“Find another way,” he replies. “I don’t know what it’s doing, but I really don’t think we want to go that way.”
“Alright,” he says. Once again taking the lead, he turns back and tries to find a way around the pyramid. Miko hurries along behind, anxious to put as much distance between them and the pyramid as quickly as possible.
He takes them west back toward the waterway and when they reach it, turns north again. But the waterway curves and brings them back to the area where the trees are withering. “Not this way,” he says, turning again to the south as he back tracks.
Retracing their steps, they find their way back. Taking them to the east this time, he’s able to find a path where they can walk without having to take the chance of slipping into the fish infested stagnant water.
They move a short ways east when a noise can be heard, like something moving through the undergrowth. He has them wait for a moment while he continues down the path and sees what it is making the noise.
He disappears through the trees ahead of them for a moment and then they suddenly hear a crashing sound as he comes running back toward them. Bursting out of the trees behind him is a rhino-lizard, charging fast.
Miko screams as he turns to flee.
James also tries to run, but on his injured leg, realizes he’s unable to move quickly enough to stay ahead of the charging rhino-lizard.
He turns to face it and in a flash, releases the magic.
Crumph!
The ground in front of it explodes upward, startling it. Roaring loudly, it comes to a stop. Taking advantage of its startlement, they move further away and hide behind some trees. They wait for several minutes in their hiding place but fail to hear any noise that might indicate it had come their way. Looking out from behind the trees, Jiron says, “I don’t think it followed us.”
He motions for them to remain there as he gets up and moves back toward where they encountered it. Returning quickly, he says, “I can’t see it anywhere. It must have gotten scared when the ground erupted and ran back to the others.”
“Others?” asks Miko, nervously.
“Yeah, there were several of them over there,” he tells him. Looking to James he says, “We can’t go that way either.”
“Now what?” asks Miko.
“Seems we are faced with several unpleasant choices,” he says as they gather around.
“East are the rhino-lizards, west is the river which may or may not have those flesh eating fish in them,” he says. “South are the natives, and I’m sure they’ll not welcome us back. Finally, to the north is that odd pyramid of skulls that feels like it’s radiating magic in some way.”
“South and east are definitely out,” Jiron says. “We could never survive unscathed if we take either of those routes. Not in our present condition.”
Nodding, James says, “I’d have to agree with you there.”
“Not the water!” pipes up Miko. “I couldn’t go in there!”
Sighing, James says, “Then we must chance the pyramid and whatever lies beyond it.” He glances at each of them before continuing, “This could prove worse than any of the other choices, you know.”
Shrugging, Jiron replies, “We don’t know that for sure. Until we do, it’s our best route.”
“Alright then,” James says as he gets up and readies his stick for travel. “Lead on.”
Taking the lead again, Jiron takes them back toward the pyramid of skulls. Worry and dread fill their hearts as they make their way through the dead and withered trees. The ground around them seems almost grey in the light, the grass and bushes upon it are twisted and warped, just like the trees. When they can at last see the pyramid ahead of them once more, Jiron pauses for a moment. Glancing first to James and then Miko, he gathers his courage before continuing down toward it.
When they are but scant feet away from it, Miko gives James a weird look. This close to the skull pyramid, even the other two are able to feel the magic of it. Miko stays as far away from it as the ground will allow him. Any further and he’d be in the water.
Jiron reaches out to touch it as he passes by, but before his hand can connect with it, James cries out, “Stop!”
Startled, as though he didn’t even realize what he was doing, Jiron snatches his hand away and quickly hurries past. “Thanks,” he says. The others step lively as they too pass the pyramid. As the pyramid disappears behind them, the vegetation slowly begins to regain some life, but none of it looks remotely healthy.
The telltale prickling of magic subsides, but doesn’t disappear altogether. Even when they’ve put distance between them and the pyramid, far enough so he shouldn’t have been able to feel anything, still the sensation remains with him. James comes to the conclusion that there may be other sources of magic here other than just that lone pyramid. Keeping his eyes open, he follows Jiron as he continues his way north.
Everyone is on edge while they make their way through such a desolate locale. “Something’s not quite right here,” says Miko in a hushed whisper.
“I agree,” states Jiron.
James begins to notice that there are no animals here, not even birds high in the trees. Never in all the time since being washed upon the shore have the trees been silent, there has always been a bird or some other kind of animal calling out. This eerie silence just makes his anxiety grow.
Jiron suddenly comes to a stop ahead of them.
“What’s wrong?” James asks when he and Miko come to where he’s standing. Looking over Jiron’s shoulder to what lies before them, he says, “Oh.”
The gnarled and withered trees end a short distance ahead at a large clearing. In the middle of the clearing sits a large complex of buildings which have long since fallen into ruin. Portions of some of the buildings remain intact, while others have collapsed completely. Several of the buildings look to have once stood over two stories tall, sections of some still do. The buildings form a semicircle around a weed infested courtyard. All the vegetation within the clearing and bordering it show the worst signs of the withering.
Within the center of the courtyard sits a larger pyramid of skulls, two, maybe three times the size of the one they’d encountered earlier. Looking at it makes James’ skin crawl. “Looks like we may have found what’s killed all the trees,” he says.
“What should we do?” Jiron asks him, not once taking his eyes off the scene ahead. Unconsciously, he’s drawn a knife and is holding it ready in his right hand.
“Can we skirt around this place?” James asks.
Jiron looks around and then nods his head as he begins to move to the right.
James and Miko stay right with him as he slowly makes his way around the area, remaining within the vegetation.
Miko suddenly trips on an exposed root and looses his balance. Trying to remain upright, he ends up stepping out of the vegetation and finally falls upon the ground within the clearing, coming to land a couple feet from the edge of the vegetation.
As soon as Miko’s foot first steps into the clearing, the prickling sensation suddenly spikes. James’ attention is drawn to the large pile of skulls and it almost seems as if he can see an enormous pulse of energy suddenly erupt from the pyramid. Moving fast, the wave washes over them as it moves away into the swamp.
“Miko!” he cries. “Get out of there!”
Getting up lightning quick, Miko scrambles back over to them as he quickly looks around for the reason for James’ warning. “What’s wrong?” he asks, not seeing anything threatening.
Both he and Jiron look to him as he replies, “When you stepped into the clearing, I felt and I think, saw, a pulse emanate from the pyramid.”
“A pulse?” Miko asks, eyes widening in fear.
Nodding his head, he says, “Yeah. It seemed like it fanned out, moving out into the swamp.”
“What does that mean?” asks Jiron, nervously.
“I don’t know,” he says. “I’ve never encountered anything like this before.”
“Well, let’s not wait here and find out,” Jiron says, as he looks around. “Let’s move!” Without waiting for a reply, he heads out and they make it around the complex, everyone taking extra precaution not to step within the clearing.
