Bridgeiro, page 39
part #4 of The Xidoran Prophecy Series
Charles: Then want?
Leader: The story in the Doxania says you must get past the Nivres Tahterin.
Charles: What is a Nivres Tahterin and how do we get past it?
Leader: Nivres Tahterin is the spirit of the stone warrior cast in stone form. His job is to guard the entrance to the catacombs. You must fight him and win in order to pass into the Maze of Souls to find your friend. Your friend is in the middle of the maze, between the two worlds.
Charles: Is there someone that I can talk to that has entered and returned from the Maze of Souls?
Leader: No one else is now alive. The only survivor to return to the living was in a legend handed down from our ancient people. His name was Antasuntipra. The legend states that he was the warrior son to the god of the many suns in the universe. The reason he came to us from the Maze of Souls was that he wanted to prove to us that there was a utopia in the beyond called Oniphian. He wanted us to know that we shouldn’t be afraid.
The gods laughed at him and mocked him for wanting to leave Oniphian. They told him that coming here was forbidden. Antasuntipra didn’t give up. After he had passed through each world that that gods had created, Antasuntipra was asked what he wanted. He always told the gods the same thing. One day his father relented and told him that if he succeeded in figuring out the way through the Maze of Souls, he would earn a place among them when he returned from Laseaskya.
Once Antasuntipra emerged from the tunnel into the setting sunlight on Laseaskya, he instantly regretted his decision to leave Oniphian for his destination. Fearful that he might not be able to return to Oniphian because he was so far away, he marked the star that illuminated the way back. After several days of being among us and telling us everything he needed to about our destiny and Oniphian, he became proud and decided to tell us more than what his original message was intended to say. When he decided to return to Oniphian so he could take his rightful place among the gods, he followed the starlight in the tunnel.
His father was angry that the Laseaskyan people had acquired the gods’ otherworldly, sacred knowledge that his son shouldn’t have shared with us. As his son’s punishment, his father blocked Antasuntipra from returning to Oniphian.
Antasuntipra had wanted to dwell on Oniphian in the beyond but he was ultimately sentenced to be a god here on Laseaskya. Our people made him the god of dead warriors. Since he was never to return to Oniphian as a god, he intended to gather the brave souls of the dead. It’s thought that he is gathering his own army so that one day he can amass a force so large that he can break through the gods’ barricade and bridge the worlds.
Charles: That’s just great. So Antasuntipra is the Nivres Tahterin?
Leader: That is correct.
Charles: That’s why the rebels want the Doxanias. The Doxanians contained Antasuntipra’s wisdom translated by the wisdonians. The rebels want to have Antasuntipra lead them and their other warrior comrades to Oniphian. Am I correct?
Leader: You are correct.
Charles: The underlings believe that they can gain enough wisdom from Antasuntipra’s writings to awaken his army and then the warrior god of the dead can lead them to Oniphian. Once he does, they can open a gateway between the gods and the Laseaskyans. At that time, Antasuntipra will no longer be a stone figure but will once again regain his otherworldly warrior body.
Leader: Yes, and he will then ascend to become a god himself and take possession of the golden armor of war that the gods now control. He paused believing he’d told Charles too much. The theory is we would then all gain access to the gods’ Oniphian through Antasuntipra.
Charles drew in a deep breath and exhaled. “Do you really think that is a good idea?”
There was no further comment. What Charles surmised was that the leader really didn’t know the answer to his question. He didn’t think the opinion of one citizen mattered in this instance. Charles searched the being’s mind to make sure he wasn’t lying about the ancient legend. What Charles learned was that the leader had direct connections with the rebels. He was honestly telling what he knew.
Charles and his men left the dwelling and headed in the direction of the bridge. Charles thought: This doesn’t look good for us. He now understood that the rebels wanted to trap the military soldiers and kill them so that they could join the rebels in their goal to find Oniphian. His men were heading into a trap that they had no choice but to spring. He just hoped they’d figure a way out of it and still be alive afterward. He had no intention of joining the underlings to find the Laseaskyans’ lost Oniphian.
The men asked Charles, “Where are we going?” He told them.
Gage asked Charles, “What made you decide we should go to the grove?”
“We are going past the grove up the hill and to that mountain region.” He pointed off into the distance and continued, “Hopefully, we will find Sharif there.”
Rocco asked, “Did they slip you some kind of note, or are you just making that up?”
Charles kept walking. “We have to be there when the sun sets. Keep moving men. Sharif’s life depends on it.”
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Tian kept talking, “So what if Sharif’s not there? Then what?”
Charles responded, “He’s there. There is a possibility they might move him, but right now he’s there.”
“Why can’t we share our ideas on where we think he is?”
“Do you have a better idea as to where they might be keeping him hostage?”
“No.”
“Then keep walking.”
“Shouldn’t we take a military vehicle? That’s a long trek out there.”
“I don’t want the rebels to know we are coming,” Charles turned his attention to calling the base and informing the officers where they were going.
“Shouldn’t we ask to have backup with us? What if we get caught?”
“They’ll move him if they know we are coming. Then we might not ever find him.”
The Laseaskyans watched the squad as they walked. Some of the citizens even came out of their abodes and followed them. The other Sojourner squads that were in the vicinity questioned them but Charles always had the same answer for everyone, “We are going after someone we lost. We aren’t returning to Bridgeiro without him.”
Eventually the citizens were told to let them pass and to return to their operations.
Charles and his men marched on until they reached the edge of the village. By that time no one was following them. The men could only depend on one another in this endeavor and they were behind schedule, according to the placement of the sun. Charles didn’t want to admit defeat. This was too important and he was afraid of what Sharif might be going through at that moment. The uncertainty kept him pushing forward.
Once they reached the grove and entered, they heard a buzzing noise coming from behind the trees in the distance. A couple of the men climbed into the trees and the rest of the men hid among the foliage. They waited with their weapons ready to fire. They could see dust trailing behind a strange vehicle moving in their direction at a fast speed.
When the vehicle was almost to their location, the driver stopped and got out of the vehicle. He stood in the middle of the road and called out, “Major.” He waited. The driver got back in the vehicle and came toward them at a slower speed. Charles could now see the Laseaskyan with his technology shield. As the driver was right upon them, Charles stepped out into the road. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop.
“You must come with me or you’ll never make it.”
Charles motioned for his men. They gathered in the road and got into the vehicle. The grove was a blur as they sped through the trees. When the vehicle passed over the Skyan Bridge, it stopped and the men stepped out.
The Laseaskyan pointed to the sun and said, “If you are going to make it, you’ll have to hurry.”
Charles thanked him then turned to walk up the trail. The men followed up the mountainside. As they were climbing, Charles could see the rays of the setting sun shining out from where he imagined the carvings were. He was the closest to the carvings. The others were spread out. Charles was determined that he’d give it everything he had in order to make it to the opening before the rays disappeared.
His men tried to catch up with him but Tian had trouble with his footing and Oakes stumbled to get to him.
Gage who was closest to Tian said in Charles’ earpiece, “Wait up, Major. Do not enter without us! We’ll be right there. Do you hear me? We will be right there.”
Charles kept going. “I’ve got to hurry. The last of the sun’s rays are disappearing. This might be Sharif’s only chance.”
Gage left the others and ran toward him saying, “Then wait for me. Someone has got to go with you.”
Rocco gained traction in the rocks and ran after Gage. “I’m coming too!”
It was a race between Rocco, North and Orson to catch up with Gage.
Tian and Oakes made flippant comments. “Go on and leave us.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about us. We’ll catch up.”
The wind speed picked up, blasting its way from the tunnel as Charles momentarily paused outside, waiting for Gage, Rocco, Orson and North to catch up with him. He picked up a Sojourner coin that was half buried in the soil just outside the tunnel and put it in his pocket. He’d had his doubts about going in the tunnel but he could visualize Sharif inside within a dark place. Charles instinctively knew it was a trap but entering the tunnel was the only chance the man had of getting out alive. He believed the rebels had probably tortured Sharif and had left him to die. If that was the case, the medic would be experiencing intense pain. Time was running out.
The four men followed Charles into the tunnel as the last of the sun’s rays shone on their bodies from their knees down. Images murkily flashed all around them. They heard Tian, who was with Oakes, at the entrance of the tunnel calling to them. Charles called for them to wait.
Gage pointed his tethered magnet at the men and fired. He hit something. He hoped it was Tian or Oakes and not one of the strange images they were seeing within the tunnel.
Rocco asked, “What is this place?”
Charles answered, “I believe this is the place where the dead Laseaskyan warriors are buried.”
As the sun set below the horizon, the light in the tunnel was extinguishing. Charles shot his clawed weapon at the last of the sun’s rays that pierced the darkness. He latched onto something. The men grabbed onto one another. They pulled themselves along in the dark as the curious images continued to flash around them.
Tian and Oakes were yelling and screaming. “What’s in the dark? What is that?”
“Whatever you do, don’t let go!”
“It’s getting harder to walk. My legs keep wanting to go out from under me.”
“These beings are actually grabbing at me and touching me! Something is pulling me, wanting me to go backward.”
“What do we do? What do we do?”
Charles calmly said, “Grab onto the rope and keep coming toward us.” The sheer terror of knowing that the rebels might achieve their goal pushed him to his core. He was determined to succeed in getting his men through to their goal. If necessary, he would kill the creatures in the shadow tunnel. Charles forced himself to willfully pull on the rope, struggling to get everyone to the far end of the tunnel. From there he had no idea where to go. He’d figure it out once they reached their destination.
It was no easy task but he managed to pull himself from the darkness to the other side. Then each of the men helped until they had all emerged from the darkness.
Once he had regained his breath, Tian yelled at Charles, “Do you mind telling us the whole story?” Charles told them what he knew.
Gage paced back and forth then said, “You mean we are walking into a trap and we might not make it back?”
Oakes let out a growl and tried to punch Charles. Charles blocked his punches and said, “I told all of you to wait outside. This was my choice, but you followed on your own.”
Gage pulled Oakes away. “He’s right! He told us to wait outside. We refused to do that because our squad does not leave anyone behind. Sharif is in there! We’ve got to get him out! Get a hold of yourselves or you’ll get us all killed.”
Rocco said, “He’s right. Not only that but Charles is the only one that has a chance of getting us out of here alive. Back off!”
Oakes paced the space they were in as he thought the situation through. “You’re right. I’m sorry, man. Let’s get Sharif and get out of this haunted room of terror.”
North asked, “What do we do?”
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Charles answered, “We have to find the stone warrior, Antasuntipra, and defeat him. Then it will be a race to find Sharif. I’m guessing we have to find him and be back here, in this spot, before the sun sets tomorrow.”
Gage asked Charles, “Do you know where they’re keeping Sharif? Do you know how to find him?”
Charles shook his head. “No.”
Oakes banged his head on the cold stonewall and began talking to himself.
North said, “Get a hold of yourself, man! Let’s go. It’s time to defeat the enemy and get out of here.” He stood and put his hand out.
Each man placed a hand on top of his. Together they said, “Let’s do this.” They repeated, “Let’s do this!”
Orson put his hand on Oakes’ arm and said, “We’re all in this together. If I was Sharif, I’d be scared to death. I’d want Charles coming for me.”
“Point taken, brother.”
Charles led the way. It seemed as if they were endlessly walking and getting nowhere. Charles developed a headache from sensing Sharif’s pain. He was having a difficult time focusing.
Gage came up next to him and said, “Major, it seems like we are going nowhere.” He extended his right arm ahead. “And more of nowhere is up ahead.”
Orson added, “It sure is dark in nowhere land.”
Charles’ thoughts took him back to an instance when he’d started reading a book about nowhere years in the past. There was that word used over and over again. He thought: I wonder if that means anything? His next thought was: That’s a silly thought. Of course it didn’t mean anything, or did it? Where did that book go anyway?
Then Tian broke his concentration by saying, “I wonder what’s at the end of nowhere?”
The squad laughed, except for Charles. He was trying to remember the name of the book. What was it? I can’t remember. Oh! The Intrepid Escape From Nowhere. That’s it! That one word in the title tells us how to get of here, intrepid. What do warriors need to be? Fearless. They have to believe in their cause so much that they don’t fear death.
Charles said, “Men, I know this is going to sound crazy but in order for us to get to where we need to be, we have to believe in the cause. We can’t have fear. Fear keeps us from seeing clearly what’s ahead of us. We must trust our resolve and concentrate on our beliefs in order to find Sharif. The unavoidable inevitable.”
North made a face. “What are you talking about?”
Charles tried again, “It only appears that we are in the middle of nowhere because we fear where we are. If we continue to experience fear, we will continue walking blindly because we can’t see what’s around us. We can’t imagine the infinite miracles of the universe.”
Tian looked around. “Are you saying this endless tunnel and weird images are not real?”
“Yes. I’m saying once we close our eyes and become fearless like warriors, ready to fight for our cause then we will have arrived.”
Gage scowled and said, “I don’t follow you.”
Charles tried another explanation, “What you see around us is an illusion. Antasuntipra is a great warrior that doesn’t recognize fear. He escaped from the Maze of Souls because he didn’t have fear. He doesn’t believe in the fear of death. Until we show no fear within, we are beneath him. We will fail the battle challenge.
“In other words, we aren’t worthy of joining the others that died fearlessly before us. They believed that there is an Oniphian beyond this world where they would meet Antasuntipra. They believed in the cause so much that they gave up their lives. We have to be willing to die for the cause. Right now, we aren’t ready to die in order to ascend to the next level. Even if we died, our spirits wouldn’t release. He only wants souls that are ready to release. He can’t lead an army to victory that is fearful. The souls in this tunnel weren’t ready to die. When they died, they must have been afraid. That must be why those spirits are trapped in the tunnel. They didn’t believe in the wisdom that he had shared.”
Tian said, “I’m dying to get out of here. Does that count?”
Charles ignored the comment and continued, “It’s because there are nonbelievers that he’s chosen to take the Doxanias back with him when he returns to Oniphian. He must have decided the Laseaskyans weren’t worthy, or they weren’t ready for the wisdom that he gave. It all makes sense now. That’s why he needs the wisdonian.”
Orson asked, “Why does he need the wisdonian?”
“Antasuntipra needs him because he’s the key to the Laseaskyans. The wisdonian is educated, the best specimen they have to offer. We don’t have much time to get Sharif. Do you believe?”
They all looked at one another. The answer was a simultaneous, “Yes.”
As the men did a three hundred sixty degree turn around the room, their surroundings were completely different. They were now in a lit stone room with a gigantic stone warrior sitting on an ornately carved throne. All around the room were carved stone warriors with weapons.
When the gigantic warrior stood, they could see just how large he was. His voice boomed in a foreign language. The squads’ helmets scanned and finally came up with an ancient translation. “You passed the first test, but you’ll go no further.”
