Chapter 8
The Great Maze
“Krystal, you know more about Citrine than I do,” said Duplex. “Do you think you can lead us?” Krystal nodded and took the lead. She led them to the base of the massive cliff. The solid bare rock towered above them by hundreds of metres, and seemed impenetrable.
“Duplex, the Azurite bullitt ladder, do you have it?” asked Krystal.
Duplex pushed his way to the front and took out the small box shaped object. It was so tiny it was difficult to believe that it held a long, rope ladder. He pointed it to the top of the cliff but before he could release it, Krystal reached out a hand to stop him.
“No, not that far,” she pointed three quarters of the way up the cliff face where several strange bird-like creatures were seated. “They’re snipes,” she told him. “Birdlike creatures that hover near humans for scavenging.”
“Do you think there’s an entrance to the cliff near them?” asked Duplex.
Krystal nodded, “It’s possible.”
Duplex pointed the Bullitt box at the resting place of the birds and pushed the release button. Everyone watched amazed as a thick rope ladder unwound from the miniature box and attached itself neatly to the rocky ledge.
“We’ll let Kay4 go first,” said Duplex firmly to Krystal, who nodded and stepped back.
“If everything is okay you can go next.”
With no further encouragement needed, Kay4 leapt onto the ladder and shot up the cliff. She came back down immediately, landing softly beside Duplex. Saffyre handed him Kay4’s scanner and he ran it over her. He read out the findings.
“We’ll need our breathing apparatus adjusted for more oxygen. The strange birds are snipes, as Krystal told us, and can be aggressive if provoked. They particularly like human digits. There is an entrance on the cliff ledge that we will need to locate and configure. Inside the cliff we will face challenges that…” here he stopped and re-read the words, before he continued… “could kill us,” he finished.
“Great,” groaned Zavier.
Krystal stood on the bottom rung of the rope ladder. She kicked hard with her heel and shot up to the rocky ledge in seconds.
“Wow,” said Lazar. “Amazing!”
One by one they were all propelled up the ladder. The Azurite material was light and simple to hold, and incredibly strong. Duplex showed them how the sides could light up in iridescent colours for night climbing. Zavier enjoyed his turn so much that he wanted to climb down and rocket up again.
All the while it was becoming darker. The eerie mud coloured sky was deepening into black. The weak sun sank on the horizon in a tan hue with none of the great blaze of colour that they had seen in the film on Azurite. The air was dank and cold.
Zavier took off one of his shoes and began to massage his blistered toe.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” warned Duplex.
Zavier looked at him quizzically. “Why not?” he asked
One of the snipes took a sudden swipe at his bare big toe.
“That’s why!” replied Duplex.
“We need to get inside quickly,” said Krystal cutting in. “Otherwise it will be night and the temperature could drop to almost zero.”
“How come you know so much about this place?” asked Zavier suspiciously. “Have you been here before?”
“Briefly, it is my job at IPU to find out all about the planets that are outside our jurisdiction. Citrine is one of those.”
“Of course it is,” agreed Lazar shooting an angry look at Zavier.
Duplex was tapping around the cliff face which appeared just as impenetrable as it had below. “I can’t find anything,” he said finally.
Saffyre picked up Kay4 and handed her to Duplex. “See if she can find something,” she suggested.
Duplex carried Kay4 close to the cliff wall and read her scanner. He shook his head. For the next ten minutes they scoured the rocky wall for any type of clue that would show them how to enter the cliff. It was very dark now and Duplex was gravely concerned.
“If we don‘t find the entrance soon, we’ll have to go back to the Saffyre Starlight for the night,” he told them. “Though it’s only 5.30pm Citrine time, it’s getting too dark to see. Without our protective suits, we would soon find it freezing out here.”
“Duplex,” said Krystal urgently. “Try the Azurite light.”
“Of course,” Duplex replied and took it of his pocket as he spoke. The small cylinder shaped object was no longer than a finger but when he turned it on, the whole cliff face lit up and became cheerily warm.
“Wow, that’s fantastic,” said Zavier. “Finally I can see around me again.”
They set to work with a new enthusiasm. Before long Krystal was calling to Duplex.
“Quick! Over here,” she cried. “I’ve found a button in the cliff wall.”
“And we couldn’t see it?” asked Duplex amazed. The cliff was so austere that it was impossible to believe that anything could be concealed there.
Krystal pointed to the tiny button. It was in a tiny crevice that could barely be detected and was exactly the same colour of the cliff wall.
“Well, fancy not seeing that!” said Zavier sarcastically.
Krystal pressed the small button and a groaning noise began. Part of the sheer, cliff wall vanished and an ebony picture frame appeared, emblazoned with a huge raven. Next to it was a small computer screen and on it they could see a set of four cards. Each card had a different picture. The first looked like an eagle in flight; the second appeared to be a red garnet and the third, ivory quartz. The last card of all was adorned with a raven.
“What are they?” asked Saffyre.
“Centuries ago on Earth, people used to play games with a deck of cards. There were four main suits; hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades,” said Krystal. “I’ve studied Earth’s history,” she added with a warning look at Zavier, who appeared ready to interrogate her again. “This looks similar to a deck of cards.”
“Quartz’s first name is Raven,” said Duplex. “As well as being a criminal, he’s also an egomaniac. I‘d say he’s created his own deck of cards, complete with appropriate challenges. It look’s like Onyx could be right in believing that he might be here.”
“It’s certainly possible,” agreed Krystal. “As you can see, the screen pad has the word ‘enter’ highlighted. Do you want me to press it?”
They all nodded in agreement, so Krystal activated the key pad.
Immediately a virtual voice spoke:
“Step inside on your adventurous quest
Shuffle the cards and meet each test….
My deck consists of four main suits
And picture cards of queens and dukes,
To spin an eagle is lucky for all
But a red garnet is too close to call….
An ivory quartz could danger let,
But the mighty raven… is the greatest threat.
Prepare to face the most challenging ways…
Dare to enter … the GREAT MAZE!”
Suddenly a huge door materialized in the solid cliff face. It swung open and Krystal led them inside. Duplex shone the Azurite light around. They were standing in a long dark tunnel that led deep inside the cliff. The walls were made of solid rock. He held the laser light high as they made their way through the tunnel. They had walked about a hundred metres when a piece of falling rock struck Kay4. Duplex put the laser light on the rocky ground and began to check over her.
While they were waiting, Saffyre scanned the rocky walls of the tunnel with keen eyes. “Look!” she cried. “It’s another deck of cards!”
Zavier and Saffyre raced forward and vied for front position. “I saw it first,” said Saffyre, pushing Zavier aside. She reached up and pushed the button and the deck shuffled. The cards stopped and a queen of eagles appeared. A voice boomed out immediately:
“A lucky spin indeed my friend…
Look for an opening around the bend…
But the rocky wall will soon seal the way…
And close it off…until another day…”
Zavier raced forward with Saffyre at his heels. In the background Duplex was commanding them to wait for the rest of the group. Krystal was yelling at them to stop, but neither seemed to hear as they both rushed forward, determined to beat the other. A large opening appeared in the rocky wall and they almost got stuck in their furious rush to win the race. Saffyre gave Zavier a look of utter triumph when she drew ahead of him inside the new tunnel. Her look turned to horror when the opening slowly closed behind them.
They were trapped on the other side of the tunnel wall, with no way for the rest of the group to join them!