Terra Incognita Book one: The Abyss
Chapter Eighteen
The man-made shaft had once been a mining route. There were tracks on the ground from moving materials and sconces every couple of feet that held burned out torches. The small group found themselves traveling by the light of Miles’ green-tinted lantern again. Taking point, as he usually did, Miles trekked through the drab darkness, keeping his distance from the other two. The glow of the light illuminated abandoned tools on the ground, which seemed to have been left in a hurry. They passed an empty mine cart that had an unusual residue covering the inside.
“What do you think they were mining?” Ben asked, looking around. The quizzical look on his face had replaced the angry one he was wearing before, but his emotions were still there. The three of them hadn’t said a word since the fight, so the sudden intrusion on the silence was unexpected.
“I don’t know,” Miles replied, not even bothering to inspect.
The dismissive attitude wasn’t surprising, but Ben’s curiosity deemed the question necessary. They walked for a while longer, until the cave began to get more cramped. After a few feet, they were forced to get down on their hands and knees and crawl under the low ceiling. The dust of the mining operation was collecting on their clothing in large smudges.
“Anyone else getting tired of cramped dark spaces?” Ben asked.
“I think we missed the turn,” Miles said.
“There weren’t any places to turn,” Ben came back.
“It must have been hidden, because the king wasn’t covered in this soot,” Miles said.
“Should we turn back?” Ben asked.
“No, we will keep moving forward. I can feel a breeze so this has to lead us somewhere,” Miles replied, pushing forward through the blackness of the mine. After a few hundred feet, the tracks ended and the tunnel opened up into a massive chamber with a tall ceiling and a floor that was so far down, it couldn’t be seen. Standing on the ledge, looking down into the abyss, Ben felt the need to grab onto something, as a steady rhythmic pattern of air flowed against his face and then away from it. The atrocious smell was enough to make them all gag. Ben turned, looking for an exit, and found a small opening on the other end of the ledge.
“This way!” he said, directing them all away from the stench. The crack in the side of the wall was just wide enough for them to squeeze through. After a few feet, the tiny opening of sharp craggy edges began to lead upward, forcing them to climb. There, a few hundred feet above, was the warm light of the sun pouring down on them. They pushed themselves to climb the last few feet, eager to get away from the cramped space that could have made anyone feel claustrophobic.
Ben, the first to escape, was blinded by his sudden immersion in the sunlight. He blinked until shapes and forms started to come back to him, but even then he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Staring down the hill, he directed their attention toward the amazing sight so that they could all take in its glory. Before them, like a reward for their journey, was an amazing pyramid of solid crystal. The semi-translucent structure stood on the crest of a hill, making it taller than a twenty-story building. The three of them stood there in awe, as the sunlight reflected off its smooth surface in a prismatic effect. A vast network of streets passed over large canals, all leading to the square in front of them. The pyramid was at the base of the massive mountain, which dwarfed its reflective peak.
“Guys…” said Donovan, trying to get their attention. After he repeated himself, Ben finally turned around and saw what he was getting upset about. Behind them was the Lemurian army, clashing with the Atlanteans in a fierce ground war that brought them closer to the pyramid by the minute. Fires caught and buildings crumbled as men fought and killed to the pounding rhythm of war drums. The tide of warriors rose and fell, as one side and then the other tried to advance. The beautiful white marble streets were spattered with blood, which ran into the gutters like muddy rainwater during a storm.
“We should get down to the pyramid before the things get worse,” Miles said.
They took off down the hill toward the small valley that held their destination. The earth had been carved into dirt steps, allowing them to keep a quick pace without much worry of injury. At the bottom of the hill was a walled off garden full of statues and other sculptures, surrounded by beautiful vegetation. Hiding amongst the large stone figures, they watched as civilians did what they could to evacuate the city before the battle came to their doorstep.
“We need to stay low and use the chaos to get ourselves into the temple. From there, Ben will find his… item and I will find mine and then we can all split ways,” Miles said, receiving a nod of agreement from Donovan.
“Okay, well, let’s get this over with then,” Ben said.
Rushing over to the wall that separated them from the city street, they clung close, using it for cover as they moved to the opening. Miles stopped them short and signaled for them all to remain quiet. Panic grabbed his face, alerting the others to his concern. There, on the other side, was the unthinkable.
“It’s Azothothus, and that witch from Lemuria, the one who sent us here. That cup she’s carrying, that’s the one I was telling you about!” Miles said.
Ben’s heart sank at this information, knowing that he had come all this way for nothing. Donovan shrank against the wall, keeping his mouth shut. On the other side of the stone wall, standing in the plaza with a giant statue of the god Poseidon, was pure evil itself. Azothothus was a man who could inspire fear in people that had never met him, and here they were, hidden just a few feet away. He was draped in a ceremonial robe that covered his entire body. Symbols had been weaved into the edges of the fabric. It was a beautiful garment of red and gold, except where the man’s skin touched it. These areas were charred black and looked coarse. His hand dripped a black, tarlike substance that sizzled when it hit the ground, leaving a permanent mark upon its surface.
“The assault is going as planned. The Atlanteans will fall, and Tiamat will help us eradicate those Lemurians at the same time,” the dark wizard said.
“And then Atlantis will be mine?” Salinia asked, holding the chalice.
“Yes. Do you have everything you need for the ritual?” he asked, with impatience on his tongue.
“Yes, it took some preparation, but I’ve got it all. Now all we have to do is storm the temple and find the chamber,” Salinia said. Fear quaked in her voice as she fought to stay strong in front of the oppressive form of her master.
“Then I will leave you too it,” he said, turning to walk away.
“Wait…” she said, but her words were ignored.
The three companions saw a flash of light and Azothothus was gone. They ducked down behind the wall again, seeking its cover. Ben could feel his heart beating in the tips of his fingers. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins, causing the lightheaded sensation that came with the rush.
“You heard the man, let’s go,” Salinia said with obvious contempt. A group of Lemurian soldiers followed her as they stormed into the pyramid temple and met little resistance. The few men who offered up a challenge were dispersed within seconds, leaving blood running down the stairs to pool at the bottom. Within a few minutes they had disappeared through the large, heavy double doors.
“We are going to have to follow them in. You need her cup, and I need the herb that grows in their temple,” Miles said.
“What do you think, Donovan?” Ben asked, trying to pull him into the conversation.
“Don’t call me that. As a matter of a fact, don’t talk to me at all,” he retorted.
Frozen by the unexpected coldness, Ben couldn’t find a response.
“It’s clear that if we are going to go, it should be now,” Miles said, standing up, readying himself to run. As usual, the other two followed his example and got up as well. Miles took off toward the large temple, hitting the stairs with all the speed he could find. Before they knew it, they had passed the doors of solid rock and found themselves in the antecham
ber. Staring down on them was another statue of Poseidon surrounded by three horses, all of which were connected by a flowing body of water. His triton was aimed at them like it was ready to strike. The walls were painted with different scenes that depicted the creation and rise of Atlantis.
Pushing on, they entered into a massive chamber that was exposed to the sun by the crystal ceiling. It focused the light in a way that made it impossible to look up for longer than a few seconds. The sweltering heat that hung in the air made it hard for them to breathe. It was almost unbearable to be in the room for more than a few minutes.
“Oh my God,” Ben said, forced to cover his eyes.
“It’s fine, we just need to keep moving forward,” Miles said, placing his hand on Ben’s shoulder, directing him forward.
The entire room was bathed in the intensified midday radiance , causing the objects to take on a distorted appearance. They shielded their eyes as they groped their way to the back of the room, where a staircase led down into the darkness below the temple.
“Diostist told me about this room,” Miles said. “She told me that in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its highest point, this chamber isn’t enterable. It can kill anything within seconds.” He sought refuge from the light in the stairwell as he spoke. They stood there trying to recoup for a moment as the cool air that was coming up from the chamber below comforted their irritated skin. Ben could feel a strong sunburn coming on already.
“Let’s keep moving,” Ben said, taking the lead for once. The path went down for hundreds of feet. The walls changed from the smooth carved stone of the temple to the rough, craggy surface of a cave. Moisture clung to everything, beading up and dripping onto the floor beneath their feet. The only light came from the torches that threatened to extinguish if hit with too much water. After a while, a blue wavering tint from farther below became noticeable in the darkness. It offered more illumination than the small torch fires burning in their sconces. As they descended, they came to a clear crystal window that looked out into the ocean depths. They could see the island’s underbelly above the schools of swimming fish that darted in and out of the salt-water ecosystem of coral reef and rocks.
“Wow,” Ben said, stalling on the stairs to watch as different forms of marine life skated by, drifting through the water. “It’s like the aquariums back home.”
“What’s an aquarium?” Miles asked with his face so close that it was almost pressed up against the crystal.
“It’s a place where they kept fish and other ocean life for people to come and see,” Ben said.
“Weird,” Miles replied. They stood there for a few more moments, taking in the vast beauty of the serene scene, before finally taking the final steps toward what lay in the dark depths below.