CHAPTER
TWELVE
Kareem’s heart pounded with a mixture of excitement and trepidation as he descended into the tunnels beneath the palace. He had overheard Surjan talking about some of the things Queen Halpa had told him. There was some cryptic talk about a portal hidden in these labyrinthine depths that had struck him as interesting. His previous encounter with the Grays had been harrowing—he had allowed himself to be kidnapped, dragged through these very tunnels, trying to gather as much information as possible before escaping just in time to rejoin a would-be rescue party made of Surjan, Marty, and Gunther. Little did they realize that he hadn’t needed rescuing. He had had everything under control. Now, he was back, driven by a burning curiosity and the tantalizing prospect of finding this portal.
The tunnels felt different this time, even more otherworldly. The sound of rushing water was loud throughout the maze and streams poured across every floor, but the wells within the complex seemed to be deep enough to absorb the flow.
Kareem imagined a portal similar to the one that had brought them to this strange land. If he found it, could it be their ticket back to safety? He chuckled at the thought of François’s reaction—how much would the Frenchman pay for a way back home?
As he ventured deeper, the air grew cooler, and the walls seemed to close in around him. Even though there was utterly no way for light to penetrate into these halls, Kareem saw a faint glow coming off the walls.
He’d detected the faint light the first time he was down here, and it was just enough for him to be able to navigate in the darkness.
No torch required.
Then again, a torch would have almost certainly gotten him unnecessary attention down here since the Grays didn’t seem to need any light, either.
Having gone as far as he’d gone in his previous travels, Kareem panned his gaze across the ancient stone, taking in the new surroundings.
He moved forward.
Every now and then, he paused to listen, straining to catch any sound that might indicate he was not alone. Any sounds of motion he might have heard were masked by the rush of running water.
Kareem moved silently, his senses on high alert. He came across carvings and symbols etched into the walls—remnants of a long-forgotten civilization. Some of the symbols looked familiar, things that resembled the tunnels he’d spent so much time excavating. Marty would probably pay a small fortune to get a look at the carvings.
Then again, maybe he could talk Marty into coming down here with him. The Chinese Jew wasn’t a bad sort, and tried to be fair with the team. Maybe the symbols spelled out information to help find the portal?
Kareem froze midstep as he sensed something. The air hummed with energy, an almost palpable sensation that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
He reached a fork in the tunnels and hesitated, trying to figure out which path to take. To the left, the tunnel sloped downward, and a faint, rhythmic hum emanated from its depths. To the right, the tunnel remained level, but the air was colder, and the darkness seemed more impenetrable. Trusting his instincts, Kareem chose the left path and continued his descent.
The farther he went, the louder the hum became. It sounded almost like an engine, but in this ancient place? Impossible. Or was it? Alien technology was beyond his understanding, but he had seen its capabilities. His pulse quickened as he followed the sound.
As he moved deeper, he noticed more signs of the Grays’ presence—discarded tools, more strange markings on the walls, and occasional glimpses of their strange, iridescent blood.
It wasn’t blood, per se . . . when these things died, just like the Egyptian monstrosities, they turned into sludge. But the dried remnants on the floor, they held that same smell of alien death.
Had some ancient fight occurred here?
With his pulse racing, Kareem knew that he was getting closer to something significant. The tunnels twisted and turned, each bend bringing him closer to the source of the hum.
He came across a small chamber, partially collapsed, with rubble strewn across the floor. In the center of the chamber lay a strange object, half-buried in the debris. It was nearly the size of a small car.
Kareem approached cautiously.
The device emitted a faint glow, and as he examined it, he noticed a series of buttons and symbols. He resisted the urge to press any, knowing that one wrong move could spell disaster.
He stared at the device, for a moment wishing some of the others were here to look at this, to explain what it was. Kareem had no idea what he was looking at, yet the humming noise was louder than ever, and it was calling him.
With some reluctance, Kareem pried himself away from the strange object and pressed on.
He encountered what at first seemed like a dead end; a large slab of stone had fallen from the ceiling in years past and beyond it lay another narrow passage.
With some effort, he squeezed past the obstacle, finding himself in a part of the tunnels that felt like they’d not been explored in ages. There was a layer of grime everywhere, and the air smelled stale. The hum was louder now, reverberating through the walls and filling the air with a sense of urgency.
He moved cautiously. A bioluminescent mold clinging to the damp walls lit his way. The glow coming from the fungus pulsed in time with the hum, creating an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere. The passage narrowed further, forcing Kareem to duck and weave around protruding rocks. His senses were on high alert, every nerve in his body tingling with anticipation.
Suddenly, he heard soft, shuffling footsteps echoing through the tunnel. He froze, listening intently. The footsteps grew louder, and he pressed himself against the wall. Two Grays appeared around the bend, their large, black eyes gleaming in the dim light. They seemed to be guarding something.
Kareem held his breath, watching them for a moment. They stood beside a narrow doorway, their attention focused inward. Taking a deep breath, he crept closer, his sharpened ankh ready. With swift, silent movements, he lunged. The first Gray crumpled silently as Kareem’s knife found its mark. The second turned, too late, as Kareem drove the blade into its chest. They fell without a sound, and Kareem took a moment to catch his breath, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The passageway was filled with the scent of death as the aliens’ corpses bubbled and dissolved right in front of Kareem’s eyes.
The hum was louder now, almost overwhelming. His senses drew him forward, and eventually, he saw a passage that he’d not explored before. He spied a long, impenetrably dark passage with a crack of light at its end.
There was something different about this tunnel. The rock was different. It held none of the glow he’d found in the prior passageways, and he couldn’t see a thing between where he was standing and the end of the passage.
For all he knew, there was a bottomless pit between him and his humming objective.
Slowly, Kareem advanced, carefully testing the ground as he placed one foot in front of the other.
He was utterly blind in this passageway.
Even though he knew that there was a wall within a few feet to his left or right, he couldn’t detect it. Kareem couldn’t see the floor he was standing on.
It was as if some sorcerer had cast a darkness spell over this entire place and his gaze couldn’t penetrate it.
Kareem moved cautiously, his heart racing. As he approached the end of the passage, it become obvious that the crack of light was from a door that was slightly ajar. An unnatural light was pouring forth, yet it didn’t illuminate his approach whatsoever.
This was something different from anything he’d experienced aboveground. Something utterly alien.
Just as Kareem took his final step, reaching the door, the ground beneath him began to quake. Dust and small stones fell from the ceiling, but he pressed on. He pushed the door open a fraction more, peering inside.
The room beyond was bathed in a soft, pulsating glow. Strange symbols adorned the walls, and in the center of the room stood a large metallic arch that hummed with energy. It looked like a portal, similar to the one that had brought them here, and there was a white swirling glow within the arch beckoning him.
Kareem’s mind raced. Could this be his way home? He had to find out. Just as he stepped closer to examine the portal, the ground shook violently, and he struggled to stay on his feet. Rocks and debris began to fall from the ceiling, crashing around him.
His heart pounded in his chest as the realization hit him—he had found something monumental, but it seemed like the entire chamber was collapsing.
Kareem dove to his right as a large chunk of rock slammed onto the ground.
Before Kareem could move out of the way, another rock smashed down, ripping his tunic as he backpedaled from the collapsing chamber.
Kareem took one last look at the glowing portal, committing it to memory, before turning to make his escape.
He sprinted back into the darkened passage. Several times he almost lost his balance as he tripped over debris that he couldn’t see.
The quaking earth threatening to swallow him whole.
Surjan awoke with a start, his senses on high alert.
The room was dark, the faintest glimmer of light coming through the closed shutters. His sheets smelled of salt and sweat. He heard nothing.
The quiet of the borrowed room was unsettling, but after all the chaos resulting from the flooding, hundreds of upset and displaced people, and the uncertainty of what the morning would bring, the emptiness of this bedroom was a welcome respite. For the first time in what felt like ages, he had managed to find some peace, away from the relentless pressures of leadership and the queen’s unwanted advances. He had caught some much-needed sleep, and needed more, but he felt a tension in the air.
Something was amiss.
Surjan sat up as he detected the faintest sound, a barely perceptible shuffle. His muscles tensed as he strained to locate the source. Before he could fully react, the door to his chamber burst open, and two shadowy figures lunged at him, daggers gleaming in the dim light.
Surjan rolled off the bed, narrowly avoiding the first strike. The assassin’s blade sliced through the air where his head had been moments before. He landed on the floor, already in a crouch, and sprang up with a feral intensity.
The first assassin, cloaked and masked, advanced with a series of quick, calculated slashes. Surjan deflected the blows with his forearms, moving with the fluid grace of a practiced fighter. He grabbed the assassin’s wrist, twisting it violently. The dagger clattered to the floor, and with a swift, powerful motion, Surjan drove his elbow into the assassin’s throat. The man crumpled, gasping for breath.
The second assassin came at him from the side, taking advantage of the distraction. Surjan felt a searing pain as the attacker’s blade nicked his shoulder. Ignoring the wound, he spun around, catching the second attacker off guard. He delivered a crushing blow to the assassin’s temple, stunning him. Seizing the moment, Surjan wrapped his arm around the attacker’s neck and twisted sharply. The sickening crack of vertebrae echoed in the small room.
Breathing heavily, Surjan turned back to the first assassin, who had recovered enough to draw a second blade from his boot. The man lunged desperately, but Surjan sidestepped and caught him in a viselike grip. With a swift, brutal motion, he snapped the assassin’s neck, the body collapsing lifelessly to the floor.
Just as Surjan stood over the fallen assassins, the door burst open again, and four Neshili warriors, armed with spears, stormed into the chamber. They halted abruptly, their eyes wide with shock at the sight of the two dead assassins at Surjan’s feet.
The warriors exchanged uneasy glances before stepping over the bodies. Their discomfort was palpable as they formed a semicircle around Surjan, their spears pointed downward but ready.
Young Piyam, who was the senior warrior of the four, spoke with a voice that barely concealed his apprehension. “King Surjan, you must come with us. The royal council has summoned you.”
Surjan wiped the sweat from his brow, his gaze steady and unflinching. “Why does the council summon me in the middle of the night?” he demanded, his tone hard. “And who are these two who attacked me?”
One of the warriors knelt beside one of the bodies, removed the cloth mask, revealing a youthful face. A teenager. He looked up at Piyam and shook his head.
Piyam shifted uncomfortably, his grip tightening on his spear. “We do not know, but the queen herself has ordered this. We are to bring you before them immediately.”
Surjan took a deep breath, his mind racing. The council’s summoning could mean any number of things, none of them probably good.
“Beware the spider’s bite.”
The prior king’s warning replayed in his mind. Queen Halpa was up to no good, of that much he was certain. Surjan nodded curtly. “Lead the way.”
The warriors parted to let him pass, their expressions a mix of respect and fear. As they walked through the darkened corridors of the palace, Surjan couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever awaited him before the royal council would likely be deadlier than the would-be assassins he had just faced. The brief respite he’d found in this hidden room, away from the queen’s machinations and the endless turmoil, seemed like a distant memory as he stepped into the unknown.