"Put me down. I want to see! It's so dreadful! Like a roaring monster. Is it dangerous?"
"Not as long as we avoid lava, steam, or falling rocks," I said with a smile.
Her eyes glistened brightly, her wonder overcoming her melancholy. "How wonderful!"
Our path took us within several miles of the volcanoes, which were nothing less than mountains. Naani and I gazed at their heights with both awe and trepidation.
"Isn't it odd the way vegetation still covers the area?" she asked, "Wouldn't the lava destroy it?"
"One would think so. But there isn't any falling ash like at some of the other volcanoes, and the air is clear. There also aren't any volcanic hills forming around these. They probably haven't erupted for years. When I first came through, the fires made me think of torches, lighting the way to you."
She smiled and touched my arm.
Since there seemed no danger of falling lava, we sought for a refuge until we found a cave twenty feet above the ground in the side of a hill. It proved dry and comfortable, and once we were inside, Naani prepared our meal while I carried boulders from below and placed them at the entrance. I tried to joke about our blind sentry, but she no longer found it humorous.
Her wonder at the volcanoes had passed, and she ate her tablets quietly, her eyes moving listlessly around the cavern. I sat beside her, overcome by a sudden despair. Ignoring my pride, I blurted, "Don't you love me anymore?"
This seemed to surprise her, for her expression softened. "Oh, Andrew, you know I love you."
Her use of my old name shocked me, as if all her thoughts were focused on the past. "What is it, then?"
"I can't explain. You must give me time. So much has happened."
I tried to take her hand, but she withdrew it. "I am very tired. I would like to sleep now."
With that she curled up on the cloak, her back to me.
Not knowing what to do, not understanding what bothered her, I rose and stared out over the boulders I had placed at the mouth of the cave. From my position I could see the countryside quite well, including the two volcanoes, which I guessed stood no more than twelve miles away. The country between looked like an enormous park, spread around the volcanoes' feet, bare patches interspersed with ancient forests, glistening hot pools, and serene lakes. A slight mist covered some parts, giving the whole a romantic, mysterious look. Beyond that, the land ascended in a monstrous sweep to great terraces in the heights, with trees growing all along the slopes. The two volcanoes rose to meet the everlasting night, their upper peaks ghostly in the vast glow of their fiery crowns, which seemed to burn halfway between the known world and the lost, ancient empires of the surface.
The sight of the terraces, standing so high yet far below the burning crests of the volcanoes, left me transfixed. As the mystery of the red shining and flickering shadows fell upon them, they looked vague, somber, and dreadful. It seemed a place where no life could ever dwell, or a region where a man might wander forever lost.
Presently, I broke my reverie and searched the landscape closer to our cave, looking for signs of the Humped Men. Seeing nothing that troubled me, I turned back to the cave. Naani's breathing was already steady and slow, and with my diskos close by, I lay down beside her without touching her, wounded that she had not kissed me goodnight.
I fell asleep to the constant trembling of the earth, a slight shuddering, comforting in its way, like being rocked to sleep, but I dreamed of fire-breathing monsters rampaging outside the cave. Naani's slumbers were also broken once more by nightmares; six times I had to wake her while she cried and moaned in her sleep, calling the names of her lost kin.
***
Naani did not wake before me the next morning as she normally did, and I let her sleep an extra hour before rousing her with the noise of the fizzing tablets. I tried to be jovial, but she would have none of it, and I saw her soul had not yet climbed out of the pit into which it had fallen. I tried to hold her, and though she allowed it, she scarcely returned the embrace at all.
"You had nightmares again last night."
"It's nothing," she insisted. "I will be fine. I don't remember dreaming."
"You don't remember my waking you?"
Her brow furrowed. "A little. But I don't remember what I dreamt."
"I can't help if you won't say."
"And I can't say if I don't know. It will pass."
We ate in silence. Afterward I looked out across the countryside, where a herd of strange, four-footed creatures ranged far to the northwest, near the base of the volcanoes. Otherwise, I detected no danger.
Perhaps because Naani remained so pensive, leaving me time for reflection, I saw the country with new eyes that day. When I had first passed through, I had been so intent on my mission I had failed to notice how this whole portion seemed like a huge park. Fires burned cleanly in many places, and spewed rocks in others; hot lakes bubbled and fountains of steam whistled their eternal, lonely songs. We wound through patches of woodland or walked beside a single, enormous tree standing in a clearing apart from its fellows. Volcanoes dotted the landscape, each over twenty feet tall; we passed seven of these in three hours. Two smoldered, scarcely burning at all, but the other five sent up smoke and ash, making the area around them desolate. One of the five occasionally discharged stones that burst in the air with a roar, scattering shards all around, leaving fragments caught in the tree branches. I wondered how long the vegetation could withstand such an assault. We kept as close to the sea as we could to avoid being struck.
Presently, we heard a dull boom, originating from a boiling water spout rising from the midst of a formation between us and the mountains. The jet varied in height from a hundred to three hundred feet and a boulder big as a house danced on the stream. The booming occurred whenever the boulder fell to earth. It must have been caught in the jet for several decades, for it was completely round, polished by the water until it reflected the volcanoes’ crimson light.
Though I had heard the noise it made on my original journey, I had not seen the cause. This told me that we were at least half a mile farther from the shore than I had been before.
We watched the fountain playing with the rock, but did not approach it too closely, since it occasionally threw off a ferocious spattering of stones. We did get near enough to hear its pressure building: a coughing roar from deep within the earth followed by sobbing gurgles, then the water spout shooting upward. When the stone fell, it descended into a cup-shaped pit. I suppose the water cushioned the blow, preventing the boulder from breaking.
It was a strange sight, and after watching it a while, I turned to go, thinking Naani would follow. After a dozen paces, I noticed her absence and turned back and found her walking toward the boiling fountain.
"Naani! Come away! Don't get too close."
If she heard, she ignored me, beginning to run instead.
I shouted again. When she disregarded me, a dread filled my heart that an Evil Force had seized her mind; I thought of the youths rushing into the House of Silence. I tore after her, while she drew ever closer to the fountain. I could hear the pressure building beneath my feet.
Running with all my strength, I caught her as she climbed the pile of rocks surrounding the jet. The pit gaped before us, the boulder lying in its center.
Even as I reached her, the fountain erupted, surging in a tremendous column, as if the sea lifted itself into the shape of a pillar, its thunder shaking the ground. It hung in the air directly above us, seemingly ready to collapse on our heads. A fine haze of scalding water rose around us.
I scooped up Naani and fled, crowding her against my breast so my armor could protect her from flying stones. Even as I sprinted beyond the shadow of the column, a rock struck a boulder at my back, shattering it and sending shards ringing against my armor, nearly throwing me off my feet.
When we reached safety, I put Naani down. The fragments had knocked the wind out of me, so for a moment I could scarcely breath, much less speak. Not knowin
g I had been hit, Naani laughed like a child, as if it were all a game.
"Are you insane?" I cried, when I found my voice once more. "Has some Force possessed you?"
Seeing how angry I was, she grew more somber. "No, I'm not. I wish I were."
She stalked away, while I gaped at her back.
"Naani!" I called, but she ignored me.
Her actions thereafter baffled me completely, for she seemed more determined than ever to taunt me. She walked some distance away, humming sometimes, sometimes dancing as she went, until I began to wonder if our trials had really unhinged her mind. One moment, she seemed completely despondent, the next she bounced along, happy as a child, but in an almost frenzied state. During her animated phases I tried to convince her to calm down, but she refused. I tramped along, feeling I had lost my beloved, after all.
We soon left the rumblings of the two volcanoes behind, while Naani's mood vacillated between bleak and exuberant. At times she seemed almost drunk; she talked incessantly about various parts of our journey—the flying ship, the fountain and the boulder, the slugs of the Upward Gorge—a thousand things, but she spoke as if to keep from thinking, and paid little attention to my replies.
So we went through much of the day, until I grew dull from worry. To add to my distress, I began to sense something watching us, and more than once, though I was never certain, I thought I glimpsed figures moving behind the trees. I kept asking Naani to lower her voice, but though she complied, the danger did not seem to make an impression on her. Neither would she walk close beside me, regardless of how I begged, and I found myself constantly trying to keep near enough to protect her. More and more I feared she had fallen under the sway of an Evil Force. If so, it was like none I had ever encountered, for my Night Hearing detected nothing.
Finally, when I found it unbearable, I scolded her, calling her selfish and thoughtless. Tears sprang to her eyes, but instead of replying she sulked. This lasted for two long hours, but at least she stayed closer after that.
We made good speed toward the river, for I wanted to press on and build a raft as quickly as possible, so we could sleep safely upon the small island in the middle of the stream. Naani showed some interest when I spoke of it, though she soon returned to her brooding.
When we reached the river, we stumbled upon the same two trees which had previously served as my raft. We searched until we found another tree a hundred paces away, which I carried back to the others. I also cut several branches from live trees with my diskos, to use for cross-pieces. With our belts and straps tying the parts together, I quickly reconstructed the raft. While I worked, Naani watched me listlessly, as if even the thought of assisting lay beyond her strength. Because of the raft's weight, I coaxed her into helping me carry it to the water, though I had to ask several times before she complied. I drove a sharp branch into the shore for a stake, and moored the craft to it using another limb as a hook.
I could not find the pole I had cut on my original journey, which troubled me somewhat, since some creature had obviously taken it. I put my script and pouch upon the raft, then looked for a sapling to suit my purpose. I found one beside a flat-topped rock only a few feet away and began trimming the branches while Naani watched.
Her despondency, which seemed worse each moment, terrified me. All my attempts at humor failed completely, and I soon fell silent, concentrating on my work. When I glanced up a moment later, I saw her walking toward the forest, head down, her movements almost furtive.
Even as I watched, it seemed I saw something moving among the thickets. I dared not even call out a warning, but sprinted after her, still carrying the pole. She broke into a run, so that several precious seconds passed before I caught her.
Furious with fear, I dropped the pole, took her by the shoulders, and shook her. "Naani!" I hissed, pointing toward the trees, fearing to speak too loudly. "There's something in there! What is the matter with you? The Humped Men might be near."
She struggled a moment, then was still, and when she looked at me the torment in her eyes shocked me. "You will not shake me," she said. "You will not touch me that way or I will run into the woods so the Humped Men can protect me from you."
Her words stunned me so much that I loosened my grip. Before I knew it, she twisted out of my grasp and dashed straight toward the area where I had seen movement. I caught her in a moment, and she struggled furiously, beating my armor with her fists as if I were an enemy.
I pulled her back out of the shadow of the forest and half-dragged her to the flat rock. She sobbed and fought, shrieking as if she did not know who I was, her words garbled and incomprehensible.
Abruptly she fell silent. At first I thought she had come to her senses, but then I realized she was staring wildly toward the forest. At the same time I heard the noise of something bounding through the foliage.
I turned to find a Humped Man almost upon us, his hands stretched forward as he charged. Lacking the time to reach my diskos, which lay where I had been trimming the sapling, I pushed Naani behind me, and picked up the pole and braced it against the ground. The assailant, unable to halt his charge, ran right onto the point, impaling himself through the chest, his momentum driving him halfway down the shaft's length, the force pushing me to the ground.
He howled and clutched at me, while Naani scampered to the side on hands and knees. I rolled to my feet, scooping up my diskos as I went. So powerful was the creature that he did not die at once, but sought to pull himself off the shaft. Even as he struggled, I swung my weapon, ripping him into two parts from the head down.
As he fell, I heard the sound of more running feet. Glancing up, I saw a number of Humped Men rushing toward us, carrying heavy stones as weapons. I turned to Naani. To my relief, she stood with knife drawn, ready to aid me. If she had still been irrational, I do not know what I would have done. I grabbed her by the hand, and in two quick bounds, pulled her up with me to the top of the flat rock.
I did not have time to number my adversaries, but there seemed to be at least a score of them, and though I was certain we were about to die, I would not give them Naani easily. Strangely, I did not despair. I say this not as a virtue—I was certainly afraid—but after dealing with Naani's bizarre behavior for the last few days, I finally faced an enemy I could understand.
The rock gave me one advantage: it fell steeply away on two sides, and a sheer stone wall rose ten feet high at my back, leaving my assailants only one direction of approach. Neither were they familiar with the power of my diskos.
They attacked in complete silence, swarming up the rock face with the speed of panthers. They were overconfident at first, for four of them thronged so close together that I split three of their heads with a single slash of my weapon. The fourth froze in astonishment at the sudden destruction of his fellows, and I dispatched him with a kick in the face that sent him sprawling to the ground.
With prodigious leaps over the backs of their comrades, three more sprang to the rock from below. One, carrying a heavy stone, struck me a terrible blow, driving me back against Naani. I thought he had cracked my armor, but even while falling I managed a killing stroke to one of his friends.
Naani braced me from behind, helping me stay on my feet. I slew the stone-wielder with a horizontal slash, then regained my balance and sprang at the remaining foe. The rock was too narrow for him to avoid me, nor did he try. Instead, he leapt right at me.
I met him in mid-bound, catching him in the midriff with a two-handed swing, and he seemed to explode from the power of my weapon, which cut him in half. But my battle had taken me close to the edge of the rock, lying now behind me, and even as the Humped Man's body flew through the air, two of his brothers grasped me by the ankles, pulling me back and down, bringing me hard to my knees. Though I lost track of it, the hurling body must have passed completely over me and tumbled down the side.
I struck at my foes, but only managed to chip the rock. Fortunately, it did not damage my diskos. They nearly pulled me over the
edge, but I landed a lucky blow that severed the shoulder of one of them. He let go, and I used my free foot to smash the other one’s hand.
I was somewhat dazed, but Naani appeared at my side and helped me up. We stepped back from the edge as more Humped Men reached the top. I braced myself and fanned the diskos in a quick circle. It roared like a beast, its flames blinding my enemies, driving them back with its fearsome thunder. I ran at them and killed the foremost man with a blow to the neck. Then the creatures leapt at me from three directions at once, pounding me on the helmet, back, and breast with their stones. I reeled from the blows, but did not fall, though I thought I was about to die.
Through my confused senses I heard Naani’s anguished cry. My head cleared at once, replaced by a red fury. I fought, in those next moments, as I had never fought before. Neither can I give an account of it, for I do not remember what I did, but it seems the battle lasted a lifetime.
When the gray haze of rage left me, Naani held me in her arms, and the dead lay heaped all around us on the rock. My armor was battered and broken; blood covered my body; I could feel it pouring from my wounds.
"Naani," I said, slowly, as if drunk. "They didn't hurt you?"
She was crying, touching me here and there. "Where are you injured?" she kept asking.
"I don't know. It . . . hurts all over."
For a few moments I could do nothing, then I regained enough of my senses to stand. "We have to get to the raft, Naani. The raft."
I was so weak I could scarcely walk, but with her help I made it to the edge. When I did not see any Humped Men, I managed a ragged smile, though it must have looked dreadful with so much blood running down my face.
My triumph died when I glanced down and to the right, and saw four more of my enemies creeping up the rock. I pushed Naani back, though the effort staggered me. I knew I had to fight them before my strength drained completely away.
The Night Land, a Story Retold Page 26
