“What’s the mark of Gnirean?” asked Mills.
“Once they start you on the eternity serum, the first time, you’re injected with ganala. It’s a metal that makes your body accept the serum more easily. And conveniently triggers the sensors. Your body never excretes it. So I’m out. But the two of you can still sneak past,” said Maleira.
“We’ve got some experience with subterranean passages, too,” said Mills.
“I bet you do,” said Maleira. “The trip here from Haven must have been quite trying. Tell me, how did you make it past the Jaela?”
“Explosives,” said Anaxis. “And a trip inside its mouth.”
“Well, you’ve usually got to get inside something to destroy it,” said Maleira. “You’ve got experience with that, too, it seems.”
“He does,” said Mills, thumbing at Anaxis. “I watched it happen.”
“As I’m on the security council, I’ll be able to get us through into first of the lower levels,” said Maleira. “I’ll probably need a few days, first to create an instance in the system which can justify someone going to look at it, then for the usual bureaucratic timeline to schedule the fix. In the meantime, the two of you can stay with me. I’d say you can look around Gnirean, but there isn’t much to see.”
“So what are they protecting, anyways?” asked Mills.
“Their ideals. Their hatred. I don’t know,” Maleira said. He put down his spoon and licked what was left in his bowl into his mouth. “Anyone ready for more?” he asked, setting the clean bowl back down on the table.
“I will be, soon,” said Mills.
“Anaxis?” Maleira asked.
“I’m good,” Anaxis answered. “It’s pretty spicy.”
“Sure is,” Maleira said, waiving the waitress over.
“Three more?” she asked when she got to the table.
“Sure,” Maleira answered.
“Really, I’m okay,” said Anaxis.
“Oh, I know, I want two,” Maleira said. “It’s been some time since I’ve had an appetite. It’s back with a vengeance!”
After the three had eaten, they took the long route back to Maleira’s apartment, through a city park.
“Was it always this way in Gnirean?” Anaxis asked as the three walked. “Were things always so bleak?”
“No, no,” Maleira answered. “Things were wonderful, before the war. When people could travel freely. Remember, this was Alm’s first colonization on another planet. People were thrilled to be here, living in the promised future.”
“Did you ever visit Allovast?” asked Mills.
“No,” Maleira answered.
“Were they so different than the Gnireans?” Anaxis asked. “Why did it come to war?”
“It was over the future of the planet. Allovast wanted to populate as quickly as possible. They even discussed using human clones to do so. Gnirean wanted natural, organic growth. Ironic, now that they close their doors and struggle for stasis. We’re forever locked into the war over two ideologies. As if they were the only two possible futures. It’s sad. Beyond sad.”
“What would you want to happen to Valor?” asked Anaxis.
“Whatever would happen when people were free to decide that for themselves. Who knows what it would be?” Maleira answered.
“We passed through Allovast on the way here,” said Mills. “There were people living there, but they weren’t like people anymore. They were twisted.”
“Mutated, sure,” Maleira said. “But they’re still people. I’m sure their motivations haven’t changed. I’m sure they want a good life for their families and to enjoy life.”
“Do you think the land there is ruined forever?” asked Anaxis.
“No,” Maleira answered. “Maybe for a long time, maybe for tens of thousands of years. But it will change. The only constant is change. Save for here in Gnirean. The only constant is constancy. It’s against the very nature of the universe!”
“Not for long though, right?” said Mills. “We can change things, right?”
“Well, we can send out the call for Alm. We can hope they answer it. But who knows,” said Maleira.
“And if they don’t? Are things going to stay this way forever?” asked Anaxis.
“Well, they can’t,” answered Maleira. “The whole city here is still running off the antimatter generator that powered the settler’s spaceship. It will die, eventually. And Gnirean will be forced to change.”
“How long will that take?” asked Mills.
“A long, long time, the way it’s set up now. They barely use any of the power. Mainly for patrol. If they used it like they should, if they shared it with the other people of the planet, if they used it to build and progress, it would only last a few hundred years. I’d love to see it drained. Then we’d have innovation. We’d have invention. We always do our best when we’re put to the test. But I do doubt I’ll ever see that in my lifetime.”
“Even if Alm answers?” asked Anaxis.
“It would take some time for them to reach us,” said Maleira. “And that’s hoping they still have the capability to reach us. Who knows what state their society is in? If they’ve managed to stave off the destruction that’s bound to befall all planets, eventually?”
“That’s a lot to consider,” said Anaxis.
“It is,” said Maleira. “But we’ve got something now we haven’t had in a long time. That I haven’t seen in a long time. Hope. And hope is a marvel of a thing.”
16
Five days passed quickly, and soon it was time for Anaxis and Mills to follow Maleira to the entrance into the underworld hidden beneath the fortified city of Gnirean. He brought the two boys from Talx to the banks of a great reservoir in the middle of one of the city’s parks.
“We’ve got to dive,” Maleira said. “Have either of you any experience with diving?”
“We had to dive on the way from Haven,” said Mills.
“Excellent. It is rather murky in these depths, and so we will have to rely on sound to guide us. I will send a ping tracker to the entrance we are seeking, and we will have to follow it to get where we need to be,” said Maleira. “Are we ready?”
“As ready as we will be,” said Anaxis.
“Alright. Here begins the journey,” said Maleira.
He switched the small device in his hand on and it began to whir. He threw it into the water, then looked around to make sure no one was watching. When it was clear that no one in the deserted park was, Maleira dove into the water himself.
“See you boys on the bottom!” he said, popping back up before he disappeared again below the black surface of the lake.
“You first,” Mills said to Anaxis.
“Of course,” Anaxis said. He dove in after Maleira, and then Mills followed.
There was no seeing in the lake; the water was thick and light would not penetrate it. The only thing the boys could hear was the incessant, muddled ‘ping’ from Maleira’s tracker, which they followed down to where they touched the shallow bottom of the lake. When they had both reached the bottom, the water was disturbed and then began to pull on them, to drag them down towards the entrance Maleira had opened in the ground. They were both sucked through a narrow opening, then hit a hard surface as the water from the lake continued to drain onto them. It slowed, and then became a drip. A light came up, revealing the tight space that they and Maleira were in.
“That wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be,” said Maleira. “This bodes well for our journey.”
“Where are we?” asked Mills, standing up and wringing out his hair.
“The entrance to the underworld,” Maleira answered.
“Why is it at the bottom of a lake?” asked Anaxis.
“It makes it hard to find,” Maleira answered. “Though it’s not as if any of the mindless citizens of Gnirean have any compulsion to seek it out.”
“Where to from here?” asked Anaxis.
“There is a river, not far from here,” said Maleira. T
hat separates the mechanics and pipes of the city from where the mothership is located. It flows out from the bedrock. It was why this site was chosen by those from Alm for the first colony; it seems to be the spring from which all water on the planet flows.”
“And beyond that river, how far is it to the mothership?” asked Anaxis.
“That’s where things get murky,” answered Maleira. “Murkier. There is little record of the mothership, even in the deepest histories. Perhaps there was once more information, and it has been destroyed. But I have never been able to find much.”
“Is there anything to worry about down here?” asked Mills.
“Well, it’s the unknown,” said Maleira. “And one can always choose to worry about the unknown, or wait to see what happens. I’m going to wait to see what happens.”
“Right,” said Mills. “I’m one of the worrying types.”
“I’ll do a bit of both, just to cover my bases,” said Anaxis.
“Sounds good,” said Maleira. “Are we ready to see what awaits us?”
“Lead on,” said Anaxis.
The three walked underneath dripping pipes through carved tunnels until the walls were no longer shaped by human hands, to where the pipes stopped running and the natural flow of the rock took over. The rock was black and dull, and the floor of the natural tunnel comprised of tiny gravel that crunched softly as the team progressed.
The tunnel soon opened up into a massive cave, through which the river Latra ran silently like a shining strake.
“There is it,” Maleira said with wonder in his voice. “The river from which all life on Valor flows.” He strode to the edge of the river, dipped his hands in, and took a drink. “Witness me, Valor, and the stars above, and the waters of Latra,” he recited quietly.
“What’s that?” asked Mills.
“An old prayer,” said Maleira, standing back up. “A poem for the spirit world. The world beyond that which we can see, the unknown.”
“What’s the prayer for?” asked Mills.
“One’s piece of mind, I suppose,” said Maleira. “I’m not one who thinks a prayer can be heard by anyone in particular, or answered. But those who came here in the mothership may have. According to what little is known about them. And so I recite their prayer in honor of their pilgrimage across the stars.”
“Alright,” said Mills. “How’s it go?”
“Witness me, Valor…”
Mills repeated, “Witness me, Valor…”
“…and the stars above…”
“…and the stars above…”
“… and the waters of Latra.”
“… and the waters of Latra.” Mills smiled. “That’s kind of neat.”
“Exactly,” said Maleira. “Now, we can’t cross the river here. The water is moving far too quickly; we’d be pulled under and drowned. We have to follow it to the south, to where it widens and becomes less turbulent. It is there we will be able to make our journey across.”
“How far is that?” asked Anaxis.
“I couldn’t tell you,” said Maleira. “We’re all new here.”
The cave rock turned from black to white as the three followed the flow of the silent river down through the bowels of the planet. The stream grew wider until it split around a mound of dirt, from which a tall crama tree grew. Just beyond this tree, a gaping chasm rose through the white rock of the cave wall.
“That should be our entrance,” Maleira said. His voice echoed about the massive space, making it seem small.
“How are we going to get across?” asked Mills.
“There,” said Anaxis, pointing to a decrepit raft sitting on the sand at the edge of the river.
“How old do you think that thing is?” Mills wondered. “Do you think it’s safe to use?”
“Only one way to find out,” said Maleira.
He crossed over to the raft and put his foot on one of its planks. He pressed with all his weight, and then climbed up when the plank held. He jumped now, as hard as he could, and still the raft seemed to hold.
“It seems to be alright,” he said, turning back to the boys. “I wonder, could this be the same raft the ancients used to cross this river when they first arrived?”
“If it were,” said Mills, “That would be some strong wood.”
“It’s crama,” said Maleira. “Strongest wood on the planet. Very rare. There was much of it when the ancients arrived, whole forests of it, but they were cut down to build the foundations of Gnirean.”
Mills and Anaxis stepped into the raft, which held the weight of the three passengers well. Anaxis saw a ratty cloth in the corner, which he pulled back, revealing a crumbling skeleton.
“Ah!” he shouted, jumping back.
The skeleton was still covered here and there in what clothing hadn’t decomposed, and a long beard still sat on its chin, flowing down onto its chest and over onto the planks of the raft.
“Poor guy,” Mills said, shaking off his own fear. “Why do you think he died?”
“Maybe he died waiting,” said Maleira.
“Should we move him before we put the raft in the river?” asked Anaxis.
“Do you want to move him?” Mills asked. “Because I don’t.”
“Let’s let him be,” said Maleira. “Give him one last trip across the river with us.”
Anaxis shuddered. “Alright,” he said. “I don’t know why he gave me such a fright. Maybe it’s just the way he’s posed. I feel like he’s looking right at me. Judging me or something.”
“You’ve nothing to feel guilty about,” said Maleira. “Just ignore him, and let’s get this raft in the river.”
With all three pushing as hard as they could, they managed to get half the raft into the river. They then all took a seat on the edge, and used their feet to push the rest of the way into the water. They used one of the broken plants as an oar, and steered themselves toward the other bank. The air flowing over the river was somehow much colder than the air in the rest of the cave. It cut right through the passengers, making them choke and shake. When they reached the other side of the river, they heard a noise that they hadn’t before, of the wind blowing through the gaping entrance leading into darkness. The song the wind played was at once beautiful and terrifying, and called for them.
“Something about that cave seems really scary, right?” asked Mills, rubbing his arms to warm himself. “And is it a lot colder on this bank than the other, or is that just me?”
“I feel it too,” said Maleira. “Very strange.”
The three walked hesitantly toward the yawning entrance to the black void beyond. When they had come to where the shadow drew a dividing line in the sand, Maleira stopped.
“Can you see it?” he asked Anaxis and Mills.
“See what?” asked Mills.
“I can see something…” Anaxis answered. “A red light. Blinking. There.”
Mills squinted at where Anaxis was pointing and then nodded his head. “I see it, too, now. What is it, Maleira?”
“It’s the dividing gate,” Maleira answered. “Gnirean’s security against anyone visiting the mothership. It is here that I must leave you.”
“So you’ll wait here?” asked Anaxis.
“I will. I must tell you, now that we’re here, that making it past the sensors requires… how can I put this… requires…”
“Requires what?” Mills laughed. “Come on,” he said.
“Requires your being dead.” Maleira’s stony expression made it clear that he was not joking.
“Wait just a bit, Mal,” Mills said. “What exactly are you going to do to us here?”
“I understand how that must sound, but, believe me, I mean nothing untoward,” Maleira said. “The gates guard against anything with a pulse. They detect the energy generated by a living body. A mixture of kooba leaf and renner root will slow your heart to near still, and calm your nerves to where there is no detectable energy emission.”
“What?” Mills barked loudly. The wo
rd echoed around the cave like the clapper in a bell.
“To be perfectly clear, the two of you will die, for approximately three days,” Maleira said.
“That’s insane!” Mills said. “How are we supposed to get through the gate if we’re dead, anyways?”
“I will have to, well, sort of roll you through it,” Maleira said. “I know, it’s not the most elegant solution, but it’s really the only way.”
“Anaxis?” Mills said. “Are you hearing this?”
“I am,” answered Anaxis. “And it sounds pretty ridiculous.”
“That’s putting it lightly!” said Mills. “There’s no way!”
“We’ll surely survive the dose, Maleira?” Anaxis asked.
“Oh, of course. They use it in the temples ritually all the time,” Maleira answered. “For the chance to experience death, in our bitter eternity.”
“No way,” Mills said, crossing his arms. “No way am I doing to end up like bonesy back there in the raft.”
“But we’re almost there,” Anaxis said. “Could you really turn around, after we’ve come so far? Don’t you want to see the mothership?”
“No,” Mills answered. “You know I’m only here to keep you company. And to stop you from doing something as stupid as this.”
“Then I’ll go alone,” said Anaxis.
“You can’t!” Mills protested. “You can’t do this!”
“You can’t stop me,” said Anaxis. “Maleira, you can assure me I’ll survive?”
“There’s never complete certainty in anything, if I’m being completely honest,” said Maleira. “But I wouldn’t risk your life haphazardly. You can trust me.”
Anaxis swallowed hard. “Alright, then. If you’re not coming with me, Mills, I understand. But I’m going to do it.”
“And what, I’m just going to wait for you here?” Mills asked.
“I’ll keep you company,” Maleira said.
“Great, just great,” Mills said, kicking a rock across the sand. “This is ridiculous!”
Legend of Alm -The Valor Saga Pt 1 - Falling Star Page 17
