Cave
Kamchatka Wilderness
Soviet Union
1960
The volcano rumbled, shaking what seemed to be the entire earth.
They all stared at the cave's ceiling. One of the larger stalactites fell into their fire - shattering the stacked wood, threatening the flames. Sparks hit them. They all ducked and were silent.
Indy spoke first, brushing cave debris from Emily's hat. "Everyone all right? The volcano sounds like its getting worse. We have to get to safety."
"In the dark?" Shorty asked, reaching for Lizavet. "Isn't that worse than staying put?"
Lizavet shut her eyes and made a shaman movement with her hand. Tears fell across her sooty face. "I could have led you out, but the volcano has made the land more dangerous. I no longer know my way in the dark..." She flinched. "And the apkallu are roaming out there like wild animals."
"Can we kill them?" Emily asked, reaching for her pistol.
"Not like that." Lizavet answered, opening her eyes. "And we can only kill them by using one of the Seven Swords of Diya. They know we have the sacred swords. As long as we have the swords we're safe. It would be best to travel at dawn... if we have a dawn. The ash clouds may block the sunlight."
"What if the volcano explodes before then?" Shorty asked.
"They have the realm of the underworld," Lizavet mused. "They would be stupid to allow the volcano to erupt, killing us when we have the power to unlock them from their prison directly." She swallowed. "There is also one more thing... Edo and Chiba, his henchmen, along with a few of the ninjas, survived."
"How?" Indy growled.
"I don't know," Lizavet trembled. "I told you he was powerful. And the apkallu probably kept him alive. They would want their soulless lackey alive until he was of no use, or they found someone more powerful."
"Who would be more powerful?" Indy asked.
"You, me, Emily, Korotkiy..."
"Why?" Indy frowned. "I'm a sixty year old man sitting next to a volcano, hon. I've got a broken arm, injured shoulder, and our survival chances were bad before because we have no supplies, but they're gonna be next to zero when that volcano blows its top. There's no way in hell I'm gonna feel powerful."
Lizavet blinked. "You do not know? No one has told you the story of how the Treasure Guardian traded his life for us and now we are to replace the apkallu?"
"What?" Indy whispered.
Lizavet nodded. "The Treasure Guardian was betrayed by his divine council. They rebelled and instead of taking care of humanity, the rebels were jealous and wanted to enslave and destroy them. So the Treasure Guardian came to earth with the swords and taught humans how to love each other and defend their families and nations. He carried the Seventh Sword and went into Diya to lock the rebellious apkallu away. When he returned, he gave six of the swords to the lady shamans, one of whom was my ancestor." Lizavet smiled at her sword. "The other five have made their way back to us."
"So where's the seventh one?" Emily asked.
Indy blinked all the legends stacking in his mind, mixing with instinct. "The Treasure Guardian has it. It's in the Unseen Realm. That's why no one's ever found it."
Lizavet's smile disappeared. "There is another reason why no one has ever found it."
"What's that?" Shorty asked.
"No one returns from the Unseen Realm. And no one goes there - except if they're dead."
YOU ARE READING
The Seven Swords of Diya: An Indiana Jones Fan Fiction - Part 2
FanfictionPart 2: Indiana Jones and his daughter Emily Ravenwood Jones continue their adventure in the frozen Soviet peninsula of Kamchatka, searching for seven mystical swords. With them is Indy's bodyguard from 1935 India - Short Round, grown up! And his re...
