The Pyramids of Set (Chapter 3)

Tales of Arnon the Wanderer

Read: The Pyramids of Set (Chapter 2)

The Gods above were with us as the first of dawn's light broke over the horizon. The driver of the smaller flying machine had put on a helmet, did a double check of his cargo, and then entered up the ramp and soon after the machine began to hum.

"Quick, Elsim, let's run for the machine before the driver closes the rampart,"

Without another thought we tore across the field. I didn't see anyone else walking about and looked back once to wave for Elsim to move faster. We hit the ramp just as the machine began to move upward, and when we were at a horse's height above the ground, the rampart closed upward. I pulled Elsim over to an area between crates that had been loaded into the machine so we could keep ourselves hidden. Neither of us made a sound above a whisper as the machine took us higher on its way to the bigger flying machine above.

The sound of metal on metal and a subtle grinding followed by the machine becoming still, no more hum. We crouched back in the nook and the driver appeared. He opened a metal door in the floor of the machine and then got on his knees, put one leg through and then his body followed. We waited with quiet anticipation. Elsim nestled closely to me, her hands on my back as I peered around the crates to get a better look and listen to the surroundings.

"Is it safe?" asked Elsim.

"If the crates are left here and not unloaded, maybe. But I want to see the inside of this beast. There may be somewhere within that will provide us more protection from being discovered. Follow me and stay close."

I moved to the hatch in the floor, looked through, and instantly pulled back.

"What did you see?" asked Elsim.

"Take a look. When you look in, the floor is down from us."

"What do you mean?"

"Look."

Elsim glanced in and then pulled away quickly, a dizziness overtaking her. From within the smaller machine, we stood on the floor but looking into the bigger ship, we could see that we were standing on the wall. The force to keep us down was not working. I put my leg through the floor of the hatch, bent my knee and touched the floor of the inner ship. Then I pulled myself through and felt the dizziness wash over me as I broke the plane of the hatch. I crouched low, looked around, and then helped Elsim through the queer hatch that perverted the force on our standing.

We were in a bright white circular hall that appeared to go around the base of the ship. The first inner door we approached opened automatically. Elsim hid behind me as I cautiously crept through. Here, we found a circular staircase that wound up along that inner wall of the machine. There were more doors that opened to us, with rooms that looked like work areas or barracks or bedrooms for dignitaries, with heavy rugs decorated in intricate designs and wooden beds with soft mattresses and quilted blankets. This ship had living standards that made most castles pale by comparison. At the very top we entered into what could only be viewed as a throne room. At the far side of the entryway was a platform and sitting on that platform were four thrones. Three smaller thrones with a much bigger throne situated behind them.

It was then that the hum from the great machine could be heard enveloping us. The circular wall to our right started to slide open. I kept Elsim behind me and I drew my scimitar. The colossal being that stepped down wore a plaited beard, jewels on his fingers, a mix of gold armor and free flowing white silks. He stood a man and a half tall and his dark eyes, void of any white, stared down on us. In his right hand, attached by a leather handle was a small box that was metallic and reflected with a polished shine. In his left hand was a scepter with a red ruby, by far bigger than any of the plunder I’ve ever seen, at the very tip. 

He spoke in his native language, saw that we could not understand him and then altered his speech to one of a more common tongue, “You stole the sacrifice from the Kings below. Who are you to do so?” 

“I am Arnon and I will not tolerate your disgusting sacrificial rituals.”

“Where do you come from?”

“From the north, in the wildlands above the wall of Trine.”

“A barbarian people but with a code and ethics to guide you?” he questioned.

“I am no barbarian. Merely a traveler. I have not been in the North since I was but a small child.”

“So you have seen the world then?”

“I’ve seen the savages of civilization and the wickedness done by those who claim to be civilized.” 

He motioned his hand and then the wall on the opposite side began to slide, “Behold wanderer, the world you travel.”

Elsim gripped my arm tighter and then hid her eyes from the wondrous view before us, “What trickery is this?” The city of Sammal was no longer there but in its place a massive blue orb on a forever black backgorund.

“No trickery, I assure you. Even the kings of the three cities have not been shown this spectacle.”

“And you show me? Why?”

“Curiosity on my part. Because you, clearly a savage of a sort, are less savage than those that maintain order below. It strikes my interest. Where do you plan on going with the girl?” 

“I will take her to the north, to the lands of the Brit. She’ll be safe there.” 

“You could be a king here. Turn the girl over to face her sacrifice and I will make you the King of Summal. Her father has outlived his usefulness. I need more men like you. Though, you would need to submit to me.” 

“And who are you?”

“For I am Set.” 

  I laughed, “You are no God. You are flesh and blood like me. Maybe taller but I’d wager you can be killed.” 

The blue globe was approaching us now, though we could feel no movement from within the ship. Below us a great circular city appeared. Islands with islands of surrounding circular motes. This had to be the city of Atlantis, that Amahal had spoken of. 

“Perhaps King of Atlantis then?” said the fake god. 

“I have no desire to be a king or follow a fake god such as yourself.” 

“So be it.” He reared back and then rushed toward me. I sent Elsim running for the platform of thrones and then took a defensive stance with my scimitar. The scepter was almost as tall as I and I knew the sword would crack and shatter from a blow by that mighty weapon. At the last moment I dove forward and to my left, evading the downward strike. I rolled, came up on my feet and with a great swing slashed into the backside of the fake god. His white silks were now stained with the very real red blood of a mortal man. 

He reeled back in anger and attacked again and again. Evasion would end up tiring me out and then I would be done for. I had to land a killing strike before my energy was sapped away. The mighty scepter he was using was also heavy and I could tell that our game of cat and mouse was taxing his muscles. The whole time, he kept holding on to that strange metallic box, as if he was protecting it. On his next downward arc, I fainted right but then quickly altered course and sprinted left, as his swing came downward with his left arm, his right arm was just behind him. I struck at his wrist with all the muscle I could muster behind the swing of the scimitar, the fake god’s hand and the metallic box were cut free. Blood was spurting to the white floor and walls of the room as he swung that severed appendage in pain and anger. 

I ripped the severed hand from the box and tore it open, inside were lights that flashed but I knew not what they meant or how they worked

“You fool, ”he spat, “I’ve lost control of the Vimāna, we are going to crash to the Earth below, you impudent animal.” 

I looked out the opening to the land below and the city of Atlantis was getting bigger as we fell toward it.

“Elsim, quickly, back to the small machine,” I said as I grabbed her up, threw her over my shoulder and took the spiral steps downward, still holding the metallic box that I had deprived the fake god from re-obtaining. He lunged after us and followed in our footsteps. The white walls streaked with the gruesome blood from that dying fake god. 

When we came to the bottom of the stairway the automatic door greeted us once again and we were through it and then through the floor hatch of the small machine before the fake god could catch up. His moans and curses were well behind us as he bled out from his wound. 

“How do we make the small machine fly,” asked a panicked Elsim. 

I closed the hatch, dumped the metallic box in a corner, and then made my way to the front of the small machine where there was a seat before an array of flashing lights, “I do not know how to make this work.”

We heard metal twisting and then the hatch opening. I drew the scimitar, prepared to finish off the false god before we were all damned to hell by crashing into the ground below. As I turned to meet the visage of that malevolent evil, the driver of the machine was staring at us, “Usa te nol tissa! Usa te nol tissa!” he kept repeating over and over. 

“He can fly the machine, Arnon!” said Elsim. 

I moved from the front seat and the driver took my place. He hit a series of switches and pressed lights in the desk before him and in no time we were separating from the falling ship. We moved up and then evened off and watched as the ship crashed into one of the outer islands of the city and issued a mighty ball of fire into the sky above. 

The driver set us down on a mesa that overlooked that city of wonder. Elsim and I departed the small machine and the driver rose into the sky and headed toward Atlantis. Smoke obscured only a portion of that magnificent cityscape for it was a true wonder to behold. Even the pyramids of Set were less a wonder than the great circular islands and waterways that made up Atlantis.  

“Will we go north from here?” asked Elsim.

“Ay, but first, we will visit Atlantis and see what there is to see. With the death of that fake god and the kings unaware of where we went or what really happened, I think we will be safe from them.” 

And so, we set off to discover the wonders of Atlantis. 

-The End

Arnon the Wanderer will return…

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