by Gene Curtis
Chapter 20
The Sunstone
A god by any other name…
Mark started to regain consciousness. Everything was black. Something was holding him. He felt around his chest, ropes. He was tied to something. He felt behind him, cold stone. He struggled to free himself but the ropes were too tight. He felt in his pocket. The utility knife and bug bombs were gone. He grabbed for his sword. A deep, raspy voice spoke.
“Little Warrior. I am sad that I must do this. I tell you this now, so that your soul might not condemn me in the afterlife… I was set here by the gods themselves to guard this sunstone, for all time… It is forbidden to destroy the sunstone, but no man may look upon it to gain its secrets. These are the words of Quetzalcoatl himself.”
“Who’s Quetzalcoatl?”
“The Winged Serpent god, Kukulcan of the Nine Winds… Son of the Morning Star. You must know him.”
“Nope. Never heard of him. Why are you doing this?”
“I was set to guard the sunstone. Guard it I will. It is commanded of me by the gods. My brother stole the key and was punished. I must kill you, so that you cannot lead others in here to this sunstone. My heart is heavy, and I wish you to know this.”
“You can’t kill me in here. No one dies in here, not for good.”
“This is true, Young Warrior. The gods have shown me the way out. They have told me that to use that way brings death and failure. This is the way that I will send you.”
“Your gods are false gods. There is only the One True God. You serve Benrah, the Son of Evil!”
“I do not know this Benrah, Young One. I serve Quetzalcoatl.”
“They’re the same thing. Ask yourself, would a true god condemn a warrior to a fate like this?”
“It takes a true warrior for a task of this importance.”
Mark still had his hand on his sword. He was beginning to realize that he was going to have to fight his way out.
“What are you worried about? No one has the key to the sunstone; your brother stole it.”
“My concern is not with the key. My task is to guard the stone.”
Mark felt himself being turned upside down. In a flash he realized that he was tied to the sunstone.
“I will push this stone into the water. There it will stay for all time. That is the way out. You will die for all time.”
The ancient warrior was rolling the stone that Mark was tied to. Mark withdrew his sword. The stone splashed into the water. He felt himself sinking. The sword was awkward against the thick ropes. A terrible smell invaded his mind. A deep resounding thud coursed through the water. The stench was getting stronger. Mark struggled with the ropes. Two more thuds sounded. He was sinking ever deeper. An uncontrollable urge to breath clawed at his chest. He remembered something, something that he had almost forgotten.
He reached into Aaron’s Grasp. It was still there, the oxy-cap. He put it under his tongue, and it started releasing oxygen. Several more loud thuds reverberated through the water. Something was trying to get to him. He remembered the smell from when he was in the moat. It was the same. Leviathans were breaking through the wall to get to him. The sunstone struck bottom. More thuds sounded. The wall cracked and started to fall away.
The stone slipped. He felt himself sinking again. Dim light filtered through the water. He worked the sword through the last of the ropes.
A huge shadow swam past. Profound drowsiness grabbed his consciousness. Another shadow. He felt the huge beast at his side. Suddenly, he was rushing through the water.
* * *
Mark watched an odd sight, from over head. He knew immediately that he was dreaming. A man, with long, dark hair, carrying something, was running from a mob. They were chasing him across an open plain. The dream was peculiar. It was taking place sometime in the very distant past. The fleeing warrior stopped and turned. The mob got closer to him. He dodged rocks and clubs and anything else they could throw. He charged the hostile pack. The sword flashed streaks of blue-white light, like an electric arc. He wielded it like a sword, but it wasn’t a sword, not really. It was like a long, copper-colored, metallic, pointed baton. Soon, the attacking mob lay motionless, looking like they were dead.
Mark awoke. He was in a hospital bed, again. He remembered what had happened. He slid out of bed and started looking for his clothes. He had to get his friends out of there. They could have been in there for months, their time.
“Hello! Is anyone here?”
A moment later the curtain was pulled back. An older, oversized lady peered from beneath a white hood. Her eyes were dull and normal looking, not like a Magi’s eyes.
“Hello, there. You need to get back in bed until Mrs. Shadowitz says otherwise.”
“You’re not a nurse.”
“No, I’m just standing in for Mary while she’s on her lunch break. I help out when I can. Things have been pretty hectic in here.”
“Where are my clothes? I have to get back in there.”
“You’re not going anywhere until Mrs. Shadowitz says so.”
“We’ll see about that.” Mark pulled the other curtain back and went around the lady. Two rather large fellows in white tunics blocked the door.
“Now, see here, young man! I said that you’re not going anywhere until Mrs. Shadowitz says so.”
“Well, go get her then. I have to get back into the labyrinth. The expedition is still trapped in there.”
“I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that. Now, you haul your butt back into that bed, and I’ll tell you what I do know.”
Mark checked to see if he still had the staff. It was there. He climbed back onto the bed.
“Mr. Thorpe found you by the moat. I’m telling you what’s the truth. That man is always on the prowl, looking for trouble, if you ask me. He figured it out pretty quick that you must have come up out of the moat. Real genius he is, to figure that out… That was almost a week ago. They sent down a submarine and found the hole. Didn’t take much, after that, to figure out how you got out.
“Um-um, Mrs. Shadowitz is some kind of mad at Mr. Thorpe. He left you lying out there by the moat. Didn’t tell anyone that you were still there. Went off to tell the submarine crew to start looking. Reckon he was more worried ‘bout what was still in the moat. That’s how you got that nasty sunburn on your face and neck. It’s ‘bout healed up now. Been putting aloe salve on it. Fresh aloe works wonders on sunburn. Got to be fresh, though.”
“How is everybody? The rest of the expedition, how are they doing?”
“What expedition? What are you talking about?”
“There were about thirty people left down in there. Are you saying that they haven’t made it out yet?”
“I don’t know anything about no thirty people.”
“Get my clothes. I’m going back in. Those people are still in there.”
“You ain’t going nowhere ‘til Mrs. Shadowitz says so.”
“You send for Mrs. Shadowitz, right now!”
The lady shook her head and turned to the guards. “Go get Mrs. Shadowitz.”
One of the guards turned and left. He returned a few minutes later. “Mrs. Shadowitz said to let him go.”
The lady went to a cabinet against the wall. She returned with Mark’s clothes. Mark closed the curtains and got dressed.
* * *
Several instructors were standing watch at the door in the museum. Mark ignored them. He laid the staff against the wall and stepped through, onto the ladder. Lanterns lit the cavern below.
“Ready to get out!”
Loud cheers rang out from below. Mark held the door open. A procession of people climbed up and out. Notably missing were Mr. Diefenderfer, Joseph Young and Gerod. They were waiting for Mark to join them.
Gerod grabbed Mark by the shoulders. “Mrs. Shadowitz tossed in a note that said you were found unconscious, by the moat. What happened?”
“That guy guarding the sunstone hit me with something. I was tied to the sunstone when I woke up. He pushed me and the sunstone into the water, on the ledge, I think. He said that he had to keep anybody from seeing the sunstone. I woke up in the healing ward.”
“That has to mean that the sunstone is in the moat. We were going to go back in for it. I guess we don’t have to now.”
“Yeah, I guess so. We still need to get that guy out of there.”
“It doesn’t sound like he’s too friendly.”
Joseph Young put his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “He’s not. Stays to himself unless someone gets too close to the sunstone.”
“Yeah, but I’m not going to leave anybody in there that I don’t have to.”
Gerod said, “Well then, let’s do it.”
Mark led the way. Once they were in the grotto, Gerod asked, “Did he tell you his name?”
“No. He kept calling me Young Warrior or Young One and stuff like that.”
Gerod called out. “Warrior! Speak with us.”
Deep from the darkness, a voice boomed. “Speak.”
“You have nothing left to guard. Will you come out with us?”
“No!”
“Why stay?”
Silence.
“A slave that loves his chains cannot be freed.” Mr. Diefenderfer’s voice was absolutely normal sounding. “Mark, you will go through the door, first. Hold it open, if you will, from the other side.”
Gerod was the last to come through the door. His foot had just passed the threshold, and the ancient warrior tackled him. He lunged forward, falling face first onto the floor. Cold steel rang from scabbards as Joseph Young and Mr. Diefenderfer drew, simultaneously.
“Brave Warrior. You cannot win this fight.”
The warrior delivered a blow to Gerod’s head. In a dash, he was hidden in the shadows, again.
“Mark, he is after you, primarily. Climb the ladder, to the top. Hold the door open for us.”
Gerod sat up. “Use this on him. It will put him to sleep.” He fished in his pocket and removed a small vial. It looked like the same vial that he had used on Mark’s mother when he had rescued them after the storm. Gerod got to his feet.
Joseph Young took the bottle from him. “Are you all right? Can you fight?”
“I’ll be all right in a few minutes. That guy packs a real wallop. He knows what he’s doing.” Gerod drew his sword.
Mark called down. “The door’s open.”
The trio inched toward the ladder. Gerod started up. A flash of motion shot from the shadows. Mr. Diefenderfer spun himself into the warrior’s path and they collided. Both fell to the floor like a dead oak. The warrior started to regain his feet. Mr. Young stepped up and touched his forehead. The warrior wobbled and fell over.
* * *
Mark awoke. “Hello…” A few minutes passed before the curtain around his bed was pulled back.
“Hi there. Welcome back to the world of the living. You’ve been asleep for a week again and we don’t understand why since you were only in the labyrinth for a few minutes this time.” It was the blond lady whom he had seen the first time that he was in there.
“Who is that screaming?”
“It’s that warrior fellow, from the labyrinth. He’s mad because we have him strapped to the bed and won’t let him get up.”
“Why not?”
“Well, he is a tad violent. Keeps insisting that he has to kill anyone who has seen that sunstone.”
“Can I talk to him?”
“I don’t see why not. I have to let Mrs. Shadowitz know, first.”
“Okay. I’d like to get something to eat, too.”
“You feel up to seeing your friends? They wanted to see you when you woke up. They said that they would bring up something from The Oasis. Got any requests?”
“Yes, ma’am. Breakfast would be nice. Tell them I’d like breakfast.”
The young lady left. A short while later Nick, Jamal and Chenoa came into the room. They pulled over a table from next to the wall and laid out the food.
“Hi. I missed you guys.”
Chenoa said, “We missed you, too.”
They all sat down and began to eat.
Nick asked the question that was on everybody’s mind. “What happened?”
“At first, when we entered the labyrinth this time, we thought that we would have to go through all the rooms. Mr. Diefenderfer suggested that we look for other doors. That’s when we found the other door that led directly to the last room. Everything else was like, okay, I guess. Except for that warrior guy. I suppose that you have already heard about that. What’s been going on out here?”
Chenoa became excited at that question. “Well, we just about lost a flags match. LeOmi saved the day. She got the bonus flag all by herself. You should have seen her. She was awesome. Tigers, there had to have been fifty of them on The Island. That girl is good with ropes. She’s like an acrobat or a trapeze artist or something. She was just awesome.”
“Sounds like I missed something worth seeing.”
Jamal said, “Yeah, you did. That girl is something special. Hey, get this. Tim has been teaching Mr. Diefenderfer’s class. Not an instructor, but the teacher. You should see him. He’s happier than a bear with a backscratcher.”
“I bet he is.”
Nick asked, “How are you doing?”
“Actually, I’m doing pretty good. I’m not anxious to go back in there anytime soon.”
“What was it like?”
“Well, I’m not going to offer to give you a tour. I can honestly say that it is the worst place that I have ever been. I hope that I never have to go back.”
A voice from the side startled them, slightly. It was Mr. Diefenderfer. “I agree with Mark. Although, the place did have its benefits.”
They stared at him. They couldn’t believe their eyes or ears.
Mark said, “I thought your voice sounded more normal than usual when we were in the cavern.”
“Indeed. I have also regained my physical eyesight and physical hearing. As well, my headaches are gone. I will tell you this. If I didn’t feel it necessary to rescue those people, and I had it to do all over again, with what I know now about the experience, I would not have gone. Even with the knowledge of its healing characteristics.”
“Will you join us for some breakfast? There’s plenty of food.”
“I don’t mind if I do. Tell me, Mark, how did you survive long enough to make it out of the moat? That opening that you came through was more than a quarter of a mile deep.”
Everyone looked at Mark. A voice sounded from the side. It was Mrs. Shadowitz. “Ah… I think I know. It was the oxy-cap that Rajah gave you when were in the life sciences section, wasn’t it?”
Mark grinned. “Yes, ma’am. I had almost forgotten that I had it. If it hadn’t been for that, I probably would have drowned.”
“You know that you weren’t supposed to learn about those until next year. I’m glad that we had our little rides.”
“Me, too. Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome.”
“Would you care to have some breakfast with us?”
“I’ll join you, but I’m not hungry. What can you tell me about this warrior fellow? He won’t tell us anything except that he has to kill anyone that has seen the sunstone.”
“He told me that a god named Quetzalcoatl put him in there with the sunstone and that he had to guard it. He said that no one could look at it and gain its secrets. Oh yeah, he said that it is forbidden to destroy it, too.”
“Did he tell you his name?”
“No, ma’am, he didn’t.”
“You think you’re ready to talk to him now?”
“Yes, ma’am. Where’s the sunstone, now?”
“It’s in the science section. They’re examining it. All of the markings have been eroded off it.”
Mrs. Shadowitz got up. The group followed her to the warrior’s bed. She pulled back the curt
ain. He was a very big man. He had very long, straight black hair. He jerked to look at who had pulled the curtain back. His eyes fixed on Mark.
“You’re dead. I killed you myself.”
This guy reminded Mark of the ancient warrior that he had seen in his dream. There was an uncanny resemblance, but this wasn’t the guy in his dream.
“Not quite… Tell me something. If all of the markings on the sunstone are gone, why guard it.”
“You lie! Those markings are fixed in the sunstone. I have seen them myself.”
Mrs. Shadowitz said, “Oh, he’s telling the truth.” She waved her hand in front of her. The image of the sunstone appeared, in thin air, in front of them.
“What kind of magic is this? It’s a lie!”
“You seem to think that everything is a lie. I assure you, it is not a lie. What you are seeing is real. It comes from the power of The One God.”
“The Young Warrior spoke of this One God. Tell me the name of this One God.”
Mrs. Shadowitz lowered herself to her knees. “His name in the modern tongue is Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh. In the ancient tongue it is pronounced Hawyah Asher Hawyah.”
“I know this name. He is the enemy of the gods!”
Mrs. Shadowitz stood back up. “Yes… I suppose that is true, from their perspective. Anyway, what you see before you is how the stone appears this very moment.”
“What you see, is that you do not see. It is still my task to guard the sunstone. Let me go so that I may yet fulfill what the gods command of me.”
“What is your name?”
“I am called, Otomi.”
Mark spoke. “Otomi, did you ever consider that your task may be complete. I mean, a lot of people consider that we live in the time of the end of days. Was your task to guard the sunstone for all time or just until the end of days? Think about it. Your instructions must have been given to you in an ancient tongue. You have learned to speak English over the many years that you were in the labyrinth. You have probably also learned a few other languages as well. Is it possible that you were to only guard the sunstone until the end of days?”
“Quetzalcoatl said that I was to guard the sunstone for all time. This I must do.”
“Then you have failed.” Slone Voif spoke from behind the group. He had walked up unnoticed. “Out here, you will grow old and die. You will never be able to complete your mission.”
“This is true. I must return the sunstone to the Cave of Quetzalcoatl.”
“Great Warrior, how can you do this? It is not possible.”
“No one has seen the writing. It is still possible.”
“These warriors will not allow it. How can you defeat so many.”
“With Quetzalcoatl, much can happen.”
Slone turned to Mrs. Shadowitz. “Why not just let him go back into the labyrinth with the stone. The scientists have already examined it. It’s not like you’ll lose it forever. You can always go back in and get it, if you think you need it.”
Mrs. Shadowitz said, “The disposition of this man and the sunstone are a matter for the Council of Elders to decide. I will tell them of your suggestion.”
“I just wanted to bring that up as a possibility.”
“Your suggestion is noted. Now, if I may continue.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Otomi, if I understand you correctly, the sunstone can still be read.”
There was no answer.
“I’ll take that as a yes… Now, what’s so all fired important about this stone that you have devoted all these years to guarding it in the labyrinth?”
No answer.
“Now, if Quetzalcoatl himself set you to guard this stone in such a place, there must be something on it that he doesn’t want our side to see. This sunstone has been recovered in what we believe to be a crucial spot in history. It must be time for us to learn what is on this sunstone.”
Still, no answer from Otomi.
* * *
Later that afternoon, the Council of Elders met in special session to decide the fate of Otomi and the sunstone. Harmonious Thorpe stepped down from the Council of Elders to allow Joseph Young to have his seat back. It had been the presumed death of Joseph Young that had let Harmonious Thorpe gain his seat on the council in the first place. Thorpe seemed uncharacteristically gracious in stepping down.
Mrs. Shadowitz looked down from the council seats high above. The prisoner Otomi, stood in the center of the chamber, illuminated from above and in shackles. “You stand accused of the attempted murder of Mark Young. Do you have anything that you wish to say?”
“I did what I had to do. I was commanded by the gods to protect the sunstone. Killing the young warrior was my only choice.”
There was a pause before she spoke again. “It is the unanimous decision of the Council of Elders of the Seventh Mountain that you are guilty as charged. From here, you will be remanded to the custody of the prison, Mattaraw, until such time as you are deemed worthy to be released. The sunstone will remain with us for study. This Court of the Council of Elders of the Seventh Mountain is concluded.”
TOP TEN
RANK TRIBE STUDENT ACADEMIC EXTRA TOTAL
1 Emerald ______ LeOmi Jones ______9800 ___ 1363 __11163
2 Ruby ________ Slone Voif ________9800 ___ 1315 __11115
3 Onyx ________ Cynthia Dover ____9800 ___ 1309 __11109
6 tie Emerald ____ Chenoa Day_______9800 ___ 1301 __11101
6 tie Emerald ____ Nikola Poparov ____9800 ___ 1301 __11101
6 tie Emerald ____ Jamal Terfa _______9800 ___ 1301 __11101
7 Ruby_________ Judd Jenkins ______9793 ___ 1298 __11091
8 Jasper ________ Keshena Moore ____9800 ___ 1290 __11090
9 Diamond _____ Darnel Washington _9800 ___ 1282 __11082
10 Topaz _______Vladimir Kirsch ___ 9800 ___ 1250 __11050
