Chapter 14
Javin could sense Sauros near, though he had no feeling. Their surroundings weren’t dark, but they weren’t light either. It was a grey nothingness they swam in. Along with sensing Sauros near, he could also sense what Sauros was feeling. He sensed no fear, which impressed Javin no end. He felt fear. There was a continual sensation of falling, or weightlessness, not one that was a rapid, like ‘I’m falling off a cliff’ type sensation. It was more of a ‘gently floating down to their destination’ feeling.
Javin had a hunch as to what their destination was . . . he hoped. If the portal was in fact what he thought it was, then it ‘should’ tie them back to the portal he'd seen in the temple. Now all he had to do was to figure a way to take them from this void to the point he wanted to be.
When he'd first seen the portal in the throne room, it had drawn to him in the same way the other had in the temple. He knew instinctively that they were tied together, and that somehow, stepping through one would, if done properly, allow them to step out of the other. The thing was, he hadn't had any time to think about how it was done. Instead, to prevent Sauros, and especially him, from being on the sharp end of one of the knives that were being waved in their direction, he'd done the only thing he could think of. With the crystal burning in his breast, and his thoughts focused on the throne room portal, he had lunged forward and knocked Sauros and himself through. If he couldn't find a way out, he knew that Tranthra' Joh would have his wish, and the portal would become a death machine.
Sauros' presence was still a strong fire burning somewhere just off to his left. He would have reached out to make physical contact, but he couldn't even feel his own hand. It was as if they were both disembodied intelligences, and only the essence of who they were was being transported through this void to wherever it was that they were trying to get.
Javin focused his thoughts on the portal in the temple chamber. He visualized it just the way he remembered, and visualized the portal shimmering in the same way he saw the one in the throne room of the city do just before they went through.
There was a burning in the vicinity where his breast would have been, if he could really feel his breast then the void started to change. It grew darker, and felt more solid. The sense of movement increased and suddenly Javin found himself sprawling through the portal onto the dusty floor of the temple. Right after came Sauros, sprawling beside him. Their bonds had disappeared!
Javin stood slowly, shaking himself, and allowing his eyes to adjust to the dimly lit chamber. There still was that unknown source of light that couldn't be picked out. It was just there. Javin turned to find Sauros getting to his feet, looking around.
"Welcome . . . home, I guess," Javin said. "It's as much a home to me as anyplace on your world."
"The temple?" Sauros asked.
"Yep. Pretty smooth to get us here. I wish I could tell you I knew for sure how to work those things," Javin said pointing to the now lifeless portal, "but I'd be lying. It was pretty much desperate luck we ended up here. At least it beat the alternative."
"I agree," Sauros said. "Though if we could use it once to travel from the throne room, perhaps we can use it to get back when we're ready to rescue the princess."
"That'd be a good idea," Javin said, "but like I said, I'm not sure I can do it again. I think I know how to make them work, but can't guarantee it. Then again, I'm not sure that just us jumping back into the lion's den would really help the princess right now."
"Lion's?"
Javin grinned at the floating images in his memory again. "Large predator. Ate people like me for dinner." He wanted to say that it reminded him of Sauros but didn't think that'd go over well from the way he'd just described it.
"Oh," Sauros replied. "I see. It’s just hard to think of the princess being held by Tranthra’ Joh and me not being help."
"I think she's safe for now. Tranthra' Joh doesn't have you for leverage any more."
"That's true, but that won't last long. He's resourceful enough to find another way. What I'm worried about is that his next idea won't involve the need for keeping Mouhra’ Lah alive and healthy."
"You've got a point," Javin said. "Look. I can get us outside of this place, I think. If I get us back out into the jungle, do you think you can get your bearings enough to find your city? With a little help from your army, perhaps we'd have some leverage of our own."
"Now that's a good idea. And if nothing else, we can come back here and use the portal to get back inside the city?"
"I'll buy that," Javin said. "But I really want to be sure I can use these things before I risk sending a whole lot of your people through."
"Yes," Sauros said. "One thing at a time. But what does it have to do with buying anything?"
Javin tilted his head. "Buying? Oh yea. Just a figure of speech. Sorry. I was just agreeing with you."
"If I had my doubts about you being from a different country, they are gone now." Sauros started to walk around the chamber.
"Nice place huh?" Javin said. "It's a little different than I remember. Look at the pedestals placed around. I could swear that they were in a different arrangement when I was here last."
"Javin, come look." Sauros had wandered over to another side of the chamber.
Javin quickly strode over. Sauros was standing over a small pedestal rising about as high as his hip. On it sat a spherical crystal, the same type as the one sitting right above Javin's heart. The subtle glow it gave off made the grey veins seem alive, wriggling, but when scrutinized, they weren't really moving at all.
"Now this is interesting." Javin reached for it.
"Don't!" Sauros said.
Javin looked at Sauros. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes intent on the crystal.
"Let me guess," Javin said. "You've never seen it before, but somehow you know it's yours?"
Sauros looked at Javin. "How did you know?"
"The same thing happened to me . . . twice in fact."
"What?" Sauros had a hard time not keeping his eyes off the crystal.
"It's a long story. Look. I think I know what you need to do with it, but I'm not sure I recommend it. I have one myself. I'm not sure where it came from, or whether it's safe or not." Javin recalled the flashback he'd had in the throne room where a stranger had come to him as a child and given the crystal to him in the first place. My lucky marble! That’s what I called it. Javin tried to focus his memory along that tenuous thread. Nothing else came.
He shook his head and looked at Sauros continuing to stare at the crystal, his hands hovering near as if afraid to touch it, though not wanting anyone else to touch it either.
"This is all really a confused mess. I don't know anything about it. Maybe we should just leave it alone and leave. The sooner we get out into the jungle the sooner we can start to find your city and get help for the princess."
Sauros nodded absently, but made no move to leave. Javin took a few steps away, looking at Sauros the whole time. He never moved, never even noticed what Javin had said.
"Okay. You sure about this?"
Sauros looked up. "What?"
"You sure that's your crystal?"
"I . . . I'm sure, but I've never seen it before."
Then a sudden thought struck Javin. He remembered the picture in the book shown to him by Siri' Bhu just after the princess's party had found him. The picture showed a human that looked very much like him. Another picture showed a chameleon man just like the one who'd saved him in the jungle. And another picture had shown a lion-man . . . like Sauros' Bho!
"If you take that, you'll be admitting you're a Mulda’ fi."
"I'll be doing what?"
Javin smiled. That got his attention.
"Let me tell you a little story. You've heard most of it, but not all." Javin sat on a nearby block and told Sauros again of his first meeting with the princess and Siri' Bhu. This time
he told him everything, including them finding the crystal, where it was now, and how they'd dubbed him a Mulda’ fi because of it.
Sauros was quiet for a time. It looked to Javin like he was having a hard time believing any of it, but then Sauros's eyes went back to the crystal. After another moment he looked at Javin again.
"I just can't leave it. Tell me what I need to do."
Javin pushed off the block and moved closer to the pedestal. "Take the crystal in your palm like this." Javin cupped his hand in front of his breast. "Then slowly move it closer to your skin until it touches. Be prepared for something you're not going to believe. It will merge with you. After that, what it'll do, and how it'll affect you -- or help you -- which I hope it's supposed to do, is anybody’s guess. Heaven knows, I haven't been able to figure anything out about mine. Though I can't say as I'd particularly part with it, now that I think about it." Javin was surprised at the sudden possessive feeling then shrugged it off.
"Like I said, I don’t know how it might affect you, or whether it's good. You might want to think about this first."
"I have," Sauros said. He reached down his hand and cupped the crystal like Javin had shown. With the other hand he smoothed the pelt of his chest, while inspecting the crystal. He looked at Javin then brought the crystal towards his breast. It began a subtle glowing that grew more intense the closer it got to his skin. Javin squinted against the glare then suddenly there was brilliant flash! When Javin could see again, Sauros was standing still, his eyes closed, scrunched as if he were in pain. The cavity of his chest was illuminated by the crystal within. There was no mark where it had entered.
It wasn't long. Seconds really, Sauros blinked his eyes and shook his head. He looked down at the fading glow of his chest then looked at Javin. The strange look in Sauros's eyes made Javin wonder, as if he were studying Javin like he'd never seen him before.
"What?"
Sauros continued to stare then realized what he was doing.
"Sorry." His voice was different.
"You saw something."
"Yes." Sauros' voice was quiet.
"Feel like talking about it?"
"Sometime." He looked at Javin again. "Not now."
"Okay." Javin didn't know what else to say. He could only imagine what had happened, especially when he remembered what had happened to him. Only this time, Javin had a sense that whatever Sauros saw must have involved him. Maybe he was just overreacting. The visions, or whatever they were, had a powerful effect on him too.
"Can you move okay?"
Sauros paused, taking deep breaths.
"I feel . . . great, actually. Better than I've felt in a long time." He hesitated a moment then turned right to Javin. "Do you know how to control this?"
"Nope. Remember what I told you earlier? I don't have a clue. It just helps sometimes. I haven't figured out any rhyme or reason."
"I understand," Sauros said. He was silent a moment, his eyes distant. "I . . . I can feel her. I know she's okay." Relief loosened the tight lines of his face. "Do you think she feels me too?"
"Sorry." Javin shrugged. He allowed a slight smile to creep to his lips. "If you figure it out, be sure and tell me." His smile grew. "Us Mulda’ fi have to stick together."
Sauros started at the title.
"Remember what I told you. Having the crystal seemed to dub me one. Now you're in it too. Besides, I saw you in the book."
Sauros fell silent again, finally nodding his head, though not necessarily in acceptance. Humoring me, I guess, Javin thought. Then Sauros spoke again.
"Javin, Why are you here?”"
"Excuse me?" Javin asked.
"I can understand why I would want to help. I have Mouhra' Lah. Why are you here?"
"What do you mean?" Javin laughed. "Don't you remember? I pushed us through the portal. That's why we're both here."
"No. Now that you're free, there's no reason why you need to continue. You can pursue your own search. That must be important to you."
Javin looked at Sauros closely. He could see something else in his eyes. Something beyond the question he'd asked. Maybe it had something to do with what Sauros had seen in his vision. Come to think about it, Javin hadn't really given it any thought. Why should I continue? He was silent for a long time before he spoke again.
"Because I made a promise." The crystal warmed in his breast. "And no matter what I was before I came here, I know the type of person I want to be now."
He looked around the chamber. "And honestly, I think that whatever is going on with your world, being in the thick of it is probably the only way for me to find out why I'm here. There seems to be a purpose in it, and running away, won't find it for me." Javin turned his gaze back at Sauros. "You're part of it too. Take it from personal experience. It doesn't seem to matter whether you want it or not. It chooses you."
Sauros gave a brief nod, but there was a gleam in his eye. Something akin to approval . . .
"Then we must be about it," Sauros said. "Shall we?" He gestured to the entryway of the chamber. "I believe you are the person who needs to navigate the maze. I've never seen it before."
"All I need to do is remember backwards." Javin clapped Sauros on the shoulder as they moved to the hall. "It's something I've had a great deal of practice at lately. But I've got to warn you, I haven't had a bit of success."
"Is that supposed to reassure me?"
"Of course."
They stepped into the dim corridor and the chamber's glow slowly started to fade behind them. The portal in the middle of the room flashed bright once in the center, sending shadows dancing across the chamber walls, reflecting off the large blocks strewn about the floor, then it too, went dark.