by Dan Decker
Death. Decay.
The ships had him on edge, and everywhere he looked, he thought he saw a Hunwei about to come for them. So far, they hadn't seen any Hunwei on the ground. That meant their luck was about to run out. With every minute that passed, the odds were getting better that they would run into a Hunwei patrol.
Zecarani didn't have much time left. The Hunwei had either already begun their invasion or would shortly. He regretted that they hadn't been able to take the Hunwei head to the governor as they'd planned. If only Tere had minded his own business. The man had been in Zecarani for less than three hours and had managed to foil their attempt to get the tablet.
After examining the ground ahead, Jorad released his hold of the tree and continued up the hill. There was a dead tree branch in his way ten feet ahead that looked like it had fallen from the tree he'd been using to steady himself. He shifted to go around the branch without disturbing it, doing his best to avoid leaving an obvious trail.
The worst part about the trip tonight was the look of panic on Soret’s face every time they made eye contact. The ships overhead reminded Soret of her family. The last time they'd stop to rest, Jorad had approached to find her quivering. The night was a cold one, and he was glad that they'd thought to purchase some gloves. He hadn't been able to think of anything he could do to make her situation better other than to put on a brave face and tell her they were almost to the Arches.
He couldn’t stop picturing Soret with a bloody hole in her chest or being hauled aboard a ship. An owl cried as it flew by and there was a commotion from behind. Jorad turned in time to see Xarda pat Soret reassuringly. He looked back ahead without making eye contact, hoping she didn’t notice the fear he felt.
Adar was about ten feet ahead of Jorad, and they were one-third of the way up the hill when they heard it. The sound of thousands of feet, all stepping at the same time. An army was approaching. From the sound, they couldn't tell where it was heading. Adar halted, motioning for the others to do the same. They hid in the nearby trees or brush, whatever was available to them. Jorad noticed that Wes had followed Xarda behind some bushes. The kid was asking to be smacked. Karn was watching Wes with what might have been amusement. It was hard to tell because of the thick bush Karn was using for cover. Perhaps Jorad was just imagining it.
After instructing the others to stay behind, Adar and Jorad finished traversing the hill by crawling up it. They found an army of Hunwei marching by on the other side towards Zecarani, five abreast, their eyes glowing orange in the moonlight. Jorad was crouched in a bush that was growing underneath a large pine tree, and Adar was on the other side.
Zecarani had less than a day left, the Hunwei were five, maybe six hours away. The attack could come as early as mid morning if their theory about the Hunwei only attacking at night wasn't true. Jorad glanced back to where Soret had gone into some long grass. Even in the dark, he could see that she was quivering. All the others—even Wes—seemed to have disappeared. Jorad supposed he wouldn't have noticed Soret if he hadn't known where to look.
Jorad froze when he saw movement at the base of the hill near the large dead tree, where he'd stopped to rest. There were several Hunwei moving up the hill towards them. Jorad nudged Adar, motioning back while grabbing the handle of his Ou Qui dagger. He’d use the dagger first, and then the blaster if necessary. Of course, if it came to that, it was pretty much over with the army on just the other side of the hill. What he wouldn't give for those camouflage suits the Ou Qui wore.
Jorad watched as the Hunwei approached, his eyes glued to the ascending figures. The Hunwei at the front of the group had his helmet off, and Jorad was just able to make out the small horns on the top of his head. The moonlight glinted off his gray skin.
“Be ready to attack,” Adar whispered so softly that Jorad wondered if it had been his imagination. It wouldn't be too much longer before the Hunwei reached them. Adar already had his blaster aimed down the hill at the approaching Hunwei.
The others would have noticed by now, and Jorad prayed that they would all be able to keep quiet, his heartbeat increased with every passing moment. If they had to engage with the Hunwei, none of them had much hope of surviving.
Jorad caught his breath as the Hunwei walked right through the middle of the others without stopping. The one at the front had come within mere feet of Soret. Jorad stared at her hiding spot and was glad that she hadn't been found.
As the Hunwei continued towards them, Jorad readied himself with a dagger, in case they were spotted and felt like a snake ready to strike. The Hunwei didn’t see them as they passed and went down the other side. Perhaps they’d stopped paying as much attention since they could hear their army.
Jorad didn't breathe until the Hunwei patrol had joined the main army at the bottom. He gulped for air as he watched the army continue to pass. Every so often, he looked over his shoulder, half expecting to see another group of Hunwei approaching from behind. Each time he checked, he was glad to not see anything.
Finally, after what felt like more than an hour, when the last of the Hunwei had disappeared, Adar motioned for the others to approach them at the top of the hill.
When they arrived, Adar pointed to the trampled ground below and explained what had just happened. Soret looked ready to faint, but everyone else looked alert, prepared to run or fight. There wasn’t any talking as Adar led them down the hill and in the opposite direction the Hunwei had gone. Several hundred feet later, they left the path and plunged into the hills again.
By the time that the sun was peeking out above the horizon, they had just finished hiking up a steep hill, and there was a large mountain range ahead of them. The sun was touching the tip of the uppermost mountain. If Jorad hadn't been scared for his life most of the night, he might have been in a frame of mind to enjoy the majestic sight. As it was, he stared numbly at the mountains, glad for the light that was shining through the clouds.
The hill they were on plateaued, before connecting with another slope, which continued up until it joined the mountain range much further up than he could make out. How much further was Adar going to drag them up this mountain? Jorad heard mumbling. When he turned, he wasn't surprised to see Tere nearby with a sour look on his face. Most of the others in their group looked just as grumpy. The only person that had the hint of being in a decent place was Xarda, and even she was wearing a slight frown. In comparison to Tere though, she was downright happy.
Adar called a halt. Soret slumped to the ground with her back to a tree, and Jorad went to her aid. Her face was pale, and she was covered in sweat. After asking several times how she was doing, she responded that she was thirsty. He handed over his water skin. She took several large gulps and leaned her head against the tree. After further urging, she took several more drinks from the skin but then refused anything more.
Once Jorad had seen to Soret, he turned back to the group. They were all focused on Adar who was studying a large rock that protruded out of the slope ahead of them.
“Waste of time,” Tere said. “He's gone crazy. Look at him, he's studying that rock like it's made of gold and he’s trying to figure out its weight.”
Tere was right. Adar was staring at the rock, his eyes scouring it carefully. Looking for something that only he could see. When Adar moved his hand to the rock, thumb extended, Jorad groaned. Adar had brought them on a wild goose chase. This was going to be just like that day when he and Adar had circled around Vigorock. Adar had stopped so many times to touch his thumb to the tower, that Jorad had lost count.
Jorad didn't want to watch but couldn't look away. Adar's thumb touched the rock face. He swiped it down. Nothing happened. Jorad looked away in shame. His father had lost it. The man was insane.
There was a low rumbling and Jorad looked back at the rock. It was moving. There were several long moments while the rumbling continued. When it was done, the rock had opened up like a large door, revealing a tunnel that led into the mountain.
Chapter 26
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br /> Adar smiled as he faced the others. It wasn't his normal grim smile; it was toothy and full of amusement. It was the second time in two days that Jorad had seen his father smile like that. It had to be some kind of record. For several long seconds, nobody knew what to say. Jorad couldn't blame them. It was a good thing that Adar hadn't described how they'd enter the Arches or else he wouldn't have been able to convince anybody to come with him. As it was, Jorad was wondering if maybe Adar had slipped something into their food that was causing hallucinations.
Except for Soret, who was too worn out to care, most everybody else was affected. If Adar had turned the rock into a ship, she would still have been wearing that disconnected look.
Wes was the first to speak. “So, I suppose I'm the crazy one now.” He was squatting on the ground, with his back leaning against a rock. The look on his face was a mixture of awe and disbelief. He'd always held Adar in high regard, but Jorad could tell Adar had just gone up several more notches.
“What else have you been keeping from us?” Tere folded his arms, his eyes boring into Adar. His left eye was twitching, and his lips were pulled across his teeth.
“Are we going to stand out here all day?” Xarda walked towards the entrance. “There are Hunwei about.”
It had been hours since they'd last seen a ship, but Xarda had a good point. It was the safest place they'd been in weeks, and they were standing at the entrance gawking. Jorad held a hand down to Soret and helped her to her feet. She mumbled something, but Jorad wasn't able to understand. She looked faint, and Jorad put a hand out to steady her as she took a deep breath. After several more breaths, she regained her composure.
Once the dizzy spell had passed, Jorad walked with her towards the door. He kept his hand on her arm, afraid she might fall over at any moment. They were almost the last ones to follow Adar into the opening.
Tere brought up the rear, his face tight and angry. Jorad wondered if there would be any stopping it now. The anger had been building for too long, Tere was going to explode. Even Tarner was distancing himself from Tere and had entered just after Xarda.
When they were all inside, Adar thumbed the wall above the door, and the rock moved back into place, covering the entrance. As the door closed, Jorad was surprised that he could see inside the enclosure. At first, he thought that the light was coming from holes high above, but as his eyes adjusted, he realized it came from panels not more than thirty feet overhead. He felt a sense of awe. There was no way of gauging how old this place was, but the arches were supposed to have been built long before the Severing. The fact that it was still in working order was amazing.
The floor was bare gray rock and all one piece. The walls were made from the same hard material. In fact, the whole room looked as though it had been carved out of the mountain. Which was probably accurate, Jorad reflected. On the far side of the room, built into the wall was an arch that was about nine feet tall and three feet across. He approached the arch and examined it. It appeared to have been built into the rock. He touched the edge of the arch and found that the transition from the gray rock wall to the arch was smooth enough that it could have been painted on.
Soret collapsed to the floor and started gulping down air. Jorad went and sat beside her. At any other time, he would have spent more time marveling at the wonders of their forefathers, for now, he was just glad for the rest.
“Magic is real,” Wes said, a great deal more dazzled than the others. “I can’t believe it.” Soret looked too tired and numb to care, the others had all heard stories about the Arches. Adar hadn't needed to give much of an explanation when he announced that he knew where the arches were and how to find them. They just hadn't believed him; Tere had looked as though he had just claimed that he knew how to fly.
Adar snorted. “This is no more magical than your belt buckle.”
That didn’t help the disbelieving look Wes had on his face. Ancient technology or magic, Jorad didn’t care as long as it meant they were safe. With the door shut, he allowed himself to relax a little. They were safer inside than out, the Hunwei wouldn’t know to look for them here.
“Those Hunwei were heading for Zecarani,” Karn said.
Adar nodded. “They don’t have much time. After I rest, I’m going back for the tablet.”
“You won’t make it in time,” Xarda said.
Adar put his pack down. “Remember where we are.” It took a moment for Xarda to make the connection. If Adar knew of an arch to Zecarani, why hadn't they just entered the arches from there? Maybe he had known, but because of Tere's actions, they had no choice but to take the long way. Pushing the thought away, Jorad stretched out on the floor, closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
He couldn’t.
Zecarani was hours away from being destroyed and other than his feeble attempt at warning the healer, they hadn’t done anything to warn the people. Instead, he had relied on Adar’s plan to use the Hunwei head to warn Zecarani once they had the tablet. That hadn’t been possible when they had a gang chomping at their heels. They should have done more. They could have sent Xarda back with the head.
No more than half an hour could have gone by when Jorad felt a tap on his foot. When he opened his eyes, he found Adar standing over him.
The weariness that had infected the others didn't seem to bother Adar. If anything, he seemed more energetic than normal.
Jorad wasn't sure how his father did it. He was exhausted, and if his guilt hadn't been keeping him awake, he would have fallen asleep instantly, and it would have been hard for him to wake after so little time. The look of urgency on his father's face caused him to sit up on instinct.
Adar whispered. “I’ll show you the arch to Rarbon before I return to Zecarani.”
“I'm coming.” Jorad did his best to keep his voice quiet not wanting to wake the others. Perhaps there may be time to help the people of Zecarani after all. It wouldn't be much, but he’d do what he could.
Adar shook his head. “We can’t risk you.” Jorad didn't bother to argue as he got to his feet and followed Adar to the arch. Once Adar went after the tablet, Jorad would warn anybody who would listen, regardless of what Adar said.
Adar approached the arch that Jorad had examined earlier. It was a mark of how tired Jorad was that he just realized that by all appearances this room didn't have an outlet. He hadn't thought to question Adar about it when they'd entered because he was just glad for a place to rest. The arch that Adar was examining was part of the solid wall. When Adar touched his thumb to the middle of the arch, Jorad wondered if a piece of the wall would move in the same way as the entrance to this room.
Jorad was unsure how to describe what he saw next. One moment it was a solid wall. The next, a space had opened in the middle of the arch. There was a gasp of astonishment, and he turned to see that everybody had awoken and was watching them. So much for being quiet and letting everybody rest. Even Soret had pushed herself up on one arm and was watching them. It was Wes who had made the surprised sound.
Jorad had got the impression that his father had meant to slip away after showing Jorad where to go, but it seemed that Tere had been expecting that very thing. Tere was beside the open arch before Jorad had a chance to realize that he was approaching. The others started getting to their feet as Adar hid his annoyance. Jorad returned to offer a hand to Soret, but she'd already stood. There was a change in her demeanor, and she looked determined. It reminded him of the night Lous had died, when he and Adar had come back to find them. That night she'd had the same look.
“We've got to warn them,” Soret said. It was clear she meant the people of Zecarani.
“We will.” Jorad wasn't going to sit this one out and would take all the help he could get.
They followed Adar into a hallway that was much better lit than the entryway where they'd been resting. There were also panels of light on the ceiling here, but the ceiling was closer to the ground. Jorad had supposed that the panels themselves were the source of the light, but he
could now see that wasn't the case. The source of the light came from behind the panels. The panels were translucent enough to allow the light to pass through but weren't clear enough to allow him to make out the actual light sources. The walls of the hallway were covered in granite, and the floor was a hard black substance that he wasn't able to identify.
Once they had all shuffled through the arch-shaped door, Adar touched the top of the arch with his thumb, and solid rock reappeared. The arch on this side was formed by red bricks that jutted out of the wall. There was a symbol just above the arch that was engraved into the granite and inlaid with silver. Jorad wasn’t able to decipher what it meant, it wasn't written in any language he knew. Similar arches dotted the wall on either side, disappearing in both directions. The wall opposite the arch they'd come through had arches as well.
Jorad was glad that Adar knew the way because he became lost as they followed him down the hall and turned at an intersecting hallway. This hall looked like the one they just come from. They made several more turns, and each time the hall they entered was like the one that they'd just left.
His head was spinning when they followed Adar into to a much wider hall that also looked like the others, except for instead of arches, there were smaller passageways like those they’d just come from. Each passageway had arches along the wall.
They followed the main hall until it met with another intersecting hallway of similar width. In the middle, where the two halls met, there was a granite pedestal. A globe that was taller than a man and wider than a boulder sat in the middle of the pedestal. It was colored in brown and blue. He had seen similar representations of the world before, but never on such a scale. It seemed to be made of glass, Jorad could barely see through it to the hallway on the other side.
As Adar approached the globe and studied it, Jorad found that he couldn't stay away. He drew closer to the stone pedestal and was surprised to see that the globe hung without being supported by anything. It was floating, just like the Hunwei ships. Jorad moved his head closer, trying to get a good understanding of the material from which it had been made. The closer he got, the less real it looked. When his face was several inches away, he felt a touch on his arm. It was Adar.