When the Gods Aren't Gods: Book Two of The Theogony (18 page)

“That is the place from which there is no return,”
Dolph replied. “The islanders took some of our people there to appease their gods, and they were sacrificed on an altar. Knowing what was going to happen to the rest of our people that had been taken, we put together a war party of 100 men to go and get them back. Only one warrior returned, but he was gravely wounded. He died the next day, but only after telling us of the terrors that lie in wait in the pyramid.” He looked at the less than 20 men and women that were spread out around the beach. “Unless you are far more powerful than you look, the only thing waiting for you in their temple is death.”

“Well, if that is what awaits us, then we will go to it willingly,” said Calvin; “however, I think you will find that we are a lot more powerful than we seem.
We are also familiar with the inside of the pyramid, which will help.” He paused. “If you have any additional information, we would be happy to listen.”

Dolph looked at the rest of his party, seeming to commune with them. After 15 seconds, he turned back to Calvin. “We need to take you to our king,” he said. “Will those suits function underwater?”

Calvin nodded. “The suits won’t go through the water very quickly,” he said, “but they will function there.”

“Good,”
Dolph said, turning around and wading further out into the water. “Follow me.”

The Terrans began to follow Dolph’s group back into the water.
Calvin didn’t like following the strangers, but what choice did they have? As Bob made it to where the waves were breaking, one caught him in the shins, and he sprawled forward into the water. As he regained his balance and stood back up, he commed, “
Lieutenant Commander Hobbs, you may want to know that the people we’re following are not people.
”

“
I realize that they’re not humans,
” replied Calvin, “
even though they look similar to us.
”

“
Not that similar,
” said Bob. “
They don’t have legs.
”

* * * * *

Audience Chamber, Starfish Palace, Keppler-22 ‘b’, August 12, 2020

The trip had gone quickly and relatively smoothly
after the Terrans got over the sight of the mermen. Once the Terrans had submerged, they could see that Bob was right; in place of legs and feet, the Aquants (as they called themselves) had the tail of a fish below their waists, complete with scales. It quickly became apparent that the Terrans wouldn’t be able to travel underwater as quickly as the Aquants could; they were just not anatomically built for it. Only Bob and Doug, using both their suits’ propulsion systems and their tails, were able to come anywhere close. Not only did the Terrans’ thrusters propel them much more slowly than the Aquants could swim, unless the city was fairly close, they were going to burn out their batteries before they got there. While the suits
could
function underwater, they weren’t meant for long stays there. Calvin was just happy that he had the squad along with him that had the most in-suit training.

Dolph returned to Calvin and said, “No offense, but this is going to take far longer than is prudent. Although you killed the
hexazants that made their homes here, others will come. We are summoning some extra transport for you.” They continued for a couple of minutes more and then were suddenly surrounded by fish that looked uncomfortably like sharks.
Really
big
sharks. The fish that approached them were over 30 feet in length and could easily have swallowed anyone of the troopers whole. The soldiers drew their weapons at the sight of them, but before they could fire, Dolph said, “Do not be afraid; this is our transportation. Take hold of one of their side fins, and they will pull you along.”

The
soldiers each took hold of a fin, and they were off. Calvin’s suit showed a speed of 30 knots, which was faster than most Earth sharks could swim, and the fish he was holding onto didn’t appear to be trying very hard. He looked at Dolph, who was holding onto the same fin that he was. “These things can swim really quickly,” he said through his speakers.

“They can go about twice this fast in bursts,”
Dolph replied, “which is faster than anything else in this ocean. It is a good thing we are friendly with them, as we cannot out-swim them.”

With the pseudo-sharks pulling them, the Terrans made it to the Aquant city in less than 15 minutes. As they descended to the floor of the ocean, the light became dimmer and dimmer, until it was replaced by the glow of the city
in front of them. As they approached, Calvin could see that the there were several varieties of phosphorescent sea creatures swimming through the town, which kept everything fairly well lit. Calvin saw that the city was located at the intersection of a number of small canyons; seen from above, the pattern of lights looked like a starfish with a central mass and five ‘legs’ leading off from it. The sharks stopped above the center section, and Calvin looked down to see a large building beneath him.

Dolph released the fin and tapped Calvin. Pointing down he said simply, “We’re here.” He headed toward the large building
. “This is the palace of King Barra.”

“
We’re here,
” repeated Calvin to his troops. “
Follow me.
” The Terrans followed the Aquants to the large building, which appeared to be made from some sort of concrete mixed with shells. Calvin had no idea how they built it under water.

“They are ready for you,” advised Dolph, as he opened the door for the Terrans. Calvin jetted through the opening to find himself entering a large chamber from the back. The chamber extended for nearly 100 feet with a ceiling 20 feet high. A group of nearly 20 Aquants awaited them at the other end
, including King Barra; the building appeared to be his audience hall. As Calvin neared the small dais, or platform, the king moved down off of it to greet them.

“Welcome
, travelers, to the Kingdom of the Aquants,” he said with a bow. “Anyone that comes to fight the flying snakes is welcome in our ocean.”

Calvin returned the bow. “Thank you for the welcome. We are sorry to have to meet you under these conditions.”

“I am sorry, as well,” replied the king. “We used to have good relations with the air breathers in the land above. We had a trade center located near where our people found you where we used to trade with them. We would bring our fish and other goods to get their finished metal products. Since the flying snakes came, it is too dangerous. If the snakes see us, they call us heathens and say that we must be sacrificed. I have forbidden our people to go ashore. Trade with the Nahuatls has ceased.”

The king looked at Dolph. “Speaking of which, you have come very close to violating my order,” he said sternly. He softened a little and continued, “Still, it seems to have worked out for the best, so I guess I cannot be too angry with you.”

The king refocused on Calvin. “What can we do to be of assistance to you in your mission to rid the island of the evil ones?” he asked.

Before Calvin could answer, Steropes asked, “What name did you just call the air breathers?”

The king looked puzzled. “I called them the Nahuatl,” he repeated. “Why do you ask? They didn’t always call themselves that; it is only since the snakes arrived that we began hearing that name used for them.”

Steropes nodded. “I feared as much,” he said. “I am glad I came.”

“Why is that?” asked Calvin. “What are Nahuatl?”

“Nahuatl is actually a language that is still spoken on Earth by about 1.5 million people in central Mexico. It was the language of the Mayans and the Aztecs
, taught to them by the coatls.”

“So, you’re saying that these people were brought here by the coatls?” asked Calvin.

“I believe that to be the case, yes,” said Steropes. “When they fled Earth, we know they took some of the local people with them. We always wondered where they went, but couldn’t track them down. That would also explain why we are able to understand the language here.”

Calvin
looked thoughtful. “If the coatls are already killing the Aquants, they will probably call us heathens and have the Nahuatl attack us as well.” He looked at the king. “From what you said, they were not evil before the snakes came, so I would rather not kill the humanoids if I did not have to. Is there another way to approach the pyramid without being seen?”

“Yes, there is,” said Dolph
, breaking in before the king could speak. “I was not allowed to join in the attack on the pyramid, but I followed them up to it. It is possible to travel up the river to the pyramid and then enter it through one of their refuse tunnels. Assuming you can handle the smell, that is.”

“Apparently you make a habit of obeying the letter of commands, but not the intent,” said the king. “You were not supposed to accompany the men to the pyramid.”

“I did as I was told,” replied Dolph. “You said that I wasn’t to go
into
the temple with them; you didn’t say that I couldn’t go
to
the temple.”

“Since he has already been there and returned unharmed,”
said Calvin as the king glared at Dolph, “could we impose on you to have him lead us back to it? It would be helpful if we could get close to the pyramid before they knew we were coming.”

The king sighed. “He is now of an age that he must begin making decisions on his own,” the king replied, “or he will never grow into being the leader that the kingdom needs.
Hopefully, they will be better decisions than he has made previously. Prince Dolph will bring five men and lead you to the pyramid when you are ready.”

“It would also be handy if you could arrange for those fish that carried us here to carry us back, too,” added Calvin. “That way our suits will be able to last long enough.”

“They can get you to the mouth of the river, but you will be on your own from there,” replied the king. “They are too big to go any further without being seen. If they try to take you upriver the air breathers will try to harpoon them.”

“That would be helpful,” said Calvin. “Thank you very much for your assistance.”

“Good luck in your quest,” wished the king. “I hope that you will be successful, as we greatly need the things from above that we used to trade for.”

“We may be able to help with that,” Calvin answered. “I will have our ambassador come to talk with you when
she is able. We may be able to provide some of the things you need in trade.”

“Thank you, again,” said the king. “Happy hunting. Kill them all!”

“That’s the plan,” replied Calvin, who turned and left.

Dolph and another two men swam ahead of them and opened the door; several other men followed them. “Prince, eh?” asked Calvin as he jetted through the door.

The prince shrugged. “It is a chain that binds me and keeps me from doing the things I like,” replied Dolph. After everyone had left the building, he paused and appeared to look around. He looked in one direction intently for several seconds and then said, “They are coming.”

“Who is coming?” asked Calvin.

“Our transportation,” replied the prince. “I just called them. Couldn’t you hear the call?”

“No, I couldn’t,” Calvin said. “Can you talk with all of the sea creatures mentally?”

“Not all of them,” Dolph answered. “The smarter the creature, the better the link. The ones that brought us here are the smartest ones in the ocean; we can communicate with them well. We can communicate with other types of fish to varying degrees. Some of us can do it better than others. The royal line is the strongest. I can control five of the ones you call pseudo-sharks. The others here can only control three at most.”

“Wait a minute,” said Calvin, “I never called them pseudo-sharks.”

“You never called them that out loud,” replied Dolph, “but that is what you think of them as. You broadcast your thoughts in a loud ‘voice.’ If you don’t want me to listen, you shouldn’t broadcast like the rest of your people.”

“So you can hear what I’m thinking?” asked Calvin. “What am I thinking right now?”

“Yes, I can,” agreed Dolph. “You’re wondering if I can really do it, or if I’m just pulling your leg. I could probably have guessed that without being able to read your thoughts.” He paused and then added, “That’s better. 42.”

“42 what?” asked Calvin.

“You were going to ask me what six times seven was,” said Dolph.

“Is that true?” asked Ryan, who had been uncharacteristically silent for most of the trip.

“Yeah, that is what I was going to ask,” confirmed Calvin.

“Sir, you’re just damned creepy
to be around sometimes, you know that?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah,” said Calvin
. “I’m creeping myself out this time.”

“The pseu
do-sharks are here,” said Dolph as they materialized from the shadows. The sharks in this group were, if anything, even larger than the ones they had ridden to the Starfish Palace. The one that approached Dolph was at least 40 feet in length with serrated teeth over a foot long.

The soldiers
fought down their fears, took hold of fins and were on their way.

* * * * *