The Outcast and the Survivor
Written by Trevor A. A. Evans
Text Copyright ? 2015 by Trevor A. A. Evans
Published by Thirteen Crossroads Publishing
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotation in articles and reviews.
www.thirteencrossroads.com
Preface
The story that follows is part of a chapter-series, The Outcast and the Survivor. It has been made available on Kindle and Nook as a convenience, since it is available free of charge directly on the Thirteen Crossroads Publishing website. The story will continue with a new chapter being released each month until the last chapter is published in December 2017.
Chapter Two
What was that noise?
I turn around to face the direction it came from, lifting the torch in my hand above my head to stretch its light a little further as I step forward, but there is nothing before me, just an empty cavern filled with darkness.
"Is anyone there?" my quivering voice echoes off of the tall, lifeless cavern walls.
The thought of the dark figure from the mountains suddenly enters my mind, and I begin to tremble. In the hours I've traversed this underground labyrinth, there has been nothing but absolute silence to accompany me. The only things I've really heard have been the pitter-patter of my own footsteps and the rustling of the pack against my shoulders.
My eyes search the darkness for any signs of motion, but things remain still. As my nerves calm down, I try to reassure myself that anything following me for so long wouldn't have so carelessly revealed itself. The sound I heard was like the dragging of something heavy across the dirt, preceded by odd scratching noises. Maybe I stirred something from its slumber. Hopefully it will leave me alone, whatever it is.
I force myself to continue the way I was heading instead of dwelling too long on what could be all around me. I can't even imagine what terrifying creatures might call this void home. My focus needs to be on getting out of here as quickly as possible and nothing else if I am to escape harm.
The tunnel I walk down eventually ends, leading into a large, open room. This one, like so many others I've seen this night, has strange writing on its walls. I stop to examine it, trying to derive some meaning from the various characters and designs, but I don't recognize any of them. With how faded and worn down they are, they must be ancient, maybe predating Kalepo entirely. What could have happened to whoever made them?
A clicking noise once again resonates from the hallway I just exited, but as I look that way, it promptly stops. Only this time, silence does not replace it. Instead, a faint whisper drifts through the air all around me. Not one filled with words, but a hush, like the sound of a deep exhale, or of wind trickling through a crack in a wall of stone.
It brushes against my cheek, its touch frozen like it came straight from the icy heart of the mountain. The hairs on my arms stand on edge as a chill darts up my spine, petrifying me, reminding me of another time I was encircled about by such cold blackness.
It was several years ago, only a few months before Cassandra and Helena disappeared. I was restless and couldn't sleep one night, so I went outside to watch the moons from the balcony. After a few minutes, I noticed a strange flicker of light in the temple gardens. When I looked closer, I recognized that it was Mariam. Seconds later, she disappeared into an entrance to the catacombs, and I immediately set out to follow her.
I had heard Cassandra and Helena talking about how strangely Mariam had been acting, and I thought that I could impress them by solving the mystery that they had been unable to. I hurried as quickly as I could down to the gardens while avoiding the few temple guards who were out, but by the time I arrived, I was worried that she would be too far ahead to catch without my own light to guide me through the dark.
Although I had always been intrigued by the mystique of the catacombs, I had never been inside of them and assumed them dark and lifeless. Going inside was forbidden, though the entrances themselves weren't closely guarded at that time, at least not within the temple compound itself. The dark always scared me as a child, and that was enough to keep me out.
Fortunately, I found that the main halls of the catacombs were lit with oil lanterns, at least the halls closer to the surface. I travelled through them swiftly to catch up to my sister, though I couldn't help but stop periodically due to my fascination with the beautiful architecture all around me. I was surprised to find that the catacombs were filled not only with urns and graves, but also elaborate, elegant tombs. Many of them were large, like underground villas with great gated entrances.
Some of these were accented by exquisite water features like fountains, canals, and even waterfalls, which I hadn't thought possible. I had always been taught that the underground water systems for the city were kept entirely separate from the catacombs, but the kingdom's engineers somehow managed to integrate them for the sake of such extravagant decorations.
This was to my benefit, the noise of moving water masking my steps and allowing me to move faster without the fear of being heard as my search for Mariam dragged on for a long while. I nearly gave up, but then I spied her at the far end of a hallway, where she disappeared into a set of stairs. I trailed her down them and several more until she entered into a small tomb.
With her reaching what appeared to be her final destination, I became extremely apprehensive. It seemed unlikely that I could go inside without revealing myself, and with how many twists and turns she had taken, I felt like I would be unable to get myself back to the surface without her help. I was stuck, but I didn't want her knowing I was there. For the first time in my life, I was truly afraid of my own sister, of what had brought her so far below the city in the shadow of night.
At that instant, a sudden gust blew through the catacombs, quenching all of the flames and leaving me in profound darkness. I shivered nervously and began to quietly sob, but I could not raise my voice to call for help. I felt utterly alone, even with Mariam somewhere nearby.
After a moment, I mustered as much courage as possible and steadied my nerves so that I could attempt a return journey to the surface. I stood up and tried my best to grasp at the stone walls, making my way back up the first staircase, but in the hours that followed, I made little progress beyond that. All the while, a hush on the air encompassed me like the whispers of the dead, a freezing one that sunk all the way to my bones.
I thought I was going to die, but after what seemed like an eternity, the flames miraculously returned to the lanterns in a sudden instant, as though they had never been out and the darkness had been nothing but a bad dream. With the aid of the returning lights, I got back to my bed just before dawn and never spoke of the nightmarish experience to anyone.
The feeling throughout my whole body now is the same as it was in the dark of the catacombs, and just like then, nothing comes of my fears. Quiet returns to the air as my rapidly beating heart slowly calms. I remain still for a moment, almost wanting something to reveal itself to confirm to me that I'm not simply going crazy. I feel trapped down here, lost in time. I have no idea how long it's been since I left the surface. I was supposed to have a watch for this journey, one that once belonged to Helena, but it was missing from my room when Mariam exiled me. I have little doubt that she took it.
It was an heirloom from my mother, given to Helena by my father. When Cassandra and Helena went missing, Mariam thought that she should get it, but it was instead given to me. I've always known that she coveted it. Deep down, I feared that she would kill me just to get it, but all she really had
to do was wait for our father to die and then claim it as her own.
Based on how far I've come, however, I'm sure that I've been travelling here for several hours at least. The instructions from the paper are very specific and measure out distances for each tunnel they lead me down. I've walked nearly a dozen miles so far, and my pace has been quite deliberate, so I imagine that it's almost day at this point.
With only a couple more miles to go, I can't let fear stop me from moving. I need to push forward and ignore what might be trailing behind me. With all of the nooks, fissures, and hidden areas all around these caverns, anything set on hunting me will have the upper hand no matter what I do. My only chance is to outrun anything that might be coming after me.
The instructions take me down a long corridor at the end of the large room, eventually leading to a wide underground canyon, the likes of which I have never before seen. Its far side glows orange in the flicker of my torch, stretching beyond the light in both directions. I approach its edge and look down in awe, seeing only blackness. I wonder if it has any bottom at all.
I follow a narrow path to my right that runs along its edge. It is uneven and only a couple feet wide at some points. A strong wind rushes through the canyon, making each step feel