Chapter 9

It’s not long before Ibei sweeps us out of the room. Hombre’s now silent, deep in thought, and is the last one to exit. I know that he doesn’t want me to speak to him, but I can’t help feeling my heart clench a bit with guilt. Ibei closes the door behind us and then leads us to the lobby. The guards, who are still stationed at either side of the door, fall into place beside us as we go. I think that these are different men and women, this time, but there are still six of them and they’re still just as intimidating.

“It’s busier in here today,” Beth says, staring over at the dining area as we walk across the lobby floor.

“Yeah, a lot busier,” I agree. The tables are full of people. Their skin tones and features advertise a range of ethnicities and backgrounds, both Iidan and Evenen. They wear even stranger costumes than those I saw yesterday, more elaborate and specific, clearly made for people with wealth. There aren’t any children, or, really, anyone below the age of forty.

We barely have any time to look at them, though, as Ibei marches briskly to the doors that lead outside, the guards hurrying us after her. She’s quiet, her lips pursed. She probably has more important things to do than to be a tour-guide.

We exit into the same muggy heat from yesterday, the dim light signifying that it’s early morning. The mirrors are only barely starting to catch the light and funnel it down, but the sun’s rising quickly to greet them.

Beth fans herself, making a face.

Alyssa frowns, “It’s not that hot.”

“Maybe not to you, but I’m dying,” Beth responds.

Hombre’s the last one of us out of the hotel, the two guards at his side looking a bit impatient as they try to hurry him forward. He ignores them, his face cloudy.

“Are you alright?” I ask him.

He examines me, pausing a moment before the edges of his mouth turn up, “Are you worried about me?”

I gawk at him for a moment, my cheeks growing hot before I blurt out: “No.”

He grins, “Sure.” He tames his smile a bit, his look more serious as he reassures me, “I’ll be alright, chica. Just give me a bit of space for right now, okay?”

“Okay,” I agree and turn around before I embarrass myself further. I can’t help but to mimic his smile, though, glad that he can still joke around.

Two other people are waiting by the elIbeitors, both with the rough texture to their skin which seems to be an Iidan trait. One is a tall, stately woman who’s as pale as snow, her wrinkled face slightly tinged with pink. She wears a stiff, white dress and her silver hair is pulled back into a tight bun. Ornate tattoos decorate the area around her eyes. They depict two bizarre animals fighting and devouring each other, one like a wolf, but with horns and skin like a rhino, and the other resembling a giraffe, but with fangs and lavender spots that mimic the color of her irises. She examines us coolly, though a sheen of sweat and the fan she carries makes it obvious that, unlike the other Iida I’ve seen, the heat affects her. A man who seems to be her opposite stands next to her, dressed all in black. He’s young, with short-cropped hair, almost unnoticeable in comparison. From the way he stands, he seems to defer to her, like he’s a bodyguard or a servant. He tugs his collar a bit, as if he’s hot, too, and I can see some lines on his neck from a tattoo hidden under his suit.

“Ibei,” the pale woman says, nodding to her. “Is Ki using you as a guide, now?”

Ibei gives her a tight smile, “These are important guests, Maera Amisa. I suppose you are on your way to lunch?”

“Yes,” the woman confirms, her eyes sweeping over us curiously, “I promised to dine with the new delegate from Espis.”

The elIbeitor arrives. I take a step forward, expecting to get on, but step on Alyssa’s heels, instead.

“Ow!” she hisses.

“Sorry,” I apologize, watching as the woman nods once more to Ibei and then steps into the elIbeitor. Apparently, whoever that is, it’s someone important enough to make Ibei defer to her.

“Who is she?” I ask as the door swivels closed and the woman and her bodyguard disappear.

“A delegate from the Southland,” Ibei responds. She watches as the next elIbeitor swings open and then gestures for us to enter as she continues, “She’s second in line for their throne.”

“Why is she here?” Alyssa asks as the doors close behind us and we start to descend.

Ibei looks at Alyssa and frowns, as if she expected a better question, “Fyeptari Command has been sending delegates to the towers so that others can appraise our situation. The more important they are, the more sway they hold. Unfortunately, now that Iifa’s been spotted, I suspect that none of the delegates will be here much longer. They will, no doubt, Ibeicuate via the tunnels to the coast. As this tower is the furthest from Iifa’s encampment and the only one still reliably connected to the outer world, I suppose that we will have to pray to the Spider that what they’ve seen is enough to convince other countries that we need aid.”

“The Spider?” I ask, frowning. There’s one on my bracelet, now that I think about it, and didn’t Ki mention the word before? They use it like it’s some kind of name for someone �" or something.

Ibei sighs, as if bored by the question, “The Spider is one of the main Evenen gods.”

The elIbeitor doors open again and Ibei leads us through another small, empty lobby and out to a catwalk, the guards moving into formation around us. I almost look back at Hombre, but then I remember that he hadn’t wanted me to bother him. He’ll probably make fun of me if I check on him again. No thanks.

Beth groans, looking at the metal path leading away from the pillar, “Do we have to go across the pit on these? Don’t you have something a bit more stable?”

“I am supposed to give you a tour,” Ibei says, shortly, eyeing Beth with annoyance.

Beth gives her a doe-eyed look, pleading, “Can I go back?”

Ibei emphasizes, “I am supposed to give you a tour. All of you.”

Beth lets out a sigh, then closes her eyes and grabs my hand, telling me, “Please tell me when we reach somewhere not scary.”

“Sure,” I tell her. As I guide her forward, she peeks out from beneath her eyelids once, then sucks in a breath and shuts them tight.

“Do you want me on your other side?” Alyssa asks her.

“Uh . . . maybe?” Beth responds, her grip tight on my hand. She peeks out again at Alyssa, “Just don’t mock me or anything, alright?”

Alyssa heaves a sigh as she moves to her other side, “You’re taking all of the fun out of this.”

“Shut up,” Beth mutters.

Ibei’s already charging ahead, and I can see the guards getting antsy, as usual. Alyssa and I lead Beth forward. She stumbles but doesn’t protest, clearly wanting to keep going until we’re on more solid ground.

I hear Hombre speak to the guards, “So, there are three of you staying behind with me, but six guards in total. Shouldn’t you break it up a bit more evenly?”

“Ki’s orders,” one of them says.

“So you can talk, now?” Hombre asks.

There’s no response.

He sighs, “Great. Ki apparently thinks I’m an idiot. Listen, it wouldn’t do me any good to kill you guys, so why would I bother?”

There’s still no response.

Hombre lets out another sigh and falls silent.

We’re walking on a different level than yesterday. These catwalks crisscross between the pillars and the wall, only occasionally leading out to the fields that fill the empty central area around the tower.

“Whoa!” Beth shouts in surprise as a train whistles underneath us. It moves away from us, along a strategically-placed track which disrupts as little of the fields’ intricate lighting set-up as possible. The cars are nowhere near as full as they were last night. Perhaps everyone’s at work, or at least some of them. They have to work here, too, right?

“You’re okay,” I reassure Beth. “It was just a train. The station’s close by, but it doesn’t look like we’re going there.”

She nods, letting out a sigh of relief. I see Alyssa bite back a comment I’m sure Beth wouldn’t have approved of.

This path isn’t particularly busy, but every person we pass carries themselves with arrogance, or at least importance. Many have bodyguards and nod to Ibei like they know her, inquisitive gazes passing over us as they walk by.

“It’s too bad you don’t want to look,” I say to Beth as a thin, older woman passes by us in a fur ensemble streaked with electric blue, hot pink, and goldenrod. “I think you’d like some of these fashions.”

Beth mutters, “I’ve seen enough. I’m fine.”

As we keep walking, drawing nearer to the wall and the temple-like building I’d observed yesterday, I notice that Alyssa seems to have overcome her excited wonder. She still occasionally whispers about something, whether it’s one of the people we pass or a building, but her voice is calmer, now, and her gaze focuses on specific sights rather than darting around, trying to take in everything all at once.

Above us, the catwalks to the tower are much busier, and I get the sense that we’d passed through a main thoroughfare yesterday. Though it looks like some of the areas below us also have the same traffic, the buildings down there are nowhere near as polished. Some areas have been built up, but the quality of the structures steadily declines the further down you go. I think about the people we saw in the main tower’s lobby, the ones in rags, and wonder if they hail from somewhere far below us, where the light is only artificial.

“Ibei, does it get a lot hotter as you go down?” Alyssa asks, looking over the edge.

Ibei nods, “Yes. My people cannot stand the heat after a certain level. We must rely on the Iida who live down there to man the geothermal plants and provide us with energy and raw materials from the earth. For this reason, the Iida mostly reside near the bottom and the Evenen reside near the top. We tend to crops and trade while they do some of the work we can’t.”

Alyssa nods and falls silent, considering what she’s said. I suppose that the furs I’ve seen most of the Iida wearing make sense, now, if they’re used to hotter temperatures. But how much hotter is it down there? I frown, not sure I want to find out.

We step onto a long path, which is anchored to the wall underneath two orderly rows of beautiful, shiny houses. We can’t get much more solid unless we walk into the tunneled pathways to our right, so I tell Beth, “You can open your eyes, now.”

She lets out a sigh of relief and releases both Alyssa’s hand and mine. The guards are insistent on walking on both sides of us, so Beth and Alyssa step in front of me and our single-file line continues to follow the ever-silent Ibei.

“I feel like some animal in a cage,” Hombre remarks, behind me. I look back at him to see him grimace as he looks up at some Evenen on a balcony, staring down at us as they sip from pretty cups.

I shrug, “I don’t really like it, either. But I guess if I were looking at us, as a stranger, I’d probably stare, too.”

Hombre sighs, “I was hoping that, when I encountered other people, they’d be a lot less like the ones I knew. I guess that was too much to ask for.”

I frown, curious about what he means, but bite back my questions, “Well, not everyone’s the same. Maybe it’s like this here, but it could be different elsewhere.”

He meets my eyes for a moment and then looks away, “I hope you’re right. I saw enough evil when I was little, and then, when I finally found somewhere safe . . . well, you know.”

I smile, cautiously, “But then you came and met us. You don’t think we’re evil, right?”

He pauses, staring at me, and then finally smiles, “Alyssa might be.”

I laugh, and feel lucky that she doesn’t seem to have heard him.

The path begins to slope upwards, as we pass through a number of shops. The smell of cooking food wafts through the air as we pass by restaurants, patrons sitting inside, probably eating delicacies. The right sides of the path are decorated with art from vendors, advertisements for businesses, products, entertainment. Parks branch off from the path, extending out into the pit over office buildings which are covered with flashy facades. They occasionally host statues or gaudy performers. As we keep walking, the path crosses in front of a huge, elaborate theater, a bored woman staffing the ticket office. Finally, though, we reach our destination: the gigantic temple and its extensive greenery.

As we begin to walk through one of the outer gardens, heading towards the main building, Ibei says: “Ki wanted me to show you this place because it is where we store what knowledge remains of the portal and the murals. The priests tend to the libraries. This used to be a place of worship, but now it is one more of study and work.” She gestures at a few of the violet-robed men and women littering the area, many of whom are lost in prayer or books.

We pass a group of children, singing as they form a pinwheel. I listen as we pass: “The Spider, the Spider! Crouching unseen, he creeps and creeps �" crawling up high to feel the breeze. He weaves his web and the Evenen sing: Spider, Spider! Give us what we need.”

I watch as a violet-robed woman approaches the children, her eyes wary as she watches us pass, and tells them, “Time to go inside.”

They all clumsily fall into a line.

The woman shakes her head: “If your parents had sent you all to study with the soldiers they would have punished you by now.”

“The Spider, the Spider!” One of the children starts to sing again. The woman shushes him, but he keeps talking, “Can we sing the one about Menilyrth?”

Ibei turns to glare at them and the children fall instantly silent.

As Ibei leads us up the broad steps of the temple, Alyssa tilts her head and asks, “Who’s Menilyrth?”

Ibei responds, “The sea-dragon goddess, the ruler of all the waters. According to those who believe in the Spider, she is our mother and he is our father.”

The tone of her voice doesn’t encourage us to try questioning her further.

We walk through the open doors of the temple to see a huge, relatively plain, hall. There are a number of marble statues of various people and only one of the plinths, near the front of the room, is empty. On the wall is a painting of a hideous creature, with lots of arms and a set of wings. It’s posed as if about to spring, its arms tangled together. It doesn’t have as many legs as those things Iifa and her soldiers were riding, but it’s close.

“What is that?” Hombre asks. He nods at the painting.

“That?” Ibei looks at it, “Perhaps some type of creature that used to live in the pits. Whatever it is, it’s long gone.”

“Who are the statues of?” Alyssa asks, drawing close to the nearest one.

“Various important Evenen and Iida.” Ibei looks impatient. Beth and I exchange a glance, deciding to remain silent.

Overall, this place reminds me more of a library than anything, what with the side-rooms that have massive shelves of manuscripts and the small groups huddled at tables studying them. I wonder how far back into the wall the whole place goes.

Ibei looks at us, “No more questions? Good. There are other places to show you.”

We exit and begin to wind our way along pathways, some of which are orderly and some of which seem to have been added on as an after-thought. Ibei points out some of the core landmarks, whether they be government buildings, museums, or historical sites. The sun has stretched up into the sky above us by the time we find ourselves outside the structure I’d noticed last night, the one that ripples constantly with images. We walk to the center of the vast courtyard that marks the entrance to the building, a park behind us. Grand stairs lead up to a number of glass doors, the images moving above them. Small pockets of people stand and observe the building as it changes. A few walk by it easily, as if accustomed to such a dazzling sight.

Beth gapes up at it, whispering, “Wow.”

“How does it do that?” Alyssa asks as the building displays a view off the top of a mountain, under which the ocean is split by an uncountable number of islands. The edge of the building seems to move as birds rush through the scene and out the corner. I back up to take it in more, stepping away from the guards. They don’t really notice, their eyes up on the building, as well. They seem to have relaxed a bit, convinced that we won’t run off. They’re right. Even though one of the catwalks connects to the park behind us, I don’t know where I would go if I did run.

Ibei shrugs, staring up at the image, as well, “This is Espacorp’s building. Joiri Tema founded the company out of Moisin in Erita. It’s currently one of the largest companies in the world. He’s an inventor, most notably pioneering the technology which allows individuals to print products at home.”

Beth frowns, “Print products?”

Ibei sighs, as if she can’t believe that Beth doesn’t know what she’s talking about, “If you wish to have, say, a chair, you would simply send it to the printer in your home. It would get made for you immediately, so that you don’t have to waste time travelling to the store.”

Alyssa stares at her, “That’s amazing!”

Suddenly I’m sprawled on the floor, not quite sure how I got there. I rub my elbow, where I connected with the ground, and wince.

“Apologies, apologies,” A voice says, a hand shooting out to help me.

I look up to meet the gaze of an Iidan man, with the kind of features which make his age difficult to pinpoint. A boyish grin stretches across his face as I take his hand and he pulls me up.

“Alright then,” he says. He looks at me, frowning, and then whispers, “Do you mind doing me a favor and taking this?”

“Uh �" ” I start, but there’s already some strange, metal object in my grip.

He smiles at me, pats my hand, and says, “Just get rid of it.”

A guard is at my side, now.

The man grins up at him and says, “She won’t like it if you hurt me. I’m gone, anyways.”

Before either the guard or I can say anything, he dashes off, disappearing down one of the tunnel alleyways. The guard grabs my elbow and pulls me back to the group, the metal object still in my hand. Alyssa, Beth, and Hombre all stare at me, though Ibei’s still answering some question one of them asked.

Beth frowns, “You alright?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Just gonna have some bruises.”

Ibei stops in mid-sentence, blinks, and then looks after the man. “Was that - ?” she begins, but she’s almost immediately interrupted by the shouting of a crowd of people as they charge into the courtyard.

One skinny, desperate-looking man stops next to us and shouts, “Sir! Sir! Where did you go?” He suddenly catches sight of Ibei, freezes, and then hurriedly says, “Apologies, apologies. Not trying to bother you.”

“Perhaps it’s time to go,” Ibei says as people flow through the courtyard.

The guard who led me back to the group still hasn’t released my arm, and I shake him off as we drop back into single-file and follow Ibei to a path that leads us away from the area. As I press my fingers into the metal object in my hand, I look up to see another view fill the screen, one of a deep pit, placed right alongside a mountain. The camera sweeps along a city that stretches from the bottom of the pit to the very top of the mountain, huge skyscrapers reaching up past the snowy peak. Then we pass under a building and my view is blocked.

There isn’t even enough time to look at whatever the man gave me as Ibei rushes us back to the pillar, clearly spooked by something. I wonder what it is and if it has to do with that man I bumped into . . . or the small object pressing into my palm.

Author's Note

Any critiques you can offer are appreciated!