Sonora and the Scroll of Alexandria (Book #2)

by T. S. Hall

  Eleven

  CLUES

  Her suit suddenly ballooned, creating pockets of air within. Allora hit the ground, rolling down a hill of sand that had accumulated at the bottom of the trap door. Rocks and sand plummeted from the ceiling, crashing to the ground. Allora’s breathing became erratic as she kept rolling in the complete darkness. The clear display flashed red, and her intercom burst awake with the distressed pleas of her friends. After a few dizzying seconds, her body stopped. Sand and stone kept falling, covering her body in an avalanche of earth.

  “Please,” she pleaded, hyperventilating in her cocoon. “I can’t move.”

  “Shut up, guys,” Tanner said, hearing Allora’s frightened pleas. “Allora, listen to my voice. I need you to slow down your breathing.” Allora took in a few terrified, quick breaths and then closed her mouth, breathing deeply through her nose. “Good. Now I need you to tell me whether you’re hurt.”

  “No, I don’t think so,” she replied, trying to move her limbs.

  “Did the suit inflate?”

  “Yes, but I’m buried and can’t see a thing.”

  “You’re going to be fine,” Tanner said calmly over the intercom. “Just keep taking long, deep breaths. Those suits are designed for this sort of thing. We will get help. Outside intercom on.” The robotic voice repeated his words. “Almas, we have a problem.”

  A deep, concerned voice came on the intercom. “What the hell just happened?”

  “Allora just fell down a trap door, and she’s buried.”

  “I’m almost there,” Almas said, his voice bouncing as though he was sprinting. “Allora, do you hear me?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Don’t worry. We will be there to dig you out in a minute. Intercom all. Emergency protocol alpha. All personnel to Zeus’s chamber immediately. I need a full structural assessment, along with support kits and a hover pad.”

  Allora listened to the sudden orchestra of commands being exchanged over the intercom. She could tell that their training was impeccable, like that of a military unit. For an hour, Allora remained frozen in the darkness. The voices in her helmet were becoming too much, so she shut off the intercom. The silence was eerie but more calming than the repetitive ensemble of scratchy intercom communication. She shut her eyes and allowed her mind to settle, focusing on a single point of thought that lingered at the back of her mind like an itch waiting to be scratched.

  Allora was in a dark alleyway with the sapphire cube in a palm in front of her vision. It was her uncle’s calloused hand. At the edge of a darkened village square, a wooden sign hung in front of a store. As she got closer, a burned image appeared on the sign. It was a triangle with a circle and an eye in the middle. Suddenly a flashing light blurred her vision, pulling her out of the dream. She blinked, focusing on the light that was sifting through the grains of sand being pulled away from her mask. Several fingers were brushing at the sand aggressively. Allora focused on a terrified face mouthing her name through the translucent mask.

  “Intercom on,” Allora said.

  “Allora? Allora? Can you hear me?” Tanner yelled. “Dig harder!”

  “Tanner, I’m here. I turned off my intercom. I’m fine.”

  She pulled her hands through the sand and grabbed Tanner’s wrist. He yanked her from the ground, and then examined the inflated suit.

  “You scared the crap out of me,” Tanner said, squeezing the hard, ballooned limbs. “Why did you turn off your intercom?”

  “Sorry. I just couldn’t stand the sound. It was making me anxious. I didn’t want to have a panic attack.”

  “Well, you seriously made us have a panic attack,” Katie said, jumping onto Allora’s inflated suit.

  “You look like a marshmallow,” Dax added. “I knew you’d be fine.”

  “And how did you know that?” Katie said, jumping off Allora.

  “Please. It would take much more than that to kill this girl. She’s like a cat with nine lives.”

  “Thanks, Dax,” Allora said. “That’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “You gave us a good scare there, missy,” Almas said. He sent a couple of glowing orbs into the air, and they illuminated the rock-filled cavern.

  “That is why you don’t touch anything,” Baldar added, sliding down the sand hill along with two other gnomes who jumped off a hover pad.

  “You are like a broken record, little dude,” Dax said.

  “You insignificant, disrespectful weakling,” Baldar said, pushing forward and making an aggressive gesture before being stopped by Almas. “I will crush you.”

  “Baldar, why don’t you go examine the support structure?” Almas ordered. “I need that to be secured without any mistakes.”

  Baldar backed off. “Yes, sir. Isolate intercom.”

  “That gnome has got serious anger management problems,” Dax said, watching Baldar push around a few gnomes that were sitting atop of the sand hill.

  “You would too if you saw your entire village destroyed,” Almas said, walking away.

  Katie patted her brother’s back. “Nice work, slick.”

  “Wow, now I feel bad.”

  They followed Almas into the cavern, walking up a ramp that led to a stone door. Allora’s memory kept going back to her dream in flashes as they walked up the incline. Almas hesitated, examining the wall of stone. He then sparked the door, but nothing happened. A memory of a hand turning flashed in Allora’s mind. It was a combination lock.

  She moved forward, grabbing Almas’s forearm. “Let me try.”

  Almas paused in thought and then stepped backward.

  Allora placed her palm up to the protruding round center of the stone door, sparked it, and then rotated her hand in the same way that the individual in her dream had done. Once she stopped, the stone door shuddered and then slowly slid to the left.

  “How did you know that combination?” Almas inquired, suspiciously staring down at Allora.

  “I’m not entirely sure.”

  Almas paused and then smiled. “I guess you’re good to have around.”

  He kept staring down at her as he sent a single glowing orb into the blackness of the opening. Just like her dream, the interior was the same as the circular room underneath Crater Lake.

  “Hey, isn’t this…,” Dax started to say before being punched by Allora. “… an awesome find?”

  Almas glanced at the two inquisitively.

  “Why do I feel like there is more to you four,” Almas said, inquisitively.

  “Funny, I could say the same about you,” Allora retorted.

  Almas laughed and nodded. “You are a lot like your mother.”

  The warlock entered the stone room, scanning the archways. They all went inside and walked around like patrons in a museum.

  “What is this place?” Tanner asked.

  “It’s a stationary portal room,” Almas replied. “It allows you to port to places around Earth without a portal energy signature. Many of these were built during the Titan Wars so that the guardians could transport soldiers to key locations without being detected.”

  “So you can access this place from other locations?” Tanner asked.

  “No,” Almas said, touching the interior wall of the archway. “These portals have been completely closed from the outside.”

  Allora walked to the center, just like in her dream. She placed her hand in the middle of the concave bowl and sent a hadron spark into the middle. The stone podium rose.

  “What are you doing?” Almas said, frantically searching the room as though it were going to cave in.

  The middle split into four sections, opening outward. Allora just stared at the podium as though in a trance. They all leaned in once the podium stopped moving.

  “Was there supposed to be something inside?” Dax asked, noticing the empty interior.

  Allora searched around inside with her hand.

  “I think it’s time that we call it a day,” Almas said, bl
ankly staring into the empty receptacle. His body was tense and rigid. Allora turned and noticed the shaking, clenched fist on his right side. His expression changed as he turned, grabbed Allora by the shoulder, and led them out of the room. “You should be very proud of yourself. I will let the Interior Council of History know that this momentous archeological discovery should be accredited to Allora Smith.”

  Almas shook her hand, showing his teeth as he stared proudly into Allora’s facemask. He then brought down the hover pad and hurried everyone out of the cavern. Allora remained quiet as they exited the pyramid, got out of their suits, and then got into the metal platform at the top of the bowl-shaped cavern. Nothing was said before the platform took off into the tunnel toward the transport.

  Once they unloaded on the landing pad at their apartment complex, Allora told the others what she had seen in her dream.

  “That explains a lot,” Katie said as they walked into their temporary apartment on the right side of the landing pad.

  “I guess I know where we’re going tomorrow,” Dax said, grabbing a soda from the fridge.

  Allora sat back into the couch and put her feet up on the ottoman, exhausted from the exploration.

  * * *

  The city of Shangri-La was bustling in the twilight of the glowing orbs that filled the interior of the large dome. Transport ships zipped between the outcropped apartment complexes and rocky skyscraper buildings that lined the walls of the city. The air smelled of lavender that was pumped into the cavern through filtered air ducts. Allora hung over the balcony rail and looked down into the intricate crisscrossing walkways that linked the different buildings. All paths led to the center core, which was a large, oblong mesh of rock, stone, metal, and glass, with the momentous circular acropolis at the top. At the bottom of the city, the buildings condensed into a maze of rock and manmade structures.

  Milly came outside and gave her daughter a cup of coffee.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Milly said, sipping the steaming hot liquid.

  “Like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Allora said, continuing to observe. “What’s at the bottom of the city?”

  Milly hung over the rail and looked down.

  “That is Shambhala. Most of the older city was built at the base of the cave, and then they built up from there.” Milly noticed her daughter’s intrigued expression. “It’s also the most dangerous part of the city.” Allora smiled a little more. “There is no way that you’re going down there.”

  “Come on, Mom.”

  “No way. That place is filled with criminals, killers, and gangs.”

  “What if Swan goes with us?” Allora pleaded.

  “Oh yeah, ’cause he’s a good influence on you guys,” Milly said, rolling her eyes. Allora stuck out her lower lip, grabbing her mom’s hand. Milly paused and shook her head. “Fine, but you’re taking your two-man escort from the internal security service.”

  Allora jumped up and smiled emphatically. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  After getting dressed in jeans, a tight long-sleeve shirt, and tennis shoes, Allora made her way to the dining room, where everyone was eating breakfast. She ran her finger down the middle of her bracelet, which opened it up. A bluish screen lit up above her arm. Allora flicked her finger across the screen and found Mr. Swan’s contact. She pushed her finger on the three-dimensional image. After a few seconds, Swan’s tired face popped into view, hovering above her arm.

  “Hello, Allora,” he said, wiping the gunk from his eyes.

  “You look pleasant.” Mr. Swan gave her a fake smile. “Mom said that we could go to Shambhala today but that you and a security escort need to go with us.”

  “Why would you want to go there? It’s dirty, and the people down in the slums are not exactly accommodating.”

  Milly perked up, leaning in to listen as she washed her dishes.

  “I just think that it would be great to see some of the city, especially the ancient parts,” Allora said, trying to disguise her intentions. “You never know what interesting things you might learn.”

  Mr. Swan finally caught on. “Well, there is nothing a history teacher loves more than a trip to an ancient city. I’ll be over in fifteen minutes with a transport.”

  “And two security personnel,” Milly added, popping up right next to Allora’s head with a stern look.

  “Got it,” Swan said, signing off.

  “All right, I’ve got to go to meetings all day,” Milly said, grabbing a few things from the fridge and placing them into a backpack. “I expect that you four are going to behave yourselves and somehow not get into any trouble.”

  They all nodded in what looked like an odd, coordinated ruse. Milly looked as though she was rethinking her decision.

  “What are all of these meetings for anyway?” Allora asked, strategically changing the subject.

  “Like any major decision, the guardian council needs to deliberate, and we need to present our evidence for why we should be ramping up manufacturing. It’s the only way that this planet will have any chance of survival.”

  “So you believe that Salazar has a way to keep the gateways open?” Tanner asked.

  “I believe that we need to be prepared for any eventuality. Should the rumors be true, we are far behind and way outgunned.”

  Allora went to wash her dishes, but when she set her plate down, the bottom dropped out of the sink, and the plate disappeared, along with her fork.

  “ Uh, what just happened?”

  “I forgot to tell you,” Milly said, walking over to the kitchen. “Everything in here is automated. There is a built-in dishwasher that will clean and put away the dishes.”

  “Seriously?” Katie said, placing her plate into the sink. It also disappeared and then reappeared minutes later in the cabinets. “I really want to get one of these for our house. I hate doing dishes.”

  “Yeah, ’cause that would be inconspicuous,” Dax said, placing his plate in the sink.

  After an hour the doorbell rang, and Milly went to let Mr. Swan in. There were a few words exchanged in the front entryway. After she gave her daughter a kiss good-bye, Milly left for her own transport, which took her to the acropolis.

  “So… Why do you really want to go to Shambhala?” Swan asked as Milly’s transport took off.

  “I had a dream about it last night,” Allora said, wrapping up her hair and placing it in a tight ponytail. “I think that Ben knew someone who might be able to tell him about the cube.”

  They jumped into the next transport, which Brutus and Grunt were occupying. The ship took off, dropping down off the landing pad and descending around the walkways below. Allora’s ears popped, and she tried to yawn to normalize the pressure that was building in her head. After a few jaw movements, the pressure ceased, and the transport set down onto the rocky landing at the base of the city. As soon as they exited the transport, a flurry of people stormed the area, trying to sell their trinkets, treats, and services. The guards quickly jumped in front as a wave of people tried to get to the new arrivals.

  Once they saw the two guards reach for their pistols, the crowd collectively stepped backward. The sudden fear on their faces changed to anger. Allora noticed that the people in the crowd were dressed in torn garments and worn shoes, and their faces were covered in dirt. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for those around her. Brutus and Grunt remained in front as they pushed through the crowd. Allora pulled out a few coins that she had received upon getting to Shangri-La. At the edge of the crowd was a girl who wasn’t too much younger than Allora. Her jeans were ripped on the knees, her shirt was dirty, and her head hung down low. A little boy peered around from behind her, staring with bright, beautiful blue eyes at Allora. The girl grabbed the little boy’s hand and led him down the dirt ramp.

  “Hey, wait,” Allora said, running after the girl and boy. She caught up and smiled at the obviously scared pair. “What’s your name?”

  “None of your business,” the girl said, placing the boy b
ehind her and clenching her fist.

  “I’m just trying to get some help while we are down here,” Allora said, trying to give her some reassurance with her body language. “Please, I mean you no harm.”

  “Kalama, but people usually just call me Kali,” she said hesitantly.

  “What about this guy?”

  The little boy peered around her leg. “This is my little brother,” Kali said, stroking the brown hair back from his eyes. “His name is Jakar.”

  “Where are your parents?” Allora asked as the guards started running down the ramp, yelling at Allora to stay put.

  “Ma’am, we have very specific instructions not to allow you to take off while you’re down here,” Brutus said.

  Seeing the fear that suddenly overtook the brother and sister, Allora addressed the two guards. “I can’t have you scaring every single person that I speak with,” she said, staring up at the two large men, her hands on her hips. “So, while you’re down here, just keep behind me, and don’t get in my way. Got it?”

  Allora spun around and smiled at the two kids, who weren’t sure whether to be scared of the guards or the strange confident girl.

  “She really is her mother’s daughter,” Brutus whispered, which initiated a grunt for a response.

  Allora turned her head and glared. “I heard that.”

  “They were killed in the Rebel Wars,” Kali said, putting her head down. “Our entire town was destroyed, and we had nowhere to go but here.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “There is an orphanage on the far side of Shambhala. We’ve been living there for about seven years now.” Allora could see a strength in her eyes that could have only been gained through a painful past. It was obvious from her stance and the scar along her chin that Kali was tough and very protective of her brother. Her body was skinny, but her muscles were lean and strong. “Now what do you want?”

  “I need help finding this,” Allora said, pulling the drawing she made the previous night from her pocket. It was the strange eye symbol that she had seen in her dream. “I’ll pay you for the information.”