Azyma found herself in a state of serene wonder as she wandered sedately through the historic and beautiful sanctuary of the Precursor Mountain Temple. She had never been this close to Precursor metal before, close enough to touch, and she was entranced by its pristine, preternatural qualities. Her reflection shimmered along on the polished walls beside her as she walked, faint and ghostly from a distance, but clear and defined up close. She paused, and looked upon an illusion of herself that no mirror could show. Her own eyes regarded her as if imbued with a regal sapience from a time long lost, so familiar but yet unknown. Pressing a hand to its smooth and glossy surface, she found it was pleasantly warm beneath her fingers, as if heated by some internal, resonant energy. Her reflection did the same, and maybe it was a trick of the light playing on the texture, but she thought she saw it suddenly wink at her, even though she made no such motion. She pulled back in slight surprise, and it became a phantom blur again, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to get closer for another look.
Believing that she most likely imagined it, she instead looked left, down the continuing hallway inside this palatial temple structure. Keira was furthest ahead, leading the group with Tess close by her heels, and Sig following attentively, always keeping a sharp eye out for any unexpected trouble, though they had encountered none so far. They were drawing ahead of her, so she hurried her pace a little to catch up.
Sig heard her footsteps tapping down the hall and turned around, smiling warmly as always. "You doing alright?" he checked as a courtesy.
"Yeah, great," Azyma answered, stopping beside him. She struggled to hold back a bashful, childish giggle, as she often found herself inevitably doing whenever they happened to meet eyes. It was a slightly embarrassing and undesired reflex which she hoped she was mastering, but she could feel it rising up again, so she hurried past him quickly, catching up with Keira and Tess.
A few more metres and she had passed through a doorway into a spacious, open room under a high domed ceiling, and she slowed down again to gaze up with renewed wonder. It was so large that the tallest apartment building in the slums could comfortably fit inside with space to spare. Spectral lamps decorated the walls, with the greatest and brightest hanging in the inner apex like a weak, captured sun contained within this room. There was a strange humming sensation saturating the air in here, like they were at the bottom of a tank of invisible water. In between the lamps, spaced at perfectly regular intervals, were high yawning archways, vast and empty, which opened onto ledges like balconies over high drops, offering a view deeper into the surrounding network of dramatic stony valleys. Golden late afternoon sunbeams, nearing the horizontal, shot through the westernmost arches and cast broad, gleaming sheets of light upon the bronze floor.
Keira stood in the very centre of the hall, directly under the highest point of the dome. "This is pretty neat, huh?" she said, and her voice levitated upwards and filled the reverent space.
It certainly was, Azyma silently agreed. This whole place was truly wonderful and magical.
About an hour or two ago — or was it longer? It all felt so timeless here — she, Keira, Tess and Sig had taken the gateway through the city wall to the doorstep of the mountains, and stood once more upon the high bluff that made a vigil over the city. They could not have picked a better day for their return visit. The sky was a clear and perfectly cloudless blue, the air was warm and pleasant, and something about the late afternoon sunlight made the colours leap out into full contrast.
Through the high entrance pass they went, and they very quickly found evidence of the Freedom League scout teams who had not too long ago come to secure the area. Most significantly, access to the temples had been restored by a simple but robust metal walkway that now bridged the gap from the pass into the nearest building, and this was the way they had come. They had been exploring ever since.
Now amid the enigmatic structures, it was more captivating than Azyma could have dreamed. They were even more beautiful up close. All the temples here, though composed of artfully wrought Precursor Metal blazing bronze in the warm sun, were set among the foundations of stone that made up the encompassing valley, and some were even built into the very walls as if they were a natural extension of the bedrock. They explored cosy little shrines no bigger than the front room of Keira's house, open courtyards shaded by trees and decorated with spring-fed pools, to much larger structures with towering minarets that cast long shadows.
This temple they stood in now was the largest and grandest they had yet found, more magnificent and beautiful than any building in the city, a geometrical wonder that Azyma's mind could hardly comprehend. She guessed it had to be the central heart of the entire sanctuary around which all else had been designed.
Only Sig's appearance behind her again broke her magnetic admiration. Distracted, Azyma dared to look back over her shoulder momentarily, and saw him look up with relaxed interest at the high ceiling.
"Let's see if we can find a way back into the forest," said Keira. She stepped towards one of the great archways, onto its small, semi-circular outward ledge. With one hand on the wall of the arch as a security, she peered cautiously into the empty channels of another winding gorge, its bottom far away and imperceptible.
Tess and Sig went to two of the others and beheld similar views. But at hers, Azyma found the ledge opening onto a grassy pathway leading through another shallow valley.
"Hey, this looks promising," she called to the others, and they all proceeded down this new path together.
Several minutes later, after rounding a number of corners and climbing a few rocky steps, the path opened out again into a sort of enclosed courtyard populated by several new buildings, smaller than the central one they had just come from, but more lavishly decorated. The outer walls were shaped in rounded columns, which supported a rimmed dome crowned with large green stones. They each had but a single room, and inside they housed a large, majestic Precursor idol set upon a high dais, illuminated by two dishes of blue flame on either side. Azyma and Tess maintained a reverential silence in their presence; there was an indescribable feeling about them as if they were inhabited by some kind of spiritual entity that watched its visitors. Keira was more interested in the unreadable inscriptions carved beautifully on the walls, but it was a form of language that pre-dated even her extensive research, and she could not decipher them. All the while, Sig kept a firm lookout, just in case any Metal Heads were still hanging around and threatening to sneak up on them, his Peacemaker held ready in his strong arms.
"What do you suppose these things are for?" Azyma wondered aloud, meeting the large, bulbous eyes of one of the mysterious idols.
"People used to worship them in the past," Keira explained, "But I'm not sure if they still do."
"Well someone's lit the fires, look," said Tess. "Do you think it might have been the Freedom League?"
"Maybe," said Keira, but she had the arcane suspicion that they had perhaps always been lit, an undying fire.
They continued exploring these shrines and the spaces around them until the afternoon became old. The sun fell lower in the sky and eventually disappeared behind the high pinnacles of stone, lengthening and deepening the shadows in the valleys. The temples and other buildings seemed to react to the changing light, and more lamps started to hum into brightness. Bathed in their own soft glow, the atmosphere now felt more magical and peaceful than ever before. Though she was aware of the advancing hour and the imminent fall of night, this time Azyma did not feel afraid to stay late out here, for these temples made her feel safe and at peace, and the addition of Sig's reassuring and alluring presence also made her feel a lot braver. She didn't want him to think that she was scared.
Then, in a darkened corner of the area hidden behind one of the shrines, Keira came upon a circular door in the face of the rocks. It was open, leading down into a narrow, grey chasm. "Hey, look over here!" she called, and they all gathered around the entrance.
This passage was quiet and cool, sheltered from the mild evening wind, but open above and spacious enough for them all to walk through it side by side. The soft grass reached only a few paces in, before giving way to dry dirt, which led on a steady decline around a dogleg bend.
"Let's look through here," Keira said promisingly, reminded at once of the passage by the entrance gorge that had taken them to the forest last time, and she strode forwards adventurously with her torch held high.
Sig was wary, scanning the high walls and the shadows through this ravine. "Just be careful, alright?" he reminded her. "I'm supposed to be looking out for you, remember. There might not be any Metal Heads around here now," he added, taking another quick look around, "But I don't want you getting lost either."
They all ventured in, Sig keeping his vigilant eye always open. The walls here looked solid and stable at least, with no evidence of any rockfalls, but to him this seemed like the perfect place for an ambush. The path was sloping downwards very gently, and the rocks grew ever higher and converged the deeper in they went, until all natural light began to fade and there was only a fissure of darkening sky above them. Keira held aloft her torch again and chased away the blackest shadows, and Sig did the same with the much brighter light at the end of his weapon.
Azyma felt more comfortable treading this much wider path than the one up by the entrance pass, and was secretly relieved that she wasn't going to have to squeeze through that tiny gap in the rocks again. Besides, one look at Sig made her doubt that he would even be able to follow them through, not with all that bulky armour on and those impressive muscles of his. Her stomach tingled, and she tried not to think of the two of them stuck together in a tight place.
The path continued in a number of slow turns on its descent, and everyone wondered when it would end and where it was taking them. But very soon, the sound of running water could be heard again, and Tess's ears pricked up.
"The waterfall in the forest!" she said. "It's got to be!"
The girls all smiled, and their excitement pressed them on, picking up the pace. They had to be getting closer, almost there. They continued on into the depths of the ravine, the sound of the water grew closer, but before long, they came upon a yawning cave mouth. The sound of the water was coming from within, louder and clearer than ever. Keira shone her torch inside, and could make out faint, shimmering patterns dancing on the wall further in, the unmistakeable movements of light shining through water.
"It's through here!" she said, and at once she strode inside.
"Keira, wait!" Sig called out, but she was gone.
The others were reluctant to follow.
"Keira?" Tess called into the cave.
Then they heard her voice. "Oh, this is incredible! Guys, you've really got to see this!"
The others all looked at each other, and drawn in with curiosity by the wonder in Keira's voice, stepped inside. Sig had to stoop a little under the low roof. Inside, the sound of the water was so loud that Azyma considered covering her ears; it sounded as if the waterfall were right on top of them, and droplets frequently fell from the ceiling.
Around a few corners, they emerged into a small chamber which was filled with a cool, misty vapour. Keira was standing there, and right in front of her, the cave wall opened upon a roaring, cascading body of water. They were standing in a concave niche right behind a waterfall, and the last light of the day filtered through it like liquid glass, casting reflective light patterns all around the cave walls.
"Look at that!" said Azyma in utter awe, the light shimmering in her eyes. She could feel the waterfall's thundering power in her chest, and she could hardly hear herself think over its noise.
This was definitely not the same, gentler waterfall they had found last time. Wherever they were, it was a completely different area. But where next?
Keira looked to her left and noticed that a ledge snaked its way around the wall, an undercutting in the stone a few feet wide. She couldn't tell if it had been laboriously carved out long ago by an unknown traveller of the past, or if it had somehow formed naturally. In either case, it was out of reach of the waterfall and wide enough to cross, leading around to somewhere new.
"There's a path here," she said, pointing it out to the others.
It was the only way forwards, and pulled on by adventure and discovery, one by one they began to creep their way across it. Keira stepped along carefully, the wall of water crashing down just feet away on her right side, dampening her hair and clothes in its spray. Tess followed her closely, looking up at it with a serene smile.
Azyma came next, trembling and not feeling safe in the slightest. She kept close to the wall, running one hand along it, but the floor was slick and her shoes did not have very good grip. Suddenly, one foot slipped out from under her and she lost her balance with a yelp, but she was caught almost instantly by Sig's strong arm before she could fall, and he pulled her back up with ease.
"You alright?" he asked her, his face close so that she could hear him over the roar of the waterfall.
Azyma couldn't speak and just nodded, pressing herself against the wall and her heart beating fast. Sig guided her along with his hand on her back, and Azyma felt more secured but still fearful. However, the fact that Sig was touching her made her heart race more than the fear, in a pleasant way, giving her the bravery to go on. She continued shakily along the path with a delicate pace, hoping that it would be over soon.
Finally, the ledge widened out until it separated from the cliff, and the slippery stone beneath her shoes became firm grass again. She let out the breath she was holding in gratefully, Sig let go of her, and then she took a moment to look at where she'd come to. They were atop a grass-covered mound overlooking the lip of a foaming plunge-pool, a drop of still several metres down as the waterfall continued to thunder. Just beyond it, there was a grove of gnarled trees and moss-covered stones, the threshold of the woodland.
Azyma sighed again in relief and happiness. They were here! They had made it back into the forest again!
Her heartbeat slowed to a natural level, and she smoothed down her damp hair. The sun was now set, but the patches of sky visible through the leafy canopies were a deep purple streaked with the last beams of gold.
"Ah, it's been a long time since I last came here," said Sig reminiscently.
"Come on, let's explore," said Keira.
With torch still in hand, she set off down the slope leading to lower ground on the left, leaving the waterfall behind. As they plunged deeper into the woodland, its roar faded, and they began to feel ever more isolated from the city. Its great wall was nowhere in sight, and they could recognise none of the scenery from last time; this was a new untrodden part of the forest that felt much older. At times, Keira thought she could hear whispery voices as the plants swayed in the gentle night breeze. Was the forest playing tricks on her senses again?
Behind her, Tess followed, often sniffing the air, Azyma walked behind her quietly in contemplation, and Sig trudged heavily along at the rear, scanning the gaps between the trees with his enhanced eye, and memorising parts of the path they had taken so they could find their way back. The last colours were fading from the sky now, and the new light of the rising moon began to creep into sight through the webbed ceiling of branches and leaves. Everything was still and quiet, the only sounds their footsteps and the emerging chatter of nocturnal insects.
It was not long before Sig sighted the edges of another body of water in the darkness ahead. They stopped at the banks of a still lake, a beautiful and calming sight. The deepening darkness robbed it of its detail; it was a glossy pane of black glass, broken at the shore by small rocks, and several taller island stacks which stood in deeper and further out, topped with grass or a lonely tree or two. One of its far sides met with the tall shape of the city wall, and the low moon's ghostly reflection floated in the unmoving, pristine surface. The night also concealed its scale and boundaries, and Keira wondered if this was the other end of the lake she had found on her last visit, but her torchlight was not strong enough to reach the other side of the water. She turned around to Sig, the eyes of his Metal Head armour glistening in the dim light, and asked if he could see what lay beyond.
Sig aimed his mechanical eye, which could see in the dark, out over the water. "I can see the other side," he said, and gauged the distance. "Looks about a hundred feet, but there's nothing over there except more rocks and trees."
"What shall we do now, then?" asked Azyma.
Tess and Sig didn't seem to have any ideas, letting Keira lead the party. But then she turned around with a cheeky smile on her face, and surprised them all with her next suggestion. "Anybody up for a swim?"
The others looked at her and then at each other with uncomprehending expressions. Was she serious? Had they heard her correctly?
"I want to see what's on the other side of the lake... and from the looks of it there's only one way over there."
Without waiting for an answer, she handed her torch to Azyma, who automatically took it. Then she dropped her backpack and sat down to begin unlacing her shoes. It looked like she was indeed serious.
"Wait a minute," said Tess, eying the dark expanse of the lake with concern. "You actually want to swim over there?"
"Why not?" Keira said brightly as her shoes came off.
To the others, the answers to this were obvious, but Keira seemed to hold no reservations. After all, she had enjoyed plenty of nocturnal swims in the waters, rivers and ponds around her village when she was a child, and the forest of Haven was her natural element. She was not afraid, and pushed her shoes to one side now and stood up again to slip out of the rest of her clothes.
Azyma felt a strange lurch in her stomach, and did not quite know what to say or where to look, let alone where to point the torch. But thankfully, Keira had come prepared, and was revealed to be wearing a swimsuit under her clothes. Azyma let out a breath of relief. For a moment, she had thought that Keira was going to go all the way and completely undress right in front of them all!
"Whoa, hold on Keira," said Sig finally. "I don't know about you going over there." He was reluctant to let her out of his sight again. Going headlong into the cave and then around the waterfall without knowing what lay ahead had been one thing, but now he really ought to gently put his foot down. "I promised your father I'd look out for you, and you going over there alone don't feel right."
"Well why don't one of you come with me then?" suggested Keira, not stopping for a second. "Split ourselves into two groups of two?"
"Well, it might be alright for you," Sig continued, "But I'm pretty sure the rest of us haven't brought any bathers."
But Keira was proving difficult to sway, and Sig, unsure of what else he could say, looked to Tess for help.
"Look, Keira," tried the ottsel, "Why don't we come back tomorrow when the sun's up and then sort something out? It'd be easier for us to explore in the light."
Azyma and Sig both quickly agreed. But Keira stood before them, now only in her swimsuit, and dropped her clothes into a pile on her bag, showing no indication that she would be putting them back on anytime soon. Azyma still didn't know where to look, but Keira then gestured for her torch to be returned, and Azyma, too stunned to do anything else, handed it back to her without a word.
"This flashlight's waterproof," Keira explained, waving it around over the lake, "And I won't go far. I just want to see if this is the same place I came to last time, then I'll come right back, I promise."
Sig again looked at Tess. It seemed that nothing would quench Keira's thirst for adventure.
"Alright, I'll go with you then," Tess said finally. She didn't particularly want to, but she figured she'd better.
"Great," Keira said without objection, and she allowed Tess to climb up onto her head.
Sig reluctantly agreed to let her have a quick look, now that he knew she wouldn't be alone over there. "Alright, but don't take longer than ten minutes, OK?"
"I promise," Keira said, then she turned around and walked towards the lake.
"I'll hold the flashlight," said Tess, riding atop her head, "And you just focus on staying afloat, OK, Keira?"
Keira handed the torch up to Tess and then slowly stepped into the water as Sig and Azyma watched from the bank behind. She waded in and her legs felt as if they had turned to ice.
"Whew! It's chilly!" she said, bracingly laughing a little, but she didn't stop and continued in further. It was a feeling she was well used to.
Tess maintained her balance atop Keira's head, holding the torch steady with one hand and clasping hold of a clump of Keira's hair as an anchoring point with the other. She really didn't feel very secure about this. Keira was up to her waist now, then her shoulders, until finally her feet began to lose touch on the lake bed and she pushed off into a strong breaststroke. The dark water rippled around her, its peace disturbed.
Azyma was still watching incredulously from the bank, then broke into a strange laugh. "She's crazy!" she said quietly, shaking her head in disbelief.
Sig did not say anything in response, and kept his eye on Keira at all times. It looked like she was getting across the lake without any difficulty, but bathers or not, he was prepared to leap straight in after her at the faintest sign of trouble, whatever form it may take. Azyma watched as Keira's dark silhouette swam over the moon's reflection, making it dance and distort, but when she passed over she melted into the night hue of the lake and disappeared from her perception. Only Sig's enhanced eye could still pick her out.
Keira felt very peculiar floating along in the middle of the cold, black water, and the dark almost made it seem as if she were not moving at all. Long trails of underwater weeds tickled past her body like phantom fingers, and Tess tightened her grip on her hair, but she just kept going, and soon she felt her feet brush against soft earth again. The other side of the lake was within reach. She climbed out, dripping wet and covered head to toe in goose bumps.
Tess jumped down with the torch, and though she had only got her toes and the tip of her tail wet, shook herself off anyway. "You alright?" she then asked Keira, who was noticeably shivering.
"Yeah, I think so," stuttered Keira with a mad smile. She rubbed her arms and her shoulders to brush off as much water as she could, and then shouted back across the lake. "We're on the other side!"
"Yep, I can see you!" Sig shouted back in acknowledgement.
Tess offered the torch back to Keira again, and they set off to look around. Sig watched them disappear behind some rocks and trees, and then they were out of sight. Azyma was still rather speechless at what she had just witnessed, and she sat down on the grass to rest. Then Sig slowly moved down on to one knee beside her.
"I don't know what she was thinking," he said, remaining attentive of his surroundings, "But she'd better not get into any trouble over there or it'll be my head on the line."
He knew what Samos could be like when his daughter was put in harm's way, and king of Spargus or not, if anything happened to her on his watch, then he would receive a royal telling off.
There was a moment of silence between them as they each independently looked around the area. The moon was rising higher, the night-insects were now raucous, and a light breeze caressed the branches of the trees. Azyma had to admit that this really was a pretty place, even at night, and she didn't feel afraid to be out here anymore, but she wondered what it would be like in the daytime. She supported Tess's idea of coming back here again tomorrow for a proper look around, and was hoping they could do that. But then without warning, an unexpected sleepy feeling started to creep up on her again, starting in her head but quickly tingling throughout her body, making her feel half-weightless. She shook her head briskly and rubbed her eyes to dispel it.
Sig noticed. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Azyma replied, brushing strands of her hair off her face. Then she sighed and looked out to the point on the lake, just left of the moon's reflection, where Keira had disappeared. "I wish I had Keira's confidence," she said offhandedly.
"Hey now," said Sig in a sympathising manner, "A pretty girl like you shouldn't need to worry about anything."
Azyma felt instantly smitten again, and let out another embarrassed little giggle before looking away. But with one eye, she peeked through a gap in the curtain of her hair that hid her face from him. It dawned on her that the two of them were very much alone together for the first time now, and she was strongly aware of his presence right next to her, sitting in the light of his rifle. Her heart was quickening its pulse, she felt hot all over, and shifted restlessly in her seat in the grass. What was the matter with her? Why could she not get comfortable, and just act normally when Sig was around? In her mind she was admonishing herself for behaving so childishly, for making herself look like an idiot in front of him.
Sig smiled, however, and could tell that nothing was seriously wrong. "You know, I wish there were more places like this out in Spargus," he said.
Azyma took a moment to quickly pull herself back together, and dared to look back at him directly, feeling an exhilarating rush of self-confidence as she did so. He was looking upwards at the great trees that surrounded them, with a sincere look of sombre fascination in his single eye.
Feeling both brave and inquisitive, Azyma tried to speak, but her voice came out a little squeaky. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What's it like there?" she asked, trying to sound naturally curious.
Sig smiled proudly and lowered his gaze. "Well, it's not a town for the weak. Out in the Wasteland, you need to know how to survive. Everyone's always ready for a fight, because there's death and danger right outside our walls. Everyone used to have to prove themselves in the arena to show us they had the right stuff."
Azyma gulped. She had heard some rough talk about the hardy folk of Spargus from Tess here in Haven, but it seemed that it had been true all along, now backed-up by Sig's first-hand account. It did not sound like a very safe or inviting place at all.
Sig looked up into the trees again. "We haven't got any forests, but we've got beaches."
"Beaches?" said Azyma, suddenly very interested. Now that was something she would like to see. She had never been to a beach before, having only heard about them in stories, and hoped one day that she could visit one. Spargus sounded like it had the locale, but perhaps wasn't the friendliest place in the world for a holiday. However, her interest had been stirred and she wanted to learn more. "What are they like?" she asked.
"As far as beaches go, they're alright," said Sig. "They ain't perfect, but it's better than nothing."
That was fine; Azyma just wanted to see one. Speaking to Sig like this had really bolstered her confidence, and she felt a little more comfortable now about sitting next to him. In fact, she felt a curious urge to lean closer, to rest her head against his arm and snuggle into place, but she was afraid to do so, not knowing how Sig would react. Instead, she was about to summon the bravery to ask him a more personal question, but then they heard Keira's voice from somewhere in the dark.
"We're coming back now!"
Sig looked across the water and was noticeably relieved. "Good!" he shouted back, sighting Keira re-emerging on the other side of the lake.
Azyma looked up too, and could see the light of Keira's torch moving about in the gloom. Their private moment over, she asked Sig no more questions, but felt as if she had missed out on some big opportunity. As Keira and Tess swam back, she kept quiet, and when Keira reached the bank, she stood up again, dripping wet and shivering, but a triumphant smile on her face.
"How'd it go?" Azyma asked Keira, trying not to let her gaze fall below the level of her friend's shoulders.
Keira was beaming with the content glow of discovery, and explained what she and Tess had found. She was quite confident now that the area they had just been to on the other side of the lake was the same hidden area they had first visited several nights ago. They'd even found the Precursor archway in the rocks.
Azyma was happy for her, and then thought back to her earlier ideas about a potential beach holiday. It occurred to her that this could be a close enough place to have one, out here in the forest. Of course, it was not a beach, but there was the lake, and it was peaceful and pretty here. She smiled pleasantly at the thought of it, and then made her suggestion.
"Shall we come back tomorrow in the daytime, then?" she asked. "I mean, I'd really like to see what this place is like in the light. Have a proper look around like Tess said, or just chill out here by the water?"
"Sure," said Keira happily, pulling a towel from her bag and drying herself off briskly. "Maybe we could all go for a swim too?"
Azyma wasn't too sure about swimming, but at least Keira was interested in her idea, and Tess and Sig both looked approving too. A ripple of excitement spread through her. This was great! It was actually going to happen, and she was very much looking forward to spending the day out here with her friends… especially Sig.
Maybe they could find another moment or two to spend together.