The City of Sand

by Tianxia Bachang

  “I remember,” I said. “And didn’t they call it a holy mountain, with the bodies of two sages buried beneath? But you can’t think that’s these two? This is a shabby little room.” I was about to add that I knew about all kinds of ancient tombs, and placing one in a cave beneath a mountain was absolutely against all the principles of feng shui. Mountains contained too much bad energy to be suitable for burials. At the last minute, though, I managed to swallow my words, not wanting to give her any more information that might make her suspect me of tomb robbing.

  “No, I don’t think that,” said Julie. “Though the kid was probably the disciple or son of a sage—and he could probably tell the future. Which means the older guy was his servant.”

  “How do you know that?” I blurted out. “Is that what it says in those stone carvings? What else do they tell you?”

  Julie pointed at the lid. “Look, these images are an ancient prophecy. It’s all very simply laid out, and the symbolism is clear. I reckon you can read it for yourself.”

  “What prophecy?” I persisted. “Does it by any chance mention a secret tunnel out of this place?”

  Julie shook her head. “No, and I don’t even know if this is accurate. According to the seer, it says that after this child died, no one would ever come into this burial room, until one day, when four people unintentionally open the stone box.”

  “One, two, three, four, five,” Kai counted. “There’s five of us.” He laughed. “Or do you think Professor Chen doesn’t count because he’s lost his mind? Forget about that prophecy. It’s obviously wrong. For all we know, this whole thing is a giant hoax. You can predict anything you like if it’s not due to come true until years after you die.”

  I stared at the rest of the group, an unsettling thought coming into my mind. “What if this isn’t a hoax?” I said softly. “If we believe in the prophecy, then it could mean we’re not the group of people it’s talking about. But there is one other possibility. It could also mean that one of us isn’t human.”

  “Not human?” Kai looked puzzled. “What do you mean, not human? What would we be if we weren’t human?”

  “Exactly!” I hastily replied. “We’ve been together on this expedition for almost a month now, living side by side from morning till night. I think we’d know if someone wasn’t human. So what if this little kid could tell the future? He lived in a time of darkness and ignorance. Why trust anything he predicted?”

  That was all quickly improvised nonsense. I tried to keep an open mind, and knew we couldn’t possibly say whether this child’s prophecy was about us or not, or whether it was actually true. If I was right, and one of our group was something other than human, it was crucial to throw them off the scent and not let slip that I was on to them.

  I turned to Julie. “Maybe you misunderstood,” I suggested. “Or could it be that there were once five figures in the picture, but the carving got eroded over time, and one of them got rubbed away?”

  Julie gestured for me to take a closer look. “The entire lid is well-preserved, with no signs of deterioration. There are clearly four people. Look—these symbols represent people—a circle with four limbs and a torso attached, just like our stick figures. Aren’t there four of them?”

  I looked carefully, and it was just as Julie said. Then she took me through the previous images, each of which was very simply drawn, so even I could see at a glance what was what. In the first one, a small child was pointing up at the sky, while many other people—probably peasants—were running and hiding from something.

  The second and third pictures showed a strong wind, represented by a dragon, knocking over buildings and causing devastation. Fortunately, the people who’d gone into hiding managed to survive this calamity. They gathered around the small child, worshiping him—his prophecy was what had saved them.

  In the fourth image, the child stood between two grown-ups while an old man knelt before them. These figures were as simply drawn as the others, and the only reason I knew the kneeling man was old was the straggly beard on his chin.

  The two adults were larger than normal, and rendered with much more care than the regular folk. Very likely, these were the sages mentioned in the ancient legends. The old man kneeling on the ground was clearly their servant—probably the old man whose corpse was in the room with us.

  Julie was right. The owner of this stone box was a child—a child with the ability to see the future. I quickly looked over the rest of the images, and all of them spoke of the mystical abilities of this kid.

  By the final picture, I was a bit in awe of the boy myself. This image—of an old man and a child sitting by this box, with four other people standing around—was drawn so crudely that it was impossible to tell if those who stood were old or young, male or female. One of them was reaching out a hand to open the stone lid.

  There was no more to the story. What secrets were contained within this stone box? Most importantly, the box showed no sign of ever having been opened; the leather straps that sealed it shut bore no signs of disturbance.

  I looked again at my companions. Julie was holding up the professor, while Little Ye had fainted away again. Her chest was rising and falling at a worrying speed, but we couldn’t do anything for her. Kai was on the ground, staring helplessly at her and shaking his head.

  There were definitely five people here. So if the prophecy related to us, why did it only show four? Trying to act normal, I ran through all the possibilities in my mind. None made any sense.

  So maybe the mistake lay in the ancient prophecy. Hoping to find out more, I asked Julie when exactly these sages had lived on earth.

  “According to the Tang Records of the Western Regions, these men were around in the sixteenth century BC, which would be a good thousand years before the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions came into being.”

  That was much longer ago than I’d expected. How could we take this seriously? Besides, there were no other prophecies on the lid—every other picture was a record of things that had already happened. Maybe it was just a case of the artist getting confused and drawing one person less in this panel. Then again, even the most powerful seers get things wrong from time to time. I figured we should give the kid a break and not expect him to have known for sure whether four or five of us would break into his grave several millennia after his death.

  “What about the words, though?” I asked Julie. “Ignore the pictures and just check the writing. Does it mention what will happen after the box is opened? Any warnings of the danger we’ll face?”

  Julie shook her head. “No mention. But look, it seems like a no-brainer to me. We’re stuck in a room the size of a closet. There’s no way out that we can see, and for all we know, the air will run out soon. Why not open the box and see what happens? The seer foretold that we’d make it this far. Maybe he’ll also have thought of a way to get us out.”

  Kai was already in a state of bubbling anxiety. Before I could reply, he jumped to his feet and pushed the two of us aside. “You guys could debate this all day long,” he said, “but what’s the point? This kid barely comes up to my waist. I don’t think he’d be able to prophesy what’s for lunch. As for this stone thing—it’s just a crappy little box, not even a lock on it. Anyway, we can mess up the prediction. Doesn’t the picture show one person reaching out to open this lid? So two of us will do it. Come on, Tianyi, put out your arm. If we push together, the prophecy’s not valid.”

  At almost the same instant, Little Ye suddenly started convulsing violently. Then her legs shot straight out, and she stiffened, no longer moving.

  We rushed over to her. We tried her pulse—no sign of life. After her bout of dehydration, followed by the frantic journey here, and everything else she’d been through, it looked like her body had finally given up the struggle. It had already been touch and go whether she’d make it this far.

  The three of us looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Julie cradled the dead woman’s small body, weeping sof
tly. I let out a long sigh and was about to say something comforting, when a movement caught my eye. Turning, I saw Professor Chen, that terrifying smile still pasted across his face, pulling himself upright with a series of jerky movements. He started weaving crazily around the room. Before we could stop him, he rushed straight at the box, reached out one hand, and shoved open the lid.

  This all happened in the space of a few seconds, and we could only gape. The prophecy had been fulfilled. With Little Ye dead, there were indeed only four people here, and one of us had opened the box. It was a shame this kid hadn’t left behind more forecasts. The box was more accurate than anything I’d seen before, even after so many thousand years.

  Worried about what the delirious professor might do next, Julie grabbed hold of his sleeve and pulled him back to the ground. She settled him down till he was calm again. The two of them had been very close, so seeing him like this was painful for Julie. Her nose twitched, and she burst into tears all over again.

  I knew Julie was a strong-minded person, an image that was important to her—she’d never shown any weakness. For her to cry twice in front of Kai and me must mean the pressure had finally gotten to her. I couldn’t think of anything to say. It seemed best to leave her in peace for a while.

  Followed by Kai, I walked over to the open box. At least now we’d get to see what was inside. The lid swung open in two halves, revealing two tiny stone doors that were sealed with leather straps like the ones that had been on the outside. These inner doors had three pictures carved on them. Examining them closely, I broke into a cold sweat and stared wordlessly.

  Kai glanced at the images too but didn’t seem to understand. “What’s this? Tianyi, you’re not scared of a bit of stone, are you?”

  I took a deep breath, willing myself to remain calm. “It’s another prophecy,” I whispered.

  “What is it?” he asked urgently. “Does it show us how to get out of this place?”

  I shook my head and tried to keep my voice level. “The picture says that of the four people present when the second set of doors is opened, one is an evil spirit.”

  This is what the three pictures showed: first, there were four figures standing in front of the open box; three of them had no distinguishing features, just like the stick figures in the earlier carvings. But the fourth had an enormous single eye growing out of its skull, and the circle representing its head had snake fangs. It was clearly meant to represent the Jingjue guardian spirit, just like we’d seen on the fourth floor of the black tower. All of a sudden, I was pretty sure this spirit would not be a benevolent one.

  The second and third pictures were stacked on top of each other, seeming to show alternative outcomes. In one version, the three human beings and the large-eyed demon opened the inner box together, at which moment the demon attacked, gnawing out the entrails of its three companions.

  The final image was of the evil spirit lying prone on the ground, its head separated from its body. The other three opened the second layer of doors, and a path appeared in the chamber, leading them out to the open air.

  If the kid hadn’t already proved he could foretell the future with terrifying accuracy, I’d have scoffed and dismissed the whole thing. But he had told us what to expect one time now, and it had come true. I didn’t think he’d be wrong.

  One of us was not human. Which one?

  I ruled myself out, thinking I’d know if I were an evil spirit. I considered the others in turn. Kai was standing by my side, and his eyes—the windows to the soul—looked the same as always to me. Always casually indifferent, always full of confidence: I’m Number One! Go, me! That was my Kai. So if I eliminated him as well, then it must be one of the remaining two.

  I sneaked a peek behind me. Julie was still by the professor, but she was looking directly at me. I didn’t dare meet her eyes, so pretended I’d been checking on something else.

  “Tianyi, what’s inside the box?” Julie called out.

  “Nothing,” I answered her. “It’s empty.”

  She nodded and didn’t ask any more questions. The professor was drinking from her water bottle. His mind was completely gone now; it was certain he’d forgotten everything he’d ever known. With a swipe, he knocked the bottle to the ground, then stamped his feet and laughed like a child. That was the only water we had left. Julie quickly grabbed it and held it upright, but more than half its contents had spilled out.

  “What should we do?” Kai whispered in my ear. “To be safe, we could, um, eliminate both of them.”

  I smacked him. “Don’t talk like that. You don’t want to regret anything later.”

  “Whatever.” Kai shrugged. “But I’m me and you’re you. I’m sure of that. I reckon it’s Julie. I’ve never liked her….”

  “Let’s think this through before we say anything to them,” I insisted. “You know how good that Miss Yang is at arguing.”

  “Fine,” grumbled Kai. “Power comes from the barrel of a gun, and oh, look, I happen to have one here in my hands. You think she can argue her way out of this? Let’s just ask her a few questions, and if she can’t convince us she’s human, well, it’s not like we haven’t dealt with demons before.” He made a little chopping gesture, as if his hand were an ax.

  Julie was no fool. Hearing us murmuring urgently, she knew something was up. She walked over. “Hey, what’s going on? At a time like this, we don’t need secrets between us.”

  Kai and I jumped to our feet, and he yelled, “Halt! Don’t take one step farther!”

  Julie froze. “Have you two lost your minds?”

  Pulling out my black donkey hoof, I smiled at Julie in a way I hoped was more friendly than threatening. “Don’t ask why, but I need you to bite on this, and then the professor too. Just do as I say and you’ll be fine. Nothing bad will happen to you.”

  “Not you too?” snapped Julie. “I know that thing is used to drive away demons. You don’t need to use that on me. Get it out of my face.”

  The fact that she was refusing made me suspicious. I gave Kai a look, and without another word he wrestled Julie to the ground, pulled off his belt, and quickly bound her hands. She was furious, her cheeks flushed. Between clenched teeth, she growled, “Tianyi, you’d better not be planning to kill me just because I realized you’re a reverse dipper. The two of you, let me go at once!”

  Meanwhile, Professor Chen was watching from the sidelines, laughing joyfully while saliva dribbled from his mouth. It made me sad to look at him—such a fine scholar, reduced to a drooling idiot. It would be impossible to prove he was human. We’d deal with that after I’d sorted Julie out.

  “Tell me, are you the Jingjue queen or what?” I asked her sternly.

  “What on earth are you talking about? You’re insane.”

  “You look exactly like her,” I went on coldly. “Her carbon copy, or her successor. How else could you have told us what we’d find in the ghost-hole? Besides, you’re American, and yet you know our secret language. How do you explain that?”

  Right from the start, Kai hadn’t gotten along with Julie; now his chance had arrived. He pulled out his knife and stuck it into the ground. “Tianyi, let me deal with her. If she knows about reverse dipping, then we don’t need to ask any more. Of course a demon would have that kind of knowledge. No point questioning her. Let’s just slice her open and let the evil spirit out.”

  Julie was putting on a brave face, but I could see that her eyes were filled with tears. She wasn’t looking at the knife, though, but straight into my eyes. My heart softened, and I reminded myself that she’d saved my life not too many days ago. I’d told her I owed her my existence. So how could I bear to hurt her now?

  “Hang on.” I grabbed Kai’s arm. “We should tell her our suspicions first, before we go any further. If she refuses to cooperate after we’ve explained, then we can carry on.”

  “I know she’s a pretty girl,” said Kai, “but you can’t let that affect your judgment. Demons use all kinds of tricks. The way she lo
oks is just one of them.”

  Julie actually wasn’t too pretty at the moment—her face was bright red, and she looked like she was about to pass out from rage. Unable to hold back any longer, she started sobbing. “I can’t tell you how I knew what we’d find down in the pit. I dreamed it, that’s all. And your lip lingo—I speak that secret language because my grandfather was in your line of work before he left China. He taught it to me. I thought I’d have a chance to tell you all this when we were safely out of here. That’s all I have to say to you. Now go ahead and kill me if you still want to. I guess I’m not as good a judge of character as I thought. You seemed like good guys to me.”

  “Nice words,” snorted Kai. “Okay, you seem all innocent. That’s all very believable. But I’m not sure I buy it. Your call, Tianyi. What next?”

  I put the donkey hoof by Julie’s mouth. “Take a bite, just one little nibble, and I’ll let you go immediately.”

  “Kill me!” she screamed. “You might as well. I’ll never forgive you for this! And when I’m a ghost, I’ll come after you for sure.”

  There was nothing I could do—the donkey hoof was the only proof we had. I took the knife from Kai, all the while hearing a voice in my heart telling me I couldn’t do this. Not even if she really was an evil spirit. But if I didn’t kill the demon among us, then all of us would die in this room. I still couldn’t make my hand move.

  Just as this storm of confusion was swirling through my mind, Professor Chen stood up, gurgling with laughter. He danced his crazy dance, tottering toward us. Afraid he’d reach out to open the second set of stone doors, I grabbed hold of him.

  “Such pretty flowers,” he said, giggling. “All red and green. I found it. I found it. Ha ha…”

  There was something familiar about his crazy talk of flowers. But what? Was it something I’d seen? I didn’t think so….No, it wasn’t something I’d seen, it was something I’d heard. The British archaeologist who survived had also lost his mind…A jumble of thoughts came together in my head. I had to focus—focus and sort out the threads until they were untangled.