with a pair of binoculars and he glanced in their direction as they approached.
Clom broke the silence by belching.
“Christ, Clom, can you keep your bodily functions in check,” said Lim.
“It had to come out. Must have been something in that sandwich.”
The man with the binoculars turned towards them. “Lovely day for a walk.”
They reacted as casually as their nerves would allow, smiling and leaving it to Laja to do the talking. “Yes, perfect.”
The man continued to smile. “Are you heading up to the old lighthouse?”
“Yes. Are we walking in the right direction?”
“Just follow the road until you come to a footpath sign. It’s way up on the hill. Good luck,” and with that the man turned his attention back to the sea.
“What do you think?” whispered Lim.
“I think we’re okay,” said Laja.
They left the car park behind, following the road as the stranger suggested and soon came to a footpath sign.
“Have you noticed the sky,” said Lim.
To be honest, they hadn’t and looking up now, the blue sky had all but gone. Replaced by a blanket of cloud. By the time they got their first glimpse of the lighthouse, the cloud had thickened and there was a hint of rain.
“This looks ominous,” said Joeum.
No one disagreed with him, as it looked like a storm was blowing in, except this was no ordinary storm.
A flash of lightning illuminated the clouds, quickly followed by a boom of thunder and a dark mass appeared overhead and their hearts sank.
From out of the dark mass came the Formless Ones, shapeless streamers of death that began circling them like vultures waiting on the demise of a sickly animal. What they were looking for was a weakness, because as vulnerable as this group looked, they made a formidable team.
There was no denying their strength, but to maximise their chances, Laja needed to change into his Lumsulu form. He couldn’t do this without a body of water, so for the moment, he was going to have to improvise.
Every last drop of light was being squeezed from the sky and it wouldn’t have surprised Lim to see a bolt of lightning reduce the old lighthouse to a pile of rocks. The structure had been built to withstand the elements and its function as a portal also meant it was well protected. The builders had perhaps foreseen a day when the forces of darkness would descend upon this place, hell-bent on destroying it.
They moved steadily closer and were just getting ready to make a run for it, when quite unexpectedly a dark object fell out of the thick cloud. The object fell with some velocity and when it hit the ground, it did so with a thump. There was no real shape to it and from where they were standing; it looked like a half-filled refuse sack, right down to its black colour and plastic looking surface. No one knew quite what to make of it and watched as it morphed into something resembling a humanoid form. A form, which quickly refined into a dark figure, wearing a long black coat and a hat with a brim that kept its face in total shadow.
The thing that stood before them was something new, but was it really a physical manifestation of the Formless Ones or just trickery? Conjuring an illusion was not beyond them, they had seen their fair share of it, but whatever the case, it stood between them and their objective.
They heard laughter carried on the wind, a mocking sound that was perhaps in judgement of their interpretation of what stood before them.
Now it had their full attention, the dark figure shifted and when it did so, everything moved with it. It was trickery, an illusion and yet they were powerless to stop themselves from being sucked in and Laja needed to act quickly. He may not have been in his Lumsulu form, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t influence the situation. Clom, Lim, and Joeum had all but lost themselves to these masters of illusion, but Laja was still able to move freely.
It wouldn’t be easy; the vocal cords on his human form weren’t up to much, so it was just as well he had his flute. Laja summoned up all his strength and he worked those human lungs hard, to create a note capable of cutting through the illusion.
The dark figure stood its ground and raised its arms skyward, summoning more strength to hold off the energy Laja was projecting, an energy that threatened to shatter the illusion it had created. From out of the storm clouds descended a thin spiralling cord of dark matter, which snaked its way towards the figure and appeared to attach itself.
In reality, this cord had been there all along, it was only the note from Laja’s flute that made it visible and Laja knew he had to sever it, to gain control. His human lungs were burning as he pushed them to their limit, but still, he needed more. His determination paid off and a final adjustment brought an added boost, enhancing the note he was sounding to the point where his spiritual body detached from his restrictive physical body and a surge of energy ripped through the cord.
Unable to support itself, the figure broke apart, sending the Formless Ones back into the storm clouds. But this was far from over and they quickly regrouped and a column of cloud twisted down to the ground and the dark figure reappeared. Somehow it looked stronger this time, only Laja was still weak from his efforts. The Formless Ones knew this and they launched an attack before he had a chance to recover.
In his exhausted state, Laja could do little to defend himself, but he did enough to stay on his feet, although he was going to have to do more than that if he wanted to survive.
The dark figure became stronger as Laja grew weaker. It was wearing him down and Laja knew his human form wouldn’t take much more of this punishment. The Formless Ones knew this too and they moved in for the kill.
Chapter Twelve
Severance
Shou and Mica remained at the edge of the shaft reliving their ordeal, staring into the void, hoping that all was not lost and that despite the odds, Sie and Robin had somehow survived. They held onto each other, their bodies still shaking with adrenaline and fear and they had all but given up hope, when Mica gasped at the sight of a light. It was way down in the shaft and growing rapidly brighter. It had to be Robin and she could barely believe it when he flew out of the shaft and came to rest a few metres from where they were standing.
Robin had returned alone, visibly exhausted and distressed and Mica rushed to his side.
“I couldn’t catch her.” Robin’s head dropped in sorrow. “She just vanished and I can’t explain it.”
They were all physically and emotionally drained and it was hard to believe that Sie was gone.
“Can we get down there?” asked Shou.
“The shaft terminates above a river and if Sie made it that far, she wouldn’t have survived.”
“So that’s it!”
“I should have been able to catch her before she reached the river and the fact that she vanished so quickly, strongly suggests the Formless Ones intercepted her.”
“So is she dead or in the hands of the Formless Ones?”
“I can’t be sure,” said Robin.
Intercepting someone close to death was the way of the Formless Ones, when the individual is at their most vulnerable.
The three of them lingered long enough to pay their respects and then reluctantly continued on their way, following the path as it descended the shaft. Robin led the way and it wasn’t long before they came across a damaged section. They were all dreading the possibility of stumbling across Sie’s body and as ghastly as this would have been, it would have at least provided closure.
Their light crystal illuminated a jumble of rock and it was clear that something had hit the wall with considerable force to cause the damage they were seeing. All eyes were on Robin for an explanation and he studied the evidence for clues.
“Could one of
the Squalvolvans have hit the wall on its way down?” asked Mica.
“The trajectory is all wrong and so is the blood.”
“Blood?” questioned Shou.
The blood of a Shamozolt and what surprises me is that he actually walked away from this.
“He?”
“Yes, a male Shamozolt. He fell about twenty feet and the impact would have left him with a concussion for sure,” added Robin.
“If this is the same Shamozolt we’ve been following all this time, was David with him when this happened?”
“There’s nothing to suggest that he was. Oh, hold on a minute.”
“What is it?” asked Shou.
Robin shone the light across the dusty ground. He was looking at Squalvolvan tracks, lots of them.
“So this could have been an ambush,” said Shou.
“I don’t know about that, but there is a trail of blood to follow, courtesy of the Shamozolt.”
“I guess that’s better than nothing and If David has been captured by the Squalvolvans, this could lead us straight to him.”
They followed the trail of blood to a tunnel and Robin continued to pick up traces along the route. They had to take his word for this because even with the light crystal, they could not see what he could.
After about an hour they arrived at an intersection, where the tunnel broadened and a number of mine cars were parked up. Evidence of the extraction and transportation of ore was all around them. Steel tracks criss-crossed the area and disappeared into numerous tunnels and amid the steelworks were piles of boulders still waiting to be crushed.
It looked like the Shamozolts had literally downed tools and left and that was pretty much what had happened here. With the loss of most of their technology, the demand for materials dried up.
“When this is all over, do you think the Shamozolts will return here to mine?” asked Shou.
“It’s possible I suppose,” said Robin. “Since the Shamozolt race is back in control of its own destiny, it will be interesting to see what direction they take.”
They left the intersection, following a tunnel that Robin assured them would lead to the surface and after a few hours he pointed out another visual clue. The set of tracks they were following had begun to reflect light, which meant they had seen recent use. In contrast, there were other tracks down here, but these were covered in a thick coating of dust.
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