Across a Sea of Stars

by Michael E. Gonzales

  "Take me to one, please."

  Tattie led Cris to the base of a nearby Avory. He laid his hand on the trunk and said softly, "Well—here we go. If there's anything you can do to help, we will greatly appreciate it."

  He turned back to Tattie who was standing at his side. "Let's go."

  "Well, well," she said.

  "What?" he asked.

  "You're learning, Cris. That pleases me." Then, she slipped her hand into Cris's and, of course, he felt the heat, so much so he thought he might start glowing—which, of course, would give their position away.

  As the others gathered up their equipment, Tarnus looked up and watched as Tattie led Cris back.

  "Cris," he asked, "can you truly see nothing?"

  "Well, my eyes are slowly adjusting. I can now distinguish the sky from the forest, the forest is blacker, and I am just now able to see a few stars."

  "It will be darker yet inside the caves…even we will be blinded in there," Tarnus said.

  "Cris, have you no more of those glowing wands?" Tattie asked.

  "No, I lost all those at the causeway. Hey—I have a small flashlight in my survival kit." He started feeling about in his satchel. "Of course, I won't be able to use it until we are inside the cave."

  "Don't worry, Cris," Tattie reassured him, "I am at your side."

  "Thank you."

  "It's all right, Cris, I feel quite comfortable here."

  Cris smiled and gently squeezed Tattie's hand. Then, he asked Tarnus, “Do you think the trees will get the word out, as you asked? Will some citizens mobilize to help us?”

  “I dearly hope so, son.”

  Chris turned in the direction of Capek. "Hey, Capek, where is this cave entrance?"

  "No caves are indicated on my maps, Cris."

  Tarnus laid a beefy hand on Cris's shoulder. "I know where to go, follow me." He then took the lead followed by Tattie, who led Cris cautiously onward, and Capek came last, providing rear security.

  They walked about five hundred meters when everyone stopped and gathered together to listen to Tarnus. "We have arrived, it does not appear that there is a guard, but I want you all to stay here and remain quiet, I will go check to ensure."

  "Be careful," Tattie whispered.

  "Yeah, Tarnus," Cris echoed, "take care." Tattie saw Tarnus nod; Cris did not.

  Tattie was squeezing his hand much harder than necessary—he knew she was anxious about her uncle. Cris murmured in her direction, "He'll be fine. He's a soldier."

  "My teaoh has been a farmer these many years, not a soldier."

  Twenty minutes passed when ahead of them, Tattie heard someone approaching. "Teaoh returns!" she said.

  "Can you see him?" Cris asked.

  "Not yet."

  Quietly, Cris pulled his pistol and readied it. Cris could hear nothing, but knowing how silently Tattie moved, he presumed Tarnus was just as stealthy.

  "Teaoh!"

  "Quiet you two, a deaf slunk could find you," Tarnus reprimanded them. "The way is clear. The entrance is grown over, but still as I remember seeing it. Vemde."

  They were again on the move. Cris felt the occasional branch brush across his body. None struck his face because Tattie was moving them out of his path.

  Cris could tell that they had entered a clearing, he could see the stars above. Before him, rose a dark mass, the side of a rather steep hill, part of a low cliff.

  "Here it is, Cris," Tarnus said. "In front of you, weeds and moss cascade down the side of the hill. Beyond the greenery is the entrance to what was once called The Mouth of Death. An ancient iron gate bars our path."

  "Do we blast it open?"

  "Oh, no, that will not be necessary," Tarnus said, and returned into the dark, through the vegetation, and into the Mouth of Death.

  Cris heard a squeak and sort of metallic snap. "You see—time has robbed this gate of its effectiveness," Tarnus whispered.

  Cris then heard the sound of a metal bar striking the ground to his right. This series of sounds was repeated three more time as Tarnus pulled the rusting bars off the structure of the gate and tossed them aside.

  Tattie now guided Cris in, pulling his foot up and over the bottom of the gate. After a few hundred meters, they stopped again.

  "Cris, it is safe for you to turn on your portable lamp," Tarnus advised.

  From his satchel, Cris produced the flashlight. "Watch your eyes, I'm going to turn it on."

  The clicking sound echoed in the darkness and a bright light exploded into the tunnel, quickly Cris turned down the light's intensity. "Sorry about that, it was turned up all the way." Cris looked around. They were in a rough tunnel that looked to have once been a lava tube. There was evidence of old cave-ins and places where mud had been seeping in for centuries, but the path was clear.

  "Cris," Tarnus called him over, "look down here—will you be able to negotiate this?"

  Tarnus was standing at the edge of an almost vertical shaft. Its walls were rough and rocky. "Yes, we can do this," Cris said, then turned and spoke softly toward Capek, "Hey, how are you at rock climbing?”

  "I am possessed of great dexterity, and strength. For me, stamina is not a concern. These attributes will compensate for my lack of experience."

  "How far down is it, Tarnus?" Cris asked.

  "It descends in increments. This first bit is about sixty of your meters, and then there is a short portion that heads toward the Ekalden, what you call east, and then down again, about eighty meters to a small pond, beyond the pond, a far more gradual decline for some two hundred and thirty meters. At the base of the shaft, the caves become more horizontal—in places.”

  Cris clipped his light to the pocket of his jacket and tied its lanyard through the buttonhole. They then started the descent into the depth of the cavern.

  On the way down, Cris asked, "Tarnus, you studied these caves prior to your attack on the fort?"

  "Yes, but as things happened, the subnazerian plan was abandoned."

  "Why?"

  "The force designated for the caves was ambushed and destroyed long before they got here. They were the second phase of my operation, without them, the first phase was doomed along with all of us."

  "You actually never have been in here, then?"

  "No."

  "Your information sure seems to be pretty complete."

  "Not at all, I have relayed the extent of my knowledge to you. Once we get beyond the pond, we'll all be guessing."

  "Hell, it could be a maze down there. It could take us weeks to find our way!"

  The climb down was arduous, and a rest was called for at the bottom. Cris passed the Geldneth Nordthok around and they started down the next descent.

  The angle of this next passage was somewhat easier than the first. The danger here was the mud slowly flowing down the tunnel. It made each perch among the rocks precarious. At the bottom the pond turned out to be a large puddle of mud, they skirted it to one side, but not without traipsing through large, shallow sections. The mud here reminded Cris of a giant spill of chocolate milk.

  The last shaft was much wider and, though there was some mud flowing down it, was a much easier descent, though the rocks were smaller and loose. Once at the bottom, Cris again broke out the Geldneth Nordthok, but was the only one to partake of it.

  Before moving on, they checked their weapons and equipment then turned to continue. Tattie and Cris stopped dead in their tracks. What they saw before them was almost identical to what they saw in the Cave of the Dark Moon. Weaving through the formations was a distinct trail, hand-carved into the stone floor and designed to lead the voyager to a specific spot.

  "The one we followed in the Cave of the Dark Moon ended in a trap," Cris said.

  "No," Tattie corrected, "it led us out, we did not see the correct path up, and so followed the wrong path to the trap."

  "And that's why we must use extreme caution; we should not blindly trust this trail."

  "Was that a joke, Cris?" Tarnus asked. "
That was quite good."

  Tattie got the point, and they continued on—cautiously.

  After several minutes, Capek spoke. "We are heading in the correct direction. Perhaps this trail will be a guide for us."

  "Let's just keep our eyes open," Cris said, "particularly your eyes, Tattie."

  ○O○

  Tarnus knew that Cris's last comment had little to do with navigating the tunnels and everything to do with the mating dance which Cris and Tattie were unknowingly engaged in. At least, Cris seemed not to know.

  Tarnus was really at a loss to explain their trepidation. Cris, perhaps, because he was an alien on a strange world involved in a war whose roots were unknown to him. Tattie's reluctance was harder to comprehend. If she loved him, why not tell him? What had she seen inside of him?

  Cris's comments were a warning against booby traps. Tarnus understood that there were few places in life where one could find a greater concentration of booby traps than inside a woman's heart. Perhaps Cris knew this, too.

  Cris's handheld lamp allowed him to see to the extent of the light, but for Tarnus, Tattie, and Capek, the ambient light illuminated the cave almost completely.

  Tarnus found himself in the lead as their column followed the path through the cave. The place was beautiful in the extreme. No doubt this cave was many millennia old. The many columns, domes, stalagmites, and stalactites were a testament to the chamber's age. Even this cleared trail had to be hundreds of years old, as the speleothems were slowly reclaiming the path.

  Three hours of walking, climbing, and occasionally crawling brought them to a fork in the carved trail. All gathered together to examine the three paths.

  "Capek," Tattie asked, "which of these is headed toward Kurat Vara?"

  "Madam, the center path seems to be the correct one."

  "Seems to be?" Cris asked.

  "Yes, Cris, I have no way of knowing if this path will maintain this heading."

  "Understood. Is it your recommendation we follow the center path then?"

  "It would seem the logical choice."

  An hour later, the path began to deviate toward the north, but slowly came back around.

  Another hour and Capek announced, "We are now under the base of the hill of Kreneo."

  "Okay," Cris said, "keep your eyes open, the path to enter has likely been sealed and camouflaged."

  The farther along they went from that point, the narrower the tunnel became. Then they hit another three-way fork.

  "Let's split up," Cris suggested.

  "Extinguish your lamp," Tarnus suggested, and when Cris did so, a powerful darkness enveloped them.

  Tarnus continued, "I am totally blind."

  "Me, too," Tattie reported.

  "As am I," added Capek.

  Cris turned his flashlight back on. "You could have just said no. Which way first?"

  "The tunnel to the right seems to head toward the center of our area of search," Capek declared.

  Less than two hundred meters and the tunnel dwindled into nothing, so they returned to the intersection. The center tunnel came next. Fifty meters in, a huge bolder blocked their path. "The tunnel to our left must be the correct route," Tarnus exclaimed, but after a kilometer into this last passage it, too, abruptly ended.

  "I figure the entrance is going to be camouflaged; let's take a close look at all the walls, floor, and ceiling as we head back," Cris suggested.

  Once back at the intersection, they again entered the center passage. Standing before the great stone, it appeared hopeless. Capek had backed up about twenty meters and called for everyone to join him.

  "Please note the interesting way this formation on the wall is arranged. Do not those protrusions resemble hand and foot holds? And observe the wall above…is that a ledge?"

  "I'll check it out," Cris announced and stepped forward. Capek stopped him.

  "Cris, my grip is more firm than yours, my vision in this light more acute. If I fall from that distance, I will suffer no injury. I am the logical choice to perform this reconnaissance."

  Before Cris could object, Tattie placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "He is right, Cris—let him go, please."

  "Okay," Cris agreed, reluctantly, then turned to Tattie. Her request to let Capek go had an odd sound to it.

  "What's wrong, Tattie?"

  "I just get a strange feeling when I look up there, that's all."

  Chapter 22

  The Fortress of Kurat Vara

  Tarnus stood watching as Capek climbed the wall effortlessly, stood upon the narrow ledge and moved toward the side of the boulder. Capek seemed to examine the spot a moment, then he lowered his head and—vanished. The seconds ticked by slowly, Tarnus was about to climb up after him when the videkanica returned.

  "There is a path around the boulder," Capek reported from the ledge above. One at a time, he helped the others attain the ledge.

  Tarnus, taking the lead, looked back to find everyone lined up and ready. He started his movement, ducked to enter the crevasse alongside the stone and, some sixty meters farther, entered into a gallery of some considerable size. All the speleothems had been demolished and their ruins used to construct a great wall at the far end of the chamber. Despite its size, it was but a small part of the stonework that formed the dungeons beyond the wall.

  "Now the hard part," Cris said. "We have to make a hole in that so we can get through in such a way as to not alert the entire fortress that we're here."

  "Excuse me," Capek stepped forward, "may I have your pistol, Cris, and would you please illuminate the side of the weapon? I will attempt a delicate alteration of the interior construct that will require optimal visual conditions." The tip of each of Capek's fingers opened to reveal several different tools.

  "Well, you're a regular Swiss Army knife, aren't ya?" Cris commented.

  Capek opened the side of the weapon, revealing what appeared to be circuit boards and fiber light optics all as thin as spider's web. His fingers flew about inside, the occasional spark would snap and small puffs of smoke arose. After a few minutes, Capek replaced the cover and turned to face his companions. "Like the rama Cris lost at the bridge into Emer Alda, this weapon produces balls of explosive energy, the power of which can be adjusted. I have altered this weapon to produce a continuous stream of energy.

  "I have sounded the wall before us. There appears to be a rather thick perpendicular wall at this point here, but the section over there appears to be a good place to open an aperture. Beyond is a tunnel three meters tall and two wide running parallel to the wall."

  "Go on friend," Tarnus said, "and let us free the captives!"

  "Capek, you're not going to just blow a hole in the wall, are you?"

  "No, sir. Observe." Capek aimed the pistol at the wall and fired a continuous beam of blue light, the stones where the light struck began to dissolve into powder. It appeared to be cutting twenty centimeters into the stone at each pass.

  "Capek, can you determine how thick the wall is?"

  "It varies, but just here it is about two point four meters thick."

  "Don't cut all the way; stop at a point where you're a few centimeters from breaking through."

  The weapon produced a low hum as it ate away at the wall. Capek had to stop once for about a minute to let some element in the weapon cool off, and then he resumed his work.

  Only a few minutes had passed when Capek stopped again. "Cris, I am approximately ten centimeters from the other side."

  "Can you cut me a peep hole?"

  Capek adjusted his weapon and fired one short burst. In the shadow of the aperture Capek had cut, a small hole appeared, and through it a yellowish light flickered.

  Cris walked up and looked through the hole. He could see only another stone wall and an oil-burning lamp mounted to it, but nothing else. He pressed his ear to the hole and heard the distant sound of sobbing, otherwise all was quiet.

  "Okay, Capek, finish her up." Cris stood aside and Capek cut a hole one-and-a-hal
f meters wide and three meters tall.

  Tarnus, Tattie, and Cris made ready their weapons and Cris led them into the dimly lit tunnel beyond. To their right was only darkness, but light illuminated the area to their left. The air was stagnant, and the smell awful.

  Slowly, they made their way toward the chamber to their left when footsteps were heard behind them. Everyone looked to their rear to see the approaching guard, a long-armed Lautmen with a potbelly, carrying what looked like a scimitar. Capek fired his weapon, the blue line struck the guard and he seemed to dissolve into a bloody pile of quivering organs.

  Tarnus watched Tattie, who looked down at the creature's remains. The still-beating heart lay there on the floor. Her face revealed no pity.

  They reached the end of the hall and Cris glanced around the corner. The room beyond was vast, the walls lined with cells, three levels tall. There were hundreds of those oil lamps burning.

  Around the corner to the right, nine meters away, stood a rough, wooden table with the remains of a meal upon it. There were two guards, one a Lautmen the other a Portigalweg. The latter was sitting at the table, asleep. The former was standing against the far wall, relieving himself.

  ○O○

  "Tattie," Cris murmured, "we need your bow."

  Tattie handed her rifle to Tarnus and moved forward. Cris held up two fingers. She removed Archtomb from over her shoulder and selected two arrows.

  The Lautmen had finished and turned around just as the arrow completely passed through the skull of his companion.

  As Tattie quickly pulled her next arrow back, she saw the filthy Lautmen look directly at her. The bolt sliced through his heart and he fell to his knees. Tattie rose and stepped out from around the corner and approached the dying Lautmen.

  She placed her left foot in his chest. Looking down at him she hissed, "You have just been violated by a Geldneth woman." His eyes squinted and Tattie kicked him onto his back, where he died.

  While retrieving her arrows, Tattie found a key on the body of the Lautmen. For the next hour, they went about releasing the captives.

  ○O○

  Cris followed Tattie from cell to cell, throwing the cages open. The room began to fill with the joyful, freed captives. From behind him, he heard his name called out, almost screamed, "Cris!" He turned to see Bell making her way through the crowd. Cris fell to one knee and when she reached him, she threw her arms around his neck.