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Kalon
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Chapter Ten: Unaka
Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant
Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation
Solar System: D-447
Planet: Ora
Location: Beneath the planet's surface, Naro City, walkway near Nekam Tribe’s Lodgings
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My hand trembles as I worry about those who may be inside. Thoughts of Arrum and Nevari dying play in my mind. My breath becomes unsteady as I see more and more of the Clan guards going inside the melted entrance to my tribe’s home. The worry rises, nearly half of them have entered. Sweat beads on my forehead as I am reminded of the last time I saw something like this. The ground feels unsteady. My heart slams in my chest as images of death flow into my thoughts. My eyes close, and I slam my fist into my chest. Focus. You are my heart, you beat to my rhythm. Blowing the air from my lungs slowly, my eyes open as the calm fills me.
The tremble in my hand leaves as I become one with the coolness of the calm. The world feels solid once more beneath my feet. I need to move. Nekam told me to go to the Dekarn tribe, I must go there. Slinging the gaunt man over my shoulder, I move down the walkway. Before I am halfway, I feel a tremor and hear a loud explosion that shakes the walkway. Frosting the air with loose ice. Large sheets of ice crash around me onto the ground.
I turn and move back to the edge, peering again between the steam pipes as I crouch low. I must know.
A cloud of smoke plumes from the hole of my tribe’s doorway. Guards stumble out, clawing at their armor, trying to rip it off. My eyes grow wide, deep red and black lines trace along their exposed skin. Red dust glitters in the air as the smoke presses further. Netherium.
Keno runs away from the doorway towards the Clan building, fright on his face as the other guards who were outside as well back away swiftly. They are wise to do so, Netherium causes their suits and weapons to malfunction. It is why the City Chief has the Clans send tribes into the mines. Machines do not survive the mines, even parts of the surface are inaccessible by most machines. The guards that were in the direct blast, they will need Etherium to counter the Netherium which traces their blood from their lungs. Lest they become worse off than the gaunt man.
“Sparkly…” the gaunt man says.
I whirl around, his eyes are fixed on the glittering Netherium dust as he crawls toward it, there is desperation in him to get closer to it. My fist strikes him again, knocking him out once more. Shame builds in me for more than striking him. He could have killed me while I was distracted, I made a mistake here. Taking no chances, I use his cloak to tie him crudely before I sling him on my shoulder again, more wary this time of my task.
He is light, so my stride is fast. Jumping between the blocks of ice in the pathway. There are people from other tribes gathering in the walkways, moving towards my tribe’s lodging. Curious about the explosion no doubt. They give me strange looks as I carry the gaunt man on my back, but they do not stop me.
It takes me less than ten minutes to reach Dekarn’s tribe door. I bang on it, again and again without an answer.
My feet move towards Yuri’s tribe door now. It is not far. Within five minutes I am there. Again, no answer.
Did I take too long? Did they leave me? Where do I go? Focus.
Steady breaths sharpen me, my eyes look around and I see something I recognize. A handkerchief upon the ground, one that I know well. It is Arrum’s, the girl he cares for gave it to him. He would not have left this accidentally. I pick it up, and carved into the frost underneath is a single word in the old tongue. Unaka.
It is our word for the mines, it means the depths. With my foot, I kick the word until it is gone, in case someone else may see it. Does our tribe go to the mines? With so many? With the young? It is unthinkable. It would be a disaster. Why does he want me to bring…
I stop walking, shifting the weight of the gaunt man. The gears in my mind begin to turn now, taking in what I have seen. Nekam needs this man, there is no better guide than those on the edge of the changing. No one is better at finding Etherium. It is dangerous to keep them, so many do not do it. Nekam has never. Why would he now? Needing to focus, I breathe deep again. Questions can wait. Time is not on my side.
Moving again with purpose, I head to the mines. It is a long walk, one that will be made longer if the gaunt man awakens, so I quicken my step.
***
The raspy breaths of the gaunt man hang in my ear. I have only stopped once, taking the time to strengthen his ties. Even putting a cloth in his mouth so he couldn’t bite me, something I was glad of. When he woke, he was very angry. Writhing on my shoulder, but I held him still. I do not want to fail my chief.
It has taken me nearly two hours to reach the large archways that lead to the mines. Having to cross through the winding back tunnels, and taking the main walks between the outer Clans is dangerous without a large group. When I pass the first set of arched gates, I see there are many people gathered.
The City Chief’s guards walk the tops of the gatehouses, and below inspecting those who come. There are one hundred of them. All are much better equipped than our Clan’s guard. My heart rejoices as I see members of my tribe near the entrance to the last gate. My step slows as I see our numbers are fewer though. Less than half. What happened to them? Where is Arrum?
“Kada!” Arrum yells. Springing life back into me.
“I found this,” I say when I finally reach him, giving him the handkerchief back.
He smiles, depositing it back into his pocket affectionately. It is the only thing he has to remind him of her, it is not often they can see each other.
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I release a breath of relief again. Nevari helps him stand still. Though she herself looks worse for wear. Nekam comes next, inspecting the man on my shoulder. He grasps my other shoulder tightly giving me a nod of approval.
“My chief, Keno, and…” I begin.
“Not here.” Nekam says, looking around at the City guards “Wait until we are inside.”
A few minutes later, the sound of frosted metal gears opening the gate screech over the voices of the crowd. The majority of the guards keep rifles trained on the other side of the massive gate. The other side is nothing more than a platform affixed by chains that lower into the deep.
Groups of people file out past us. They hold their bags closely. As they exit, the City guard takes half of their earnings before sending them on their way. Only once they are done do they allow us to step forward onto the platform. There are one hundred from our tribe and one hundred each from Yuri’s and Dekarn’s.
We make three hundred strong, though some among us are wounded still. With these numbers, the mines are less dangerous, but it is hard to mine with so many. The tunnels are vast and narrow. Making numbers less useful the deeper you go. Still, it is good to have so many. It means we do not have to worry as much about other tribes and clans taking from us. A fight in such numbers would likely be a loss for both sides.
As we approach the platform, I cannot help but shudder at the thought of descending. The creatures that lurk in the depths are what we all see when the nightmares come. These thoughts are reflected in the others as I look around.
After we have all loaded onto it, the gate closes, leaving us in darkness. We will not waste the little fuel we have to create light yet. The chains creak as the platform begins to lower. Nekam finally comes to me again.
“You saw Keno?” he asks me. His voice is only loud enough to carry over the chains.
“I did, my chief.”
“Tell us what you saw.” Tribe Chief Yuri says.
I can barely make him and Dekarn out in the darkness by their gaits as they move closer.
“Keno came to our tribe’s home, with a hundred of the Clan guards,” I say.
“Vek.” Dekarn curses.
“Did you see what happened next?” Nekam asks me, there is patience in his tone, which is not in the others.
“I did, my chief.” I say, then moving closer, as I do not know if they wish others to hear, I finish with “About half of the guard were inside when…”
Yuri explodes with laughter, Dekarn gives a light chuckle, but Nekam makes no noise in the darkness.
“And Keno?” Nekam asks.
“He was outside when it happened. He ran back with the rest.” I say.
“Then your plan was nearly perfect Nekam,” Dekarn says.
“Were you seen?” Nekam asks me after being silent for a moment.
“By other tribes, but not by Keno, my chief,” I say.
“You have done well, Kalon.” Nekam says, grabbing my shoulder “I will not soon forget it.”
The three chiefs move away from me now, whispering amongst themselves. I hear Arrum’s limping stride coming next to me. His hand leans on my shoulder. He is steadier than a few hours ago. Once he rests more, he will be fine. He is tougher than most. I suspect it is why the chief took him with us despite his injuries.
“Where are the others?” I ask Arrum quietly.
“Safe.” He says, leaning in further “He has told us little more than to have faith.”
“Hempki’s hammer, that man smells of death,” Nevari says.
She almost surprised me, I barely heard her approach. There is little light besides the glow of the man’s eyes and the others who are losing themselves to the fears of the deep. Bioluminescence swirls in their eyes as they dart around at every noise.
“Do you know anything?” I ask her.
She leans in closer, so close I can feel her warm breath upon my skin.
“My father said one thing.” Nevari whispers, her hand gripping my shoulder, pulling me closer “Utakin.”
My heart thumps, not just from the closeness of her body to mine, but from the word. I have heard it only once before when the Sage…
The noise of people speaking and my thoughts fall away as the shrieks of the creatures in the depths fill the air. My hand clenches tighter. I hear people’s breath becoming shallow as they listen intently past the creaking chains, searching between the screeches. It is not the shrieking ones we fear… but the ones that watch silently in the shadows. Waiting.
“We are nearly there,” Arrum says quietly.
The gaunt man slams himself up and down upon my shoulder, causing me to almost lose my grip on him. He is trying to speak through the cloth in his mouth, laughing hysterically then crying desperately. His body reeks of the changing, as well as the stench of him soiling himself.
“Be still,” I warn him.
A deep crimson light begins to blossom from him the deeper we go, casting a red light across all of us. The faces of the unseasoned are filled with wide eyes and nervous glances towards the shrieks that come from old tunnels long sealed. Those who have spent many seasons in the mines listen to the melody of despair and show less fear, though I know they feel it. We all do.
Finally, we reach the ground with a thud. We are deep beneath the planet’s surface in the upper reaches of the mines now, in a natural domed room with ceilings so high it drinks all light. The Sage told me as a boy that rivers once ran through the stone here before the planet froze. The nip of the cold is much less here in the deep. Large pipes move up from the ground towards where we came from. It is the geothermal supply that keeps us all from freezing to death in the long winter. The hot steam from the deeper springs.
Nekam stands in the center of us after we disembark the metal lift. He holds a lantern, the wick freshly lit, casting deep shadows across him. The fuel for it and the others we carry are made from the beasts of the surface, melting their volatile fats into jars. The odor from them is pungent, it is even worse when fresh. I am glad it is not fresh, there is enough stink with the gaunt man who now sweats in the warmer air. Feverishly so.
“Conserve the fuel, we may be down here for some time,” Nekam warns everyone.
It is not long after he speaks that the platform we came on rises up into the darkness. Red flickers of lights in the hundreds of tunnels remind us we are not alone. Nekam comes to me now, Dekarn and Yuri in his shadow.
“Let him down.” My chief says to me, motioning to the gaunt man.
Glad to be rid of him, I put him down.
“Untie him.” Nekam says.
I do as he says, careful to step back after I do. He surely has some resentment towards me for striking him and dragging him to the mines against his will. As he stands, his back is now slightly hunched. His bones are shifting from the changing.
“So much light…” the gaunt man says, chewing on his fingernails then laughing “So many choices…”
“Where is the light the brightest?” Nekam asks the gaunt man.
“The light is brightest there.” The man says, pointing his hand to the left of us, down a tunnel we have never ventured. On the edge of it is a carving of a skull and our word for death. Ula.
The man suddenly tries to flee towards the tunnel, but Yuri and Dekarn grab him up and hold the man firm as he writhes in their grasp, hissing and snapping his mouth like he will bite, moments of clarity coming and going from him. I cannot help but feel pity for the man, to lose oneself to the changing is something we all fear. We could have helped him yesterday, but now, he is beyond help. My jaw flexes, if the world were not so cruel, he needn’t suffer like this.
“Where do you see only darkness?” Nekam asks him plainly.
The gaunt man cackles, his glowing red eyes rolling back for a moment. He points a craggily bone-thin finger towards me.
“There is the darkest of dark… where the light does not shine.” He says, his eyes growing wider as the grin deepens, exposing his rotting teeth. Soon they will all fall out and be replaced with sharper ones. The changing has already begun.
Yuri looks at me, eyes squinting for a moment. Then to Nekam who stares at the man still.
“You know what I am asking. Do not try my patience.” Nekam says to the man, his eyes narrowing at him.
The man hisses, and a low screech follows. One that causes the tunnels to echo their own. A shiver runs down my spine.
“They call for me… they want me to join them… embrace the abyss they tell me.” the gaunt man says, a mix of glee and terror in his red eyes as they look around, his breath is threaded as he whispers to himself. His face twitches as he scratches deep at his skin. Blood oozing from the wounds.
The air is thick with Netheric Maka from the tunnels. More so than in our city. Down here, as far gone as he is, he has an hour, maybe two at most. Then he will cease being a person… becoming like the things that lurk in the dark. The shrieks grow louder as the man begins to howl, his jaw snapping wildly, his whispers coming in and out. As though he is speaking to someone which none of us can see.
“Where is the darkest place?” Nekam asks again, drawing his blade.