He hoped Naijen’s obstinance wouldn’t cause a greater problem someday.
“So where to?” he asked.
Seigie pointed to a spot on the map. “Here. There’s a bridge to the next sky shelf. Let’s see what’s over there.”
* * * * *
“Naijen, wait up!” Allia yelled, closing the gap.
“Whad’ya want?” he scoffed.
“To come along.”
He waved her off. “Don’t need an escort.”
“Oh, I know,” she said, thinking fast. Putting on her most dolled-up eyes, she said, “I just thought it would be more fun with you.”
“Yeah?” he said, and looked down at her. “Well, keep up—and don’t get in my way.”
“I won’t,” she said, and sprang up the stairs ahead.
Allia stared into the crescent-shaped pond just under the steps. The water was so pure and blue, maybe the deepest blue she’d ever seen.
“Keep movin’,” Naijen said.
“Where are we going?”
He pointed to the crest of the bridge. “Should be able to see it all from up there.”
She looked ahead. He was right; it was probably the highest point in the area, and the prettiest.
Again she skittered ahead, stopping at the top, and looked out. So many colorful booths, and outrageous outfits! She’d never seen anything quite like it before. Butterflies fluttered in her chest.
“Any more rings to play in?” Naijen said, catching up.
She giggled. “It was pretty funny.”
“Funny?” His face soured. “You see how many I took on?”
“Yeah, until they threw—you—out.”
He scoffed.
She pointed back at the temple. “Look at that crystal! I bet Seigie will want to check that place out.”
“That ain’t all, look,” Naijen said, and pointed. “There, that balcony-thing.”
She squinted, and saw an outcropping at the top of the temple. A man with golden hair looked over the crowd.
“He has nice hair,” she said.
“For a girl,” Naijen snorted. “That ain’t all, look on his pec.”
The man was dressed in silver-white armor, and a silvery-sheened cloak. On his chest was the emblem Osuto and Rhysus had shown them many times.
Allia looked at Naijen, wide-eyed. “Nukari?”
Naijen nodded. “More fun there. Let’s go.”
* * * * *
“Over there,” Seigie said, motioning stiffly ahead. “The way to the next sky shelf.”
A halo of light clouded Mencari’s vision as the pain grew. “One minute,” he said to Seigie, who turned in concern.
“Are you okay?” she said.
“Migraine,” he said, pained. The ringing in his ears became all he could hear, and with it a debilitating surge of pain. Gripping his temples, he felt his face prune.
Seigie’s lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear her. Instead, a phrase began to push its way into his mind.
Nukari are close.
He gasped, trying to relax and allow the pain to wash over him. It didn’t work. Again, the words came to him.
They are near. Follow the priests.
As the words echoed in his mind, the pain began to dwindle.
“Rhysus?”
He held out his hand to her.
“Are you okay?”
“Just—just give me a second,” he panted, recalling the warning.
“You should get those checked.”
He looked over to her, at the irony of her statement, then squinted in pain. “I will,” he said to pacify her. He held his head and massaged his temples. Breathing deep, bit by bit he contained the sensation. His entire body seemed to unwind as the pain waned. He hesitated a moment longer, to be sure another wave wasn’t about to hit.
“Okay, I think I’m good,” he said. “Let’s keep going.”
A massive cable bridge spanned between the two platforms. Beneath them, billows of smog rolled by like waves in a turbulent sea.
“I see where the Smog Sea gets its name,” Seigie said, disgusted. “Can you imagine what it’s like in that?”
In Mencari’s view across the bridges, guard towers flanked both sides, each guarded by a sizable force. The pair watched while soldiers checked partygoers attempting to cross to either side.
“I wonder what you need to get across?” Mencari said.
Large cogs on the side of the bridge nearest them begin to turn. A small platform appeared from below. Three soldiers and a group of white-robed monks exited.
“More of those white-robed whatevers,” Segie said. “Like the wrestlers Naijen faced.”
Follow the priests. “Those robes are better quality … look authentic,” Mencari motioned to his own chest. “I’m more interested in those guards. Check out the breastplates.”
He waited until her glowing ruby eyes looked back, then nodded. “They are here.”
“At least we know they’re below.”
“Maybe not just below,” Seigie said. “What if those in the white robes are enemies too?”
The soldiers started toward the carnival, escorting the white-robed monks.
“Let’s see where they’re going,” Mencari said.
The two followed from a distance, maneuvering through the back alleys that ended near a rear entrance to the temple.
“They don’t move together like a unit. Maybe they’re Nukari prisoners?” Seigie asked.
The temple door opened, and the soldiers remained outside while the monks went inside.
“Looks too pleasant for them to be prisoners,” Mencari said.
“Then, they’re working together?”
“I don’t know. We shouldn’t make any assumptions right now.” He glanced back toward the festivities. “We should find Allia and Naijen, and work out our next move.”
“The temple looks promising. Besides, I wanted to get a better look at the crystal structures there.”
The two headed back to the festival, soon spotting Naijen, Allia, and Ichini approaching.
* * * * *
“We saw a Nukari soldier inside the temple—on the balcony,” Allia said, pointing up.
Mencari scowled. “So they’re not just working with the priests, they’re in there too.”
“We saw three Nukari soldiers come off a lift that from below the sky platform. There’s bound to be more of them down there,” Seigie added, and took the brochure from Mencari.
“More is good,” Naijen said with bloodlust in his eyes.
Seigie looked up. “It says here there’s some type of celebration going on inside the temple later today.”
“See if that’s our way in,” Mencari said.
The group headed toward the main entrance. Guards stood outside watching their approach. “Do you need help?” one said.
The man’s question had been polite, even warm, despite his distrustful glare. Mencari glanced at Seigie; she’d noticed it too.
“It’s our first time here,” Seigie said. “We heard there was a special event here today.”
“Are you here for the service?”
Allia said, “Service?”
The guard nodded. “Yes. The special Demas service. Are you premium members? The High Priestess just does this once a year, for our most important contributing members.”
“No, we’re not members,” Mencari said. “Just first-time visitors to your city.”
The man’s eyes roved over their group, and must have judged them worthy enough to say, “You can purchase your membership inside. There might still be time to make the service.”
Allia said, “Can we just peek inside?”
“Only members are allowed inside to worship.”
Another guard emerged from the crowd and approached the other two. As he whispered to them, his eyes scrutinized their group. Additional guards emerged from the crowd around them. Mencari’s unease became alarm.
“Thank you for your interest,” he said. “B
ut we have friends to meet.”
“No,” the first guard said. “We’d like you to stay. Let me show you the way.”
“Thank you, we’ve taken enough of your time….” Without drawing attention, Mencari could see the guards had surrounded them. A few in the crowd started to stare.
“We insist,” the guard said in a tone that held no doubt.
Mencari tensed as Naijen’s hand crept toward his Skar. Allia moved in and cuddled up, taking the warrior’s arm as if she were scared. Nothing seemed to get by that girl. Thank you God.
Mencari looked back to Seigie, then to the guards, and said, “Lead the way.”
* * * * *
“Wait here,” the guard said while closing the door, which locked with a clunk behind him.
Seigie’s ruby eyes scanned the room. It was sparsely furnished with crude benches against the walls. The now familiar arrowhead emblem served as the only decoration, embossed on the floor. Noises of the celebration outside drifted through the tiny barred windows.
Naijen began to pace like a caged animal, snorting in disgust. The meathead couldn’t relax for a minute if he wanted to. His incessant antics grated on her.
Allia looked up at Mencari. “Now what?”
“We wait—”
“Defilers!” a female voice boomed.
Seigie tracked the voice to openings in the ceiling: most likely, she thought, rudimentary speaker units.
“We’re just visitors,” he called out.
“Visitors? Not the welcomed kind. This is one of our holiest celebrations, how dare you!”
“What have we done?”
“Do you think us blind?” the voice continued. “Causing trouble on our holiest of days, defiling our traditions, hurting our patrons, stalking our grounds, and trying to attend my revered service when you aren’t even premium members!”
An odd smell drifted in the air.
Mencari struggled to say, “There’s … been a … misunderstanding.”
“There are no misunderstanding deeds.”
Beside him, Allia muttered, “I don’t … feel …”
Her legs buckled. Ichini raced to position himself under her and broke her fall.
Seigie cried out, “Allia!”
Naijen moved toward the child, but both he and Mencari collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
“Rhysus, Naijen!” Seigie moved toward them.
“Immune?” the voice said. “We have other methods to deal with heathens like you.”
Seigie felt the floor give out from under her.
“Goodbye,” the voice chided.
Seigie’s hand grappled at a bench attached to the floor, while the others dropped into the darkness below.
“My, you are persistent,” the taunting voice said.
I can’t get separated from them, she thought, and let go.
Seigie cried out as she fell. In total darkness she bounced and rolled down sections of a massive shaft. With each hit, she dented the dense metal piping that surrounded her. The bangs of the others echoed from below her. A foul stench filled her nostrils.
How far does this go? she grumbled inwardly. At this rate it felt like it would go on forever.
Without warning she was freefalling through air, outside any containment. A loud crack was followed by a pain-filled shriek from Allia. Moments later, bags of trash burst open as Seigie’s stony body impacted.
CHAPTER 4:
Dancer and the Dock Worker
It’s too much, simply too much!
Seigie had pictured herself someday becoming a lifeless statue of solid crystal, not being broken to pieces! She shuddered at the thought.
Reaching up, she gingerly pulled off a piece of paper her hair had pierced, thankful it wasn’t something worse.
Allia’s cry from when she landed at the bottom of the—whatever this place was—echoed in her mind. She grabbed an illumination crystal from her pouch and charged it. The light reflected off the foggy air and made it more difficult to see. Still, she made out Allia’s form a few feet away. The child’s arm was twisted unnaturally behind her. Ichini lay beside her, unmoving.
Vertigo nearly overcame her as she stood. Despite her natural durability, getting tossed about and tumbling for however far they did took its toll. By breathing steady and holding still, she beat back the dizziness, then headed to Allia.
Even in the dirty air, Seigie could see the scrapes on the child’s face and legs turning bright red. While unconscious, Allia was still breathing. With utmost care, Seigie knelt, grunting while her crystal joints made their disapproval known.
Careful, she grasped Allia’s arm and moved it into a more natural position. Then she allowed the energy to fade from the illumination crystal, stowed it away in her pouch, and withdrew two green ones. After flooding them with power, she held them over the girl’s wounds.
Allia’s face twitched with pain as she awakened. To her shock, Seigie also felt pain. Before, there had only been discomfort when she infused large amounts of power into her crystals during battle. This sensation was distinct, the sense of a part of her own body crystalizing, more of her humanity lost forever.
She sighed. What choice did she have? These “defenders” were so fragile compared to her. If she could heal them, that’s what she needed to do. Images of long-dead friends and family flashed through her mind. Would these people die too, while she lived on? How she dreaded this torturous cycle.
I don’t care what happens to me. I will stop the Nukari at any cost—
“Please stop,” a gentle voice said.
Seigie looked down and saw Allia’s hurt-filled eyes on hers. “Please, Seigie.”
“You’re hurt—your arm is broken.”
“I’ll be okay. I don’t want you to hurt.”
“Me?” Seigie said. “I’m fine.”
“No … no you’re not,” Allia’s pained expression softened with empathy. “I know when you help us it hurts you. I’ve seen it in your face—whenever you’ve used your crystals.”
“I’m just old. It hurts to throw the crystals sometimes.”
“You don’t have to pretend,” the girl struggled to find the right words. “I can’t let you hurt yourself to help me.”
Allia winced while she lightly grasped Seigie’s hand and pushed it away from her body. “What about the others?” Allia said.
Seigie stared, lost in the compassion and empathy demonstrated by this child. Not only was the girl a skilled warrior with marvelous potential, but few in Seigie’s life demonstrated such altruism and heart.
“I—I went to you first,” Seigie said, turning, alerted by the sound of footsteps crunching in the trash behind them. The glow of a handheld lantern bobbed toward them. In the dirty air, Seigie saw the shadowy outline of a man.
“Who’s there?” she asked.
Ichini floundered to his feet, pitting himself between Allia and the stranger.
“I heard commotion from this way—it’s not safe for you here,” a tired voice said.
Allia groaned, holding her arm.
“Is that a child?” the man’s voice held genuine concern. “Is she okay?”
Seigie looked him over as he drew near. He didn’t appear to have any apparent weapons, but every inch of his skin was covered, from a masked face to his booted feet.
Why is he dressed like that?
He held up his lantern and shook his head. “No one should be out here without protection. Here.” He reached into a black satchel at his side. He took out two masks and handed them to Seigie. “Please put these on, now!”
“There are two others.” Seigie put on her mask, then assisted Allia.
The masked man looked up at the open chute above them and cursed. “I’ll be back, we need to get you covered.”
Despite his bulky coverings he moved fast, and disappeared into the dirty fog. The sounds of trash rustling drew her attention. Mencari and Naijen were moving at last.
Mencari groaned out, “What happened?” He
coughed. “My lungs are burning.”
Seigie said, “We were dumped down some type of chute, to this place.”
Naijen forced himself to sit up, and held his head for a moment. “More cheap tricks?”
“A man down here gave me this mask. This fog is toxic somehow,” Seigie said.
Mencari looked around. “A man?”
The lantern light appeared again, accompanied by the same soft footsteps. Mencari took aim, propping himself up on one knee, charging his hand-phaser. Naijen scampered into a defense stance with his Skar.
“No, wait,” Seigie blurted. “That’s him.”
Mencari hesitated a moment before standing down. Naijen remained ready, defiant.
The man emerged through the fog carrying facemasks, long black wraps, and other supplies. “Please, put these on. You shouldn’t breathe the air here, much less let it touch your skin.”
“Thank you. You’re very kind,” Seigie said.
“My name is Zerius,” he panted, handing out the supplies. Naijen relaxed his stance and accepted the gifts while Zerius explained, “The air’s poison here. If your skin hasn’t started to burn from the corrosive pollutants, it will soon if not covered.”
Seigie walked with Zerius to Allia. He said, “I’m going to apply ointment, and then splint your arm so we can get you all away from here.”
Allia cried out as he touched it.
“Sorry little one, the ointment will help the pain.”
He applied the ointment and waited a few minutes to let it take effect, then started the arm splint.
“Thank you,” Seigie said while he worked.
“We look out for one another down here—we have to,” Zerius said.
“Where is here, exactly?” Mencari asked.
“This is Selsamed. The once blessed and beautiful terra firma of Argosy. The wonders of Demas were once bountiful, but now, Demas has forsaken us. Though the High Priestess would say, one can commune with him through her mighty temple above.”
Seigie’s forehead wrinkled, as much as crystalizing skin could. “High Priestess?”
“High Priestess De’Genico, leader of the great Demas faithful—for a small fee, of course. Usually she’s the one who exiles people down here, unless dooming innocent people during her commercial ‘Rising’ holiday has been delegated to lesser minions.”
D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology Page 38
