The Time Stone

by Jeffrey Estrella

They look at one another and walk into the second cave, James holding the torch lit by his lighter and Tina following with the sack. They walked several meters in when they saw a large cliff overlooking a pit and a chamber that rose up as they entered forming a circular enclosure with a solid metal door sealing tightly behind them. James noted the strange five orbs on that door as well.

  “Well, this is interesting. We have nowhere to go.” James whispered.

  “Story of our lives, huh?” Said Tina.

  In the main chamber they currently occupied, there was a suddenly loud flapping noise and winds blowing greatly, and something descended through the wall before them, its face first was seen as a large scaly snout, long pointy eyes, horns as long as scimitars and just as sharp, and a long body covered with scales, razor sharp talons on its hands and feet, and a pair of wings like a large bat. The face of this large dragon beast was surprising on one horned head but to the surprise of the duo, a second horned head emerged from the opening as the body and wings fully submerged through the wall liquefying like the floor that nearly sunk the duo earlier. The large dragon before them spoke in a dark and cursed tongue, crinkly and loud like multiple voices speaking at the same exact time, “We are the Protector!”

  “What is it you protect?” Said James trying to be fearless for Tina’s sake but she saw through his delusion and nearly collapse but stood shaking in the presence of the giant flying reptile.

  “Return from whence you came or die!!!” Said the Protector.

  The duo remains and starts to wander around the room looking up at the dragon and trying to find another way out.

  “What do we do, James?” Cried Tina.

  “Try to find…look”, James pointed to the metal door opening again.

  “Let’s go, James.” She starts to go but James stops her.

  “We came all this way and survived so much. I don’t think we can turn back…” Said James.

  “But we could die, James.” Tina shivered.

  “I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise. But for me, I kind of known there is no turning back.” James proudly spoke to her.

  Tina smiled and brushed it off. “We fight together, always. I’m with you to fight by your side proudly and die if necessary. I promised you that before.” She nodded.

  Then they recognized that connection in one another and knew what they had to do. They turned to face the beast and James proudly proclaimed, “We’re not going anywhere.”

  “Then die!” The Protector shouted. It began to unleash a barrage of attacks maneuvering in an assault pose to strike at them and lunging down in a swoop, one after another, while the duo ducked and evaded pursuit barely missing each one, sweltering in the heat of the chamber so close to the main center. The Protector roared ferociously unleashing a breath of fire from both of its heads and then cocking the Protector’s two heads back further and blowing even more fire at them. The duo scatters.

  “Use your powers,” yelled Tina.

  And James lifts his right hand and as the flames approach he holds the flames back with his powers. The flames stop in mid-air as if striking an invisible barrier. James then he tries to strike the dragon with his powers using his free hand but nothing happens.

  “It won’t work on living things.” He whispered.

  The flames from both mouths continued and the duo was growing tired of the evasion.

  “We can’t keep this up much longer.” Yelled Tina.

  “I know,” replied James.

  CHAPTER 40

  In the main chamber of the mountain, the two-headed dragon identified as the Protector was unlike any beast ever seen by either James or Tina. The Protector flapped its two wings and begins to fly above to its perch high above the chamber, and James and Tina look at one another and both jump as high as they could just as James grabbed the toe talons of the Protector and hitch a ride with it, Tina grabbing a hold of James’ legs and screamed as she was being lifted up with him. The Protector sees them and tries to shake them off but they hold on tight and persevere. The Protector lands on its perch and James and Tina disembark onto the wooden log that represented the Protector’s perch and then jump off of the perch and help one another up onto a cliff nearby overlooking the impressive flow of hot molten lava below in the center of the mountain’s active and violent volcano. The Protector then flew back down. Smoke and sulfur burned away rise up causing James and Tina to cough and gag.

  “We got to get out of here or we’ll suffocate.” Cried Tina coughing and covering her mouth.

  James felt the same way as tears fell down their cheeks and the sweat dripped from his brow. James took a breath sighing heavily as he saw another cave entrance above them one level and yelled out, “that’s our way out” but then he saw the Protector preparing for another attack on them and swooped back up to their level and breathed a heavy breath of fire cocking its heads back and forth blowing it at them. James grabs Tina and rolls over on the ground away from the flames. James notices as the Protector got close that it had a strange symbol on its underbelly, a giant gold breastplate, big enough for the Protector, with the familiar five orbs glowing as brightly as the hot fire below and etched on the breastplate and the same symbol was etched on the cavern behind them glowing suddenly like red hot lava behind it, gilded and shining in the light of the flaming environment about them previously hidden but now visible as the Protector flies above them. They realize the Protector is coming about for a final assault and as it cocks its heads back and forth again growing frustrated over its previous failures and wanting to make the kill this time, it readies its talons to land on them and crush them with its massive weight. James holds out his right hand and uses his powers on the gold breastplate on the underbelly of the Protector and ends up turning it like a dial clockwise and then grabs Tina and yells “jump on my back and hold on tight” and she does holding on tightly for dear life as the Protector zooms down pulled by the weight from James’ powers tugging on the beast’s breastplate and curves about missing them because of James turning its breast plate with his powers forming an invisible shield surrounding the duo. As the Protector’s flames fly off from its breath towards James and Tina, the flames strike the invisible energy barrier and are scattered away from the duo. James jumps atop the Protector’s back with Tina on his own back just as the Protector was leveled with them and in an awesome jump, James and Tina jump up to the higher level keeping an eye on the prize and grabbing the ledge, watching down as the momentum of the Protector’s downfall with their combined weight on him for a moment causes the Protector to drop like a stone and a deep, deep pit is revealed as the Protector realized it was too late to escape its fate and plunged as it then began sinking into the abyss of flames and lava below.

  A loud cry echoed through the entire chamber with a massive fury of an eruption as the heads of the mighty Protector were completely enveloped.

  “Yes!” Tina yelled. And James hanging like a thread from the upper level cliff with Tina on his back used all of his strength and grunted crawling up onto the level as the flames of lave erupted and James rolled onto the level with Tina in tuck under him barely missing being fried by the wave of fire and lava.

  James and Tina ran out of the chamber’s entrance and remained staring into the deep darkness below from a distance. They turned and walked through the new corridor before them and knew it was not over for them yet. The corridor reached another dead end but there was another gold etching on the cave wall before them. They found a small orb like device in the center of the five orbs symbol on the gold etching. James tried using his powers to lure it to them but nothing happened. He tried to grab it but it would not budge.

  They wanted to happily retreat to the exit and leave but they could not, as the door had locked behind them. Then Tina noticed something odd as the sack she still held, burned with soot and ash and the supplies within it that were left over were completely destroyed but the one thing that was not was the object given to James by the Chief, w
hich was suddenly glowing very, very fiercely and brightly. They stood in shock.

  “What is making it do that?” Tina asked.

  “I thought you were the expert here?” James inquired jokingly. He held the object to the gold etching and orb like device and there came a bright flash of hot white light from the object and the gold etching and orb became a temple door made of metal like the others they saw with the five orbs symbol on it in gold writing. James maintained the object to the door and the door opened to the object. The duo passed through and to their shock they saw a raised up circular platform, silvery in color and about three feet in diameter with lights and diodes all around it like some sort of advanced technology they have never seen. It was connected to a series of poles that circled it and when they approached, the poles started moving in all directions and finally curved up and formed an image of a person about the height of James and Tina and opened up as if allowing for passage onto the platform and the lights and diodes turned bright red. Nothing else was present in the small enclosure. James went forward and Tina held him back.

  “Wait, we don’t know what that thing does.” Tina uttered.

  “Well, we came this far. Do you want to turn back?” Asked James.

  “We came this far and this might be the only way out. The back way is locked out.” Reasoned Tina.

  “Come on, let’s do it together, it looks like it can fit both of us.” James added reaching out his hand and Tina turned reluctant but she accepted it trusting her friend.

  “Let’s do it” said Tina. They held hands and then embraced stepping into the pod together, James still holding the object. Within nanoseconds after stepping onto the platform, the poles closed around them and the lights turned from red to green and they vanished in a swirl of bluish light.

  James and Tina felt the sensation of strange insects crawling on their bodies and within seconds found themselves in a room standing on a platform.

  “Nothing happened” said Tina.

  “No” said James. “Look around,” he pointed to the room being similar but it was not a cave wall but stone masonry, brickwork, grayish in color, and hard as cement. “We are definitely someplace else but where?”

  “It felt weird, like insects crawling on me. What was that thing?” Yelled Tina.

  “Some kind of transportation device,” replied James, “we’re in another place.”

  “Just like when…we somehow appeared on the plane?” Tina added.

  “Exactly like that, only different, kind of.” He looked at her and remembered their conversation on the plane and stood at one another blankly again.

  “What do we do now?” Tina said.

  “I don’t know but we need to find out more. I have a feeling we are getting close and that this object is the key.” James held out the object that the Chief gave him, “the key.”

  “James, look.” Tina pointed to a glowing insertion point in the wall behind the platform. “This looks like the inside of an ancient temple, maybe Olmec?” Tina said. It was glowing bright green as the key was. “Looks like we know what it wants, James.” Tina said.

  “Yes,” James walked up to the insert, Tina staying a few feet behind him. James turned to her and she nodded hesitantly but realizing it was their only shot, hunched over fearfully for what negative monsters may come. “Here goes nothing,” James lifted the key and inserted it into the hole and let go. Within seconds, there was another hot white flash of light and a metal door appeared suddenly with the familiar gold symbol of the five orbs. James and Tina were amazed as the door opened and they entered to find an alter in a small enclosed room.

  CHAPTER 41

  Broad Staffnight and his entourage trekked through the forest.

  “There was no apparent help at the market.” Said Broad.

  “We did get a map to a place where treasure hunters go. It has to be it.” Said Mark Cumberberry who was really the Satyr in disguise.

  They trekked forward for hours before coming across a large structure of stone masonry, brick and mortar, architectural ziggurat, a step pyramid.

  “That is it!” Broad’s eyes gleamed.

  “Thank God. I am so beat” said Elizabeth.

  “Now what?” Asked Chief Hightower. “What is that?”

  “It’s a temple, Chief,” explained Broad, “built by the ancient Mayans over five thousand years ago.” They walked past the trees surrounding the temple and around to the entrance up a few dozen steps. “Great, more walking.” Said Elizabeth. “If we find what we are looking for, there will be no more walking.” Broad grimaced. “Let’s get a move on.”

  CHAPTER 42

  James and Tina entered the room to find the alter having archaic writing and high relief sculptures of lions and dragons and other beasts not completely familiar to them. There was an insert in the alter for a pentagonal object like that on the key but larger, and a series of curtains red in color and ridged curled around the alter, somehow perfectly preserved as if present for eons. There was writing on a pedestal elevated above the alter and around the insert.

  “Well, this looks like it’s too big to fit the key but we don’t have it anymore, so this must be for something else, right?”

  “I think so, Tina. Can you make out the writing?”

  “I am getting experienced in this aren’t I?” She looked at it and read it aloud, “what shines through walls is not as great, a visible terror, an enormous wake, you can pass through to enter to your heart’s content, there it is, the greatest search intent.”

  “So, they were not too great on lyrics, these Pregivers, huh?” Said James.

  “What could that mean?” Said Tina. “I only translate; you are good at solving these riddles. Looks like our homecoming party will be delayed by a bit too.” She looks away and James thinks.

  “Enter, pass through, not so great an instance in the walls… that’s it, it’s in the walls.” He ran passed the alter and squeezed through the tight crevice between it and the wall to get to the wall behind it and in a blind leap of faith, he stuck his hand, which passed right through the wall as if it were liquid and he felt an object and grabbed it pulling it out. He held it up to Tina, a green emerald pentagonal shape like the key but slightly larger.

  “Holy cow, James. That is amazing.” Screamed Tina.

  “Thank you, thank you. I don’t like to brag.” He hopped over the alter and stood with her before the insert.

  “That looks big enough to do the job. Let’s get this over with, buddy.” Tina said and without another word, James inserted the object into the insert and both object and alter lit up in hot white causing a hot white flash of bright light to fill the room and as it cleared the object began to glow bright green and from it a yellowish haze of light emerged like a single stream in a vacuum of air, it pressed forward into the air between James and Tina as they turned with a momentous sigh and simultaneous “whoa”. The light swirled clockwise rapidly and then reversed and swarmed back towards the wall twice before erupting before them in a large circle of light, a portal of light and then visible of its interior as a pass through to someplace else, it vibrated shimmering before them in all translucent colors of the prism and filled the room with a swirling noise soft and cumbersome as well as light seemingly mood inspiringly tranquil and calm. James lifted the object out of its insertion and the altar’s light turned off but the circle of light remained before them.

  “I think that device activated this thing, James. The alter may have been some type of charger.” Said Tina.

  “It looks like it has not been active in ages. I guess this is what the Protector once protected” James added.

  “Do you think this is what the Pregivers’ treasure was?” Asked Tina.

  “Seems logical” said James.

  CHAPTER 43

  Broad and his group walked out of the pod after having squeezed the four of them into the platform.

  “That was awkward.” Said Elizabeth. “I never have been nor do I ever want to be again in
a tight closet with three men. No offense guys.”

  “None taken, dear.” Said Broad.

  “Now what?” Said Hightower.

  “Well, help us find some means of egress, Chief. Stop being such a worrywart.”

  “I remind you who is in command.” Screamed Hightower.

  “Yes, I am. Your unit belongs to Temporo, Inc. because of the last election so don’t you forget where your priorities lie, Sir” he yelled and everyone remained quiet.

  “Look a door” said Elizabeth.

  “Why don't you try to open it?” Hightower asked rhetorically. Everyone tried to budge it but could not open it.

  “Curious markings, I have seen these five orbs before. I cannot place where.” Said Broad. “Break it down.” Hightower and Cumberberry armed their side pistols and began aiming to fire at the door.

  BOOM, BOOM. There were loud sounds on the other side of the door from where James and Tina stood then pouting.

  “Someone else is here?” Tina screamed.

  “Another beast?” Asked James.

  “I don’t know! Who else knows about this stuff? Let’s go now!” Said Tina.

  “Where?” Asked James.

  Tina beckoned to the circle of light before them. “It seems like a vortex, one of those portal things that can take you anywhere in the universe, or something.” Said Tina.

  “Does it go anywhere?” Asked James.

  “Beats me, could be a death trap but there is only one way to find out. Besides anyplace could be better than here in a few seconds.” Said Tina beckoning to the repeated pounding on the door.

  James smiled and nodded in agreement, looking at the object in his hand and the five orbs symbol was emblazoned into it just like in the small one on the key, plus it was five sided too. “Let’s go!” Said James.

  They look into the swirling golden abyss before them and in awe, hold hands, and step forward towards it then two tendrils from the swirling mass reach out and grab them transforming them into golden balls of light energy and sucking them in. James and Tina felt an energy pulse surround them and their consciousness merged with the void as if flying through a long expanse of golden light swirling but also being part of it. Within moments, they felt their consciousness return to their normal forms as they were projected out of the vortex and found themselves in an office. James looked around.