Night had fallen when I finally hovered past the rocky mountains beyond the city of Hydra, capital of the solar system of the white sun Tadiran, on the fringes of the Palladian Empire. Under a starry sky with a full moon, a vast stretch of barren hills and tortuous rivers unfolded before my eyes. The landscape was fascinating, but I had neither the time nor the inclination to slow down and admire it.
As soon as I came in view of my final destination, I paused for a moment amazed at the sight: At the foot of a steep mountain there was a huge statue of an archangel in panoply, his enormous wings open wide. The gigantic monument stood on a massive tower and the whole construction was made of a black metal material which glittered eerily in the starlight. Unless I had seen it with my own eyes, I could have never imagined that any monument could ever be so high. The wondrous statue that dominated the silver-lined hilltops and the shimmering rivers was considered to be a representation of Archangel Assar, the alleged original ancestor of the Palladian royalty. This has always been a common belief throughout the Empire and, most probably, with the passage of generations and centu-ries, the royal family has come to believe this fairy tale too.
As I finally stood on the pedestal of the archangel, the golden landscape of hills and rivers looked majestic before me. Just like I had expected, the lofty tower soon proved to be a covered Palladian base, with armed soldiers guarding every door. Passing through without being perceived was not particularly difficult for me under the present circumstances; I searched and searched for an indefinable span of time, until I came in front of an arched black portal at the lowest level of the tower. I paused for a second of hesitation, then my astral copy passed through the thick metal door. The two guards, armed with heavy firearms, didn't even stir.
“... there's no need to waste time any more; now we know that the underground kingdom of Iridor is not just a legend and that an item of great power is hidden there. The only thing left for us to do is go and get it!” announced the stately man with the long black hair and the shiny green eyes. That was Xavier, Venor's younger brother, and his presence never bodes any good.
“Not so fast, Xavier! We don't really know what exactly is going on inside the Distant Planet. We aren't even sure about how to reach Iridor from the surface of the planet; I'll send an exploratory team and...”
“What are you talking about, Venor? There is no use sending soldiers there, this is something we must do by ourselves!”
“You are exaggerating, as always,” said Venor annoyed.
“You know I am right,” Xavier went on. “We have already learnt that this item of power, once known as Blue Mystique, belonged to Cyane, the last queen of Iridor. It was considered sacred and could be reached only by persons of particular genetic characteristics.”
“We haven't found anything yet,” objected Venor. “The whole story is probably a fairy tale you've read on a tattered papyrus; but even if it isn't, we actually know nothing about the item, not even what it is exactly...”
“Could be a sceptre, a diadem, a jewel, a gem or something like that; if we search Iridor, we'll certainly find it!”
“I doubt it; in any case, such items can offer extreme power or terrible havoc,” sighed Venor tiredly. “We've learnt that lesson before; or have you forgotten our disaster on Azenkur?”
“It seems to me that you want all the power for yourself!” snapped out Xavier.
Right at that moment I interrupted the astral projection; it had lasted too long, I was running out of energy, but I had learned enough and I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to locate the item before the Assars. Besides, I was looking forward to finding out if I had those “particular genetic characteristics”.
….
Intending to arrive there before the Palladians, I set out immediately for the notorious Distant Planet, the fourth one in the solar system of Tadiran. Strange name; when cosmonauts use this expression, they usually mean a hopeless, elusive quest...
Soon I was standing in front of the so-called Cave of Oblivion, at the southernmost end of a world entirely covered with snow and ice because of a global catastrophe that occurred thousands of years ago. Once the Distant Planet was blue and green like the primeval Earth, but now it is frozen white since most of its surface is covered by snow and glaciers.
I could feel my legs trembling of cold and impatience as I was trying to keep my balance among the slippery rocks at the entrance of the cavern. According to old legends, the Cave of Oblivion leads to the underground world of Iridor, which is heated by the fire of the core and has its own seas, plains, mountains, as well as the remnants of a long forgotten civilization. A planet within a planet. Of course, most space explorers believe that all this is nothing but a myth; I, however, had very good reasons to venture a space trip to such an uncertain destination.
Stumping my way among the crystallized boulders, I paused for a moment and stared at the snowy wilderness outside. Having just entered the Cave of Oblivion, all studded with massive rocks and occasional stalactites, I suddenly felt uncertain; yet, the only way I could go now was into the inky-dark tunnel that gaped on the opposite side of the dusky cavern.
The tunnel proved to be so narrow and fusty that made me wonder wonder how it was possible for me to keep going through it. Discomfort soon turned to anguish as I realized that, for some strange reason, the luminous beam of my torch reached a shorter and shorter distance, until it gave light no more. Not a sound was heard, not even my own footsteps on the ground. I don't know for how long, every sense of time and orientation was lost. It was the first time in my life that I had experienced such thick, tangible darkness. Moment by moment, I felt like sinking in thicker and thicker layers of darkness, a blackness no light could ever break through. Nevertheless, suddenly a sea of light dispersed the darkness, a dazzling light that took countless forms within an infinitesimal moment in time, creating a whole new world.
….
I found myself standing in front of an arched gateway in the middle of a half-ruined stone wall; for a few moments I just lingered there, admiring the wild beauty of endless mountain ranges expanding to the horizon: a panorama of purple crests, winding paths, endless flights of stairs curved on the rocks, ruins of ancient towers, castles, temples, all destroyed by the rage of winds and time. To my amazement, I also noticed sparse clusters of flowers with huge purple petals and thorny leaves growing on the mountain sides -the only indication of life in that wilderness. Occasional clouds of fog shaded the gorges, the slopes, the crests, the ruins, under an eerie alabaster sky.
As if lost in reverie, I walked along half-obliterated paths, flights of slippery stairs curved over steep precipices, dark tunnels dug through the mountains, strange natural bridges, decrepit remnants of ancient mansions. I can't really tell why I preferred to stay away from the flowers, in spite of their enchanting beauty. A nostalgic melancholy reigned everywhere, ionized by smouldering memories, forgotten glories, unholy secrets.
I paused for an instant when I reached a downward stairway that went round the steep slopes. Where it ended, I had no idea; I just kept on walking all the way down impatiently, almost ignoring the dreadful precipice that yawned at my feet. Quite unexpectedly, at a turn of the slope the stairs stopped abruptly and a narrow earthen path appeared before me. I was surprised to see that it led to a picturesque oval lake in the middle of a narrow valley, the mountains nicely mirrored in the glassy waters. An impressive polyhedral edifice with a hemispherical crystal vault commanded the golden shores. It seemed to be in perfect condition, in strange contrast to everything else on the Distant Planet. For a few moments I stood there motionless, dazzled by the charm of the landscape and excited about the fact that I had finally found what I had been looking for: The mausoleum of Queen Cyane, the last sovereign of the once thriving Iridor; it rose up magnificent and lonely in the distance, its primeval secrets well hidden in the deathly silence of the secluded valley.
I could hardly contain my suspense as I was following the narrow winding path to the lake shore. Entering the square courtyard at last, I ran up the white marble staircase to the translucent turquoise gate of the mausoleum. I felt a strange sting on my heart when I saw the thick periwinkles of flowers -the same kind I had seen on the mountains- coiled around the high white pillars. Their gigantic purple petals were all facing me, giving out a sweet floral scent; their big thorny leaves stirred slightly in the air. The strong roots penetrated the marble slabs of the floor, probably digging all the way down to the ground. I couldn't remember having seen anything like that before. I shivered at their sight but still moved towards them as the scent gradually smelt irresistibly stronger; a rare tranquility surged within me, as if I were in trance. A sudden gust of wind blew against me as I approached, like a sign telling me to turn back -which I ignored completely. Reaching closer, I extended a hand to touch one of those fleshy petals, which looked as if they were waiting for me patiently. Just for a second the flower seemed to be approaching me too -but no; that's impossible, I thought.
Obeying an inner scream, I turned away and jumped back to the staircase, barely avoiding the grasp of the insidious enemy that was now dashing and snapping at me, revealing three circles of long sharp teeth inside the crimson calyx! Even now that I was beyond its reach, the sinister creature still strove to grab me, jolting its thick trunk back and forth maniacally. Right then, I realized in terror that the rest of the flowers had just come to life as well: they all shook threateningly around the pillars, opening up and sucking the air with their abnormal calyxes and the horrible teeth shining inside. There must be something really inva-luable behind this door, I pondered, as I was drawing my laser weapon; I fired immediately, again and again, quickly reducing to ashes all the carnivorous plants that guarded the entrance to the mausoleum, as well as the translucent gate which seemed to have no lock at all.
….
Full of doubts, excitement and cautiousness, I crossed the threshold of the ancient edifice at last. Innumerable sunbeams, in all colours of the rainbow, rushed through the transparent vault, producing a wondrous spectacle. In the middle of the vast room there was a massive construction made of gray stone -obviously an altar, with some instruments of witchcraft lying on it: An impressive Simisen sword, three black lancets, two gold chalices, numerous magic seals curved with weird ideograms, and a round metal hearth coated with blackened ashes inside. A perfect circle, painted with a dark red substance, was engraved on the ochre marble floor around the altar.
All of a sudden, light steps echoed behind me and then a soft chuckle. I turned round at once, with my laser weapon in hand, and froze when I saw who the intruder was:
“You! It's you again!” I exclaimed, scarcely believing my eyes: It was Venor, the Palladian crown prince who had been following me, since when? I certainly didn't expect to meet him so soon.
“You are not the only one who is looking for the Blue Mystique, a primeval symbol of wisdom and power”, he answered.
Surely, he was more sincere to me than to his brother.
“You know it is not just a symbol,” I said in a low voice.
“Of course I do!”
“You don't expect me to trust you, do you?”
Venor shrugged his shoulders and stared at me with an enigmatic smile on his face.
“You can trust me as much as I can trust you,” he answered. “But we can fight and maybe kill each other right now, or look for the precious item together. It isn't going to be so simple from now on, you know that!”, he concluded and approached me, entirely ignoring my gun being pointed at him.
“Don't tell me you've come here all alone,” I said, trying to keep my composure.
“There are no Palladian soldiers here, Sandra; in here I am alone,” he replied calm.
“I... I don't know, Venor,” I stuttered, meaning that I didn't know what to do...
I thought about it no longer, as my eyes unconsciously fell on the opposite wall, where an extremely lifelike relief mural, almost untouched by time, overlooked the whole room. I stood motionless and observed it like hypnotized for a few moments: Once magnificent edifices reduced to rubble by bombing; crowds of people mourning and suffering; volcanoes erupting in the background; countless fires burning bright; corpses scattered everywhere; sinister black skies; and, all dominating, a gigantic woman's figure with long blond hair and a fine gossamer gown -who she reminded me of, I refused to admit to myself. She stood supercilious on a dark hillock, having a huge carnivorous flower in her right hand and a demonic smile on her impeccable face. Above the mural there was a chiselled inscription written in the ancient language of Iridor, meaning Your Pain Makes Me Powerful. All of a sudden, a terrible suspicion made me shiver: Is it possible that She has been here? Oh, no, I hope not! The last time I had met her was nine months before, in the sixth military base of Nabor, when she had allied herself to the Assars for the genocide of the revolted nations on Azenkur.
“I don't know what's scared you so much, but I assure you, I mean no harm! At least not for the time being!” said Venor then, interrupting my bleak thoughts.
Is he frank? I wondered and stared at him, as if I had never seen him before. Anyway, it was too late to go back now. I had to go on with my quest, even if accompanied by my worst enemy who, oddly enough, seems to always know my whereabouts.
…But how, indeed? After all, I always wear my Alvesten bracelets -a precious gift from my companion, the notorious outlaw Arion of Tifereth- which continually protect me from my DNA-interwoven implants as well as electromagnetic mind control. Yet, more often than not I have the impression that I can't escape Venor's subtle influence, let alone I always find him before me. So, no matter how hard I try to ignore the fact, it is obvious that the Alvesten bracelets are not fully effective -and Arion had explained this to me right from the start: “There is no perfect antidote for negative implants; otherwise, they wouldn't have made them in the first place”, were his exact words.
….
We walked up the spiral staircase to the upper level of the polyhedral room and soon came to a hemispherical dais. Right in the middle, embedded in the thick wall, there was an ancient tombstone made of black rock. Venor pulled out his laser weapon and fired at once; the heavy stone slab went up with a roar. Inside the ancient tomb stood a shiny metal sarcophagus, its relief cover beaten into the form of a young noble woman holding a gold sceptre in her folded hands. Over her head there was a curved inscription meaning “Cyane Who Reigns For Ever”. We both had to pull very hard, until the heavy metal cover began to move with a screeching sound.
I couldn't tell exactly why, but the blood froze in my veins as I came face to face with the primeval mummy that stood rigid inside the sarcophagus. At first, what impressed me most was the sparkling carmine gem which was fixed in the centre of the gold diadem on her long, platinum hair. Her flimsy azure gown ended in fine lace leaves; both her hands were loaded with exquisite jewels that glittered in the bright light coming through the crystals of the vault. However, the most precious treasure was wrapped around her waist: a broad belt trimmed with gold and innumerable precious blue stones forming an intricate floral pattern. I smiled in relief, as I knew I had found it at last: The sacred belt of queen Cyane, alias the Blue Mystique, the key to supernatural powers and wisdom, once worn only by queens and high priestesses. Yet, I could also feel that something was wrong, very very wrong.
Next moment, a blinding light was diffused in the ionized atmosphere and, as if in a paranoiac hallucination, the queen's dead eyes opened up and focused on me -piercing, demonic purple eyes glowing in abysmal wickedness. I stepped back terrified, as I realized it was not the mummy of Cyane now standing before me; it was something completely different: an extremely malevolent, yet familiar woman of uncertain age, radiating an uncanny, hypnotizing charm. She looked entirely different from the last time I had confronted her, many light years away from here, in the sixth base of the Nabor Dynasty, where she sought power, more and more power -like she always does.
“Lady Chimaera! What are you doing here?” I cried.
“What am I doing here?” she chuckled. “The so-called Distant Planet used to one of my most important kingdoms; for thousands of years I was worshiped as the omnipotent Queen Cyane!”
“It is her who gradually tainted their souls across the centuries, until she led them to the last world war, which finally resulted in the Long Winter”, explained Venor in a low voice. “Lady Chimaera is a vampiric entity, feeding on the suffering and worship of her subjects, just like all 'gods' do. Every inhabited planet in the known universe is ruled by one at least. Many have worshiped her for millennia, many still do”, he concluded and I wondered:
“Weren't you allies once?”
“Your pain makes me stronger”, Venor went on, as if he had not heard me at all, acknowledging Chimaera's resemblance to the imperious woman on the mural.
“So, you are becoming more and more clever, maybe clever enough to serve me in one of my work-sites!”, she announced sarcastically. Then, with a quick yet graceful movement of her hands, she opened the lid of one of her rings and softly blew a thin yellow dust into the air.
As if carried away by a mysterious airstream, the dust floated towards us before it was dispelled in the hazy atmosphere. Right after, everything happened too fast, as if in a nightmare: Venor and I just stood there numb, watching a bizarre, translucent kind of barrier being shaped around us; within seconds it had taken the form of an immense spectral vault which loomed over our heads, while blurred images were gradually coming to life inside it. Namely, we were trapped in a dimensional dome. The mausoleum of Queen Cyane, the abandoned kingdom of Iridor, the Distant Planet, were already a long gone past, which would soon become an insignificant memory and finally fade away like a futile fantasy.
….
Venor and I were elsewhere now, in one of the numerous worlds dominated by Lady Chimaera, one of the worlds she plays in her fingers like expensive but dispen-sable toys.
“What are we doing now?” I shouted frightened.
Instead of an answer, there was sullen silence; moments in time passing against us, as Lady Chimaera seemed to have won. All I could do now, was stand there like frozen and watch in despair the dimensional dome gradually melting away. The land around us seemed to be expanding, changing, and... it was so hot! The place was gaunt, without a trace of vegetation, under a blue sky and a blazing sun. Suddenly, I perceived agitation all around us: a jumble of voices, hustle and bustle, high pillars, huge stones, big clouds of dust everywhere; countless people, all dressed in tattered clothes, performed various tasks of more or less ambiguous purpose; yet, very soon it was clear to me that all of them were slowly building a glorious palace for an omnipotent queen. The busy work-site was supervised by vigilant droids and everything seemed to be going like clockwork; nobody looked displeased or confused; they all carried out their duties eagerly, maybe even proudly. Having surrendered their souls to Lady Chimaera, their queen and goddess, hard work was the ideal way to show their eternal allegiance; and I was already beginning to find the situation not so insane.
One of the droids hastened towards us. I took my gun out and fired, but it kept approaching undaunted. I repeated again and again, yet my laser beams didn't seem to affect it anyhow. Venor didn't even try to stop it. With a sharp movement of its arm, the metal slave-driver pushed the weapon off my hands and crushed it on the ground. Then he started giving us orders in a strange language that I, oddly enough, could understand quite well. That's too bad; the hallucination has already started to penetrate in my conscience, I realized in desperation.
“If we stay here a little longer, we will actually belong here, with absolutely no memory of our real selves,” said Venor then, as if he had read my mind.
In the meanwhile, the dimensional dome was getting more and more transparent, its limits more and more indefinable.
“There is a faint hope to get out of here”, the prince went on. “Dimensional domes are not completely compact; they have chasms here and there, through which we can escape, if we discover one in time, of course...”
“How can we find such a chasm?” I asked abruptly.
“It may be anywhere there is dark, shadow, void; always in the parts of the dome that fade away last. But we must be careful, there is no time for mistakes!”
I started to scan the whole place, carefully watching the gradual fading of the dome. It wasn't so simple: The bright sunlight formed shines, glazes, blurs on the smooth surfaces and fooled my eyesight; my agony was only making things worse. All of a sudden, Venor pulled me violently by the hand and took me off towards a pile of chiseled stones. I discerned a black gap among them and right there the dome was flickering slightly. This could be a chasm, I hoped. We had to perform a set of acrobatic jumps in order to avoid two droid supervisors who immediately rushed to stop us. As they were drawing their heavy weapons ready to shoot, Venor disappeared into the chasm with an impressive plunge; I followed suit just in the nick of time.
….
At first, the place looked alien to me. It took me a few seconds to start recognizing familiar objects: the main hall of the mausoleum, the gray altar, the blackened hearth, the crystal vault, the hemispherical dais, the relief sarcophagus with the inscription “Cyane Who Reigns For Ever”. Inside the opened tomb, the last queen of the Distant Planet appeared majestic in her gold-embroidered mortuary gown and the fine jewellery. This is not really her, of course; a powerful vampire never really dies. It is just a semi-organic replica of the queen, nothing more than an idolatrous effigy, I realized then. The impressive royal diadem still sparkled on her long platinum hair. The dominant carmine gem, which seemed to be shining with an inner light, looked like a ruby but now I had no doubt about what it really was: an intricate mechanism meant to produce the dreadful holo-gram of Lady Chimaera as well as the dimensional dome, the moment the sarcophagus was opened. But I had escaped that danger, thanks to Venor...
“Time to cast the Transfer Spell”, he said then, in a loud voice. “You have only one chance, so don't make any mistakes, or we won't be able to remove the belt!”
Taking into account that the ancient civilization of Iridor was matriarchal, it made sense that the Transfer Spell could be uttered by women only -and that explained many things...
“Ujad quesfin viratur fezz... ujad viratur kuj... ujad lei”, I pronounced slowly, gently touching the sacred belt with my fingertips. Then, after an instant hesitation, I took in my hands and put it around my waist. I expected something extraordinary to happen, a kind of mystic experience maybe, but no; it was like a wave of energy surging within me, making me feel better, better than ever before. Next moment, Venor slammed the sarcophagus cover shut and we both set out on the way back, without uttering a word.
After an endless hike along winding stone paths and half-ruined stairways on steep mountain slopes, we finally stood in front of the arched gate that leads in or out of Iridor. After taking a last look at the legendary underground world, we entered the inky-dark tunnel that would lead us back to the Cave of Oblivion.
….
We had just arrived at the cavern, when I heard Venor's commanding voice echo behind me:
“Enough, Sandra! Give me the belt right now!”
“It's not your size,” I joked tepidly -maybe because I had been expecting this right from the start. I turned slowly and faced his stony stare, as he was pointing his laser gun at me. Right then, four Palladian warriors entered the cave, with their weapons in hand. I felt a pang of anguish, but only for an instant...
Οne of the soldiers fired at once but I dodged the mortal beam with an acrobatic jump that surprised even myself: I leaped backwards in a flash, then on a rock and down again with a somersault in the air -all this with considerable ease and calm. It is true then; the Blue Mystique does enhance physical and mental abilities, I pondered, while Venor and his men were shooting at me furiously, again and again; I barely managed to escape their deadly laser beams, running and jumping frantically among the frozen rocks, until I took cover behind a large boulder beside the entrance of the dark tunnel. However, a few moments later I had to move away and roll on the ground as fast as possible, as the enemies came nearer and nearer, rallying round their leader, firing at me continuously. I finally hid behind another rock, which soon proved to be nothing but a dead end.
It was just then that I discerned a slender shadow emerging from the haze of the outside world, soon reaching the entrance of the cavern. Before anyone had noticed anything, the notorious outlaw Arion of Tifereth had approached enough to fire his laser gun and neutralize two of the soldiers. I had asked him to stay in the Zephyrus and keep his eyes open for anything suspicious, but...
What took him so long? I wondered, as the enemies were distracted for an instant -just the time I needed to dash among the gray rocks and get closer to the entrance. All at once, a tall soldier popped up in front of me; I jumped high with a loud martial cry, kicked his face hard and fired against the other one who was about to shoot at me. Only the Palladian prince was still standing, alone and uncovered.
“Kill him now, Sandra! You will never have such a chance!” Arion cried.
It would have been too easy; all I had to do was press the trigger; yet my hand refused to obey and I could now discern an imperceptible smile on Venor's lips. Suddenly, he rushed back to the rocks looking for cover, firing madly against Arion and me. We both ducked instinctively and sought cover behind the nearest boulders. Next moment I lifted my head cautiously and took a glance over my ice-cold hiding place; I saw Arion slide stealthily among the rocks and approach Venor from the left. The enemy wasn't aware of that yet, but the outlaw was aiming at his head. No, he was not going to miss...
Without a second thought, I abandoned my cover at once; I ran as fast as never before amongst the jagged boulders, and finally managed to come close enough to the bewildered enemy; a well-aimed blow with my elbow on his right temple, and the prince sank to the ground unconscious. Arion watched the whole scene speechless, without belie-ving his eyes. If I had not reacted fast enough, the prince would be dead now.
There was a sullen silence between us, which I preferred to break immediately:
“What took you so long, Arion?”
“Nothing ever takes me long, Sandra!” he replied mordantly.
In all, I think he was right: Inside Iridor I was in no danger; Venor needed me to utter the Transfer Spell and I needed him to show me the way out of the vampire's trap...
….
Stepping out of the cavern at last, I felt wonderful -like waking up from a most agonizing dream. The freezing winds of the night were whistling mournfully among the icy rocks that glimmered like silver in the light of three crescent moons.
“So, why did you prevent me from killing our worst enemy?”, asked Arion suddenly, with the same expression of anger on his face.
“You don't want him dead, Arion; If he is gone, Xavier will be heir to the throne. In comparison with him, Venor is an angel!”
“I wouldn't be so sure about this!”, he said in disbelief. “Anyway, there is one more thing we have to do! You don't want Venor at our heels while leaving the Distant Planet, do you?”
He didn't wait for an answer; he swung round at once, drew his laser weapon and fired at the massive rocks above the Cave of Oblivion. I only stood there silent, watching the heavy boulders tumble down until the entrance of the cavern was completely blocked.
“This will delay him for a while,” chuckled Arion.
“Let's get out of here,” I said in undertones.
Dawn was already breaking in the horizon when we finally took off from the Distant Planet; before long we left the solar system of Tadiran far behind, resuming a space travel which is never meant to end...