by Aratare, X.
Casillus immediately soothed him, stroking his hands down Gabriel’s arms instead of gripping them. Forgive me. I should have realized that you were under some kind of unction not to speak. A Caller’s duty is a solitary and heavy one. It is just that anything Cthulhu says has many meanings and many layers. Any meeting with it is fraught with both wonder and horror. It knows much, and anything it shares is precious to the Mers.
This time it wasn’t precious for sure, Casillus. Trust me on that. But it’s not by choice that I’m not telling you all about it anyways. I’m going to speak to C—to IT about restricting me in this way. I won’t allow it!
Casillus’ blue-green eyes grew larger and the Mer shook his head. Do not challenge it on my account. I should have understood your need for silence.
You’re scared of it. I guess I can understand that. It is scary, but it’s in my head all the time. I have to set some boundaries with it, Gabriel explained. He was as connected to Cthulhu as he was to Casillus.
While I am mostly respectful of it, I am a little frightened of it as well. Perhaps a lot frightened, Casillus admitted with a lopsided smile. That smile faded. Cthulhu has its own agenda. A Caller does not control it, just summons it.
I know, Gabriel said. Though I do wonder why it needs me to call it at all. If it wishes to come to land and confront Johnson, why doesn’t it?
I do not know, Gabriel. Perhaps it is a stricture that it has put upon itself, Casillus said.
At that moment Corey, who had been standing beside them patiently while they talked telepathically, cleared his throat and said, “Is everything okay?”
Gabriel reached out and squeezed Corey’s pudgy shoulder to assure his best friend that all was well. “Yeah, it’s fine.” But then he narrowed his eyes at the other young man. “Though we weren’t exactly expecting company.” Gabriel tilted his head towards the house where the three Miskatonic students had disappeared. “And it sounds like you told them quite a bit.”
Corey immediately lowered his head, shamefaced. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I mean—that’s not right.” Corey straightened up as he explained, “I made a decision without you and I hope it was the right one.”
Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. Though it was clear that the three students had already known something about Mers, Cthulhu and Callers he still was not happy that Corey had brought them here without asking first. Knowing something and actually seeing proof of its existence were two separate things. The existence of Mers needed to stay a secret from humanity. The more people who knew, the more danger the Mers would be in. Members of the military and scientists would be eager to get their hands on Casillus or Gabriel or any of their kind. Secrecy was the greatest shield the Mer had, and here Corey had brought three more people into it.
“I was snooping around the settlement and found them,” Corey said, his hands gripping the sides of his very bright yellow T-shirt. “Roger and Greta were trying to stop Henry from going back into the temple.”
“That doesn’t seem very hard considering how ill he is,” Gabriel said, remembering how Henry had to be practically carried inside his grandmother’s cottage.
“It’s weird, but there are times when he’s so weak he can hardly walk, like you just saw, but then others when he’s fast as a rabbit and strong as an ox,” Corey said.
It is part of the change he is undergoing, Casillus responded. It gives those exposed to Cthulhu great strength and speed if what they are doing is Cthulhu’s will while burning through their life force at an incredible rate.
Oh wonderful, so Henry could do other crazy things?
Yes, Casillus said grimly. He could if Cthulhu wills it.
Corey continued, “From what Henry was saying to Roger and Greta, I guessed that they already knew about Cthulhu, the temple, the Mers and even you, Gabe. I was just going to listen to them, eavesdrop, you know, but then Henry broke away from them and took off towards the temple.”
“Why did he want to get back into the temple?” But Gabriel had a feeling he already knew even as he asked. There was only one thing inside of it: the statue of Cthulhu. Even though the statue had harmed Henry it was clear that he couldn’t stay away from it.
“He was running for the statue inside the temple,” Corey confirmed. He sounded almost breathless, as if the memory of Henry running was causing his lungs to seize. “Greta was screaming that if he touched it he would die. Henry was totally outpacing them, though. I was closer to him than they were. He was going to get to the statue unless I stopped him. So I dashed out and tackled him. I had to hold him down with everything I had. He might be a little guy, but he was strong. Eventually he wore himself out.”
Corey is very brave. He is to be commended. He saved Henry’s life, Casillus said.
“Casillus wants you to know that you did a good thing, Corey,” Gabriel said.
His red-bearded best friend immediately brightened, and he shifted from foot to foot like an excited little kid. “Well, I did what I thought was right.”
“Stopping Henry from harming himself even more was definitely right,” Gabriel agreed.
Corey then grimaced. “Yeah, but it led to the cat being out of the bag. After I saved Henry, I sort of had to explain what I was doing there. I lied, but they seemed to know the truth anyways. And Greta has this look she gives you. I knew that they would want to help, so I told them about our plan to take the statue out of Johnson’s reach. And I’m glad I did for at least one big reason.”
“What reason?” Gabriel asked.
“While Johnson isn’t supposed to be at the temple tonight, his goons are,” Corey said.
Goons? Casillus tilted his head in surprise.
“What goons, Corey?” Gabriel didn’t like the sound of that.
“Johnson convinced Miskatonic to hire some of his old military buddies to guard the site at night,” Corey explained. “They have guns.”
“Guns?! Are you kidding me?” Suddenly, their plan to sneak into the settlement that night, snatch the statue from the temple and hustle it out to sea was sounding as likely to succeed as Gabriel blasting off to the moon from where he was standing.
“No, it’s God’s honest truth. But Greta has an idea for how we can get in, though. There’s a tunnel connecting the settlement to some caves nearby,” Corey finished.
Gabriel had a momentary panicky feeling in his chest as he remembered the cave he had nearly drowned in. Although it had been dark and claustrophobic, that cave and his experience in it had led to him meeting Casillus and discovering what he truly was.
“I’m curious to hear more of this plan. Let’s head in and talk about it,” Gabriel said.
“Also, beer,” Corey said gravely and rubbed his stomach.
“And beer,” Gabriel laughed.
2
LEFT BEHIND
The sun was still well above the horizon when Gabriel re-emerged from the cottage, following after a tottering yet determined Henry. Greta and Roger were still inside talking to Corey and Casillus. Henry though was determined to leave even though there was still an hour before the sun set and their plan could be put into action. Evidently, he thought if he was in the SUV that the others would follow after him more quickly.
As Gabriel stood on the front porch watching, Henry had managed to walk on his own to the SUV and get the door open, but he could not lift himself up into the cab. Gabriel saw him try three times before hustling over to assist the other young man. Henry might not welcome his help, but it was clear he needed it.
“Let me help you,” Gabriel said, fully expecting Henry to snap at him as he did at Greta and Roger.
Henry stilled when Gabriel touched him, but, after a moment, he finally relaxed. Yet then it was Gabriel’s turn to feel discomfort touching Henry. Henry’s body felt too hot, burning under his hands, yet at the same time strangely clammy. He also seemed far too light for his size, as if his bones were filled with air. Henry’s eyes met his for a moment and then he gave a half smile
that once more showed the blood that was continually seeping out of his gums and running down his teeth.
“I don’t regret what’s happening to me, Gabriel. I’ve seen wonders that few humans have ever seen,” Henry said, apparently reading Gabriel’s dismay at his ill health. “I just wish I wasn’t dying quite so quickly so that I could see more of them.”
Gabriel could not imagine what Cthulhu had shown Henry that was worth dying for, especially not like this. He didn’t think they could possibly be good things, and yet, Henry wished to see more of them.
“You shouldn’t want to die at all, Henry,” Gabriel said firmly.
“Oh, but there are things worth dying for. Things that elevate and debase the soul at the same time,” Henry murmured.
“That’s the statue talking,” Gabriel responded. “If you weren’t ill from it you wouldn’t say these things.”
“I wouldn’t go as far as that.” Henry swallowed and asked, “You’re really all right with this plan, Gabriel? Taking the statue from the temple and hiding it away? You’re a Caller. You should worship Cthulhu. You should want all to see its likeness.”
“I don’t worship it.”
Henry half-turned towards him and his eyes shone with a zealot’s light. “But you should. It is magnificent. It is from someplace that only the most blessed of us have seen in our darkest dreams. And what it wants to do to us, to each and every one of us--”
“It wants to bring only madness and death, Henry,” Gabriel cut him off. He gripped one of Henry’s clammy hands in his, resisting the urge to throw it from him as if it were unclean. “You should go away from here. Far from the sea. Far from any body of water. Maybe that will extend the time you have --”
“I would rather die more quickly than leave the sea,” Henry interrupted him this time. He leaned towards Gabriel then, his breath smelled of dead fish. “How could you stay away from it for so long, Gabriel? How could you resist what’s in your blood?”
Gabriel swallowed and slowly drew back, dropping Henry’s hand as he did so. He knew his face reflected his mixture of horror and shock. “What draws you to the water is what repels me.”
“So your opinion about what is good and bad should rule? You should take the statue from its hallowed halls?”
“It will be safer for everyone, human, Mer and -- and it, if the statue is removed from the temple and hidden in the sea,” Gabriel answered sharply.
“You really think Johnson could do anything to Cthulhu? Johnson’s a fool, but you’re an even greater one if you believe he could succeed in harming it.” Henry laughed until he was coughing so hard Gabriel feared his ribs would break for it.
Gabriel patted his back even as he felt deep revulsion for Henry. “You should rest. You’re tired.”
Henry leaned back and leaned his head against the seat as if he didn’t have the strength to hold it up any longer. “You should leave the statue where it is. Let Johnson have his showdown and die.”
“Johnson might not be the only one who dies, Henry. The plan is sound. It will work,” Gabriel said firmly and wondered who he was trying to convince.
As if to confirm that Gabriel was speaking more to himself than to Henry, the ill young man’s eyelids had already slid shut and his labored breathing had smoothed out as if in sleep. Gabriel clicked the seat belt around Henry’s slender, burning form and shut the door securely.
The plan will work.
The plan was simple in theory. It had taken many beers and several plates of nachos out on the back deck of the cottage to work out the details, but they’d gotten it down now. For the most part, the plan had come together smoothly, but the one sticking point had been Gabriel himself.
You cannot go to the settlement, Gabriel. You cannot be anywhere near the statue, Casillus had said with the sun’s rays streaming all around him. You promised Aemrys that you would not go to the temple again and now I am saying that you must stay away, too.
“I know what I said, Casillus, but that was before I knew about the guns. I have to go with you!” Gabriel cried. “I’m not going to just stay here while you all walk into danger.”
“Technically, Casillus will be swimming into danger at least part of the way,” Corey responded as he licked salsa off of his fingers.
“Right, well, swim or walk or fly, it’s all the same. It’s dangerous. I can’t just stay here twiddling my thumbs!” Gabriel’s back was rigid. He turned a pleading gaze towards Casillus.
The Mer prince returned that stare with one full of even more power and composure. When the statue is removed from the temple you will be in even greater danger than when it is within it. The temple directs the statue’s power and influence to those within its confines. Once the statue is out in the open it will seek something or someone to latch onto. As a Caller, you will be its natural target.
Gabriel couldn’t ignore the unease at the thought of the statue latching onto him. He repressed a shudder as he paraphrased Casillus’ words for Corey and the Miskatonic students and then said, “I won’t touch the damn thing and I certainly won’t call Cth—it!”
You might not have a choice. Casillus touched Gabriel’s chin and turned his head towards Henry as if the ill Miskatonic student was Exhibit A. Look at him. Do you think anyone would choose his fate? No, the statue compelled him and now it is destroying him. The statue could compel you to call Cthulhu.
“But you might need me!” Gabriel cried. That was his last ditch argument, but it sounded pathetic even to his own ears. After all, what would they need him for? He couldn’t even help them lift the damn statue. He would just get in the way.
Remember Aemrys’ warning, Gabriel. He foresaw great danger if you went back to the settlement. Would you ignore his words? Casillus challenged.
Gabriel’s head lowered in defeat. “I—I guess not.”
“So Gabe’s not going with us?” Corey asked, guessing the telepathic conversation between Gabriel and the Mer.
“No, I’m not,” Gabriel replied sullenly.
Henry let out a thin laugh. “The two people with the most connection to the statue are barred from being anywhere near it!”
Unlike the others, Henry hadn’t been eating or drinking. Instead he was lying down with his head resting on a pillow the entire time. He looked like death.
“Will you be all right on your own tonight, Henry?” Greta asked quietly. They planned to take Henry home before heading over to the settlement.
“I have to be since you won’t let me go with you,” he replied acidly.
“But you’ll be alone. Is there anyone we could call to come be with you? Maybe Marya could stop by,” Greta pointed out and rubbed her hands together.
“No! Absolutely not! I don’t want Marya or anyone else irritating me,” Henry hissed, lifting his head up off the pillow before sinking back down again.
“What about staying here? Staying with me?” Gabriel asked even though he really didn’t want to spent time with Henry.
“No, I really have no interest in being here for their victorious return,” Henry said, his face screwing up into a bitter expression for a moment. “I can’t bear hearing how they removed the statue from its sacred temple. Tomorrow will be soon enough for me to learn of their exploits.”
“Hopefully, those exploits don’t involve anyone getting shot,” Gabriel retorted angrily, shocked at Henry’s tone.
“They’re not going to shoot us,” Greta insisted as she balanced a cold Corona on one knee while lifting a nacho dripping with cheese to her mouth. “The guns are there to scare people off, not actually kill anyone.”
“You can’t assume that!” Gabriel exclaimed as he thought back on the zealous light in Johnson’s eyes. “Once the goons see you with the statue, they’re going to try and stop you.”
“With any luck they won’t see the statue,” Roger responded. “Because of the pot, remember?”
The pot was crucial to the plan. First, Roger and Greta would openly return to the settlement. The studen
ts would claim to the goons that they needed to work late, which wasn’t unusual. That was how both of them had seen Johnson spending hours inside the temple by himself after the sun went down. As part of this supposed work, they would grab one of the large intact pots that had been discovered buried beside the temple and carry it into the temple’s interior.
“But have you ever been allowed in the temple after dark without Johnson? Especially carrying something inside, let alone taking something out?” Gabriel argued.
Greta nodded. “I have gone in and out of the temple at night with pots loads of times to compare writing on them to the inscription. The guards have never questioned me.”
“And if they do, they’ll get an earful. You should see Greta when she gets hot with someone,” Roger said with pride. “I’ve seen grown men nearly cry. Basically she can bluff our way in if she has to.”
“Seriously, Gabriel, we’ll be fine. These goons are military types, not archaeologists. They won’t have any basis to be suspicious,” Greta responded patiently.
The next part of the plan was to hide the statue inside of the pot. Greta and Roger would then take the pot out of the temple as if they were done with their comparison and place it with the other pots in a tent that had been set up behind the temple. And that was when Casillus and Corey came in.
Corey and Casillus would get into the settlement via a tunnel that ran between the nearby caves and the site. The tunnel ended just behind the tent where the pots were kept. Corey would be waiting for Roger and Greta in the tent, while Casillus remained in the tunnel itself. Then Corey would carry the pot on his own into the tunnel. Greta and Roger had discovered the tunnel and thoroughly explored it the previous week.
“And Johnson doesn’t know about this tunnel?” Gabriel had challenged, his arms crossed, when they had first mentioned the tunnel.