The Night Land, a Story Retold

by James Stoddard

  Once past the shadows, I reached a second bend to the right. I was startled by low rumblings reverberating like distant thunder through the gorge. I hid behind some boulders, then began creeping among the rocks toward the source of the shining. As I turned the corner, I found myself gaping down into a land covered with countless seas. Volcanoes, rising out of the midst of the waters, filled the country with the ruddy light.

  It is strange to know two existences, for as Andros I had read of oceans, lakes, and volcanoes, but had never seen one, whereas as Andrew I remembered paddling boats across ponds or watching warships pass into their docks. Whether I reacted as a man of the past or a child of the future, I stood awestruck after so much darkness, silent before the red glare.

  Despite my amazement, the sheer size of the country soon wrenched a groan from my breast, for if the Lesser Redoubt, which stood in a land of darkness, lay behind this vast region, I still had many miles to go to find Naani. So I stood, troubled and anxious before the wonder and glory of that strange country. Eventually I made my way to the outermost edge of the mouth of the gorge, where I could see more clearly. I counted twenty-seven volcanoes, excluding two ranges of gargantuan hills of fire burning far away to my right. There were also myriads of smaller flames blazing across the country. A small volcano rose out of a sea little more than a mile from me, while a score of others spread out behind it. I counted three small lakes, and one tremendous body of water stretching beyond sight into the crimson glow of the volcanoes.

  Some of the cones of fire rose from islands within the seas, and others rose straight out of the waters. Steam drifted over the seas, obscuring them in parts; the water boiled in various places. The low, volcanic rumblings I had heard in the gorge sounded much louder at times, as if the earth were tearing itself apart.

  Perhaps, of all I saw, the thing that struck me most was the clarity of perception. Having lived all my life in shadows, I had never before looked a long distance away without the aid of a spyglass. Now the countryside rolled for miles before me. The cliffs towered on both sides and vanished into the upper darkness, for even the tremendous light of the volcanoes could not reveal where the Rift met the surface world. Neither had I ever witnessed a land so filled with energy and life.

  Nearby, to the left of the gorge's mouth, rose a black mountain separate from the sides of the Rift, for I could see its peaks towering fifteen or twenty miles into the night. A volcanic cone jutted from its side about five miles up, and a second at ten miles distance, so they seemed to hang in the air, their red mouths smoking. Two others stood upon the left crest of that black mountain, so high they seemed like smoldering suns. Below these volcanoes rose mountains of ash and igneous rock, gray monuments to the dreadful glory of Time.

  To my right glistened the endless sea and the red blazing of the fire-hills, but to my left, beyond the black mountain, reared tall forests of bizarre trees, with volcanoes, dead and living, rising between them.

  I wandered, almost mesmerized with amazement, down the mouth of the gorge, then paused upon realizing that I had failed to plot my course. Upbraiding myself for a fool, I returned to the heights and studied the land more carefully. I soon saw but one way to go, for the sea blocked my path to the right, but a strip of bare beach straggled beside the waters to my left.

  Troubled and bewildered, yet thankful for the light and splendor, I cleared the gorge in two hours and entered the Country of the Seas, as I named that land of water and fire.

  X

  THE COUNTRY OF THE SEAS

  I walked through the brilliant light of the Country of the Seas, among rocks and water, beneath the boughs of various kinds of extraordinary trees, with leaves shaped like paper fans, diamonds, or filamented circles delicate and puffed as dandelions. Many grew impossibly tall for the size of their trunks, for without a wind to disturb them they required little support. Others spread out like immense bushes. The highest branches easily topped a hundred feet. The trees fascinated me, for I had never seen anything larger than the groves in the Underground Fields. I often paused and looked up through the branches, imagining that the red glow through the leaves was the sunlight of former ages, an easy fancy since the majority of the vegetation turned toward the volcanoes as if receiving nourishment there. In those moments my previous existence clung to me like a ghost, and I remembered with almost painful clarity tramping through forests, feeling the cool shade on my brow on hot summer days.

  From the time I left the part of the gorge containing the noxious fumes to the time I stood in the forest, I had traveled almost twenty-four hours, and even my excitement could no longer delay my weariness. Searching for a place to sleep, I soon settled on what I thought an adequate spot, though one not as protected as I might have liked, a level area where three huge trees grew around a dry, stone basin.

  Perhaps my memory of other lunches in other forests made my meager rations especially distasteful, for a vague recollection of sandwiches reminded me how often my stomach went unsatisfied. Despite that, I fell asleep almost immediately and dreamed of ocean waves rolling onto a beach. I climbed into the water, which was surprisingly warm.

  I woke to find my dream had come true, for a hot stream rushed around me. I sprang to my feet, sputtering, the taste of salt in my mouth. Water gurgled into the basin from a smooth slit on the far side, filling it rapidly and sending steam roiling up in clouds. Because of my lack of experience in natural phenomenon, it took me several moments to realize that I was not being attacked, but was the victim of underground pressure propelling water up through the rocks. Fortunately, it was not hot enough to burn me. Once I realized I was in no danger, I pulled my pouch and scrip from the water, stripped off my armor and body vest, and spread my garments upon a hot rock to dry.

  "If the water is poisonous, I'm already a dead man," I muttered. "I might as well take a bath."

  I propped my diskos within reach at the basin's edge and climbed back into the pool. Up until that point I had not realized how much of my body was purple with bruises, but the heat did wonders to soothe my soreness. I soaked in the bath a long while, and it was only when the water began draining that I realized it followed a natural cycle. I climbed out and watched it slip away. Within an hour of its filling, it lay empty.

  My clothing dried quickly in the heat of that country, and I dressed hurriedly. I had only slept a little while before the water had awakened me, and feeling relaxed after my bath, I slumbered another six hours beside the pool, listening to its gurgles as it filled and emptied.

  Upon waking, I felt better than I had for a long time. I ate, trying not to think of sandwiches, and went on my way at a rapid pace, skirting the edge of the woods to my left and keeping the seashore to my right, though often picking my way between the trunks when the trees crowded up to the water. I enjoyed my journey; it awoke a wistfulness of bygone days, the scent of tree and leaf filling my nostrils with a perfume reminiscent of clover.

  However, my happiness turned to apprehension when I saw eyes peering at me from the undergrowth, only to vanish before I could reach them. This happened several times, and though nothing attacked me, I knew I was not alone. I unslung my diskos from my belt and gripped it close.

  Three times during the day's journey I heard the crackling of flames. In each instance I soon found a fire hill little taller than myself. The fires had consumed the trees, but smaller vegetation, living and dying between the bursts of lava, sprouted all around. With my preoccupation for keeping careful counts, it delighted me to note that I passed thirty-seven boiling springs, many spewing steam and roaring like animals.

  I slept at the eighteenth hour with my back against a huge boulder, my dozing less easy now that I knew the forest was inhabited. I thought about Naani as I drifted off; in fact, I had thought of her all day, as if her spirit hovered close to mine. I blessed her in my heart, and vowed with renewed determination to travel more swiftly the next day.

  ***

  I awoke abruptly, with a feeling of anxiety
, and sat up on my elbow. Six squat men with humps upon their necks crouched at the edge of the tree line less than twenty paces away, watching from the shadows of the branches, their eyes shining golden as wolves'.

  I leapt to my feet, weapon in hand, but though I never lost sight of the intruders' place of concealment, they vanished without my seeing them go. Having awakened so suddenly from sleep, I thought for a moment they might have been a dream, or an illusion created from the shadows and the foliage, but I quickly dismissed this as wishful thinking. I could not have imagined their staring, animal eyes.

  I glanced at my chronometer; I had slept five hours. I made a hurried breakfast, draining the cup carelessly, all my attention fastened on the forest. I hoped the Humped Men had departed, their curiosity satisfied, though I knew they might just as well be preparing an ambush for me, or hurrying to their camp to return with an army of their kind. Whatever the case, I strode away, fingering the trigger of my weapon and glancing constantly from side the side. My travels had increased my endurance until I felt sure I could outdistance any pursuers.

  I journeyed for thirty hours, stopping to eat every six. Never once did I see the Humped Men, but three times I heard something keeping pace with me through the woods to my left. I dared not stop to sleep until I found a place of safety.

  At the end of the thirtieth hour, a wide river, flowing from my left into the sea at my right, blocked my path. At its mouth stood a small island. I thought it might serve as a refuge if I could only reach it, but the water ran deep, and I did not know how to swim. I went up-river seeking a narrower place to cross, but walked only a short distance before my way was blocked by another branch of the river feeding into the first.

  I stood perplexed and uncertain. Having been raised in the Great Pyramid, where boats were unknown, I pondered far longer than might have otherwise been necessary. Only after recalling hazy memories from my life as Andrew did I think to build a raft.

  Here, my interest in mathematics proved a detriment, for I was soon jotting down numbers and measurements in the back of Ayleos' Mathematics, creating unlikely, fanciful designs at first, then gradually modifying them to simpler forms. At last, realizing the uselessness of my grandiose plans, I shut the book and set to work. A number of fallen trees lay about, but the first I chose proved too heavy to move. Finally, I found a pair of usable trunks. I struggled a good hour with these, for they were by no means light, but at last I got them down to the water. Using my diskos to shape the wood, I made a rough pole of a sapling, then lashed the two trees together utilizing the belts and straps from my pack and scrip.

  I kept a careful watch for my adversaries as I worked, which slowed me somewhat, but in the end I launched my little craft and scrambled on board. Navigation proved an unfamiliar skill; fortunately the water moved slowly, and after a half-hour of poling, I reached the island and pulled my craft partially onto the shore. I had been awake for thirty-three hours, and was almost beyond exhaustion. After surveying the island for dangers, I threw myself among the rocks and clumps of tall grass and drifted into a sound sleep.

  Afterward, I breakfasted and set out for the far side of the river. This proved difficult in the clumsy raft; I had to pole furiously to avoid being swept out to sea. Oddly enough, my main worry was that if I lost the craft I would lose the belts and straps from my pack and scrip.

  I finally made it to shore, feeling I had triumphed over the Humped Men, who surely could not cross the water. It eventually occurred to me that their people might dwell on both sides of the river, but if so I hoped to remain undiscovered by the clan on this side. To that end, I continued at a swift pace, past more oddities and wonders than I could ever recount. I kept to my schedule of resting and eating, and between the eighth and fourteenth hours encountered two large fire-hills that made the entire country tremble with their rumblings.

  Four times, monstrous creatures at least twice my height passed me while I hid among the trees, each different from all the others, three walking on four legs, and one on two. Two of them had armored plating all over their bodies; two were covered with thick hair. I could not guess whether they ate meat, but I did not want to find out.

  Often, I traveled among the trees, and often through the desolation of numerous boiling springs and fire-hills. Their roaring filled the whole land, and because of the rich atmosphere, their flames blazed with extraordinary heat. I saw many different kinds of life, all alien to me, and had no way of knowing which were lethal and which benign.

  As I wandered among the trees and flourishing vegetation, breathing the sweet, rich air, it occurred to me that if I could ever return to the Last Redoubt to give my report, my descendants might find a way to reach this country to build a new refuge when the Earth Current died. Many might consider this idle speculation, since it seemed impossible for my people to bypass the monsters and Forces, but no one knows what the future may bring, and I amused myself for hours imagining the sanctuary I would design, its angles, lines and dimensions flowing through my mind in splendid procession.

  A little before the eighteenth hour, I passed out of the trees into a clearing. The rocky ground had sloped upward for the last several hours, leaving the sea hidden below cliffs to my right. I found myself standing before a sharp crag, easily a hundred feet high. Something lay at its crown, an odd shape that at first glance seemed to be another stone laid across the peak, though it had a semblance of symmetry. Trees and vegetation grew upon its surface, as they did all along the ledges of the crag.

  I stared at the crest without comprehension, and finally decided that whatever it was, I could probably sleep there in safety if I could only reach it. I began climbing at once, but soon discovered it was even taller than I had suspected. Being weary, I saw no point in going all the way to the summit, but set my sights upon a wide shelf of rock opening onto a shallow cave. I soon reached it, and after eating, dropped almost at once into a deep sleep.

  ***

  I awoke abruptly seven hours later with an intense sense of danger, though I did not see any enemies around me. I rose quietly with my diskos ready, crept to the rim of the ledge, and peered over the side.

  Two Humped Men climbed swiftly and silently toward me, sniffing the air like hounds, their heads raised. I steeled myself as I watched them, keeping my head close to the rocks so they could not see me. They were not truly humpbacked, but gave that impression because of the inhuman thickness of their necks and shoulders, which were like the necks of bulls. They appeared to be powerful and moved with bestial quickness. I knew either I, or they, would be dead in the next few moments.

  I stepped back a pace from the edge, holding my diskos ready, determined to kill one of the brutes instantly to narrow my odds. I waited for what seemed an eternity, every nerve quivering within me.

  When the Humped Man appeared, he moved with such unbelievable speed it seemed as if he suddenly materialized. But I struck just as swiftly. At that moment, before the blow fell, when time seemed to stand still, I saw his face clearly, a brutish block, with squinting eyes and fanged tusks. Despite his massive body, he gave an impression of feline grace.

  I killed him before his hairy chest ever passed over the edge. He sank back, sagged, and fell. I heard his body lumbering downward, bouncing dully from rock to rock.

  A silence arose. I waited again, trying to suppress my excited breathing.

  The moments passed and my second opponent did not appear. I turned rapidly from side to side, searching for my enemy, my weapon ready, my pulse pounding at my temple. Every second seemed a lifetime.

  At last, I stepped softly to the rim and looked downward. The rock face stretched empty all the way to the bottom. At first I thought he had fled. I whirled around, fearing he might have slipped above me, but there was no one there.

  I took a deep breath and leaned far over the ledge. A started cry escaped my lips as I spied him, crouched beneath the shelf, clinging to a rock, his whole body nearly horizontal. For the barest moment, we stared eye to ey
e, then he sprang, diving at a ninety-degree angle straight from the rock face. With unimaginable speed and strength, he hooked his hands upon the ledge, pulled himself up in one swift motion, and seized my diskos by its end.

  Instinctively, I activated the weapon; otherwise I would either have lost it or been pulled over the edge. It blazed with power, burning the man's hand, forcing him to release it.

  I staggered back when he let go, but he paused only an instant before lifting himself onto the ledge and leaping at me. I dodged to the right, avoiding the blow, even as I slashed with the diskos. My thrust fell short, barely gashing the brute's belly and scorching his thick, brown hair.

  He sprang after me, but I struck full at his face, causing him to leap away from the weapon's roaring fire. He did not entirely escape, however, for I cut his arm.

  Fear of my weapon shone in his eyes. I rushed at him, striking at his face again, but he eluded me with animal speed. Bounding to the point where the ledge met the rock face, he seized a boulder split off from the rest of the formation, and tore it away. It was enormous, as large as I, yet he held it effortlessly above his head.

  He swung it, not sideways as a human might, which would have driven me over the precipice, but straight down. I dodged, not once but several times, dancing back and forth across the ledge, the long drop to my back. As I struck at him, I tried to avoid hitting the rock he used as a shield, fearing the impact might break my diskos. I kept expecting him to cast the stone, but he seemed to lack the concept of doing so, and continued wielding it as a club. I struck at him, but he deflected the blow with his stone, and despite my concern for my weapon, the diskos sheered away a portion of the rock without damaging itself.

  The Humped Man paused and stood gasping, worn from wielding the stone. I smelled the stink of his body and saw the sweat upon his brow. Though nearly at the end of my own strength, I dared not pause. While he hesitated, I leapt to his right, trying to get past his guard, but he was less weary than I thought, for he dodged my blow and trapped me against the rock wall.