ESKER IV
Esker was embarrassed that she had not noticed the hidden passageway sooner. The stonework was unmistakably of Tengu origin and put to shame the Jot-man’s childish attempts at masonry that was built around it. She should have been able to spot it, even while restrained against the far wall. This wretched dungeon must have been built atop a far older structure. But why were her people at this site on the surface world? She pondered the significance of this as she pushed shut the hidden passage behind her. Progress was slow in the narrow tunnel that Ghee-omm and Esker traveled through. It suited her companion’s smaller stature; she had to stoop and crouch in places. There was some comfort in that hunched posture, as it was reminiscent of the work tunnels she had shared with Loess. Those memories kept her mind off of the damage her body had taken from the vicious beating in her cell. She murmured a prayer in remembrance of Loess, honoring his sacrifice. He had exchanged his life for hers and his family would now be under her care. The passage was carved directly through the rock and had been polished completely smooth on all surfaces. Ghee-omm was in the lead, brandishing a flaming stick to light the way and filling the shaft with acrid smoke. Esker wished the creature had keener eyesight, or that she had retained some of the bioluminescent fungus that Tengu used in their caverns. The bio-matter that these Jot-man insisted on combusting was inedible and output more smoke than light. Esker coughed and found it hard to breathe.
Ghee-omm turned back towards Esker, blinding her with the excessively bright flame, a clear look of worry was on its pinched face. She shielded her eyes with her solitary arm and made an exaggerated hacking sound before pointing at the torch. The Jot-man muttered at length to itself, before addressing her incomprehensibly and backing four paces further down the tunnel. It then cocked its little head and raised its hairy eyebrows. The smoke was still pooling on the roof of the passageway, but the flickering fire was far less overwhelming. She nodded in appreciation and once again the little creature barred its teeth. She supposed this was a sign of contentment for these strange beings. Esker allowed Ghee-omm to maintain his distance, which was not challenging since she was struggling with her injuries.
The hidden tunnel descended at a fairly constant grade and became perfectly uniform in height and width. Ghee-omm checked back on her frequently, its concern was apparent. She found that tenderness confusing, especially in contrast to the cruel treatment she endured from the rest of its kin. Was Ghee-omm kinder since it was so much smaller and more fragile than the rest? Or was Ghee-omm truly different from others of its kind? Not all Tengu were alike, some were hard-nosed like her crew chief Vug; others were willing to exchange their lives for a friend, like Loess. Her instincts told her that the creature in front of her meant no harm; however, her experience with its kin did not reinforce that belief. At the moment at least, their lives appeared to have been forged into an alloy and she would treat Ghee-omm with the consideration of a workmate. She already felt an urge to protect the helpless creature, despite not fully understanding why. They traveled down, down, down. A smile lit up Esker’s eyes, she felt most at home deep in the earth.
As the torch’s flame grew dimmer, Esker’s eyes became increasingly accustomed to the low light conditions. Her people did not have the ability to see in complete darkness, but possessed a deep connection to stone. A sense that was hard to describe. When traveling in the absence of illumination, she could not see her surroundings, yet she could feel the presence of the stratums around her. The vibrations as the earth around her breathed and settled. From the steady baritone of rock, to the higher pitched voices of metal ore, whose veins branched and twisted like the web of a cave spider. This communion with the womb of the world reminded Esker of the strange moment when she was still locked in the Jot-man prison and her mind connected to the stone she had written on. She had felt a part of it, felt the sorrow of its disconnection and had asked it to help. To her astonishment the stone complied, erasing the smudges of her writing and transforming its surface into a polished sheen. Her reveries were broken by Ghee-omm’s cry of concern as the torch sputtered and went dark.
The Jot-man began to fret and panic, so Esker placed her hand on Ghee-omm’s shoulder and back. She was not surprised when her companion initially flinched and tensed up. Esker had not wanted to kill the Jot-man jailor, but was afraid that its unprovoked beating would kill or further cripple her. She tried to still her companion’s unsightly outburst and reassure it that they were quite safe. She spoke in the soothing tones of her childhood amahs, singing soft songs and lullabies to Ghee-omm. It seemed to have the desired affect, the Jot-man stopped protesting and gave Esker the chance to maneuver past to take the lead. She took Ghee-omm’s tiny hand in her own and gently led them both down the descending passage, careful to guide her clumsy companion. At first Esker only had the vaguest sense of the rock around her, yet as she focused something in her mind awakened. Abruptly the passageway around her came into focus in her mind’s eye, down to the tiniest details: where cracks had fissured, where water was pooling and pressuring the stone.
———
Esker and Ghee-omm traveled in this manner for a time, relying on her stone sense to navigate. A disruption in the rock she could perceive manifested in the near distance, an empty void in the otherwise clear formations of rock. As they drew closer, they reached an obstacle, a heavily fortified doorwaymade of plant matter and banded by iron. Esker released Ghee-omm’s hand and explored it, searching for a latch or weak point. The Jot-man became excited when she guided its hand onto the door’s surface, babbling enthusiastically and Esker was glad to see its spirits improve. The door was securely shut and its mechanism was locked. Her dexterous fingers found the keyhole, but it was empty. She tried to force it, but the metal door did not budge, not even slightly. All at once Ghee-omm’s tone peaked in pitch and Esker heard her companion jangling the ring of keys that it had retrieved from the body of the jailor. Ghee-omm eagerly pressed the keys into her hand. She struggled a bit to position them properly with only one hand and eventually was able to fit the first of the many keys into the lock. It would not turn. Several attempts later, the key turned smoothly and she heard the rewarding clunk as it unlocked. She opened the door slowly and both of them gasped in unison.
Patches of fungus emitted a soft purple glow as the carved tunnel Esker and Ghee-omm stood in opened up into a natural cavern. Esker’s eyes crinkled in happiness. The light was faint, but illuminated the chamber enough that even Ghee-omm could see its surroundings. The roof of the cave system rose high above Esker’s head and was dotted with stalactites, yet otherwise formed a nearly symmetrical dome. At the opposite end of the chamber, a naturally formed passageway branched out into the darkness. Ghee-omm moved past her with eyes full of wonder, fascinated by the shape of the cavern and the bioluminescent fungal light sources. Drips of water reverberated in the distance and as Esker whispered a prayer in reverence, the echoes of her voice decayed all around them, due the acoustics of the chamber. After craning its neck upwards, the Jot-man scanned the room and became even more animated. Ghee-omm scampered over towards the center of the dome and pointed excitedly at the floor. Esker followed and saw that large petroglyphs were painted in a circular pattern. As Ghee-omm jabbered in its incomprehensible language, she examined the bizarre depictions of animals interspersed with runic inscriptions. Esker was taken aback when she recognized an archaic script of her people mixed with both the animal pictographs and another set of unfamiliar writing. The message was incomplete, however, the scattered words that were legible made it clear that this was a protective ward and was not to be disturbed. When Ghee-omm moved closer and nearly stepped within the ward’s perimeter, Esker yanked him backwards.
The Jot-man tumbled to the ground and began to scramble away from her, so Esker again used the soothing tones of her amahs to explain to Ghee-omm the potential danger they were in. Her companion patiently listened, but did not seem to comprehend the words she conveyed. She started using onomatopoeias and mimicking sounds of danger. She imitated the sound of bedrock shattering and collapsing in a cave-in, which triggered memories of Loess protecting her. This had the desired effect on Ghee-omm, the Jot-man nodded solemnly and stayed well away from the circumference of the circle of images and runes. Esker’s curiosity was piqued when Ghee-omm took out its writing utensils from the satchel slung over its shoulder and carefully replicated some of the images from the protective ward. Esker was eager to continue traveling through this cave system, yet was willing to indulge her companion in this endeavor and felt at ease in this hallowed space.
———
Both the Tengu and the Jot-man had found serenity in that domelike chamber, but fearing potential pursuers, Esker insisted that they push on deeper into the cave. Once again she took the lead as the fungal growths grew more sporadic and the passageways once again became pitch black. The cave-ways were now a comfortable height for Esker, she no longer had to stoop. This helped in reducing the pain she felt from her many lacerations and the mottled bruises forming across her body. Ghee-omm treated its injured arm gingerly, but appeared to be in better health than she was. In the distance Esker could hear the sound of water running, she prayed to the earth god Saruto that a lifestream would flow close to their passageway, yet not fully intercept it. That would require swimming through dangerous currents. She was not sure if Ghee-omm had ever submerged himself in water, the Jot-man certainly did not smell as if it had recently taken a bath. Esker wrinkled her long nose and was also made well aware of her poor state of hygiene, stemming from her captivity.
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The cave-way twisted, turned, ascended, and descended. All the while the rush of water grew more distinct. After climbing a steep rise on their hands and knees, Esker and Ghee-omm reached another large cavern, once again illuminated by purple bioluminescent fungus. This chamber had several tunnels branching out from it and a lifestream flowed joyously through it. Unlike in some caves, the subterranean river was easily accessible, its banks were only a few feet below the relatively level floor of this cavern. Esker rushed over, eager to savor the clear water and was overjoyed by the taste of minerals. Ghee-omm was more cautious and scanned the chamber warily, before slowly approaching Esker. Despite the occasional Springtail, a harmless insect the size of a Tengu babe, scuttling away, Esker was confident that they had this portion of the cave to themselves. Springtail were notoriously wary creatures and were useful as an early warning system. Ghee-omm sighed with satisfaction after tasting the water and enthusiastically cupped more in its small hands. Esker laughed, her eyes glittering as brightly as a cut gem.
When Esker stripped off her soiled garments to clean her wounds and bathe in the refreshing waters of the lifestream, Ghee-omm turned quickly away in apparent embarrassment, his pale cheeks flushing nearly color of a Tengu. Esker laughed once more, but the small Jot-man still seemed abashed and began to patrol well away from her. Esker relished the feeling of the cold water on her skin and felt the tension of the ordeal she had been through wash away with the swift current. Suddenly Ghee-omm cried out in terror and scrambled over to where Esker had entered the water, panicked and frantic. The Jot-man gesticulated wildly, pointing towards the waterline a dozen paces away. A medium sized Springtail had climbed out of the water, its antenna were hungrily searching for fungus and its segmented carapace was glossy with moisture. Esker laughed and pointed out the half dozen Springtails to Ghee-omm that he had not noticed, which had been milling around harmlessly this entire time. The small Jot-man did not seem comforted by this development.
“They cannot hurt you little one,” Esker said in a soothing voice and her tone seemed to convey the intended message. Ghee-omm settled down near her, but continued to face away. Out of the corner of her eyes, Esker saw a flurry of movement. Long spindly orange legs scurried up from the water revealing shorter barbed forelimbs that were tucked near a head with large fangs and attached to a bulbous body. It was a Cave Harvestman, an arachnid that was nearly the size of Ghee-omm. The Harvestman lunged and caught a nearby Springtail, trapping it within its powerful forelimbs. Ichor sprayed as it disabled its prey and began to feed. The wet crunch of the carapace shattering was disconcerting and Ghee-omm began to wail in terror. The other Springtails began to seek shelter, some using their namesakes to propel themselves through the air in a sudden burst of momentum. Esker hastily got out of the water and donned her tattered rags, while Ghee-omm gathered his belongings. One Cave Harvestman was not particularly dangerous, but they rarely traveled alone, especially near a food source.
Ghee-omm brandished the cudgel taken from the jailor, while Esker picked up a rock roughly the size of the Jot-man’s head. She navigated away from the Harvestman, which was absorbed with feasting on its prey. She now had to decide which passageway to take. There were three options, ignoring the way they had arrived. Several of the Springtails went for a passage on the far side of the river, which would require fording the fast flowing lifestream. As Ghee-omm and Esker approached the other two exits, a pair of Springtails entered the one on the left and quickly returned. One was able to launch itself safely away, the other was ensnared by a Harvestman’s barbed forelimbs. A half dozen more Harvestmen scuttled out of that tunnel: some clinging to the ceiling, others ran along the walls. Esker could hear Ghee-omm’s breath quicken and realized that they no longer had much of a choice of which passage to take. She dragged the Jot-man with the crook of her arm over to the final cave-way, while keeping her eyes on the rapidly approaching swarm of Harvestmen. Ghee-omm shrieked as a Harvestman emerged from their only exit and lunged at them, grasping with its cruel forelimbs. Esker flung the rock with all her strength, but the creature agilely sidestepped it and the stone clattered harmlessly past the Harvestman. Ghee-omm raised the cudgel defensively and Esker took it out of the Jot-man’s little hands.
As the Harvestman charged, it reared up both forelimbs and barred its horrible fangs. Esker pushed Ghee-omm behind her with one leg and swung the cudgel full force in an underhanded arc. It caught part of the harvestman’s barbed limb with enough strength that the momentum sent the arachnid toppling backwards, its long orange limbs thrashed in agitation. As the creature quickly righted itself, Esker and Ghee-omm sprinted towards the tunnel with the rest of the Harvestmen in pursuit. The mouth of this tunnel was smaller than the others and Ghee-omm disappeared into the darkness first. Esker fended off the onslaught of Harvestmen by swinging the cudgel wildly to buy the Jot-man time. They tested for openings, yet she was able to maintain distance as she backed into the narrow passageway. Esker was grateful that only one Harvestman would be able to fit through at a time and as they jockeyed for the privilege, that delayed their pursuit.
Esker could hear Ghee-omm’s scrambling further down the passage and watched as one Harvestman forced the others away, compressing its body into the tunnel to continue the hunt. Despite how compacted its limbs were, it moved with frightening speed and was still able to freely lash out with its deadly forelimbs. Esker stumbled backwards, unable to turn her away from her pursuer. The footing was uneven and full of rocky obstacles. Fortunately she was able to perceive them in her minds eye with her stone sense. The Harvestman was followed immediately by countless companions, their fangs began to twitch in anticipation. In a blur a forelimb clamped around the cudgel and tore it from Esker’s hand, shattering the weapon into fragments. Terror seized her for a moment, but she also felt a strange sensation. Her hand was extended into the field of her stone sense and she could feel the rock around her responding. As the Harvestman launched itself at her with its fangs extended, Esker closed her eyes and squeezed her hand shut. The stone formation in front of her mimicked her motion and collapsed upon her attacker. She was drenched in foul smelling ichor as the Harvestman’s carapace shattered.
The tunnel was completely absent of light, so she could not see the remains of the Harvestman squashed by the sealed aperture of rock, but she could perceive the gaps in the stone where part of its abdomen and several limbs protruded. Reaching down carefully, she found one of its barbed forelimbs fully extended onto her side of the now blocked passageway. She grasped it carefully and tore it off the dead Harvestman. Perhaps it could be used as an improvised weapon, should they encounter another threat. Esker called out Ghee-omm’s name softly. She heard an echoing answer, but due to the way sound traveled in caves, it was hard to pinpoint the origin. Chitinous grinding emanated from the opposite side of the collapsed tunnel and a few of the stones began to move. Esker quickened her search for Ghee-omm. She found him noisily bumbling through the cave, colliding with nearly every protrusion of rock. She could hear him limping slightly. She slung the forelimb she had retrieved over her neck, so that she could take his hand. He spoke in a shaky tone and squeezed her hand warmly. Together they pressed onward.
———
As the cave snaked back and forth, it ascended slowly. After traveling for what felt like an entire work-span, blinding light was visible in the distance. Ghee-omm let out a cry of delight and practically dragged Esker along. She closed her eyes into narrow slits, but it was not enough: as the piercing glare of the surface world warmed her with its touch, she saw nothing but pure white. She released Ghee-omm’s hand and covered her eyes with her arm as she sank to her knees onto soft dirt. The Jot-man made a perplexing sound and pattered towards her. She could hear a rustle of cloth and felt it cover her arm and head, diminishing the overwhelming brightness. A small hand tenderly took hers and pulled her to her feet. Ghee-omm made nearly constant reassuring sounds as they traveled over strange surfaces. Some of ground they walked upon was soft, textured like the coarse fur of a cave bear and other parts crunched like gravelunderfoot. After traveling a significant distance, their path became erratic and the intensity of the brightness diminished. Esker carefully ventured out from beneath her head cover and saw a world that was both familiar and completely alien. Pillars rose out of the ground dozens of feet tall, at first resembling stalagmites, but their tops were interwoven into a patchwork green ceiling that rippled like a lake’s surface. Here and there light filtered through, unnaturally bright. Ghee-omm wrinkled its eyes into a smile and barred its tiny teeth, then stopped suddenly. In front of them, a geometric shape formed out of delicate limbs of fibrous bio-matter, twisted and danced in the wind.
