Healer of Sakkara

Chapter 4 - Descent

To Galen's dismay, Sev chose the lower of the two tunnels: the one that led downward, deeper into the earth.

"We are at a high elevation, yet," Sev reminded him quietly as they slipped along in the eerie, twilight gloom. "The peaks are above us, but the Sakkaran plains are still far below. I would rather we not emerge to find ourselves stranded on a snowy precipice and have to retrace our steps. Hopefully, this way will come out lower down."

"Hopefully," Galen echoed. Between freezing to death with a fine view of the heavens, or being eaten by barrowlings in the dark, he knew which fate he'd choose.

Fortunately, they had seen no more of the creatures, and their journey continued in peace; and while barrowlings were never far from his thoughts, Galen had plenty else to occupy his mind, and found it easy to become lost in awe at the decaying splendor of the Dweller realm.

"What do you think happened to them?" he asked. They had paused to rest upon the span of a wide stone bridge. Beneath it rushed the waters of a subterranean river, the noise of which made it safer to speak above a whisper. "To the Dwellers, I mean. Was it the barrowlings?"

Sev sliced an apple in two with a small knife and handed one half to Galen. "Doubtful. Look at this place." He waved at their surroundings. "The Dwellers were the most sophisticated race in Sakkara for their time, and would likely remain so, were they still here. They would not have had much to fear from barrowlings."

Galen bit into the apple, savoring the crunch of its flesh and the tart juice that burst across his tongue. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until they stopped, and hunger made everything taste three times as good as usual. "What, then?"

"Who knows? It might have been a plague — something their physicians couldn't cure — or a war. It might have been nothing in particular."

Galen chewed and swallowed before speaking. Half an apple wasn't much, but Sev was already rationing their food. If they were lucky, they would see daylight soon; if they were not lucky, then it was best to be prepared. "What do you mean?"

"Decadence — natural decline," Sev said, finishing his own meager portion in a few bites and wiping his fingers on his shirt. "Perhaps no single, specific disaster led to the Dwellers' ruin. It might have been many smaller things, and folly."

"Folly?"

Sev raised a brow at him. "Do you think Sakkara is the first empire ever to arise upon this land? There have been several, through the ages. Like living things, they are born and thrive for a time, and then decline into dust, leaving nothing but ruins and memories that fade to myth. It is seldom invaders, or plagues, or rains of fire that destroy them; more often than not, they destroy themselves from within."

Galen pondered this as he finished his apple and studied their surroundings.

Sev's opinion was that the great cavern into which they'd first emerged was the largest and served as the central hub from which other caverns branched like the roots of a tree. He surmised that each branch might have served like different districts in a city, or perhaps housed different classes or castes.

"The scholars at Jana Val would kill to make a study of this place," he continued. "I wish I had some parchment and ink to at least bring back a sketch or two."

"You speak as if you plan to return there," Galen noted carefully.

Sev got up and dusted himself off. "Jana Val is more than the headquarters of the Order," he said. "The monastery is like a small city unto itself, and quite beautiful. There are gardens for growing food, medicinal herbs, and alchemical ingredients, and the libraries are spectacular. The scholars enjoy the most freedom from the Order's rule. Even the High Council understands that the advancement of knowledge requires a certain freedom of thought. I have good friends there. You would enjoy it, I think."