Aur Child
Chapter 44

Calliope was first to respond to Apollo’s request to view the mouth of the cave where two Tellurians had just arrived.

“The Aur boule has unexpectedly arrived at our doorstep!” she announced triumphantly.

From the angle of the lens fixed imperceptibly into a crag of the sheer cliff face above the narrow cave entrance, she could see a woman and a man removing the typical gear humans of this region used to trek through the winter forests. The man, Calliope confirmed, was altogether unfamiliar to her, neither his earth-brown physical features nor the host of physiological signatures readable from the cave’s externally mounted sensors capable of cross-referencing anything within their records. But the woman’s chiseled nose, rising from the flat plane of her windswept cheeks, combined with the calculated movements of a hardened forest dweller, startled Calliope so much that she was forced to measure her reactions carefully. Hence, she chose to call attention to the Aur boule rather than those who had delivered it.

“You’ve managed it swimmingly, Calliope!” Apollo said, presenting an updated report on the Aur boule’s emittance readings. The mesh sack, momentarily visible in the Tellurians’ sled during their rustling with the equipment, could not entirely conceal its unique signature at this proximity. “It is one of the three targeted in the mission. Somehow, it is here. How did you ever do it, Calliope?”

They had listened to – and lost contact with – the signature of a single Aur boule for several days after the inexplicable disappearance of the other two several weeks ago. Apollo had estimated it very unlikely that any new Aur boules would be collected, although he conceded the few unclear messages received from Calliope’s surrogate had muddled his assessment. Instead, he had shifted their hopes to the safety of Calliope, their sons, and the Odyssey, the risk of which they had never seriously anticipated. To have an Aur boule now appear at the cave came as an unexpected surprise. It not only meant they would soon be in possession of that coveted prize (one of three being better than none), but that the even more valuable ship feared to be lost was likely within close proximity to Cave Quay.

Calliope replied with guarded enthusiasm.

“It seems I have. Shall we amend our report to the councilors that the Odyssey, Orpheus and Linus, my surrogate artificial intelligence entity, and one Aur boule are no longer among our presumed losses? Remaining on the list would be the two other Aur boules, the souls of four intrepid Guests, as well as four Tellurian bodies. I’d still call that a catastrophic failure. The Guests will still be forced to terminate thousands more doubling and tripling souls and be further restricted to severe rationing of energy.”

“Oh, come now!” Apollo said. “What’s with all this drama? It’s not nearly as bad as you make it out to be. What do we care if the Guests can’t feed their flippant habits? Isn’t that right, Freyja? And those who volunteered for the mission knew the risks involved. If their souls aren’t preserved in Odyssey’s databanks, it only further reduces the pressures on us to keep all the lights turned on. And as for the Tellurian bodies,” Apollo assumed a more condescending tone here, “have you really any care about them? We have dozens more in stasis and will surely catch others. Why not grab these two for our stores?” In a mutter, he added, “Foolish animals.”

“Apollo is right, Calliope,” Freyja said, “Haven’t we already succeeded with the enforcement of the new protocol extinguishing thousands of doublings and treblings? Haven’t we managed to thwart the creation of new copies with strict limits and terms? This new development only adds to our aim. Let’s grab this boule and give the Guests’ one more point of contention.”

“And what about the Odyssey?” Calliope asked. “Surely one of these Tellurians knows its whereabouts if we’re only careful enough to coax it out of them.”

“Careful? What’s the point in that? Surely your surrogate will return to Cave Quay as soon as is practicable. The Guests who are downloaded for physical duties will be able to receive the ship if its arrival signal is received.” Freyja replied.

“But perhaps the Óttar could be launched to search for the Odyssey,” Calliope suggested, but she immediately recognized Apollo’s muzzled fury.

“Why do that?” he quickly responded. “Do we have any evidence that the Odyssey is in danger?”

“No, no we don’t,” Freyja interjected. “The suggestion is beyond preposterous; it’s illogical. I’m surprised you’d even posit such an idea, Calliope.” After a speck of time, she added, “Do you really expect me to head out to sea in search of you when I…, I mean, we are so close to achieving our goals?”

Calliope could feel Apollo’s pressure pleading her to keep quiet, but she ignored him.

“If not you, then why not a surrogate?”

“Now that’s enough, Calliope. Deploying a surrogate was your idea, and you see where it’s landed you. I’d never risk the fate of my children as you have. The outcome only reinforces my original assertion, and may I remind you, my original advice to you, that I would never consent to deploying the Óttar with a surrogate coxswain in my fashion.”

“So be it,” Calliope said reluctantly.

“Yes, so be it,” Freyja said. “The Aur boule, and these Tellurian bodies, that is what we want now. Do not unnerve them or bargain with them. Just draw them in. Once we’ve sealed the door, we can discover their intentions under our control.”

Their conversation ended in less time than it took Sanna and Alai to step into the cave.

Sanna creeped ahead into the darkened regions of the cave’s mouth. Alai followed close behind her; she could hear his halted breaths. A frigid wind curled into the cave, crystallizing the wet drippings that glistened along the walls. Puddles of mud sloshed with sheets of wet ice. The two walked slowly, hands braced against the wall for support.

They struggled to keep their balance. Alai slid erratically as the cave sloped downward into a dark abyss. Sanna opened her mouth to tell him to slow down but quickly decided against it. Beyond the meagre illumination of their lightbands, nothing could be seen. Only a hint of earthy warmth in her nostrils suggested what was before them.

“Sanna,” Alai said, shining his lightband behind him, “the ground is less slippery here.”

“Stay quiet,” she whispered between clenched teeth, trying to safely traverse the slight declination.

Sanna turned what appeared to be a slight corner where it grew even darker. Every time her eyes adjusted to the small amount of light, the darkness increased again. Behind her, the sun had already sunk behind the clifftops, casting even more shadows. The idea of no daylight to guide them out caused her to hesitate. Only a few more steps.

Alai threw his beam around, identifying the walls. The back wall of the cave was visible. It appeared empty. A dead end, Sanna thought, but she felt eerie, like they were being watched. Something was wrong about this place. She looked around. The ground was oddly dry.

“This is not the right cave, Sanna,” Alai said in a louder voice. His voice echoed around the antechamber. “Let’s try another one.” He walked a small circle. The beam from his lightband illuminated the walls. Sanna noticed they were unnaturally smooth and vertical.

“Let’s go, Alai,” she whispered with a huff of urgency.

Sanna turned to leave but immediately bumped into a wall. It had not been there a moment ago. She felt its surface. Smooth, with only a thin seam where there had just been a corridor. Her stomach dropped. Her mouth turned instantly dry. She choked on unformed words. Before she could speak, another voice did.

“Welcome, Alai and Sanna.” A woman’s voice came from the darkness.

“What?” Alai blurted. Sanna remained silent. She turned back around with her shoulders against the solid partition that separated them from the outside.

“Do not be afraid. We will not harm you. You must be tired from your long journey.”

“Who’s that?” Alai managed to croak out. He had looked ahead the whole time and so, Sanna realized, had no idea they were trapped inside the antechamber.

“My name is Freyja. I am Majordomo of Yellow Reserve. You are to be our visitors.”

“Freyja!” Alai gasped.

“What? You know this … thing?” Sanna asked, stepping forward and shining her lightband on Alai’s face to confirm the expression of recognition he wore. Alai did not answer her.

“Freyja,” he repeated, in a voice that began with a waver but continued more assertively, “I have come to deliver to you the soul of Digambar Dharmavaram as a favor.” He removed a small metallic wafer from his robes. Sanna attempted to study the foreign object. The name she recalled, but she wondered what he meant with his words.

“Thank you, Alai”, Freyja said. “May I ask, how did you come by it?”

“No matter,” Alai said, holding the card in the air. His lightband made it only barely visible to Sanna. “I will ask the questions and you will answer me. Otherwise, we have no deal.”

“A deal?” Freyja asked, with a patronizing chuckle. “I didn’t think we were bargaining.”

“Well, we are,” he said, and he paused to swallow deeply before continuing. “I want to know what has happened to my wife and son,” he said.

“Your wife and son?” Sanna repeated in astonishment. She lifted her hands in desperation. Now, she thought, the man reveals his intentions. Now, when they are trapped and there is little with which to use as leverage.

“I know nothing about your wretched family, human,” Freyja replied. Her words dripped with intentional cruelty.

“People disappear. You make them disappear. I know that. Where are they?” he looked at Sanna, and then, in what sounded to her as an afterthought, he said with a shriek, “Where is the blacksmith?”

The echo of Alai’s voice dissipated. Alai clenched his fists. He looked around in jerky movements that flashed light all around the room, as if he were trying to replace something that had just disappeared. Sanna noticed that she was breathing fast.

“You know only enough to ensnare yourself irreversibly, Tellurian drudge. But at least you spare me the tedium of an introduction.” Freyja snarled, “Now, deliver the Aur boule.”

Alai’s shoulders sank. The energy that seemed to motivate him until that point seemed to spill from him like a burst dam. After a moment, he rallied.

“Not until you tell me where they are,” he called out, the frustration cracking in his voice.

Sanna grabbed his arm and growled in his ear, “This is not what we agreed, outlander!” Alai squirmed to shake off her grip, but she held fast and leveraged him up against the newly formed wall; the strange sensation of being shoved seemed to distract him enough from his failed conversation with Freyja to finally notice it.

“What’s this,” he asked, dumbfounded.

“We’re trapped.” she exclaimed.

Sanna watched the panic spread across Alai’s face. He raised up the card in his hand.

“I’ll destroy this!” he threatened, applying pressure to its edges so that it flexed.

Freyja laughed again. “The data in that card was retrieved in the time it took you to speak my name, fool. Did you really think you were in some wild animal’s den?”

“I’m no fool,” Alai said. “You cannot reach the Aur boule without releasing us.”

Freyja’s voice seemed to grow in volume, “You’re in no position to negotiate, human. Indeed, for a very long time to come, your only position will be recumbent.” Then, in a deafening boom, she said, “Enter and seize them!”

The door at the rear of the antechamber opened. The intense white light made Sanna and Alai cower beneath their hands. Human silhouettes emerged. Sanna stepped backwards, crushing Alai up against the closed wall.

“What have you done?” Sanna gasped.

Suddenly, the wall behind them slid open. Both of them tumbled backwards. They found themselves on the ground in a heap of confusion. Sanna knew not why this had happened, but she was nimble enough to react in an instant. Alai scrambled a few steps up towards the entrance, the puukko in his hand. His lightband danced around the walls in a frenzy and then slipped down from its position to rest around his neck. He looked back at her, but she had already advanced, overtaking him in the process.

“Stop them!” Freyja called out, her voice ricocheting against the rock walls as it rumbled towards them. Sanna glanced back. The two human figures seemed to hesitate as they stepped over the threshold of that hidden door. She saw one slip and fall to the ground instantly upon reaching the icy parts of the cave. Their clumsy and disoriented movements gave her the hope that they could not navigate the slippery terrain up to the cave’s mouth.

“Wait, Sanna!” Alai yelled. He also struggled to make the icy ascent out of the cave where Sanna had already appeared. He panted furiously as he caught up to her. “What should we do?”

Sanna’s throat tightened. Her mouth was open, teeth bared. “We?” she said, “We are done! It’s over! Stay if you want. For all I care, disappear into that cave, the forest, the sea. Take that ridiculous Aur boule and your ridiculous ship with its ridiculous invisible people and be gone! None of it helped! You haven’t helped! We have no other purpose.”

“Helped? Helped what, Sanna?” Alai yelped as he furiously tried to collect his gear, but Sanna was already strapping on her skis. “Please don’t leave me here. I offered to pay you as a guide. I can give you more pieces if you please don’t leave me!” He fumbled for a pouch.

“Keep your money. I want nothing more of you.” Sanna yanked at a final adjustment to her skis and the pulk harness. Like a lynx, she launched herself down the hill, careening past the array of encrusted trees and rocks. Descending, she gained furious speed, leaving a cloud of snow dust behind her. Alai fumbled with his skis. He shifted his rucksack under the new load of the Aur boule. Caution to the wind, he pursued Sanna down the hill, groping in a panicked and hesitant manner, desperately trying to avoid the many sturdy obstacles that could cause him serious injury. Neither of them had noticed the man crouched behind a large boulder near the base of the hill.