by Bob Blink
It was quite early, and most of the palace guard were still in their beds or just getting up to start their day. The people who were aware of this plan were being kept to a minimum. It wouldn’t do for Ale’ald to learn what could be done with the portals, or that they were even attempting such a bold approach. Both Jolan and Vaen felt the dragons had been too visible of late, and wanted to reduce the level of their exposure.
“We all agree that we would like to turn off all of the portals in Ale’ald proper,” Wylan said to the circle.
Heads nodded in agreement. If they later wanted selected portals in the country activated, the dragons had assured them they could be reactivated from the full dead state easily enough. The fact the dragons had brought lists of the portals with their actual co-ordinates and maps that allowed those co-ordinates to be displayed was an incredible boon. The old maps that were partially complete and somewhat vague no longer had to be relied upon. The dragon’s map was a recent download of the Settled Lands from their satellites and located the portals against the current configuration of the continent rather than a view of the place from over a thousand years in the past. Now they really knew where the portals were located. In addition to locations, all of the portals on the lists were labeled with the names that would be selected to access them.
“What about Kimlelm?” Vaen asked. “The country is essentially fully controlled by Ale’ald forces at the moment. Is there any reason to allow them access to any portals there?”
“We’ve identified three portals we don’t think they are aware of and that are useful to us. Otherwise we would like to shut down everything else in the country.”
“It’s going to come as a shock to them when they learn they no longer have access,” Jolan warned. “They will have to know we, and that most likely means the dragons, were responsible somehow. We should be prepared against some kind of reaction strike. They would most likely try to make an attempt on the dragons themselves.”
“I doubt they would have much opportunity,” objected Major Wylan. “The quarters we have assigned to the dragons are as secure as the Queen’s own, and the dragons have added their own layer of protection on top of ours.”
Asari mumbled something about getting over confident which Jolan had to agree with. “Just be forewarned, this could trigger some kind of response.”
“Who will be going?” Vaen asked.
“Probably a larger group than is needed. Other than Iach-Iss and Den-Orok, myself, Asari, Shyar, Buris and Gene.”
“Why so many?”
“Buris and Gene represent our best chance of getting someone other than the dragons up to speed on using the system. Iach-Iss and I are a scout team, as are Asari and Den-Orok. We have been practicing with the scouts and the weapons. Should we encounter some of the enemy, we are more effective that way. Shyar goes where I go, and is as powerful a mage as we have should it come to needing support.”
“We’re sure the enemy hasn’t discovered our secret there? They could be there in greater numbers than we might expect.”
This was the first time Jolan had ever caught Vaen unprepared. She hadn’t yet become fully familiar with the new equipment the dragons had given them.
“The satellite monitors have allowed us to examine the area in detail, even through Tishe’s glamour. There is no sign of anyone around the lake or inside Tilano. Also, the portals have never been activated since we last left them. We are certain no one is there.”
Vaen shook her head at her own oversight, and nodded. “Let’s get this done. If this can be done, it will be a significant step in slowing Ale’ald. They will be reduced to much slower means of travel. We will have the advantage of the new airforce to make rapid inroads into their territory.”
“Do such meetings always take so long?” Iach-Iss questioned Jolan as they made their way down to the tunnels that led to the scout ships. “Telepathy makes for much more efficient agreement on such matters.”
“This was actually a relatively short meeting, as these things go,” Jolan said. “The more people involved, the longer they generally take. Vaen is usually very good about ensuring the meetings stay on track and limiting the attendance to only those who should be there.”
The dragon shook his head, but by then they were at the scouts and the time for idle talk was past. Asari and Den-Orok headed to their scout with Gene and Buris in tow. Iach-Iss, Jolan and Shyar turned to the other one. They could have fit into one, but there wouldn’t have been enough seats, and Jolan agreed with Iach-Iss that having the redundant scout on site was a wise approach.
After a few minutes to get everyone secured in their seats, they lifted off smoothly and ascended high into the air. Once they passed ten thousand feet, Iach-Iss headed west, inland and away from populated areas. It probably didn’t matter, but if anyone was watching they would soon lose sight of the scouts, which would turn south. The course they were on could be back to the Lost Territories, but they would come into the lake from the western side, and descend quickly from altitude.
Despite some very stiff winds at this altitude, the scouts moved smoothly through the air with very little of the turbulence that Jolan would have received had he been flying the Cessna. Since this was Shyar and Buris’ first experience with flying, the relative smoothness contributed to their comfort. Shyar was completely fascinated with the scouts and the view of the countryside far below. Jolan wished he could show her the view of the city from a lower altitude, and maybe they could do so on their return. For now, he pointed out sights as they traveled. He couldn’t help but remember how he had traveled when he first arrived on Gaea a few years back and compare that to the portal system and now the ships of a species that had traveled the stars. He wished their starship was still functional. He would have liked to travel between suns at least once.
They were moving quickly and it only took an hour for them to reach the lake by their roundabout path. It was raining in the mountains around the lake and that would work in their favor, reducing visibility and driving any potential observers inside. In response to the dragon’s directions, the ships flew to the designated coordinates and then swiftly dropped from above, passing through the glamour barrier and moments later settling onto the flat courtyard that had been selected as their landing spot. The scouts took care of themselves, and a few minutes later the full group was assembled on the spotted and dirty marble of the courtyard outside the ships. For the moment the rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet, and much of the dirt that remained had turned back to mud.
Shyar was fascinated by the city. She had seen some of the pictures they had taken, but had never been here herself. Iach-Iss looked sad.
“This was once a jewel of this land,” he rumbled. “It survived the wars. I wonder who decided to hide it so, and what miscalculations they made that allowed it to come to this. This more than anything makes me realize how far things have fallen.”
Den-Orok was already leading the way toward the opening that would take them into the mountain. He knew the way as well as any of them, having been part of the crew that had seen to construction of the tunnel and installation of the Nexus module. Asari walked at his side, followed by Iach-Iss. Gene and Buris were next, and were engaged in their own conversation, with Jolan and Shyar bringing up the rear.
Since the ships had been brought down a quarter of a mile from the Tilano portal, they had a bit of a walk through the ruins of the city. Shyar’s eyes darted everywhere, and Jolan could see Iach-Iss frequently shake his head as he stared at something he remembered from the past. Soon enough they reached the pristine platform that surrounded the portal, and without a word, Den-Orok triggered the release that opened up the mountain to reveal the entrance to the tunnel.
“I can’t believe you found all of this,” Shyar said as she continued to look at the wonders being revealed.
“It was a great deal of luck and the efforts of a lot of people,” Jolan said truthfully.
Inside was the dedicated portal
that would take them back into the mountain to the site of the Nexus. They had turned off all the lights in the back, so the face of the portal showed nothing of what lay beyond. Den-Orok walked up to the device, and reached up with one clawed hand to touch something near the top. It was an easy reach for him, but would have required a ladder or stool for one of the humans. As Den-Orok removed his hand, the lights at the far end came on, and they could see into the Nexus room from the display now showing on the face of the portal. Everything appeared as they had last left it, the dome of coppered materials gleaming in the distance.
Without any further delay, Den-Orok stepped into the portal and disappeared, followed by Asari and Iach-Iss. The others followed in series, with Shyar and Jolan bringing up the rear again. Jolan could sense the excitement in Shyar, who had heard of the adventures centered here, but hadn’t been able to explore it herself. Moments later they gathered in the Nexus control room.
“I am a bit surprised that your copper shield worked as well as it has,” Iach-Iss said in his characteristic rumble as he walked around the cover, observing what had been done. “At the same time, I’m a bit surprised Cheurt and others were able to make the trip to Earth using the field leakage from far above. Something in the device must have degraded since we last checked it.”
Den-Orok was over at the racks of equipment taking readings. After a bit he looked back at Iach-Iss, and Jolan was certain something passed between them. He wondered if they were checking for possible messages from their home, since that had been the original intent of the device. Whatever the exchange had been, Iach-Iss nodded minutely and mumbled something to himself.
Shyar slid up beside Jolan and said quietly. “Earth is just on the other side of that platform?”
He smiled and remembered his promise to take her there. Events had prevented their going together when the Nexus had been discovered, and after her return they hadn’t wanted to use the portals, up to now the only realistic means of getting here, so there had been no opportunity. Perhaps now, using the flyers, he could find the time to take her to Earth. A honeymoon might be fitting. It would give him a chance to introduce her to Janie. It had also been long enough he doubted anyone on Earth would be actively seeking him.
“All we need to do is remove the barrier, step on the platform, and activate the spell.” He passed the required spell to her, and knew she wouldn’t forget it.
Shyar was giving the Nexus platform a long look when Den-Orok rumbled, “This way,” and started off back down the tunnel.
The walls of the tunnel were relatively smooth, but there were ripples and bumps where the miners had found their way through the rock. They had never walked back toward the entrance, and Jolan could see how the perspective was different. One could easily pass by an opening that was hidden by a rock outcropping coming the other direction that would be obvious going this way. The darkness also helped the concealment.
The group walked single file behind Den-Orok expectantly, and Jolan was surprised after a while when the dragon stopped suddenly and uttered what had to be a curse.
“We cannot have missed it,” he said angrily, “but this is too far. We have come almost twice the distance I remember.”
Jolan had been watching carefully as had some of the others. The rock had been solid and continuous, despite several indentations that he had initially thought might be tunnels running off to the side, until the light had finally shown the rock at the end of his mage’s light.
They made their way back toward the Nexus room, each person examining the wall carefully as they went. Shyar stepped across to the other side and examined that wall as they made their way back, against the chance Den-Orok had forgotten and the offshoot tunnel was actually on the other side. They made it all the way back to the Nexus without finding the tunnel.
“Perhaps it is farther in than you recall,” Buris offered hopefully.
“It isn’t,” snarled Den-Orok. “There would have been no point in putting it so far from here. It has to be Tur-er.”
Iach-Iss looked at his friend. “You think she concealed the entrance. Why?”
“The portals were an incredible achievement melding the magic of this world with our science. She was the architect behind the design and she was extremely proud of her achievement. When the decision was made to shut them down, she was not in agreement.”
Iach-Iss recalled her complaints, especially with the hundred year built in delay before the portals could be reactivated. It was a short time for the dragons, but long enough for the humans to forget about them.
“She voiced concern that someone might choose to lock them out against future activation. That would have removed their protection and made the system vulnerable to the elements. I think she might have elected to protect them against such a decision and simply chose not to tell us of her actions,” Den-Orok said.
“Whoever closed off the tunnels did a very credible job. It took someone with great skills in magic to hide the passage so well.”
“There were many with such skills in those days,” Den-Orok reminded him. “The question now is how do we find the hidden passage?” Den-Orok frowned.
“What?” inquired Iach-Iss.
“I wonder if she might have done even more to protect her system?”
“Do you have any equipment that can probe the rock for hidden cavities?” Jolan asked.
“On the ship for certain,” Iach-Iss replied. “I am not certain what we might have back at the base.”
“Tishe might be able to help,” Shyar said. “She has a way with such things.” She explained to the dragons some of the things Tishe had done of late.
“One like that is indeed rare, but you are right. She might be able to sense the discontinuity.”
Jolan hadn’t seen Tishe in some time. She hadn’t even been around to meet the dragons. Vaen had her off somewhere involved in something that she hadn’t felt inclined to explain to any of them.
“What happens if she can find the tunnel?” Jolan asked.
“Then we can probe it and see if magic or technology will offer a pathway. I suspect Tur-er might have used a modified form of our barrier-shield that you saw back at the base. If so, we might be able to crack the code and reopen the passage. We will need to go back to the base to get a few things, however.”
Since there seemed nothing else to do, the group made their way back to the scout ships and climbed aboard for the trip back home. The group was considerably more silent on the return trip. Back in Cobalo, Jolan and Shyar went in search of Vaen, while the dragons made a quick trip back to the Lost Territories.
It was two days before Tishe was available and they could make the return trip to Tilano. Tishe was fascinated by the dragons and the stories that they had to tell her. The flight back to Tilano went swiftly as they all talked, and they landed in a heavy downpour as the rains continued to soak the southern regions.
Back inside the tunnel, they repeated their search of the stone wall as they walked along the tunnel away from the main chamber. They had gone less than two hundred yards when Tishe stopped and laid her hands on the rock.
“This is not right,” she said with certainty. She felt around to the left and right, and then up and down, defining the extent of the anomaly. When she was done she had defined an area that would have made a reasonable entrance for a tunnel large enough for the dragons to have used.
“It’s not stone,” she said, “although it looks and feels as if it is. I have never encountered anything like it.”
“As I suspected,” Den-Orok grumbled.
The others stood aside and let the dragons make tests with their equipment. They had linked the equipment to their satellites and back to the computers they had at their base. In a few minutes Iach-Iss’ mouth opened in a toothy grin. He and Den-Orok stood back and, after pressing a few controls on the device he held, the stone seemed to disappear, revealing the tunnel they sought.
“Now we shall see,” Den-Orok growled with satisfaction
and hurried into the opening ahead of the others.
The path was longer than Jolan would have expected, and he couldn’t help wondering why all of this equipment was buried so deeply into the mountain, but decided this wasn’t the time for such questions. The group continued walking, their way lit by concealed lights that had been activated by Den-Orok as he entered the tunnel. Before long they came to the control room for the portals.
The large rectangular room was filled with equipment. Three rows of units filled the area to the left, disappearing into the depths of the room. The center row held large circular units, the tops of which glowed with an odd purple-green light. Along the walls behind these central units were hexagonal units, which had odd displays on the center facing surface. All the units Jolan could see were lit and activated, but he was surprised by the quiet. He couldn’t even hear any fans running as he would have expected in a room like this back home.
“What powers them?” Shyar asked.
The units had been running for hundreds of years sitting here unwatched.
“They tap both the gravitational and magnetic fields of the planet as well as the magical power fields of Gaea in a manner similar to our satellites. The combined fields generate the unique power used in the portals.”
Den-Orok was standing off to everyone’s left growling. While everyone else had been fascinated by the equipment they could see on the left side of the entrance, he had been focused on the equipment that wasn’t there. To the left of the entrance to the room was a much smaller area that was currently empty. Jolan could see marks on the floor where something had rested before, along with some kind of fiber-optic like cables and connectors.
