I’m sure it’ll melt soon, and then what? I don’t care, all I can think about is escaping the tortuous fire baking my flesh.
We breathe heavily into each other’s faces, relief in our eyes.
“Okay, Ash, hold my hands, look at me. That’s it.” Torrent shouts over the fire, though his voice is muffled by this ice sheet. Please help this last long enough.
I can already feel it dripping, sizzling into steam by my feet. The ice is thinning on top, too, breaking away from my face. I turn my head to the left.
Ash’s lips are pressed together, eyes simmering in rage and frustration. Torrent has her facing him, holding both her hands with his, staring at her. He says something, and she nods, then closes her eyes. They both do, even though his skin is bright red and sweating. His arms shake but he doesn’t release Ash.
The flames begin to lessen, just a tiny bit. I glance at the others, then move my head to the left again, trying to point with my eyes.
“That’s it, Ash, keep doing that, it’s helping,” Smoke rasps. The ice has melted off our heads, continuing to drip down our backs.
As Fire and Water keep their eyes closed, breathing slowly, the wall of flame lowers a little more, then stops. It’s still too high, too hot. Their bodies are so close. Torrent has his chin on top of Ash’s head. Her cheek rests on Torrent’s chest.
Could I help in any way?
I focus on myself and squat to the ground. Pressing my hands to the floor, I crumble the stones into a fine dust. Then once I have a good amount of it in a pile, I motion for Tage. We smoother the flames with the ground remnants.
Ash opens her eyes and nods at Torrent. “Thanks, Tor. I got this now.” Calm now, she walks back to the flames, extends her arms and stills her body. A light mist evaporates a trail of smoke. The flames grow taller again, but she holds steady, stomping her foot.
“It’s lowering, it’s lowering, thank god.” Tage has tears streaming with her perspiration. “You did it, Ash. You all did!”
The fire wall continues to decrease steadily, responding to Ash’s moving hands, directing them down, down, down.
The water on our backs melts about as fast as the flames are receding. Soon we’re collapsing in a puddle of water; all of our drinkable water. Ash extinguishes the fire more and more, until it disappears into the floor channel.
The door on the other side grates open. I stumble to my feet, following everyone else getting out as fast as we can.
Chapter Forty-Three
“That’s it. I’m done.” Tage plops into the shadowy passage beyond the room. I join her, the stone is cool on my skin, which is starting to burn again with stabbing pain.
“Aloe, everyone, help spread it on each other’s backs,” Dr. Mara tells us. “Mix it with the triple antibiotic ointment. When we get topside, we’ll have to get checked out, but this is all we can do for now.”
The doctor thought of everything. I search my first aid kit, pulling out small tubes. We take turns spreading the healing ointments all over each other’s backs, covering our own shoulders, arms, faces—anywhere blisters are forming. It feels so good for two seconds and then my skin is burning all over again.
“I know it hurts like hell, soldiers, but it will pass. It’s only like a bad sunburn.”
“I can’t do this anymore. I’m finished.” Tage closes her eyes, tears still pouring down her face.
She’s not the only one. All I want is to get back home. I never wanted any of this. The darkness presses my heart like a vice. “Me, too. I have to get back home.”
The doctor looks at all of our faces. We’re red and dirty, slathered with the ointments. Smoke stares straight ahead. Ash’s eyes are unusually dark, her fists clenched. Torrent is next to her, and he reaches over to hold one of her hands. His eyes close as he leans his head against her shoulder.
“I know.” Dr. Mara’s voice is like soothing cool water pouring over us. “This has been the hardest thing we’ve ever done. I’m proud of you, all of you. We’ve made it this far, all in one piece. You’ve done amazingly well. This mission is vital. We’re going to save the world with the rituals, with your powers.”
“We’ve done only one Rite; water. So what was that fire room? Another challenge?” Smokes sighs.
This drops into my heart like a stone.
“What happens if we fail?” Tage asks.
Torrent opens his eyes. We’re all looking at our leader.
“The earth upheavals are getting so frequent and violent, over half the population will be wiped out in the next ten years when the earth destroys everything in its path. From the landslides to volcanic activities, many cities will be demolished. That’s what the climatologists are predicting. It’s already happening.” Dr. Mara’s face is serious. “Look, I know this is an impossible mission. But we’re doing it, we’re going to make it. Let’s review what we have so far.” Dr. Mara flips through her notebook. No one else moves. “We’ve found several clues: ‘Four are the rituals of the youths of power: Earth, Air, Fire, Water.’ Then: ‘To save the world, each is vital: Air, Water, Earth, Fire.’ Then we found out that ‘Earth, Air, Fire, Rite of Water oversees the filling of holy crocodiles.’ And we found the Water Rite—we have that one.”
“Great. Three more fucking rituals to find.” Ash turns away.
We’re never going to make it. This is too hard. I know we’re all thinking the same thing. It hangs heavy in the air.
“But we have the clue to the Air Rite: ‘Earth, Water, Fire, Air Rite finds the Ghost Wind of Amenti’s Night.’”
“Wherever the hell that is,” Torrent’s voice is tired.
The doctor is unflagging. “And we have the clue to the Earth Rite: ‘Fire, Air, Water, Earth Rite lives in the Chamber of Holy Serpent.’”
“We should never have left the hallway. Why did we leave the damn hallway?” Tage’s eyes flash from the tears building and now running down her face.
“We took the right path—we found the Water Rite, remember?” Dr. Mara sounds strained now. “Look, we’ve had a hard time. Rest a bit. We’re going the right way. Trust our path. We’ll find all four of them, I know it. Despite how it feels right now, we are succeeding.”
Is she trying to convince herself? It’s hard to read the doctor’s face. She’s always so calm.
“So, we have to find ‘Amenti’s Night’ and the ‘Chamber of Holy Serpent.’” Smoke straightens. “Then we’ll get the Air Rite and the Earth Rite. And hope that we run into the Air Guardian or else we’ll have to come back to this death maze.”
“What about fire?” Ash’s eyes flash.
“Yes, we don’t have that ritual, nor its clue. But that last room.” Dr. Mara glances back into the chamber, lit only by its braziers again. “Ash, would you say that was a Fire Test in there?”
“Hell yeah. Most definitely. Torrent helped me.” Ash nudges Torrent with her body. “I had to relearn to dampen the fire, instead of rage it.”
Something is definitely happening between them.
“Good work, Ash, great job, Torrent.” Dr. Mara gets to her feet, notebook and pencil ready. “I’m going to check the room again. I’m sure it’s safe now. Maybe we missed something.”
“So two Rites are done.” Torrent slings an arm around Ash. “Well done, Fire Starter.”
Tage closes her eyes with a big sigh. But after a minute she gets to her feet, gingerly puts her tunic back on over her T-shirt, grabs her notebook, and follows the doctor.
After all, we have no choice. The only way out is to keep going. Somehow, we have to make it.
What was I thinking, coming down here, blindly following Dr. Mara? Why didn’t I just leave and go home when I had the chance? This was a mistake … I should never have come. These aren’t my family. I blink as my eyes mist over with tears.
I’m parched, but I’m sure everyone is. No one mentions the “elephant in the hall.”
We have no water.
Chapter Forty-Four
My eyes fly open
as the door starts groaning shut.
“Tage, Dr. Mara—the door,” Smoke shouts, jumping to his feet.
The two ladies vault through the closing doorway, barely making it. The stone shuts with a thud, leaving us in pitch blackness.
“Lights, everyone.” Dr. Mara is out of breath. Ash flares her palm fire, giving us a small glow to fish out and put on our head straps, clicking on the red beams.
“You made it.” Smoke kisses Tage right on the lips. She’s as still as a pillar, but then sinks into the emotion. Their embrace doesn’t last long since they remember we’re watching them.
“Only because we were by the door, thank god.”
“Did you find anything?” I ask.
“Nothing relevant.” Dr. Mara’s voice is slow to respond. “We only got partway round. Let’s hope there’s nothing important in there. Ridge, check for the earth sign, just in case. Get ready to move out, soldiers. You know the drill.”
We’re all dressed again, the ointment against my skin stopping the incessant rubbing from the T-shirt. After not finding any earth glyph around the door, I go behind Ash, who’s shining her palm-fire brightly. She seems to prefer it, though she’s also wearing her red light on her head.
This passage is rather narrow like the last one. It slopes up, and after a few turns, comes to a closed door. I find and press the glyph. The door rumbles open to reveal a wide hallway—just like the one we were in before the Treasure Room.
“Thank god.” Tage looks around while Ash gets the braziers going up and down the long, wide, brightly-painted hallway. “Do you think this is the same hall as before?”
“Could be.” Smoke is working on his makeshift map and not looking at her. “It’s hard to tell. But it could be the same, see all the doors leading off on both sides?”
“And we know which rooms to look for—something about Amenti’s Night and the Chamber of Holy Serpent.” Dr. Mara is already moving along, reading the words above each door. Tage goes to the opposite wall to do the same. “Ridge and Smoke, search for clues. Ash and Torrent look for a source of water, a latrine, anything so we can get drinkable water again. If you find anything, we’ll use the iodine to purify it. Stick together and don’t go too far. We’ll meet back here.”
Smoke takes the near wall and I go to the opposite. I move slowly from one end to the other, not venturing down the two angled turns, where the hallway goes off into darkness. This seems to form a large square, just like before. It must be the same hallway. Maybe we can find our way back to the Treasure Room. It’s the safest place.
After a couple of hours, we gather near the center of the hall where we started. We sit down together, Dr. Mara and Tage against the wall.
“Torrent, report.”
“I think this is the same hall. There’s a long latrine going down the other hallway from this one.” Torrent leans his head behind him. “I activated it, but it’s saltwater.”
“Ridge, Smoke?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t see the four elements together. But each door has the earth sign, so I can open them, anyway.”
“Nada,” Smoke says.
“Okay. Tage, why don’t you report?”
“The doctor and I found several interesting rooms.” Tage sounds brighter as she reads from her notes, her body giving a slight bounce. “There’s the ‘Room of Fiery Eyes.’”
“Hell, no,” Ash’s eyes flash, reflecting from her palm flame.
“And the ‘Chamber of the Demolisher.’”
“Hell, no,” Ash and Torrent echo. They briefly glance at each other.
Yep, definitely something going on between them.
“Then there’s the ‘Face Behind Him in the Cavern of Wrong.’”
“Hell, no,” we all chorus.
Tage laughs. “Okay, how about ‘You of the Altar.’”
“Hell, no,” our voices blend as one.
“‘Room of Doubly Evil?’”
“Hell, no.”
The doctor is laughing now.
“‘Bestower of Good …’”
“Yeah?” Smoke interrupts.
“‘of Harpoon Town,’” Dr. Mara continues.
“Hell, no.”
Smoke’s voice is loudest.
“‘Serpent with Raised Head in the Cavern?’”
“Hell, no.” Even Tage joins in the fun, answering her own question with the rest of us.
“‘Serpent Who Brings and Gives from the Silent Land?’”
“Hell, no.”
“Okay, here’s the one we want: ‘Wememty-Snake of the Place of Execution.’”
“Hell, no!”
“Double hell, no.” Ash crosses her arms. “No fucking snakes. What is it with Egyptians and snakes, anyway?”
“Snakes were seen as protectors, actually,” Smoke says.
“The cobra goddess adorns every pharaoh’s crown, as well as the winged vulture goddess.” Dr. Mara opens her pack and inventories her supplies.
“Snakes, vultures, beetles. The Egyptians were nasty,” Ash draws out the word ‘nasty.’
“Yeah, why couldn’t they have a nice animal, like the American eagle?” Tage asks.
“I’d even take a horse or a camel. They have those, right?” Torrent grins.
“The Egyptians had to deal with all kinds of dangerous wild animals, which is probably why they turned them into deities—to ask for aid and protection.” The doctor has sorted through her belongings and is repacking. “They had a goddess who was a hippo, and the crocodile god, and a jackal god, as well as the falcon god, Horus, and the Ibis god, Thoth.”
“So why don’t we run into nice rooms like that?” Torrent looks over Tage’s notes.
“Tage, tell them what else we found.” Dr. Mara smiles.
“The ‘Hall of the Night Wind?’”
We’re silent a moment.
“Like, Amenti’s Night? Is it that one?” Smoke moves closer to Tage, trying to see her notes.
Tage nods. “I think so. The clue is ‘… the Air Rite finds the Ghost Wind of Amenti’s Night.’ What do you think?”
“I think that’s it—you found it.” Smoke leans over and gives Tage a big smooch on the cheek. I turn away, embarrassed.
I’m not big into public displays of affection like these Americans seem to be. And it’s not that they’ve done a whole lot other than whisperings, a bit of kissing, and holding hands. Maybe it’s that fact that Ash and Torrent seem to be a couple and Smoke and Tage are a thing. That leaves me alone, the lone man out.
“We think that’s the one.” Dr. Mara leans against the wall. “The room where we’ll find the Air Rite.”
What does it matter since we don’t have the Air Guardian.
Chapter Forty-Five
My throat is getting drier by the minute, if that’s even possible. We munch on a little bit of food, but not much, as it’s all dry stuff. I eat the last of my dates and apricots. Both mixing the sandy feeling in my mouth.
After our short break, I open the door and we file into the Hall of the Night Wind.
It’s a narrow room about six meters long and three meters wide. The primary colors of the paintings are dark blue and black, on a dingy white background. Together it gives a gray feeling.
Torrent points to the ceiling—there’s a square hole on each end of the hall. Corbel stones jut from the narrow ceiling, getting wider as they reach the walls, like a tall beehive, above us. Just like the Grand Gallery in the Great Pyramid. I think it means Ascension.
Ash presses her hand on the fire symbol, and a strange bluish-white glow fills the room. Instead of braziers, there are opaque globes high along the walls. I can’t tell what the light is inside, but it flickers slightly like a white-blue flame.
“Weird.” Ash presses on the symbol again, and the lights go out. She turns them back on. “That’s a strange fire.”
“Well, the Egyptians were the creators of alchemy. They had lots of unusual secrets, now lost to us.” The doctor is already studying the glyphs
on one wall, Tage on the other.
Smoke is at the door. “Does anyone have anything we could jam the door with, when it tries to close? Maybe we can prevent any traps.” He searches in the hallway outside, but can’t find anything. Finally, he rolls up his jacket. He steps into the chamber and waits. Sure enough, the door slides closed. Smoke puts his jacket in its way. “Come on, don’t seal, just stop the door enough.”
“Did it work?” Tage glances at Smoke.
Smoke is studying the door. “I can’t tell. The door seems closed, but maybe the jacket is keeping it from sealing. Worth a shot.” He stands and starts searching the walls for clues.
“Remember, the Air Rite is in here somewhere. Everyone look for it.” The doctor has reached the closed door at the other end, reading. “This is the ‘Hall of the Night Wind.’ Its judge is the ‘Swallower of Shades of the Cavern.’”
“What the hell does that mean?” Ash asks from the middle of the room. “Like, swallower of shadows?”
Tage reaches Dr. Mara at the far door. “I see the confession. Everyone ready?”
“Wait, Tage,” Dr. Mara interrupts, but Tage doesn’t seem to hear. “Maybe we should wait until we have the Air Guardian.”
“Hail, Am-khai-bit, who comest forth from Qer-net, I have not stolen,” Tage says. She reads it slowly, struggling with the words, so we’re all able to repeat it easily. “Hail, Am-khai-bit, who comest forth from Qer-net, I have not stolen.”
We stand, waiting. Dr. Mara is reading the ceiling, her eyes never stop moving.
A low whining moan sounds from above. I look up. It sounds like a ghost in a haunted house. A wind begins blowing with force, from one hole across the upside-down channel to the other. A strange smell trickles to my nose.
“Everybody, down,” Smoke shouts, dropping to the floor. In a second, we’re all on the ground. We crawl to each other, heads together, near the door going out. But it’s still closed.
Earth Guardian (Deities Series Book 2) Page 14