Covenant: Exodus

Chapter 42

Erich and his group continued following their guide for many miles. They hiked the entire night, only stopping long enough to find water and rest for a moment and then continued on their path. It seemed that they were going higher into the mountains, but Erich could not be totally sure, it could just feel that way because he was so tired. It had now been almost forty-eight hours since they had slept, and they had spent the entire time trekking through the roughest terrain on the planet or trying desperately not to die in a firefight with a madman. Erich thought he had never needed sleep more in his entire life, but then he saw Gema and his spirits lifted.

They were together again, and they had a son...an amazing son. So much had changed in the last several days; Erich knew his life would never be the same. He looked in front of him as Raja and Isaiah climbed a slight rise in the ground and were momentarily framed in golden light from the rising sun. 'This small boy had somehow managed to save them all. How was any of this possible? he thought, as the small hill that they were climbing crested and sloped gently back down. When Paulus had come to him with the insane story of magic people, and good and evil, and someone out to destroy the earth, Erich hadn't really believed a word of it, and now he had no choice but to believe. What other explanation was there for Raja? For Isaiah being able to stop that bullet? For everything that I have witnessed in the past few days?

As he thought about this, he turned to look at the jungle around him and was shocked to see the same pool that was safely covered by a giant glass dome halfway across the world. The pool that Paulus had said was called the Jala'Kim, although this one was much larger than the one he had found with the Ark, almost three times as large to be exact. Erich heard a gasp and turned to see Paulus gaping at the pool, a look of pure awe on his face. "Do you know what this means Erich?" he said, "this is the lost city of the Sala'Ma. This man and his archer friends must live here in the ruins of that once great society. We have found it..."

Erich watched as a golden fish swam close to the surface and then dove back towards the depth of the pool. Paulus was right, somehow this strange archer that they were following had led them to the very place that they had been trying to find. As they continued to move through the jungle, Erich started to notice other buildings and structures hidden everywhere amongst the trees. It seems that these people had somehow crafted their city to blend in so naturally with the surrounding jungle that, often times, it was hard to tell where the houses ended and the jungle began. Erich was in awe as he surveyed the lush green vegetation of the jungle, seeing faces peering out at him from inside the homes. Men, women, and children all seemed to be observing the newcomers from a safe distance.

Then suddenly, they were in a central courtyard. A huge clearing dominated the space, although Erich noticed right away as he looked up, that the trees at the top of the clearing still covered everything completely; you would get no view of this city from the sky. It seemed like even the trees in the canopy had been made to grow closed in such a way as to allow some sunlight in but still keep this jungle city invisible. As he was looking up at the trees, he felt Gema's hand tighten on his, and it brought his gaze back to the ground. They had continued walking as Erich had been staring up, contemplating the trees, and he had missed what everyone else had already seen.

There in the center of the clearing stood three gleaming white pyramids. Each was not very large, he guessed only twenty-five feet tall, but he instantly saw that they were laid out exactly like the pyramids of Giza; the only difference being that these pyramids were much smaller and looked to be made out of white marble. Their beauty was astounding, and Erich had a hard time tearing his eyes away from them. There was a bit of commotion at the front of the group now as their guide began speaking animatedly. Isaiah simply listened and then shook his head, the guide disappeared around the corner of the center pyramid.

"What did he say?" Erich asked the boy.

Isaiah seemed transfixed by the pyramids, he didn't take his gaze from them as he answered Erich, "He said that we must wait here...he said that there is someone we have to meet."

"Someone we have to meet...," Erich said slowly.

"Probably getting the chief or something...," Rock said.

As the group stood debating this new development, the man strode back around the corner of the pyramid, although he seemed to be alone. "Well, I guess we're about to find out," Mitchell said under his breath.

The man approached them slowly, and as he turned, the group could see that another, much older man followed behind him. As he approached, the archer turned and took up a position beside the front of the group, making room for this elder. The man that stood before them was incredibly old, Erich could not even hazard a guess as to his age. His long gray hair almost touched the ground at his feet, and his beard hung well past his knees. He had the gaunt, haunted look of someone who had spent too long living on this earth, and his back was bowed with the weight of his years. He shifted his eyes slowly, took in the group around him, and then he smiled. It was a smile so joyous that it made Erich want to throw his head back and laugh.

"After all of these years," the man croaked out, "you have come. I did not believe that you would ever be here, but you have come to save us all."

He bowed slightly to Isaiah and took him by the hand, "Come, I have so much to show you. All of you may come; to accomplish this task, the child will need your help."