A/N: Hi. I've had some time. Writing! 3
Twenty-six
Kathryn woke to bright light.
Squinting, she sat up — stretched against a stiff, aching body. Just beyond the opening of the cave, sunlight pooled.
She lowered her arms and took a deep breath. Her lungs felt overworked, raspy as she drew in air. Her knee throbbed — protested sharply when she bent and pulled her legs up.
But she was whole. Intact.
Her clothes were still wet, and as she continued to gently stretch and assess her condition, the cold, soggy material sent a chill through her.
The cavern was much larger than she'd imagined in the darkness of last night. It curved and rose in height from where she sat, tunneling off and out of view.
She crawled forward to the entrance, sunlight beckoning. But a gust of air hit her and, primally, she drew back. The storm had brought a sharp change in the temperature; if precipitation were falling now, it would be snow.
Steeling herself, she crawled out of the cave and stood; the cold air immediately set her shivering. The sun was bright, the sky a virtuous blue, but winter had clearly caught up with her.
Scanning the horizon, all 360 degrees of it, there was not a tree or plant to be seen. Back up the mountain, down, it was all rocks and boulders, and dark, rust-red dirt. It was the most barren patch of planet she'd yet encountered.
She ducked back inside and retreated against the wall, instinctively drawing her arms and legs close.
Part decision, part desperation — unable to stop shivering — she crawled deeper into the cave. After a few meters, she was able to stand upright. It grew dimmer as she moved and she took cautious steps, feeling along the wall, hands sliding over rock, to guide her way.
The path took a downward slope and turned sharply to her left. The bend took out the last of the light and she paused when the darkness became total, the suddenness of it overwhelming.
Breathe.
She could go back; light was close, just behind her. But she thought it had gotten warmer, even if only slightly. Increasing the further she went. She had to keep going.
Summoning her fortitude, she continued on, slowly. One step at a time, hands never leaving the solid rock wall — trying not to think about what there might be lurking.
Minutes later (maybe hours — time's meaning twisted in the darkness), she developed night vision and could just barely make out the edges of rock below, above and beside her.
She laughed out lout — night vision; ha!
It was light, emanating from somewhere up ahead, faintly revealing her surroundings.
It was probably another opening, but she couldn't yet feel the outside air. As her eyes adjusted to the dim illumination, a small rush of adrenaline pulsed, curiosity trickling in to mix with her need for warmth.
The tunnel continued some distance and the light grew as she pushed forward. Then, suddenly, the narrow space gave way and she found herself in a cavern.
She gasped, the shock of it almost sending her backwards. The space was enormous. And bright! Light streamed from above, wide beams shining between arches…
Arches…crossed arches…
She stared up in utter awe.
The structure was made of timber, maybe? And something translucent, between the beams. Glass? It was thick. She could see rock above the dome, and…mirrors? The dome seemed to be nested entirely beneath the mountain, but light was abundant. It was beautiful. It was miraculous. It was…
Overcome as she took it all in, she fell to her knees and wept, tears flowing from some deep, damaged part of her.
The elegant dome above her, the cavern lit with carefully reflected light, were the remains of a civilization. And somehow, knowing it, seeing it, she suddenly felt less alone.
There had been life here — right here. Intelligent life.
There was more. Her tears turned to laughter and she rose to step further into the room, to explore. As she circled slowly, the wonders only accumulated. There was a table — wooden. Chairs. Benches, in rows. Near the middle of the room, there was a large basin, built of stone, empty — maybe half a meter deep, decorated with patches of bright tiles shining in a mosaic of color, lit brightly from above.
It was a gathering place. A place of worship? Celebration? Sacrifice? Her mind spun with the possibilities.
There was a stand — a lectern? — on the other side of the room. And another table. More chairs — wooden? And there was another tunnel, at about 2 o'clock from where she'd entered the space — and there another, at 10. Not far from there were shelves with vessels of some kind — red in hue. Most were fully intact. She stepped close, reached out and brushed at one of them softly, feeling the smooth, dry texture of clay. Gently, she picked it up. It was heavy. And empty.
Walking near the second tunnel, Kathryn detected a faint smell. It reminded her of…sulphur? She stepped inside and gasped yet again when she laid eyes on the colorful walls. Images, symbols, colors were painted floor to ceiling. She started to pore over them almost without thinking, her mind instantly flying with interpretation. Bipedal beings! Animals. Scenes of ritual. Life and events!
As she took a few more steps down the tunnel, the warmth hit her. And….steam.
Abandoning the walls, she almost ran down the path now, even as it grew darker, and then suddenly it was bright again and she saw it.
Blinking, heart racing, she stepped to the edge of the pool and reached down to touch the water. She laughed and sobbed simultaneously and it was all she could do to toss her things aside, peel away her cold, tattered clothes and slide, legs first, into the steamy, warm spring.
So sorry about this…
The chair was a beautifully constructed thing; solid, sturdy, with elaborate patterns carved expertly along the base and back. Its size hinted at beings not too dissimilarly sized from humans, and bipedal more likely than not.
She shaved off small bits of the wood using her bone knife. The kindling caught easily when she lit it, and after debating whether to try and break up the chair, she decided just to lay it gently, intact, over the burgeoning flame.
She draped her clothes over other chairs she pulled close to the stone basin, and then curled up next to the fire, herself. Her scarf had already dried — mostly — and she drew it around her shoulders, leaned as close to the flames as she could.
It wasn't frigid in the cavern, but after the hot spring, she was chilled out in the open, without clothing to protect her.
She'd lingered in the warm pool for so long she thought it might take days for her skin to return to normal. Ultimately, it was fatigue that had drawn her out. She'd caught herself drifting off more than once and decided she truly did not wish to drown in the spring, as glorious as it was.
She'd filled one of the clay vessels with water from the pool; cooled, she could drink it. Nutrition was her next challenge, but in her improved circumstances she felt optimistic she'd work it out.
The chair caught, flames building in the middle — gorgeous warmth. Kathryn thought about the beings who'd created it. How long ago were they here? What were they like? And…where did they go?
They mystery of it was like a salve for her soul. Her body warm now, she felt almost giddy at the prospect of exploring every square centimeter of the cavern and its connecting caves, studying the artifacts, the artistry, and learning all she could about the beings who had once called this planet home.