by Geonn Cannon
“Her damned heart is going to explode!” Travis said. “Hold her down!”
More Burnt Empire men jumped on her. Cora punched, clawed, bit, and growled at them, but she couldn’t fight them all off. Jeremy moved to where she could see him.
“Sorry about that. The drugs should balance each other out in time. For now, you should take the opportunity to answer my questions. How many people went into the cave?”
“Twenty hundred!” Cora snapped.
Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Miss... Hyde, was it? We’re going after them regardless of what you tell us. We just want to know what sort of response we’ll receive.”
Cora started to tell him where he could stick his interrogation, but her mind was running as fast as her heart. She pulled feebly at her captors and then closed her eyes as if in defeat. She growled, feigning frustration.
“You have to promise you won’t hurt them.”
Jeremy said, “I could be persuaded to show mercy.”
Cora pretended to consider her options. She tried to convey the weight of a difficult decision, and settled on a look between resignation and fear. She wet her lips, still breathing hard.
“Two. There are only two of them.”
“Tell me their names.”
“Dorothy and Trafalgar.”
Travis said, “I assume Trafalgar is the African woman?”
Cora swallowed and nodded.
Jeremy looked skeptical. “Two women...? That’s all?”
“They were small enough to fit through the crack,” Cora said, “and light enough for me to act as a counterweight when lowering them down.”
“Armed?”
Cora said, “They were exploring. They took their journals, but didn’t think weapons would be necessary.”
Jeremy laughed. “Two unarmed librarians. And to think I was worried.” He nodded at Travis. “Go into the caves, find this... Dot and Trafalgar. Preserve our history by whatever means possible.”
“You said you wouldn’t hurt them!”
“I said I could be persuaded,” Jeremy said. “I was unconvinced. Get her up, restrain her. Make sure the ropes are good and tight so she can’t muscle her way out. That stimulant will run out eventually, but better safe than sorry.”
Cora kicked and writhed to get away as she was dragged back to her tree. As they wrapped ropes around her midsection, she hoped her ruse had worked. If they knew what they were actually up against, they might show precaution. But if they thought Dorothy and Trafalgar were helpless and frail women, they wouldn’t waste time with stealth. Hopefully that would be enough to warn them.
Travis and a group of other men headed off to follow their orders, while Jeremy supervised the bindings. The stimulant and tranquilizers seemed to be fighting a battle in her bloodstream. She felt lightheaded and dizzy. Her tongue felt sluggish but the words still wanted to rush out of her. She struggled to keep her eyes open and focused on the man standing in front of her.
“You have to understand,” Jeremy said, “that this isn’t malicious. You’re the villains in our eyes. You’re trying to wipe us from history. You want to erase our very existence. We’re simply fighting for our lives.”
“You’ve slaughtered countless people in the past hundred years. Those lives were not less important than your own. Your parents, your grandparents, their parents, none of them should ever have been in this forest to begin with. If you were meant to be born, then you were meant to be born hundreds of years in the future. Your life... your true life, the one you were meant to have before the anomaly was created, it must be magnificent. Don’t you want to see it?”
“I can have a magnificent life right here. I can build it with my own two hands.”
Cora sighed. She was exhausted but also couldn’t stop her eyes and fingers from twitching.
“Damn it, you fool. We’re trying to set things right.”
Jeremy said, “That’s the problem, Cora Hyde. Our idea of what’s ‘right’ are mutually exclusive. We can’t both be right. So I’m going to go ahead and bet on the one that keeps me breathing.”
“For the time being,” Cora muttered.
He laughed and gestured at the ropes. “Make sure those are nice and tight, fellas.”
Cora closed her eyes and let her chin drop onto her chest. Be safe, she thought, hopefully sending positive energy to Dorothy and Trafalgar wherever they were.
#
D’janira could “see” there would be four Burnt Empire men coming into the caves. Dorothy went through her pack and found a pistol and a machete, and Trafalgar reported having similar. They laid their weapons out so she could inventory their ammunition. She was certain they would have enough to fend off four men, but how many more were waiting on the surface? Dorothy remembered the rifles Ketcham and Rute had been carrying and found herself wishing she’d appropriated one of them. She wondered what had become of the people they left on the surface and hoped Cora was unharmed.
“I don’t suppose you’ll be lending us any assistance,” Dorothy said. “Your snakes would be a very nice asset to have in our corner.”
“They are not weapons,” D’janira said, “nor are they servants to be ordered around.”
“Of course,” Dorothy muttered. She straightened and looked toward the entrance to the cavern. “We do have the advantage of knowing where they’ll be coming from. And they have to descend the wall before they have a chance to defend themselves.”
Trafalgar said, “You’re willing to shoot them in the backs?”
“Knowing with certainty that they would kill us given the opportunity? It’s not ideal, but I’ll do whatever I have to in order to protect us.” She looked at Trafalgar. “What would you suggest?”
“An ambush. Further down the corridor, where they won’t be expecting us.”
Dorothy said, “We’d be sacrificing the upper hand.”
“In exchange for the element of surprise.”
“There’s too much potential for it to go wrong. If they spot us, we’ll be cornered with no route for escape or retreat.” She looked at D’janira. “Would you care to weigh in? This is your life we’re protecting, after all, and you can see everything that’s going to happen.”
“Telling you wouldn’t change anything. Either you will do what I tell you, or you will attempt the other strategy to prove the future can be altered.”
Dorothy growled and rolled her eyes. “This prophecy nonsense is maddening! The future can be foretold but there’s no point because we have just enough free will to make the information dangerous.” She looked at the ground and considered their options. She weighed the danger of letting the Burnt Empire get close to their goal against the ethical dilemma of shooting them as they descended the cliff.
“We can’t afford to be completely moral in this case. We have to consider what they would do in our position, and they would definitely stop us when we were most vulnerable. We’ll wait for them at the cliff and eliminate them as they descend.”
Trafalgar pressed her lips together. “I suppose it doesn’t make sense to take a vote since we’d cancel each other out.”
Dorothy said, “I’m sorry. If we had more time, I would be happy to strategize with you until we agreed. We don’t have that luxury, and the one person with the answers won’t help us cut out the middleman. We need to get into position as soon as possible.”
“Right.”
Trafalgar stooped to retrieve her weapons and Dorothy did the same. D’janira had remained motionless during the exchange.
“Stay here,” Dorothy said. “If you hear anyone but us coming back down that corridor, politely ask the snakes to squeeze them to death.”
She followed Trafalgar into the darkness, rushing to keep up with her so she could use the light of Trafalgar’s torch instead of drawing her own. Soon the light of D’janira’s chamber faded and they were once again enclosed in stone and darkness.
“I suppose it’s good to know last night’s activities didn’t change anything
.”
“I beg your pardon?” Dorothy said.
Trafalgar kept her eyes forward, the beam of her torch on the water. “You still insist upon having your own way. You call this a partnership and you follow through on that when it’s convenient to you. But when the chips are down, you ignore anyone else’s input.”
Dorothy inhaled slowly, counting to ten before she spoke. “And you believed what we shared last night would have changed that?”
“I don’t know what I expected,” Trafalgar muttered angrily. “I don’t want for anything to change, but I suppose I was hoping there might be some benefits to our newfound... to this... whatever it might be.”
Dorothy stepped forward and put a hand on Trafalgar’s shoulder. The taller woman was outlined with the torch’s light and, when she turned around, it washed golden across one side of her face.
“Last night was about us. It wasn’t about working together or being partners. It was about a woman I’ve come to know very well and respect even more. Everything we’ve been through together, the hells we’ve faced together, and we’ve never shared the most intimate and lovely moments. That is what it was. That’s what it meant. As for the other thing... there’s some truth in that, but I also hope it’s a bit unfair. I want to hear your ideas. You’re a brilliant woman and you did just fine at this sort of thing before I came along. If my actions led you to believe I don’t respect your opinion, then I sincerely apologize. It’s simply that right now, in this instance, we have very little time and I definitely believe we’re making the right choice. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to fully debate it on the trip home.”
Trafalgar stared silently at her and then closed her eyes. “Crumbs...”
Dorothy raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching as she tried to suppress her smile. “I beg your pardon? That’s my word.”
“But it’s applicable here.” She sighed and hung her head. “I believe I may be at fault. I was offended you dismissed my idea. I was certain your reasons were personal. But the only thing personal was my reaction.”
“It was a new experience for you,” Dorothy said, her voice softer. “You’re bound to have complicated feelings about it. This isn’t the ideal place to deal with emotions like that.”
“I apologize for snapping at you.”
Dorothy shrugged. “You weren’t entirely in the wrong. I have been a bit bull-headed in the past. Now that I’m aware of it, I’ll strive to do better.”
“Thank you.”
She leaned in and pressed her lips to Dorothy’s cheek and, after a moment, her mouth. Dorothy rested her hand on the lapel of Trafalgar’s tunic before sliding up to her shoulder. After a moment of enjoying the kiss, Dorothy turned her head and kissed Trafalgar’s glowing cheek.
“Something else better left until our trip home.”
“Right,” Trafalgar said quietly. “The mission.”
“Mm.”
They stepped apart and continued onward.
The sound of falling water in the antechamber was louder than Dorothy remembered. She looked back the way they’d come, feeling as if they had emerged from a wholly separate world. She almost expected to see a shimmering veil just behind her. All she saw was darkness, so she examined the cave again. It was shockingly tall, a cathedral of glistening rock and plummeting water. She could hardly believe she’d scaled this wall just a few short hours earlier. The thought of climbing up was even more unbelievable to her, and she almost dreaded the return trip.
“We should take up position here,” she said, “at the mouth of the corridor. We’ll be concealed by the shadows and we’ll have a perfect line of sight to the cave mouth.” She looked at Trafalgar. “If that’s all right with you, of course.”
“It’s a solid plan.”
“Thank you.”
They pressed their backs against opposite walls - Dorothy to the left, Trafalgar on the right. They had barely enough time to settle in before they heard splashing from above. Dorothy pressed harder against the wall, the stone cutting into her shoulder as she eyed the cave mouth. She could see people on the other side as they approached the opening.
“We’ll wait until they’re at the base of the cliff,” Dorothy said. “Our guns won’t reach much further than that anyway.”
Trafalgar nodded, the move almost hidden by the shadows she’d stepped into.
Someone crouched at the cave entrance. With the sun behind him, he was little more than a black silhouette. Dorothy watched his head swing one way, then the other, before he swung his arm in a gentle lobbing motion. A few seconds later she heard something hit the ground and begin rattling as it rolled away. She spotted the little black-green device just as it tapped against the wall and began rolling back toward the water.
“Damn it,” Dorothy said, “retreat!”
Trafalgar had time to step into the center of the corridor and push Dorothy behind her. The grenade exploded with a strangely quiet ‘pop’ which echoed through the room, and Trafalgar jerked and grunted in Dorothy’s ear.
“Are you hit?”
“Shrapnel.” Trafalgar put her hands on Dorothy’s shoulders. “Go!”
Dorothy grabbed Trafalgar’s arm to help pull her along but another explosion sent a concussive wave down the corridor, knocking them off their feet again. When she put her hand on the ground to push herself up, something heavy and thick slithered across her fingers. She had dropped her torch and the beam hit the wall at an oblique angle to allow her to see that it was a snake. She looked up and saw the dark shape of D’janira coming toward them.
“Thank goodness,” Dorothy said. “You decided to bring reinforcements after all.”
“I’m afraid not, Dorothy Boone,” D’janira said. “I knew that Captain Neville was not alone. If he simply vanished, more would come looking for him. I had to ensure that the mystery of his disappearance was not worth solving. Leaving the well exposed and creating the anomaly was not part of my plan, nor was the creation of the Burnt Empire. I had to wait until they arrived before I could act. But now I have you all here. I can protect the Pratear once and for all.”
“People will come for us,” Trafalgar said. Snakes had continued flowing over them, heavy enough to keep them from standing up.
D’janira shook her head. “I’ve seen how this unfolds. I assume whoever funded you will decide against risking a third expedition. The Pratear will remain a myth. I am deeply sorry it has to be this way, but you must imagine what this gift could do in the wrong hands.”
A snake wrapped itself around Dorothy’s neck. She grabbed at it, but another sank its fangs into her hand. She cried out and then regretted the waste of air as the serpent constricted and kept her from inhaling. She could feel them heavy and writhing on her back. She already couldn’t feel her hand, the numbness now spreading past her wrist.
“You don’t have to do this...”
“This is my duty,” D’janira said. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”
Dorothy’s arms couldn’t hold her up anymore, so she dropped. The water of the Pratear lapped against her face as she heard the sound of men shouting and opening fire from the main chamber. It seemed as if the snakes had found the Burnt Empire.
“We can protect you.” Trafalgar sounded as weak as Dorothy felt.
D’janira sounded almost kind when she said, “I wish you could understand. That is exactly what you are doing.”
The last thing Dorothy heard was a single word whispered as D’janira rested a hand on top of her head.
“Goodbye.”
Chapter Nineteen
Something sharp sank into Cora’s thigh, just above her knee, and her attempt to cry out in shock and pain was stymied by a hand over her mouth. She stared unblinking at the person who had stabbed her, startled to see Rute’s wide eyes behind a mask of mud, crushed leaves, and dried blood. Rute put a finger against her own lips and checked over both shoulders to make sure they were still alone.
“The stimulant wore off and you were unconscious a
gain,” Rute whispered. “I couldn’t wait for you to wake up on your own. Do you think you can stand?”
Cora looked down at herself and discovered the ropes tying her to the tree had been severed. She nodded and accepted the hand Rute offered her.
“They all went to the lake. They left us behind because they assumed you were drugged, and that Ketcham and I were dead.”
Ketcham was sprawled nearby. Only then did Cora notice half of his head was missing. She recoiled from his corpse and looked away. “Good lord!”
Rute grunted. “They made sure with him, but didn’t bother with me. I’m not sure if I should be offended or not, since their chauvinism saved our lives. Do you have any weapons on you?”
“No.” She looked to where she had last seen Captain Neville, but he was gone. “Did they take Felix with them?”
“Not that he’ll be much help,” Rute said. She knelt beside Ketcham and patted him down. “The man was basically a walking corpse by the time they finally revived him. He’s not long for this world, I’ll bet. Keep your voice down. They aren’t far.”
A small brown book was lying in the grass, and she stooped to pick it up. She flipped it open to a marked page and skimmed the sloppy handwriting. “Found source of Pratear. Mysterious well on stone platform in the center of a sub’tnan pool. MAGNIFICENT. I can feel its power. I know it contains what I’ve come all this way to find. If I can only get inside, my treasure surely awaits!” Those weren’t the words of the man she had come to know. Granted, their friendship had been rushed, but surely she would have recognized this grasping opportunist. Regardless, she knew without a doubt who had written these words. Jeremy must have dropped it when she was first dosed with the stimulant.
“You can read later,” Rute snapped.
“This is Captain Neville’s journal! The Burnt Empire must have taken it when they attacked his expedition. Felix is the only one among us who actually went down into that cave and managed to come back again,” Cora said. “I don’t want to run in there blindly if we don’t have to.”