Steph Bennion - Paw-Prints of the Gods

“You know her?” asked Fornax, somewhat perturbed by the newly-deceased rat.

“The nurse who cried wolf,” said Quirinus. “Only now there’s no Taranis to run to.”

Xuthus sighed. His eye was upon the crack in the door, which was open just enough for him to watch what was happening outside the students’ habitation cabin. Govannon and Yima had spent the day exploring the mysterious star chamber. Ininna, after a nervous look at the dark opening in the trench, opted instead to keep watch in their absence and had ordered Xuthus, Urania and Hestia to their quarters until further notice. The men emerged barely an hour ago but no one had come to tell them what they had found. With nothing to do and nowhere to go, Urania and Hestia had drawn the curtains against the brightly-lit dome outside and retired to bed, leaving Xuthus alone, frustrated and bored.

Govannon and Yima had gone into dome two with a wheelbarrow full of biochemical lamp units, a large white bag Ininna fetched from their transport and a holovid camera to record whatever they saw. When Xuthus saw them return, the wheelbarrow bore a long white shape, which the men solemnly carried to a quiet corner behind the neighbouring cabin. It was an inglorious end to Professor Cadmus’ final investigation.

“It’s not fair,” Xuthus muttered.

“What isn’t fair?”

Xuthus jumped and stifled a cry, caught unawares by the voice in his ear. Hestia was big and often clumsy, but could move surprisingly quietly when she wanted to. He turned to find her peering over his shoulder at the scene beyond the gap in the door.

“What’s not fair?” she repeated, whispering. “Cadmus being killed like that?”

“Err… yes,” Xuthus lied, his voice hushed. “It’s very sad.”

“Xuthus is upset because Govannon wouldn’t let him go with them,” said Urania, emerging from the shadows of the sleeping area behind them. “Why are you both whispering like that?”

“I thought you two were asleep,” grumbled Xuthus.

“It’s a bit difficult with you stomping around,” Urania retorted.

“Hestia was snoring.”

“I do not snore!” snapped Hestia. “I just breathe loudly.”

Urania joined them at the door and together they watched Govannon walk to the neighbouring cabin and step inside. Ininna and Yima stood in the walkway tunnel to dome two, conversing quietly amongst themselves, then Ininna broke away and walked past the cabins towards the hangar. The lights in the dome roof faded into darkness, leaving just the dim glow of Tau Ceti through the translucent roof to illuminate the scene. Yima yawned, settled down and made himself comfortable upon a rug in the entrance to dome two.

“It looks like everyone’s turning in for the night,” murmured Urania. She glanced at her wristpad. “It’s only seven o’clock!”

Hestia gently pushed Xuthus aside and opened the door. An eerie hush had fallen upon the excavation, for all that could be heard was the hum of life support and the faint hiss of wind-borne sand against the dome. Hestia glanced at Xuthus and Urania, stepped out of the cabin and hesitantly looked around.

“Hestia!” Xuthus whispered urgently. “What are you doing?”

“I need to visit the poop-mobile!”

Xuthus smirked. She stuck her tongue out at him and quietly slipped into the gloom. Going to the toilet had become an obstacle course, for the arrival of the agents’ transport had left little room for manoeuvre inside the cramped hangar.

Hestia was not gone long. Upon her return, instead of coming straight back, Xuthus and Urania were startled to see her creep towards the prone figure of Yima. The girl scrutinised him for several tense moments, then returned to the cabin.

“He’s fast asleep,” Hestia told them, stepping through the door. “The other one is in their transport. It sounded like she was using the transceiver to call someone.”

“What are you suggesting?” asked Xuthus. He had seen the glint in her eye.

“You’re not the only one who wants to see what’s inside that chamber,” Hestia said, grinning mischievously. “This is our chance!”

“You can’t be serious!” Urania looked perturbed. “We can’t go down there alone! Aberystwyth would give us hell if we’re caught.”

“Then we make sure we don’t get caught!” Hestia replied. “Who’s with me?”

Xuthus hesitated, then nodded. Urania did not look so convinced, but after watching Hestia and Xuthus as they eagerly pulled on their work boots and equipped themselves with torches she was ready to join them. Moving silently, they filed out of the cabin and made their way across the dome to the sleeping Yima. The agent lay curled upon the blanket, murmuring quietly to himself and lost in a dream.

“Bless,” murmured Urania. “He looks so sweet.”

“Shush!” Hestia whispered.

Yima twitched and gave a grunt. Xuthus responded with a muted yelp of alarm, but the agent remained fast asleep. Hestia put a finger to her lips, stepped carefully past the prone figure and led them into dome two. Soon they were at the edge of the trench, above the glass-brick archway, staring wide-eyed at the ragged hole smashed through what indeed had proved to be a door. The darkness beyond was tempered by the dim green glow of the biochemical lamps left inside the tunnel. The passageway looked distinctly sinister.

“Are you really sure about this?” asked Urania, hesitating.

“I’m sure if Xuthus is,” Hestia said coyly.

Xuthus nodded. “We may never get to see what’s down there otherwise.”

This time he took the lead. Brushing past Hestia, he descended the ladder to the bottom of the trench and walked to where the parallel glass walls rose from the sand. The mattock used by Cadmus still lay where it had been dropped by the breached archway. Behind, Hestia and Urania paused to shine their torch beams upon the curious symbols etched into the wall. Xuthus gave a cursory glance over his shoulder, ducked defiantly into the hole and shuffled into the tunnel beyond.

“Hey!” hissed Urania. “Wait for us!”

Xuthus waited for them to catch up, then led the way past the first of the green lamps into the labyrinth. The air tasted of dust and he felt the heat rising with every step he took. After several minutes of walking it occurred to him that they had forgotten to bring oxygen masks, but no one was lying on the floor gasping for breath so he assumed life support in the domes had filled the labyrinth with air.

“Have you noticed the way the passages are angled?” asked Hestia. They had come to yet another tight corner. “We’re following the walls of the star chamber. This maze is set out like a six-pointed star, with us spiralling towards the centre.”

“Just like the sign of the Dhusarian Church,” Xuthus said smugly.

“Or the Star of David,” Urania pointed out. “I think Freemasons use it too. And please don’t refer to it as a maze. People get lost in mazes.”

“We’ll be okay if we follow the lamps,” he reassured her, though he too had seen the other tunnels branching off into the dark.

The thrill of adventure waned and became tiring as they traipsed from one green lamp to the next through one featureless tunnel after another. The occasional downward slope did little to relieve the monotony and it was a while before they noticed how the straight sections got shorter as the roof rose higher. After what seemed an age, they turned a final corner and came to a rubble-strewn archway. The floor glittered with shards of glass, amidst which was a cluster of scrape marks where something long and heavy had been pulled from beneath a pile of fallen masonry. Hestia came to Xuthus’ side and gulped.

“A rock fall,” she murmured. “This must be where Professor Cadmus, err…”