The continuous clatter of rocks slowly drew the man out of his slumber. A strong instinct to stay asleep however stopped him from fully awakening. So, the man steadily drifted back towards sleep until a small pebble struck him in the face. “Wake up already.” A bored youthful voice was accompanied by another pebble striking the man’s face. Half-awake the man’s eyebrows furrowed, and he stirred to full alertness.

The first thing the man noticed was the weight on his body. It was like he was snuggly wrapped in a cocoon of dirt and rocks. The man could feel his back was propped up against a wall of sorts. He couldn’t see anything, as the world was painted black, and his other senses were lagging. He tried to move, but countless rocks clattered noisily to the ground. The cocoon no longer felt protective, and his fear started to papillate his heart as his brain failed to fill in the blanks. As the man started to panic yet another pebble fell hitting him in the eye. He groaned in pain as he tried to gauge where the rocks were coming from.

“Hey, before you make a mess of things, take a breath and calm down.” A child’s voice spoke to him, sounding vaguely familiar. The man grew still as he tried to find the direction it came from. It was still pitch black. “You’ve been out for a couple of hours.” The voice continued. “If you are hungry, I have some dates and water. Come over.”

When the man tried to open his mouth, he found it dry, and clearing his throat did nothing. After attempting to wet his mouth for about a minute, the man finally managed a few words. “I…I can’t see. I need water.” The man tried to get a feel for his surroundings. All he could find were jagged rocks that cut at his flesh. His fingers were going to be salami slices by the time he found the boy!

There was a long pause of silence, and the man could feel panic rise as fear of dying slowly in the dark became a real possible future. He waited for the boy to say something, but the devastating stillness of darkness was his only companion. He could see nothing, hear no one, and it was hard to gauge just how long it had been quiet without his sight. No longer cocooned, the man felt like he was primed for death and trapped in a coffin.

Time passed on, and the man began to wonder if he imagined the boy’s voice. He couldn’t hear anyone’s breath except his own, and his was as jarring as a motorcycle’s engine.

A burst of brightness cut off his morose thoughts and the man hissed in pain. After a few seconds had passed, he bravely opened his eyes to look at the source of light. An oil lamp in the shape of a bird was dangling in front of him. The light wasn’t as strong as his previous perception made it to be, and it could only illuminate the boy standing directly in front of him. The inky darkness contrasted with the dimly glowing oil lamp. This contrast reminded the man of fireflies in the summer. Even with all their hard work they couldn’t become a star. So, the man couldn’t see exactly where he was, he merely had a distant faint glow to guide him. Still, this was progress and elation overpowered his fear into oblivion.

The boy looked to be no more than ten. He had dark brown skin which helped his white teeth gleam in the dark. His golden-brown hair was disheveled and looked like curled tangled kite ribbons. His round cheeks gave him a youthful sweet impression and the man felt himself relax at the sight of this handsome kid.

The boy’s attire was strange, but he wore it like a second skin. He had on what looked like a folded scarlet shawl wrapped over dark trousers. Was he even wearing a shirt? The boy held the lamp with one hand, and it took the man awhile to figure the boy’s other hand was behind his back. Overall his attire looked familiar except for the spiky lizard armband.

Before the man could dwell more on this the boy was leaning close to peer into his eyes. “Let’s start this over.” The boy chirped. “What’s your name? My name is Mordecai.” Mordecai made an aggrieved face, “Well, it’s not the name I prefer, but when you lose a bet, you have to own your loss.” As if unable to see the man’s unease, the boy continued to chatter. “This is Acuzio.” Mordecai wiggled the arm that the pointy lizard was wrapped across. The armband ended up not being an accessory the man thought as Acuzio turned its head to look back at the man. This moment lasted mere seconds as it looked away quickly after with disinterest. “Well, what’s your name?”

The man gestured to his throat, which was as dry as premium cat litter. “I forgot you needed something to drink.” Mordecai handed him a bottle, and the man paused as he looked at its curvaceously figured shape. It reminded him of an old fertility statue. What kind of water was put in fertility curved glass? Too thirsty to dwell for long the man began to drain the bottle. When it hit his tongue, he almost spat it out in surprise. It wasn’t water, but wine! The flavor was too good to pass up. So, he drank it deeply marveling at how each gulp seemed to have a unique taste, and the man could feel tears leak from his eyes. His brain exploded in pure delight as he gulped the bottle with fervor. He respected the choice to put such a delicacy in one of the most sacred shapes.

“My sister makes the best wine.” The boy beamed with pride.

The man should care why this child knew it was good, but he couldn’t stop swallowing. This liquid pleasure was too cloying, and his heart gave a forlorn pang at the realization he’d have to stop eventually.

When he was down to the last mouthful Mordecai got his attention. “I wouldn’t drink all of it if I were you.” The boy’s voice had gone from warm to cold and that stopped the man in his tracks. Mordecai’s dark orbs connected with his, and the hair on the man’s arms rose. He gulped in fear stupidly swallowing the last of the wine. “Oh well.” Mordecai giggled, shattering the previous chilly air, and the man’s shoulders relaxed. “So, what’s your name?”

This made the man pause as the joy of the drink was replaced with fresh numbing fear. What was his name? Why was he here? Where was here even? As he tried to recall information his head began to pound. He felt a little woozy even as he slipped into a memory.

“Dr. Abernathy, are you sure about this expedition?” The tall brunette man was his assistant Paul. Cocky due to his competence, it was rare to see the man shaken in any way. Dr. Abernathy chuckled as he saw Paul’s concern.

“There’s a first time for everything. This is a once in a lifetime chance to succeed and bring life to new history.”

Paul grew paler, “There are awful rumors about the site. There hasn’t been a single group successful in even approaching the-“

“I also have some dates and figs” Mordecai’s voice cut into the memory and forcibly brought the man back to the present. Instead of presenting the food the boy lazily rolled a coin on his knuckles. His name! How could he forget his name? He was Doctor John Abernathy. The horror of this realization was quickly numbed as he found himself entranced by the gold glint as it moved flawlessly back and forth across his knuckles..

John shook his head as he forced himself to look away from the boy. A pang of regret pushed him to attempt another memory recall. Why did he feel like what was going to be said next was crucial? “No thank you. I’m not hungry. Do you know where we are?”

The coin flipped high into the air and Mordecai caught it swiftly with one hand. The boy then pursed his lips and shrugged, “We’re underground. You didn’t wake up after the fall until just now.” The boy said a few words in a language that John couldn’t comprehend. He wasn’t looking at John but the lizard who was staring back up at him. The lizard’s tongue moved around, and Mordecai intently watched the lizard before turning his dark eyes on John.

“Acuzio says it’s rude to not introduce yourself. We’ve given you light and wine, but you keep asking for more all the while ignoring a simple request from us. Acuzio says you’re a mannerless adult.” Mordecai met John’s gaze with a rueful smile as he cocked his head. “Do you think Acuzio is right?”

“I’m not a…” John could feel annoyance flare up as he wanted to defend himself. Why was the boy pretending the lizard could talk? Regardless of the above John could feel his soapbox of indignation shake. As impertinent as Mordecai was being, he wasn’t wrong. John was utterly reliant on the kid, and all he had done was taken from him. “My name is Dr. John Abernathy.”

“Oh, a doctor!” Mordecai chortled, “But a doctor of what exactly? Can’t anyone become a doctor if they pay a university enough money?” Mordecai used his free hand to tap his chin. “I could be a doctor of lizard studies if I put my mind to it. Oh, shush Acuzio I know you’re not a lizard. I wasn’t implying that.”

Not a lizard? Then what was the armband in actuality? John shook his head as he realized he was still following Mordecai’s pace. He needed to recall memories and get out of whatever the hell this place was.

Maybe he hit his head during the fall? This kind of memory gap was strange and suspicious, could a hit to the head really cause this? Head injuries were problematic and without the right equipment it was hard to know for sure. John lifted a hand, ignoring the rocks he disrupted on his person, to examine his head. Nothing seemed damaged but it could be internal.

Mordecai looked away, his expression bored, “Do you want to try to stand? I can light another oil lamp for you.”

John paused but before he could answer, Mordecai had another oil lamp in his hand. This one was also shaped like a bird. As Mordecai lit it, John attempted to stand up for the first time.

The remaining rocks tumbled off his body, and John wondered how far underground they were and how far they dropped. His body was stiff from disuse, but he was pleased to have no severe injuries. John examined his body in the dark; though it was hard without proper lighting, nothing ached or burned with pain when prodded. The wine hadn’t brought on any lightheadedness or dizziness either. It tasted like nectar from heaven but hadn’t affected him like alcohol should. If anything, he felt empowered, and warm with drink. John stretched and gained some courage from his faculties working.

When John was done, he found Mordecai watching him with amused eyes. Silently the boy handed him a lit oil lamp. John accepted it and, right away, his knees buckled from the weight. The heavy metal almost fell from his grasp due to his shock. How did the boy swing it around casually like it was a balloon? John’s eyes shot up and they met Mordecai’s. The boy was watching him with unreadable depths to his gaze. The lizard was also staring at him, and John could feel panic build as he hurriedly looked away.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“You were out for so long. Your body must be tired, or it’s the wine on an empty stomach.” Mordecai sighed sympathetically as the lizard mirrored this movement. “I offered you a date.”

It sort of made sense. John could feel his head nodding along as he latched on to that logic. He could also feel his unease of the situation grow. John simply stuffed those concerns down and held on to the heavy metal with both hands. “You said we’re underground somewhere? How did we get trapped here? Can we get out?”

The boy shrugged; his expression carefree as his lips curved into a smile. Mordecai glanced down at the coin in his palm then he met John’s gaze a heartbeat later, “Did you check your pockets earlier?”

John looked down and realized that something was sticking out of his jeans. How did he miss that? It must be because John didn’t have the lamp before. The man blocked any thoughts that might contradict that as he pulled out the item bound in paper. It was a coin, John realized with a jolt. The paper fell to the ground as John tried to juggle the lamp. It was a small silver coin that felt familiar. As John rubbed it and held it up to the light to examine it, he recalled another such moment and another memory returned.

He was seeking the advice of one of the few people who assisted the archaeologists. “That coin is cursed.” An old woman looked at him with pity. Her weathered face told a story that not even her descendants could fully comprehend. Her hair was hidden by a shawl, and she grabbed the end to cover half of her face. It was almost as if she was warding herself from evil with that piece of cloth. Her cloudy white eyes peeked out from the shawl, and they shook with emotion. “You should give that to someone else to make sure you’re not cursed.”

John laughed nervously as he rubbed his fingers on the coin in his hand. Curses and dire warnings were common in archaeology. Nothing would ever be discovered if there were any merit to them. This old woman’s fear and warning was unnerving however, and John faltered at the way she drew back from the coin and himself. “You only touched it and were able to determine that?”

The woman’s lips thinned under her shawl, and she shook her head at the man’s folly. “There is a flame bird and a dragon on one side of the coin. That is Aphra and her brother. The other side of the coin is smoothed out. I don’t need eyesight to know what that coin is.”

“Aphra?” John hadn’t heard of anyone named Aphra during this expedition.

“A tempestuous trickster you don’t want to meet. Put the coin back where you found it and leave while you can.” The old woman’s eyes held pity even as she warned him. John got the distinct impression she believed it was already too late for him.

“This coin is the only thing we’ve managed to excavate. I’m the only one who has managed to find anything. I can’t stop now or put it back.” John defended himself but the old woman said nothing as she walked away. “I can’t stop.” John muttered as he held up the coin examining it. “I’ll uncover the secrets of-“

“So, you had a map out of here all along.” Mordecai’s voice drew John out of the memory. The man found himself resigning to failure as he looked at the boy and the piece of paper. The boy easily dodged his reach when he tried to grab it. Unfazed, he looked at John’s hand, “What’s that?”

John held up the coin, and Mordecai whistled as he looked at it. “I recognize that symbol.” The boy proudly stated. John could barely make out the shape of the coin in the dark, and only through touch and memory could he get a clearer picture of it. “It’s this way!” Before John could confront his ever-growing list of concerns, Mordecai darted off. His oil lamp swung like a pendulum, and John found himself attempting to catch up to the boy.

“Wait, give me the map!” John cried. Mordecai skipped joyfully ahead, ignoring his cries. As the boy turned a corner John dropped his lamp in his haste to not be left behind.

When John caught up to Mordecai his breath was stolen by where they ended up. It was a room lit by hanging bird oil lamps. These burned bright and lit up the walls around them, and there were only hints of darkness and shadows under their scorching luminescence.

The walls were decorated with symbols and paintings. John raced forward, unable to stop his scholarly inspection as his fingers graced the strange tale. The first depiction he found was the bird from the coin. The familiar curve of its wings and beak displayed its lethal ferocity. Unlike the coin there were blue flames surrounding it in the painting. The old woman’s words from his memory haunted him as he took in the flaming bird. This was Aphra? He held up the coin and compared the two side by side. The resemblance was uncanny, and John gulped down what little moisture was left in his mouth.

The blue flamed bird was joined by another bird with wings dipped in silver and who embodied grace. The long, graceful shape of the dragon was below the two but took up the most space as its wings rose to enclose them protectively.

John’s fingers moved along the scenes depicted on the walls with hunger as he took it all in. Gods and goddesses from various cultures dotted various scenes to John’s astonishment. Why would there be so many in this tale? Quite a few of them seemed to battle the blue flamed bird. John made a face at the significance of this even as doubt began to creep up on him. There shouldn’t be this many deities across cultures. Was this faked or new history?

Before he could dwell longer, he saw another image of the graceful bird who disappeared during most of the tales. There was a coin in its beak and John’s fingers carefully caressed the symbols below it as he tried to decode the meaning. He was cut off from touching the elegant bird when the butt of a spear smashed it. John screamed in shock at the now chipped drawing.

The poor archeologist stiffened into a statue, not out of place with the other bronze idols in the room. Mordecai appeared unperturbed by John’s reaction as he lowered his spear. “That’s Caelestis. She was the first of her kind. Acuzio what did the Romans decide to call her children?” Mordecai paused to look at Acuzio before nodding, “Oh yeah they named them caladrius’.”

Overrun with emotions John snapped out of his bronze age and snatched the spear from Mordecai. John tenderly examined it and was relieved to see that it wasn’t damaged. “This is a one-of-a-kind artifact.” He scolded the foolish child.

Mordecai looked at him blankly, “It's just a stick with some metal at the end.”

John clutched the spear protectively, paling with the fear that the boy could destroy everything in the room with that logic. He ran around grabbing what he could and moved them far away from the kid. Mordecai watched him laughing as he noisily chewed some dates. John did his best to ignore the child until he was done.

“I think you chipped Marduk’s nose.” Mordecai sighed as he looked at the miniature statue John had stashed. “I can’t wait to tell him that.” The boy cackled as he wiggled his eyebrows at Acuzio. “Do you think he’ll believe me when I say it wasn’t me?” The lizard looked away and Mordecai laughed harder.

John watched this interaction as his unease of everything finally reached its peak. As a man of science, he could no longer ignore the facts that were stacking up like a tower of Jenga. He zeroed in on the map from before that was sticking out of the boy’s pants. “Let me see the map.” John went to reach for it but withdrew his hands when the lizard tried to take a bite.

“If you’re trying to pet Acuzio, I wouldn’t advise that.” The boy grew solemn as he met John’s eyes. The serious aura only served to freak out John more. “He can harm you without biting you.”

“The map please.” John could feel hysteria building in his chest. He needed to get out of here. He could bring a team back to examine and take everything. This all had to happen before Mordecai could do more damage. This kid was unpredictable!

“Let’s play a game.” Mordecai countered as he dusted his hands and grinned at John. “If you win, I will help you get out. If I win, we’ll play ten more games.”

John could feel his temper start to flare. Ten more games? Did this kid think all of this was a game? John’s gaze drifted down to the spear on the ground. He felt a compulsion to pick it up. John didn’t even notice when it came into his person, but his long fingers fondled it eagerly. Dark thoughts floated in his mind as he stroked the smooth ebony wood. It would be easy to take on the boy, wouldn’t it?

John’s fingers tightened on the spear as he looked up and locked eyes with Mordecai. The boy met John’s gaze calmly and shame flooded the man. This boy, although strange, had done nothing malicious to him. What kind of man had these thoughts? How could he even dwell on it? John stamped down that inner voice that betrayed his character and set the spear down on the ground. “Okay, what kind of game.”

Mordecai clapped his hands together in delight. He looked down at Acuzio who closed his eyes and then met John’s resigned eyes. “Heads or tails. Though in this case its phoenix and dragon versus effaced. Acuzio and I will be the dragon and the phoenix, and you’ll be the effaced side of the coin.”

Effaced? John could feel the ever-surmounting issues and ill feelings rise again. He bit his tongue as he took a deep breath. He said he would play, and he had at least a fifty-fifty chance of winning. He could do this. “You can flip.” Mordecai grinned gleefully as he handed over a silver coin. John gulped, when had the kid taken the silver coin from him? The one the boy routinely played with was gold, his coin was the silver one. There could be another, but John could feel that idea lose traction before it could fully form.

John gingerly accepted the coin, his hands shaking as he finally understood that he should have listened to the old woman.

With shaking hands John squeezed his eyes shut. Suddenly images on the walls came to mind. Which gods and goddesses were there again? His eyes opened and darted over for a quick glance, and then to the chipped drawing of the first caladrius. John looked back at the coin and prayed to every deity he saw and the caladrius. He needed to get out of here. So, he poured all of his faith, fear and desire to hopefully free him of this hell.

With bated breath John flipped the coin. It landed on the ground with a lackluster plop. “Oh, it's effaced. Lucky you.” Undaunted, Mordecai bent down to pick up the coin. He rolled it across his knuckles as he grinned at John. “Wow, Acuzio can you believe it?! Someone finally won!” Before John could relish his victory Mordecai picked up the spear. “Let’s get out of here.”

Mordecai took off running and John moved to catch up to the kid, yet again. They went deeper, and John looked around soaking in all the symbols and images that decorated the walls. The history that was being shown was life changing for the archaeologist! He barely had time to stop and study them because unlike last time Mordecai didn’t stop. The flat ground shifted into steps and John huffed and puffed as he followed the chipper Mordecai.

It was strange how many oil lamps lit their path no matter how high they climbed. “What kind of tomb is this?” John muttered exasperated at the length of time it was taking to leave.

“Who said it was a tomb?” Mordecai laughed. “It’s a shrine.”

John paused as the hair on the back of his neck rose. “Whose shrine?” Silence greeted him and Mordecai’s small back got smaller as he sprinted up the stairs. Only his laughter could be heard floating down to tickle John’s ears. John glanced at the kid’s retreating feet; how could he move so effortlessly quiet? Why isn’t he tired?

“We’re almost at the top, Acuzio!” Mordecai’s cheerful voice pushed John to move again, and he quickly did his best to catch up to them.

They were not near the top, John thought bitterly as his legs cried from exhaustion. The stairs spiraled upward with no end in sight.

Time had passed but nothing was different. He was ready to pass out when they actually reached the top of the stairs. John could see the light from the sun, and he moved past Mordecai with a burst of sudden energy. He made it! John collapsed to his knees, sobbing as he hugged himself. His tired, sore body was on its last legs; he passed out accepting relief from the pain.