by J P Nelson
A strong current was coming through the opening as if a steady wind. Jha’Ley had to lean into it a bit, but it was no major challenge. Looking out past the opening he saw the lake surface, something under a hundred feet below. To the left, about sixty feet away, he could hear the falls clearly.
The winch had a ratchet lock and was old, but strong. Working it for several minutes, the slab door slowly rolled into the wall. Just in front of the opening was a metal cleat anchored into the rock. He marveled that it was not rusted.
There was no ledge to stand upon, but leaning out Jha’Ley saw across the water his men waiting diligently for his return. Stepping out as far as he safely could, he waved his arms and began to yell.
It was Dessi who spotted the commodore with the telescope, “Seedle, you are not going to believe my discovery.”
Taking the scope, Seedle closed his eyes and shook his head.
The sergeant looked to Toagun, his clothes tattered, some few bite marks about his body, Rufus applying dressing, but clean, “Mister Sealer, are you still wistful of following in the waterborne path, or do you feel up to trekking up that way and searching a trail?”
Toagun took the scope from Seedle who asked, “Are you sure you do not need stitches? Ottus, over there, is bored and would like to practice his needle work.”
“Very funny. It looks like he got enough practice on you.”
With a laugh, Seedle said, “Ah, thirty-five stitches. It will man me up for the women, do you not think?”
“Maybe he should sew an addition to your---”
“Boys, boys …” Dessi broke in, “I hate to spoil your heightened conversation,” he pointed up the side of the falls, “but …”
Toagun stood up and reached for his leather vest, “On it, sarge.”
Rahno, Toagun, Dallio, and Seedle made their way around the lake and to the foot of the falls where they could easily see Jha’Ley.
The commodore yelled down, “Heyo, gentlemen. I believe we have a safe haven while canoes are being made.”
Seedle asked, “Uh … sir? How do we get up there?” He pointed to Toagun, “With all due respect, I am not swimming amid piranha.”
“I have an idea on that Mister Seedle.”
“Yes sir?”
“How are your rock climbing skills?”
Seedle looked to Toagun, Toagun looked to Seedle, and then Toagun exaggerated a big, wide grin. Seedle looked back to the rock, then turned and started back the way they came, muttering, “Damn … shite … son-or’a-jym … mohrga humping … damn-n-n …”
Jha’Ley yelled down, “You will need to bring firewood!”
Seedle draped the three measuring cords about his body, then began the ever-so-carful slow climb up the watery, slick rock face. The handholds were few, but he eventually reached the doorway where Jha’Ley was waiting with outstretched hand.
“Good to see you Mister Seedle.”
“Aye sir, good to see you too.”
“Did you not bring some soup and hot tea, I am hungry.”
Seedle gave him a look, then both broke into laughter. “No sir, but how about a bit of Avalon Apple Brandy?”
“Ah …” Jha’Ley raised his eyebrows, “… you have with you?” Seedle winked and took out a metal flask, “Pleasures of being cob.”
Jha’Ley secured an end to the cleat and tossed the cord down. Afterward, it was a simple matter of exercise for the team to join Jha’Ley up top. It wasn’t easy, mind you, but for Dessi’s Marines this was just a drill.
While the men were climbing, the commodore searched about and found another room nearby which had one of those holes in the ceiling. As they came up, Jha’Ley escorted them to the room. There everyone took a break, glad to be out of the jungle if only for a while.
Jha’Ley was pleased to regain his gear and he donned his spare dry tunic and boots with relish, followed by the leather armor. The fresh roasted meat he was offered was welcome, as well. He did not ask what it was, but it tasted like chicken. That, with some of what was left of his dodger rations and cold water made for a fine meal.
“Gentlemen, I do not know what all is here, but it seems to be unoccupied for centuries. We can have shelter, and we can build the canoes under watch, and then get out of here. On the other hand …”
Jha’Ley briefly described the piranha, eel-like creatures in the cavern, the tunnel up, pool with the hatch door, candle, and his belief whoever supplied the candle was some sort of friendly.
One of the privates asked, “Sir, could the candle have been put there by a haunt?”
“Good question. I am still in a quandary. But I believe whoever, or whatever it was or is, intended me find the doorway. My gut feeling is this being is benevolent.”
Mantel asked, “Is it possible he, she, it, could be a survivor, or even a last of their species?”
“It is a good possibility. But as I have said, I saw no signs of occupation or habitation on the way up. The walls of the rock are red, which suggests heavy iron content leeched the oxygen out of the air, but the air is good. It does not make sense. I do not know. My father probably would, though.”
Rufus asked, “Sir?”
“Yes Mister Rufus?”
“Sir, do you have any thought of which way to go?”
With a smile and a shake of his head Jha’Ley replied, “No, Mister Rufus, I do not.”
“If I may make a suggestion, sir, some ancient civilizations I know of, who built in such places as this, made their apartments in the top …” he pointed upward, then added, “I once saw a ruin built into the side of a cliff. It had a temple on the top.”
Dessi remarked, “That is a good idea.”
Jha’Ley shrugged with approval and thought, “Very well. I have been down below, and saw nothing special on the climb up, although there is much more I have not seen. Up it is. Sergeant, let us secure this room as base, arrange for more wood to be lifted up, and make this place livable for a few days.
Looking to Toagun, Seedle, Dallio, and Rufus he said, “Let us make an upward survey of what we can and place marks at every intersection we may take.”
Dessi declared, “I go with you this time, Lieutenant Mantel and Rahno will do well in charge of operations. And we have already spotted trees to down.”
Jha’Ley grinned, “Done. Let us be off.”
After some trekking through tunnels and up one flight of stairs, they found a room with a round fountain in the middle of the floor. Water was spouting up the top into a square basin built into the floor.
The basin seemed to be a watering hole, had a rock wall two feet from the floor, and was nine feet square.
Dessi observed, “The water is circulating down and out …” he dipped a finger in and tasted, “… m-m-n-n-n … ice cold, clean …”
The men had already filled canteens from the lake, but this was good to know. Most rooms had bare walls with metal hooks, but this one had two rows of stone shelves all around the room.
As they moved on, another source of fresh air seemed to be coming from higher up, a much stronger source.
More flights of stairs and corridors later, Toagun pointed, “I thought I saw something move … in that room over there.”
They stepped into a large round room with two more corridors leading in different directions. Looking down, they saw a large circular design etched in the floor about eighteen feet in diameter.
Dallio was fascinated, “I have never seen the like.”
Seedle and Dessi looked to each other, then to Jha’Ley.
The commodore pulled out his watch and gave it a careful study. The design on the floor was identical to the one on his compass rose, complete with tri-grams, elvin symbol and all.
Rufus almost whispered the words, “Wheel … could this be the wheel Captain Greybeard was searching for?”
Jha’Ley was very thoughtful, then tilted his head and chewed his lip. He handed the candle to Rufus who was standing at the entrance. Toagun, Seedle, and Dessi fanned out and watched with scrut
iny. Holding his watch, he walked around, reached down to touch and stepped onto the etching. It was intricately carved into the stone.
The men began to yell and he turned to see the problem. Even as he did their voices began to grow distant. He looked quickly about, but saw nothing wrong.
Dessi tried jumping toward him, but Toagun and Seedle held him back. Then he saw them all fade into the shadows and disappear.
Chapter 50
MOVEMENT IN HIS watch made Jha’Ley look down, then do a double-take. What in Hades?! The hands were spinning backward … so fast he couldn’t follow. With a sudden thought he didn’t step, he jumped off the symbol. As he did the watch hands came to a stop.
“Shite!”
The room was now pitch dark, save for the watch’s green light. Staring with alarm at the floor etching he said, “To Hades with that!”
Checking his gear, he was fully outfitted, save for his crossbow. Critically scrutinizing his watch, he could not believe the reading. He shook it once, then again, but violently. Shutting it, then opening it again he stared. The damn thing indicated a few minutes after ten o’clock … in the morning … ten days ago.
“Twice more a-GAIN shite!”
Working his way around the symbol, he got out into the corridor. But as he did, he noticed badness in the air. The room was good, but … he felt a headache, dizziness. Quickly, he ducked back into the symbol room. The air was better, but not by a lot. He had to think, and think fast.
Water! Could he inhale deep, do his Tai’Jhi thing, and get down to the room with the fountain? Would the fountain still be running … or … would it have been running ten days ago, no, ten days from now … before whoever set out that candle knew they were coming … what-EVER! Could he make it? He had too.
Jha’Ley dropped his pack at the entrance, he wasn’t going to be shiking needing it if he died, and he needed speed. He found the place with the strongest waft of good air, and breathed as deep and slow as he could. His pop had made him exercise like this before.
Okay, think of the return, get it in mind … easy to the entrance … then he took off. He didn’t run, he used a smooth but quick flowing gate. Around the corridor, down the stairs, more corridors … he was so faint … just a bit more … another staircase … he imagined pop talking, “Hang on Jann Raul, hang on … you almost have it.”
Jha’Ley felt as if his chest would burst. Everything began to gray out. Ducking into a room, almost falling in actually, he found he was in an empty room. He couldn’t hold out any more. Coughing he gagged in bad air. Reeling, he stepped out and took a few more steps. Falling to his knees he began to wretch.
Another doorway, an entrance. On his feet he knew he was about to die. Was that a gurgling he heard? Lurching forward he thrust his green-lit watch in front of him and saw the basin. He jumped with a dive as he felt himself blacking out.
___________________________
Jha’Ley had no idea how long he had been laying in the basin. When he slowly awakened his main thought was, ‘Where am I? I am all wet.’ He was completely immersed by water, but everything was dark. Where was his watch?
Crawling about he found it was not in the basin. Six times he inhaled deep of the fluid and crawled on hands and knees. He finally found it on the floor against a wall. Interestingly, he found he could go for a much longer period with water held in lungs, over air.
As he crawled he became aware of his canteen. Dumb … he could have inhaled its contents when trying to reach this room. Maybe it wouldn’t have been enough to flush his lungs, maybe it would have helped. Whatever …
Jha’Ley’s head was aching and he decided he had a concussion from colliding with the fountain, but that was better than the alternative. What was more, his right knee was sprained and he thought he may have cracked a bone in his left forearm. It was swollen pretty badly, but he didn’t think the bone was moving.
Crawling back into the basin, he lay on his back to think.
This would be a good time for that good-willed person to show up. Jha’Ley figured right now he could use some help. Checking the time, it had been twelve hours since leaving the symbol room, which means he was knocked out for quite a while.
Closing his eyes, he slept a dreamless sleep.
Fourteen hours later he awakened, then took a few moments to determine where he was. He was feeling hungry, but his rations were upstairs with his pack. Okay, it was time to move. His next stop was the doorway leading outside. Jha’Ley could not understand why the air in the place was so bad. It was good just a while ago. Reality check … several days from now … it will be good then. Miu’Ganté!
Getting out, then holding his head back in, he breathed heavily and counted … three … two … one … go …
The distance to the door was much less than from the symbol room to the fountain. As he found the door, he was puzzled to find it closed. Also, the catch lever on the ratchet was in the opposite direction. Thankfully he knew how to work the mechanism. His left arm was useless, and burping some of the water in his lungs through his gills, he replenished with what was in his canteen.
It took a few tries to break the wheel loose, but when the door moved a gush of air rushed in, blowing him backward. Fighting his way back to the wheel, he turned it until it was eighteen or so marks wide. It afforded a good gust, but not overpowering. Good, two tasks accomplished. Sitting down at juncture with the long corridor to rest and blow out water, he put more thought to the situation.
He was about nine days backward. A moment’s elation hit him; he could get through the jungle and save his men’s life. Better yet, he was thinking good now, he could go stand on that thing and go back, way-y-y back, and get to the iceberg and warn them not to even come in here. How many lives would he save then?
No, no, no … he could do even better. He could keep close track of his watch and go back to when Greybeard made it to that lake, before the attack, whenever it was. He could get there Fall of the year before, live under the water, build a hut, whatever it took.
Jha’Ley smiled, he could save the Kelshinua and crew …
He leaned his head back. As it bumped the wall excruciating pain shot through his skull … Ow-w-w … and his arm ached, and his knee. Most likely he would go out like this and get picked off by a giant hummingbird, or something.
Of course, he could go back some more and give himself time to heal. That meant going through traipsing down those corridors again. But, he had the canteen, he could suck up a bunch of water, have the canteen, then go backward a few months …
But what if it did not work this time? Or, what if it did something else? Could it send someone forward, or another place, even? How about another time and another place.
Shivers went through his spine; the sammies hit him real hard. Had any of this been done before? Of course. That, that thing was up there. Was that why this whole place was deserted?
He vaguely remembered an argument pop had with Teaberry while he was still with them. The argument had something to with, with … what was it … quantum physics and temperamental, no, trans-dimensional time travel. He had been tired, had listened in a bit, but it was way over his head. Pop had gone on and on with math equations across the board on why it should not be done.
Then Teaberry said with his chin in his hand, “But it has been done, Albri, by the Dorhune. Shei’Lu believed it predates even them. It’s one reason the High Elvin Council outlawed it.”
Very well, then, if it was outlawed … but why?
Jha’Ley glanced about, that was thousands of years ago. Was this an old Dorhune place? Was the benevolent being one of them? Were they trying to help him, them, get out? Where were they at this moment? He would like to talk, communicate in some way. He wanted to thank the person, spirit, whatever.
“Thank you, whoever you are ...”
Which tri-gram was it he stepped on? The bottom, the one with three broken lines. It represented the snake, south, and earth.
Then he remembered
something his mom used to say, “It is not always about whether someone could do a given thing or not, but whether they should.”
Had something bad happened, or almost happened regarding this magic, or science, whatever it was? Jha’Ley decided it must have. But why have this ability and not use it for some good? He could go back and change …
He looked long at the door. Something about it was not right.
On the other hand, he could see a challenge with seeing himself warning the crew, and there were other things as well. And what would happen with two of himself walking around? Would the he, right now, version of himself cease to exist? What if they touched each other?
First is first, he needed to find that other fresh air source. It was not there when he stepped back in time, so where would it be? Could he make it with one good drought of water in his lungs?
He noticed the air was getting pretty good, and he could smell a pungent mixture of flowers. He smiled, the same smell he first came across when he first climbed out of the pool.
Jha’Ley looked back to the door. Maybe he should check the pool, first? He started to get up, but his knee was really sore, and now it was badly swollen, swollen to fill his pants leg. This was not a good sign. Removing his thigh and shin guard, he took his dagger and split the pants leg past the knee … o-o-o-o-o-o! The relief was fast, and painful, as well as the swelling was now free to grow. Jha’Ley desperately hoped his knee was not hurt beyond a sprain.
You know what? The idea of traipsing through the jungle just took the path of Fathom Forty. ‘Fathom Forty,’ he thought, ‘just another way of saying forever lost, or, lost to the deep without recovery.’ Of course, he could use the idea of going back in time to heal … nah, he had a hunch it would not be the best.
This much was for sure, he was not swimming for a while, let along climb down that cliff. No, he was here for a bit. He thought with irony, ‘At least another nine days.’
He wondered if sitting in the coolness of the pool would help his knee and arm. A banged right knee, broken left arm, not good. With great effort, Jha’Ley managed to get up and start hobbling down the corridor. When he came to the first flight of steps he called aloud, “I could use you friend, wherever you are …” but the words were absorbed by the walls.
