“We have seen your coming,” the Disciple said, breaking eye contact with Nix. “Your presence does not bode well for us. You bring darkness in your wake.”
“Then all the better I’m with the worshippers of the sun,” Nix quipped.
“So it is,” the Disciple said with hesitation. “Why have you come?”
“I have brought outsiders who have seen a terrible omen. The Kraven attacked them and they lived to speak of it.”
For the first time the Disciple seemed to notice Liam, Saturn, and Ju-Long. His eyes squinted and deep lines appeared on his brow. If he was surprised to see a new species in his galaxy he hid it well. After giving Liam a prolonged look he turned to Nix and said, “Why bring that kind of trouble here, young one?”
“I come regarding the Gift of Re.”
The Disciple’s eyes widened and he exchanged a hurried glance with his companion. He replaced the top portion of his reflective mask and bowed his head. “We will speak of this inside.”
The Disciple turned and made off toward a particularly massive rock face. It took them another ten minutes of walking to reach the ruins. Dozens of black pillars jutted out of the ground lining the path to the temple. Each was several meters in circumference and chipped from countless years of erosion. Liam couldn’t quite see the sun over the top of the temple, which seemed to grow more ominous with every approaching step.
The temple itself was built into the side of what seemed to be the largest piece of rock on the moon. The stone came out of the ground at an angle to Liam’s right, lit up by the reflection of the sun off the surface of Garuda. The black rock extended back farther than he could see. Bits of the walls were crumbling along the sides and a faint glow emanated from within.
The entryway alone was twice Liam’s height and four times as wide. There was no door; instead, the entryway led into a courtyard with skylights blasted through the rock overhead in consummate squares. The Disciples led them through the courtyard, past several monuments and statues of creatures unfamiliar to Liam. There were at least a hundred carvings, each of them unique, depicting a different life form. Liam had to admit a few looked downright monstrous.
One stone carving spanned the length of the wall; a mural of a flying creature with scales and wings that looked too patchwork to remain aloft. The creature was incredibly long and had a dozen beefy legs with as many faces. It occurred to Liam that the creature might not have existed at all, like dragons on Earth. Despite the lack of physical evidence, Liam had always been a believer in dragons. He wondered how nearly every culture on Earth had at least one story of a dragon, even if their descriptions were far different from one another. Surely it was not a coincidence.
“What is that?” Liam asked Nix, pointing at the carved mural.
Nix glanced at the carving and smiled. “It’s nothing. A children’s story. On Garuda there is a myth of a terrifying creature which would come for the weakest of the Ansaran and Dinari children. The faces represent the many ways the creature has been described. The only consistency is that it is flying and terrifying. In fact, the stories were so pervasive, the planet itself was named for the creature.”
As they continued to follow the Disciples, Saturn asked, “Why would the subject of a myth be here with the Disciples? Don’t they worship your sun?”
The Disciple that had spoken with Nix stopped and turned around. He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his cloak. “We do not worship only our sun. Re is the god of all suns, even yours. The Garuda is said to be his instrument.”
The Disciple turned and continued walking, leaving Saturn looking browbeaten. Ju-Long walked past her and said, “Looks like a dragon to me.”
“Shut up, Ju-Long,” she retorted.
At the end of the courtyard the Disciples stopped at a round metal door. The stone frame of the door was connected to one of the carvings, its round tentacles encapsulating the rim. Liam’s eyes were drawn to the right where an animal with six legs and a muscular horse-like body was drawn up on its four hind legs, its sharply angled face bearing an expression of ire. A dozen tentacles shot out from its eyes toward the entryway. Liam clenched his jaw. He wondered if such horrifying creatures actually existed in this part of the galaxy. However, despite its frightening qualities, the creature’s face bore similarities to the Ansarans.
One of their Ansaran guides took their hand out of their cloak and pulled a lever on the door’s complicated surface. A mess of gears churned and the door swung toward them, sighing as the pressure was released. The Disciples of Re stepped through into the passageway, which was lit only by the orbs of light they carried with them.
Liam moved to follow them but Nix turned and stopped him, a hand placed flat across his chest. He bore a serious look in his eyes, which was confirmed when he spoke softly through the breathing apparatus. “Tread lightly inside the temple. The Disciples are easily offended and do not take kindly to outside points of view. We must find what we are after and take our leave. We mustn’t dawdle.”
Liam nodded and Nix looked to Saturn and Ju-Long for similar looks of acknowledgement. Nix removed his hand from Liam’s chest and strode through the circular doorway after the Disciples. Liam and Ju-Long followed after him but stopped when Saturn didn’t follow.
“What’s wrong?” Liam asked her.
“This place creeps me out. I feel like we’re walking into some kind of weird sacrificial ritual.”
“We have to trust Nix. We’ve come this far.”
Saturn’s eyes closed and she nodded in agreement, walking up the steps past them and through the doorway into the dark. Ju-Long’s face bore a sign of hesitation as well. Liam wasn’t surprised. The Ansarans had proven to be less than trustworthy throughout their journey and despite the differences between the Ansarans on Garuda and the Disciples on its moon, Liam was skeptical of their motives. He clenched his jaw tight beneath his mask and walked through the doorway, mentally preparing himself for whatever he might see inside.
25
The dark passage wound along the outer wall of the temple, the only light coming from the orbs carried by the Disciples far in front of Liam. The ground was a smooth stone that clicked and clacked as his feet shuffled along through the shadows. The temperature rose the farther they walked toward the temple’s core, the passage spiraling inward as they went. The Disciple’s lights were dim by the time they reached the walls around Liam, but he still got the feeling the ceiling was rising up, making the passage appear even darker. Liam bumped into Saturn, prompting a cry of protest. “Watch your hands, buddy.”
The slim passage began to widen and the echoes of their footsteps sounded farther away. They scuffled into what appeared to be a very large chamber somewhere near the center of the temple. The Disciples stopped several meters in front of Liam and approached a pedestal which rose out of the ground, in one piece with the stone on the ground. One of the Disciples put his orb on the pedestal and it grew to three times its normal size, rising into the air unsupported. The orb became so bright it hurt Liam’s eyes to look in its direction.
When he looked away the chamber walls were illuminated, covered with carvings of beasts and countless Ansarans and Dinari. Some were in the heat of battle while others shook hands with figures that could only have depicted gods. The Disciple that had spoken to Nix before removed the reflective top portion of his mask once more.
In the bright light it was apparent just how pale his skin really was. He removed the hood of his cloak and unbuckled the strap on his breathing apparatus. Once removed, Liam saw that he had a thin mouth that curved down at the edges and a nose that sloped into a point. Purple veins crawled up his cheeks, plainly visible underneath nearly translucent skin. The Disciple took a deep breath of the musty air and slowly let it out. With his mask off he seemed to relax a bit. “I have not yet introduced myself. I am Xara, High Priest of this temple and a Disciple of Re. Pray, tell me what you know about the Gift of Re.”
His voice was deep and cutting at the s
ame time. He was calm as he spoke but maintained an air of dominance and authority. Nix pulled on the strap of his breathing apparatus and twisted the copper knob on his chin. The mask came off and rested in his clawed hand. “I am told it is a wonder that has the power to transport the bearer to a far off land.”
Liam remembered different language being used in The Sand’s Edge, but kept quiet despite his usual inclination to speak first. He wasn’t used to sitting in the passenger seat and traveling across the galaxy seemed to have taken him down a peg. He was a stranger in a new land with no concept of Dinari and Ansaran customs but what little the chip in his head could tell him. For instance, he knew Xara’s sloped nose was indicative of his high position, that genetics played a role in his selection, but he wouldn’t have known that if he hadn’t seen Xara’s nose in the first place. It was a strange feeling for him to know so little about what was going on around him.
The further they delved into unknown territory the more he felt adrift. Despite Nix’s knowledge of the area, Liam was still in charge of his crew. He watched Nix closely as he spoke to Xara, listening for any hint of betrayal. It wasn’t like him to be so paranoid, but he had his crew to look after and their lives were more important than anything else.
Xara’s pale hands clenched together in front of his cloak, the cracks from his knuckles resounding off the walls. His frown deepened and his blue eyes shifted between each of the crew. With his deep voice he said, “So you do know of it.”
Xara turned his back to them and walked up to the pedestal where the orb was hovering. When he was in front of it Liam could only see his sturdy outline. He bowed his head and placed his hands out on top of the small stone pedestal, his shoulders hunched over it as his small claws dug into the rock.
“Two months ago by the days of Garuda, we received a shipment of goods from the High Council on Ansara. Ours is not the most visible temple in the colonies, but the council rarely forgets we are here. In this shipment, placed among the containers of food and water, was a small case. No matter the measure of strength, we could not open it as there were no seams. The box remained in storage for a month while we decided what to do with it.”
Xara’s booming voice grew softer and he turned around to face the crew, hands clenched together in front of him.
“The answer came to Brother Fayn during his prayers. He placed it on this pedestal as he spoke to the Disciples. Fayn said that Re spoke to him. Re told him that the box would open when all of the brothers were together in this room and when a true test of their faith was measured. The contents of the box would be His gift.”
Liam took a step toward Xara and asked, “Were you able to open it?”
“We were,” Xara replied, coming back to the moment. “Much to my dismay.”
“I thought you said it was a gift.” Ju-Long interjected.
Xara’s face was solemn, his perpetual frown evened out for the first time and he stared up at the ceiling with a tear welling up in his eye. The orb spun around above him, the light pounding down on the room, though no heat reached Liam. Xara regarded Ju-Long for a moment before replying, “Everything is a gift, really.”
“You speak now in riddles,” Nix said harshly. “What happened with the box?”
Xara grimaced, pacing around the pedestal as though examining it for a reason for its existence. He spread his hands and gestured at the floor around them.
“We stood around the pedestal here, fourteen of us in all. Together we chanted the words of the Book of Re until His spirit filled all of us. The black box shivered with our sound, resonating along with the words. Soon, the box cracked, blue light pouring out into the room. A hidden seal revealed itself and the box transformed, a thousand cubes collapsing outward until there was nothing but a flat black surface on top of the pedestal. But the orb! That blue orb of light hidden inside was too powerful to regard. Soon, it too changed. The light swirled above the pedestal, flattening out before us and creating a passage, ever larger.”
“The wormhole,” Liam suggested.
Xara appeared offended, dropping his outstretched hands before correcting Liam, “The Gift of Re.”
Liam didn’t want to get into an argument over semantics. Instead, he replied with his tinny voice, “Do you know where the passage led?”
“No,” Xara said, disappointment crossing his voice. “The vortex was strong. Fayn was the closest to the pedestal and was pulled through.”
“What happened to him?” Saturn asked with concern.
“Re measured his faith and he was deemed worthy. Fayn was taken to the Realm of the Gods.”
Silence fell over the chamber as Xara’s words sunk in. The pale Ansaran seemed to be jealous of Fayn’s disappearance. Xara’s companion shook his head solemnly when Fayn’s name had come up. At least one of the Disciples wasn’t enthused over Fayn’s miraculous journey.
Liam scratched his head and thought hard. What little Liam knew about wormholes was being challenged. The vortex that took them across the galaxy was far larger than what could have fit in that room. But if the box could somehow be amplified...
“Where is the box now?” Liam asked, his voice betraying a sense of urgency.
“Gone. Stolen by a wretched thief; a blasphemer no less.”
Before Liam could get out the words, Nix asked, “A Disciple?”
Xara nodded. “Yes. Several disciples saw an unfamiliar man dressed in our garb enter the temple.”
“Sounds like you could use better security,” Ju-Long chimed in. “Did he just walk out with it?”
“This is a place of worship. All are welcome. The thief came while most of us were asleep. Only when he was in the courtyard did the brothers see him flee with the box. The fact that someone would steal an artifact such as this is what baffles me. I do not know what purpose the thief could have for it. The bearer would surely be taken from this land like Fayn, though their destination could hardly be the same.”
Liam adjusted his breathing apparatus, which was chafing his chin, and asked, “What else can you tell us about the thief?”
“Based on his build, I would say he was Ansaran. More than that, I could not say as he wore a mask of the Disciples.”
“Not an awful lot to go on,” Saturn said under her breath.
“Careful outsider,” Xara’s deep voice boomed. “Mind your surroundings. An insult to the Disciples is an insult to Re as we are his vessels.”
Nix took her arm and started leading her away, giving a slight bow to Xara as he did. His golden eyes reflected the orb’s light so his pupils were hardly visible. Still, it was apparent to Liam that Nix was making for the door. They had found out all they were going to from the Disciples of Re and staying any longer might prove troublesome. Liam nodded to Ju-Long, who followed him as he started toward the passageway.
Nix waved a clawed hand to Xara and said, “We thank you for your hospitality and your insights. Until next time, old friend.”
When Nix turned he was face to face with two Disciples of Re, barring his path from the passage to the exit. He and Saturn took a few steps back, bumping into Liam and Ju-Long. Nix turned to confront Xara. “You would defy the laws of hospitality? We are guests in this temple.”
Xara smiled, revealing numerous pointed teeth like needles in his mouth. “The laws also state that a gift to the gods will be rendered upon entry to the temple. No one has ever brought outsiders to our midst. Surely our laws apply to them as well.”
“Our ship,” Nix said quickly. “Zega sends his regards with supplies from Sector Seven. When we reach our ship, you’ll have them.”
Xara eyed Liam, Saturn, and Ju-Long. His long tongue caressed the inside of his pointed teeth, peeking through the cracks with its slimy tip. Three more Disciples entered the chamber from the opposite side. They were surrounded. Xara shifted his gaze to Nix and spat, “For your arrogance, Re requires flesh. The outsiders for your life, rake.”
Nix released Saturn’s arm and looked to Liam as though appraising
his options. Liam noticed Nix’s fingers slowly crawling down his leg to his energy weapon. His eyes communicated everything Liam needed to know. Several things happened all at once. Nix gripped his weapon and drew it on Xara, a ball of lightning forming at its tip. Liam drew his crescent-shaped gun and pointed it at the guards behind them. It took only a second for Saturn and Ju-Long to realize what was happening and have their weapons in hand as well. They stood there with their backs against one another, weapons pointed at the Disciples of Re, charged with enough energy to kill.
26
“Blasphemy,” Xara’s voice boomed throughout the chamber. “You would defile this house of the gods?”
“You’ve done a fine job of that yourself,” Liam remarked.
Liam and the crew began inching toward the exit, but the Disciples wouldn’t budge. Xara stepped forward and released a bellow that shook the chamber. His long pointed teeth an afterthought as his muscles bulged under his cloak. Liam could see his body growing, filling out his robes until he no longer looked like a Disciple of Re at all, but some monstrous thing, an embodiment of the frightening creatures carved into the stone of the temple.
“What did I say about pissing off the Disciples?” Nix asked Liam over the din.
The Disciples advanced, pouncing with the ferocity of so many predators. Nix shot first, a burst of energy cascading out of the tip of his weapon, scorching a hole clean through one of the Disciples. Liam and the rest of the crew fired their weapons and disabled three more. Xara’s two remaining brothers were on them, slashing Nix across his forearm as he blocked their attacks. Liam’s weapon wasn’t fully charged but he let a bolt go at the nearest Disciple. The Ansaran fell to the ground in convulsions, a circle of charred cloth melted into his flesh.
Nix took the remaining Disciple to the ground, grappling with him as Ju-Long tried to pry him away. Saturn turned her weapon to Xara, the ball of energy at its tip swirling intensely. Xara’s pale eyes stared back at her, saliva dripping from his open mouth. His hands curled into fists and his forearms split the once loose-hanging cloth. Liam heard a sickening crack and turned his gaze to Nix, who’d just finished his fight with the Disciple, the Ansaran’s neck twisted at a horrible angle.
The Corsair Uprising Collection, Books 1-3 Page 12
