The Wanderers of the Water-Realm (66 page)

Myra impatiently halted the Hixians transmission and inserted a question of her own.

“Q22 -- It is good to confront the final barrier -- But how can we ascend that cliff of smooth, white metal?”

The warrior pointed with the head of his spear towards a rent in the metal wall running diagonally across the face of the cliff, all of the way upwards from the base of the precipice that lay shrouded by tall trees, to the upper lip of the barrier standing silhouetted against the crimson sky.

“That is the way you must go -- Wisewoman -- Yonder tear in the metal -- Is wide enough to serve you as an ascending pathway -- Upwards -- To the vicinity of the shrine -- The way will not be easy -- But the rent is home to a mass of vegetation that will serve you as hand and foot holds and enable you to make the climb --- Tomorrow at dawn -- You must begin the ascent -- We Hix will accompany you no further -- But will wait here for several darkenings -- In case you fail to successfully make the climb and must return -- Rest now -- For tomorrow will be hard!”

The expedition made camp for the last time in the terrible ‘Forest of Oblivion’ close to the mouth of the final length of road-section that would give them shelter during the coming night. The travellers built a cooking fire and began roasting the carcass of a young animal that had fallen to the spears of their Hixian escort. As the light grew dim, the members of the expedition fell to satisfying their hunger and afterwards most of them sought the comfort of sleep.

Myra and Paris, however, continued to sit by the fire and hold hands far into the night, for they knew they must part for ever with the coming of the next Water-Realm dawn.

Yet neither of the lovers was unduly sad, for they both understood their individual responsibilities. The young Myra to use her special occult powers to protect her friends and comrades, whilst Paris knew that he must return to Holy Ptah and report everything he had experienced and observed to his masters the Dark Priests.

Eventually, the two lovers quit the still glowing coals and made love beneath their sleeping skins for one last time.

No tears were shed, for the couple knew that time and distance did not hold the power to extinguish a love enduring until the day they died.

Whiteflower and the three travellers from Earth bade a final farewell to Paris and their faithful Hixian escort, then, as the morning light from the five suns began to strengthen, they started the long and arduous climb out of the terrible ‘Forest of Oblivion.’

It soon became clear that the tear in the white metal cliff-face had been caused long ago by some titanic cataclysm that had struck this portion of the Water-Realm.

The shock had evidently caused the lower lip of the tear to lean sharply outwards, allowing soil and rocks to erupt to the surface. This had eventually created a steeply angled pathway to the top of the cliff. It was a frightening route, which the travellers knew they must successfully ascend before the coming of the next darkening.

Darryl took the lead with ‘Kingslayer’ held at the ready for they had been warned by Q22 that dangerous life forms might well be encountered during their climb. Whiteflower came next, closely followed by the wisewoman, whilst George brought up the rear with his trusty steel cleaver grasped tightly in his right hand.

At first the ascent was easy, for the overhanging lip of the tear was a good Earth mile in width and the climbers had no difficulty in picking their way between the trees and shrubs that had established themselves in the debris spilling out from behind the damaged metal wall, but as they climbed ever upwards, the metal lip began to narrow and soon they were struggling along a crazy pathway that was only a few feet wide and almost impassably choked with vines and creeping plants.

Even so, the travellers had completed over half the assent by the time the five suns reached their zenith in the sky and their rate of climb had also begun to increase as the lip of the tear began to broaden once again.

Darryl calleda halt and together with his three companions he wandered over to the edge of the lip and stared downwards into the multi-coloured mass of the forest lying far below them. Perhaps the four climbers let down their guard for a few moments as they took in the breathtaking view, for none of them noticed the three nightmarish life forms that suddenly broke from a nearby patch of scrub and hurtled towards them at breakneck speed.

It was George who first spotted the creatures and the former boat hand had hardly time to shout a brief warning before spinning around upon his heel to engage the first of the outlandish life forms with his steel cleaver. ‘Outlandish’ was the perfect word to describe the fearsome creatures, for they were each about the size of a large dog and were propelled along the ground at great speed by a mass of threshing tentacles growing from the underside of their black cylindrical bodies. The apparitions also possessed huge mouths that occupied almost the whole front portion to their torpedo-like bodies, crude gaping apertures that were murderously armed with long rows of sharp serrated teeth.

At the very last moment the former boat hand side-stepped the first of the attackers and split the creature in half with a single massive blow from his cleaver, whilst Darryl, at almost the same instant, fell upon one knee and delivered a single murderous cut with ‘Kingslayer’ opening up another of the apparitions from one end of its torpedo-like body to the other. Tragically, the last remaining monster evaded Whiteflower’s sword stroke and laid open the tribes-woman’s chest and abdomen with its razor sharp teeth. Too late, the wisewoman’s dagger hissed through the air and buried itself in the creature’s side. And too late was the stroke from George’s cleaver sending it spinning down into the forest below. For Whiteflower of the Kev now lay upon the ground with the lifeblood draining from her body in a veritable torrent.

The three surviving travellers were at her side in a moment, but Myra did not even bother to take the medical bag from her shoulder, for it was obvious that the stricken girl had only moments to live.

Whiteflower had just sufficient strength to turn her head and address her lover for the last time.

“Remember me!” She said, in little more than a whisper. “Keep me in your thoughts … and … I will … Still live …”

The girl’s body gave a shudder and with a sigh, the last breath left her body.

Darryl stood transfixed, as though suddenly turned to stone.

“In the name of creation, no …” He muttered. “This cannot have happened … We were going to live out our lives together in Elfencot. We …”

The young wisewoman moved quickly. She instantly delved into her medicine bag and drew out a vial containing a drug known to counteract the effects of mind-numbing shock and she forced the vial between her brother’s lips.

“Swallow this potion.” She commanded. “And recall that we still have a long way to go, if we are to complete this climb before darkness falls!”

“Aye, listen to your sister!” George added, firmly gripping the ex-boatmaster by the shoulder. “You must take hold of yourself and continue to climb. Else you will never live to see your home again and Whiteflower will have died for no purpose. Come man, put one foot in front of another.And climb!”

Darryl shook his head and wiped the hideous creature’s body fluids from the blade of his sword, then turned and faced his two comrades.

“Do not fear for mysanity!” He said, to their considerable relief. “My wits have returned. Come, we must bury Whiteflower’s body as quickly as possible and then continue upon our way!”

The three survivors used their weapons to excavate a grave and buried Whiteflower’s body exactly where she fell, as was the custom amongst the Kev. Afterwards, they heaped rocks upon the grave to keep of scavenging animals and resumed their climb with all possible speed.

Once again, the path narrowed and became thickly choked with vegetation and it was almost pitch dark by the time they reached the crest and staggered away from the edge of that terrible precipice.

In the near darkness, the exhausted travellers blundered into the midst of a group of sharp boulders that afforded them some rudimentary shelter and soon they were fast asleep. All save Darryl, who remained on guard and wept quietly for his lost lover, until sheer fatigue clouded his brain and he to fell into an exhausted slumber.

The travellers awoke at dawn and were amazed at the sight meeting their eyes as the light of the five suns broke through the rolling crimson clouds.

About half an Earth mile from the group of sharp rocks that had sheltered them throughout the hours of darkness, there stood a huge plinth cast from some dark stone-like material. This massive erection supported the base of the enormous white metal spire that had long been their goal and appearing to reach up above them as far as the turbulent Water-Realm sky.

The three survivors stood motionless for several moments as they viewed the ancient wonder confronting them, but their reverie was suddenly broken when the young wisewoman let out a gasp and clasped the palms of her hands to her temples.

“Mother awaits us on the far side of the barrier.” She cried. “I am reaching out and touching her mind. The portal we seek is very near, or such a strong mental contact could not possibly be achieved.”

She fell upon her knees, concentrated her formidable psychic powers and flung out a message in the general direction of the spire.

“Mother!” She called. “Mother -- Mother ---- Should my thoughts reach you -- Then contact me if you are able -- Mother ---- Mother -----”

“Mother ---- MOTHER!”

The words echoed faintly in some remote corner of Hetty’s mind as she lay slumbering in the arms of her lover.

“Mother ---- Mother ---- MOTHER!”