Chapter 5: Maidens of the Sea(5)
"Right here."
That was enough for Bismark. He gave the order for full stop and dropped the anchor. Whatever they were supposed to find, Bismark believed this was where it lay. He trusted Dune on this, even if he didn’t trust the source of his newfound sense of direction.
"Well Dune, this is your show now. Are you ready to dive?" Bismark asked.
"Yes, Captain. I’m pretty sure I understand how it works. I’m not looking forward to sinking to the bottom of the ocean, but this sea is so quiet I don’t think I’ll run into much of anything on the way down."
"Don’t be so sure, Dune. The seas aren’t entirely dead." Bismark jeered as he pointed to Levi’s ship still haunting their aft quarter. "I know he isn’t going to sit back and let us do all the work now that we’re so close to the treasure. Watch yourself."
"Yes, Captain."
Dune walked over to the edge of the ship and looked down, hoping to catch some glimpse of what was waiting for him. He could see nothing except the empty water and his own pale reflection staring back at him. This wasn’t going to be fun, and yet he was thrilled at the prospect of getting a chance to do archeology of a different sort than he was used to. Who knows what kind of history the bottom of the ocean might be hiding from him? From the whole world! Dune shuddered with an eerie sense of excitement.
Dune stepped into the heavy suit designed to let him breath and move underwater. He checked all the valves and latches just as he had been shown and then pulled on the cord that attached him to the ship. If he was in trouble, he just had to either give a signal via the com or pull on this cord, and he would be hoisted back up to the surface safely. Bismark assured him that he had nothing to worry about, but having such a tenuous connection to the only dry surface within a thousand miles disturbed him.
Alex and Indie were now both on the deck, eager to see Dune safely on his way, and safely back. As first mate and the chief engineer on board, Alex was in charge of outfitting Dune and keeping in contact with him during the dive. Alex looked a bit worried when he heard of Dune’s reaction, but he continued to believe this was all a part of their destiny, and gave in to fate’s whims. Sometimes he wondered at just what point should he stop allowing things to progress and make a stand against what he thought was supposed to happen. Would he let one of his friends die just to fulfill some stupid prophecy? How much power could one man have against the forces that were guiding them to...wherever this was all going? He pushed these thoughts aside and approached Dune with a worried look in his eyes.
"Dune, whatever happens down there, we’ll be waiting for you up here. Come back to us, do you hear me?" Alex said.
"Don’t let this old fart worry you Dune. You’ll be fine. Just do what you do best and find that blasted rock so we can all go home." Indie replied with a cheerful tone he didn’t quite feel. He was worried for the same reasons Alex was, but wasn’t going to give into superstitions quite as easily.
Bismark didn’t say anything, he just gave Dune a short salute and gave him the okay to dive. His eyes were as full of worry as everyone else’s, but he had no thoughts of fate or superstitions on his mind. The terrible and unpredictable power of the sea was more than enough to tighten his jaw as he watched Dune go over the side of the ship.
Dune watched in wonder as he sunk deeper and deeper into the ocean depths. He looked up at the bottom of the ship as he descended. The sunlight was glimmering off the waters above, and as he glanced back down into the depths, a strong fear tugged at his heart. In one direction was the warm glow of the sun and the comforting sight of his ship. In stark contrast to this was the infinite expanse of the abyss surrounding him on all sides, threatening to suffocate him as he fell into it.
There was no life below, just as Indie had predicted. This world was all silence and unavoidable blackness on all sides. Even the water above him was now progressing further and further into total darkness. Soon he would have to turn on his searchlight and hope he hit the bottom. The crystal was still in his hand, pulsing with impotent fury as he used it for his own means. Yes, he was getting much closer now.
Once all light had gone from the world around him, Dune flicked the switch inside his suit to see if there was anything at all yet to be seen. A wide swath of white light flooded the area, and to his dismay he could still see nothing except pitch black darkness. When would he reach the bottom? What if there was no bottom?
Fears of falling endlessly into the abyss were quelled after a minute when he caught sight of sand reflecting his beacon far below him. It was almost surreal watching the distant seabed rise up to meet him, like he was in some sort of slow-motion freefall.
He hit the bottom with an audible thud, and a cloud of long-undisturbed sand rose up in all directions, momentarily blinding him. How many years had this sand lay here? How many centuries? Millennia? The scope of this ancient and untouched world left Dune in giddy awe.
"Testing...one, two...testing...do you read me Alex?" Dune spoke in measured tones into a small microphone in front of his mouth.
A brief silence, then a soft crackling sound followed by Alex’s relieved voice told Dune that everything was so far in perfect working order.
"Yes Dune, we hear you. Have you found anything yet? What do you see?"
"...Nothing. There was nothing on the way down, and there’s nothing here except sand. Almost reminds me of being back in the desert. It’s certainly hot enough in this suit!" Dune allowed himslef a small laugh and was glad to relieve some of the growing tension.
"Keep us posted, then. If you see anything at all let us know."
"I will."
The cloud of dust had settled back to rest, and Dune started his trek across the barren sands of this underwater desert. Dune marveled at how similar this place was to the Thanas. No life, no signs of habitation, just sand, sand, sand as far as the eye could see. The growing chill in his soul told him this was not the true face of the Mordic, and he pressed on. Soon he would find whatever it was that kept pulling at his mind.
"Wait a minute...Alex, I think I see something up ahead. It looks almost like a mountain, but there’s something....off about it. It’s hard to describe from this distance. Give me a bit more slack so I can check it out."
As Dune trudged forward through the thick sediment, he could discern a vast range of jutting spires resting in a wide arc that nearly encircled the entire space illuminated by his light. He scanned back and forth to see the shapes more clearly, and all he could make out was a long chain of large crags, not quite mountain-sized, but still massive. There was a strange beauty about the perfect symmetry of the crags as they followed each other from one end of the arc to the other, the darkness hiding the place where the mountainous rubble met the sea bottom. His crystal compass of sorts told him he needed to head towards the southern end of this range.
As Dune worked his way towards what he felt was the beginning of this lonely range of miniature mountains, he was nearly knocked down by an aching throb in his temple. It had hit him like torpedo aimed straight at his mind.
"W-What was that?" Dune sputtered into his microphone.
"Is everything alright, Dune? What happened?" Alex’s voice responded.
"I...I think I just received a warning shot from whatever is out here. It felt like someone sent a missile right into my mind. There were no words, but I could sense what the intent was - Stay away."
"You aren’t going to turn back now are you?"
"Of course not."
Continuing on unhindered by the warning, Dune followed arch after arch until he reached his destination. The end of the mountain ranged was unremarkable in its appearance, like the rest of the range, but Dune felt danger all along its course. Anything could be waiting down here, hidden by the darkness.
Dune focused his light on the tip of the range, his inner sense guiding his motions more than his sight now. The surface of this stone was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. It was covered in markings and shades and a thick coat of sand from long accumulation, but seemed strangely smooth, without the usual cragginess of bedrock.
He inched closer to the formation, scanning for any crevasse that might hide what he so desperately sought. It had to be here. His senses were almost drowned in that feeling of being pulled apart now, like he was fighting against a gigantic magnet that was opposed to his presence. The closer he got to the source, the more his mind was repelled. It was so strong now that he almost felt like he was being pushed backwards when he stopped. Whatever was down here, it was giving everything it had to keeping him away.
"Wait - there. I see something...unusual. It must be what I was looking for. Hold on, I’m going to get closer..."
"Dune, wait a minute. Don’t go any further, there’s something going on up here. Dune! We’re going to pull you back up right now! Do you hear me Dune? Dune get--"
There was a sudden jerk backwards, and Alex’s voice cut off, his message of danger silenced. Before Dune could attempt a response, he felt a sharp pain in his back, and knew that he was no longer alone. He instinctively whirled around, ignoring the hot pain in his back and the cold rush of water into his suit. What he met was the greedy, half-mad eye of Captain Jonah Levi, drilling into him from behind his own suit.
"Captain Levi, what are you..?" Dune voiced from inside his suit, but no sound came out. Levi grinned wide, his horrible smile full of nothing but death for the man in front of him. He was only inches from Dune’s face now, staring hard into the face of his enemy. Dune could see a laugh escape from Levi’s mouth, but heard nothing except the roaring of water as it filled his suit and threatened to crush him before it drowned him. Levi quickly pulled back and jeered as he held up a long knife covered in blood. Dune’s blood. He had pierced Dune’s flesh as well as his suit, and Dune knew he was going to die if he didn’t get back to the surface.
Levi held up his other hand and all hope faded from Dune’s face. In it was the cord, the vital lifeline between Dune and his friends above, neatly sliced off and dangling from his hand. The laughter inside Levi’s suit was maniacal now. Dune slumped down onto his knees, despair rushing in on him as fast as the water and pressure.
Sweet victory. Sorry Phantom, but this was his show now. Nobody claimed what was Jonah Levi’s.
Levi knew what he wanted now. He pushed Dune to the ground without a second thought and strode towards where Dune’s light had been focused before he fell. There it was. With strides far quicker than his crippled leg should make possible, he half ran, half leaped towards the outcropping of rocks. He was filled to the brim with his greed now, the power of it surging through him like a drug. The laughter continued to pour from him in uncontrollable gouts. This was it, what he had been looking for all his life. Every bone in his body told him this was the truth, he could feel the power emanating from this place even from his ship. It was calling him, pulling him to it. He knew now it was meant for him and him alone. It was his.
He flew up to the face of the rock wall and groped at the surface, laughing all the way, blind lust guiding him now. The light from Dune’s beacon was no longer shining in this direction and he only had his powerful feeling that this was right to follow.
Out of the total darkness in front of him, blinding light washed over his body in one furious flash, then was gone in a sharp blink. Then it came back, and the laughter stopped. The light stayed though, and a horror beyond anything Levi had ever witnessed filled his vision.
A monstrous eye as tall as Levi took the place of the rock wall he had just been caressing. A pale glow surrounded the eye, lighting up the surroundings like a massive lighthouse beacon. The entire seabed shook and Levi fell back on his heels, the horror of what was happening forcing his mind screaming from his body. The mountains were rising from the ground, only they were no longer mountains at all. Groans and cracks filled the dark waters as the impossibly large creature unearthed itself from its bed. A terrific thump! echoed across the seafloor as the creature freed its tail and smashed it against the sands. Joints creaked like falling trees as the cavernous jaws worked. A low screech filled the entire sea as the creature tested its voice for the first time in innumerable years.
The sound was maddening, and increased in pitch as the creature freed itself, like a steady grating siren. It grew in intensity and kept on growing until the very water shook with its fury. Levi could feel his spirit being crushed under the sheer mindless rage pouring from the creature. The terrible sound had brought him to his senses though, and he was not giving up so easily. This nightmare would not deprive him of his treasure. Nothing could stand between him and destiny. Yes, he could still feel the lust-filled surge of power calling to him. Where was it coming from? It couldn’t be coming from that THING, could it?
He must find it. It must be here, somewhere. The titanic abomination was still in front of him, the maddening eye still staring right into his soul. The jaws were wide open now and still emitting the incredible howl, but the creature was not moving. It had seen Levi, seen the face of its aggressor, its prey. It was staring him down now, trying to destroy his mind before it destroyed his body in one effortless motion.
Levi couldn’t help himself and began laughing in a mindless fit. His whole body shuddered with the effort, and his mind ached and bent to the breaking point as the will power required to keep rational thought nearly escaped him. But he knew. He knew what he had to do, where he had to go. He was in a state of pure ecstasy as he stared at the beast with understanding in his crazed eye. Levi gasped as he reached forward and grabbed hold of his treasure at last.
"Mine....all mine...show me the way, my Goddess. I am yours."