Aftermath - Ann Aguirre [74]
We walk for several kilometers with Dace gazing over her shoulder periodically, tilting her head as if she can smell something in this swamp besides mold. And maybe she can. Tall brown reeds grow along the river, with small tufts of green spiking from the stalks. She tears one and chews on it like it’s a savory treat. The thing oozes a foul, orange sap, and she shares it with Zeeka. Politely, she offers it to us as well. I decline.
And by midday, we reach the ruins.
It looks like the remnants of an ancient civilization, one whose signs I’ve seen before. The ancients left all kinds of rubble strewn across the galaxy; we found much of it as our slow ships made their way from Old Terra. Here, obsidian obelisks have toppled, chunks of gleaming black rock scattered about the base of a staircase that descends down, down, down. I can’t imagine what she wants to show us. Down there. My pulse accelerates; I don’t like going underground at the best of times, but I can stand it long enough to see this marvel. I’ll just grit my teeth, clench my fists, and pretend the weight of the stone doesn’t bother me.
“Follow,” she orders.
And there’s no question she means business. The carefree female we danced with the night before has been replaced with a somber taskmistress. I do as I’m told, though the first steps are slippery with slime. I have the unmistakable sense I’m entering forbidden territory, and that the other Mareq would be really pissed off to find us here.
So be it. I go down into the dark.
CHAPTER 24
Unlike the rest of Marakeq, the ruins are dry. Halfway down the staircase, I can’t see much. Vel cracks a torch- tube, and the pale green glow illuminates the path. Dace doesn’t seem to have any trouble, however; she can apparently see in the dark. There is no hesitation in her steps as she hurries deeper into the darkness.
From somewhere within comes the steady plink-plink of water dripping from stone. So it’s not an airtight seal in here. Whatever’s down here may be watermarked and damaged, but it doesn’t slow Vel’s progress. He stays right with our Mareq guide, and by the shine of his eyes, his ocular cam is recording.
I bring up the rear. At this point, I wish I had a weapon, but they’re secured in Vel’s pack, as we didn’t want the Mareq to think we were a threat, a reasonable assumption if we showed up with shockstick and pistol in hand. But I trust Vel, and if he thinks it’s necessary, he’ll toss me the means to defend myself.
The tunnel widens as it slopes down, not a sharp angle, but a gradual one. I’m conscious of the stone pressing down on me, but I swallow my instinctive panic. Vel shines the light around, accenting scratches on the walls. Some of them look like they came from animals or natural damage, but others were unmistakably carved by someone’s hands. I touch one of the grooves and find it’s worn smooth inside.
“This is the way to the dark city,” Dace tells us.
City? None of our scans showed anything about an underground city. But then, the readings on Marakeq have never been 100 percent accurate. Fear wars with anticipation at what we’re going to find. There could be aliens, another species of Mareq, or who knows what, really. I can’t pretend I understand what drives this female, other than that she appears convinced it’s vital we bear witness.
Shapes move in the darkness, unnerving me until I realize the shadows belong to us, cast by Vel’s light source. Apart from our footsteps and our breath, it’s deeply silent. It seems like we walk forever, but that might be my poorly leashed fear. Eventually, the tunnel opens into an enormous room with a domed ceiling.
As I step down into the sunken room, lights flicker on one by one until a complete semicircle illuminates an artifact before me. I’ve never seen anything like these lights; they appear to be crystals, but there’s no external power source, which means they’re running on a battery so tiny and long-lasting that there’s juice in them still,