False Horizon - Alex Archer [40]
The music stopped. There was a series of sounds that reminded Tuk of a bunch of locks being undone and then he heard something that reminded him of the hydraulic hisses he’d heard in Katmandu.
The walls of the room slowly pulled away.
Brilliant sunlight spilled into the room from all sides, blinding Tuk. He turned to Annja but she had her eyes firmly clamped shut, trying to ward off the intensity of the sun.
Warm air hit them, a lush tropical balminess that wrapped them in its embrace. Tuk heard Annja sigh contentedly as the last vestiges of the cold they’d borne with them seemed to evaporate in the sunshine.
Tuk allowed his eyes to open again and what he saw shocked him.
A long line of people stood looking at him. They wore a brilliant array of clothing woven with golden thread and bright colors. It had all the appearance of a parade that seemed to stretch as far as Tuk could see.
He knew it had to end somewhere, but the length of the parade wasn’t what shocked him the most. It was the people themselves. Each of them was exactly the same size as him.
He scooted off of the pillows and came down the set of steps that appeared before him. Tuk stood in front of the first person in the parade, a man of his height and width whose eyes crinkled as a big wide smile broke out on his face.
“Welcome.”
Tuk’s heart raced. What was this magical place? And how was it that everyone here was the same height as him? He shook his head. “I am still dreaming.”
The man’s smile never wavered. “No. You are not dreaming.”
“Then where am I?”
“Don’t you know? You’re home.”
Tuk looked at the other members of the parade. All along the line, the faces shone with bright smiles of happiness. The music began again, but softly. From the depth of his soul, Tuk remembered the tune. He began humming along with it and tears welled up in his eyes, streaming down his face.
Annja came down the steps and stood next to him. “What’s the matter? Are you all right?”
Tuk nodded through blurry vision. “I think I am now. Yes, I think so.”
The man turned to Annja. “We welcome you to our kingdom, Annja Creed.”
Tuk fought back a grin as he saw Annja’s eyes widen. “How do you know my name?” she asked.
“We were told your name by your friend, who is here with us, as well,” the man said. “Would you like to see him?”
“Mike is here?” Annja asked.
“Indeed. And it is a good thing he is,” the man said. “Otherwise, we fear he would have expired a few hours ago. That would have caused you a great deal of distress, would it not?”
“Definitely,” Annja said.
Tuk looked around the land they were in. A flight of birds soared aloft under a blazing sun and brilliant blue sky. Fruit trees of every type swayed in the balmy breeze. And he saw a stone path leading toward a series of structures farther away from where they stood. “This is Shangri-La?” he asked.
The man at the head of the parade smiled. “This is your home. You may call it whatever you wish. Names as such do not concern us as much as making sure all who enter our kingdom are treated with dignity and respect.”
“Thank you,” Tuk said. “But I have many questions.”
“Which will all be answered in time,” the man said. “But for now, you must accompany me to the royal court. There are others who would like to see you…again.”
“Again?”
“Please,” the man said. “It is better if you come with me. I assure you that all of your questions will soon be answered.” The man gestured to Annja. “And she is anxious to be reunited with her friend, the one who calls himself Mike.”
“You can take me to him now?” Annja asked.
“Indeed.”
“Thank you!”
Tuk watched as the man made a simple gesture with his hand and the entire parade abruptly turned in the opposite direction. Tuk held up his hand. “Wait, what do I call you?”
The man smiled again. “My name is Prava. And I am honored to meet you at last, Tuk.”
“You know my name, too?”
Prava nodded. “Come, let us proceed to the court where all will be revealed to you and your friends.