Steph Bennion - Paw-Prints of the Gods

“The church hall is in the basement,” Endymion whispered, as he switched off their hard-hat lamps. “So it must be somewhere on this level.”

“We need to find somewhere to hide,” murmured Ostara. “What if we bump into Nyx or your sister, or anyone else for that matter? Do I look like a maintenance worker?”

Endymion smiled and beckoned for her to follow him down the corridor. They were forced into the shadows a few hurried steps later, alarmed by the sight of a group of people at the far end of the passage, who immediately turned and disappeared again through a door on the right. Another doorway along the same wall was just a few paces away. Scuttling forward, Ostara paused and squinted through the glass panel into the gloomy space beyond.

“Bingo!” she murmured.

“What is it?”

“I can see an old bingo machine,” she whispered. “I wasn’t expecting it to be this easy, but your little plan has led us straight to the back door of the hall. Clever boy!”

Endymion shrugged. “I do my best. Shall we go in?”

The door was of a type that was supposed to slide open as someone approached, but like many things in Newbrum it wore a large ‘OUT OF ORDER’ sign. Ostara’s nimble fingers managed to prise it open enough for them to slip silently through into the hall beyond. They found themselves behind a convenient stack of spare chairs, in a dusty corner near the left-hand side of the stage. The murmur of voices was now much louder and when Ostara and Endymion peered from their hiding place, the weak orange glow emanating from the ceiling telepathy transmitters revealed the hall was nearly full. Ostara gave Endymion a nudge as she caught a glimpse of his sister, standing at the far end of the hall next to a girl with purple hair. They seemed to be deep in discussion, with Bellona showing the girl the open pages of a paper-leafed book, but were too far away to be heard.

“What does that sign mean?” Endymion whispered.

Ostara looked to where he pointed and gave an involuntarily shiver at the sight of a large banner that read: ‘ALL THAT IS PART DOES BELONG’. She was just about to reply when Endymion pulled her down behind the stacked chairs.

The lean muscular figure of Nyx appeared on stage before the giant swirly-star backdrop, dressed in a long black cape that to Ostara looked decidedly creepy. Behind him came two figures clad in hooded grey cloaks, worn with blue sashes patterned with what looked like astrological symbols. A hush fell upon the hall as Nyx took his place at the makeshift lectern. Ostara remembered they were there to collect evidence and barely had time to twist her wristpad camera lens towards the stage when he began to speak.

“Welcome, brothers and sisters!” Nyx cried. “This is an auspicious night. The fate of the twelve was cruelly twisted by the evil one but righteousness has prevailed! The disciples have emerged from the void to lead us the way. The time of deliverance is near!”

“Evil one?” whispered Ostara.

“Shush!” hissed Endymion.

“Priest Taranis, our guide of guides, faced the demon king Ravana in his incarnation as a treacherous she-devil. She turned against her guiding star and stole what was not hers!” Nyx paused. “The holy Isa-Sastra was lost. We endured further despair when Brother Cadmus, our loyal servant on Falsafah, fell also to her evil curse. Yet a member of this very church valiantly went amongst unbelievers and delivered the texts unto us. The prophecy of Falsafah has been revealed. Soon the reborn traveller will take his place at the door between worlds and the first true meeting of minds will commence!”

“Did he just mention Ravana?” whispered Ostara. “I mean, our Ravana?”

Endymion looked as confused as she was. “Prophecies are stupid,” he muttered.

“Praise the greys!” cried the congregation.

Ostara stifled a shriek. The two figures behind Nyx stepped forward, then with a dramatic flourish extended six-fingered hands and lowered their hoods. Their lizard-like features glistened in the dim orange light of the hall. Ostara’s thoughts immediately leapt back to the dreadful encounter in the engine room of the Dandridge Cole . She had been there with Ravana and Zotz at the birth of Taranis’ disciples. She had hoped never to see them again, yet here were two of the twelve, alive in Newbrum.

She heard a gasp of pain from Endymion and realised she had grabbed his hand in panic and squeezed his fingers tight. Something made her look towards the seated audience and every expression she saw was stricken with shock. As she turned her wristpad to the congregation to record their reaction, the glow of the telepathy transmitters intensified and she was disquieted to see the transfixed faces relax and become strangely blissful.

“Tonight, our planetary guides reveal their true forms for the first time!” cried Nyx. There were no transmitters above the stage and Ostara realised Nyx’s sly smile was the expression of one relishing the act of control. “Mina and Vrscika; two of twelve to lead five systems to one glorious future! They are the water that will cleanse humankind of its folly; they are alpha and omega, strength and wisdom, man and grey!”

“zz-iin-yyoouur-heeaad-bee-iit-zz!” rasped the monks in unison.

“And be it in yours!” cried the congregation.

“Who are these freaks?” whispered Endymion, shocked.

“Taranis’ cyberclones!” Ostara hissed. “Nyx has them under his control!”

TAU CETI HAD SET by the time the rattling transport clambered unsteadily up the receding slopes of the valley. Their journey past the charred horrors of the canyon was tense but in the end uneventful, though Kedesh, Ravana, Artorius and the greys remained on edge until the headlamps once again fell upon the road. They emerged just a few kilometres north of the airstrip, but the scanner revealed some good news in that the Que Qiao police cruiser had gone. When the navigation console finally managed to link with Falsafah’s satellite, it revealed the blip of a small spacecraft, high above the mountains, halfway between themselves and the Arallu Wastes.

Kedesh had by now cleaned herself up after her battle with the spiders and swapped places with Ravana at the controls, leaving Artorius and the greys to doze in the cabin behind. The depot ahead at the end of the road slowly resolved into a squat grey dome, similar to the Dhusarian enclave that Ravana, Artorius and the greys had left behind over two Terran days ago. The dome nestled in a natural hollow and the surrounding dunes were littered with an astonishing profusion of solar panels, far more than would be expected to power a small outpost on a planet relatively near to its sun. The gravel road led straight to a large airlock in the side of the dome that lit up beneath the light of a red warning beacon as they drew near, awakened to their presence by automatic sensors.

The airlock entrance slid open. Kedesh guided the clattering transport into a crescendo of noise from the labouring engine and brought the vehicle to a halt. After a short pause, the inner door opened and Kedesh drove into the hangar, brought the transport to a stop next to the remains of another dilapidated vehicle and killed the engine. Ravana stared blankly through the cracked windscreen at the surrounding hangar, subdued by the silence. Beside her, Kedesh slumped back in her seat and wearily rubbed her eyes.

“I thought you said this place was abandoned,” murmured Ravana.

“Years ago,” the woman replied. She lowered her hands. “Oh no. Not again.”

At the far end of the hangar, regarding them coolly, a dark-haired woman leaned casually in the exit doorway. She was tall and slim with olive skin and wore a long coat of black and silver fur totally inappropriate for the utilitarian surroundings of the hangar. Yet what captivated Ravana’s attention were the woman’s piercing yellow eyes, which scrutinised the transport in the manner of a cat contemplating a bowl of cream. As their gazes met, the woman gave a knowing smile and promptly vanished right before their eyes. Ravana caught a glimpse of something small and furry leaping lightly away through the open door and then it too was gone. The door slid closed with a hiss.