Mike took a moment to examine the walls; as well as the artworks and images of people and cityscapes, there were also some familiar pictoglyphs, whose purpose he guessed was to tell a story.
Jane pointed. “That looks like the cave kingdom we arrived at.”
“It does indeed,” Mike agreed.
Ally looked over the food. “Hey, all this for us?”
“Maybe not just for us; we have company.” Mike nodded to the end of the long stone table in the center of the room.
A woman sat silently watching them. She was mature but not old, and at least the oldest person they had seen down here. It was hard to judge, but Jane estimated she was anywhere from thirty to fifty. Around her neck were magnificent stones of red, green and blue, with a giant raw stone of gleaming white at the center. Around her forehead was a band studded with what looked like teeth.
She smiled and motioned to the food, and then waved them closer.
“I really hope this isn’t another group fattening us up for tonight’s feast,” Ally said.
“Right now, I’m nothing but gristle and bone.” Jane looked over the food. There were plates and bowls of fruit, some cut, and most in bunches. Some of the fruit almost looked recognizable but were odd-shaped or the texture or odor was different. A fruit smelling like a strawberry hung in bunches like long beans. And a melon when broken open had a pungent, earthy aroma and was filled with gelatine-like balls that smelled of cane sugar.
There were also plates of steaming meats, and Jane took some and sniffed at it.
“Smells like crab,” she said.
“You don’t think it’s those lobster people, do you?” Mike raised his eyebrows.
She took a bite. “Delicious. And I damn well hope so.”
“Inglut.” The old woman pointed at them.
“Anyone speak tomato people?” Ally asked.
The old woman pointed at her chest. “Ulmina.” She tapped her chest again.
Jane pointed at her “You name is Ulmina?” then pointed at her own chest. “Jane.” She pointed at Mike. “Mike.” And then Ally. “Ally.”
The old woman nodded and smiled to each. “Jane. Mike. Ally.”
Ulmina then pointed a finger at the ground, and then waved an arm around. “Grunda. Omada, Ulmina.” She opened her arms wide. “Ulla Grunda.”
“This place is called Grunda?” Mike asked.
“Grunda.” Ulmina pointed at the ground and nodded again. She pointed at the three people and then hiked her shoulders. “Jane, Mike, Ally, Omada?”
“Where are we from?” Jane smiled. She pointed at the ceiling. “The Earth’s surface.”
Ulmina frowned, not getting it. Jane sighed and turned to Mike. “I have no idea how to explain it.”
Mike looked around. “Um.” He mimicked writing. Ulmina shrugged again. He then mimicked drawing on the table. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. “Come on, woman. I know you’ve got language and writing.”
“Maybe it’s all carved,” Jane said.
“Then, when in Rome.” Ally pulled out one of her blades and handed it to Mike. “Do as the Romans do.”
Mike cleared a space on the table. With a clear space and the knife poised, he paused to look up at Jane. “Hope this isn’t their best table.” He began to carve out his picture. Ulmina stood and came closer to watch.
Jane noticed that the small woman barely came to her chest. It was hard to judge her age as her eyes looked old and there were lines at the corner of her mouth, but her hair was still raven-wing black with just a strand or two of grey at the temples. She was still well-muscled and physically in good shape.
Mike drew several rings all inside each other. Jane got it immediately and she hoped the old woman would too. He finished by drawing a line between the outer and inner rings, and then he began.
“The core; Grunda – Ulmina.” He tapped the center pellet that represented the solid core that had cooled and was now their world. Around it he had drawn the still-molten core which was a ring now as the center pulled away from it. Then came the vast thickness, which was the mantle.
Mike finished it with several slim rings, representing the crust, and then the surface. Mike tapped the surface, and the pointed to each of them. “That is our home; our Grunda,” he said.
He then made his fingers walk to the line leading down to the core and mimed them sliding all the way down. “And we traveled down this pipe to reach you, here.” He tapped the inner core.
“Here,” Ulmina repeated and tapped where the pipe ended at the core. Her eyes widened and she looked a little fearful for a moment.
“I think she knows about the gravity wells,” Jane said.
“Wait a minute.” Jane reached into a pocket and pulled out just one of the gold coins she had found in the cave city. “We came to this place.” She handed over the coin.
Ulmina took it and her eyes widened momentarily. She turned the coin over, looking from the regal-looking human head, to the creature on the back. She squeezed her eyes shut, gripped the coin in her fist and held it tight to her chest.
The small, red woman opened her eyes that now glistened in the blue light. “Grunda Asanta lun.”
“Means something to her,” Ally said. “Maybe that’s where they came from: Asante lun. Maybe these are the descendents of that city that fled to the land.”
Ulmina pointed to the coin, the image of the great beast, and then to the wall. The group followed where she indicated and saw there was a mural there that had a similar depiction of the hulking colossus.
The carved image showed the monstrous creature towering over the sea and land, a head of coiling tentacles, and massive arms crushing the land and beasts, and feeding it all into its cavernous maw.
And there was a city, teeming with the shelled people. “Y’ha-nthleispat.” Then she pointed up at the monster and her face hardened even more. “Dagon.”
Jane slowly turned to Mike. “What Alistair said.”
He nodded. “The ancient dreamer from the deep: Dagon.”
The heavy door of their room was pushed open and a bandaged Harris, Nadia, and Katya entered, escorted by a group of the small, red warriors. Ulmina spoke to them and they departed. One returned a few minutes later with a handful of things that looked like quills and some parchment.
Jane turned to Mike. “Guess who just vandalized the chief’s table for no reason.”
“Oops.” Mike chuckled softly. “Damn out-of-towners.”
The small warriors used one of the quills to expertly copy Mike’s drawing. Jane also noticed that Katya was now covered in some sort of ointment. Amazingly, even after just a few minutes, the crusted sores looked a little less angry.
Harris pointed at the food. “Don’t start without us, will you.” He grinned.
“How are you, boss?” Ally asked.
“Nothing a few shots of bourbon won’t cure.” He rolled his shoulders, and then grimaced. “Okay, maybe a full bottle.”
Nadia also nodded. “They packed the wounds with some sort of herb. I hope it will be okay.”
A few moments later a group returned with their clothing they had removed and also some of their gear. Harris saw that the pulser had several arrow holes in the case and he quickly flipped the lid open to check on it. Pieces fell out and to the floor.
The soldier sighed. “Well, that’s that.” He roughly flipped the device closed. “Maybe the eggheads can put it back together.” He turned to the small, red woman. “And who have we got here?”
“This is Ulmina. We think she is their leader,” Jane said. “We were just working out some form of communication.”
Harris turned to her and bowed his head momentarily. “Thank you.” He touched his chest. “For saving our asses, and for patching us up.”
“We need to go home,” Mike said. He reached forward to the newly drawn diagram. He pointed at himself and the others, “Need to go to our Grunda.” He motioned traveling up the pipe to the outer circle representing the surface world.
Ulmina moved to another of the room’s walls and pointed. There were images of small figures floating up into darkness. There were also images of pale things that were crouched on all fours in the dark.
Jane joined her. She nodded and pointed to the floating figures. “Yes, we need to do this. We need to float.”
Ulmina shook her head and tapped the wall where the crouching white things were. She shook her head and made a guttural sound in her throat. But then she placed her hands together as if praying and bowed to them.
“Do they worship them?” Jane asked.
“Maybe, or maybe they think they’re cousins or ancestors, as they all descended from the same source,” Mike replied. “Bottom line, we need to get past them.”
Mike went and tapped the cave creature’s image, and then went back to his diagram and indicated where the things lived on his drawing. Then he tapped his own chest, pointed at the other humans and motioned to the circle above the cave creatures that were above it. “That’s where we are from. Our Grunda.” He waited.
She seemed to think on it for a while, her expression troubled. After another moment she sighed and then shrugged. She held her arms wide and motioned with her fingers, making them walk. She then held her arms even wider.
“Yes, a long way,” Jane agreed.
Jane went to the wall and pointed at one of the rod crystals. Then she went back to the table and pointed at the food. She mimed putting them in her pack. “We need supplies for long way.”
Ulmina looked at each of their faces, and her eyebrows slid in sadness. She looked to the cave beasts again that perhaps were her people’s ancestors and motioned her teeth snapping together.
But then she pointed at herself and made a sleeping motion by tilting her head and shutting her eyes. She then clasped her hands together as if in prayer again, pointed at her chest, and then up.
Ulmina noticed that they were still confused and moved to one of the walls with artwork. It showed the tiny red people, but these ones had white hair. All had halos of light around them and were flying upward. Ulmina tugged at her hair where there were just a few grey strands showing. She mimed it covering all of her head.
“They’re all old? Just for the old people? What does that mean? Is she inferring it is their heaven? That they ascend there, perhaps when they die?” Mike asked.
She pointed at Jane and Mike and then shook her head.
“I know, but we have to.” Jane shrugged. “We have no choice.”
Ulmina turned and called out. A warrior quickly entered the room and she spoke rapidly to him in their burbling language. He bowed and retreated.
“What now?” Mike asked.
In a few moments he was back and handed her a small box. She called them all closer and carefully opened the lid. Inside was something that looked like a bulbous beetle as long as Jane’s thumb with open ribbing on its back. Ulmina reached a finger in to prod it and it immediately made a high-pitched screaming noise that hurt their ears.
“Jesus, lady.” Ally covered her ears.
Ulmina snapped the box shut and the noise was cut off immediately. She put the box on the table, put her hands over her ears and nodded.
“Yes, we get it, very painful,” Jane said and nodded along with the woman.
She then went to the wall image and pointed to the pale creatures in the dark cave. She placed her hand over her ears and then made a fluttering motion with her hands as though something was running away.
Mike snorted. “Of course, it hurts their sensitive ears even more.” He turned. “Things that are nocturnal or troglodytic, ah, cave-dwelling, and never see any light at all, navigate by senses other than sight, smell and hearing. A blast of this, to something with ultra-sensitive hearing, will be agony. It should send them running.”
Mike and Jane looked at more of the images while Harris and Ally spoke together and checked their remaining weapons. Nadia picked at the food.
Mike turned to see the small red woman speak softly to Katya. She placed a hand on her forehead, and then gently touched some of the cancers. She pulled the fringe of her hair back and showed Katya a similar sore. It seemed, even after all the time the people had been down here, there was no escaping the radiation’s poison.
But then again, Mike thought, people on the surface were still getting sun cancer, so maybe down here like up there, it was all a matter of time and exposure.
As Mike watched, Ulmina reached into a small woven bag she had at her waist and produced a small container. She opened it and dipped a finger inside, producing a nail-sized blob of some ointment. She then lifted it to Katya’s face and began to gently rub it on Katya’s cancers.
When Ulmina had finished, she pointed at Katya’s chest. “Katya.”
Katya smiled and nodded. “Yes. And you are Ulmina.”
Ulmina nodded, pleased. And then held up her hand. “Droma.” She then splayed her tiny, red fingers. “Indrema.”
Katya did the same. “Hand.” She splayed her fingers. “Fingers.”
Ulmina made some markings on a page of parchment. “Droma.” She then made some more notations next to it. “Hand.” She obviously wrote her own language for the word ‘hand’ and then passed the quill to Katya, and nodded to the page. “Hand.”
Katya took the quill and looked at it for a moment.
“I think she wants you to write your word for ‘hand’ next to hers,” Jane said.
Katya turned. “Russian or English?”
“Well, there are one and half billion English speakers in the world, against one hundred and seventy million Russian speakers, so, please, do English,” Mike urged.
Katya nodded and wrote the word ‘hand’ next to Ulmina’s scratchings.
Ulmina repeated the process for their word for fingers.
“She wants a teacher, and also to teach,” Jane asked. “She wants to know more about us.” She nodded. “This small woman is a wise leader.”
*****
The group had rested, eaten and drunk their fill, and been supplied with significant dried fruit and meat, plus had their water bottles filled to the brim. Ulmina had given them all crystals, and Jane thought that if they used the crystals first, and only when they began to expire used their flashlights, they might just have enough supplies and light to make it out.
Harris and Ally had reloaded all the weapons and Harris strapped the broken pulser to his back. Jane was given control of the sonic beetle as she referred to it, and the last thing they were given was a long metal key. Ulmina said something in the red race’s lilting language, and though none of them understood her, Ally took the key and bowed.
“Thank you.” She bowed again. “Guess we’ll know what it’s for when we get there.” Ally tucked the key into one of her thigh pockets.
“Wait.” Mike rummaged in his bedraggled pack and pulled out the diamond key. He held it out. “This is from the crystal cave, uh, Grunda Asanta lun.”
Ulmina’s mouth dropped open and she took it in both her hands, turning it around.
“The children.” Jane lifted a hand to about her knee height.
“Indrini.” Ulmina’s eyes closed and her mouth set in a line. She nodded. “Alla Indrini.”
Ulmina laid a hand on Mike’s forearm and looked earnestly into his face.
“Awana demornee Bowarn.” She gripped him tighter. “Demornee Bowarn,” she repeated, and then pointed at her eyes and crouched. She mimed looking fearful and turning about.
“That has got to be a warning,” Jane said.
Mike nodded and patted her hand. “Okay, we’ll be careful.” He straightened when she returned the nod and released him. “Just wish we knew what it was you’re warning us about.”
“We’ll know soon enough,” Harris said over his shoulder.
Katya and Ulmina were talking softly, and even though the old Russian woman couldn’t understand, she stood spellbound before the small red woman. Ulmina stroked the old woman’s hands, and when she went to go, Ulmina
shook her head and hung on.
When it came time to leave, Harris called them to get ready. But Katya stayed where she was.
“I’m not going.” She smiled, looking content for the first time. “There is nothing for me but hospitals and death on the surface. Even if I could make it.” She smiled ruefully. “Besides, all my youth, my friends, my past and my future are now here.”
Jane frowned. “Are you sure, Katya? We can make it out again.”
“Maybe you can. Maybe. But I know I cannot. I can’t climb to the surface, and then having one of you carry me again creates a deadly risk to you.” Katya came and stood before Mike and Jane. “A lifetime ago I asked you not to come, and you didn’t listen. Now I want you to listen.” She grasped Jane’s hand. “Make it home. And stay home.” She looked from Jane to Mike.
Mike smiled. “You have my word.” He turned to Jane. “You have my word,” he repeated.
Jane gave Ulmina a small salute, and then turned to Katya. “Do you know what you two are working on? The equivalent of the Rosetta Stone. When you’re finished, you will know each other’s language and secrets.”
Mike sighed. “I’d love to know them.”
Jane gave him a hard look and he grinned sheepishly. “I mean, mail me a copy, okay?”
Harris had one last look around. “We’re out of here.”
Mike waved to Ulmina and Katya one last time. The small red woman held Katya’s bony hand and spoke to her warriors. At first they seemed strangely fearful and shook their heads, but Ulmina was insistent.
“Are we that scary?” Jane asked.
“Remember Ulmina’s warning? Maybe it isn’t us they’re scared of,” Mike replied.
The group was first led out along large and ornately carved corridors, and Mike saw in through an open archway: a huge hall with hundreds of the cave dwellers gathered within. The vast cavern was filled with carved buildings, stoned paved streets, and even tinkling fountains, all lit a luminous blue from massive rod crystals.
It was obviously their main underground city, and for some reason, they weren’t yet ready to share knowledge of it with the surface dwellers. But in that few seconds glimpse, Mike saw the same architectural design and structure that they saw back at the cave ruins. Except in the ancient cave ruins where there was broken, moss-covered stone, in this place there was color and movement, shining architecture, and the sounds of life.
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