Chapter Ten

Voices In The Dark

The darkness changed.

Richard opened his eyes.

The darkness remained the same.

Everything was blackness, all consuming blackness.

Were his eyes open?

He blinked them several times feeling the lids shut together and then part again.

They were open.

The darkness in this place, wherever this was, was impenetrable; he was unable to detect even a change in the shade of blackness around him.

He needed to find out where he was. He was lying down that he was sure of, for he could feel a light pressure on his back and along the back of his legs and head.

He moved his arms, gently probing his surroundings for any clue as to where he was; he could hear and feel water that lapped gently against his ears with every movement. Panic began to seize him as the thought that he might be underwater took a firm grip of his imagination.

He moved his hands towards his face, afraid to breath.

The resistance of water gave way to the freeness of air, and as he touched his mouth with wet fingers he drew a deep breath, a breath that smelt and tasted of damp. He licked his lips.

Salt, the water was salty and warm.

He was lying in water, floating maybe, like when he was a child in the salty seas that surrounded his home, feeling weightless and free, and dreaming of being a fish in the clear blue green water as it lapped against the black volcanic beaches.

He pushed his hands downwards trying to discern what was keeping him afloat, but his hands met no resistance save that of the water. So instead, he concentrated on his surroundings and something to hold onto, to enable him to get his bearings.

As he moved his arms around with a slow, gentle motion his fingers brushed something solid. It was as warm as the water he was lying in, for there was no discernible change in temperature, and he grasped it and pulled himself towards it.

As he neared the object that he had discovered, he rolled himself over onto his front, keeping his head above the water, and grabbed it with both hands as if his life depended on it.

Now with something firm to hold onto, he tentatively lowered his legs, and to his immense relief found solid ground beneath them. Placing his full weight onto his legs he stood up, but was only able to raise himself up a couple of inches, which left the water sitting at shoulder height.

With his feet firmly on the bottom, he allowed his hands to explore the solid surface of the object that he had grabbed. It felt to him like stone, rough but oddly warm to the touch.

Feeling his way along, he followed the edge to his right, but after several minutes came to the conclusion that either there was no end to the rock, or that he was in a stone bowl of some kind, as he felt as if he was moving in a large circle.

Something brushed against his legs.

He froze.

Had he felt it? He didn’t know, but just in case he decided to stay where he was.

There it was again.

It didn’t feel as if it was big, but he definitely wasn’t alone. He toyed with the idea of climbing out, but despite the company he now found himself with he reasoned that if it wanted to hurt him it would have done so when he had been unconscious, and anyway he had no idea what was out there on the other side in the dangerous little world that he had created in his mind, and he could end up succumbing to the hideous creatures that he was trying not to populate that little world with.

As his mind worked overtime trying not to work overtime, it came back to the memory of the fire and his fleshless hands. He touched his hands together; seeking to concentrate his mind. They seemed fine, there was no pain and all the skin felt as if it was still there. It must have been a dream; but if so what was he doing here, now.

BENEDICT...

The name rose up from the darkness.

He needed to find Benedict.

“HELLO, ANY ONE THERE?” he said gingerly into the darkness, deciding that he needed to take some form of action, but his voice seemed to boom in the stillness as if he had shouted.

Silence...

There was no response only the deathly silence of a deserted catacomb, not even an echo from his voice, which made his mind race even more.

“I NEED YOUR HELP,” he said, again his voice an echoless boom.

Silence...

“WE ARE IN DANGER,” he boomed.

Still there was silence...

Maybe no one was there or maybe they just didn’t want to answer him as he was their prisoner he reasoned.

Richard fell into silence, running over in his mind all the things that had happened over the last couple of days. There were so many questions with so few answers. He had to find...

Ssccrraappee...

There was a noise somewhere deep in the gloom.

Silence...

Ssccrraappee...

Again the noise came, this time louder and closer reminding Richard of a horses hoof on rock.

“Hello, who’s there?” whispered Richard, the boom from his voice mysteriously gone.

“We will ask the questions, you will provide the answers,” said a voice so pure and vibrant that it quickened the pulse, and yet at the same time had a definite air of power about it, as if used to command.

“Why do you come here where you are not invited?” the voice enquired.

“I am in need of Benedict,” Richard replied.

“He is not here,” was the simple, cold answer.

“I know,” Richard replied, his voice composed. “He is in the ice lands far to the north, but the way is blocked by the mountains and an invading army, without him we are doomed.”

“Why come to us, what happens to your kind does not have any bearing on us.” The voice seemed colder than before.

“You are my only hope of reaching Benedict and thus to help my people. A people, many of you once belonged to,” he added in the hope of breaking through the coldness.

“Those days are lost to us. We have our own concerns in these troubled times,” it replied.

“Help me to reach Benedict, this is all I ask,” pleaded Richard.

“Do you ask too much? This is a question I ask myself, and what price are you willing to pay?” the voice asked.

“Whatever it costs, I must save my people. Your people.”

Silence... Almost unendurable.

“We will help you; the price will be your life!” the voice said, breaking the silence.

“My life? You would demand so high a price?” Richard asked, astounded.

“Yes,” was the cold matter of fact reply.

“Do you wish me dead for coming here?”

“No, we did not say death, just your life that is the price.”

“I don’t understand,” Richard muttered.

Silence...

“If that is what it will take to save my people,” Richard said after a slight pause, “then that is what I will pay, though it seems to be too high a price for your help.”

“You do not know what this will cost us. Your life might not be enough, only time will tell. The bargain is done; we will give you access to the northern wastes.” There was a finality to the voice that was disquieting.

Darkness, all consuming and total engulfed Richard before he could say “Thank you.”