Richard Tuttle - Web of Deceit

“Thank you,” Mistake said as she reached out and captured the stick. “Can you tell me about my family? Who they are? Where I can find them?”

“The search for your family should not be the quest of your life,” replied the voice. “It will not help you find them any sooner. Gather your friends and bring them here.”

Mistake nodded and rose to fetch Bakhai and Rejji. She woke them up and they returned to the warmth of the pyramid. Rejji and Bakhai began examining the room as Mistake had done, but the Sage allowed them little time to satisfy their curiosity.

“Sit.”

The trio sat on cushions promptly as if a giant hand had forced them down. They focused their attention on the floating head whose lips had turned upward at the corners.

“The forces have gathered you together to serve a purpose,” declared the voice. “Be true to each other and lend strength and guidance where it is needed. Many trials await you and you shall spend many a day in despair, yet much depends upon your perseverance. Should one of you fall, the others must pick him up again.”

“Each of you seeks that which has been denied you,” the voice continued, “but the fates have chosen a different path for your future. Put aside your desires for now. You may find that which you seek along the way, but whether or not it will please you is not clear to me.”

“If we put aside our quests,” interrupted Mistake, “then what are we to do with our lives? What is this path that has been chosen for us?”

“Seek out the ancient city of Angragar,” instructed the voice. “Your fate lies within its walls.”

“Where shall we look for this ancient city?” asked Rejji.

“What do we do when we find it?” questioned Bakhai.

“The ancient city has lain dormant for thousands of years,” instructed the voice. “Return to your people, Qubari. They are responsible for its safety. They know the signs of the times and have waited for this moment for eternity. Discover the mysteries of Angragar and you shall learn the mysteries within yourselves.”

Mistake started to ask a question, but the floating head disappeared. Mistake tried to rise but her legs refused to obey. Her eyelids grew heavy and she fought to keep them open, but her control over her body was nonexistent. She slumped against the cushion and fell asleep.

Mistake awoke to the glare of the rising sun in her face. She sat up and looked around. She was nestled next to Rejji as she had been the night before and Bakhai was still sleeping on the other side of Rejji. She turned to look for the pyramid room, but only the rock peak was there. She shook Rejji and Bakhai and woke them up.

Rejji and Bakhai sat up. Rejji yawned and looked around as Mistake had done.

“I had the strangest dream,” commented Rejji.

“Did it involve a talking head?” queried Bakhai.

“Yes,” nodded Rejji. “How did you know?”

“Because I had it too,” he frowned.

Rejji looked over at Mistake and she sat there staring at a stick in her hands. A stick, which had two balls attached to it by strings.

“It wasn’t a dream,” declared Mistake as she turned the stick upside down.

The two balls repelled each other until they were standing straight out, opposite of each other.

“What is that?” asked Bakhai.

“Something the Sage gave me,” answered Mistake. “It will help me find my family. I guess it means that we are far apart right now.”

“Let me try it,” requested Bakhai.

Mistake handed it to Bakhai as she rose and stretched. Bakhai turned the stick upside down and the balls clanged together.

“It doesn’t do anything for me,” frowned Bakhai.

“I guess it only works for me,” Mistake said as she retrieved it.

“Or that we are not too far from the Qubari Jungle,” added Rejji as he stretched and looked out at the panoramic view. “I can actually see it from here. How are we going to get down from here?”

“That is something we should have asked the Sage,” sighed Mistake. “I can see the path down, but we will not be able to jump that break in the ledge.”

“We could go back the way we came,” offered Bakhai.

“We could try,” Rejji shook his head, “but we will not be able to jump out of that hole and reach the ledge. It just won’t work. Besides, Myka made a point of not inviting us back.”

“Let’s split up and see if we can find another path down,” suggested Mistake.

“Yltar said there was only one path,” reminded Bakhai. “He has been right in everything else. We can search, but I fear I already know the results.”

Rejji and Mistake waved to Bakhai as he climbed back up to the peak.

“Nothing,” Bakhai reported as he strode over to his friends. “Our only option is back through the dragon’s cave.”

“That is not much of an option,” frowned Rejji. “I almost fell getting off that broken ledge and I know I won’t be able to get back onto it.”

“I agree,” nodded Bakhai, “but we have no other choice. Perhaps Myka knows of another way down the mountain. I think asking her is our only chance off this mountain.”

“Couldn’t you just go and ask her, Bakhai,” questioned Mistake. “She doesn’t like me and I don’t like that hungry look in her eyes.”

“I will do that,” agreed Bakhai. “There is no sense in all of us being placed in danger. I will try to be back by dark.”

“I will go with you,” offered Rejji.

“No,” stated Bakhai. “Two of us going is no better than one. I will go alone.”

Bakhai turned and started climbing down the mountain towards the small tunnel that led to the dragon’s lair. He had trouble locating the small entrance at first because it was concealed by brush, but he eventually remembered where it was and began crawling down the tunnel. It took him several hours but he finally entered Myka’s chamber. There was a new smell present in the air, the aroma of burning flesh, and Bakhai spied a few new skeletons on the pile that still had bits of muscle on them.

“I thought the thief would be the one to sneak back,” growled Myka. “You disappoint me talker.”

“I have come to talk,” bowed Bakhai, “not to steal. I need your advice.”

“Really?” grinned the dragon. “That is more like what I would expect of Qubari. What advice do you seek?”

“The trail from the peak of the mountain is broken,” stated Bakhai. “Even if you were to allow my friends and I to transit your home again, we still could not get down this mountain. I am hoping that you know of another why down.”

“There is no other way,” declared Myka. “The Sage has seen to that. One path goes up, the same path goes down. There is no other way.”

Bakhai detected the twinkle in Myka’s eye and was willing to bet that there was another way, but the dragon was enjoying the human’s predicament too much to disclose it. He didn’t think the dragon would actually lie about there being another path, so Bakhai figured he was missing something. Leaving and coming back again to ask, would be in poor taste and the dragon might not find the next visit amusing, so Bakhai decided to stall while he tried to figure out what solution had occurred to the dragon that had not come to his mind.

“You don’t care much for humans do you?” Bakhai asked.

“Oh, not true,” chuckled the dragon. “I like them quite a bit, especially if they are large and muscular. Those Jiadin warriors were quite a treat. Small ones like your thief are all bones though. I really should get out more, now that I have remembered the taste.”

“Yes you should,” laughed Bakhai as the dragon gave herself away. “In fact, how would you like a trip out of here today? Perhaps to the edge of the Qubari Jungle? Why my friends and I will even go with you.”