Siblings of Sol: Destruction of a Planet

Chapter 27

Jarl steps towards the doorway and reaches into the hole off to the side, releasing the catch that holds the door closed so they can return to the corridor and then to the central tunnel. Adam follows close behind him, and together, they make their way down the long tunnel.

They walk in silence side by side, with Jarl only lightly using his cane for help. He smiles at the image Jarl had given him of their first meeting in the main hall of the village. It had given him the impression of a wise old man and had made him listen to what Jarl had said from the very beginning.

He now has his own thoughts to work through, as he considers the latest information he has received from Jarl. Namely how best to force Kril and this Jard to let them leave this world and get back to Earth where he understands the rules and can live out the rest of his life with Evian as his wife. That single thought puts a smile on his face because he knows that Evian feels the same way about him, even without the spiced water to enhance her need.

They walk for a least two turns straight as an arrow till the tunnel emerges into a large natural chamber many hundreds of feet across and incredibly high. Glow bulbs start to come on as soon as they enter the edge of the vast chamber. Then, as each one reacts to the one before it and lights up, he can tell that the far side is unclear looking from where they are.

He can only stare at the sight as Jarl smiles beside him. "What do you think of the place?"

He takes his eyes from the sight and turns to him. "Did the Moles make this?"

"No. We suspect that at one time in the deep past, the Shrils spent a lot of time down here, when the center area was an open flowing stone floor, red and extremely hot. We know the Shrils like dull light and very hot places. We think it is because they slow down when they get to cold that they search out places like this used to be."

Adam turns back to the large dome with walkways that run around the entire round chamber. Each walkway is shorter than the one below it because the walls slope in toward the center with narrow ramps unevenly placed to access the ones above or moving back down to the lower ones. He starts to count the number of ledges but loses count at nineteen. He turns to Jarl. "Do the Shrils ever come back here?"

"No, the flowing rock has cooled and now it is too cold for them. The Fortress has the open pits of flowing rock now, so they stay up there unless they need to venture out into the villages for the Moles."

He catches the tone in Jarl's voice at the last part. "Maybe one period you will be free of the Shrils, and you can progress on your own, like we did on Ter. There, we are the rulers of all the land and prosper as a people."

Jarl smiles and looks up at him. "I hope I am around to see that turn, but I fear it is still a long way off yet."

He looks out across the huge open space. "So, where do I hide from the beasts?"

"Follow me," smiles Jarl, as they head out along the side of the chamber. "There is a large meeting room or meal area at the far side. We use it as a meeting room when a lot of the Elders are getting together for one of our semi cycle meetings. There are rooms with tables and chairs, along with beds for sleeping, so the ones that come from far away can sleep before heading back."

He follows and can soon see the large archway to the meeting room. He turns to Jarl. "Why don't we cut across the center, instead of taking the long way around?"

Jarl stops and looks around the floor till he finds a small rock that he can throw. "OK, listen carefully as this rock hits the surface." He throws it way out into the center, and they can hear a hollow sound as the stone bounces a few times on the floor.

Adam turns to him. "I see what you mean. The lava must have cooled, and when it did, it left a thin layer of rock at the top and then probably sunk back down into the ground before resealing itself at the bottom of the lava tube."

"If by lava, you mean the flowing red rock, then you are right. There is a hole out about a third of the way across, which is left over from the last person who tried to walk across it. His companions said he screamed all the way down till they could not hear him anymore. They ended up crawling back to the side and solid ground again. Now we walk around it."

He nods his head. "OK, lead on, and I will follow you closely."

Jarl smiles to himself. "I knew you were smart the first time I laid eyes on you."

They soon make it to the meeting chamber and enter. Rows of tables have been set across the large space with enough chairs sitting upside down on the tables to seat at least four hundred people. Jarl moves down the left side of the chamber to a row of small rooms cut from the rock wall. He enters one at random and a glow bulb in the ceiling slowly comes to life. A table and chair sit to the right as a raised bed and mattress sit along the opposite wall.

"This is the room that I always take when I meet the others. I know it has a soft mattress and the light is one of the brightest in the place, so you can work at the table, if you want," informs Jarl.

Adam looks around and decides that it will be nice to relax for awhile, although he wonders what he will do for three turns. He turns to Jarl. "Is it possible to get the bundle of clothes and other items we had brought with us to your village?"

"Oh, yes, I had put it in my house right after you left to keep the children from poking through it. I will have Cal bring it as soon as I get back. He is going to be the next Elder for the village and knows how to get here."

"The next Elder!" exclaims Adam.

Jarl looks seriously at Adam. "Yes, I will see you through this situation that you and Evian have been dropped into. Then, when the time comes for Cal to be processed, I will have already couched him on how to survive the Island, just like Tar did for you. Then, I will go in his place."

Adam sits on the mattress as Jarl takes the chair to relax for a moment before heading back to the village. He bounces up and down on the bed to check the firmness before looking back to Jarl. "You may not know this, but when we entered The Sphere, it sent us here at a very specific time; a time when this planet is about to go through a major change. The same thing happened when I arrived on Ver; the planet was about to become uninhabitable, and Evian and I had escaped just in time before it violently fell apart."

"And you think the same thing is going to happen here on Mur, because you have arrived?" asks Jarl suspiciously.

"Honestly, I do not know, but something is going to happen. I do not think it will be as bad as it was on Ver, but I wanted to let you know my suspicions. The villages might need your leadership soon, and your contact with the leader of the Shrils will help in protecting your people. Both the Moles and the Shrils may need to work together to survive what may be coming."

Jarl stares at him for a moment. "I am inclined to disregard what you are saying because it sounds to fantastic to believe, but Kril seems to be very interested in speaking with you, so there must be some knowledge that you know that the Shrils don't know. That simple fact makes me give your warning some consideration. I will keep all that in mind. Thank you, Adam."

He gets up from the bed, to help Jarl rise from the chair. Jarl sees his intent and gets up quickly. "Don't be taken in by my sign of weakness. I use it to endear people to me. I am still fully functional and can-do things myself."

He smiles and holds up his hands in front of himself. "Sorry, I was just trying to be helpful."

Jarl moves across the small room to the doorway. "I should be going so I can get back soon enough for Cal to get here and back again before the night's activities. I will send enough food and water, un-spiced of course, to keep you satisfied till you are summoned by Kril. When that happens, I will return to show you the way to his private quarters."

Adam watches him walk steadily towards the entrance back down the main tunnel to the villages, and then returns to the bed to lay down and think about the situation he now finds himself in.