Chapter 11
Contact
Something didn’t feel right. A queasiness filled him and sent a strange chill through him. He got the feeling that a balance had been disrupted. That the world had tipped in a direction away from him, and that which he sought was no longer going to be within reach.
Garenth got to his feet and walked out of the room where he’d been sitting. He found himself in a second room, much like the one he’d left, except this one contained clear, lighted boxes set on top of short, blocky daises. Inside the boxes were various items, some of which he could actually identify. There were knives and swords, and battle-scarred helmets. He noticed pieces of what could be armor, and sheets of finely woven papyrus that bore faded inscriptions.
The uneasiness was stronger in here, but he had yet to find the actual source. Another open doorway loomed ahead, and he passed through it.
This time he entered a wide hallway. Further down he could see where there was a doorway to another large room. He took a few more steps in that direction, but it was quickly evident that what he was looking for would not be in there.
He heard a rumbling sound. It came from nearby. Placing his palm against the wall, he was surprised to feel the wall give a little. It was a fake wall. There was something behind it, but what?
The rumbling stopped. At the same time, a small shock went up his arm, surprising him.
The mother idol. It was there. It was connected to the vibrating wall.
He had to find out what was on the other side of the wall.
A sign he was unable to decipher was posted beside a strange-looking doorway. A metal bar was set in the door, but he couldn’t tell how it was barricading the portal. Experimentally, he shoved on the bar, and the door opened to reveal a set of stairs going up and down. Letting the call of the idol guide him, he followed the steps downward.
At the next level was another door. This time he was faced with an oddly-shaped ring pull. Through a small window in the door he could see a large holding area. The mother idol was in there. He knew it without question. Grabbing the ring, he opened the door and stepped inside.
A man dressed all in black ran into view. At the same time he heard a shout of warning. Another step, and the man pointed something at him. There was a small explosion, and Garenth felt something impact him in the center of his chest. It stung, but it didn’t wound.
The mother idol’s call was coming directly from the man. Its song was pure and clean, which meant he was in possession of it. Yet there was no mistaking the man’s intent—he was either protecting the idol, or trying to get away with it. Regardless, he was defaming the idol, and for that Garenth meant to recover it.
He advanced on the man, who pointed his weapon at him a second time. Like the first impact, this one stung, like a snake’s bite, but his body remained unaffected.
Garenth rose to his full height and extended his wings. He never slowed, never hesitated as he continued to cut the distance between himself and the man.
The man used his weapon again, twice. Both projectiles bounced off, but somewhere behind him he heard of shriek of surprise or pain. Someone else was in the room with them. Garenth pushed that bit of information to the side to concentrate on the person facing him. The man had also heard the cry, and his attention shifted to a spot over Garenth’s left shoulder. It was a second’s worth of diversion, but it was enough, and he lunged for the man.
At the last moment the man saw him approaching and twisted his body. Garenth felt the whisper of cloth slip through his fingers as the guy twirled around and ran away. Garenth took off after him when the man reached one of those barred doors. But instead of pressing down on the metal handle, the man fired twice at it before ramming it with his body. The door sprung open, and the man stumbled out, caught himself, and fled on foot into the darkness.
Overhead, the screaming sound of the alarm he’d heard earlier filled the room. Garenth paused. His first impulse was to go after the man and continue trying to retrieve the idol, but there was a second vibration still inside the big room. Another vibration that shouldn’t exist.
He whirled around in time to see another figure making a dash for the stairwell. With a powerful sweep of his wings, he managed to intercept the person halfway.
It was a woman.
Without thinking, he grabbed her arm. The vibration rose in intensity, and he knew this woman was the source.
She fought him, without success, but he couldn’t waste any more time in this room. He had to go after the man who still had the mother idol, and he had to take the woman with him, if for no other reason than to find out why he was sourcing on her.
Throwing her over his shoulder, he rushed to the doorway and launched himself into the night sky. The woman went still as he flew them high above the building. Below he could see multi-colored lights converging all around the structure. As he lifted them further upward, he watched as more uniformed figures emerged from their litters and entered through the broken door. Because they no longer concerned him, Garenth turned his attention to finding where the man had gone.
He arched over the tall temples, but it soon became apparent that having the woman was throwing his senses into a whirl. Her closeness was affecting his ability to track the mother idol, which left him with two choices. He could dump her somewhere and continue going it alone, or…
He landed on a flat roof and eased the woman onto its gravel surface. The moment he released her, she scrambled backwards, got to her feet, and tried to make another run for it, but only made it as far as the edge.
She turned a pale face to him, her body tense as she breathed heavily. She spoke to him. Her tone was demanding even as waves of fear rolled off of her.
Garenth shook his head. He could read her emotions, but he couldn’t understand what she was saying. Shaking his head again, he remained where he stood and didn’t make any further advances toward her. He didn’t want to risk her diving over the side of the temple, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to catch her before she hit the ground.
She called out to him again, pointing her finger in the direction from which they’d come. She was indicating the big building. Garenth grunted. “Who are you? Why do I sense the mother idol with you?”
The woman stared at him. She spoke again, this time with less vehemence. Almost questioningly.
He pointed at her. “Were you with the mother idol?” He took a small step toward her to reassure himself that she was the source. He felt a slight pulse an instant before she backed away again, pressing herself against the low wall.
A light from overhead, along with a roar like a rock avalanche, shone down on them. He glanced up to see a strange bird fly by, heading toward the building he’d left. He looked back at the woman, half-expecting her to use the momentary diversion to try to make another run for it. Instead, to his surprise, she remained standing where she was, but now she appeared to be scrutinizing him. Studying him. The fear was gone, yet she continued to be wary of him.
She spoke again. This time she took a couple of steps toward him as she patted her chest.
“Bree-elle. Bree-elle.”
Then she pointed at him and gave him a questioning look. When he didn’t answer her, she tried again.
“Bree-elle.” She pointed to herself, then pointed at him.
“Garenth.”
“Garenth,” she repeated and, surprising him, smiled. She took another step closer, but her eyes were no longer focused on his face. She was staring at his chest. Curious, he glanced down to see four small depressions in his chest where the man’s weapon had struck him. She continued to talk to him in an almost soothing manner and reached out. Her fingertips touched the edge of one of the holes, and suddenly he felt his chest cracking, breaking until tiny fissures opened up between the four impressions.
The woman jumped back at the unexpected reaction. At the same time, his sense of the mother idol swelled. This woman had touched it, had handled it, had been in intimate contact with it. His eyes dropped to where he could see a minute glow beckoning to him from between her thighs. He started to reach for it, when a second loud bird went shrieking overhead.
Fearful that they would be discovered before he had the chance to figure out all of these new revelations, he snatched her up again. But this time he lifted her into his arms, rather than throwing her over his shoulder. The woman didn’t fight him, throwing an arm around his neck instead and pressing herself against him.
Spreading his wings, he leaped into the air to seek a safer sanctuary. The woman raised her mouth to yell into his ear something, and pointed in a direction to their right. Having no other choice but to trust her, Garenth obeyed.