by J. F. Penn
Ten years ago, Morwenna had been killed, and one of the Mapwalkers from the Ministry was involved. His father had become distant, his trips into the Borderlands increasingly outside the rules of the Ministry.
Now Perry wrestled with where his allegiance should lie. He had friends on Earth-side, he went to school there and now he was a Mapwalker with the Ministry. He had a purpose and Perry was proud of that. And yet when he was over here, he saw the people in the Borderlands were no different. They loved, they wanted to provide for their children, they would fight for their families. And perhaps they needed more help than those who took life for granted on Earth-side.
Perry lay back and closed his eyes as his father's words echoed in memory. The border is a construct, keeping two halves of a whole apart. Two halves which are one in you, my son.
When the fire expanded under his skin, Perry thought he would rather live here in the Borderlands. On Earth-side, he couldn't even use the magic outside the Ministry. And what was he if not a Fire Cartographer? If he couldn't use his magic, what was the point?
After a few hours' sleep, Finn woke them up. Sienna jumped in the semi-darkness as his face loomed close to hers.
"It's okay. It's only me." He grinned. "I don't bite."
They packed up the bags and left the Resistance fighters in the cistern. They headed into the tunnels beyond and soon emerged into the far desert as dawn painted the horizon in shades of coral pink.
Sienna glanced over at Finn. He was only a few years older than she was, which meant his sister was a lot younger. No wonder he wanted to rescue her from the castle.
They walked through the desert, past scrub brushes and the ruins of old cities poking out through the sand, pieces of sculpture from lost civilizations. In the distance, a group of low mountains rose out of the sand where dunes had piled up over time. The mounds formed shapes of strange creatures as the sun rose higher. As they drew closer, a collection of small sandy dwellings could be seen nestled in the lee of the slope. They looked abandoned, used only by travelers to shelter from the scorching sun.
The detritus of those passing through littered the shack inside. Old food tins and a tattered book, pages falling out from overuse. It was dusty and smelled like something had died and rotted there.
Finn walked to the back where a small second chamber led off the first, carved deeper into the sandstone. He beckoned, and they followed him in. He bent down and started to scrape away the sand. "I could use some help here."
Sienna and Perry got down next to him and began to sweep the dust and dirt away, revealing a trapdoor beneath. It seemed incongruous here in the middle of the desert as the trapdoor could only lead down to the sand below. Finn looked up, a smile on his face. "You won't believe what's down here."
He pulled it up. The hinges made no sound, clearly kept oiled and ready for use. The ruins and detritus were all for show.
"There are oil lamps once we get further in," Finn explained as he stepped down into the dark.
Sienna opened her mouth, ready to suggest they should just use a torch. Mila put her hand out and shook her head. "They don't have electricity here, so no batteries either. We have them just in case but we save them for emergencies."
The bright flare of a match came from down below and then the soft, warm light of an oil lamp. Sienna looked down into the trapdoor as Finn appeared at the bottom. He looked up, a lamp in his hand. "Come on down."
Sienna climbed down using stone handholds, each foot feeling for the next rung until she emerged into the passage below. She turned around, her fingers tracing chisel marks on the stone walls. The passage was narrow but tall enough so Finn could walk upright. He led them on into the dark.
"These caves were used a thousand years ago to escape the invasion of the Muslim Arabs. You know them on Earth-side as part of the Derinkuyu caves. They could fit twenty thousand people down here, so the whole city could shelter in times of trouble. There were stables and cellars as well as chapels and meeting rooms." Finn smiled. "Even wine and oil presses. The important stuff."
"How were they built?" Sienna asked.
"It's soft volcanic rock, part of Cappadocia in Earth-side Turkey," Mila explained. "Pushed over the border when the caves were shut off to the public. I've heard you can cross directly here if you go through Turkey's Ministry."
Sienna found it hard to keep track of how the Borderlands related to Earth-side. Like the vellum map back in Hereford, it was as if the world had been scrunched up so the different parts touched at different points. The Borderlands were the negative space off the edges of Earth-side, constantly shifting as the world changed.
They walked on down narrow tunnels, passing places where the rooms opened out, held up by thick rock pillars. The cave walls were carved into functional shapes, places for animals to eat, alcoves to hold tiny statues of gods. The ceilings were low in some parts and Sienna couldn't help thinking of the weight of all that rock above them. But this place had stood for nearly a thousand years, so why would it fall now?
She just couldn't stop the thoughts from filling her mind. Some of the rooms were so tiny that they seemed like cells, but Sienna could see how the families felt safe down here while the world raged above. There were words carved into the rock, ancient graffiti from people who had lived and died here. She ran her fingers over the indentations, wondering about their lives.
"They had huge rocks to roll over the entrances, closing the city from inside," Finn explained. "Each separate level could be shut off. Like a castle in reverse."
"How deep is it?" Sienna asked.
"There are ten levels going all the way down to an underground river flowing beneath."
Mila turned at his words. "We need to go down there. The last team had a water walker like me, so perhaps they went that way."
They descended further, winding through the tunnels, air cooling as they went deeper. Sienna touched the water on the walls of the caves as they passed, trailing her fingers in the moisture.
They emerged into a chamber where four skeletons lay in what looked like a ritual pattern. Their heads all pointed to the center and one was propped up in the middle, one bony hand raised towards the roof.
"The five-pointed compass," Mila whispered. "It looks like Mapwalkers traveled here a long time ago. Perhaps these people sought to harness the magic somehow."
They walked into the next room.
Suddenly there was a sliding and slipping, the sound of sand washing through a chute.
"Watch out!" Finn stepped back, pushing Sienna behind him. Cracks in the ceiling opened up, dumping a huge load of rocks and sand in their path.
"I've heard there are traps down here," Finn said. "Ways to kill invaders. Things to keep people away."
They stood for a moment, listening, waiting, then walked carefully around the edge of the room and into another chamber. Fossils lined the walls, creatures that had once lived, trilobites and dinosaurs, their bones fossilized into the rock. This was a shrine to the long dead, but they stood like sentinels guarding the way.
Huge birds with sharp beaks and teeth like sharks stood either side of the doorway, their wing bones held high as if to stop anyone passing, their legs flexed ready to leap. A phalanx of fossilized sea spiders with huge articulated legs looked as if they could step out from the rock at any moment. Giant scorpions, triple the size Sienna had seen in the desert, their thick bodies full of venom, stood with arched tails ready to strike.
Around the fearsome fossils, there was a beautiful frieze of ammonites and sea creatures frozen into the rock, their colors still vibrant after so many years.
"These are amazing." Xander stepped closer and pulled out his sketchbook and pencil.
A crack of stone and crunch of rock split the air, a wrenching sound from the earth. A rumble shook the floor, sand and dust raining down on them from above. Two giant birds stepped out from the wall, articulated stone joints cracking as their empty eyes turned to look at their prey. Scorpions flicked themsel
ves off the wall with their tails, scuttling to surround the group as spiders arched from the walls.
The creatures began to advance.
14
One of the birds darted in, teeth clacking together as it lunged at Finn. He spun away, pulling his sword and swinging it, taking the head of the bird off. It fell to the floor, but the bird kept coming, like a stone zombie intent on its prey.
One of the scorpions scuttled up Sienna's leg.
"How are you meant to kill a fossil?" Mila said, as she tugged the creature off, threw it to the ground and smashed it with a rock into tiny pieces until the scorpion stopped moving. Sienna picked up her own rock, and they stood back to back, fighting off the creatures together.
Xander took out his map and laid it on the ground. Nothing happened. Asada remained just an illustration on the page. Xander looked confused. "There's something different about this rock. I can't tap into earth magic."
"It's volcanic, made of lava," Finn shouted as he smashed the pommel of his sword down onto a spider, crushing its body to the floor.
Perry put his hand on the rock, trying to sense something that would help them. The birds advanced, bones clicking. The scorpions and spiders stalked across the floor towards them. He didn't have much time.
This rock had been made from fire, so maybe he could unmake it. He put his hand flat on the wall and concentrated on making the rock molten again. It softened and began to burn.
He pulled a ball of molten rock from the wall and threw it at one of the fossil birds. The fiery ball smashed through its head, and its bones began to melt in the flames. The others ducked away from the ash, falling back behind him.
Perry stepped forward and put his hands to the ground. Jets of flame came out of his hands, zoomed across the floor and soon the stone creatures were melting, becoming one with the volcanic rock again.
As the creatures melted into the floor, Perry watched the flames dance closer to his team. The Borderlander rose inside him and for a moment, he wanted to keep it burning.
He shook his head, lifting his hands from the floor as if they suddenly burned. These thoughts came every time he used his Mapwalker power. He had to be careful.
"We need to get going," Perry said. "I can sense there are more of these creatures down here. I can't melt them all."
They continued through the narrow stone passageway, down into the depths of the cave system. The dripping of water intensified and soon they could hear the quiet rush of a stream.
They emerged at the bottom of the cave system into a final chamber carved with images of a goddess. Tiamat of ancient Babylon, goddess of chaos and primordial creation, a sea serpent with curled tail wrapped around a sacrifice.
"The storm god Moloch killed her and the heavens and the earth formed from her slaughtered body." Mila ran her hand over the stone coils. "She's a powerful water goddess, ruling where the salt meets fresh." Mila turned to look into the dark waters flooding part of the chamber and led into the underground waterway. "There must be a reason she's worshipped down here." She pointed. "Look towards the back of the cave."
The coils of a great serpent rose from the water and then sunk back down again. The creature of Tiamat was still here.
Mila walked to the water's edge and put her hand into the water. "This is where the sacrifice would be made to guarantee safe passage. I guess no one is volunteering." She looked around, one eyebrow raised. "I can go into the water. There must be a boat around here somewhere, something you can travel in as I propel you past."
Finn's dark skin seemed suddenly pale. "You didn't tell me we had to cross water."
"Why are you so scared?" Sienna asked.
"The sea and the rivers bleed into Earth-side. If I cross the border …" He shook his head.
"What would happen?" Sienna asked.
"I disappear into the shadow plane, cease to exist, although no one truly knows." Finn shrugged. "Many of us dream of crossing the border and seeing your side of the world, but it's just not possible."
"What if someone were to take you safely across?" Sienna asked.
"Who would do that?" Finn said.
"Here's a boat," Xander shouted from the corner of the cave. "It's old, but it might still be okay."
It was a coracle, a small round boat made of woven reeds and covered in pitch.
"Looks safe enough," Perry said, examining it closely.
Sienna couldn't imagine going too far in the bedraggled craft, but there was no other choice. "I guess we have to try."
They carried the coracle to the water. As they approached, the coils of the giant sea serpent came closer as if sensing their vibrations.
"Are you sure about this?" Sienna looked doubtfully towards the creature.
Mila nodded. "I know water." She gazed out over the darkness. "And I know her." Mila's skin already shimmered and she looked like she wanted to sink into the black.
There wasn't much room in the coracle, and they were all crushed together, Finn's hard body up against Sienna's. As Mila pushed the boat away from the shore, Sienna found herself leaning into him, finding solace in his warmth.
Perry held one of the lamps high as Mila slipped into the water behind them, her body shimmering as she became one with the liquid, disappearing beneath. The boat began to move through the cave system. Sienna looked down to see if she could see her friend, but the water was black and there was nothing but a ripple in their wake.
The great coils of the serpent dipped below the surface of the water and then disappeared. For a moment they looked around waiting for it to emerge but all was quiet, the lapping of water on the rocky sides of the cave system the only sound.
Stalactites hung down from the ceiling, great spikes of rock formed over the years dipping down to almost touch the water. The air smelled of minerals and salt. In some places the ceiling was so low they had to duck down, huddling together as the coracle edges bumped against the rocks. Sienna felt Finn tense at these moments, and she remembered his fear of being lost between worlds. She trailed her fingers in the water and thought of happy times on the beach. The waves were pleasure and freedom to her. How different it was in the Borderlands.
Time passed slowly as they moved through the deep waters of the cave system until finally, there was a shimmer of light in the distance that grew into a shaft of daylight beyond. As they came closer, a tall arch emerged from the darkness, carved from the rock, a portal to the outside. Beyond them, in the distance, blue water stretched to the horizon. Fruit-covered branches hung down over the entrance, and as they pushed through, the air was suddenly bright and filled with birdsong.
Finn reached up and grabbed one of the fruits, plucking it from the branch. "Do you have peaches Earth-side?"
"Of course." Sienna laughed.
Finn used the edge of his sword to cut the warm peach into four and shared it amongst them. Sweetness exploded on Sienna's tongue, a taste of summer. The boat edged towards a shoreline where stones made a tiny beach on the side of an island. The coracle pushed into the shallows and then Mila emerged from the water. She shivered, her skin still shimmering.
"You alright?" Sienna asked.
Mila nodded. "I just need a minute in the sun. It's the main problem with being a warm-blooded creature in a cold-blooded world. I haven't quite got the hang of staying warm while in the water." She looked around. "I wonder where we are. I don't recognize this place."
A path led up from the beach into dense forest. Crooked trees wound around each other, and parasitic plants on the trunks sapped their strength. The interior was an impenetrable dark green.
"We have two choices," Mila said. "We go back in the water, and I see where else I can take us." She turned and pointed to the water, where blue ocean stretched to the horizon. "Or we go up onto this island and see where the hell we are."
A screech came from the forest ahead of them. The sound of flapping wings and then a shadow fell upon the beach. Sienna looked up to see a huge silhouette against the sky, the bird
's outstretched wings spanning thirty feet, much wider than any bird she had seen before. Its beak was a sharp hook as big as a scythe, and she could almost feel its gaze upon them, looking down from where it circled above. She wondered whether it could see through the border and how far away they were from its porous edge. It cried again, and there was an answering call in the distance.
Xander leaned back, his hand over his eyes as he focused on the bird. "Argentavis magnificens, extinct on Earth-side," he said with a smile. "We should discuss this at the forest's edge. They're hunters and big enough to carry one of us away."
15
Sienna felt a tug towards the interior of the island, through the darkness of the trees and onwards. She was sure the dark castle lay ahead of them on land, not by sea anymore.
"It's this way." Her voice was confident.
"Agreed," Finn said. "And I much prefer land to water." He took a few steps towards the trees and looked up at them. Sienna walked forward to join him. The dense foliage smelled of wet earth and moss, overlaid by the mold of dead leaves. A low buzz came from the semidarkness ahead, and Sienna caught sight of clouds of flying insects within.
"Looks like fun." Finn grinned.
Sienna pulled the sleeves of her top down, covering as much skin as possible as she smiled back. She was glad Finn was there. He was an outsider and as unsure of his place in the makeshift team as she was. They were a strange group, each with their own agenda. She turned to look back at the others. Mila stood facing the water, arms wrapped around herself as if she held herself back from diving into the blue and swimming away. Perry and Xander pulled the coracle further up away from the water's edge, bantering back and forth.
