The Awakened: Book One (36 page)

The narrow passage opened into what seemed like a gigantic cavern.  “This is one of the major passages in the mountain through which large groups of people would pass in order to make their way to the temple,” Ukiru explained.

“I thought we were already in the temple,” questioned Horace.

Ukiru’s smile wasn’t visible, but Kael could hear it in his voice.

“Not yet.  And you will not get to see it right away.  It is still being prepared for the ceremony.  But I will take you to the entrance.”

Ukiru again turned to the right and began to walk at a brisk pace.  Kael finally understood the reason that they had never reached the other side of the island.  This enormous hallway, like the previous one, curved slightly to the left making a large circle.  They were closer to the center of the island now and the curve of this passage was more noticeable than the last. The torches flickered much more in this passage and the air seemed fresher.

As the rest of the young men tried to keep pace with Ukiru, Kael couldn’t help but wonder how this temple was constructed.  He looked to the ceiling, which was more than fifty feet above him and marveled at what it must have taken to carve such a large amount of stone out of this place.  His gaze drifted to the walls and quickly fixed itself on a hole to his left.  It was far above the ground, almost at the ceiling and he could almost smell the fresh air coming in through it.

“Stay close,” echoed Ukiru’s voice from farther ahead than Kael realized.

As he jogged to catch up he noticed another hole in the wall ahead.  By the time he reached the group he could see it more clearly.  This one was slightly lower than the previous one, but still too far away to see if it led to open air.  As the minutes went by, Kael watched as the holes continued to appear at the same frequency, with each one being slightly lower than the one before.  Finally, the passage ended at a large doorway, blocked by a wooden door that seemed as solid as the mountain itself.  Kael looked up and saw the last of the windows only nine or ten feet above the ground.  It was completely dark, but fresh air was definitely coming in through it.  The window was circular and looked large enough to fit a grown man through.

A loud clank startled Kael and brought his attention back to the group.  Ukiru was pushing the door open and beckoned for the young men to follow.  They all stepped into a well-lit, dome-shaped room with two doors.  The one straight in front of them was ridiculously large and covered by a thick curtain.  The other door to the right seemed to be the only thing in this whole mountain sized appropriately for normal human beings.

Ukiru walked to the smaller door and knocked.  “That curtain covers the entrance into the temple.  We will eat our evening meal first and then I will take you inside to meet the High Priest.”  The door opened and Ukiru walked through.

Immediately, the smell of food came to Kael’s nose.  The rumble of Jorn’s stomach brought a bit of hushed laughter from Donagh and Horace.  As they followed Ukiru into the small room, Kael noticed the man holding the door was dressed in robes like the monks at the monastery, only his were all black.

Inside of the small room was a ring of large pillows circled around a pedestal.  Ukiru motioned for everyone to take a seat.  Being the last in line, Kael was the last to find a pillow.  The intimacy of the setting was strange and made him feel uncomfortable.

Ukiru looked at ease sitting on his pillow with his legs crossed.  He extended both arms out to his sides and addressed the group.  “We have come to the end of our journey and I’m sure that you are all hungry.”  At these words, the monk who was holding the door approached the group and placed a silver tray of cheeses and bread on top of the pedestal.  He walked back to the corner of the room and opened a wooden chest, producing a silver goblet and filled it with wine from a bottle.  He walked back to the group and placed the goblet next to the tray of food.

“Is that all there is?” asked Jorn, sounding sincerely worried.

“My dear Jorn, your question is an honest one.”  Ukiru paused, thinking of the right words to say.  “This is only a small meal to take the edge off of your hunger.  But in a few minutes, you will meet the High Priest who will lead you in a meditation where you will be met by the All Powerful.  Please believe me when I tell you that food will be the last thing on your mind.  In fact, I doubt that you would be able to keep anything in your stomach if you were to eat too much.”  Ukiru took the tray and handed it to Jorn.  “Take a few pieces and pass it around.”

As each person chewed on the small amount of cheese and bread, Ukiru continued.  “Until this point, I have attempted to show you everything that I know about how to protect yourself, lead others, and be a useful tool for the work of the All Powerful.  The time has come for all of you to meet him.  This is a great privilege, reserved only for a select few.  And everyone who has come into his presence has been unable to keep his grip on consciousness, including myself.  I do not say this to scare you, but I want you to realize that after this experience you will feel a presence in your life that will guide and protect you.  The All Powerful will accomplish great things through you and you will never experience a greater life than this one which has been given to you.  I have shown you everything that I know in our time together, but after tonight there will be another who will instruct you.”

Ukiru isn’t going to instruct us anymore?
  Kael felt a tinge of sadness.  He tried to imagine what the next part of his life would be like.

It seemed that they had only been in the room for a few minutes before Ukiru stood and waited for the others to do the same.  “It is time,” he stated and walked toward the door.  The monk who had fed them opened the door and the group followed Ukiru out into the dome shaped room.  Ukiru waited by the large curtain until everyone was present.

Again, Kael was the last in line.  There was a tension in the air that made him feel uneasy. 
It’s probably just the anticipation of an important event.
  But it felt more like something terrible was about to happen.  He looked around at the others to see if he was the only one who felt worried, but they only seemed excited.

“You are entering the temple of the All Powerful and so I will remind you that I expect the highest level of respect from all of you.”  With these words, Ukiru pulled hard on a thick rope to one side of the curtain and it glided slowly sideways to reveal a dark tunnel.  The effect was a little anti-climactic and the boys looked back and forth at one another, clearly expecting something different.  “Follow me,” Ukiru added, and proceeded into the darkness.

For a few seconds, Kael was unable to see anything and had to rely on his sense of sound to guide him, listening to the footsteps ahead of him.  But slowly, a soft glow began to reflect off the walls and the silhouettes of the figures ahead could be made out.  The glow quickly grew into a flicker of sharper yellow light and the echoing sounds of footsteps diminished.  The tunnel ended at a large wooden cage set into a hole in the wall.

Ukiru grabbed hold of the cage and opened the front like a door.  “Everyone in,” he instructed.

With hesitation, the others walked into the wooden cage and moved to the rear.  Kael followed, while Ukiru brought up the rear after closing the door.  Then, grabbing hold of a lever on the ceiling of the cage, Ukiru pulled it sharply and the cage began to descend.

As their descent began to quicken, Kael’s stomach began to tighten.

“What is this?” asked Rainer.

Ukiru, still holding the lever, turned his head.  “It is a lift that is used to transport supplies between the various levels within the mountain.  It is also the quickest way to the temple.”

After several minutes of watching the stone walls and occasional tunnels pass by, the lift began to slow.  Kael watched Ukiru’s hand on the lever as he controlled the speed of the descent.

Ukiru began to apply more pressure to the lever until the lift stopped completely.  Then he walked to the front and unlocked the door which swung outward over another smooth stone passage.

The group exited the lift in the same order they entered it.  Then the young men waited for Ukiru to close and latch the door.

When the instructor was finished, he walked to the front of the group and proceeded down the short passage that ended at another thick black curtain.  Without hesitation, Ukiru reached up and pulled the curtain aside.  The passage gave way to an enormous cavern that stretched away so far that the other side was lost to the shadows.

“Ouch,” Horace whispered as someone bumped into him from behind.  The group had unknowingly stopped a couple steps inside, unable to walk and appreciate the majesty of their surroundings at the same time.

The
cavern
was spherical from the ceiling down to the walls, ending abruptly at a sand floor, smoother than the beaches of Kael’s childhood.  Around the perimeter of the cavern were enormous statues of creatures with great wings reaching out to either side.  They looked almost like men, but their features were stretched lengthwise.  There was a bonfire burning a short way out into the cavern, from which heat could be felt even at this distance.  The most visible thing in the whole place was a large hole in the roof where moonlight streamed down in a column to illuminate a circular stage at the center of the sand floor.  The stage was surrounded by a moat of still water that reflected the moonlight onto the cavern ceiling.

In front of the fire was the silhouette of a man.  He was tall, a full head taller than Ukiru who immediately started walking forward.  The High Priest, or so Kael assumed, spread his arms wide in welcome, revealing the draping of a heavy cloak covering his entire body, including his face.  Ukiru stopped short and knelt before him.  The straggling group behind him followed his example and knelt in the sand.

“My lord, High Priest of the All Powerful, I bring you ten young men from the farthest reaches of the Empire.  All ten have been raised in accordance with the instructions given to me.  All ten I now present to you as gifts to the All Powerful.”  Ukiru rose to his feet and the young men did the same.

Suddenly, the High Priest, who had been completely silent until now, spoke with a commanding voice.  “Young men, present yourselves.”

Kael stepped forward with the others and assembled into a single line like they had been instructed to do on several previous occasions.

The High Priest walked to the end of the line and stood in front of Coen.  “Coen, do you present yourself as a gift to the All Powerful, to be an instrument for his glory on this earth?”

“I do,” Coen answered uneasily.

Kael’s heart was thudding in his chest as he waited for his turn.  After Berit and Donagh, his turn came and he answered the same as all the others.  When the High Priest moved on, Kael felt no sense of relief.  His nausea persisted.  Jorn was the last to answer, after which, the High Priest moved back to the center of the line and faced the group.

“Come with me,” he said and began to walk across the sand to the center of the cavern.  As they approached what now looked like a stone dais, Kael could see arched bridges attached to either side, which extended across the moat to disappear into the sand.  It was at one of these bridges that the High Priest stopped the group.  Once again they gathered in a line as they were accustomed to doing from all of their time at the monastery.  The man in front of them walked three steps up the archway and turned to face them.

Kael was startled at the volume of his voice when he began to pray.  “Mightiest of all gods, the one we call All Powerful, we beseech you to meet us here in this place.”

Kael looked to either side and noticed that some of the young men had their eyes closed.  He took this to be the proper conduct and closed his eyes as well.

Suddenly, the High Priest began to speak in a language that Kael had never heard before.  Usually he could guess languages, or at least the region they came from, just by the sounds.  But this was one that he could not figure out.

Kael could feel his shoulders and neck muscles tightening with each passing minute.  With his eyes closed, he couldn’t help but concentrate on the mesmerizing words of the High Priest and his own heavy breathing.  His heart beat in a loud, steady rhythm that fell in line with the cadence of the High Priest’s voice.

Kael was unsure of the passage of time.  It could have been minutes or possibly hours since the prayer had begun.  Unexpectedly, a soothing sensation washed over him and calmed all of his anxieties.  It was a peaceful feeling that changed his mood about the whole situation.  Suddenly, the prayer being echoed off the stone walls of the cavern seemed majestic, even if he couldn’t understand any of the words.  The air was cool and the sand felt soft beneath his feet.  An overwhelming sense of belonging welled up in his heart and for the first time in a long while, Kael felt truly happy.