Chapter 28
Norm pawed the surrounding earth, sucking him down like quicksand.
“Relax yourself.” Zalee instructed, bracing Dylan’s limp frame firmly against her.
“What’s going-” Norm’s question was cut short by an avalanche of sand, dirt and rocks caving in all around him. Instinctively, he closed his eyes, a vacuum below him, the world collapsing on top of him, downward, faster. He landed on something smooth, like a super-fast slide. The surface gave him some sense of security, but did little to slow him down. The light returned. Norm opened his eyes in an ice-blue cylindrical chute. The walls were a glossy, perfectly balanced to keep his momentum accelerating. He spun sideways, then upside down, trying to slow himself.
“Lie back and do not fight.” Zalee said, about twenty feet in front of him. “You will slow you down before you land.”
“Good to know,” Norm said, allowing gravity to correct his descent. Once straight, he reclined, pulling his arms tight to his sides.
After several twists and drops, the slope evened out. Norm glided gently into a pile of soft mulch next to Zalee and Dylan. They came to rest in a dimly lit cave, a lavender light emanating from outside at its far end.
A terrified howl echoed from the chute before Lyca tumbled in the mulch pile. Unnerved, the wolf sprang up, shaking herself. “Lyca, find Ra’nelle. Tell her we need her. Now!” Without hesitation, she sprinted down the corridor, howling emphatically.
“Is he gonna make it?” Norm asked, his face wrought with concern at the sight of Dylan’s lifeless colored skin and blood-soaked torso.
“Even a Scion has his limits,” Zalee said, holding back tears. “He is still bleeding, and it has not slowed.”
“Why didn’t we put him on Lyca again?”
“She can bring help faster.” Zalee took Norm’s hand. “Trust me, Norm, there is nothing more important than Dylan’s safety. For now, you must help me carry him.”
Side by side, they cradled Dylan in their arms and ran toward the light at the far end of the tunnel. Exhausted, their muscles burned, breaths labored. The corridor seemed to get longer. Norm struggled to keep pace when they heard howling in the distance. They pressed forward, faster despite the pain. The aura consumed the portal, growing brighter, illuminating the opening like a spotlight as they entered the mythical city of Telos.
“Oh-my-” Norm whispered to himself. The subterranean metropolis rose from a floor of cushy grass. A blend of futuristic and ancient architecture, a work of art, shining against the backdrop of pale indigo. Above the city, a purple glow illuminated the city like violet sunlight.
Norm paused for a second before Zalee urged him toward the fields of lush grass, flowers, and orchards that led to the city itself. Lyca, a blur of gray, charged from the outskirts, followed by two people on horseback, riding hard.
Zalee recognized Ra’Nelle and her white, short-cropped hair with a silver headband that marked her as the master-healer. The other was a dark-skinned young male, with short white dreads, wearing a green headband, her student.
“Set him down, Zalee.” Ra’Nelle said, hopping down from her black mare. She placed a hand across Dylan’s forehead and winced.
“I-I’m sorry, Ra’Nelle.” Zalee could barely catch her breath. “I did not know-”
“You did exactly as I would have hoped.” Ra’Nelle kept her hands on Dylan. “Duron, the levidisc.” Ra’Nelle pulled herbs and powders from a pouch at her side. She rubbed the herbs together in her hand and jammed them into Dylan’s wound. “I need to get him to my den so I can treat him. We must hurry.”
They transferred Dylan onto a ten-foot circular, golden disc like a trained emergency team. At Ra’Nelle’s touch, the levidisc rose into the air. Attaching it to her horse, she sped off, pulling the flying makeshift stretcher toward Telos.
“If anyone can help him, it is Ra’Nelle. Thank you, Lyca.” Zalee said, nuzzling the wolf for her efforts.
“I don’t know why, but seeing all this,” Norm waved his hand at Telos, “I feel better about his chances. Dylan looked-” His words trailed off.
Zalee couldn’t hide her concern. “Do not think the worst, Norm. Imagine the best. It is what we are taught. Though at this moment, it is difficult.” She inhaled, clearing her mind of negative thought. “He is with the most experienced, knowledgeable healer that has ever existed. If anyone can save him, it is Ra’Nelle.”
“She could have given us a ride,” Norm said, limping toward the city, amazed by its expanse.
“We would slow them down,” Zalee stated as a matter of fact. “Time is a factor.”
“I know.” Norm doubled over. “But I’m so tired and beat up, I can hardly move. And don’t even get me started on how hungry-.”
“Ahh,” Zalee said, smiling. “Your appetite is certainly something to behold, Norm. So are our gardens.” Zalee cast her hand toward one of the multicolored orchards surrounding the city.
“Is that food?” Norm’s eyes grew as wide as frisbees.
Zalee nodded. “As much as you can eat.” Norm’s limp dissipated as he ran toward the orchard.
“This has got to be heaven.” Norm gazed at the luscious fruit-bearing trees when his face suddenly went blank. “Wow. I can’t even think about eating. I mean, I know I’m hungry, and probably should eat, but Dylan -”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Eat.” Zalee pulled what appeared to be a tiny cluster of grapes from a branch, popped it in her mouth. “We will need our strength for what’s to come if we are to help Dylan.”
Norm sighed, inspecting the dangling fruit. “I just-”
“This is not a time for guilt. Or worry. It is necessity.” Zalee ate another cluster.
“Necessity.” Norm mumbled, poking an orange fruit resembling a starfish.
“Norm, in the short time I have known you and Dylan, I have felt a connection to both of you. And while I may have been impulsive with my feelings toward Dylan, I have something with you, too.”
“Really?”
“When a Lemurian, and even some humans, when they meet someone, there is a sensation, an intuition.” She glanced at him thoughtfully. “I knew we would be friends. The type who can be honest with each other, who would fight for each other, and from what I have seen, I was not wrong. No one who knows you would ever question your loyalty or your bravery. I’m proud to call you my friend. And right now, I wish my friend would eat.”
Norm fought to contain his smile, dimples popping in his cheeks. “Thanks, Zalee. I’m glad we’re friends, too.” Norm wandered under the branches, searching for the perfect new fruit to sample. “Can I call you Z?”
“Please, do not.” Her eyes narrowed.
“Are these ok?” Norm held what looked like a melon sized, upside down, bluish-purple strawberry.
“It is a bellberry. Quite juicy.”
Norm took a monstrous bite, burying his face in the natural candy. “Oh, my-” He paused, appreciating the new and vibrant flavor. “This is unreal! Like mango and raspberry with a lemony kick.” Juice ran over his round cheeks. Norm hungrily gobbled the fruit and set off to try another.
After a few moments of refueling and collecting some fruit, Zalee and Norm trotted toward Telos. The city stretched for almost a mile in each direction and was far more pleasurable to look upon than any of the urban sprawls Norm had seen. With no central bog of unattractive rectangular block buildings or bustling roadways, and not a hint of a factory or pollution, Telos’ balance appealed in a way not only pleasing to the eye, but to the mind and soul. Its design varied from one structure to another, in heights, shapes, color and dimensions. In contrast to the mundane boredom of buildings in surface cities, Telos’ skyline was a structural kaleidoscope of physics, defying both balance and gravity.
Norm took note of the tallest building in the center of Telos and the various sized floating spheres revolving around its apex. Noticing the rings around two of the spheres, he realized it was a giant solar system. While there were no walls to mark a boundary of the city’s entrance, four massive crystal spires at its center marked an entryway, stretching hundreds of feet upward like churning prisms, reflecting the vibrant violet aura. Even though he just ate, they reminded Norm of giant soft ice cream cones. Similar to the chutes they arrived on, the dome around the city shimmered like ice-blue crystal, with hints of rainbows dancing like the Northern Lights. In the center of the dome, atop the enormous cave, a purple, glowing sphere within the crystal wall illuminated the city like a mini star.
“I couldn’t even imagine a place like this. It’s just so… beautiful.” Norm’s eyes darted from side to side, taking in as much as he could. “What do you call this again?”
Zalee glowed with pride. “It is called Telos. I call it home.”
“How long has it been here?” Norm started with his series of questions. “I can’t believe no one found it.”
“Eons. Longer than any civilization on the surface. There have been only a few humans that have been allowed here, and none have ever found Telos without knowledge or permission.”
“Why?” Norm asked.
“Humans are still evolving and are not ready for some ideas they cannot understand.”
“Ho-kay,” Norm said, mildly insulted. “If I start acting too caveman-ish, let me know.”
“I apologize. Not people like you or many others, but those who, as humans once did, believe the world is flat, can be difficult to convince of new discoveries, no matter how much evidence they are presented.”
“I didn’t believe Dylan at first, but once you see the stuff happening, you can’t say it isn’t real. Some people are just too stupid for their own good.” Norm devoured another bite of bellberry.
“Well… yes.” Zalee nodded, amused by Norm’s blunt response. “Telos is not only what you see here, Norm. It is five levels deep into the Earth! We have a community area for our people to thrive as well as levels for energy creation, agriculture, defense and mining. Look, there, a levidisc,” Zalee pointed, running toward the circular gold carpet. “We’ll use this to get to Ra’Nelle’s.”
Norm recognized it as the same type of disc they used as a stretcher for Dylan. “Shouldn’t we ask someone first?”
Zalee stepped onto the disc, reaching for Norm’s arm. “Levidiscs are shared among all in Telos.”
“Alright,” Norm stepped into the middle cautiously. It slowly rose about ten feet above the ground and- “Whoa!” Norm was surprised by its speed, but even more impressed by its stability. “Hey this is like a magic carpet.”
“Not like. It is a magic carpet,” Zalee replied, speeding between the four crystal spires. “I’m told I fly too fast, but given our circumstances, hold on.” She kicked the disc into another gear, angling between the buildings, slaloming through the city corridors until she set it down abruptly.
Ra’Nelle’s healing den, a white marble three-dome structure resembling a cluster of oversized igloos. Smaller than the other structures around it, intricate carvings and ancient formulaic designs on its exterior marked it as a building of great importance within Telos. Outside the den entry was a miniature spire, similar to those at the city’s main entry, adorned with multicolored vines wrapping to its peak. Inside the den, they made their way through a pristine marble hallway to a secluded room where Ra’Nelle tended to Dylan.
“His wounds, all the way to his heart,” Ra’Nelle said without turning or stopping her work. Norm and Zalee stayed behind Ra’Nelle so as not to disturb her. The den was well organized the way a scientist or a doctor would keep a lab, but maintained a more natural feeling than the sterility of a hospital. Jars, beakers, and ampules were neatly arranged along rows of shelves. On another wall were a series of crystals of every color and shape one could imagine. On the third wall were several pouches, and a messier bunch of powders and roots, stored in various ways containers. Through the doorway to the next room, various plants and herbs that grew right out of the earth floor, twisting into a nest of greenery.
“Is he gonna be okay?” Norm asked.
“I don’t believe any person could survive wounds such as this.” Ra’Nelle stood up straight, towering over Norm. “But Dylan is no longer simply a person.”
“How long?” Norm leaned forward so he could see her face. “He has to-”
Ra’Nelle raised her hand to calm him as she stroked Dylan’s hair with the other. “The Scion can do nothing until he is healed. It will do no one any good if he tries and fails. For now, he must rest.” She rested her fingertips on Norm’s cheek. “And who are you, who cares so deeply for our Scion?”
“I’m his best friend. Norm.” He could feel the warm energy in her fingers. “And probably the only family he has besides his Nan.”
“Perhaps.” Ra’Nelle and Zalee exchanged a glance. “Greetings, Norm. I am Ra’Nelle, and your friend has more family than he knows.”
“Yeah, I know. All the animals think he’s one of them. They love him,” Norm said, looking closer at Dylan’s wound. “Won’t his healing thing kick in and fix him up?”
“If it did not, he would be dead already. The blade pierced several vital organs. For now, we can only wait. Adama is coming to see him.”
“Adama?” Zalee asked, her face suddenly more concerned.
“Yes, Zalee, Adama.” Ra’Nelle rested her hand softly on Zalee’s cheek. “He wishes to speak to the three of you.”
“What’s the big deal? Who’s Adama?” Norm asked innocently.
Ra’Nelle clasped her hands together and smiled. “He is the oldest soul on Earth.”