A great, sobbing and wailing arose in the cave. The sound followed them, echoing hauntingly in the tunnels as they made their escape a second time. Beneath their feet, the earth began to shudder. Small pieces of rock clattered and dropped around them. As they burst into open air again, a great rumbling sounded overhead. The companions picked up their pace, lungs straining for air as they raced to put distance between them and the mountain. Finally, the shaking and rumbling ceased and all was still.
It was almost full dark. Phoenix turned and looked back at the mountain. The tunnel entrance was gone – completely covered by an enormous landslide that had taken a huge bite out of the slope above. Dust wafted through the evening air. High above, a faint eagle-shriek echoed through the valley.
“Again with the rockfalls,” Brynn said.
The stranger appeared not to hear the comment. “We need to keep moving. That won’t hold the Naga for long and I don’t think they’ll be happy about what we’ve done today. Do you have horses nearby?”
Phoenix looked sideways at Jade’s limp form, thinking fast. “Yes. How about you go find your friend and make sure he’s ok, while we get our horses.”
“We’ll meet by the river and head downstream toward the village of Paud,” the warrior pointed east.
Phoenix shrugged, not wanting to get into an argument. “Sounds fine. See you in a minute.”
The man lowered Jade into Marcus’ arms and nodded. Turning, he jogged away into the gathering gloom.
Jade stirred, groaning. Marcus placed her carefully on the ground and ran an expert eye over her. “She doesn’t appear to be injured.”
Phoenix slapped her lightly on the cheek. “Wake up, Jade. We need the Bag.”
Marcus frowned at him and Brynn let out a wordless protest.
“Wha…?” Her eyelids fluttered and she stared vaguely at them for a moment before sense returned. She sat up, looking around with wild fear. “The snake!”
“It’s ok,” Phoenix assured her, “you’re safe outside but we need the horses to get away fast. Give me the Bag.”
“Oh, yes.” With a shaking hand, she withdrew the Hyllion Bagia from inside her shirt and handed it to him.
Phoenix, Brynn and Marcus stretched it out. Jade climbed slowly to her feet and reached inside. In rapid succession five, very disorientated, horses clopped out of nothingness, into the night air. Phoenix returned the Bag to Jade, who tucked it away and hauled herself into the saddle.
“Which way to the river?” he demanded.
She closed her eyes and pointed northeast. Her whole body trembled. He was worried about her but they didn’t have time to talk. They had to put as much distance between them and the mountain as possible. If these two strangers knew their way around, as they seemed to then they would be useful as guides to the village. She could recover there.
With Jade’s wordless directions to guide them, they reached the river in just a few minutes. Two horsemen emerged from the deep shadow of a tree.
“Well met,” came the voice of the man who’d saved Jade. “I am Cadoc. This is Llew. Our thanks for a timely rescue.”
“And ours for your rescue of our companion,” Phoenix replied cordially. He introduced himself and the others before getting back to more important matters. “Can you lead us to this village?”
“Of course. You mean you didn’t come up the valley to get here?” Cadoc asked, turning his horse and kicking it into a fast walk.
“No,” Phoenix replied, not wishing to get into details of their strange mode of travel from Level to Level in this world.
Oddly, Cadoc didn’t ask any more questions. He did, however, jump in shock when a dozen little green witchlights appeared in midair before them.
“Sorry,” Jade murmured. “I should have warned you. They’re mine.”
Cadoc edged his horse alongside hers and bowed in her direction. “You are a Spellweaver, my lady?”
“Yes,” her reply was even quieter than before. Phoenix was alarmed to see her swaying in the saddle. Her lights dimmed.
Cadoc reached out and steadied her. “Be brave, my lady. It is but a short ride to safety. The Naga rarely venture close to the village.”
“Thankyou,” Jade managed. “How is your friend?” She nodded at the other rider.
Cadoc grinned, his teeth white in the darkness. “Llew is strong. He took a blade in the shoulder that was meant for me but the blood is staunched. He will fight again.”
The group rode on in silence, listening for sounds of pursuit. Only the sighing of a breeze in the nearby forest and the splashy gurgle of the shallow river reached their straining ears. Overhead, stars flickered and glimmered through the last dusty purple hues of sunset. Crickets began to sing in the darkness.
Although that night-ride seemed to last for many hours, Phoenix later realised it took less than one from the time they escaped the mountain to the moment they trudged wearily into the small village of Paud.
There were no more than forty houses, scattered around a packed-earth open central area. Mostly wood, bamboo and thatching, the houses straggled along either side of narrow dirt paths and sprinkled up into the surrounding hills. Many were dark but here and there could be seen the smoky red glow of hearth fires through open doors.
As the sound of hooves echoed between the buildings, curious brown faces peered at the travellers from all sides. Hushed whispers drifted out of the darkness. Then, with a cry of recognition, the door of the largest house in town flew open and an elderly man hurried out. Barefoot and dressed only in what looked like a long piece of cloth wrapped like a diaper around his hips and legs, the man jogged spryly out to meet them. With a gap-toothed grin, he pressed his hands together and bowed.
“Namaste. Namaste. You are back! We did not believe you would return from that place so soon. Did you meet with Manasa and Vasuki?”
Cadoc smiled down at the old man and shook his head. He looked across at Phoenix with a rueful shrug. “I have no idea what he’s saying. I think he’s speaking Sanskrit. They were kind to us on our way up here and he seems glad we’re back.”
Phoenix blinked at him in confusion. What did he mean, he couldn’t understand the old Indian? It was perfectly clear. Comprehension dawned: the spell Ásúlfr had cast on them in Svealand. The old wizard had given them all the gift of understanding any language. Phoenix had gotten so used to the ability, he no longer thought about it. Cadoc, of course, didn’t have the skill. He had spoken to them in the Breton language and they had all answered without even thinking.
“He is glad,” Phoenix supplied. “He’s saying he didn’t expect you back so soon.”
Llew and Cadoc stared at him in surprise then Cadoc smiled. “Now I am doubly pleased we have met. Travelling without being able to speak the language of the natives has been challenging. Please tell him we are happy to be back amongst friends.”
Phoenix translated and the old man grinned at him, nodded and bowed deeply.
“I am Samir. Please, come, you are all welcome in Paud. Come, come. You will stay with me.” He swept a hand toward his house. A small boy appeared to hold the reins of their horses as the travellers dismounted.
“I’ll see to the horses,” Marcus led their five animals away as the boy tugged other two toward the back of the house.
Jade staggered as she slid to the ground. Phoenix, who was closest, grabbed her elbow and held her up. Brynn slipped under her other arm. She sent both of them a grateful, weary smile. Cadoc supported Llew and all five followed the old man into the house.
Inside, a white-haired Indian woman, dressed in a red sari, fussed as they entered. She scolded Samir ruthlessly, not even pausing when he introduced her as Leela, his wife. Two younger women, also wearing vibrantly-coloured saris, went quietly about the business of helping their guests. Llew and Jade were led off to simple bedrooms while Phoenix, Cadoc and Brynn were ushered into a small kitchen area. Marcus joined them moments later.
Leela bustled around the room, cooking a simp
le meal of flatbreads and vegetables on an open hearth. Samir showed his guests to a low table and bade them sit on woven mats. He served them water in basic pottery cups and ordered his daughters to bring more water to wash in.
Phoenix touched one of the girls on the arm. “Where is my friend, the girl?”
She looked at him with large, dark eyes and bowed. “She is sleeping, master. Mother says she will be well in the morning. The man needs a shaman for his shoulder but he is away in the next village. Mother says she will send someone to fetch him in the morning.”
“I should check on him. He is an old servant of my family,” Cadoc excused himself and followed Samir’s daughter into the back of the house.
Phoenix turned back to their host. The old Indian smiled encouragingly at Brynn, who was struggling to scoop a thick paste of vegetables and yellowish sauce onto a chapatti flatbread. Phoenix watched, amused, as Brynn took a cautious bite. The boy chewed and swallowed, opening his eyes in surprise at the new flavours. Then his eyes began to water. His mouth opened and he let out a faint mew of distress. Sticking out his tongue, he waved a hand at it, breathing quickly.
“Hot! Hot! Hot!” He snatched at a cup of water and downed it in one gulp, sputtering and choking. Eyes streaming, he sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. Turning an outraged expression on Phoenix, he pointed at the food. “They’re trying to poison us!”
Samir and Leela dissolved into giggles. Phoenix tried to keep a straight face but failed, laughed and shook his head.
“It’s just spices, Brynn. It’s perfectly safe. Try the yoghurt,” he indicated a bowl on the table. Brynn eyed it suspiciously but scooped some onto a piece of chapatti and ate it. Looking relieved, he mixed some with a second bit of curry and managed to swallow with more dignity, though his eyes still watered.
Cadoc returned to say Llew and Jade both slept. The exhausted group ate in silence, bid their kind host and hostess goodnight and went to do the same.
Phoenix awoke early feeling surprisingly refreshed. Easing himself up from his floor-mat at first light, he dressed quietly so as not to disturb Marcus and Brynn. He strapped on his weapons and pushed aside the door-curtain, intending to check on Jade. Stepping out into the narrow hallway, he almost collided with Cadoc and Llew.
Now, in the light of day, Phoenix felt a twinge of something horribly like envy as he saw exactly how like the ideal hero Cadoc appeared. The stranger looked, perhaps, a year or two older than Phoenix’s avatar and every inch the gentleman-warrior. Tall and muscular, with grey eyes and thick, dark blond hair, he had charisma and charm, as well as amazing good looks. He wore a shirt, vest and trousers of fine cloth. His sword, throwing knives and dagger were of the best metal and he carried himself with the air of someone used to being a leader of men.
Phoenix nodded politely and gestured for the two men to precede him toward the front door. Cadoc supported Llew, who staggered as he moved forward. Together, the three stepped out into the balmy morning and blinked in the soft yellow light. Cadoc helped the older man to sit on a narrow wooden log bench in front of the house. Then he stood, scrubbed a hand through his thick hair and stretched with a sinew-cracking yawn.
Phoenix gasped, staring at the embroidery that decorated the fine linen cloth of the man’s shirt beneath the vest. It was a single letter: P.
“You’re a Player!” He breathed, stunned. “The game is open.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Cadoc sent him a quizzical smile and nodded at the same letter emblazoned on Phoenix’s leather arm guard. “You, too, I see. What a bizarre thing to say. Of course the game’s open. It’s been open for about 8 hours now.”
Phoenix could only stare at him, shell-shocked. Only 8 hours! They had been inside 80AD almost two weeks but when they had left the real world, the game had still been two days away from being live. So in two weeks here, only a little over two days had passed in the real world.
He was still trying to get his head around the differences in the passage of time when another, more unwelcome thought occurred. If the game was open to everyone, would they be swamped with other Players seeking to defeat Zhudai as well? If someone else killed the warlock, would they still be able to get home? Questions he couldn’t easily ask spun through his head.
Realising Cadoc was still watching him, Phoenix pulled himself together and tried to ask something easy. “Llew’s your Companion?”
Cadoc shrugged, frowning as his friend coughed painfully.
“Llew has been a servant of my avatar’s family for many years.” He turned to survey the small village. “Come, let’s walk and leave Llew to soak up the sun awhile.”
Forgetting his earlier wish to check on Jade, Phoenix turned to walk beside the Player as he began to stroll along the dirt road.
“What about you? Which of your friends is your Companion? I thought you could only have one.” Cadoc sent him a swift, sideways look.
“Jade and I are both Players,” he admitted. “Brynn and Marcus are our friends.”
“Both Players?” Cadoc’s expression turned briefly puzzled then faintly worried. “How does that work? How long have you been travelling together?”
They reached the centre of the village and watched Paud coming to life. Women chattered as they walked toward the river with their hips swaying. Tall water containers balanced on their heads remained perfectly still. Bright saris contrasted strikingly with warm, dark skin and long, black hair. Laughter and the twitter of birds floated through the clear air.
Small children jogged alongside or played games in the dust at their mothers’ feet. A boy about Brynn’s age drove a small herd of sheep out of a pen and headed for mountain pastures. Several men of the village walked past, bare-chested and wearing the wrapped-cloth shorts Phoenix now knew were called ‘dhoti’. They called out greetings and Cadoc waved back. An armband studded with seven rubies glittered on his upper arm. Five of them were dull and lifeless.
Phoenix saw no harm in answering his questions – in a limited way. It wouldn’t do to tell him he was more than just a digital construct of this fake game-world. He’d never believe it anyway. He chose his words carefully.
“We met the first time we both started Playing. Since we had the same goals to achieve, we figured we might as well work together.”
Cadoc stared at him in astonishment. “You both have the same Quest? I thought that was impossible.”
“Huh?” Now it was Phoenix’s turn to stare.
“The game rules clearly state that every Player has an individual Quest. It’s written that way precisely to stop people from getting groups together and making an army of Players. The programmers must have stuffed up. I can’t believe your luck.” He shook his head.
Phoenix gulped. It was just one more piece of evidence that showed exactly how unique their situation was. Obviously their coming into this game was no accident; but how had it happened and who had orchestrated it? How had they circumvented the programming to give him and Jade the same quest if everyone else had different ones? At least they didn’t have to worry about someone else finishing off Zhudai. Or was that a bad thing?
“So what’s your task on this Level?” He asked, trying to maintain some sort of normal conversation after that bombshell.
Cadoc held up a hand and glanced around cautiously. “We’re really not supposed to talk about it. Didn’t you hear what happened to that guy in America?”
“Uh,” Phoenix groped for an answer, “No. I haven’t been onto any chat sites lately.” That was an understatement. He’d almost forgotten what a computer even looked like – from the outside anyway.
“The programmers caught him talking in-game about his Quest and his real-world life. They deleted him and banned him from the game.” Cadoc frowned.
“Deleted….” Phoenix clutched the hilt of his sword. He took a deep breath and let it go slowly. OK, so that was the final nail in the coffin of the ‘contact-the-outside-world’ idea. Getting another Player to help or deliver a message wa
s clearly out of the question. If they all had different Quests and no-one could talk about the outside world then no-one would want to help them. If Cadoc was telling the truth then it was all the more reason not to reveal how he and Jade came to be here, together. They were on their own until they completed the game.
Shaken, Phoenx spun on his heel. “I need to go check on Jade.” Ignoring Cadoc’s surprised look, he hurried back to the house. He had to talk to Jade before she went blabbing to Cadoc or Llew.
*****
Jade woke slowly, feeling battered and empty. Her limbs hung heavy and her neck was stiff. Opening her eyes, she stared blankly at a bamboo wall for several seconds with no idea at all of where she was. It came back in a rush and she sat up. The mountain-cave; the giant cobra; the village of Paud.
The memory of the snake’s mind entwined with her own set her stomach roiling. She grabbed a bowl that sat conveniently beside her sleeping mat. With a deep shudder, she threw up into it. Since she’d eaten nothing, nothing much came out but she felt a little better anyway. Putting the bowl down, she took a swallow of tepid water from her waterskin and swilled it around in her mouth before spitting it out.
She pulled up her legs, wrapped her arms around them and rested her head on her knees. The snake had been in complete control of her body. She’d felt so helpless. A few more seconds would have put her within striking distance of those long, venomous fangs. If Cadoc and the others hadn’t come back for her, there was no telling what might have happened. It wasn’t really the thought of dying – again – that made Jade uneasy. It was the memory of being powerless; of having no control over her body and mind. She hugged her knees tighter, trying to think about something else.
A slight sound nearby made her snatch at her dagger in alarm. Cadoc slipped into the room and crouched nearby, watching her with concern in his clear grey eyes. Jade sniffed defiantly and scrubbed a hand across her cheeks, feeling them flame with embarrassment. In the light of day, he was even more handsome than she’d realised.
The Sudarshana Page 4
