Page 44 of Spectral Seas (Spectral Worlds #2)

T HE REPTOIDS GATHERED beneath the temple altar, their arms raised high in praise, while the Lupo sauntered in behind them. Abby and the Umbra made for the salt laden open air. They passed through the towering columns of the colonnade onto a grand terrace that extended across the width of the massive temple facade. The air was still heavy, but sweet and less acidic than the moisture of the tunnels. When they reached the edge of the terrace, they found a wide staircase, the soft marble of the steps unevenly worn from countless millennia of exposure. The bright glowing mist enveloped the lower steps while farther below, hidden waves crashed, adding to the illusion that the reptoids’ holy temple rested high in the blue clouded heavens.

As they descended the ancient steps, Leta’s fingers ran across her wrist console.

“Are you getting a reading?” asked Abby.

“Near as I can tell,” she said, “we entered the complex ten kilometers in that direction.” She jabbed a finger to the front of them, toward the abyss .

Abby peered into the blank cloud. “Somewhere out there? Huh.”

“Here. I’ll toss you the coordinates,” she said, flicking her fingers from the top of her wrist console toward him.

“Maybe the tunnel was a better bet,” said Soren.

“Maybe,” said Abby. A pinpoint target appeared in his ocular, hovering in the mist. “Sss’kyrone said the gathering is above where we entered. But with the visibility what it is, I have no idea what’s out there or if we’ll even be able to reach it.” He took another step down then turned his gaze below toward the thick wisping mist and the crash of the waves. “There’s definitely water between here and there. We may be totally cut off.”

Behind them came the communal hiss of the lead reptoids. Abby spun back. The reptoids and the wolfmen were gathering on the terrace before the great columns, Sss’kyrone and Sss’kali to the front, their flaming blue orbs focused on the three. “You’ll travel with me by dissscsss to the top of the mountain,” said Sss’kyrone. He then gestured to another monk and the two ventured to join Abby and the Umbra.

Sss’kali remained behind. He raised his arm and outreached a long-clawed finger toward the upper left of the temple. “I’ll lead the othersss along the ridge path. Thisss way.” He then walked across the terrace toward the wall of thick fog. Single file, the other reptoids and Lupo fell in and followed Sss’kali, one by one disappearing into the mist.

As Sss’kyrone approached Abby and the Umbra, he said, “The dissscsss are to be found below.” Then he passed the three and continued further down the wind worn steps. Abby and the Umbra followed. The mist pushed back as they descended until the stairs stopped abruptly, revealing the raw rock of the mountain face below. Sss’kyrone led them to the right, along the last step, and as he had said, four small transport discs, parked at the far edge, came into view.

Each meter-wide disc had a thin waist-high pole protruding from the outer rim with a hoop handle fixed to its top, and unlike the larger disc they’d traveled on from the abbey, these were without a protective glass bubble canopy to shield them from the elements. Sss’kyrone stepped onto the farthest, and with a subtle rolling wave of his hand, beckoned the others to mount the remaining discs.

Abby gently probed the floating disc with one foot, keeping his weight on the other. When he found it solid, he stepped fully on. “Would you look at that,” he said. “Leta, would you care to join me?”

“Certainly,” she said.

Soren and the second reptoid boarded the remaining two transports then, without hesitation, Sss’kyrone wrapped his long-clawed fingers around the hoop handle at the top of the pole and silently whisked forward. The second reptoid grabbed his hoop in the same fashion and followed Sss’kyrone, then Soren too disappeared into the fog.

“Here goes nothing,” said Abby. “Hold tight.”

There was a tug to either side of his waist as Leta grabbed hold.

He dropped his palms onto the hoop. Nothing happened. “Huh,” he said.

“What?” asked Leta.

“There’re no triggers or buttons, just smooth cool metal.”

“Grab it tightly,” said Leta. “It will go.”

With a shrug Abby squeezed his hands around the hoop .

Without warning, the disc shot forward.

Abby’s face and knuckles went wet. He winced as the thick vapor stung his eyes. Apart from the initial inertia, the transport was stable, and it didn’t take long to catch up with Soren, easing the blast of moisture as he slid behind the tall Umbra and into his slipstream.

~*~