The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3) (7 page)

CHAPTER
13

LIFELESS RELICS

Once Asha felt Zahn’s ident settle in one place, she found herself standing before a square stone structure with deep carvings, worn down to illegibility by millennia of erosion.

Ahead, a yawning entrance led inside. There was no door, and unlike the architecture they had seen thus far, this building was embedded into the ground. This building was physical.

Asha took a deep breath and steadied herself.

“Are you okay?” Zahn asked.

“Yeah.” She pointed to the building ahead. “Are you sure this is the place? Looks physical, not etheric.”

“I know, but this must be it.” He zipped ahead, waving her toward the wide entrance. “Come on, let’s see if they know anything, and then we can skip back.”

“Right behind you.”

Unlike any of the structures they’d seen so far, light filtered down from long angled shafts in the ceiling, creating strange angular patterns on the sandy floor.

Soon, they reached an inner room with a large skylight. In the center of the room was a wide, square pool made of stone, filled with a golden liquid. Asha wanted to zoom over and examine it, but it was surrounded by a thin bubble that appeared to be etheric. She guessed that it was a shield of some kind.

“I wonder what that pool is for,” Asha said.

“Hey, look at that!” Zahn pointed to some shapes lurking in the shadows ahead.

Even though it was quite dark, Asha realized she could make out a row of six huge cubes sitting beyond the pool, and beside them was a wide, flat disc at least three meters in diameter, leaning up against a crumbling wall.

“What
happened
here?”

“The repository didn’t have much information on this place,” Zahn said. “But if I had to guess, I’d say it’s the oldest building we’ve seen yet.”

She drew closer and examined the row of large stone cubes, covered in layers of dust. When she placed her hand on one of them, she felt a faint stirring of energy, but when she spoke to it, there was no response.

“Asha, check this out.” Zahn waved her over to the flattened disc, also covered with a thick layer of dust. “Clearly this place hasn’t been maintained in the slightest.”

He pointed to where a thick cable emerged from the back of the disk. A few meters down the line, a boulder had severed part of the cable. Asha looked up and noticed that a part of the nearby wall was missing.

“Hmm.”

Asha flew around behind the boulder. It took her a few moments, but she finally found the other end of the thick cable. Just as she suspected, it led into the back of one of the cubes.

“You know Zahn, I think you’re right. Jyana did say that the Visionaries facilitated peace and harmony
before
the scourge came. I think it’s possible these cubes were the Visionaries, but I doubt they’ll ever speak to us again.”

“Great,” Zahn said, “then they can’t tell us anything about Manu. Unless.” His face brightened. “What if you tried to heal them? Like you helped Mira on the Island of Forever?”

Asha winced. “I don’t know, Zahn. These aren’t really alive like Mira was. You said it yourself. Vayuna is an artificial intelligence. If that’s what these are, I’m not sure I can do anything to help, but I’ll try.”

She flew over to the nearest cube and placed her hands onto it. She said a short prayer that the Amithyans had taught her and imagined a light flowing into her head, through her heart, and out her hands. At first, she thought she could feel a presence, but it faded.

Asha shook her head in disappointment. “I’m sorry, Zahn. They’re not responding.”

A furious voice called out behind them. “No, I am the one who is sorry!”

Dread filled Asha’s heart, and she turned around slowly.

Just as she had feared, Jyana floated in the middle distance, regarding them with a fiery gaze.

“Tell me,” she said, her expression hardening. “What exactly do you two think you’re doing?”

“Jyana!” Asha zoomed over to her. “I know we should have stayed in the sunset suite, but we’re really short on time. We’ve got to find our contact here. We found a sphere outside the suite that seemed to be a historical record, and that’s how we found this place. I’m sorry, Jyana, the Confederation hasn’t authorized me to tell you everything, but time runs really short for us, and possibly for your entire world, too.”

Jyana regarded them with suspicion. “Still, your behavior is quite disappointing. Perhaps I have withheld too much information, in light of the fact that Zahn is a stranger to our world. I should have mentioned the historic relay. I can understand if that led you to explore. But why come here? You’re right, of course. This is the oldest surviving structure from before the scourge attacked.”

There was a short, awkward pause, and Asha and Zahn exchanged a worried glance.

“We thought the Visionaries might know about our friend,” Zahn said.

Jyana narrowed her gaze at him. “What do you mean?”

Asha winced and turned back to Jyana. “It’s part of the reason why we’re here. Our friend is on Tavisi somewhere. When the historic relay had no information on him, we thought the Visionaries might be able to help us.”

A look of bewilderment flashed across Jyana’s face. “Truly, you two become less and less predictable over time. I shall have to report this to the Empress.”

“Please understand,” Asha said, “we are here on a peaceful mission. We just came for information that could help defeat the Vakragha, and then we will go.”

“You will come and go when, and if, the Empress pleases,” Jyana said calmly and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Jyana,” Asha said, “I didn’t mean to offend you. Please understand, I haven’t been here since I was a small child. I don’t remember all of our ways.”

Her eyes opened again, sadder than before. “Even so, my trust in you weakens.”

“Please, Jyana,” Asha said. “If you tell the Empress, we may never get to speak to her, and our mission requires it.” She bowed her head slightly. “I humbly ask your forgiveness. I’m the commander of this mission and should not have left the suite.”

A bright light flew through the wall, across the room, and into Jyana’s head. She groaned quietly and turned around, gliding down to the exit.

“When you’re ready to be honest with me, let me know. Until then, I must go. Apparently this is a hectic day for Torin, and he needs help.” She paused for a moment and turned around. “I assume you can find your way back?”

“Sure,” Asha said softly.

“Good. You would be wise to head directly there. You wouldn’t want to get picked up trespassing in the wrong areas.” Jyana pursed her lips. “The enforcers tend to use the Dagger of Kirin on such people.”

“What’s that?” Zahn asked.

“A powerful weapon. With a single cut to your silver cord, you would be shocked out of the Mirage, sapped of your energy and unable to reenter for days, which would be
months
in Mirage time. Some say it also affects mental stability, causing some to go insane, but I don’t know for sure.”

Asha looked up to her with sad eyes. “We’ll be careful. We’re just trying to do what’s best for the Confederation, and for you. I hope you can see that.”

Jyana stared back, expressionless, before she turned and zoomed away.

For a moment, Asha watched as Jyana’s form arced off into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye. She wondered what it was like to live in the middle of Mirage City.

A place with so much light couldn’t have any room for a dark side, could it?

She felt Zahn’s hand on her shoulder, sending a tingle down her spine.

“It’s going to be okay, Asha,” he said. “I think she’s realizing the urgency of our mission.”

Asha turned to him. “I hope you’re right.”

“I guess we should go, then?”

“Yeah,” she said. “These are just lifeless relics.”

“Wait, this may be our last chance to look around here. I want to explore the outside of these ruins, and I got the feeling she won’t be back for a while. What do you think?”

Asha sighed. “Might as well. She’s so busy, I doubt she’ll know the difference.”

Zahn led the way, zooming down the long hall.

Once outside, he studied the rubble and small boulders that were littered all around the cube’s walls, following the perimeter of the square building. They turned a corner and were surprised to see an old man sitting on a blackened stump beside some boulders. The man had scraggly grey hair and was looking out onto the grassy planes beyond the cube, dressed in a robe the color of burnt umber. His form shimmered in the air, suggesting to Asha that the man was etheric, too.

The old man acknowledged them with a slight nod before his gaze drifted back out to the plains ahead. The closer Asha got, the older the man appeared, with wrinkles deeper than any she’d seen before. It occurred to her that this was the first aged person she’d seen within the Mirage.

Zahn reached him first. “Hello, there. Are you all right? What’s your name?”

The man turned his head, and when his eyes met Asha’s, a deep sadness washed over her.

He spoke in a low whisper. “I have grown so old, so tired, that I no longer have use for a name.”

“Why are you waiting out here?” Asha asked. “Can we help you at all?”

The old man chuckled, his wrinkles moving in a strange dance across his face. “I am dying,” he said. “I know it is dangerous here, but I was a designer of the Visionaries you met inside. I believe I deserve to die beside them.”

“I see,” Asha said. “Sir, can we ask how old you are? We haven’t seen anyone else in the Mirage that looks aged at all.”

He didn’t speak, instead he only tapped at the side of his brow and grinned knowingly.

“So,” Zahn said, “those cubic devices in that stone building are the Visionaries?”

He nodded. “I was once a celebrated man, but now I am only a broken one. I have spent so many centuries within the Mirage, and at last old age will take me.”

Zahn looked over to Asha and gestured to the old man.

She nodded.

“Sir,” she said, “do you know of anyone named Manu? It’s crucial that we find him. He’s a friend.”

“Manu?” The man’s brightness faded. “I am sorry. Perhaps if I had more energy, I’d tell you more, but my time grows short.”

Zahn ruffled through his pockets and handed the man one of the energy packets they’d grabbed from the sunset suite.

The man’s eyes widened, and he took it gently. “Thank you,” he whispered, drinking it quietly.

After a few moments, Zahn asked once more. “Can you remember anything?”

The man nodded. “Yes, I believe I have heard of him. Why do you seek this man?”

“We’re here to find him. He is on a mission critical to restoring peace in this galaxy,” Asha said. “Please, if there’s anything you know, it would help us immensely.”

The old man nodded. “I have no guarantees, but if I remember correctly, Manu is not an ordinary man. His existence is classified; he dwells in shadows and speaking of him is forbidden.” The old man sighed. “But since I will be gone soon, I suppose there isn’t much the Empress could do to me now.” He coughed violently. “Manu is a shadow on the wind, protecting the Empress and her strongholds. He lives high atop the range.” The old man turned around and raised his hand to a peak on the far side of the sea, capped with snow. “There, you will find him.”

“Thank you,” Zahn said.

“Here,” the old man said, “take this nugget of thought, and may your way be true.” His eyes filled with light and a glowing sphere shot out of his forehead and into Asha’s. Instantly, she saw a square door hidden within the mountains.

“Zahn, I see it,” Asha whispered, and blinked to refocus. “Thank you, old one.” She put her hands on him and said a short blessing for his peaceful and conscious passing.

“Your blessing is all the thanks I would ever need.” His voice grew stronger. “Go! You need not watch me die. It is—” The man coughed violently. “—an illusion, after all.”

Asha nodded and set her eyes toward the highest peak.

“Zahn, we’ve got to go. I know we told Jyana we were heading back, but this might be our only chance to find Manu.”

She took Zahn’s hand, and they leapt up into the sky, careening through the thin, wispy clouds above the sea.

And this time, they were followed.

CHAPTER
14

SHELTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

In a blink, Zahn and Asha found themselves on a flat area beside a sheer cliff where a majestic view was spread out before them.

It took Zahn a few seconds before he realized the full magnitude of where they were. From high atop the mountain range, he could see the sea far below, and in the distance Mirage City bloomed with light as it hung above the sea, thousands of orbs darting from one bizarre structure to another.

He turned around, noticing some of the snow dusted peaks farther up. Zahn felt an impulse to zoom up there. But he held still, looking for a path in the rock formations around them. The dying man had told them that Manu lived up here, but he hadn’t said much else.

Zahn turned to Asha. “Did the old man give you any info on the entrance?”

Asha looked around and waved him ahead. “Follow me.”

She led him into a narrow pass to the left that led around to the back of the nearest rock formation. After a while, they came to the glowing outline of a square set into a flat stone wall.

Zahn tried jumping directly into it, but met a wall of resistance. He shook his head to shake it off. “It was worth a try. Did he show you anything else?”

“The nugget he gave me was pretty limited. He said there was shelter in the mountains and gave me a vision of this door. Perhaps it’s attuned to only allow Manu in? I don’t know.”

Zahn sighed. “Well, it’s an exercise in patience, right? I just wish we knew how long it’ll be before he returns. I hope Jyana doesn’t freak out if she can’t find us.”

Asha zoomed over and felt around the edge of the square for any markings. “Finding Manu is the first step of our mission, Zahn. Everything else is secondary. The Confederation made him our contact for a reason. He
must
be close to knowing the location of the Breath of Life by now.”

“I know. I know. I just hope it’s enough.”

Asha looked over to him with furrowed eyebrows. “Don’t you remember what I said before we arrived? The Breath of Life will let us find the hidden Vakragha leaders. With it, we’ll finally be able to destroy the head of their twisted body. Zahn, the Breath of Life is crucial to us winning this war, not to mention keeping
your
world safe.”

“I know we need it for the war, Asha. I just wish we knew how it worked.”

Asha stood up and glided back over to him. “Well, I’ve tried everything. My healing powers don’t work quite the same in the Mirage. Although, I think even if they did, I couldn’t get around this barrier. I guess we’ll have to wait to get in.”

A raspy sound echoed off of the rocks around them.

“Foolish visitors,” the voice hissed, “are you only here to trespass and sow ill feelings among these people?”

Zahn glanced all around, but saw no one. “Who are you? Show yourself!”

A shadowy figure flew down from one of the rocks above and hung in the air ahead of them. The creature was entirely dark, appearing like a translucent shadow in the air, reminiscent of a puff of smoke formed into a man, dull and vile.

“What do you want?” Asha looked up to him with a harsh gaze. “The Empress is expecting us. If you harm us, you’ll have
her
to deal with.”

“Neophytes!” The creature chuckled as a dim ball of light shot out of its head. “I know the Empress, and I am sure she would look upon me gladly if I stopped two visitors who were stalking a royal guard. What do you want with the one who lives here?”

Zahn groaned. He knew what the orb leaving its head meant. The shadow had called for backup. “We didn’t know he was a royal guard, but we
must
speak with him. So, unless you have a powerful reason for us to leave, I suggest you leave us alone and return to the shadows!”

From a hidden pocket, the shadowy figure produced a golden blade that radiated a light all its own.

“Cool knife,” Zahn said, “but we’re etheric. You can’t hurt us with that. Our physical bodies are hidden far from here.”

“Ah, but this is no ordinary dagger,” the creature hissed. “Surely you’ve heard of the Dagger of Kirin by now? With a single cut to your neck, you’ll wake up back in the physical world, drained of your energy, destabilized your mental faculties, and unable to return to this realm until it is too late.”

The shadow charged toward him, and Zahn zoomed upward, narrowly avoiding contact with its golden blade.

From above, he watched as Asha disappeared within the rock maze before realizing that a small cluster of figures was approaching from the city. He darted back down into the rocks and navigated through the maze of tall pinnacles that were scattered around the peak, struggling to hide in time.

A strange thought came to him.

Slowly, he pushed his hand into one of the nearby boulders and found that it went through easily. He took a deep breath (or at least, he made the same movements that his physical body would make) and melded into the boulder. A wave of tingling washed over him as he passed inside.

From in here, he could see nothing, only impenetrable darkness. His senses were blind, except for a low humming that he perceived as coming from deep under the ground. He began to wonder what it was, when the thought of Asha struck him.

Is she okay? I should poke my head out. But what if that shadow creature is right outside?

Zahn waited for another minute before he couldn’t stand it any longer. Rightly or not, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if, by his inaction, Asha got hurt.

He peeked his head out and saw no one. In a stroke of insight, he jumped from boulder to boulder until he was back beside the door they’d found. Just ahead and across from him was another large boulder, and he tensed for a moment before jumping across. He felt another tingling sensation and poked his head out again, seeing no one. After doing this a few times, he was starting to wonder if the shadow had given up. In one more jump, he would have a clear view of the door.

He jumped and poked his head out again. The shadowy figure was waiting for them at the foot of the door, along with three guards dressed in grey robes with large hoods hiding their faces.

Zahn saw a single robed figure jump out of a boulder near the door and into another. He snapped his head back inside to think, hoping intensely that they didn’t see him.

They’re searching the rocks. Smart. So, now what? If I go back and get Jyana, she might banish us for all of this.

Zahn poked his head out again. The guard searching the stones would reach his boulder any minute, and his mind raced as the guard drew ever closer.

Vark! I hate these situations! Must remain calm. What is the wisest course of action?

“Surrender,” a voice said.

To Zahn’s shock, a bubble of light enveloped him. He tried to fly out, but the bubble was too strong. He squinted his eyes but couldn’t discern any features of his captor. Whatever it was, it pulled the bubble outside, and Zahn found himself back by the square door, surrounded by three guards. Through the bubble, he saw that it was attached to a guard wearing a long white robe and hood, obscuring his features.

“Let me go!” Zahn pounded on the inside of the energy bubble, sending ripples of light around the inner surface. “We’re just looking for Manu. We’ve been sent here to find him.”

None of the guards paid any attention, except the hooded one, who turned to Zahn and tilted his head.

“What a tangled web we weave,” the guard whispered.

On the edge of his vision, Zahn spotted the shadow creature again, diving directly toward him from above.

“Please! Stop that thing!” His eyes widened in terror as he saw the golden blade cutting through the air, racing toward him. With one touch of the blade, he would be ejected from the Mirage instantly, and Asha would be left alone.

“Asha and I are honored guests of the Empress!” Zahn said. “Please, you can take me wherever you want, just stop that blasted shadow!”

Still, the shadow creature bolted toward him. In another blink, the blade would plunge deep into his etheric body.

Just as Zahn was about to close his eyes in surrender, the guard hooded in white flicked his wrist. In a blink, the energy ball which trapped Zahn faded away, and the hooded guard pointed his palms upward sprouting a white dome out of his hands. The shadow creature crashed directly into it, and before it had time to react, the dome closed up behind it, trapping the shadow inside.

As the sphere stabilized and became transparent, the creature’s yellow eyes widened in surprise. “Foolish man! These visitors are trespassers! Thieves! They cannot be trusted, otherwise I would have never been tasked to follow them.”

“Silence! You chose the wrong prey today, gloomy one. Return to the shadows you sprang from!” The guard spun around, lifting the sphere in the air by some unknown force, whipping the it around and around, ever faster until he released it at great speed, sending the shadowy figure flying off into the sea far below.

Three other guards rushed to grab Zahn, but the guard dressed in white yelled back to them. “Stop! I have royal dealings with this one. You are all dismissed!”

One guard, dressed in a grey robe like the others, flew up to him, disgusted. “What is the meaning of this? You know well enough that the law is quite clear on trespassing, especially for non-citizens. We cannot pardon them.” His gaze narrowed on the hooded man. “Manu, the law is clear. I must report them to the Empress.”

“You are bound by your duty, as am I, and this one is coming with me. You are all dismissed!” Manu’s voice boomed at the guards, and they slumped as they surrendered to his will. Each of them flashed looks of bitter disappointment back to him and flew away.

Zahn breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to the hooded guard, his face still completely hidden by his thick white hood. “So, it’s
you
? You’re Manu? Thanks for stopping that blade! I don’t know what I would have done. You
are
Manu, right?”

The hooded man turned to him, his features still hidden. “Yes. And you are?”

“Zahn.” He bowed slightly. “It’s an honor to finally meet you. My mission partner Asha should be around here somewhere. We jumped up here together, but I think she hid in the stones when that shadow creature came.” Zahn turned around, back to the cluster of boulders he’d been inside. “Asha! Can you hear me? I found Manu! Well, he sort of found me. But it’s safe to come out! Asha?”

“Yeah, I’m right here.”

He felt a tap on his shoulder and whipped around to find Asha standing just behind him. “There you are. Look!” Zahn gestured toward the hooded figure.

She looked up to the robed figure and squinted, trying to see beyond the darkness of his hood. “Glad to finally meet you! So, do you have a good reason for hiding your face?”

“Yes,” he said. “Now, follow me. We must meet within my mountain chamber.”

With a wave of his hand, the shimmering outline etched into the rock faded away, revealing a square opening, and Manu led them into a small room with a spiral incline that led downward, deep into the mountain.

Zahn looked at Asha and grinned. Finally, they were making real progress.