by Stefan Bolz
The walls surrounding the platform rush by as they plunge into darkness. The narrow space is filled with the man's screams as Born-of-Night pecks at his head. He moves his arms, hits Born-of-Night who lifts off, hovering above him, ready to strike again.
"What have you done?" The man screams at Aries. Then he hits her. When his fist hits her cheek and nose, the back of her head smacks into the stone floor. She can feel the blood inside her mouth. She lifts her arms to shield her face and absorbs the next few punches with them. Born-of-Night lands on his head again. This time she digs her talons into his face, pecking at his eyes. He blindly tries to grab on to her but she avoids his hands each time. Then they drop out of the ceiling and into the cave. The wind hits them full force. Black dots dance before Aries's eyes as she sees a massive cloud, almost completely black, moving fast toward them.
Come to me, she thinks when she stretches out her hand toward the hawk. Now!
Born-of-Night jumps onto her arm. Aries grabs her, pulls her toward her chest, covering the hawk with her arms. The man's screams behind her are the last sounds she hears before blackness takes her in its comforting embrace.
* * *
"We need to go," Seth says.
"We can't leave her," Tevis translates Max's signs.
"We will all be dead if we don't leave now!" Ty yells through the deafening wind.
As the platform descends from high up in the cave, they run past the ruins and toward the tower. Sam at first holds Mila by the hand but then lifts her up and carries her. Then Tevis stumbles and falls to the ground. And when Ty and Seth stop to pick her up, they see the first of the rats cross the crest of the hill and run toward them. Its eerie cries fill the valley. A second appears and then a third. Seth lifts Tevis up onto her feet and they start to run again. The others are twenty feet ahead.
"Go to the left of the tower," Amber yells. "There's an opening."
Seth looks over his shoulder. The rats close in fast. The skeleton they saw must have belonged to a young one. The one closest to them is much bigger; it must be at least the size of a grown wolf. Its yellow eyes half-blind, it peers at him. The wall of sand has almost reached them and, for an instant, he sees the light beam with the platform dropping from the sky. Then it is gone, swallowed up by the blackness of the cloud.
Seth cries out when the rat is about to reach Tevis and Ty. He sees Ty's horror-struck face as he moves behind Tevis to shield her from the impact. But behind the first rat and out of the dark sand cloud, two massive wings become visible and with it the large body of a bald eagle. Talons outstretched, she comes out of the cloud and swoops down, grabbing the rat before it reaches Ty. The other rats disperse in all directions as the massive eagle swoops upward and disappears behind the tower, letting out a loud cry. They reach the opening and one by one file into the semidarkness. Inside, they stand huddled together. The eerie sound of the sand piercing the stone walls of the tower evokes in all of them the image of what it must be like out there without the safety of thick stone. Amber weeps silently. So does Sam. Max's mouth opens, his face distorted in utter pain. And then he screams, his voice raw and crackling. He screams until Tevis pulls him toward her and sinks down to the floor with him, rocking him gently until he stops, his voice eventually giving out. When Seth looks into the faces of the others, he sees his own pain reflected in them. Then the wind—and with it the piercing sound—stops. The stillness that follows is even more eerie than the chaos. Max lifts his head. Tevis lets go of him and he gets up. Before he disappears out the door, he signs to Tevis. Then he's gone.
"She's alive," Tevis says.
Ty helps her up and they follow Max through the opening. Ty's face is a hard mask. Someone who did not know him would see only that and not the pain underneath. They make their way through the ruins and toward the mound where they think the platform might be. Max reaches it first and begins to dig wildly into the sand. Sam pulls him back, shaking his head. Then he digs slowly, methodically, pushing the surface sand away and toward his feet. Max nods and does the same. The others make a circle around the mound and begin to move the sand toward the outside, away from the center.
"There is something," Seth says. "A leg maybe."
"Oh God, oh God," Amber repeats, tears running down her face as she digs feverishly. Seth pulls up an arm. The sand runs off the dark suit. Seth digs under it, pulls up the man's head and shoulders. On the side facing the center of the platform, the suit is still intact. But on his back, it's completely gone. What's left is raw flesh. There's no skin. Part of the spine is visible through the sand. Tevis covers Mila's eyes and pulls her head away.
"I've got her," Sam says. "I've got her."
He pulls Aries out. The sand cascades to the ground.
"I'm okay," she says. "I think I'm okay."
Her legs give in and Sam catches her.
"I got you," he says. "Can you stand?"
"I'm not sure."
Max and Seth pull Kiire out. He coughs weakly and spits out sand.
Holding on to Sam, Aries opens her coveralls and Born-of-Night's head peeks out. Then her whole body appears and she jumps out. She gags several times, as if there is something stuck in her throat. Then she shakes herself and takes off.
I'll look for water, Aries hears in her thoughts. Part of her is amazed how fast the hawk is recovering.
I adapt.
Yes you do, she thinks.
"Let me take a look at you," Tevis says, while turning her slowly, inspecting the back of her coveralls, her neck and her head.
"You're fine," she says. "You were lucky. His body shielded you from the sand."
Aries looks at the man. The thought that he died for her creeps into her awareness. He died unwillingly but nevertheless, without him she would be dead. There was a moment, when the platform dropped into the storm, when the man could have pulled her behind himself and used her as a shield. But he didn't. Granted, Born-of-Night had scratched out one of his eyes and he couldn't see much through all the blood. But when the sand began to hit them, he held on to her, pushing her down rather than exposing her to the sand. Max comes toward her and puts his arms around her. She returns his embrace.
"Thank you," she whispers.
I thought you'd be gone, she hears.
"I know. Me too."
Aries embraces Kiire, who holds onto Seth.
"Gently," he says, moaning in pain.
"Sorry. I'm just so glad to see you."
"Me too," he says.
"We have to get him out of the sand," Tevis says.
"We should all get out of here," Ty adds.
"We need to get water," Seth says.
"Born-of-Night found water," Aries says.
"Where?"
"There is a pool inside the tower."
As they make their way back, Aries holds onto Max. For the first time, she is now able to take in the scenery around her. The tower, or what's left of it, is still an impressive structure—at least fifteen stories high and completely black. But the tower in and of itself is dwarfed against the backdrop, a sheer cliff reaching up to the ceiling at least three thousand feet above her. She can't tell if the cliff's ivory tint is its actual color or if the massive rock formation is somehow transparent, sitting in front of what must be a massive light source. In the other direction, behind her, a valley extends as far as she can see. The landscape seems utterly alien.
"Where are we?" she asks.
"We must be about five thousand feet below the b-b-building."
"This doesn't look natural," Seth says.
"I agree," Ty says.
"You mean someone built this cave?" Amber asks.
"I think someone mined it," Ty replies.
"A mine!" Seth says.
"Yes," Ty answers.
"Whoever it was," Jeremiah says. "They must have been pretty b-b-big."
"Or very advanced," Amber says.
"What do you know about this?" Tevis asks.
"Not much," Amber replies.
/> "But you knew the words that made the lettering in the floors visible. How did you know them?"
"I have no idea. It felt as if I remembered them, somehow."
"You might remember something that someone else has experienced," Ty says.
"What do you mean?" Aries asks.
"Maybe something that has been passed on through the ages from your ancestors."
"You mean DNA?"
"Maybe. DNA can carry all kinds of information. But specific memories like that, I don't believe so."
"Maybe there is a way knowledge can be hidden inside a s-s-string of DNA until it is released somehow.”
"Triggered by something," Amber replies. "An image maybe or a sound."
"P-p-patterns."
"Come again?" Ty asks.
"Sometimes there are p-p-patterns we don't see but they are still there. How the tunnels all went toward the c-c-center, for example. Could be a shape or a symbol that triggers the m-m-memory."
"It's all code," Kiire says.
When Aries looks over at him, he walks—held by Seth but conscious and moving on his own. His face is badly bruised but he seems to have at least part of his spirit back.
"Code?" Aries asks.
"Binary numbers," Kiire replies.
"Is anyone concerned about what happened with the giant rats and that massive bird?" C.J. interrupts them. "I'm not sure if going into that tower is such a good idea," she continues. "We don't know where the bird went. And when he or she is finished with the rat, shouldn't we worry that we're most likely going to be next?"
"The eagle has her nest far up in the tower," Tevis translates Max's signs.
"You see!" C.J. says.
"She is not a threat to us," Tevis replies.
"How do you know?" C.J. asks.
"Born-of-Night told me. She told Max, I mean," Tevis says.
"There are plenty of rats around," Aries says. "We're too skinny for her."
"Speak for yourself," Kiire replies.
Born-of-Night flies out of the opening in the tower and lands on Aries’s shoulder. Kiire smiles.
"She'll protect you," Aries says to him.
"I know. She already did," Kiire replies, his smile disappearing from his face.
One by one, they disappear through the opening. Max enters last. He does not hear the distant cry from across the valley, nor the others that answer it.
Chapter 19 — Tides
The opening leads into a narrow hallway, built from the same black stone as the outside of the tower. The air is cool and slightly moist. The corridor makes a few turns and spills them out into a large, open space. Dim light enters from a few gaps high up, leaving most of the floor in the shadows. The walls are made of massive rectangular stones, smooth and polished, swallowing light rather than reflecting it. The height is hard to make out, as the ceiling lies completely in darkness. The floor is made of the same material.
"It's w-w-wet," Jeremiah says. "The floor is w-w-wet."
"You're right," Aries says.
Indeed, most of the stone floor is wet, as if it has recently rained.
"What is this place?" Seth asks, his voice echoing eerily through the hall. A slight glow emanates from a round pool in the center.
"Water," Aries says, as they approach it.
"We have to make sure it's drinkable," Tevis says.
Born-of-Night takes off and flies to the edge of the pool. From there she puts her whole head under water. The others follow carefully and build a circle around the pool, kneeling and scooping up the water. Tevis helps Kiire carefully clean his face of any residual sand. Aries splashes water in her face as well, thankful for the cool, fresh liquid.
"Ahhh, that's good," Ty says, while using his handkerchief to moisten his neck and face.
"Look how deep it is," C.J. says.
What Aries had thought was a reflection of the light in the cave now seems to be coming from the water itself. She can see far down into the pool.
"How d-d-deep do you think it is?" Jeremiah asks.
"There is no way of telling but I'm guessing at least two hundred feet," Ty replies.
"Makes me wonder if the tower was originally built around it," Kiire says.
"That would make s-s-sense," Jeremiah replies. "But where does the l-l-light come from?"
"That I don't know," Ty answers.
"The water table is changing," Tevis translates Max's signing.
"Wow!" Seth exclaims. "You're right!"
The edge of the water, reaching all the way up to the floor only a few seconds ago, is now already several inches lower. And then, without warning or any initial noise whatsoever, the pool of water drops down, leaving the straight walls with water cascading down from it.
"Move back!" Ty cries, and they all jump backward. The wind the vacuum creates blows past them and into the hole that is now already at least a hundred feet deep. Mila is the only one who doesn't back away. She lies on her stomach, looking down, her hair moving wildly in the wind. She lets out a scream as loud as the sound of the cascading water. Then the wind stops.
"You should see this," Mila says, a wide smile across her face.
One by one, the others inch closer to the round opening and look down. The residual water flows down along the walls, reflecting the light in a myriad of tiny sparkles. Aries can see the surface of the rushing water far down. The sheer depth and scope is stupendous.
"It looks like the light is brighter down there," Amber says.
"Where d-d-did the water go?"
"Some kind of underground tunnel system, maybe?" Kiire answers. With all the sand gone, Aries sees the bruises that cover his face and right eye.
"Now what do we do?" Seth says.
"I hope you all had enough to drink. This might be it for a while," Ty replies.
"Where should we go from here?" Seth asks. "We can't stay down here for long. But I'm not sure where else we can go."
"We could go toward the wall that’s closest to us," Sam says. "Maybe we'll find something there."
"I agree," Ty says. "Anybody else?"
"The water is coming back." Aries repeats Max's thoughts.
There is a rushing sound from deep within the well. The wind increases, this time blowing at them from below.
"Brace yourself!" Ty shouts against the noise.
Aries can't take her eyes off the water as it rises from the deep with great speed. A second before it reaches the surface, Max pulls her back and they watch as the water pours over the edge, flowing into the tower. After a few seconds, it stops and whatever water had spilled from the pool recedes until the surface is still again.
"What was that?" Sam asks.
Aries can see the shock and surprise in the others' faces.
"Some kind of tide?" Kiire says.
"Tide? Interesting," Ty answers.
"What's a tide?" Mila asks.
"The ebb and flow of bodies of water, usually controlled by the sun and surrounding planets," Kiire says. "Except, the intervals are usually much longer."
"A large energy source, maybe," Amber says.
"For this to be true, the energy source has to have massive proportions," Kiire answers.
"Like a small sun." Mila asks.
"Yes," Kiire replies. "Like a small sun."
I know what to do. Aries hears Max.
Before she can react, Max jumps into the water.
"No! Come back out!" she cries.
I can take a look around down there to see where this is going, Max answers in her thoughts.
Tevis signs to Max. He shakes his head. Tevis signs again, this time more vehemently. Max shakes his head again. To Aries's surprise, Ty jumps in and swims toward Max.
"Come on out," Ty says. "You don't know what's down there. There might be undercurrents that push you down and you'll never come back."
Tevis signs to Max, who looks from her to Ty and back.
"We don't have much time, Max. Come on out," Ty says calmly.
After a f
ew moments, Max nods and starts swimming toward the edge.
"The water’s receding!" Kiire says.
What was almost unnoticeable at first becomes more visible now. And when Max is but a few feet from the edge, the water drops.
"No, Max, no!" Aries cries out as Ty and Max disappear into the depth below.
Max looks up at them until Aries can't see his face anymore. Then all they can see is gushing water far below.
"Ty!" Kiire shouts into the abyss.
There is no answer.
Max, are you there? Aries thinks. Can you hear me?
After a few moments of silence, Max's thought reaches her.
"They're okay," she says.
This must be some kind of underground lake. She hears Max think. There are small pockets in the ceiling, maybe every fifty feet or so. Not sure what they're for.
Air pockets? she thinks.
Possibly, Max answers. We're moving slowly toward the other end. The current is strong enough so we don't have to do much.
But how are you going to get back?
We'll have to see.
Aries repeats what she heard to the others.
Tevis shakes her head. "They will both hear it from me when they come back!"
It's so beautiful down here. Aries hears Max's thoughts.
You're going to be in trouble when you get back, Aries replies.
She can feel Max grin in his thoughts.
I mean it! she thinks.
For a while, there is silence on the other end.
Max?
The water’s coming back!
Aries peers into the shaft.
It rises much slower down here but it’s definitely rising.
Aries can almost feel Max straining to swim toward one of the air pockets.
"I can see it," Mila exclaims.
The water begins to rise, slowly at first, then very quickly. A few seconds later it reaches the top, spilling over the edge and into the tower.
Max, are you there? Aries thinks.
"Can you hear him?" Kiire asks.
No, Aries replies. Max?
They stand around the pool, Amber holding Jeremiah's hand, Sam with one arm around Mila's shoulder. The seconds seem to extend into forever.
"Max," Aries says quietly.
We're okay, she hears. We're fine. The water was a little choppy but we're okay.
