The Temple, Part II

“Kre, I have an idea,” I declared.
“I suppose you can conjure up some spell to make these soldiers vanish?” she sarcastically remarked.
“Something different. Do you remember your training when we were in Devroya?”
“Of course. I remember everything from Devroya.”
“Let’s be quiet about this.”
We retreated away from the Temple, into the vineyards. I took up a handful of pebbles and small stones and stuffed them into my pocket. Then, Kre and me made a dash through the vineyards.
“How can we sneak past the soldiers they have on guard?” questioned Kre. “It’s an open field around the Temple.”
“Hadn’t you noticed the wind?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s coming from the west. What of it?”
“It has been gaining speed since breakfast.”
We stopped short of leaving the cover of the vineyard, where we could peek through the leaves and vines to spot the soldiers. We were now parallel to the front door of the Temple.
“A sandstorm!” Kre said in a hushed tone.
“Yes,” I said. “It should be coming in the next few minutes.” I pulled out my timetracker: not too long after the median hour. Then, the wind blew hard, and I looked to the west. The horizon was smothered by an ominous brown cloud of sand and dust. The cloud approached us rapidly, and I find myself thinking that it gets a little faster as the years go by. It was but a moment before my sister and I put on our masks as the sandstorm engulfed the valley. The vines would weather it as they naturally would without us Nrissi, although I cannot speak for the foreigners.
The day seemingly turned to night as the twin suns were blocked out by the sand. Kre grasped onto the collar of my shirt and we dashed forward, low, my rifle still slung over my shoulder. We quickly rushed by one of the soldiers, who confusedly looked in the area we once were, and thus we slipped inside the temple.
The chamber we entered was in stark contrast to my dream. It felt cold, metallic, yet it was an open space. An entrance hall, undoubtedly. But an entrance to what? More answers would be found, I thought to myself, in the subterranean levels of this Temple, if it indeed even is a temple. I looked around and saw no soldiers, and so I went to the strange niche-like space where the podium was. I looked back to the front door to see several of the foreigners’ scientific apparatuses being jostled in the wind. Their scientists and soldiers attempted to cover up some of the machines they brought with them with some sort of cloth or tarp, allowing Kre and I to follow the other foreigners inside. I studied the podium briefly, before touching it with the tips of my fingers. Suddenly, it was as if the floor shifted. Kre grasped in surprise, and we both staggered. However, as I had seen the other foreigners descend, I had correctly deduced that this mechanism was a sort of lift, and we would be safely transported to a lower level.
When we stopped, Kre and I rushed to the nearest possible cover, and we narrowly avoided detection by the foreigners. The two of us hid behind a metallic structure, and we watched a group of them standing around some sort of object or statue made of light. I cannot explain it in any other way than that, for I dare say no Nrissi eyes have laid upon such a spectacle. Aside from a few curious rows of light on the walls, ceilings, and floors, the only source of light came from this grand structure.
I moved closer to try and hear what they were saying, although Kre was understandably quite apprehensive about my pursuit of knowledge.
“Prinn, are you mad?!” my sister uttered to me in a whisper.
“Shhh!” I admonished.
I was now within earshot, and I could not discern at all what the foreigners were saying. Indeed, much like their beastly appearance, they spoke in a most guttural and harsh language, interspersed with whines, hisses, and the occasional bark. As I looked more closely at the light structure, it appeared to be a map of the whole world. It seemed that there were still a few uncharted islands of significant size here or there, but that indeed was the world on which all Nrissidom lived. And I saw a blinking light in Trenemme, in the state of Wado, just outside the city of Kumu. My land. The Temple was highlighted, as I had deduced.
“What is this?” I pondered to myself almost wordlessly. Then, I saw one of the soldiers move to a mirror of some sort, with glowing glyphs decorating it. The soldier pressed one, and the entire interior was brightly illuminated. I looked beyond the light structure somewhat and saw a true marvel. It was a large, cavernous space. Grander than any cave I had ever laid eyes upon. Indeed, it was a whole plaza underground, and in its space were vehicles of some sort. Perhaps war machines?
However, as I moved in for an even closer look, I fell squarely into folly. I heard a weapon cock behind my back, but it was unlike any rifle or pistol or handcannon I had ever heard. Indeed, this was a weapon not of this Pahd.
“Prinn?” said Kre. “I think we’ve been found.”
Category:The Weekly