Paul whispered, “Let’s go before they ask any questions!”
Paul led them quickly to the archway. The three men watched. As Paul stepped over the rope, followed by Amy and Frank, one of the men shouted, “No! Don’t go there! There is no return archway!”
She knew that this was dangerous; they couldn’t know what was waiting for them on the next planet. If there was no other archway then they could be trapped on the next planet. Maybe forever! Amy said to Paul, who was hesitating, “We have to trust Simon. Let's go!”
Paul stepped to the green archway, and holding the base of his staff out in front of him, walked into the wall with Amy on one side, and Frank on the other. Amy found that it was even weirder to walk into what looked like a solid wall in the bright light of the dome. Just as Amy was to step through the wall, the archway, she saw three small red rocks on the floor. She smiled.
* * *
They stepped out of the archway near the center of a Transit Station building. The bright sunlight shining through the entrances was making her squint. She could see ruins of buildings outside. “Let’s take a look. Simon said the city on Green Harbor Three was deserted.”
“Even so,” said Paul, “let’s stick together.”
“Hey, my staff!” exclaimed Frank. His staff was a half inch shorter, cut cleanly across at a slight angle, from the part of the staff which had been behind him.
“We’ll have to be careful, it could have been a foot or a hand,” Paul said firmly. “Whoever opens the archway has to be half a step behind the rest.” Amy and Frank, examining the staff, agreed!
Amy put on her sunglasses and cap. The sun was overhead. Most of the buildings outside the square had collapsed, but occasionally a roof was still intact. There were piles of dust and grasses growing in the square in front of them and a sense of desolation to this place. In contrast to the desolation, Amy could see palm trees beyond the ruined buildings. “Do you think anyone’s here?”
Paul responded, “No one’s been here for a long time; ours and Simon’s are the only tracks.” The tracks led to another archway, they weren’t trapped. As Simon had promised, there was a green archway.
The dust and sand underfoot reminded Amy of walking on a soft beach. There was little to see as most of the buildings were just a pile of bricks and rotten lumber. They passed a few fountains, but they were dry and filled with sand and dirt. It only took fifteen minutes to reach the bottom of the hill and the edge of the city. Paul stopped and Amy could see that there was no point in going any further. Grass and bushes had overgrown the road and the fields.
Amy wondered, “Why was the city abandoned? The fields are green and everything is growing.”
Paul shrugged, “Famine, war, disease, who knows.”
Frank was thinking, “There’s no furniture or belongings. They left willingly, or the city was scavenged later.”
Amy looked at the fields again, “Well, this is depressing; let’s get back to the Transit Station.”
“OK,” said Paul, “but let’s scout a bit more as we go back.” Paul pointed at the remains of a taller building. “Let’s go through the side streets and look at that building; it seems more intact.”
Paul led them back down the street and then cut through a side street. They came to the side of the building and Paul led them around to the front. She saw that the entire front of the building was open, obstructed only by columns about 13 feet tall that were spaced evenly across the front, holding up a stone lintel, and the front part of the roof. The columns were strange in that they were about three feet across at the top, but about six feet across at the bottom. The back of the building had collapsed but they were able to enter the shade on the other side of the columns.
Paul asked Frank what he thought the building was for. “Well this is the only other building here built with stone. That makes it an important civic building, the city hall, or a market, or perhaps a courthouse.”
“Or a church?” added Amy.
“Or a shelter,” added Paul looking into one corner. Amy went over and she saw a small pile of ashes in a corner near where the roof came down to the floor. Paul poked the ashes with a stick. “These are old, how old I don’t know, but it means other people come here. This could have even been Simon.”
Amy yawned, setting off both Frank and Paul. “When did we last sleep Frank?”
Frank looked at his watch. “None of us slept well in that sandstorm, so about 48 hours ago. It's 9 pm on Earth. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that the next planet has people on it and we need to be alert. To be alert we need sleep. Let’s put up the tent in the shade, and after a meal we can catch up on our sleep.”
Paul nodded, “Good idea! I should have suggested it. Let’s camp near the front where the roof is supported.” Paul glanced at the ashes again. “That was a long time ago, and chances are slim that anyone will be here today.”
She enjoyed the afternoon; this was the first time they’d cooked a meal together since the summer. It was a chance to chat and just get to know each other better. Frank worked out when the 64 days would be over, and it looked like all of them could come for five days around that date. Frank didn’t have an exact length of the day on Desert Stronghold Two, so he could be up to a day off, so they would come a day earlier than his calculation, just to be certain. Amy found it too hot to sleep, and she couldn't stop worrying about what might happen to them, but as it cooled off after the sun disappeared, she finally drifted off.
* * *
They arrived to dark walls on both sides of them. Frank led the way, moving forwards towards the daylight, stumbling a bit on the uneven floor. They were in a huge rock cavern, open to the sky in front, and behind were the remains of buildings and metal structures. The sun was high in the sky, behind some clouds. In the open Frank could feel drizzle on his face. The green valley in front of him was like pictures of Wales or Scotland. It was cool here; he put down his backpack to get a jacket out. Amy and Paul did the same. Amy pushed her pillow deeper into her backpack to keep it dry. He saw between the clouds a moon. It was big! Maybe three times bigger than Earth’s moon.
“Great Island One is warm for a moon,” he said quietly.
“Moon?” asked Paul.
Frank pointed into the sky. “About 15 degrees above the horizon, that’s big, a planet.” Frank pointed between the clouds.
“Why a planet?” Amy asked.
“Wait for a clear view. It’s blue and white which means ocean and clouds.”
They waited for the next gap in the clouds. Frank shared his binoculars. They could see white swirls of clouds on a blue background. Just like satellite pictures of Earth.
“Where’s the land?” Amy asked.
Just as Amy asked her question, Frank found that he couldn’t see. In his vision everything was black except a white round ball with bright yellow lights on the surface. It was there less than a second, and then it was gone. Everything went back to normal, and he could see again.
What’s wrong with me? Frank thought. The others hadn’t noticed anything as they were still looking at the planet. He answered, “Can’t see any. If you looked at the Pacific Ocean from the Moon you wouldn’t see land either. Islands are too small to see. It may change as the planet turns.”
* * *
Amy noticed that Frank sounded distracted, but it might be her imagination. Paul was looking back at the cavern. “What’s this behind us?”
“A guess,” Frank never liked guessing and it showed in his voice, “A mine or a processing facility. Not much left, just the columns and beams that were probably too big to recycle.” Frank smiled, that smile when he knew something they didn’t. “The other thing is gravity.”
“Gravity?” she asked, not understanding.
“Of course!” said Paul bouncing on the spot, “We’re lighter.”
“Oh!” said Amy realizing he was right. “I thought it was just from taking my backpack off.” Now they were all
bouncing up and down and laughing. Amy could tell that she was jumping higher, at least two feet higher. They soon tired of that fun and started to look around. She noticed that vegetation seemed to be mostly heather with some grass and weeds. And strangely, something that looked exactly like a dandelion.
Amy saw that Paul was using the binoculars to examine the valley in front of them and the rolling hills beyond. “Can you see a road?”
“No. But there are animal trails on the sides of the hills, and stone walls, so there’s people about. We should go to the top of the highest hill and look around. If we go west, towards the setting sun, we’ll find the village Simon wanted us to go to.”
Amy now had the binoculars, “Yes, Ravinesedge. Why is everything tinted in purple?”
Frank answered, “It’s the sun. It’s not yellow like ours.”
Amy continued to scan the valley, following the stone walls across the hills with the binoculars. “All the colors are different; you’d have to update your closet to live here. I wish that Simon had lived long enough to give us better directions. Or, we could go and ask. How come guys never want to ask for directions?”
“Ask who?” said Frank trying to see what she was looking at.
She passed the binoculars to Frank. “Follow the stone wall up that hill until you see a break in the wall. There was someone there, and what looks like a tent.”
Frank found the break in the wall and the tent. “Oh, I see it now, directly opposite us. One person. I think they’re working on the wall.”
* * *
Sandspour one of the angel kind, now disguised as a human, a stone mason working his trade, was watching the humans on the opposite slope of the valley. He remembered when he was first summoned to assist them, he’d asked, “Are they chosen?”
“Yes, it’s a gift,” was the answer from the Wise One. “She is the leader, and they are her equals. It is fortunate that they are humans; they will not resist our guidance. If they follow the path shown to them by the One Who Tests they can be the human Council of Three, and perhaps the Supreme Council, the three as was foretold. Sandspour, it is your task to assist them, and to protect them from the Evil Ones and those that serve them, but you must not interfere in their path. The decisions they make on their path must be their own!”
He’d carefully answered, “That will be difficult!”
The answer was, “Yes, it will be difficult for you. For them, they succeed or they die, and if they die, so will the remaining humans, and a majority of other kinds, in the Isolated Planets.”
So Sandspour prepared for his task. Soon an Evil One would arrive in this valley while the humans were here. It wasn’t a coincidence!
* * *
Paul led off, choosing a slope down to the valley bottom that wasn’t too steep. Even with her backpack on Amy could tell that the gravity was lighter, and the heather under her feet made for a bouncy trip. Soon they were all jogging and bouncing down the slope, laughing and yelling to each other.
They stopped at the stream to catch their breath. Amy could see the water was crystal clear, with fish swimming under the far bank. Seeing it was too deep to wade across, Amy sat down to untie her hiking boots.
“No need for that!” called Frank.
Amy turned around to see Frank running at the stream. “Don’t!” It was too late. Amy and Paul watched as Frank leapt from the bank and then sailed across the stream, seeming to float through the air, landing well past the far bank on the heather. Then it wasn’t graceful anymore; Frank and his backpack went tumbling head over heels through the heather, and his staff flew off to one side.
Amy and Paul were laughing so hard that they had to hold each other up. Frank was laughing now too. “Well, come on!” shouted Frank.
“You first,” said Paul.
“You just want a chance to laugh at me!” Amy grinned as she backed up for her run at the stream. She started to run, but found it difficult at first, as the heather was bouncy and her feet left the ground before she finished pushing. By the time she reached the near edge she was going fast enough, she hoped, and she leapt up into the air. She found herself high above the stream. It was thrilling, like flying, but she was coming down well past the other bank. As Amy’s feet hit the ground, she let go of Simon’s staff, and seemed to bounce back up. However, the backpack just wanted to go straight on, and before Amy knew it, she was tumbling head over heels across the heather. It didn’t hurt, the heather was soft; Amy was laughing before she stopped.
Amy stood up to cheers and laughter from Paul and Frank. “OK Paul, it’s your turn. The backpack knocks you over. Either throw it over first, or carry it, and let it go on this side.”
Amy saw that Paul was getting set to jump. Paul put the backpack straps in one hand, held his staff in his other hand, and started to run. He took off straight at Amy and she could see how high he jumped. She must have been that high too, no wonder it felt like flying! Just before Paul landed he let go of the backpack and his staff. Paul bounced back up again, but he was able to keep his balance as he staggered across the heather. Paul was all grin as he turned around, “I want to do that again!”
“Later,” said Amy, looking up the hill at the man who was now watching them. Amy could tell that he was a man now; the beard on his face was fiery red, as was his hair. Paul led off again, but the slope was steeper this time as they followed the wall. Amy saw that the man had moved up the hill and was now standing near his tent with a long knife in his hand.
Chapter 16 – Sandspour and Bandits
Amy yanked on Paul's backpack to stop him. “We don’t want to scare him. I’ll go up first and talk to him.”
Paul was carefully watching the man. “You’re probably right. Leave your backpack here. If there’s any trouble you can simply outrun him. Just stay out of his reach.”
Amy put down her backpack, and Paul and Frank did the same. They sat down. She walked up the hill until she was close enough to call out. “Hello. Can I come up and talk to you?”
The man waved her up and put his knife into a belt sheath. It only took a minute to get to talking distance. The man was heavily built, well-tanned, and taller than she was. “We didn’t want to surprise you. We’re strangers here, and we just need directions to Ravinesedge.”
The man barked a laugh, “Surprise me! How? With all that yelling and shouting at the stream, half the valley knows you’re here!”
Amy had to grin, “We were just having fun. Can the guys come up and talk to you?”
“Yes they may. They’ll have to leave their weapons down there.”
“We only have small knives!”
The man shook his head in disbelief. “Either I’m stupid or you are. Very well, tell them to come up.” She waved for Paul and Frank to come up. Paul brought Amy’s backpack as well, with minimal effort; Amy was jealous. The man waited until they reached Amy.
“My name is Sandspour of Oupavok One; your leap across the stream was spectacular.” Sandspour looked at Amy expectantly.
Amy wasn’t sure what Sandspour wanted, but her name was a good place to start. “My name is Amy Elizabeth La Reine, from the nation of the United States of America on Earth.” Sandspour was clearly waiting for something more. “And let me introduce my friends, Frank Bristol Wiseman, from the nation of Canada on Earth, and Paul Augustine Fortezza, from the nation of Italy on Earth.” Amy could see that Sandspour was patiently waiting for something else now. A complement? “It’s nice of you to talk to us.” Sandspour bowed with a short action from his waist.
Sandspour turned to Paul and Frank. “Amy Elizabeth La Reine, from the nation of the United States of America on Earth tells me that you are traveling with no weapons?”
Paul answered Sandspour. “We just have our staffs and small knives. Are we in danger here?”
“Yes, Paul Augustine Fortezza. A group of bandits has been traveling in this area in the past few days. Your staffs won’t stop an arrow or a sword.”
Paul was concerned.
“Sandspour of Oupavok One, how are you armed?”
Sandspour reached into the tent and pulled out a slim sword that was about three feet long, and then pulled a ten-inch long knife from his belt. “Paul Augustine Fortezza, with these!” Paul stepped back out of reach, not fully trusting Sandspour. Sandspour smiled at Paul’s caution. “You do well not to trust anyone on your travels, at least until you know them or are referred.”
Amy didn’t understand the last comment. “Sandspour of Oupavok One, what does ‘referred’ mean?” Amy smiled, “You can call us Amy, Paul, and Frank. It would be easier.”
Sandspour nodded and smiled. “Very well, Amy. Only friends in our society use shortened names, and even then not in public. You may call me Sandspour in private.”
Sandspour looked at them for a minute. “Amy, Paul, Frank, please sit down. You are new to traveling, and you obviously have no guide.” Sandspour waited while they each found a rock to sit on. “Referred means that you have a contact in one city that refers you to another person in the next city, someone you can trust. This is how we travel. Few planets have a government; the cities do what they can in their own area. There are bandits on most planets, and some cities raid other planets for slaves.”
“Sandspour, why doesn’t someone stop them?” asked Amy.
“My friends, there are no armies. The cities don’t have enough resources to support an army even if someone tried. If some bandits get too bold then a number of cities might get together for a while, but it doesn’t last long.” Sandspour now looked directly at Amy. “Amy, is it just the three of you traveling together?”
The change in subject startled Amy. This question sounded like what Simon asked and she exchanged looks with Paul and Frank. “Yes, Sandspour, it’s just three of us. The one who would have been our guide died before our trip here. Why do you ask if we are three?”
“Three is a sacred number to us, and a group of three led by a woman is significant. You can ask about that at a Temple.” Sandspour stopped talking suddenly; he was looking down the valley, “This looks like trouble!”
Amy couldn’t see anything at first but then she noticed a dark smudge moving into the valley. Frank passed her the binoculars, announcing, “It’s hard to see in the mist. Maybe fifteen people riding animals. Reflections from what must be swords and spears. I don't know the word for the animals they’re riding?”