The Unblessed Child

Chapter Twenty-Two - Escape

Once inside the tunnel, the party followed Old Man Teme's lantern, now beaming off the walls of burnt terracotta, crumbling in several places. The tunnel system was complex, snaking off in several directions, Aardriyah was impressed that Old Man Teme seemed to know exactly where he was going. Then she realised that each tunnel they went down had a small eye carved above its entrance. Thinking back to the conversation in the house, she asked Ven,

"So if you can get inside people's heads, why didn't you do it when we were, you know, under attack by those thugs earlier?" She asked, frustrated that he could have easily got them out of that situation. She was sure now that those thugs had been working with the Jivan's and had clearly led them to their current predicament.

"Because Baba taught me to never use it - unless for a second or two at a time." He rasped back, trying to keep his voice low.

"Why?!" Rachida demanded.

"Have you ever been taught to use your blessing for evil?" He spat back at her.

"No, but you're allowed to use them if in self-defence!" She retorted.

"Yeah well, our power isn't like yours, okay? There's always a danger I can get stuck in someone's head and not navigate back into my own properly, or that I could send the other person insane by being in their head." He explained as the turned down another tunnel.

"Last time I checked, thugs approaching you with sharp, stabby objects weren't exactly the most upstanding citizens that you should be worried about sending insane!" Aardriyah exclaimed.

"Last time I checked, this entire city is only full of thugs and criminals, some of which I actually consider my friends!" Ven responded.

The five of them found themselves at a dead end. A large metal black door hung in a curved door frame Carved ever so carefully into the facade were two snakes, one of white and one of black, which rose from the bottom of the door, intertwining in a helix shape four times before their heads pulled apart. Within their jaws they held a large amethyst crystal eye. The crystal shone brightly, making the tunnel awaken as if daylight had reached its depths for the first time in centuries. A groaning noise echoed through the tunnel complex, as the ornate black door opened slowly outward.

The room beyond was entirely empty, beside a large black slab in the centre. The slab held a caste of a woman, such detail and care had been taken that even the pores of her skin were visible. Aardriyah looked around, sensing she had been here before, feeling as though she knew the woman the caste was made of. She placed her hands atop the stomach of the woman noticing it was enlarged, she was pregnant, Aardriyah realised and took a step back in shock.

"What is this place?" Rachida whispered, as a loud thud from the closing of the heavy black door echoed within.

"It's a tomb." Aardriyah responded, Old Man Teme nodded in agreement. Looking around, Aardriyah noticed what had distracted Ven, large carvings adorned the four walls, three of them contained a single amethyst crystal. The wall Ven stood in front of had the carving of a large human at the top with an amethyst crystal in the centre of their forehead. Lines of waves radiated out from it and reached down to several other humans below the first.

"That's ... telepathy... I think." Ven said to no one in particular, though everyone in the room heard his words, they were busy staring at different walls, interpreting the strange carvings. Rachida called out to Aardriyah to inspect the wall she was fixated on, Ven joined the women a moment later. The carving was similar to the first one he had inspected.

A carving of a large human at the top with an amethyst crystal in the centre of their forehead, lines of waves radiated out from it and reached forward towards smaller, bodies, not as heavily carved. They stood in front of the first human, as if in the way on a path of some sort, while a large sun beamed down on them.