Confronting the Fallen

by J. J. Thompson

  Chris looked at Natalie who had been watching his face intently.

  “Little chat with your inner angel?” she asked with a smile.

  “Yeah. Big help as usual.” Chris looked around at the fog, but heard nothing and saw no movement. The four team members stood about ten feet away, screening Chris and Natalie from any unseen attackers. Rabbi Eddleson stood nearby. He'd been so quiet that Chris had forgotten he was there. He caught Chris' eye and nodded solemnly.

  “He says that if a piece of the sword is near me, the ring should react to it somehow. But he's not quite sure if it actually works.” Natalie snickered and Chris shrugged. “Yeah, like I said. Big help.”

  Natalie offered him a trail mix bar and Chris accepted it gratefully. He chewed the bar slowly and sipped a bit of water, all the while watching the swirling mist slip and drift around them. His skin felt damp and an occasional drop of water leaked down from his hair and on to his face. Chris wiped it off with the back of his hand.

  “How long does it take to find a door”” he asked querulously.

  “In this crap? Who knows.” Natalie swallowed the last of her bar and slipped the empty package into her pocket. She also swiped at her face to get the water out of her eyes. “I'm going to end up looking like a prune in this wet.”

  Chris laughed silently and then whipped around as footsteps suddenly sounded from their right. The security team stood up straight, alert and ready for battle. A shape appeared through the shifting fog and Chris held his breath until he recognized the judge, the two security team members following closely behind him.

  “Well, we've found it. Or at least, we found a depression in the ground that is too perfectly formed to be natural. We'll have to shift some sand and gravel but it shouldn't take long. I think we'd all better stick together from now on though. Just in case.”

  Chris was in complete agreement, although no one asked him. Instead, the judge waved at them to follow him, then turned back the way he'd come and vanished into the mist.

  Everyone hurried to catch up to the judge and they moved slowly through the mist, all within six feet of each other. The ground crunched under their feet and the weird echoes amplified the sound of their movement until Chris felt like he was in the midst of a group ten times the size of their company. Judge Hawkes calmly and surely led them around the heap of stones, keeping the mass to his left and walked about thirty paces beyond it until he stopped abruptly.

  “There it is,” he said quietly and pointed ahead at the ground. Chris moved closer to the judge and looked past him at the wet-looking earth. The judge was right; there was an obvious depression, roughly rectangularly shaped and maybe six by eight feet, outlined on the ground.

  “I'm afraid that we'll need to use our hands, ladies and gentlemen, to clear this away. Unless one of you thought to bring a shovel along with you?” The question was obviously asked tongue in cheek as the judge glanced around at their anxious faces. “I thought not. Very well. Four of you will take position at our perimeter and watch for...whatever may come our way. The rest of us shall get our hands dirty.” He shrugged off his pack and set it aside. “Pile your packs here and let's get to it, shall we? While there is still enough light to see what we are doing.”

  Chris dropped his pack along with the others and followed the judge's instructions on where to start digging. Four members of the team spread out around them, focused outward, and watching for any movement. Everyone else, including Judge Hawkes, began to dig along the edges of the depression, flinging the wet sandy dirt outward.

  Even with the damp cold pressing in on him, Chris soon found himself sweating and breathing heavily. The dirt was sticky and heavier than he had imagined and it took all of them digging down about a foot before they struck a harder surface.

  The judge peered down at his own hole and nodded. “As I hoped, it is solid stone.” he said with satisfaction. “I do believe this is our door. Dig, my friends. Dig on.”

  Finding the door gave everyone renewed energy and Chris found himself digging faster. Anything to get out of this foggy trap. It took a remarkably short time after that to clear the slab of stone of all of its concealing dirt. Finally they stood back, gasping for breath and wiping the sweat from their faces.

  Chris panted and squinted down at the revealed slab of stone. The light was almost gone and it was hard to distinguish any features on the flat surface. A light suddenly pierced the gloom and Judge Hawkes swept the beam of a flashlight across the stone. Then he stepped down into the depression and stood near the center of the slab, staring at some sort of design carved on to the rock.

  “Christopher. Natalie. Joseph. Would you come here please?” he asked quietly. The two teens exchanged puzzled looks with the rabbi and joined the judge. They looked down at the illuminated symbol. “What does this look like to you?” the judge asked them.

  The carving was crude. Chris thought that whoever had cut into the stone wasn't very artistic. There were two vertical lines, a circle on top of them and two other lines; one leading up at a right-angle and the other going left and down. He stared at it and tried to puzzle it out. Then he glanced at Natalie who was frowning down at the symbol.

  “Any ideas, Nat?” Chris asked hopefully.

  “I dunno. It looks kind of familiar. At least, it reminds me of something but, no, nothing leaps to mind.”

  The rabbi was stroking his beard thoughtfully as he gazed at the carving but said nothing.

  Chris looked at the judge who was watching him with an expression of, Chris wasn't sure; pity, sadness? It was hard to say.

  “Come now, Christopher. Look closely.”

  Chris looked again. He knelt down on one knee to examine the etching in the rock. And then it hit him and he stood up and turned away slightly with a sigh.

  “Yeah, of course,” he said as he glanced up at the judge. “It's me, isn't it?”

  “Yes, my friend. You. Or rather, you as Sariel.” The judge sounded a bit sad.

  “Oh, I see it now.” Natalie was peering at the symbol. “Crude, but it shows the basics, I guess. So how do we open it?”

  The two teens looked to the judge who appeared to be wondering the same thing.

  “When my ancestor was here, he indicated that the entrance was already open. That is how he managed to find it in the first place. But when he left, he must have triggered some sort of mechanism, because the slab slammed tightly behind him. He remarked that it almost cut him in half. As to how we get through, only one method comes to mind.” He looked at Chris and then nodded at the entrance. “Touch the symbol, Chris.”

  “Touch it? You mean just put my hand on it? What good will that do?”

  “Let's find out, shall we? Just try it and see.”

  Chris thought it sounded stupid and said so, but under the judge's stern gaze he knelt beside the crude picture again. He placed his right hand palm-down on to the stone. The slab was cold, colder than the surrounding air. The bits of rock and grit on top of it dug into the flesh of his hand as he held it there, wondering how long he should wait before they were convinced that it was a waste of time.

  After a minute or so, Chris heard the judge sigh behind him. “Very well, Christopher. I suppose we'll have to think of something else.”

  “Good,” Chris said. “I feel kind of silly kneeling here.” He pulled his hand off the stone and tried to stand at the same time, and then collapsed back on to the slab. His hand was stuck to the stone.

  “What the hell?” Chris exclaimed and he started trying to yank his palm off of the slab. Nothing happened except that he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

  “What's wrong, Chris?” Natalie asked anxiously. She stepped up next to him and knelt down.

  “My hand is stuck to this stupid thing.” Chris looked up at the judge. “What's going on?”

  Judge Hawkes moved to Chris' other side and knelt down as well. “I have no idea,” he answered, obviously concerned. “Are you in pain?”

  “No. Well, just
from pulling at it. But my hand feels fine. It's just feels like it's glued to the rock. And the rock is really cold.”

  Natalie ran her fingers over the stone. “It feels fine to me,” she said, puzzled. “In fact, it's still a bit warm from the sun earlier.”

  “Not to me it doesn't. My hand's going numb from the cold, actually.” Chris was trying not to panic, but he couldn't help but think of the fog around them and what would happen if they were attacked while he was trapped stuck to this damned stone.

  “Christopher, can you speak to Sariel right now?” the judge asked quickly.

  “Um, yeah, I guess so. Why?”

  “It's just a theory, but I think the stone is waiting, for want of a better word, to feel Sariel's power before it will open. It recognizes you as his flesh, but as a human, you don't have his power.”

  “His power? Huh. Okay, just a sec.” Chris tried to forget the bitter cold that was leeching the feeling from his hand and spoke internally. 'You there?' he asked.

  “Of course, my other self,' came Sariel's reply.

  'Have you been watching what's going on?'

  'I have, Chris. I think the judge may be right. Fortunately, the hand that is stuck to the stone is the one with the ring on it. You can easily touch it with my power.'

  'Really? How?' Chris asked as he gritted his teeth against the pain of the cold that was now creeping up his arm.

  'Just remember how you felt when you used the power to heal. Remember the warmth, the sense of strength that flowed from you to the one being healed. Power is power and that should suffice.'

  'Heal a rock? That's a new one.'

  “Okay, your honor,” Chris blinked a few times as he refocused on the world around him. “He wants me to try. Here goes.”

  He remembered the puppy, how much he wanted to help, the feeling of urgency and desire to heal. And the warmth, something that he wanted desperately to feel right now. Then he stared at the stone under his hand and tried to push the power down his numb arm, into his hand and through the slab.

  For a moment, nothing happened. And then Chris began to get some feeling back into his arm and hand. He sucked in his breath as the sensation of pins and needles attacked his fingers, but it passed quickly and a wave of heat shot through him and into the stone. His hand popped off of the slab and he fell over on to his butt as he lost his balance.

  “Hey, Chris. You did it! Great job.” Natalie patted his shoulder and helped him to his feet.

  “Yeah, thanks Nat. But what now?”

  That question was quickly answered as the slab began to slide open, rumbling and grinding loudly. Chris, Natalie, the rabbi and Judge Hawkes stepped quickly on to solid ground and watched in fascination as the massive piece of stone quickly disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the sand.

  The judge pointed his flashlight down into the opening. A steep, dusty set of steps led down and out of sight and there was no indication of how far down they went. The judge glanced at Chris, who was surprised to see a smile on the man's face.

  He's excited, Chris thought and he had to admit that he felt the same. Who knows what we'll find down there. He flexed his fingers and looked at the ring. There was no indication from it that one of the sword pieces was nearby, but Chris had no idea of what would happen when he got close to one anyway.

  “Very well, everyone,” the judge called out. “Come along. I won't leave anyone out in this blasted fog while we go below.”

  The security team closed in and stood looking down into the open hole. Chris saw their doubtful expressions but all of them were too disciplined to make a comment.

  “George, Stevens, would you lead the way please? I'll go next followed by Chris and Natalie. Joseph will come after and the rest will follow us down.”

  Chris watched as George took a step downward. At that moment, the air rang with a shivering cry.

  Everyone froze. Suddenly the area was brightly lit as all of the security team turned on flashlights and shone them around, looking for the source of the scream.

  The fog reflected the lights and Chris felt like he was in the middle of a milky snow globe. Everyone was looking in all directions at once. A second scream echoed through the mist. It was impossible to identify the direction that it came from.

  “George, get down there,” the judge said urgently. “The rest of you follow him. Hurry, now. Hurry!”

  Everyone scrambled to get down the hole. The steep steps were gritty and slippery and Chris was terrified that he would slip and push the judge down into the unknown darkness, or that Natalie behind him would do the same. Somehow he managed to get below ground without cracking his head open.

  When the last of the team was on the steps and about six feet below ground, she looked down at the judge.

  “Sir, should one of us remain here? To guard the entrance?”

  Before Judge Hawkes could respond, the slab of stone started to quickly close again, shutting out the mist and distant screaming.

  “Well, I think that answers your question, Beatrice,” the judge said with a little smile. “If anything wants to get at us, it will take a while to break through that barrier. Let's proceed. George, if you please?” And he pointed downward.

  George nodded silently and continued to descend slowly.

  The stair led down twenty steps and then turned upon itself for another twenty steps. This pattern was repeated over and over. Chris tried counting the steps to see how far down they were going, but gave up after he hit two hundred.

  How deep is this place, he wondered. The air was cold and he began to see his breath in the beams of the flashlights. Unfortunately, Chris hadn't expected to need a jacket or sweater, so he hadn't packed one. He shivered but kept quiet, more concerned with his footing than the chill in the air.

  He lost track of time but the sameness of the steps and the constant slow descent became almost hypnotic and Chris was startled when George suddenly stopped walking and looked back at the judge.

  “End of the line, your honor,” he said loudly.

  Judge Hawkes slipped past Stevens and joined George at the bottom of the steps. With everyone's flashlight now pointed down, Chris could see a small square room at the base of the stairs with an open doorway leading directly out into darkness.

  “Come down everyone, but wait in here a moment,” the judge called. “I'll take a quick look around.”

  As they moved to the bottom of the steps, the judge slowly exited the room, his flashlight waving in all directions as he scouted the area.

  Chris and Natalie stood together and he could see that she was shivering as much as he was.

  “Cold enough for ya?” he asked with a tight grin. She rolled her eyes but smiled in return.

  “Too cold. One thing I've never been fond of. Give me hot over cold any day.” She peered through the door and Chris looked over her shoulder. It was quite cramped in the little room and he was shoulder to shoulder with Stevens.

  All Chris could see was the distance outline of Judge Hawkes, lit by his constantly moving beam of light. There was no sound except the anxious breathing of the group as they waited for the judge's orders. The open space ahead looked huge to Chris, considering how far from the door the judge had moved, but he couldn't see any details. Was it a shrine? A temple? A basketball court? Who could tell in this gloom.

  Finally they could see the judge making his way back to them. Just before he reached the door, he motioned for them to join him. Finally, Chris thought with relief.

  As they exited the little room, Chris saw the judge fumbling with a silver lighter. Why would he need that when he has a flashlight, Chris wondered. His question was answered when the judge stepped up next to the door, lit the lighter and touched something on the wall.

  A bright burst of warm, yellow light pushed away the darkness and Chris heard the crackling of a torch sitting in a bracket beside the door. Judge Hawkes quickly lit a second one on the opposite side. It was amazing how the familiar glow relieved some of Chris' tens
ion, and judging by the faces of those around him, he wasn't the only one who felt that way.

  The judge pointed his flashlight straight up and the others followed suit. Natalie gasped. The ceiling could barely be seen in the artificial light. A hundred feet high? More? Chris couldn't tell but it took his breath away. How long would it have taken to dig this place out without modern machines? He didn't know but it was an amazing achievement.

  “Awe inspiring, isn't it?” the judge asked in a hushed voice. “For a civilization thousands of years ago to create this, let's call it a shrine, with only hand tools and the will to act is staggering.” He turned his beam of light around and pointed at one of the many pillars that supported the immense weight of the ceiling. “Look at the carvings on these.”

  The judge led them close to the pillar and they could see thousands of tiny cuneiform figures cut into the stone. They extended from the floor up and out of sight into the darkness above. Chris could only shake his head in disbelief. And he wasn't the only one to do so.

  “How long must it have taken for these unknown people to create all of this? Ah, if only we had the time to study it in more detail.” The judge sounded frustrated. “I could spend months, perhaps years, cataloging and researching it all. Well, maybe one day.”

  He turned and looked at Chris. “But we don't have time for that now. Christopher, any indication from that ring of yours that we are close to a piece of the sword?”

  Chris had been so caught up in his surroundings that he'd forgotten why they were even here. He blinked twice and then looked down at the ring in confusion. “Indication? Um, no sir. It looks the same as always.” He flushed as he realized how lame that sounded but Judge Hawkes simply nodded.

  “Very well. I think we should find that picture of Sariel that my ancestor copied into his notes. Everyone, split into pairs and take a section of the room.” He looked around. “I estimate the shrine to be about five hundred feet across and roughly square. Rabbi? You're with me. Natalie and Chris, please stay together. Now, pair off, pick an area and start looking. And please hurry. I doubt that we have a lot of time.”