by L K Hingey
“Oh,” he shrugged, “you mean that towering wall of cascading glory? The one sitting in the middle of the darkness and gloom of living underground? Psh, I see stuff like that all the time.”
Kimber waited until Caleb was mid-step and pushed him sideways. Caught off guard, he stumbled for a few steps before recomposing himself. “That’s what you get for being a smart Alec,” she told him, laughing.
He smiled back and suddenly drew close. “Actually, I don’t think any of us can get used to it. It’s the closest thing we will ever see to freedom.” Kimber was taken off guard by his honesty. Perhaps it was his way of returning the blow, knocking her off balance mentally, if not physically. She didn’t say anything and they strode a few paces deep in thought.
“Remember when we were kids and we took that field trip here to the skylights, at night?” Caleb asked her suddenly.
“Of course,” she replied without having to even think about it. “That was the first night any of us had ever seen the borealis.” He stopped walking and looked back at the wall.
“When I see the prism wall, I think about that night. The way the borealis replaced the sunlight and reflected rainbows instead of sunlight throughout the chamber.” It was Kimber’s turn to draw in close as he spoke. Caleb continued to stare at the shimmering wall. He was never this serious. “That night, the three most beautiful things I’ll probably ever see, were in the same room.”
Kimber flushed. He had never said anything like that to her before. She flushed again for acting so nonchalant about the borealis. They both knew she had seen countless skies aflame with the magnetic phenomenon. She had witnessed the heavens flirting with the horizon as the sun sank low and the colors of the magnetosphere came to life. She had seen terror and beauty on the surface in a world that had once belonged to men. Caleb would never, could never, see those things.
He spoke without looking at her, and she shyly reached for his hand. Even this small contact felt like a lightning bolt to Kimber. The warmth derailed her, and her heart went wild. He broke contact with the skylights and looked at Kimber with an equally shy smile. Kimber’s eyes were reflecting the shattered white light making it almost impossible for Caleb to look away.
There was so much that he could only ever dream about, like what lightning looks like when it rips across the sky, what treasure a sunrise holds, or what the tormented energy of a storm feels like. Here though, in Kimber’s eyes, Caleb could see everything. He felt like he was witnessing the dawn of time... or instead maybe the dawn of the Elyrian apocalypse. He felt like the beauty of the borealis could only ever pale in comparison. Both the human and the Aurora were spellbound. They felt closer than ever, and yet, deep down, Kimber couldn’t help but sense that their differences were also more magnified than ever.
Kimber was the first to look away, smiling down at her hand in his. Her cheeks were on fire. With a squeeze and a grin, Caleb let go of her hand. He reached up and momentarily touched her cheek. The gesture was so gentle and so fleeting that Kimber was hardly sure if it had even happened. The lingering warmth from his fingertips was her only proof. “You’re distracting me from mushrooms,” he chuckled, returning to his lighthearted self.
He turned and strode with long steps behind the greenhouse and into one of the drying shacks. Kimber followed him in with no particular haste. He could pick out whatever he liked while she composed herself. The walls were made of sewn pelts and a fire was ablaze in the center of the room to facilitate the drying process. The room was so dark compared to the brightness outside that it took several moments for Kimber’s eyes to adjust. When she could finally start to see shapes and colors, she spotted Caleb’s tall figure bent over a row of exotics.
She wandered over to him, looking at all the different kinds of mushrooms laid out on the tables. They were misshapen and pruney but knowing that they were one of the lifelines of the city seemed to give them an air of wisdom. Well, as wise as a mushroom can look, Kimber thought. “So, what’s on the menu?” she whispered excitedly.
“These porcini’s look perfect,” he replied. “And since I know that you’ve never met a mushroom you didn’t like, I think they’ll do just fine!”
Caleb wasn’t wrong. She really did love any kind of mushroom. “I’ve never smuggled vegetables,” she giggled. “How do we do it?”
He mocked offense. “You make it sound like I’m a regular. And mushrooms aren’t vegetables. Annnnd you are the one with the to-go sack!” He exaggerated a wink at her as he put a small handful of mushrooms into her leather pouch.
“Caleb!” she exclaimed.
Before she could do anything, he turned on his heel towards the exit. “Act normal, you fungi thief!” he joked, his eyes twinkling like always, as he disappeared behind the pelt door.
Back outside, Kimber felt like she had been blinded. She could not have even acted suspicious if she had tried, she was so focused on shielding her eyes from the intensity of the light. “Yeah, it’s a bit hard to adjust,” she heard Caleb say and felt him grab her free hand.
He walked nice and slow, giving her plenty of room to stumble along beside him. It did not take long for the photosensitivity to wear off and when it did, she realized they were going in the wrong direction. She stopped and started to pull him the other way.
“Since I’m apparently the designated criminal, you have to follow me,” she said shrewdly. Caleb looked puzzled but followed. She was taking them to the outer edge of the agriculture cavern, and all that was out there was the zoo.
The far side of the cavern was walled with a maze of shallow catacombs. This is where the city raised its exotic animals. Dozens of habitats had been created back here in an effort to preserve the diversity of life as much as possible. Reptiles and amphibians were the most common residents in the habitats because they “would prove hardiest in the damp and dark conditions.” Fires were kept lit throughout the entire day-sleep cycle to keep the animals warm. Twice a day, the man in charge of the zoo, Mr. Wayne, would personally swap out hot lavarocks for the animals.
Bearded dragons, iguanas, Komodo dragons, chameleons, salamanders, frogs, toads, newts, scorpions, turtles, and of course, snakes, colonized the habitats. Snakes of many different species laid around on their heated rocks, hissing in both camouflaged and colorful glory. Some were harmless, some were constrictors, and some were venomous. Kimber loved coming here to watch the animals, always gravitating towards the venomous snakes.
The Bureau had ensured that multiple pairs of African Bush Vipers had been brought into Inanna in case the DNA was needed in the future. The citizens had a hunch that this was the root purpose for all the reptiles, but it did not do any good to speculate about it. It was not like they could simply mosey on up to the surface and swap a Komodo dragon for a red panda to help even the score. Besides, the reptiles ate far less than mammals, required less care, and needed less space. Elephants, tigers, giraffes, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, kangaroos, penguins, bears, wolves, bison, cow, deer, and hundreds of other large warm-blooded species were remembered only in stories now.
Not to say that an effort had not been made at all to preserve a few of the mammal species. There was a section of rodents which included mice, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and squirrels. There was also a section of medium-sized mammals, where raccoons, pigs, cats, dogs, armadillos, and foxes were housed. The people of Inanna would have loved to have had animals like pandas, koalas, capybaras, sloths, and monkeys, but there was simply no way to sustain to the dietary needs of such creatures.
The zoo was also home to rows of fish tanks, insect tanks, and bird enclosures. The birds always interested Kimber. It seemed so sad to have them locked down here, flightless. The hope was that one day, the songbirds, or the doves, or the owls, or the bats, or the scavengers, or the predatory birds, might get a chance to spread their wings again and fly. Kimber had always seen similarities between the birds and the humans; some were songbirds, and some were predators, but they were all trapped together in a c
ave waiting on a miracle.
Today, Kimber was not here to visit the cute raccoons, the poisonous frogs, or her beloved bush vipers. She had brought Caleb back here simply to prevent him from having to walk out of the mouth of the agricultural cavern. The Auroras were natural cavers, and over the years, they had explored and shared with each other many off-route passageways. The Auroras understood how interconnected the cave’s tunnel system actually was and had been taking advantage of it for years.
The zoo served as a visual barrier, the cavern continuing behind it, divided from the main chamber space only by a few layers of the catacomb’s spidery legs. Kimber wove her way to the back stack of the catacomb system and dropped to her hands and knees. She climbed through one of the larger gaps in the rocks to the space behind and got up again. The ceiling was no longer dozens of feet high, but there was enough room for even Caleb to stand up straight.
Although he said nothing, Kimber sensed an immediate increase in the rate of Caleb’s heartbeat. Since humans did not have the same heightened senses as the Auroreans, they were not nearly as comfortable in blackout conditions. Kimber did not necessarily enjoy the dark either, but when she tuned into it, she could sense certain changes in the air. And when she really focused, it was like lighting up the world in the sixth sense.
A fraction of light spilled in through the holes in the catacomb as Kimber dug around in her new bag. She felt around for her flashlight and the few extra batteries that she had thrown in the sack earlier. Batteries were not easy to come by, but occasionally, they could be found stored in cool and dry places on the surface. The Auroras, although confident in the tunnel systems, always tried to carry light on them.
Caleb heard the familiar metal clinking of batteries going into a flashlight and Kimber felt the immediate slowing of his pulse. What the brain made the body do was so weird, she thought silently, relieved that Caleb couldn’t read her as easily as she could read him. She turned the flashlight on and gave it to him. “You’re in charge of this. If you lose it, you’ll owe me a brand new one, hot off the press. With batteries included!”
He smiled at her, knowing she was trying to make him more comfortable by having the light. He did not argue. “You know, humans are only slightly terrified of the dark, right? Like 20%... max.” Caleb shone flashlight around the dark passageway as he spoke.
Kimber lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, just 20%?” she asked cheekily.
“Yup!” He broke out laughing. “The other 80% of terror is fear of spiders. Specifically, giant spiders that magically spawn in the dark.”
Kimber couldn’t help but laugh at his discomfort. “We will link up with some of the established passageways soon. We are heading down.”
Caleb did a silly little bow, ushering her forward like a butler. “Ladies first.”
Kimber moved gracefully as she turned down the dark passageway, her bare feet making no sound. All they could hear were each other’s breathing and the echoing sound of hundreds of droplets of purified water depositing calcium onto awaiting stalagmites. Caleb moved quietly too, his leather moccasins stealing deftly across the cool stone.
The passageway grew and shrank in size as they wound onwards and down, making many cuts left and right. Hard to think this had all been carved out of the limestone by ancient rivers, Caleb thought in awe as they traveled deeper. They started to cross over wet areas with more and more frequency until finally, Kimber stopped at a fork in the path.
“We’re at the link up! There is a tiny bit of crawling at the end. I’ll go first.”
Kimber ignored the larger dark passage that continued descending, instead turning into a much smaller asymmetric opening to the right. The passageway got narrower as they walked, and the floor seemed to slope diagonally. It quickly got too small for them to stand and Kimber dropped to her knees. They had crawled for about ten feet when she called back to Caleb.
“I can see lamplight, and the coast is clear.” Suddenly, her bright body disappeared from the beam of the flashlight. Had she not warned him, it might have induced a small panic.
They had reached the end of the tiny passageway and to Caleb’s surprise, the exit hole was nearly at the ceiling of the connecting corridor. He poked his head out and looked down to where Kimber was waiting.
“Thanks for the heads up. I would have started prepping to come save you from some imaginary eight-legged monster.” A thin ledge provided an easy enough ramp down and Caleb was by her side in a matter of seconds. He passed the flashlight back and looked around.
Caleb was grateful for the lamplight but clearly did not recognize where they were. Kimber saw him evaluating the corridor and answered his unspoken question. “We are on the far side of the Eastern pool rooms.”
“For real? How long were we traveling for? That couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes!” Caleb asked amazed.
Kimber smiled. “That’s why I like short cuts.”
It had been quite the shortcut too. To use the known pathways, it would have taken them through the Rotunda and considerably farther peripherally, before connecting to a downward bound path. They would have then had to backtrack quite a way, not to mention keep going east once they had regained the lost directional ground. Kimber still had a little more traveling planned for them, but she knew it would be worth it.
“Well, I am impressed. As long as you don’t take the flashlight and the food and leave me here,” Caleb mused.
“Aw, good point,” Kimber said dramatically. “I could have taken the bunny, so I had company after I left you here. Opportunity missed. Guess I’ll just stick around for a while.” Kimber liked being silly with him. During training and surface duty, everything was always so serious, especially lately. She needed this. She needed to laugh for a change.
“Well, I am happy you’ll be sticking around for our picnic. And as a special thanks, I have something to add to the menu.” Caleb pulled a pouch from his pocket. Wrapped in it were several chunks of jerky. “Just don’t tell your furry friends.”
Kimber’s stomach started to growl. She was hungrier than she had thought, and the jerky looked amazing. She beamed at him. He wrapped the smoked meat back up and placed it in her bag. “Let’s go find a spot,” Kimber said.
Chapter V
“Close your eyes,” Kimber instructed Caleb. “What do you hear?” Caleb knew they were standing near the eastern pools of the cavern, an outer boundary of the winding system of semi-underwater caves. All Inannians had been down here to soak in the beauty, if not the frigid temperature, of the water. The citizens did not frequent the eastern pools though, and Kimber wanted Caleb to bathe in its beauty in more senses than just sight.
The western pools, on the other side of the caverns, were more popular than the eastern pools. Not simply because they were closer, but because they were bigger and deeper. They also offered higher ceilings and wider ledges for lounging on the rocks. The western pools were so large in fact, that all of the youth of Inanna could fit in and around the water’s edge. There was something magical about the eastern pools though, and Kimber had a surprise for Caleb.
Caleb closed his eyes and quieted his breathing. “I hear the drips of a hundred stalactites. Or maybe just the echoing of a dozen of them. I hear the flow of water and something that sounds... like wind?”
Kimber smiled, and Caleb opened his eyes. He had heard what she had wanted him to. The wind that he heard was not wind at all. That was their destination.
“Up for a quick jog?” Kimber asked him.
“I should have known a date with you would involve running,” Caleb replied slyly.
“A date?!” Kimber pretended to be offended. “Now I am definitely not going to take it easy on you!” And with that, she took off in a dash.
The people of Inanna were careful about keeping the passageways lit, and it was no different even in the more remote extremities of the caves. Bowls of kerosene were staged regularly, illuminating the amazing rock formations as the pair jogged past. The rock co
nfigurations around the active streams were the most stunning formations of all. Sure, there were breathtaking formations throughout Inanna; the Frozen Niagara, the Drapery room, the Giant’s coffin, the Bottomless Pit, the Karnak Temple, and the Crystal Lake Cavern were some of the most glorious examples, but their grandeur was somewhat spread out. The formations that made up the pool rooms were smaller, sharper, and more concentrated.
The trail that wove around the water’s edge was flat and smooth enough to allow Kimber and Caleb to move at a fast clip. Up and down the path rolled, sometimes crossing over the stream’s tributaries, sometimes passing under archways, and sometimes going into small tunnels. Caleb was in awe at the marvelous limestone that surrounded them. They even managed to see a few albino cave-crickets. The crickets had not loved the invasion of people into their space and had long since migrated away from the more frequently used zones of the cave systems.
Caleb was smiling as he watched Kimber run ahead of him. It was what she was born to do. The muscles in her strong legs were well defined, carrying her with ease across the worn-down rock. She was silent as she ran, striking the ground primarily on the balls of her feet, occasionally breaking the stillness with laughter. What she was laughing about Caleb had no idea, but it was pure and it was infectious. He found himself grinning ear to ear as they jogged on. He did not know anyone else who could find such joy in exertion.
They had been arcing around the edge of the pools and as they ran, the tunnel began to narrow, and the ceiling started to close in. Caleb had never been so far down this path and wondered just how far it went. The kerosene bowls were lit, so he knew it was still one of the established passageways. He figured the path must loop all the way around the pools and connect back to the mouth of the pool cavern. Finally, Kimber started to slow, calling out, “Here we are!”
The main path continued to hook around to the left, but there was a sliver of pathway that led to the right. Had it not been pointed out to Caleb, the opening would have remained invisible in the picture that the shadows painted. When his breath calmed, he could hear that they had arrived at the source of the sound that he had heard at the mouth of the pools. Kimber disappeared into the sliver. It was not actually a passageway at all, but instead was a very steep staircase.
