by Geonn Cannon
A pungent smell greeted them as they stepped inside, standing in a cluster at the entrance. There was a light source somewhere, faint but bright enough that the torch was no longer an absolute necessity. Dorothy turned it off and stuck it into her belt to preserve the battery. The walls were a very pale blue, almost azure, and they seemed curiously inviting. She moved the light closer to the wall and watched as the beam bounced off thousands of small crystals that had grown embedded in the stone.
She had just opened her mouth to comment on how remarkable it was when the air was filled with a dull rumble. At first it sounded like a rockslide or underground thunder, more a feeling in their boots than a sound. Then it grew in texture, with an organic gurgling noise riding under the tremulous shudder. Dorothy saw the others scanning the path ahead of them, the narrow corridor that led into the labyrinth.
“What was that?” Orville spoke in a frightened whisper.
“I told you the myth,” Dorothy whispered, well aware that her voice carried some fear as well. “The labyrinth, for whatever reason it was built, served as the prison for...”
Orville spun to face her. He tried to conceal his fear with anger. “I bloody well know what you said, but that was eight millennia ago! How could any creature still be alive?”
Dorothy stepped past him and aimed her light the way they would have to go. “Humans have such a narrow view of time. The creature could have been hibernating, or it could have reproduced asexually. It may simply have an extraordinarily long lifespan. Whatever the reason, I think we must accept one thing as fact.” She swallowed as the roar diminished to a soft tremor in the stone. “I believe our presence here has woken the Minotaur.”
Chapter Seventeen
Beatrice was sweating, both from exertion and the effort of keeping part of her mind on the airship slowly making its way to Knossos. Leola had driven past the ancient site to a remote location south of the palace to be sure they wouldn’t run into any Society goons who had been left to stand guard. Now they were cutting through a field of overgrown weeds, the tall yellow stalks to her right seemingly collapsing of their own volition as Ivy made her way forward. Beatrice had a mental image of the Skylarker with the appropriate insignia on the side. She hoped it would be enough to convince the Society, however briefly, that they were being watched.
Ivy was walking ahead of them as a lookout. They were within a quarter mile of the site when Ivy whistled for them to stop. Beatrice and Leola both crouched as their invisible companion moved back to join them.
“Three guards standing watch, about thirty yards apart.” She broke off a handful of grass so they could see where she was pointing. “There, there, and there. Plenty of room between them, but they’ll have at least two pairs of eyes on you no matter where you try to go through.”
“Can you take them out?”
Ivy said, “One, sure. But then the other two will know something peculiar is happening. They might just start firing blindly.”
Leola said, “Beatrice and I can be in position when you make your move. It would offer them a false sense of security, to think their fellow soldier is far enough away to protect them if we make a move.”
Beatrice said, “Or you could approach them alone. Feign wounded, then Ivy takes out one while I take out the other from afar.”
Leola set her lips in a tight line and met Beatrice’s eye. It was incredibly risky; to expose herself to the guards and trust that two women she’d never worked with before would protect her. A week earlier she would have considered Beatrice her enemy. She hadn’t forgotten the fact that this entire misadventure had begun with the two of them brawling in the street. But Trafalgar needed her help, and Lady Boone was in similarly dire straits.
“I trust you. That plan would have the best chance to succeed. I will approach the guard in the center, Ivy will disable the eastern guard while Beatrice will take the one to the west.”
Beatrice nodded. “We’ll give Ivy time to get into position and then Leola, you can act. Five minutes?”
“Should be enough,” Ivy said. “I’ll wait until you’re in position before I make a move.”
“Then let’s not delay any further.”
Ivy took off at a slow trot, moving horizontally so the path she cut through the tall grass would be less obvious. Leola and Beatrice moved furtively to take position behind a tree with a tri-forked trunk. Beatrice pointed out the guard she would target, and Leola nodded her understanding. Beatrice held her hand by her side, clenching and unclenching a fist to build up the energy necessary for two simultaneous attacks. The ship needed its insignia to remain intact - she could envision it now, a gleaming icon emblazoned on both sides of the gondola, flashing just enough red and gold to make anyone on the ground question what they were seeing.
“Ready?” Leola asked.
“When you are.”
Leola slipped out from behind cover. She had a baton tucked in the back of her belt, two blades up her sleeves, and had proven herself adept at self-defense even if she had been completely unarmed. If they hadn’t been enemies she would have admitted she was starting to be a little attracted to the stoic woman. Although if she was completely honest, the fact they were enemies was actually sweetening the pot a little. She would have to see where things ended up once the Society had been dealt with.
“Excuse me,” Leola called. “I was hoping you could help me.”
The guard stepped forward. “You’re not allowed to be here. Please turn around and go back the way you came.”
“I was supposed to meet with my tour group at a parking lot near here. I stepped into the woods, you know... the call of nature... and I found myself turned around.”
The guard hoisted his gun. “You can’t be here, miss. Leave now or you’ll be taken into custody.”
Leola stopped and looked at him. “Are you police? What is this place?”
“I won’t ask you again, ma’am.”
The guard Ivy had chosen suddenly lifted both arms in the air and bent forward at the waist. He backpedaled as if he’d been kicked in the stomach, fumbling to keep hold of the gun as it was torn from his hands. Leola threw herself at the guard she’d been speaking to while the third man brought up his rifle to fire at her. Beatrice mimed throwing a baseball and sent a concentrated burst of energy at the shooter’s head. The man reacted as if hit by lightning, throwing his gun and landing hard on his back. He twitched briefly but did not get back up. Leola dispatched her man with a final blow, stooping to relieve him of his weapons before she checked to make sure everyone else was safe.
“Miss Sever?”
“I’m in one piece,” Ivy said, although a floating blossom of blood somewhere near her shoulder revealed that her victory hadn’t been as complete as the others. “Come on. There will be others, and these three will be missed sooner rather than later.”
Beatrice and Leola split their new weapons between themselves before they continued up the hill to the palace.
#
“What do you know about the Minotaur?” Dorothy asked. They were standing between the Weeks brothers and the interior of the labyrinth. The beast hadn’t repeated its awakening grumble but they could sense it deep in the heart of its prison. Something was definitely awake and moving around somewhere in the warren of winding corridors.
Trafalgar shook her head. “Not nothing, but certainly not much more. You?”
“Bullish fellow, stands erect like a man. Unpleasant in every regard. I seem to remember the true difficulty in killing it was finding it. They sent children into the maze as an offering, and children couldn’t very well stand against the beast. The only magical item Theseus required was the string that showed him how to get out again.”
“I doubt we’ll have trouble finding the Minotaur,” Trafalgar said. “From the sound of things, he is looking for us.”
“Lucky us,” Dorothy muttered. She looked at Orville. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to let us have some weapons considering the threat we’re
likely to face.”
Orville said, “When the time comes, if you need a weapon...”
She rolled her eyes. “This should be fun.”
“Lead the way,” Trafalgar said.
Dorothy glared at her.
“You have the flashlight.”
“So I do.” She took a breath and, against her better judgment, continued into the labyrinth.
The floor was indeed canted at a very subtle downward angle. When they reached the first branch she paused and shone the light inside. The ground seemed to rise and curve to the right. She passed the door and continued forward. “Always forward, always down.” The path had a slight angle to it, and soon she became aware that they were skirting the outer edge of a wide circle. She could hear Orville’s breathing even though he was bringing up the rear, and she looked back to see him running one hand along the wall.
“Everything all right back there, Mr. Weeks?”
“Just get us to the blasted stone,” he snapped.
Dorothy said, “The instructions seem simple enough. We’ll simply reverse them once we get to the bottom.”
“Bottom...?”
“Oh, yes. Always down. Given the slight curve of the floor, I would say the labyrinth was originally constructed in a bowl of stone. We’re descending even deeper. We must be half a kilometer underground by now. We’re only going to go deeper.”
Daniel said, “I know what you’re doing, Lady Boone. You’d be well-advised to stop.”
Trafalgar said, “There must be something more to the labyrinth than a simple memory device. Why would such a simple solution prevent the Minotaur’s escape? Why would Theseus require a string to find his way out again?”
“Perhaps he got dizzy from walking around in circles.” Trafalgar frowned at her and Dorothy shook her head. “I don’t believe in borrowing stress. Either we’ll discover further security measures or we won’t. Whatever happens we probably can’t predict it. No sense distracting ourselves before we have to.”
As if to punctuate her point, the roar came again. This time it seemed closer, amplified by the curve of the walls until it echoed around them all. Orville seemed less concerned by the beast than by his awareness of how far under the earth they were. Daniel eyed his brother as he used the blade of his knife to score the wall. He used the tip to motion Dorothy onward.
“Go. We’ve waited long enough for this.”
“Patience, Mr. Weeks. Treasures have been lost for sillier things than eagerness. We must do this properly.” She continued forward. “We are the first human beings to set foot in this maze since pre-history. Empires have risen and collapsed since this air was last breathed. We have traveled back in time, gentlemen. Do you not understand how magnificent that is?”
Daniel said, “Forgotten kings in forgotten castles. Dust that our forefathers blew off the world before remaking it for themselves. We shall be the next to rule this world.”
“‘Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair’,” Dorothy said. “‘This mighty City shows the wonders of my hand.’”
Orville breathlessly laughed. “Yes. I quite like that. I like that very much.”
Dorothy looked at Trafalgar in disbelief. “Yes. Perhaps instead of Felix Quintel you could name your ruler Ozymandias.”
Daniel said, “I have the feeling you’re mocking us, but I don’t know why.”
“Ozymandias.” Orville exhaled sharply, puffing out his lips and wiping the sweat from his brow. “It is a damned good name.”
Daniel snorted and shook his head. Trafalgar actually laughed, nudging Dorothy with her elbow to show she had gotten the joke. Dorothy shared the laugh with her as they took the next gentle curve and found themselves standing in front of a solid wall. The smiles faded as Orville and Daniel joined them in the alcove.
“Crumbs.” Dorothy aimed the light up even though she didn’t relish the idea of trying to climb over the obstacle. The wall had no gap before reaching the ceiling of the cavern. “We’ll have to turn back.”
“No! The rhyme said always down, never left or right.”
“Then we must be at the treasure!” Dorothy said. She swept the light over the floor. “We shall be set for life with all of these riches.”
Orville reached out and slapped her hard enough that she fell back against the wall. She dropped the torch and the light in the dead-end swirled. Dorothy remained where she had fallen for a moment, her hand flat against the stone with her face hidden in shadow. Her cheek was red and stinging when she finally turned to face Orville again. Her features were composed and her voice was calm, and no trace of emotion betrayed her voice as she said, “The next time you raise a hand to me, the fight won’t end until one of us lies bleeding at the other’s feet. Am I clear, Mr. Weeks?”
He started forward but his brother stopped him with a hand on his chest. “We still need her, Or.”
“For now,” Orville said.
Dorothy set her jaw and held his gaze until he turned to look back the way they’d come. “Now what do we do? Go back? Disregard the clue?”
“We have no other option. At this point we can only turn left, going into the labyrinth. We’re still on the outside edge, which means this wall gives us no other option. But once we go through the door we’ll be a level deeper and the chances for a fatal error will be even greater. I have to ask if you’re certain this is the action you want to take. Is the prize honestly worth the risk that the four of us will die down here?”
“We’re destined to have the stone,” Orville said. “We’ve come this far. We cannot turn back.”
Dorothy sighed. “Very well then.” She stooped to pick up the torch and walked past their captors. The last door they’d passed was twenty yards back along the curve, and Dorothy stopped in the opening until Trafalgar could join her. She shone the light in both directions as another echoing roar filled the air. The sound had become like the rumble of a thunderstorm, obvious but easy to ignore after a few times. Dorothy said, “What say you?”
Trafalgar shrugged. “I believe your guess is as good as mine. I also believe we will all die down here.”
Dorothy sniffed and reached up to brush a hair out of her face. “Optimistic. I like it. Gods, do I look as disheveled as I feel?”
“There’s stone dust on your cheekbones, your hair is completely unkempt, and your clothing is filthy.” She smiled. “It’s the first time since we met that you’ve actually looked like you deserve your job. You look like an archaeologist, Dorothy.”
“Ah, you called me Dorothy without prompting. You have changed.”
“At the moment you certainly don’t look worthy of the title ‘Lady’.”
Dorothy laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” She turned and saw Daniel speaking quietly to Orville. The handsome Weeks brother was hugging himself, his head hanging low, his fingers trembling slightly. The man was obviously terrified. “Mr. Weeks. We should go forward now. We’re going... left.”
The Minotaur roared again, and Trafalgar touched Dorothy’s elbow. “Wait.” She lifted her head and listened. “What if the clue is part of the trap? If it was as simple as always forward, always down, why would Theseus require the extra cheat of the thread?”
“Okay. We’ve already determined it’s impossible to follow the clues to the letter. Perhaps the thread was to prevent him from becoming disoriented.”
Trafalgar said, “But he would still have to navigate to the center of the maze. He would have to know where to look for the Minotaur.”
“Well, if this one is anything like his ancestors, that shouldn’t have been too difficult. You can hear the blasted thing from the moment you...” She trailed off, realization widening her eyes. “Of course. We follow the sound of the Minotaur. It wouldn’t leave its treasure unprotected. So we just have to follow the roars and we should be able to find our goal.”
They waited in anxious anticipation until the Minotaur’s rumble came again. Trafalgar and Dorothy both pointed to the right, smiling when they
saw they were in sync, and Dorothy motioned with the torch.
“Come along, Mr. Weeks.”
Daniel followed them into the secondary corridor, with Orville reluctantly trailing behind.
#
Milena and Mircea stood a few feet apart, arms behind their back and their feet planted shoulder-width apart. They still wore their glasses even though the tinted lenses made it nearly impossible to see now that the torch was gone. It didn’t matter to them. When they were girls, the people in charge of the orphanage where they grew up often locked them in cupboards to keep them out of sight. After several days shivering in the dark together they learned to keep their mouths shut. No matter what they saw in someone else’s head, no matter what hidden shame they knew about, they wouldn’t speak it aloud. Standing in a wide, dark room was nothing new to them.
It helped that they were together. They turned their minds inward with tendrils sneaking out to meet their sister. The third Petric daughter, the unnamed, the one they had never met in person. When they reached out to her she always welcomed them in. To be together was to feel whole again. The Watershed Society had offered them the opportunity of searching the world and its hidden places. The possibility of finding their lost sister was too great. They would follow the Society to the ends of the world to find their missing third.
The perfect unity was disturbed by a sharp interruption. If either of you bald freaks can hear this, you better get outside. Now. We have problems.
Milena and Mircea looked at each other and decided without conferring. Mircea turned and ascended the stairs two at a time while her sister remained to await word from the Weeks.
The sun was painfully bright against her eyes as she returned to the surface, but she adjusted as she weaved back through the shattered rooms to the exterior of the palace. A shadow had fallen over the central courtyard and she knew what she would see as soon as she looked up. The massive airship was hanging heavily a few dozen yards above the stone slab, the wind from its engines kicking up dust in all directions. Eight of the guards who had taken up watch in a perimeter around the site were standing on the courtyard gazing up at the ship. She saw the insignia of the AAC on the gondola, but it had a glimmer on it that she couldn’t quite trust.