by Drew Wagar
Ira was sick again. Zoella could feel the poor girl retching on an empty stomach and well-remembered her own bout of sea-sickness when she had first come aboard. There was little enough comfort she could give other than stay with her. Ira was sobbing with misery.
There was a cracking noise above.
Zoella looked up to see a rivet pop out of the bulkhead above her. Water sprayed out in a torrent, soaking both her and Ira in seconds. Ira squealed in surprise and they both jolted to their feet.
‘Fitch!’ Zoella screamed, trying to hold Ira up. It was impossible to see in the spray.
The ship lurched again, the floor beneath her feet tilting. Zoella lost her footing and slipped, both Ira and herself floundering around in half a hand of water.
Fitch forced his way through the door way and pulled himself inside, his trademark hat knocked to a jaunty angle and as soaked as the rest of him.
‘Out of the cabin!’ he shouted.
Zoella struggled in the rising water, wrapping an arm around Ira and pulling her along. She turned to see Fitch standing under the spray, trying to bash some kind of bung into the hole with a mallet. He thumped it over and over again as Zoella watched.
The torrent slowed to a trickle, the deck tilting and the water sloshing out of the cabin.
Fitch turned to look at her, his hat and clothes dripping, his hands now slack at his side.
‘Lovely this, eh?’
Zoella managed a smile. The ship rolled and the hull groaned again.
‘I hope this thing holds together,’ Fitch muttered.
* * *
‘Come on, it’s not much further.’
Kiri was still faster than him. Meru marvelled at her athleticism again.
She’s so fit and strong.
Kiri had already reached the top. He saw her walk forward, looking over the rise. She stopped in surprise and pulled back.
Meru scrambled to his feet and joined her, wiping the sweat from his brow. He gasped.
The Obelisk was close now, it’s true scale clear. It was marks high, towering so far into the sky that it was now between them and the vast overhead disk of Lacaille, its top silhouetted against the burning outline of the star. Clouds still swirled around its structure. It sprouted from the ground on three enormous pillars, which merged hundreds of hands above the ground to form the delicate lattice work of the main construction.
They could see the individual bars and cross connections from which it was built, its surface looked like a shimmering silver mirror, glowing orange, reflecting the light from Lacaille. Leading away from it were a series of roadways, stretching out in six different directions. It was positioned in the centre.
‘Wow,’ Meru said, staring. ‘It’s beautiful. So delicate, yet it must be unbelievably strong to stand so high.’
Kiri pulled her pendant out to look at it. She held it up towards the Obelisk, it was the same shape.
‘Identical,’ she whispered. ‘All the priestesses have one of these, a symbol of the Obelisk …’
Meru was looking at the base of the tower.
Clustered around it were a series of dishes suspended on huge stands. Buildings could be seen interspersed between them and, off to one side, was a large cleared area upon which a vehicle was visible. It looked somewhat like the flying machine they had been using, but it was clear it was far bigger. Nothing could be seen moving.
‘Some kind of flying machine?’ Kiri asked, pointing at it.
Meru nodded. ‘Looks like it, but the size of it! Why would they need something so big?’
‘What are those dish things?’
‘I’ve seen them before,’ Meru said. ‘They’re some kind of radio, used for sending messages at long distances. The ones I saw before were all broken down, these look like they might be working.’
‘Nobody about either,’ Kiri said.
Around the perimeter of the installation they could see a high wall. Vegetation had grown close to it, but had somehow been prevented from reaching and smothering it. Everything seemed to have been constructed from metal or some bright building material. It was also pristine, with no hint of dirt or debris. There was no sign of movement, but there was an obvious looking gateway set in the wall.
‘That must be the way in,’ Meru said.
‘Then let’s get down there,’ Kiri answered, already starting to make her way down the hillside.
* * *
Zoella had no real recollection of how long the churning, twisting, gutwrenching purgatory of the voyage lasted, only that it had seemed to go on forever … but eventually came to an end.
She blinked. Ira was slumped in her arms, asleep herself, her breathing regular and even. Both of them were sodden. Zoella eased her back on to the cabin bed and shifted her feet around to make her comfortable.
Light was streaming through the portholes. The ship seemed stable. She could just feel a gentle rocking to and fro.
The storm has stopped.
She got to her feet and squinted through the porthole. Blue sky, smooth sea. There was even a suggestion of land in the distance.
She looked down at Ira, but decided to let her sleep on. The girl would be exhausted. She could return in a spell with some drinking water and revive her then.
Zoella walked out into the gangway down the centre of the ship and to the ladder amidships. The hatch was open and clear blue sky was visible above. She climbed up and looked around.
The heat hit her straight away. Lacaille was fierce and bright overhead. The ship was floating in a sparkling blue sea, rolling in a light swell. Before her a great wall of cloud arose. As she turned around she could see it walled the calm expanse of sea in all directions, though one side was much closer to her vantage point. The ship must have travelled through it. She turned around and gasped in recognition.
Before her, a green and lush landscape was rising out of the sea some few marks ahead. In the centre rose a vast structure, towering far into the sky, sparkling in the light of Lacaille.
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at it for long moments.
The Obelisk … just as I saw it. We made it!
‘Zoella!’
She looked up at Coran’s voice.
‘Yes?’
‘You alright?’ he asked. ‘Ira?’
She nodded.
‘Sorry about the weather.’
She smiled. ‘Is the ship …?’
‘Mel’s checking,’ Coran said, peering out of the bridge. ‘We’ve got a bit of a list, some cracked panels and other odds and sods.’ He patted the rail alongside the stairs. ‘Tough old girl, the Mobilis … she’s good. Now, come up here and tell me all about this thing.’
He threw a glance over his shoulder at the Obelisk and held out a hand to her. She grasped it and he pulled her up.
‘It’s the Obelisk,’ Zoella said. ‘It’s what’s been calling to me … to Kiri … to us, the priestesses.’
‘Doesn’t look broken from here,’ Coran said.
The Mobilis was cruising forward slowly. Zoella could see that Coran was heading for a small sandy inlet not far ahead. Fore and aft Daf and Creg were hauling on the ropes that raised and lowered the strange mesh sails of the ship, pulling them into position.
‘Something is wrong with it,’ Zoella said. ‘I hope we can fix it or …’
‘Yeah,’ Coran said. ‘Death and destruction all round. I remember Caesar’s warning.’
‘We don’t have many stretches left,’ Zoella said.
A strange feeling came over her. She recognised the metallic sense immediately. A voice sounded in her head.
Administrator Zoella. Your approach has been noted. Guide your vessel in this direction.
‘Zoella?’
She blinked. Coran was looking at her.
‘Turn left,’ she said. ‘Follow the coast for a bit.’
‘Why?’
She smiled.
‘The Obelisk knows we’re here,’ she said. ‘It’s guiding us in.’
&
nbsp; ‘If you say so …’
Coran turned the Mobilis to port and they cruised along the coast line for half a spell.
‘There,’ Zoella said, ‘Turn right now.’
Coran did as he was told and the Mobilis swung around to starboard. They cleared a small peninsula of land. A harbour came into view, with twin quays stretching out in the water. Beyond them a wide roadway led towards the Obelisk.
‘Nice work,’ Coran said. ‘That will save us quite a bit of bother. But I’m not sure I much like how we can be seen coming like this.’
‘The Obelisk is very powerful,’ Zoella said, with a shiver.
‘Make ready fore and aft!’ Coran called down. Zoella could see Daf and Creg run to the bow and stern of the ship, pulling up the ropes and standing attentively.
‘She’s going to be there,’ Coran said, his voice softer. ‘You ready for that?’
Zoella swallowed. ‘I think we’re equally scared of meeting each other.’
‘If she’s hostile …’
Zoella looked up. ‘There must be no weapons. They won’t do you any good and will just make it worse. Please?’
Coran shook his head. ‘I’m not facing her without a rifle.’
‘If she does fight,’ Zoella said and then after a pause added. ‘Or I do … I don’t want …’
‘I’ll not be taking any funny business from either of you,’ Coran said. ‘It will be alright. Kiri is going to do as we say, or else.’
The Mobilis slowed as it approached. Daf and Creg jumped off on to the quay. It was made of what looked like bright white stone and appeared brand new, as if it had only been made the stretch before. Stanchions were placed at convenient intervals and the two big men tied the ship up. With a faint shudder the engines shut down.
The Mobilis was moored at the Obelisk site.
‘Daf, Creg – finish hoisting up the masts and sails, let’s get some of that ’tricity back into the batteries!’
The two big men continued to work on the decks below.
Coran looked at Zoella.
‘We’ll get everything ready, will you let Kiri and Meru know we’ve arrived?’
Zoella nodded and closed her eyes.
* * *
Close up, the wall around the Obelisk compound was imposing. It was three times Meru and Kiri’s height and composed of something like rock, but looked unblemished along its entire surface. They inspected it at close range, wondering how it could have been made. The material was white and rough to the touch, but there were no cracks, stains or signs of age. The wall enclosed an area some six marks in diameter, a complete circle in which the Obelisk stood at the centre, still towering over them.
As they stood next to the wall they could feel a thrumming sensation through their feet, a tremble repeating at intervals every few moments. The same material covered the ground, extending perhaps twenty hands from the wall before stopping at a sharp edge and giving way to the vegetation around them.
‘It’s so … clean,’ Kiri said, bending down to examine the floor at close range. ‘Like polished sandstone that’s just been finished.’
‘It reminds me of Caesar’s hangar,’ Meru said, his voice hushed. ‘Everything there was new, as if it had only just been made.’
There were no features, no artworks, no signs or markings of any kind. The wall and the floor were featureless as far as they could see. They walked around towards the gate.
The gate itself was made of metal, set within the rock-like structure of the wall. It was flush with the wall, with a curving surface. It was polished so smooth they could see their own reflections in it.
Off to the right side, embedded in the wall next to the metal gate, was a small black panel and, just above it, a glass sphere.
Kiri peered at it, reaching out her hand.
As she touched the black panel it lit up in red with the outline of a hand, fingers outstretched. The image pulsed.
‘You have to place your hand on it,’ Meru said. ‘If it works like the ones in Caesar’s hangar it will ask you who you are.’
Kiri pushed her palm against the panel. The outline glowed for a moment and then turned green.
‘Nano-infusion confirmed,’ a deep voice intoned from somewhere around them. ‘Welcome administrator. Please state your name and rank.’
‘I am Kiri,’ Kiri said. ‘I don’t … I don’t have a rank.’
‘Previous communication has been noted, Administrator Kiri. Nanoinfusion identification is confirmed. Access is granted. Please identify your companion.’
Kiri looked at Meru. ‘He’s … er … he’s my …’
‘Friend?’ Meru asked, with a smile.
‘Yes,’ Kiri said. ‘You must allow him to come with me.’
‘Security exception acknowledged, administrator Kiri. Your presence is urgently required in the central control complex. Please proceed immediately.’
With that the doors shrank within the wall and then parted in the middle, sliding into the walls, revealing the interior of the compound.
‘Where is the central control complex?’ Kiri asked.
‘Directions will be provided through your ocular enhancements,’ the voice replied.
Kiri looked at Meru, who shrugged.
‘No idea,’ he said.
Kiri looked around the wall and into the interior of the compound. She could see a well-tended pathway leading within, edged by plants that were somehow trimmed and ordered. Through the gateway she could see the various buildings beyond the garden areas. Everything was clean, but silent.
‘I don’t suppose there’ll be anyone here,’ Meru whispered from beside her.
They stepped within, the gate sliding shut silently behind them. Kiri stepped forward and then jumped back in alarm, waving her hands in front of her.
‘What’s the matter?’ Meru demanded.
‘A … thing!’ Kiri said, trying to grasp something in front of her. She tried again, without success. ‘Can’t you see it?’
‘See what?’
‘It’s an arrow,’ Kiri said, ‘There … look! Pointing that way …’ Meru stared at her. She was moving her head this way and that.
‘That’s amazing!’
‘Kiri’s there’s nothing there.’
‘I can see it, it’s telling me where to go. Come on! This way!’
Kiri was running forward, Meru hurried to catch up with her.
‘Kiri, wait!’
As ever, Kiri was quick on her feet. By the time Meru caught her she was standing almost underneath the Obelisk. Meru looked up and staggered at the incredible sight of the structure towering into the heavens above.
‘In here,’ Kiri called to him. ‘The arrow …’
The building ahead was built into the base of the Obelisk structure itself, a large dome-like affair. Kiri was standing in the entrance, beckoning to him. The doors were already open. Beyond, the interior of the building was in darkness.
He grabbed her hand.
‘Slow down, we don’t know what …’
‘This is the central control complex,’ Kiri said.
‘How do you …?’
She waved in front of her eyes. ‘It’s … what that thing said it was,’ she said. ‘Ocular … whatever. I can see things. They’re not really there, but I can see arrows and directions and words. This is it …’
She stepped forward into the darkness.
Lights flickered before them, tiny sparkles in the darkness; reds, greens, blues. With a crackling hum bright orbs overhead burst into life, flooding the room with light. Kiri and Meru gasped, shielding their eyes and trying to see.
They were standing on the perimeter of a vast circular area, edged by handrails. Steps led downwards before them and at three other places around the rim of the room. Below they could see a series of large, black panels positioned around seating areas.
Before them was a metal plate, designed to be seen from the entranceway they had just come through. Kiri could see text stamped on it. She w
alked forwards to take a closer look.
These words … I’ve seen them before …
Memories came flooding back to her, when she was first found by Charis, hurt and injured, lying in the rooms of healing in Daine. Charis teaching her the elements of the Drayden religion. She could hear Charis’ voice as clearly as if she was beside her.
I will read you a little of the first element then. There are five of them. They were written for the world, it is only right that you should hear them for yourself. It will help you to understand.
Tears sprang into her eyes at the memory.
The sun is the source, the centre. It determines order. Worship it as a god, we could not live without …
But the words before her weren’t quite the same. She forced herself to read them out loud.
‘The sun is the source of all energy, and the centre of the stellar system. Its gravity determines the order and movement of the planets. Primitive cultures worshipped it as a god, and even now, we could not live without it.’
Meru moved next to her to see what she was doing and then noticed the tears streaming down her face.
‘Kiri?’
‘This,’ she said, wiping at her eyes. ‘This is where the religion of the priestesses started. These words … some of them survived in books and tomes … but only some!’
Kiri explained what she had been taught by Charis, how the elements formed the backbone of the priestesses’ religion.
‘Wow,’ Meru whispered. ‘Almost right … but so wrong.’
Meru took her hand and led her down the stairs towards the centre of the room. A rising hum sounded about them as equipment and machinery activated. A myriad of screens and panels illuminated, but it was a huge console in the centre of the room that drew their immediate attention. It was glowing bright blue at its base and above it an image appeared, floating in the air before them and rotating. It was a vast globe, detailed, overlaid with zones, colours and information.
They stared at it for long moments.
‘It’s Esurio,’ Meru said. ‘The whole planet. Look, you can see the continents, the seas …’
They walked down a small flight of stairs which led to the console. The image hovered in the air before them, almost looking solid. Kiri reached out her hand towards it. As her fingers moved to where they would have touched it if it were solid, a faint tone sounded. Concentric circles of light appeared around her finger tips. As she moved her hand, the globe moved with her. She found she was able to move it around just by gesturing.
