The Dragon Queens (The Mystique Trilogy) (24 page)

I had to admit that the scribe did not seem to have harmed Miss Koriche; in fact, I had never seen
her so vibrant and jovial. The universe may have taken the love of her life from her, but it had also awarded her the opportunity to rewrite history and correct the imbalance of the sexes that she felt so passionate about.

Once we reached our destination, Miss Koriche moved down the centre of the huge hall, eyeing each code. When finally she reached the far end of the hall, she was confused. ‘I don’t understand; I felt sure the code was among these.’

‘His royal godliness said that there were only twelve codes,’ Taylor reminded her. ‘And all twelve are plainly visible.’

‘That’s it!’ Miss Koriche gasped, startling us all. ‘So sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just so exciting when I remember things I didn’t know I knew.’ She strode into the middle of the hall. ‘In response to your statement about the twelve codes, Mr Taylor, the thing you have to consider is that our friend the scribe has a reputation for telling half-truths.’

In between the two sets of three codes displayed on the right-hand side of the hall was a large blank space, and it was here that Miss Koriche focused her concentration.

‘In addition to the twelve time codes, there is an additional code,’ Miss Koriche explained, ‘the thirteenth pillar. It is an activation code known as Ec-ka-sha, which means void, pre-light, pre-sound. The Eckasha must be re-embedded within the genetic memory before any of the other codes can be integrated and utilised.’

‘And how does this re-embedding occur,’ Mr Taylor asked. ‘It sounds painful.’

Miss Koriche held up a finger to beg his patience. ‘First things first.’ She looked back to the blank wall before her and began to chant in a foreign dialect. Her voice was lovely and very powerful. She repeated the chant exactly the same each round, so I felt I could safely assume that it was designed to create a very specific sonic vibration—much like the ‘Om’ chant, only longer.

‘Unbelievable,’ Mr Taylor murmured under his breath as the light-filled lines of the colourful code manifested upon the blank wall before us.

This code took the shape of a teardrop, which
was also a flame; its primary outlining colour was brilliant blue with a pale shade of green beneath.

‘The blue flame,’ Lord Devere breathed. ‘This was mentioned in the tablets at Ur as representing the key to evolution. It resides in Amenti, or something to that effect.’

Miss Koriche broke from her chanting. ‘Yes, the blue flame represents the Staff of Amenti and grants access to the frequency bands of the dimensions of the harmonic universe where Tara resides. So, in effect, this code opens the gateway home to Tara.’

She returned her focus to the fully manifest Eckasha code and resumed her chant. To the naked eye, nothing more transpired, but via the perception of my third eye I saw some major construction taking place within and around Miss Koriche’s form.

With one last deep breath, Miss Koriche turned to us and said, ‘There, my vehicle is in place. Now, who shall be next?’ When we all appeared a little overawed by the task at hand, she added, ‘I can talk you through the procedure step by step.’

Her assurance was met with sighs of relief, and we each assured Miss Koriche that we were more than eager to try our hand at this new esoteric science of photosonics—particularly Mr Taylor, as there was no way he was being left behind in this underground maze alone.

As Miss Koriche led me through the visual and mental exercises that were required to embed the Eckasha code and clear the seal that was binding my astral form, the blanks of my perception of Miss Koriche’s activation exercise were filled in. The drawing-in of the code into the subtle bodies was all done through will and visualisation.

Once Lord Devere and Mr Taylor had been led through the activation exercise, we were all rather euphoric, but there was no time to stand about discussing the wonder of our new state of being. Every second we wasted reduced our chances of catching the scribe, who now had over an hour’s start on us.

Miss Koriche led us back into the underground maze, clearly confident about our destination. After some time, she pointed to the end of the corridor we were following, where a large archway opened into a huge cavernous region. ‘Not much further now,’ she said.

When we reached the archway, we saw that the roof rose so high above us that it wasn’t clearly visible in the light of the floating orb that illuminated our way. It was the same with the floor of the cavity. From the archway where we stood, stairs led down to a long, thin bridge of earth; it looked to be a natural formation, despite its neat situation between the descent stairs and the archway located on the far side of the great dark void. There was light beyond the opening on the far side of the bridge, but we could not make out the source from this distance.

‘Well, I think I can safely say that I have shed my childhood phobia at last,’ Mr Taylor announced. ‘That stint through the maze did not inspire the slightest dread.’

‘That is because the subtle shield you have placed around yourself has released you from the delusion of physical mortality, which is the root of all fear,’ Miss Koriche informed him, smiling. ‘Unconsciously you are already making contact with your interdimensional counterparts, all the
way back to the source, and with that inner confirmation your being can no longer fear for this life. For you instinctually remember that your time here on Earth is but a precarious, yet vital mission, which, once completed, will allow your soul-mind to rejoin your consciousness vessel on Tara.’

Taylor was enchanted by her claim. ‘Then I can hardly wait to achieve my objective and go home.’

‘Hear, hear,’ Lord Devere and I agreed; it seemed that Miss Koriche and Mr Taylor had both made great leaps upon their chosen paths of late.

‘Beyond that arch is the intersection we seek,’ Miss Koriche told us, and carefully began the descent down the steep rocky stairs that led to the bridge. Seeing her difficulty, Mr Taylor gripped hold of one of her hands to steady her passage.

The increasing goodwill between these two was obvious, and despite my grandchild growing in her belly, I had to wonder if Miss Koriche was pursuing the wrong man.

Mr Taylor, excited by his new fearless disposition, decided to negotiate the bridge first. My Lord Devere took the time to stop and inspect the support structure of the path before he would allow Miss Koriche or myself to pass.

‘My friend,’ he called to Taylor to prevent him being too rash. ‘This does not appear to be the sturdiest of structures.’

‘And yet we must chance it,’ Taylor reasoned with a carefree attitude, continuing on his merry way. Upon reaching the middle of the bridge, he jumped hard to check the stability of the construction. We all gasped at his brazen action, but the path remained firm beneath his feet. ‘I have
a feeling this bridge has stood for a very long time,’ he called back to us.

‘It has indeed,’ Miss Koriche agreed, smothering her relief.

‘All the same, we should not push our luck,’ my lord suggested. ‘We shall proceed one at a time.’

Aware of our urgency, Mr Taylor made haste to the far side and then waved Miss Koriche forward.

I had a terrible feeling in my gut as Miss Koriche set off across the divide. ‘Something doesn’t feel right,’ I whispered to my husband, wondering if I should delay her until the cause of my unexpected dread could be determined.

‘I feel it too,’ Lord Devere concurred, and our fear turned to panic. ‘Miss Koriche,’ we called out to her.

She was now a quarter of the way across and the look of dismay upon her face as she turned to us verified that we were confirming her own negative premonition. She did an about-face to head back to us, but then her attention was drawn upwards and she began to run in the other direction, towards Taylor, who, upon sighting the cause of her dismay, shouted to her to move faster.

My lord and I looked up to see a large winged humanoid-lizard creature launching itself from the corridor at the top of the stairs above us. Spreading wide its bat-like wings, it swooped down upon Miss Koriche.

I retrieved the pistol from my holster, took aim, fired, and missed my target—but the creature was forced to change its course. It turned for another pass at Miss Koriche, who had now made it halfway across the bridge over the chasm.

Lord Devere headed off across the bridge himself, waving his arms in the hope of
distracting the creature from its target. Mr Taylor was also making his way back to aid Miss Koriche to fend off her attacker.

I focused my will upon the creature in the hope that I could control its movements, if not its intent. The beast drew to a halt mid-flight and looked to me; I spied the horns on the creature’s head that gave it a devilish appearance. It laughed in mockery of my attempt at manipulation; clearly it functioned beyond the realm of my psychic influence.

The winged reptile resumed its dive towards Miss Koriche; this time it was on a collision course and not to be deterred.

It was obvious to Mr Taylor that he was not going to reach Miss Koriche in time to deflect her attacker. ‘You shall take her over my dead body,’ he snarled, and flung himself onto the creature’s back as it flew past him.

‘Taylor!’ Miss Koriche cried out. ‘You’re not a hero…what are you doing?’

Taylor, one arm securely fastened around the neck of the flying lizard, looked to the woman he would die for. ‘Finish the mission so we can all go home,’ he told her.

The creature, thrown off-balance by the unexpected additional weight, plummeted into the abyss, still struggling to rid itself of its passenger. Mr Taylor disappeared from our sight with it.

Miss Koriche sank to her knees on the narrow bridge, moved to tears by Taylor’s selfless act. My lord urged her to keep moving.

‘No, there must be something we can do,’ she appealed.

‘We can keep going, as he requested,’ Lord Devere impressed on her. ‘The information you
have stored in your being is infinitely more valuable than one man’s life—and he knew that.’ My lord took hold of Miss Koriche’s arm to help her to her feet. ‘And you know it too.’

The responsibility of her higher potential was suddenly a heavy burden. Repressing her own feelings, Miss Koriche completed her passage across the chasm. Once on the other side, Lord Devere quickly ushered her through the archway and into the greater safety of the sheltered annex.

I was not far behind my companions, but before I reached the archway I glanced once more into the black abyss below. There was little hope that Mr Taylor had survived, but still I uttered a wish for his wellbeing.

Beyond the arch was a round domed chamber that, much like the first room we had encountered upon entering the Cave of Mamer, appeared to have been carved out of the rock and reinforced with a coat of ORME gold. There were three other archways in the chamber, illuminated by cascades of liquid-light—a little like waterfalls of light—except, unlike water, the liquid did not pool once it reached the floor and was not lit from behind, but from within every single droplet.

‘Which archway leads to Giza?’ my lord asked Miss Koriche.

Miss Koriche, unable to summon the will to speak in the wake of Mr Taylor’s sacrifice, pointed to the middle of the three.

‘Do you know what that creature was?’ I said. My curiosity would not wait.

‘Not now, my love.’ Lord Devere grabbed my hand to urge me towards the porthole, and before I had the chance to become apprehensive, my
husband had taken up Miss Koriche’s hand too and pulled us both into the watery light phenomenon.

The passage was as immediate as if we had just walked through a doorway. Bone dry and intact, we found ourselves in a large stone chamber that ascended before us in several long, curved stepped levels. On the highest of these was a rounded-off altar block. Levi’s body stood before it, his back to us.

My entire being was tingling, as if every atom in my body had been immediately charged upon setting foot in this chamber—the same kind of euphoria that a beneficial chant might induce, but far more intense. I was completely buzzing from the crown of my head to the tips of all my extremities; and despite how it tickled, I felt decidedly queasy.

‘We have a bone to pick with you, scribe,’ Lord Devere announced strongly, but I could tell from his body language that he was feeling a little strange too, as was Miss Koriche.

The demi-god turned to address us and I noted he held an object in his hand, which vanished before I could perceive what it was. ‘As fate would have it, here you are,’ he said, sounding disappointed but not surprised. ‘Did I not warn you that to bring the decoder here would be dangerous?’

‘You did,’ my lord confirmed, ‘but you failed to explain why.’

‘Your personal sonics are not yet developed enough to be of benefit here; you are all feeling the pressure of the higher sonic right now. I have just been injecting this antechamber and those that lie beyond it with frequencies high enough to protect this vessel from being sabotaged by undesirables.

Your very presence here is jeopardising our mission.’

The foreboding I had felt prior to the appearance of the strange winged creature over the chasm washed over me once again. My being ceased to buzz, seeming to indicate that the sonic frequency of this chamber was suddenly plummeting. My pistol needed reloading and so was useless to me, as was my sword without Albray. Quickly I took my ringstone in my hand and mentally summoned my knight. As I had not been wearing the ringstone next to my skin, Albray had no idea of my location and was completely bemused when he joined us.

My dear lady, where are we?

Beneath Giza, I suspect.

Giza!
Albray looked to the vessel that had once been my son.
We should not be here.

No sooner had my knight voiced his fears than several lizard warriors, identical to those I had seen when probing the atomic memory of the labyrinth of Mamer, appeared out of thin air.

Draconians,
gasped Albray
. Molier is a saint compared to these creatures!

Five reptilian humanoids were ranged around the chamber and toted weapons I had never before seen. However, one of the intruders I recognised from my perception of Mamer’s history, for it was the very lizard warrior that had spotted me and hissed at me. These lizard beings had distinctive individual features, just as humans do. They were large in stature, seven to eight foot tall, and extremely muscular. Their feet and hands were clawed, and their skin was smoothly scaled in a rusty brown to deep evergreen shades. Their eyes
had a cold glare like that of a snake or a shark, but the rest of their facial features were humanlike, except for their fleshy brow that curved around their forehead like a headband. They were dressed in a skintight uniform made of what looked like dull grey rubber and they wore chest armour. Most of the intruders bore the insignia of a flying serpent on the left shoulder of their uniform; however, the warrior familiar to me bore the insignia on a large medallion that hung on a gold chain around his neck. From this I assumed he outranked his company. All the insignia slowly pulsed with light.

‘How nice of you to deliver the decoder and the biological remains of the latest key-holder into our possession,’ the leader said. ‘What fine angelic specimens.’ His reptilian eyes raked us disconcertingly, but he appeared most interested in Miss Koriche. ‘And the decoder is already impregnated with a little genetic delicacy…yummy.’