Indiana Jones and the Interior World

by Rob MacGregor

"But it seems like I just got here. I felt a little dizzy and passed out."

  "That you did," Vicard said, "but it's as Salandra says. We've been here eight days."

  Indy shook his head. How could he have lost all that time? He stood up, and held onto the wall to balance himself. But his dizziness was only momentary. "Who are you, anyhow?"

  "I'm Vicard, as I told you before. King of Pincoya."

  "My father, Indy," Salandra said.

  Vicard gripped his forearm, and Indy's hand fell across the king's forearm. A Pincoyan handshake, no doubt.

  "Nice to meet you. I think." He looked out of the hut onto a rocky plateau. "This is Roraima?"

  "Only a small and remote part of it," Salandra said.

  "We're on the same tepui where you and I entered with Mama Juan," Vicard said.

  "I don't remember coming here with you," Indy muttered.

  "Indy, he was Ricardo," Salandra said. "He took the shape for protection."

  Just what he needed to hear. "Don't tell me any more. I don't want to hear it." Indy walked outside the hut, and Salandra followed him. Desolation surrounded them. Several buttes tilted in the distance, their bases seemingly climbing the sky. "I don't get it. If this is Roraima, where are the people? Where do they live?"

  She told him.

  He rubbed his neck. "You mean we're on the roof of one of the cities?"

  "No, not this one," she said. "Most of them are just what they seem. Buttes, as you call them. We're well hidden here. There's not much chance that we'll be found. But we can't stay here, either."

  The nalca was already taking effect. Indy's dizziness was disappearing, and he felt energetic. "Fine with me. I'm ready to go back." He spotted a pool of water a short distance away. He realized how thirsty he was. "Can I drink it?"

  "Of course," Salandra answered. "It's our water source."

  A stream led away from the pool and wound toward the edge of the tepui. The water was literally bubbling to the surface of the pool, probably from a spring inside the tepui. He dropped to one knee, cupped a handful of water, and sipped. It was sweet, and tasted pure. He leaned down and drank deeply until his thirst was quenched.

  As he and Salandra returned to the hut, Indy noticed a faraway look on Vicard's face, and wondered if he was thinking of his lost kingdom. The look was neither sorrowful nor hopeful, but one of resigned acceptance.

  "So where's Mama Juan?" Indy asked Vicard, who had snapped out of his reverie.

  "He went back," the king responded. "He only delivered you here."

  "That strange tree," Indy said, recalling what had happened. He turned to Salandra. "Did you come here that way, too?"

  She shook her head. "I went through the main gate. It leads directly to Roraima, the main city."

  Like Pincoya, the city and the region had the same names, he thought. "They weren't trying to catch you?"

  "Oh, yes," she replied. "But they couldn't stop me. I flew through the gate, then over the city, and then here when I got Vicard's message."

  "You flew," he repeated. Then he recalled the falcon story she'd told him.

  She nodded. "Maleiwa knows you're hiding here somewhere. It's taken a great effort to block him from finding you."

  "What if I leave?"

  "We can't block him at the gates. It's impossible. He would find you immediately."

  There always seemed to be a catch when it came to going home. "So I can't go back right now. What are we eating here, rocks?"

  "We have a cache of food," Vicard said. "We've been waiting for you to recover from the transition."

  "What about the tree? Can't I go back through it?" he asked.

  "That was Mama Juan's entrance," Salandra said. "We don't have access to it. Besides, we've got to go to Wayua right away."

  "Hold on. That's Maleiwa's home base, isn't it?"

  "Exactly," Vicard said. "You've got to go there and get the alicorn from him."

  "So it's back to that again."

  "Listen to me, Jones." Vicard's voice was stern. "As long as you are alive, Maleiwa will be after you. If you return to your life, he will hunt you. As long as he has the alicorn, we cannot stop him from entering the exterior world. Now what are you going to do?"

  Indy had heard enough. "All right. All right. Let's go and get this over with one way or another."

  Vicard clasped him on the shoulder. "Nothing you do for the rest of your life will be as important as what you are about to do."

  That was especially true if he didn't survive, Indy thought.

  A few minutes later, the three of them were on their way. They crossed the plateau, leaning into the wind until they reached the edge. They followed a narrow, perilous trail that wound down the steep tepui. The descent was slow and tedious, and Vicard continually muttered under his breath and shook his head, his bravado replaced with worry. And for good reason. One wrong step, and a gust of wind might pitch him several hundred feet down the side of the tepui. On the other hand, the view of the verdant plain below was stunning; Indy couldn't wait to get there.

  The further they descended, the less the wind howled and the easier it was to walk. But as they made their way around a massive boulder, an unseen portion of the tepui came into sight, and with it a new obstacle. A tremendous wall of water gushed over the top of the tepui. The stream Indy had seen at the pool must have merged with other streams and grown into a river before it spilled over the side.

  "Oh, dear," Vicard said. "I'm not looking forward to this."

  "How are we going to get past that?" Indy asked.

  "Don't worry," Salandra said. "We don't have to jump into this one."

  "That's nice to know."

  "The path leads behind it," she explained. "Just be careful where you step."

  "Thanks for the reminder. I have a bad habit of forgetting that."

  When they reached the falls, Indy was awed by its raw power. Tons of water poured over the edge every second, and plunged hundreds of feet. Indy clamped his fedora down on his head as he stepped behind the curtain of water. He was instantly drenched from the spray. The rocks were slippery, and the water pounded down with a tremendous force just inches from his head. Indy moved slowly, his eyes adjusting to the dimmer light. The water had carved a shallow cavity out of the rock, and he thankfully stepped back from the downpour.

  As he waited for Salandra and Vicard to catch up, he peered ahead, trying to gauge the distance to the other side. That was when he saw them. Nine or ten men were gathered together less than a dozen yards away, and they were watching him intently.

  "We've got company!" Indy barked over the deluge as Vicard and Salandra joined him.

  The men, who were armed with the now familiar crossbows, started to move toward them. There was no place to go but back, and if they turned away they'd get shot with darts and probably tumble into the falls. Vicard raised a hand and shouted, "Don't worry. They're with us. My guard."

  "Why didn't somebody tell me," Indy grumbled. But the pounding water drowned out his voice.

  He stepped aside as Vicard moved ahead. The king, using hand signals, conferred briefly with one of the men. If they were mere guards, they certainly weren't acting very subservient to their king. None of them bowed, knelt or acted like humble subjects. Then Vicard turned and motioned Indy and Salandra to follow. They slowly crept past the curtain of water and out into the open again. Carefully, they worked their way over the wet rocks near the falls.

  "Everything all right, Father?" Salandra asked as Vicard paused.

  "No sign of any Wayua," Vicard said. Indy took off his hat and shook the water from it. "I guess I needed a shower." But he'd strayed too close to the edge. The rocks beneath him were wet, and he lost his footing. He grabbed for a handhold as he slid downward, but the rocks pulled loose as soon as he touched them. He was about to be sucked into the watery void of the falls, when a hand grabbed his collar, and with surprising strength pulled him from the grasp of certain death.

  "Watch your step," Vicard
said casually, letting go of him.

  "Are you all right, Indy?" Salandra asked, clutching his arm.

  Indy nodded, but his heart was pounding. He gaped at the king. "Thanks. I'm indebted."

  Vicard shook his head. "If I hadn't stopped you from falling, how would you save my kingdom?"

  "I don't know if I can save your kingdom, sir, but I'll do whatever I can to get that staff away from Maleiwa. You can count on it."

  "That's all I ask, my son," Vicard said. "The rest will follow."

  As they moved away from the falls, Indy glimpsed the king's guard far ahead on the trail. They were moving rapidly, and were mere specks on a wavy line. "Why don't your men show you more respect?" Indy asked. "I didn't see any of them bow or salute you."

  Vicard laughed. "Maybe that's the way people act toward kings in your world, but in Pincoya there is no need for any show of veneration. If anything, I should bow to them. Those men saved my life when the Wayua attacked my palace."

  They plodded forward in silence, but Indy had decided that he liked Vicard. If kings in his world had been like Vicard, they might not be a virtually extinct species of ruler. Besides, there was something familiar and comfortable about him, something he couldn't quite figure out.

  He wondered why Vicard had called him son. Certainly, he was old enough to be Indy's father, but... Then he recalled what Salandra had said about doubles. Maybe Vicard knew, or rather believed, as Salandra did, that she and Indy were sister and brother, of sorts.

  If doubles actually existed, Indy wondered who would be Vicard's counterpart in his world. Vicard didn't remind him much of his stern father, and he was more like an American president than any king Indy could think of. He was warmer than the tight-fisted Calvin Coolidge, but not as brassy as Teddy Roosevelt. And what about Maleiwa? Who would he ... As soon as the question formed, Indy knew the answer. If there were doubles, Maleiwa's was Hitler.

  After another hour or so of walking, they were near the base of the tepui. Vicard's guards awaited them at a point where the trail split into two arms.

  "We go this way," Salandra said, pointing toward the grassy plain.

  Indy suddenly felt uneasy. They'd be visible from nearly a mile away. "Where's the other trail lead?"

  "Through Swampland," Salandra said. "It's a more direct route to Wayua, but far more difficult."

  "Won't the Wayua be patrolling the plains, looking for us?" Indy asked, as he gazed out toward the waving sea of grass.

  "I doubt it," Vicard said in a confident tone. "The last thing Maleiwa would think is that we would go after him in his own territory. He probably thinks we're hiding in fear in one of the Roraima caverns."

  "Besides, the guard will be watching out for any patrols," Salandra said in an encouraging voice as they moved ahead on the trail leading toward the grassland.

  Indy didn't want to argue, but he was the one who was supposed to get the alicorn, not Vicard or Salandra. "Maybe we should go the other way," he suggested. "It would provide a good cover as well as being a shortcut."

  "No," Vicard spoke in a firm, kingly voice. "You don't understand. You would not make it out alive. There are creatures in there you don't want to encounter."

  "I suppose there would be a lot of snakes," Indy conceded.

  "Much worse," Salandra said. "Flying snakes."

  "You know, I think you're right. Let's stay on this route."

  "Now what are they doing?" Vicard asked, peering ahead. The guards had just made a quick about-face, and were racing across the grassland, motioning them to run.

  "There's your answer," Indy barked. A couple of dozen men on horseback charged toward them across the open fields. He couldn't tell who they were, but it didn't take much to figure out that they were Wayua warriors.

  They raced back toward the tepui, and had just reached the base of it where the trail split when the first of the horsemen reached them. He fired his crossbow and hit one of the guards in the neck. Indy hurled his whip, which curled around the warrior, and jerked him from his saddle. The warrior jumped up and aimed his crossbow at Indy, but was shot in the heart by one of the guards.

  "Indy, run!" Salandra yelled.

  Indy glanced at the approaching horsemen, and retrieved his whip. Most of Vicard's guards were staying behind to fight. One of them shoved Indy, and pointed. "Go!"

  Indy hesitated a moment, then dashed after Vicard and Salandra along the trail toward swampland. They quickly entered a dank, humid slough. The ground was soggy where it was not covered with water, and he repeatedly sank in muck to his knees. Several warriors gave pursuit, but their horses were quickly bogged down. Two of the them pursued on foot, but Vicard's guards were waiting. The guards shot their pursuers with darts, and tossed their bodies into the watery muck where they quickly sank from sight.

  When it was apparent they had escaped, Vicard ordered everyone to gather together, and he counted heads. The three of them and four of the guards had survived, but Indy knew that Salandra was right about the swamp. It was a horrid place, and their chances of crossing it didn't look good. They moved on.

  Fingers of greenish fog rose from rancid pools of water, and most of the trees were dead, and draped in scaly, gray moss. The swamp smelled of decay, but not the fresh smell of a living forest. It stank of sulphur and the putrid odor of rotting flesh. A snake that looked suspiciously like a fer-de-lance wriggled across Indy's path and into a tangle of roots. A short while later, Indy glimpsed another snake hanging from the limb of a leafless tree. At least it didn't have wings, he thought. He hoped Salandra had been exaggerating about the flying snakes.

  "I'm glad it never gets dark here," Indy said. "It's bad enough in the light." If darkness ever did fall, they couldn't go anywhere without taking the chance of being swallowed into a pool of water and muck. "But where are we going to sleep?"

  "We must keep going," Vicard said. "We cannot sleep here. We would be easy prey."

  Indy gazed up at a menacing vulture that eyed them from a craggy limb. "I see what you mean." The vulture suddenly took wing, as a horrific scream of anguish cut through the swamp.

  "What was that?" Salandra asked.

  One of Vicard's guards raced toward them, waving his hands and pointing toward the sky. Then he dove headfirst into the swamp, and clutched the trunk of a small tree.

  "Get down!" Vicard barked, and Indy dropped facedown into the muck. An earsplitting cry from overhead sent an icy shiver down his spine. He was paralyzed with fear, but he had to see what it was. He forced himself to raise his head.

  The sky was filled with a black form, and at first Indy couldn't imagine what it was. Then he saw massive, leathery wings, and a prehistoric head that was all teeth and cold, dark eyes. The body of the creature was thick and snakelike, but it had a pair of legs equipped with huge claws. At first, Indy couldn't make out what the creature was carrying. Then he looked on in horror as he realized the claws gripped the limp body of one of the guards.

  The creature let out another shrill, deafening cry, and Indy felt like burying himself in the muck. Then the beast was gone, and the swamp was silent. Slowly, he dug himself from the muck and helped Salandra to her feet. "Was that the flying snake?"

  "Yes, a dragon," she answered. "And it's probably got a mate around here, too."

  21

  Things in the Swamp

  Indy had always wanted to see a dragon when he was a kid. But now that he'd seen one, he'd decided he didn't want to encounter another. They trudged on through the swamp in silence, the three remaining guards now staying close by them. They all peered warily toward the sky from time to time, but no dark shadow fell across them, and no shrill, piercing cry shattered the false tranquility.

  The deeper they penetrated the swamp, the harder it became to find dry ground. Several times they ended up on muddy spits on land with water everywhere. Each time, they backtracked and tried another course, only to be trapped again. Finally, after retreating from yet another dead-end, they decided to stop and ea
t a quick meal while the guards searched for a way around the high water.

  Indy settled on a tree stump that had been worn nearly flat and, Salandra handed him a bowl filled with beans and dried fruit. He'd no sooner popped several pieces of the fruit into his mouth when Salandra cried out.

  His eyes darted skyward; he looked all around him. "What is it?"

  "There's a hole in the side of that stump, and I just saw something poke its head out."

  Indy leaped to his feet, nearly spilling the contents of the bowl. He kicked the stump, and a furry spider the size of his fist crawled out, then another, and another. He backed away shaking his head, and bumped into Salandra. "I think I'll eat standing up."

  "You should sit somewhere," said Vicard, who was sitting on the pack that contained their food supply. "We've still got a good walk ahead of us yet, even if we find higher ground."

  "How good?" Indy asked, as he spread out his leather jacket and sat down on it.

  Vicard laughed. "Very good. But I'm sure we can make it out of here before we get too tired to walk. We've just got to find a way around the water."

  This place was starting to sound like the maze, Indy thought, as he ate a handful of pea-shaped beans that tasted vaguely like peanuts. The dried fruit wasn't bad, either, sort of like a cross between pineapple and peach.

  A faint cry caught his attention.

  "Did you hear that?" Salandra asked.

  "I think it was one of the guards," Vicard asserted. "You two wait here. I'm going to take a look."

  "Father, please."

  "I'll go," Indy said.

  "No. You stay with Salandra. I won't be long."

  "Don't go far, please," Salandra said, as Vicard walked away.

  "He won't let his men down," she added with a sigh as Vicard disappeared from sight.

  Indy was suddenly feeling tired again. He wondered how many hours or days they could walk before they couldn't take another step. When he considered that falling asleep would be the equivalent of conceding to death, he figured he could go at least three days without sleep as long as they had food and water. And nalca. Salandra surprised him by saying she thought they could go at least five days. The constant illumination of the interior world made it easier to stay awake longer, and most people slept no more than four hours a day.