Sonora, and the Scroll of Alexandria

by Travis Hall

  “Yes, sir,” Lieutenant Mylar said, shoving the pistol into the side holster and stepping backward with his shoulders pulled back. “May I at least know the reason? I was given strict orders—”

  “No, you may not, Lieutenant,” the captain answered. He was now within inches of the young officer’s face. “Do I take orders from you?”

  “No, Captain Theus.”

  “Then why are you giving me lip service?”

  The lieutenant remained silent, trying not to make eye contact with the captain. Milly grabbed her daughter, who had her mouth popped open with eyes wide. Allora kept looking at her mother as they walked down another corridor.

  “That was awesome,” Allora said. Milly glanced over and rolled her eyes.

  “I can see that some things haven’t changed after all these years,” Captain Theus said, catching up to the group. Milly couldn’t help her proud lip as it raised on one side.

  “I see that you’re still the arrogant pretty-boy that I once knew,” she quipped, crossing her arms.

  “Oh, you think I’m pretty?” Captain Theus said, smiling charmingly. After a few seconds of glaring, they embraced each other and then continued down the long passageway.

  “Do you have the security escorts that we discussed?”

  “I’ve got two men who I’d trust with everything I have,” Captain Theus responded sternly, placing his hand on Milly’s shoulder. “They’ll be safe with them. I promise you.”

  Captain Theus was tall with very broad, muscular shoulders, dark hair, and bright-green eyes. His chin was sharp, and he had a long scar down his neck. He was very attractive, and the two girls couldn’t help but stare. Even Milly seemed to have a soft spot for him.

  When they got to the end of the long corridor, the cavern opened into an expansive view of an underground city, which made the newcomers drop their mouths in shock and excitement at the grandiose landscape in front of them.

  “Welcome to Shangri-La,” Captain Theus said, extending his hand.

  chapter

  NINE

  Shangri-La

  They walked into a metal tube. A door closed, and they dropped down through rock and ice. The interior of the transport smelled of metal and mahogany. After a few seconds, the rock angled and opened into a large, expansive cavern. Beautiful waterfalls cascaded from the walls, crashing down into rivers and pools that flowed among the immense city below. Allora pressed her hands up against the glass wall, watching as the transport descended into the underground city.

  A small aircraft zipped past the window, landing on an outcrop within a large, metallic building. The interior of the cavern was the filled with flying vessels. They flew across the expanse, maneuvering with unnatural precision, as if the pilots were robots. The elevator descended underneath arching rock lined with windows. Jutting from the interior walls of the cavern were large buildings made of rock, marble, and metal. As they went further into the city, the buildings became more extravagant, with varying types of architecture.

  “I need to tell you a few rules about Shangri-La,” Milly said, continuing down into the heart of the illuminated city. “The reason I forced you through the guard outpost without getting scanned is because we don’t know who can be trusted here. We have to remain under the radar.”

  The circular city surrounded a monumental marble building that looked like a mix between the Roman Coliseum and a space station. Columns of beautiful marble and limestone stood one hundred feet high, like sentries on guard. On the top of the structure were large marble statues, each one depicting an ancient god who’d protected Earth against the invasion of the Titans.

  “That right there is the acropolis,” Milly said as they continued their descent. “It is the meeting place of the guardians. Amazing, isn’t it?”

  They all nodded their heads, their hands pressed closer to the glass as they tried to witness everything. Surrounding the acropolis were hundreds of other buildings of differing sizes and shapes. Large walkways ran between the buildings and crisscrossed throughout Shangri-La.

  The elevator transport slowed to a stop, and the doors opened up into what felt like a customs area in an airport. There were a few warlocks that looked like Sas, along with other creatures that Allora had never seen before. The strangest of these creatures was a four-armed man with vertically blinking eyes.

  “Now I really feel like an alien,” Allora whispered to Katie.

  Milly had her security badge scanned by another guard, and they went in through a side gate. They proceeded along a conveyor belt that took them under a marble arch with beautiful carved horses ingrained in the rock. Large limestone statues guarded the entryway. After navigating the crowds of warlocks, uniformed officers, and council delegates, Milly instructed them to follow Captain Theus while she joined the flow of the crowd heading through monstrous double doors that led into the main chambers of the acropolis.

  “How do you know my mother?” Allora asked as Captain Theus led them toward a side door.

  “We actually grew up together,” Captain Theus answered as they walked down a narrow corridor made of black obsidian. “I was good friends with your uncle, Ben. We went to the academy together.”

  “Do you know what he was doing here?” Allora asked as they got to a security checkpoint. Two guards stood still with their hands on their sides. Captain Theus leaned down next to her ear.

  “Not here,” he whispered softly, his eyes darting around the corridor. “Too many hidden ears and eyes in this city.”

  Once they passed through the checkpoint, Captain Theus took them through another doorway and into a small room that seemed like an elevator. He placed his hand on a metallic ball on the side console and sparked it. They were pulled inward and arrived by portal into a room with a large round table at its center. The clear side panels gave them a panoramic view of the entire upper city.

  “Where are we?” Tanner asked, walking in circles around the room. Outside the lights of the city numbered in the thousands, lighting up the expansive cavern, like fireflies in the night. Transports flew across the interior in precise patterns, navigated by auto-piloted computers.

  “This is the conveyance room,” Captain Theus said, walking around the large table. “It’s at the very top of the acropolis and is very secure. You’ll be able to witness everything that goes on inside the main public chambers without physically being inside. Go ahead and have a seat.”

  Once seated in the marble chairs, the material began to form perfectly to the curvatures of their bodies in an optimal comfort level. Captain Theus plugged a few codes into a side panel, and suddenly they were transported into the chamber room, right next to Milly, who was seated in front of a long table.

  “Whoa,” Allora said, reaching out toward her mother. Upon her touch, the image swirled like colored liquid and then reformed into Milly’s image.

  “This is totally epic.” Allora could hear Dax’s voice but couldn’t see him.

  “Why can I hear you but not see you?” she asked.

  “It’s a fully immersive first-person virtual reality,” Captain Theus said. Allora felt a hand on her shoulder but couldn’t see it. She stood up and was transported out of the chamber room. “While you’re in the seat, you are able to see and hear the proceedings. When you step away from the seat, the synaptic connection to your visual cortex is severed.”

  “Totally cool,” Allora said, smiling emphatically. “How did you do that?” Captain Theus showed her the user interface that reacted to his finger motions and then sat back down into the virtual reality as the guardian meeting was called to order.

  Above them there were four levels of stadium seats, like an opera house. Milly sat down at a wooden table facing the thirteen chairs. Sas took his place on the lower level, along with Yeti and Abe. The room was filled with all sorts of different creatures and men.

  A loud trumpet-like horn suddenly blew, and everyone in the chamber took his or her seat. Behind the half-circle podium, the wall split open. T
wo individuals emerged and filled the upper chairs next to the center chair at the top. The last one to enter the chamber was a tall warlock with black hair and a menacing scar that ran through his right eye. His dreads hung long and low with brass rings on the ends. He had a leather sash across his furry black chest and a knife sheathed on his thigh. His single dark-blue eye scanned the area meticulously. The room grew silent when the large warlock sat in his center seat.

  “We have called this meeting to resolve the recent attacks on Earth and the unauthorized passage through certain gateways,” the black-haired warlock said.

  Sas stood first, bowing to the thirteen seated around him.

  “Thank you, Commander Yeren,” Sas said. “Our security protocols have been compromised at specific gateway locations, and I believe it is just the start of a worldwide invasion from the king’s forces.”

  The room erupted in chatter. Allora watched the faces of the crowd turn to panic and shock. Commander Yeren slammed his gavel down, and the sound echoed through the circular room, drowning out the whispers.

  “You get right to the point, I see. So far these have been isolated events that we’ve been able to take care of,” Commander Yeren said.

  “There is no possible way that the king’s forces can infiltrate our defenses near the gateways. And there is no way that the king can keep the gateways open long enough for an invasion force large enough to compromise us,” said the warlock to Commander Yeren’s left.

  “General Montauk has a point,” Commander Yeren said, directing the comment toward Sas. “In five thousand years, the gateways have never been compromised.”

  “What if Salazar has found a way to override our gateway keys?” Milly asked, standing up from her seat.

  “Colonel Sona, you are here only at the request of a few influential leaders who think that your opinion matters, but as far as I’m concerned, you are a deserter to our cause and shouldn’t even have a voice, let alone one that should cause unnecessary panic.”

  “How dare you,” Milly said, her body becoming tense. “I’ve served the rebellion ever since it began.”

  “So then where have you been the last eight years? And where were you when our forces were overrun at the Battle of Omega?” General Montauk asked. Milly looked like she’d been slapped in the face. Milly glared at the warlock in a forceful show of dominance.

  “Where I’ve been is of no concern to you. My mission is of utmost importance, and this council does not have the clearance for an explanation. I am here to convince this council—and the people of Shangri-La—to support efforts to increase military spending and recruitment. You do not understand your enemy and his interest in this world.”

  “All right, then enlighten us,” General Montauk said. “I still haven’t seen any evidence that Salazar even has the ability to get this new army of his through the gateways. This is the reason that the keys were created in the beginning, and there is no proof that they can be compromised. At best Salazar would be able to get a few skimmers or agents through. Even these new attacks on our outposts haven’t had that much effect on our defenses, as you can see from our response.”

  “Montauk, they be testing our defenses,” Sas said. “It’s exactly what happened at beginning of the Rebel Wars.”

  “Yes, I’m well aware of that, Junior,” General Montauk said, scrunching his brow and leaning forward with his chest raised. The name was an obvious show of contempt. The two warlocks looked like gunfighters in a duel. “I’m just wondering if you have anything worthwhile to tell us.”

  “Everything that we be telling you is worthwhile!” Sas said.

  “That still shouldn’t cause us to panic,” Commander Yeren interjected. “I will not put this entire city into a state of war preparation on a hunch. I’m also not going to inform the human governments, as you suggested. That will affect our ability to do our job. There will be mass hysteria, along with a witch-hunt that will completely change this world—and not for the better.”

  “By the time there is evidence to prove the increase in threat, it may be too late,” Yeti interjected from the subpanel. “If what they say is true—and I believe them to be reliable sources—I think it best that we at the very least form a subcommittee to prepare a plan of action should the worst be upon us.”

  “I will take that into consideration,” Commander Yeren said. “Do you have any other points that this council needs to address?”

  A tall man from the back of the room walked to the table. Allora couldn’t see his face, but he had curly brown hair and he was dressed in a black military uniform. Once he spoke, Allora knew exactly who it was. It was the same lecturing tone that she had come to respect.

  “Commander Yeren, my sources suggest that the king has activated certain key agents who could cause catastrophic damage to our defenses,” Mr. Swan said.

  “Are we really going to listen to a washed-up spy from the Triple S?” General Montauk said, leaning back in his chair. “This committee has no time for your conspiracy theories, Kurtimar.”

  “Considering this is coming from the general who got demoted because he couldn’t even win a battle, I’ll disregard your inept and asinine comments.”

  General Montauk stood up and snarled, preparing to leap over the large desk.

  “Now wait a minute, General Montauk. If there is information regarding a mole within the guardians, we have to take it seriously.” The warlock to Commander Yeren’s right sat up and leaned forward, his arms crossed. He had brown-and-gray fur and a muscular yet humble physique. His eyes were green, and he wore a black sash with an insignia of an eye on the bottom. “Kurtimar, it’s nice to see you.”

  “You too, Almas.”

  “What information can you confirm?”

  “My source is heavily embedded inside Salazar’s forces on Earth, and he has confirmed that the recent attacks were made possible by information provided by someone within our organization. My source believes that the security codes were taken out of Shangri-La by copying them onto a security orb. My source also believes that the strategy behind these attacks was to gain key information regarding our defensive grid and possibly more.”

  “And does your source have any theories on who might be the one feeding this information?” Almas asked.

  “Yes.” Mr. Swan paused. He lowered his head and took a few seconds, thinking intently. He glanced over to Sas and then lifted his head. “My source believes that it is Hades.”

  The eruption of gasps and whispers made it evident that Swan’s comment had immense history behind it. Commander Yeren slammed his gavel. He leaned over to the warlock on his left and then whispered something to Almas on his right.

  “I really don’t think that a public hearing such as this is appropriate to present such inflammatory and unfounded information,” Commander Yeren said.

  “Especially from a fool such as this,” General Montauk whispered loudly.

  “Do you have proof?” Almas asked.

  “We have not seen this kind of security breach since the execution.”

  “Who is your source?” General Montauk asked.

  “I cannot say.”

  “Of course you can’t because this whole thing is a complete fabrication.”

  “Hades is dead,” Commander Yeren said. Mr. Swan didn’t have a response. “I will not have you all turning the acropolis into your own private circus, especially since you have absolutely no evidence to prove your wild theories. Honestly, I would have expected more from senior leadership. I’m going to conclude this meeting until further evidence is presented.”

  The council left their seats and exited through the back area. The room emptied, while Allora and the others got up from their seats inside the conveyance room. They followed Captain Theus back through the portal and down into the main lobby of the acropolis, where Milly was speaking with Swan.

  “That didn’t seem to go very well,” Allora said.

  “They never do,” Milly replied, guiding her daughter and th
e others out of the room. “That’s politics for you.” She tried to put on a smile, but her slouching shoulders and lowered chin showed her disappointment.

  Swan put his hand on her shoulder. “On the contrary. Yeren and Montauk may be the most stubborn of the bunch, but there were more important individuals in that room. What we have done is planted a seed. There will be increased pressure on the commander to start the production of ships, along with training of additional troops. He knows that too, and that is why he was so quick to discredit us. The pressure on him will be immense,” Mr. Swan said as they exited the acropolis.

  It was midday, and the bustle of commerce and traffic had a futuristic feel, with transports crossing in the air above, along with skimmers, fighters, and security ships. The crowd was filled with all sorts of warlocks, rovers, gnomes, elves, dwarfs, giants, and other creatures.

  “So who is Hades?” Allora asked. “And why did everyone go quiet when his name was mentioned?”

  “Hades was a traitorous spy who passed along our secrets to Salazar’s agents within the Triple S,” a low, soft voice said from behind them. Almas stepped forward and looked down on Allora. “The communication codes and rebel security information allowed King Salazar’s elite teams to infiltrate and cripple our defensive measures, which eventually led to our collapse at the Battle of Omega.”

  “Allora, this is Almas,” Milly said. “He’s the cultural attaché to the council.”

  “I prefer ambassador,” Almas said, smirking proudly. “I’m assuming that this is your daughter?”

  Milly nodded as Allora shook his furry hand.

  “What happened to Hades?” Allora asked.

  “Well, there was circumstantial evidence that one of the guardians was responsible,” Swan said. “This individual was executed.”

  “Circumstantial?” Almas added, cocking his head back. “We found multiple transmissions to known agents within the Triple S, along with copies of communication ciphers in his apartment. It was pretty clear.”