Steampunk Omnibus: A Galvanic Century Collection

by Michael Coorlim

  "Some rescue we turned out to be. My name is Aldora."

  "I'm Penny," the girl responded.

  "How long have you been here, with these people?"

  "The Hach Winik?" Penny asked. "I don't know. What month is this?"

  Penny's story was brief. She'd emerged from some ruin exploration to find the film crew face to face with a force of bandits. Her appearance had galvanised the armed men into action, and much confusion had ensued as they were taken prisoner. She'd slipped away, escaping into the jungle, where she wandered for several days before the natives had found her and taken her in. They'd given her months of hospitality, during which she'd learnt their language and some of their ways.

  "You managed to survive the jungle on your own for days?" Aldora asked. "That's... impressive."

  "I've been travelling with my father since I was a little girl. I know all the tricks." Her smile faltered and then faded. "I do hope he's alright."

  One of the Hach Winik women arrived with bowls of a thick broth. She smiled and handed one to each of the women, then backed out of the hut.

  "Eat it, it's good," Penny said. "But very spicy."

  "Oh, yes," Aldora held the bowl from her face. "I should say so."

  Penny grinned, then made a show of taking a large gulp from the edge of the bowl.

  "Your father -- was he one of the crew?" Aldora asked.

  "Their guide. Henry Robinson."

  "Henry?" Aldora's hand tightened around the rim of the bowl. "You're Henry's daughter, then."

  Penny took a smaller sip. "Did you know my father?"

  "Yes, a long time ago. He... ah." She took a small sip. "He had a letter set to be delivered to me if he didn't return to Mérida, giving me the details of the expedition. That's why I've come."

  "Ohhh." Penny nodded. "As long as I can remember he'd been leaving letters behind whenever we went on expedition. I never knew who they were addressed to, only that they were someone he trusted."

  "It's an old traveller's trick," Aldora said. "I've left one behind to be delivered to my fiancé."

  "Aren't you a little old to be engaged?" Penny asked.

  "How old do you think I am, young lady?"

  "I dunno," Penny said. "Forty?"

  "I am twenty-nine years of age, not that it's any of your business, and it has been a long engagement."

  Penny sipped her broth. "No need to be cross with me, Miss. I'm never getting married."

  "Never?" Aldora's frost melted a little as she reminded herself of what the girl had been through.

  "Not ever. I'm just going to travel forever, like my father, and never settle down in any one place."

  Aldora smiled wanly. "I'd wanted much the same when I was not much older than you. Unfortunately the realities of my own family prohibited it."

  "I've never understood why adults don't simply do whatever it is that they want."

  "You will when you're older."

  "That's what father says... but he doesn't follow any rules but his own."

  "Sometimes one's own laws can be harsher than any others. Particularly for a man like your father."

  Penny didn't respond. The native woman returned, this time with a pile of quilted blankets that she deposited next to Aldora.

  "How long do you think it'll take for your letter to get to your fiancé?"

  "I gave myself weeks to find your party," Aldora said, spreading the thickest quilt along the hut's dirt floor. "It's a big jungle. Give it another week or so to reach Alton, give him a week to arrange a rescue..."

  "That's not so long."

  "Even so, I've no intention of waiting around for another rescue party." Aldora settled in to the nest of quilts she'd assembled, leaving her dressing-gown to dry above the embers. "Every day that passes makes finding your father and the crew less likely."

  "What else can we do? Leave the jungle ourselves and get help?"

  "We shall see, Penny." Aldora closed her eyes. "We'll see how things look by dawn's light."

  ***

  The next morning brought a hearty and lightly spiced meal of cornmeal flatbread and beans, and the natives brought Aldora a simple white cotton tunic, identical to the ones they themselves wore. It was plain, unadorned and shaped only by the curves of her body, but fell to an acceptably modest length, almost to the ground. Her nightgown, torn to shreds, was given as a gift to the woman serving as their host. She seemed grateful for the silk.

  The Hach Winik hunter who had brought her to the village returned as Aldora and Penny were finishing up their breakfast. By the light of day he was quite handsome in a healthy and exotic way, with bronze skin, strong facial features, and an athletic physique. His long hair hung freely, cascading around his broad shoulders.

  "Amoxtli says that he went back to your campsite," Penny translated, "But all of your things were missing."

  "Bloody highwaymen," Aldora said. "Forgive my language."

  "I don't think that they were bandits, though. They had uniforms and acted like soldiers."

  "Mexican army?"

  "I don't think so. They seemed like mercenaries."

  Aldora finished lacing up her boots. "Oh? And what does a young girl know of mercenaries?"

  Penny frowned. "Father's business had us associating with all sorts of people."

  "Terribly irresponsible of Henry. It's hardly proper for a young girl to know the company of such men."

  The girl stuck out her tongue. "It's no less proper for a lady of your rarefied station."

  Aldora's face coloured, a bitter retort on her lips until she remembered what the girl had been through. Her harsh look softened, and she shook her head. "Regardless of who they are they have taken your father and the others. What do you know of them?"

  "The Hach Winik call them the Strangers," Penny said. "They've been gathering in the jungle for some time, but after they ran across us at the ruins of Zipactonal they moved their camp there. Amoxtli says that they spend all day going into and out of the temple."

  "Do they hold captives?"

  Penny nodded. "He's not sure how many though."

  "Can... Amoxtli... get us to a place where we can observe the camp safely?"

  "I'll ask," Penny said. "Why? Do you have a plan?"

  "Waiting for another rescue attempt is not an option -- now the mercenaries will surely realise that more searchers will be coming, and move their camp, possibly deeper into the jungle. We must act ourselves. We have to rescue your father and the others before they... before they move on."

  Penny nodded, biting her lip, then translated Aldora's question to the tribesman.

  Aldora lowered her eyes, unable to face the girl directly. Things were more dire than she could let on. Mercenaries were not known for keeping superfluous prisoners. Carvel White, the actor, could be ransomed, and the director came from a family with money, but the others -- the crew, the military men from the club, and poor, poor sweet Henry... she couldn't fret. Not now, not in front of the girl. The highwaymen had taken everything she'd brought, and all that she and Penny had left was hope. She couldn't take that hope away.

  "Amoxtli says he can take us," Penny said, excitement in his voice.

  "Good man," Aldora flashed the man a brief smile. "Off with us, then."

  ***

  "What do you see?" Penny asked.

  "It's an encampment." Aldora, Penny, and Amoxtli lay on a ridge some distance away from the ruins, where dozens of tents had been set up in a semi-circle around the temple itself. She counted six sentries, placed at strategic points radiating out from the temple, but the camp provided for many more. Most alarming, perhaps, were the pair of artillery cannons flanking the ruins' entrance, pointed towards the trail heading back into the jungle. "They look dug-in and prepared. There are amenities for dozens of soldiers, but I don't see more than a handful."

  "Amoxtli said that they spend most of their time inside the ruins."

  "What's in there?"

  "Just before... before the men arrived I was e
xploring the temple, and I found a secret passage. It was dark inside -- too dark for me to see, but it was massive space. "

  "Fascinating," Aldora said. "Any indication of what was inside?"

  Penny gave the matter some thought. "I think I felt what might have been some clockworks? I can't be sure. Oh, and I could hear running water."

  "Clockworks and running water? Are you positive?"

  "I told you it was dark. There was something in there, though."

  "No matter. It was rather brave of you to go exploring in the dark on your own."

  Penny grinned. "That's just the life father and I live, Miss Fiske. Exploring ancient ruins, running from bandits, crossing wild jungles..."

  She trailed off, her smile being replaced by worry.

  "Amoxtli..." Aldora said.

  The native turned his head, giving Aldora a winning smile.

  "Penny, would you ask Amoxtli if he knows of any caves or subterranean rivers in the area?"

  "Subterranean rivers?"

  "That water you heard had to come from somewhere. We might not be able to easily sneak through the camp to the ruins--"

  "But if there's another way in, we can come up under them and rescue the captives!"

  Aldora nodded, pleased with the girl's enthusiasm.

  Penny translated Aldora's question to the native. He responded at length, pointing off into the distance several times.

  "Amoxtli says that there is an old story of the ancestors. When the Strangers first came in the time of his grandfather's fathers, the people retreated to the temple for safety. The women and children escaped through tunnels into the jungle, where they hid. He says that one of these tunnels comes out in a nearby cave."

  "He may be speaking of the conquistadors," Aldora said. "The Hack Wilek must be descendant from the ancient Mayan people. They escaped and hid in the jungles, where they've gone unnoticed living their old ways for centuries."

  Aldora backed away from the edge, then rose to her feet. "It just may be what we need to save the captives."

  "Pa'tal, ko'olel," Amoxtli said, voice low. "Yan peets' hach k'as aktun! Yan ts'aakik yan e'hoch'e'en."

  "He says that when his people escaped, they left traps behind to deter pursuit," Penny said. "It may be dangerous."

  "Does he know where they are?"

  Penny turned her head towards the native. "Na'atik tu'ux peets'?"

  He shook his head. "Chowak ora. Biyeho k'iin maak."

  "Only vague stories remain."

  "We'll have to risk it," Aldora said. "I see no other way to retrieve the captives. Return to the village, Penelope -- we'll return for you once I've secured your father."

  "I'll do nothing of the sort." Penny folded her arms. "I've been in the ruins, and you haven't. And you may still need me to translate for Amoxtli!"

  "Child, it's far too dangerous for me to even consider..."

  "I've been running from thugs and evading traps in ancient ruins since I was eight. And... and it's my father, Miss Fiske. I can't -- I cannot just wait for you to save him."

  Aldora's face softened at the tears in the girl's eyes. "If I allow you to accompany us, you must do precisely what I say, when I say it."

  "I understand, Miss."

  "Very well then."

  Aldora spared a last glance at the camp below. Ordinarily she would not even consider letting the girl tag along, but there was just something about Penelope that reminded Aldora of herself as a child. If they were as alike as she believed they were, an order to return to the camp would have simply lead the girl to tagging along at a distance, putting herself in even greater danger, and leading to potential exposure for all of them. It was safer to keep the wilful girl at her side.

  ***

  The cavern entrance sat a short distance away, half-way up a short bluff, its mouth obscured with hanging vines. The tribesman cleared them away with the butt of his spear, then gestured towards the darkness beyond. He cast about briefly, gathered a bundle of rushes from under the bluff's overhang, and fashioned them into a crude torch. After lighting it with a primitive fire-drill, he stepped into the cavern entrance, followed by the girls.

  Aldora was impressed with the way the people of the Lacandon managed to get by without modern technology, using the natural resources of the wilderness to meet their needs. It was so different from what the Empire had become, dependent on its engineering, dependent on the innovations of its Guild of Artificers to compete with the powerhouses of America and Prussia. The closest to self-sufficiency Britain got were the lowest classes, forced to adapt the available urban resources to their needs. Those of her own social class would be helpless without the infrastructure they'd built on the backs of the working class.

  The Empire's growing dependency had never sat well with her. Unlike her fiancé who cheerfully exploited the system for what it was worth, Aldora despised being beholden to anyone.

  The cave's walls were naturally smooth, carved with various blocky symbols, both abstract and geometric. Each block was part of a column, and the columns were paired off at regular intervals.

  "What does it say?"

  "Ba'ax xook?" Penny asked.

  "Xookik ma' ts'iib," Amoxtli held the torch up to examine the carvings. "Mixbik'in na'atik. K'aax, ma' papah."

  "He says he doesn't know -- he's a hunter, not a priest." Penny glanced back towards the entrance. "There's a priest in the village. Should we get him?"

  "The old man?" Aldora asked. "It's not worth exposing him to danger, and I'd rather not let the captives wait much longer. Every moment counts. Let's go on."

  Amoxtli's torch flickered and spattered as they moved through the cave, irregularities in the walls creating patterned shadows among the hieroglyphs. Blind cave beetles and lizards scampered away from the vibrations of their footfalls, retreating to just inside the radius of their light, like a constantly receding tide.

  ***

  After a few hundred feet the tunnel merged with a cross-running underground stream. It looked as though the water had, long ago, crashed through a stone wall, above which was carved another Mayan glyph.

  "Amoxtli says that that's Huracan, another storm god... this one was responsible for flooding the earth at the end of the last cycle."

  "Interesting parallel to the biblical food," Aldora said. "And possibly a trap, one long triggered by the Spaniards pursuing his fleeing ancestors."

  "Is there a way around?"

  "I don't think so," Aldora said. "I think the trap was the sudden rush of water. The current seems swift, but not unmanageable, and it isn't terribly deep. We can just forge through."

  Penny translated for the tribesman, and he nodded, pulling the cotton tunic off over his head. Instinctively Aldora looked away, doing her best not to steal a glance at Amoxtli's bronze flesh, his long, lean muscles, his unabashed nudity.

  "The Hack Wileck don't have much modesty," Penny said.

  Aldora stared into the water, definitely not noticing the way that the man's abdominal muscles stretched as he wrapped the tunic around the crown of his head. She cleared her throat. "Still, it would hardly be proper for us to be so exposed before a strange man."

  "What if he went ahead of us?" Penny asked.

  "Yes, that would do quite nicely," Aldora answered quickly.

  Penny translated, and Amoxtli gave a noncommittal shrug before taking the lead, wading into the water without a care, its depth coming up to the small of his back. Aldora followed after him, holding her tunic above her head, acutely aware of the water caressing her hips and the bottom of her ribs, her breasts exposed to the cool air, while Penny brought up the rear, submerged to her shoulders. The current's incessant urging brought them along swiftly.

  Their lead stopped and half-turned towards Aldora, who quickly covered her chest with her folded tunic. A grin quirked at the corner of his mouth, and he pointed at an engraved glyph in the ceiling. "Cabrakan -- lu'um yat Xibalba. Yat ha' taam."

  "Cabrakan," Penny translated. "God of earthqu
akes. He also says that there's a drop off in the water ahead."

  "Another trap," Aldora said, wading forward. "Triggered prior to the water trap. Perhaps a collapsing floor?"

  "It's amazing that the Ancestors had the time to build these traps while running from the Spaniards."

  Amoxtli had secured his tunic on his head and began to swim forward, torch held aloft. Aldora followed his example, wrapping her own tunic around her hair. "It's more reasonable to assume that they built this escape tunnel long before the conquistadors arrived. For protection against whom, though, I cannot say."

  The group swam along until coming to a climbable bank. Aldora covered Penny's eyes while Amoxtli emerged and donned his tunic. The girls, after making sure that he wasn't watching, followed after, using the sturdy roots that emerged from the earthen bank to pull themselves up before dressing.

  A broad but still limestone pool spanned the width of the tunnel ahead; Amoxtli examined it critically while waiting for the girls to catch their breath.

  He glanced up towards the ceiling, pointing towards an engraving of a hook-nosed man in a headdress. "Chaak. U peek chaak. Ch'iin baat."

  "He says that that's Chaak. One of their gods. He's a god of rain and storms and lightning."

  Aldora nodded. "Lightning. Hm. Hold on a second."

  She stepped to the tunnel wall, clearing the vines away from a section to reveal black and richer green veins in the pale limestone. "See those striations in the limestone? I think that they're copper."

  "Copper?"

  "Not just copper. Iron as well. They run the length of the walls to that carving, and down into a ring formation below. This may be another one of the traps the ancient Mayans constructed."

  "I don't see how."

  She turned to Amoxtli and gestured towards his spear. "May I?"

  He grunted, handing it over.

  Aldora put the tip to the floor and brought her foot down sharply just below its flint head, snapping it off cleanly.