The Dragons of Sara Sara (21 page)

She pulled an arrow from her arrow case that was longer than the rest, and contained a tube attached to it. It took but a second to launch the arrow into the air. Antonin was on his toes with his broadsword swinging. If Catharina wanted to fight he would be right by her side. He watched the Morgoth approaching in a rush across the plaza, and watched the arrow speed high over their heads. He looked at Catharina with a puzzled expression on his face.

“Are you standing here all day? Or are you coming with me to safety?” she quipped with a smile.

As she ran past Antonin she clung to his sleeve and nearly pulled him off his feet as she got him running. He heard a roar of sound from across the square and glanced over his shoulder to see a pall of coloured smoke rising rabidly into the sky from where a vendors charcoal fire had been moments before.

“No time to strike flints,” called Catharina with a laugh. “The others will see that smoke even if they are in the far mountains.”

“Run there.” Yelled Catharina to the startled Antonin. She pointed with her short spear to a squat two level building across the plaza ahead of them. It was one of the few that seemed unoccupied. Catharina was not happy. She knew what had to be done, but she had never fled from a battle in her life before. The Morgoth would pay for this if she ever got to face them.

The Morgoth meantime were yelling and roaring like demons possessed. The young pair easily outran the ungainly beasts and made the entrance to the building easily. It appeared to be empty. A fact that Catharina had noted earlier as they had first entered the plaza. It was a strange place. A broad open area like a huge hall and little else. Small windows along one side opened into rooms who's long forgotten purpose could not even be guessed at. At the far end of the hall were stairs leading to the upper levels and to the amazement of them both, the same design of stairs leading downward as they had seen in the distant deserted ruins. The decision was made fast. Avoid the Morgoth or turn and fight. The Morgoth were almost up to the steps leading up to the entrance. Antonin pointed to the stairwell.

“Catharina, are you willing to try the caverns with me?”

Catharina looked quickly about. The place was something of a trap. There was only the huge front entrance, and the Morgoth were even now roaring across the entrance way toward them. There was no sense going to the upper levels. That would trap them for sure. Catharina was not afraid to turn and fight but it would serve no useful purpose to end up dead. They were heavily outnumbered.

“Perhaps we can pick up the trail of the Tharsians in the cavern.” Catharina turned and started toward the stairwell as she spoke. “It made sense,” thought Antonin. “The Tharsians must have come this way, and the only way they could travel without causing panic in the population was by some means that kept them out of sight.”

Antonin muttered under his breath and together they sped for the stairs down into the caverns. The Morgoth had by now gained the entrance were leaping into the gloomy interior howling and roaring. The noise was amplified in the stony interior and became deafening. They were just in time to see Antonin and Catharina disappearing down the stairs into the darkness. The Morgoth were only seconds behind, but it was enough to give Antonin the moment he needed to get Catharina and himself into the small room he knew to be to the left of the stairs on the lowest level. Antonin certainly hoped it was there. It was pitch black in the deep cavern just as had been the first one they had entered in the ruins on the other side of the mountain pass.

Moving as quickly as possible in the pitch black Antoine and Catharina went forward a few paces once they were on the lowest level, then turned left and felt forward with outstretched arms and fingertips. They eased forward until Antonin encountered the wall of the room he knew must be there. He hissed a warning to Catharina and together they moved around the walls, finally gaining entry to the small room.

By now the Morgoth warriors were also in the dark cavern. They stumbled about in the inky blackness, and obviously had no idea where they were. With no light they were in total disarray, and at the mercy of Antonin and Catharina should they choose to engage them. Suddenly one let out a shriek and crashed to the floor. It had come too close to the doorway near Catharina, and with the skill of the Mare Altan to guide her she had thrust her short killing spear into the Morgoth warrior as he had felt his way past the doorway. His dying shriek had set off the others in a frenzy of bellows and cries. The noise subdued even them after a few moments.

“Well,” thought Catharina. “We had better decide what to do. That was pure luck.”

At the same moment Antonin had found the knob he had been searching for on the top of the bench. A gentle push and a soft click alerted Catharina. She looked in the direction she knew Antonin to be in, and there in the dark she could see the soft green glow of the strange devices that somehow summoned the strange machines that Luan had spoken of. They knew it to be no beast, but Catharina could not understand what Antonin had in mind in summoning the machine. If indeed it did come as it had done on that past occasion.

Suddenly all sound stopped. The Morgoth had even stopped breathing. There was a gentle movement of air, which Antonin and Catharina knew to be the herald of the machines travel toward them. The Morgoth had felt the change in air pressure as well. They had no idea what it was though and now a faint humming could be heard in the tunnel to Antonin's left as he faced toward the cavern. Catharina's sense of direction, like Antonin's was finely tuned. She knew in which direction they faced now. The machine was coming from the south west, going north east. Nothing lay in that direction that she knew of, only the Great Sandy Blight.

 

 

The Dark Lord himself had given his name to much in the world before he had been finally defeated and sent into Sara Sara. Those who worshipped him were still legion and human sacrifice was still made on the summit of Sara Sara.

All of this the Dark Lord would be called to answer for if the Key Stone could be found and put back in place. Stopping the relentless turn of the great wheel was the only way to ensure that the Dark Lord was never released into the world again. Once the wheel was stopped, the Seal of the Creator could be used to fuse it into place. The Dark Lord would be entombed forever and his followers would melt away.

The Forrest of Mordos – Mordos's Gloom was to be found on the far edges of the Great Sandy Blight.

“Perhaps,” thought Catharina. “We can close the gap on the Tharsians by riding the machine to the heart of their forest.”

She had seconds to work out a plan. The roar of the approaching machine, it's huge burning eye lighting the tunnels ahead of it, was drowning out the howls of the Morgoth warriors. They were scrambling to retreat up the stairs but could not find them in the darkens and shifting shadows now caused by the light of the machine. Finally there was enough faint light to allow them to escape back up the stairs. As fearless as the Morgoth were, this huge monster roaring down on them was too much. As one they rushed up the stairs.

Antonin and Catharina watched as the strange machine slid to a halt right in front of their hiding place. Antonin could clearly see the shape and strangeness of it now. It was made of a shiny silver metal with windows of glass, and it was filled with seats. Soft lighting was provided in the interior by strange lamps glowing in the roof of the vehicle. There were actually two such wagons joined together.

There was no doubt that the thing was after all little more than a wagon for transporting people. A very strange one to be sure, but a wagon none the less. Certainly nothing to be feared. If they could get inside it, perhaps there was a chance of escape. Without further hesitation Antonin grabbed Catharina's hand and together they ran for the wagons. The doors remained firmly closed however and there seemed no way of opening them. They were rapidly running out of time. Either the machine would soon leave, or the Morgoth would be back – or both!

Something had to open those doors. Antonin dashed back to the room. There must be another control. Nothing. He could see nothing. Only the soft green light blinking on and off. In frustration he struck it with his balled fist. He looked up at Catharina's yell. The wagon doors were open. She was stepping into the wagon as Antonin was half way back to her. Running at full speed he could see the doors sliding shut again. He launched himself into the air in a wild dive and almost tore his legs off as the door tried to shut on him. He crashed in a heap against the doors on the far side of the wagon and to his surprise his legs were still attached to his body. He heard a shout, and looked up to see the Morgoth spilling back onto the floor of the cavern.

The carriage door was open again. It had sprung open again almost as soon as it had touched his legs as he crashed into the wagon.

“What a place to be trapped in!” He said to no one in particular. The Morgoth of course could now see Antonin and Catharina clearly. The soft lights of the wagon's interior were ample illumination in such a dark place. With a soft hiss the doors slid shut again. The Morgoth howled in rage as their spears bounced harmlessly off the sides of the wagon. They rushed forward and tried to break their way in. One with a huge battle axe was trying to break through the windows. He only succeeded in injuring himself as his axe rebounded from the toughened glass and took him full in the face with the counterbalance spike. He staggered back, the long point of the axe now embedded in his forehead. Blood poured down his face, and his howls of pain and rage threatened to bring down the bricks from the walls.

The wagon gave a lurch. Antonin and Catharina grabbed onto the uprights that ran the length of the interior. The Morgoth trying to break their way in fell back in alarm. With a steadily rising humming sound the wagon began to move in the direction of the tunnel. Catharina looked at Antonin. There was no sign of fear in either face, but Catharina's raised eyebrows gave the question to her look. Trusting themselves to this ancient machinery may not be such a good idea. The carriages quickly gathered speed and with a whoosh of compressed air disappeared into the tunnel. The Morgoth were left far behind.

There seemed no way of knowing where they were bound, and the speed of the wagons was breath taking. The walls of the tunnel outside were just a blur in the light from the interior of the wagons. Antonin was alarmed at the obvious speed of their travel, but he was not about to mention it.

“Perhaps we should try and discover something about this strange machine Antonin,” said Catharina. “If we can control it, we can use it to our advantage after all. Mei'An will be much surprised”.

“Yes,” agreed Antonin. “Let us start at one end, and see what we can find out.”

He started forward, in their direction of travel. There was a small cubicle at the front, and once inside the dividing door, they discovered it looked a little like the room they had been in, in the cavern. There were rows of blinking lights, levers of metal who's purpose could not be guessed at, and a broad flat panel with a tiny red light slowly crawling across its surface. Catharina pointed to the panel. Antonin followed her direction and looked closely at the surface. Faintly etched into it was a map. It took only a moment for Antonin to realize that the map represented most of the known world. There was not much detail, but the outline was unmistakable. The small light that shone through its surface could only represent the vehicle they were in. It appeared to be moving rapidly away from their starting point, still shown as a steady green point on the map. Now they were both alarmed.

“Antonin, we are moving very rapidly away from all that we know. Perhaps even to the edge of the world. What have we done? The others …”. Catharina's voice faded.

Antonin had no answer. He could only look at Catharina with alarm etched in his own eyes.

“We have to stop this machine Catharina,” he said. “We must give ourselves time to think what to do. This thing goes too fast.”

He looked at the panels in front of him. There was nothing in his experience to guide him. Even the language used on the panels was unknown. Everything was covered in a powder fine layer of dust. These machines had been hidden in the depths for so long it could not be imagined. Even the Wind Readers knew little of their existence. They knew nothing of how they worked, nor from what age they had survived. People avoided the buildings associated with them above ground, and none dared venture into the blackness of the underground caverns. None that is until Antonin. There was very little sign of decay in the workings. Whoever had built these fantastic devices and their subterranean tunnels had made them to last. Now even the makers were long gone. Only the machines remained, kept going with a life of their own, powered by forces unknown in this present age. Even the cool lights were a mystery. Neither Antonin nor Catharina could even begin to guess at how they worked.

There were a number of metal levers on the panels, and one large red button shaped, thought Antonin, like a mushroom. Well, even in this age, red meant danger. Berries on the bushes warned birds of it, and glowing coals in a fire warned of it. Without further thought, Antonin hit the red button. They were after all in danger. In danger of being carried right out of their known world!

Neither was prepared for the result. The carriages dropped immediately onto the metal rail that ran the centre of the tunnel. Where it had previously been riding some inches above it, both carriages now dropped with a sickening lurch directly onto it.

The wagons lost speed immediately, almost instantly. It took Catharina and Antonin by complete surprise and they were thrown forward hard against the front window, landing in a tangled heap on the sloping panel. They seemed to be stuck there as if a huge invisible hand was pressing them against the glass. Neither could move against the incredible force pressing them against the glass. Catharina was by chance looking forward in the direction of travel, and could see the tunnel, lit up by the light on the front of the wagon, curving away into the distance. It was curving ever so slightly to the right. The wagons still rocketed forward, though slowing rapidly. Antonin, with his back pressed against the glass could see a huge shower of sparks spraying out behind them. Like the sparks from a thousand blacksmith forges. The machine was grinding against the metal rail. The deafening screech of the metal on metal seemed to fill the whole world. Finally the machine came to rest and Antonin and Catharina were able to pick themselves up.

“Well, we know now what that does!” Said Antonin to Catharina as he rubbed his shoulder. There was total silence in the tunnel. The lights lit up the surrounding area, and the way ahead was lit for as far as they could see by the front light. Catharina pointed. There just ahead was another platform. What else to call it Catharina could not think. They were certainly more than just caverns. Mei'An had spoken of portals, but Catharina did not think this was the same thing.

“Antonin. Another platform just ahead.” She said.

They both peered into the distance. It was immediately obvious that this platform was severely damaged. Some of the roof had fallen in, and from what they could see the platform was perhaps even sealed from the outside world by rock fall.

There was no doubt in Antonin's mind that even in the short period of time since leaving the last portal, they had covered a great distance. Their speed had been breathtaking and Antonin would never admit it, but he had been very much afraid. Such speed. Even the swiftest bird could not travel so fast. He knew to return along the tunnel on foot would take many days and they had neither food nor water. It was certain that there would be neither in these dark caverns.

“Antonin, should we leave this machine and explore forward? Or return to the place where we came from?”. Catharina's voice trembled a little, and Antonin could see the faint flush of embarrassment in her face. No matter. It was time for honesty.

“Catharina,” began Antonin, placing his hands on Catharina's upper arms. “I was very much afraid of the swiftness of our travel, and when I punched the red mushroom looking device there, I thought we were about to die in this awful place. You must forgive me for my weakness. I will not let you down again.”

Catharina looked into Antonin's eyes. For a long moment she hardly seemed to breathe. “Antonin my friend. Truly you would make a warrior that any of the Mare Altan would trust with her honour. I have never known fear before this day. Our teachers, the Old Ones, warned us we would know fear, and that a true warrior knows it and faces it. I too thought we were being carried to the edge of the world. I too was very much afraid.”

Catharina took a small step forward and embraced Antonin like a sister would her brother. Her head fit snugly against his chest, and in a detached way he observed that he had always thought of Catharina as being about the same height as himself. Slowly he relaxed his hands from her upper arms and encircled her waist.. He could not believe the scent of her hair filling his nostrils. Herbs and spices, the scents of spring, with an underlying hint of something purely human… purely Catharina.

Antonin stepped back suddenly in some alarm and confusion. He blushed mightily, sure his face was a beacon lighting the dark tunnel. Catharina just looked at him and the corners of her mouth tilted in the faintest of smiles.

“My warrior.” She murmured as she turned and stepped past Antonin into the strange wagon.

“Antonin.” She called back over her shoulder. “We should try to get out of this wagon. We must explore. We need to know where we are.”

“Yes.” Replied Antonin. “If we can get to the surface, we should be able to find out at least where we are.”

Catharina was feeling around the door where they had entered the wagon.

“Antonin, what people were they who could build such machines? How old must they be that no one from our age knows of them. Only whispers and rumours. Even the buildings that are part of the system remain deserted.”

The doors hissed apart. Both Antonin and Catharina jumped. Something that Catharina had touched had caused the doors to open. Catharina touched the strange pattern by the top of one side. The doors hissed shut. Another push, and the sprang open again. A thrumming sound began, coming from somewhere beneath the floor. After a moment there as a hiss like a dragon expiring, and the thrumming sound stopped. With a glance at each other as if to say “I don't know, do you?” The two moved to the door. It was not far to the ground. Catharina wondered now if it was actually a good idea to leave the relative safety of their steel wagon with all its strength.

“Antonin, we must stay together. We must not get separated in this strange place. It seems that we have immobilized this ancient wagon. We should search forward in its light. Do you think?” She added with some uncertainty.

“Yes.” Replied Antonin. He took Catharina's hand and stepped to the edge. They both landed lightly on their feet. Their heads were almost level with the floor of the wagon they had just left.

It was now possible to see the ground clearly. There was a lot of rubbish. Not only loose stone, and bits of wall and ceiling that had come down over the centuries, but old paper, bits of wood, strange round metal containers, and a wide assortment of unnameable objects. Catharina pointed along the wall. It was unmistakable – there was a shelter built out of timber against the wall. It was a little way ahead of them, and well lit from the lights of the wagon, but so well camouflaged that it would normally go unnoticed. It was only because they were at the same level, and very alert to danger that Catharina had seen it at all.