The Stranger
The Golden Ostrich
* * *
Ophene and I followed Linus up the stairs to the circular building. She firmly placed both hands against the door and pushed...something clicked inside and the door began to move inward while large bolts spiraled outwards. The doorway finally slid open and we entered.
The room was still damp, and relatively dim...we stood on a giant grate with a ladder leading down through the ground. Linus immediately clanked across the 'floor' and grasped the rungs, beginning her descent...we clambered down after her.
The tunnel below was pitch black and narrow...we felt our way through, dragging our fingers along the smooth walls. After several minutes, a whisper of light began to appear ahead...a second ladder became apparent and we climbed up...
We emerged through another short tunnel far above the lake...I had barely noticed the upward slant we were following moments before. I gazed down at the brilliant azure waters and felt my head begin to spin. Ophene reached up and touched my hand...I realized she and Linus had leapt down onto the cliff. My feet made contact with the ground and I lost the floating sensation...
Linus crouched down close to the rocky soil and peered out over the landscape...Ophene sat next to her and followed her gaze.
"Where's the fifth one?" Linus finally asked.
"Prison Island?" Ophene asked. "Over there...it's not connected to the others." She pointed to the right, towards a small chunk of land alone on the endless ocean.
"Have you ever been up here before?"
"No...Gehn likes us to stay herded together like sheep on Jungle Island. Villagers rarely explore or wander, for fear of being associated with the Moiety."
"Suppose we'd best find a way down," Linus said. "I don't think we're going to get back up into that tunnel."
"There's a little path," I said, speaking up at last. Linus turned and saw the trail I was indicating. She smiled and rose back onto her feet.
"Ah...very good. Let's see where it goes then."
It wound over a small hill and came to an abrupt end near a balcony jutting out from the cliff. Linus swung her legs over the railing, Ophene following suit directly behind her. As she slid down I caught a glimpse of the red and black clothes of the Moiety beneath the pleats of her skirt. I smiled at her audacity and wondered if our mother had ever seen them...probably not; Ophene was still living with us...
Leading out to the balcony were two giant doors of steel...Linus gently leaned against them and they swung open with an ancient rusty groan.
Inside it was dark and gloomy...a catwalk led into the black void of a cave, although I couldn't see what lay beyond the darkness. We walked in, the air becoming colder with our every step, until the long platform came to an end in front of a very bizarre-looking contraption.
We scoured over it, trying to uncover the purpose of the metal sphere suspended by three sleek cords, or the pattern of holes punched into its surface. A thin but useless lever poked out of the darkness to the left of the machine...attached to the flat ring surrounding the orb was a bowl of what looked to be food pellets.
"Looks to be some sort of trap," said Linus, cautiously opening the sphere. Inside was a disc with a tiny indentation, apparently for holding one of the pellets. Ophene set one on the plate and frowned.
"What could it possibly be a trap for?"
"Something very small," I said.
"Gehn usually tries to capture larger, more volatile creatures like Wharks," she mused. "Very odd."
Linus tugged fruitlessly at the lever and leaned against the railing in surrender. "Whatever his reasoning, it looks like he's disabled it somehow."
We were about to leave when I noticed something else strange about the cave. "Why is there a fan in here? It's already freezing cold." The others looked up and saw the blades spinning over the trap.
"Maybe it's for ventilation." Linus's eyes followed the think pipe into the gloom. "Perhaps it leads somewhere..."
"The only reasonable place it could go would be Gehn's study...that's up on this cliff somewhere, at least according to rumor," murmured Ophene.
"Well if we could turn it off somehow, I'll bet we could crawl through the pipe!" I said excitedly.
Linus continued to stare into the darkness and nodded slowly. "Maybe so...but there's not point just standing here wishing it would turn itself off...we should look for a switch." I pointed to the lever. "No, I think that's for the trap...Gehn has more sense than to leave a passage to his study so accessible."
I frowned slightly, but followed the two women as they swept back down the catwalk, Ophene's skirt rustling and Linus's boots clanking loudly...the echoes reverberated off the walls of the cave.
We stepped back outside and my sister walked to the side of the balcony opposite of which we had slid onto. She peered outwards, first towards the top of the golden dome, then towards something nearer.
"Don't shut the doors, Linus," she said suddenly. "Go back in."
Befuddled, we followed her directions and found ourselves back in the cave. Ophene closed the doors behind us, casting the cave in almost complete darkness...except for a wide beam of light coming from somewhere to our right...
"Ah," she said with a smile. "I thought so...there's a path leading outside over here." We proceeded out into the sunlight again and found a narrow trail leading along the edge of the cliff...not too far away was a respectably sized building, gleaming gold.
"That should be it!" said Linus excitedly. She set off at a run, Ophene and I at her heels.
Like some many things in Riven, the structure had five sides, all brilliant in the sun. Huge pieces of glass were set into the walls, and on the side facing us was a gigantic door...Linus reached out and tugged at the crank serving as a latch, but it refused to budge.
"Damn," she swore, prodding at it with her toe. "I guess we'll have to try to route through the fan then..."
We walked slowly back along the path until our eyes fell upon another lever...a motor was attached but silent, a long line stringing from it to the lake and another towards the cave.
Ophene studied this momentarily and her face suddenly lit up. "Ythaime...there's a trapdoor on the floor of the balcony...go down to the valve at the pier and turn it until I tell you to stop."
My face fell...it was not a short errand she was asking for, but I was determined to assist the Moiety in every way possible...my legs began to carry me to valve...
Once there, I twisted the valve all the way back and Ophene called out for me to leave it there...I looked up through the searing light and saw her bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. I hastened to rejoin them and heard the motor singing happily, the lever now in the opposite position.
Back inside the cave, along the catwalk, and the fan had ceased it's spinning. Linus clapped her hands together in delight and clambered onto the trap...she poked her head between the blades and laughed...I could hear the sound ringing along the pipe.
"Very clever...a perfect escape route. I suppose even depraved old men can be a mastermind on occasions." She hoisted herself up and we followed suit.
The pipe was by no means roomy, but we slid through it quite easily, knees banging against the cold metal as we crawled. Linus was the first to reach the other end and pushed down a circular grate...it banged noisily as it swung against it's hinge, then everything went silent.
"Shall we?" She awkwardly twisted herself out through the opening and disappeared with a thud.
By the time Ophene and I slid down, she was already pawing through the contents of the room. It was doubtlessly Gehn's office...blank linking books and bottles of the precious ink were stack on shelves...strange contraptions lay on the tables. I found these things fascinating, especially the orb that swelled with some sort of liquid when heated, but Linus and Ophene seemed more interested in a thin book with the mark of the D'ni star.
"What did you find?" I asked, abandoning the drawer of colored eggs.
"His journal," Ophene whispered in a tone of awe. I leaned over and watched Linus flip slowly through the pages covered with scratchy lines of text
"Here," she said, pointing at last to a row of five D'ni numerals etched at the top of one page. "The fire dome combination..."
Ophene grinned suddenly and tore a sheet of paper from one of the blank books. Her fingers reached for a quill and carefully copied the line...she handed it to Linus.
"We can't stay any longer; Sateba is probably already worried out of her shawl," Ophene said, shaking her head. "See what you can do with this and meet me at the Moiety Gate tonight when the moon hangs over Temple Island." Linus nodded and clasped my sister's hand.
"Thank you so much, and you as well Ythaime." She touched my face, then walked across the room and pulled at the door...it opened with a creak, revealing the path.
"I'm going to explore the rest of the island," she said, motioning towards the opposite door."
"Tonight then." And we parted ways.
I look forward to meeting the rest of the Moiety soon...
* * *
Author's Note: that was long...I know the writing style sort of slipped for awhile, but Ythaime doesn't feel like keeping up with the Rivenese culture today. He says he'll be better tomorrow...in the meantime, please review!
The Golden Ostrich
* * *
Ophene and I followed Linus up the stairs to the circular building. She firmly placed both hands against the door and pushed...something clicked inside and the door began to move inward while large bolts spiraled outwards. The doorway finally slid open and we entered.
The room was still damp, and relatively dim...we stood on a giant grate with a ladder leading down through the ground. Linus immediately clanked across the 'floor' and grasped the rungs, beginning her descent...we clambered down after her.
The tunnel below was pitch black and narrow...we felt our way through, dragging our fingers along the smooth walls. After several minutes, a whisper of light began to appear ahead...a second ladder became apparent and we climbed up...
We emerged through another short tunnel far above the lake...I had barely noticed the upward slant we were following moments before. I gazed down at the brilliant azure waters and felt my head begin to spin. Ophene reached up and touched my hand...I realized she and Linus had leapt down onto the cliff. My feet made contact with the ground and I lost the floating sensation...
Linus crouched down close to the rocky soil and peered out over the landscape...Ophene sat next to her and followed her gaze.
"Where's the fifth one?" Linus finally asked.
"Prison Island?" Ophene asked. "Over there...it's not connected to the others." She pointed to the right, towards a small chunk of land alone on the endless ocean.
"Have you ever been up here before?"
"No...Gehn likes us to stay herded together like sheep on Jungle Island. Villagers rarely explore or wander, for fear of being associated with the Moiety."
"Suppose we'd best find a way down," Linus said. "I don't think we're going to get back up into that tunnel."
"There's a little path," I said, speaking up at last. Linus turned and saw the trail I was indicating. She smiled and rose back onto her feet.
"Ah...very good. Let's see where it goes then."
It wound over a small hill and came to an abrupt end near a balcony jutting out from the cliff. Linus swung her legs over the railing, Ophene following suit directly behind her. As she slid down I caught a glimpse of the red and black clothes of the Moiety beneath the pleats of her skirt. I smiled at her audacity and wondered if our mother had ever seen them...probably not; Ophene was still living with us...
Leading out to the balcony were two giant doors of steel...Linus gently leaned against them and they swung open with an ancient rusty groan.
Inside it was dark and gloomy...a catwalk led into the black void of a cave, although I couldn't see what lay beyond the darkness. We walked in, the air becoming colder with our every step, until the long platform came to an end in front of a very bizarre-looking contraption.
We scoured over it, trying to uncover the purpose of the metal sphere suspended by three sleek cords, or the pattern of holes punched into its surface. A thin but useless lever poked out of the darkness to the left of the machine...attached to the flat ring surrounding the orb was a bowl of what looked to be food pellets.
"Looks to be some sort of trap," said Linus, cautiously opening the sphere. Inside was a disc with a tiny indentation, apparently for holding one of the pellets. Ophene set one on the plate and frowned.
"What could it possibly be a trap for?"
"Something very small," I said.
"Gehn usually tries to capture larger, more volatile creatures like Wharks," she mused. "Very odd."
Linus tugged fruitlessly at the lever and leaned against the railing in surrender. "Whatever his reasoning, it looks like he's disabled it somehow."
We were about to leave when I noticed something else strange about the cave. "Why is there a fan in here? It's already freezing cold." The others looked up and saw the blades spinning over the trap.
"Maybe it's for ventilation." Linus's eyes followed the think pipe into the gloom. "Perhaps it leads somewhere..."
"The only reasonable place it could go would be Gehn's study...that's up on this cliff somewhere, at least according to rumor," murmured Ophene.
"Well if we could turn it off somehow, I'll bet we could crawl through the pipe!" I said excitedly.
Linus continued to stare into the darkness and nodded slowly. "Maybe so...but there's not point just standing here wishing it would turn itself off...we should look for a switch." I pointed to the lever. "No, I think that's for the trap...Gehn has more sense than to leave a passage to his study so accessible."
I frowned slightly, but followed the two women as they swept back down the catwalk, Ophene's skirt rustling and Linus's boots clanking loudly...the echoes reverberated off the walls of the cave.
We stepped back outside and my sister walked to the side of the balcony opposite of which we had slid onto. She peered outwards, first towards the top of the golden dome, then towards something nearer.
"Don't shut the doors, Linus," she said suddenly. "Go back in."
Befuddled, we followed her directions and found ourselves back in the cave. Ophene closed the doors behind us, casting the cave in almost complete darkness...except for a wide beam of light coming from somewhere to our right...
"Ah," she said with a smile. "I thought so...there's a path leading outside over here." We proceeded out into the sunlight again and found a narrow trail leading along the edge of the cliff...not too far away was a respectably sized building, gleaming gold.
"That should be it!" said Linus excitedly. She set off at a run, Ophene and I at her heels.
Like some many things in Riven, the structure had five sides, all brilliant in the sun. Huge pieces of glass were set into the walls, and on the side facing us was a gigantic door...Linus reached out and tugged at the crank serving as a latch, but it refused to budge.
"Damn," she swore, prodding at it with her toe. "I guess we'll have to try to route through the fan then..."
We walked slowly back along the path until our eyes fell upon another lever...a motor was attached but silent, a long line stringing from it to the lake and another towards the cave.
Ophene studied this momentarily and her face suddenly lit up. "Ythaime...there's a trapdoor on the floor of the balcony...go down to the valve at the pier and turn it until I tell you to stop."
My face fell...it was not a short errand she was asking for, but I was determined to assist the Moiety in every way possible...my legs began to carry me to valve...
Once there, I twisted the valve all the way back and Ophene called out for me to leave it there...I looked up through the searing light and saw her bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. I hastened to rejoin them and heard the motor singing happily, the lever now in the opposite position.
Back inside the cave, along the catwalk, and the fan had ceased it's spinning. Linus clapped her hands together in delight and clambered onto the trap...she poked her head between the blades and laughed...I could hear the sound ringing along the pipe.
"Very clever...a perfect escape route. I suppose even depraved old men can be a mastermind on occasions." She hoisted herself up and we followed suit.
The pipe was by no means roomy, but we slid through it quite easily, knees banging against the cold metal as we crawled. Linus was the first to reach the other end and pushed down a circular grate...it banged noisily as it swung against it's hinge, then everything went silent.
"Shall we?" She awkwardly twisted herself out through the opening and disappeared with a thud.
By the time Ophene and I slid down, she was already pawing through the contents of the room. It was doubtlessly Gehn's office...blank linking books and bottles of the precious ink were stack on shelves...strange contraptions lay on the tables. I found these things fascinating, especially the orb that swelled with some sort of liquid when heated, but Linus and Ophene seemed more interested in a thin book with the mark of the D'ni star.
"What did you find?" I asked, abandoning the drawer of colored eggs.
"His journal," Ophene whispered in a tone of awe. I leaned over and watched Linus flip slowly through the pages covered with scratchy lines of text
"Here," she said, pointing at last to a row of five D'ni numerals etched at the top of one page. "The fire dome combination..."
Ophene grinned suddenly and tore a sheet of paper from one of the blank books. Her fingers reached for a quill and carefully copied the line...she handed it to Linus.
"We can't stay any longer; Sateba is probably already worried out of her shawl," Ophene said, shaking her head. "See what you can do with this and meet me at the Moiety Gate tonight when the moon hangs over Temple Island." Linus nodded and clasped my sister's hand.
"Thank you so much, and you as well Ythaime." She touched my face, then walked across the room and pulled at the door...it opened with a creak, revealing the path.
"I'm going to explore the rest of the island," she said, motioning towards the opposite door."
"Tonight then." And we parted ways.
I look forward to meeting the rest of the Moiety soon...
* * *
Author's Note: that was long...I know the writing style sort of slipped for awhile, but Ythaime doesn't feel like keeping up with the Rivenese culture today. He says he'll be better tomorrow...in the meantime, please review!
