After Glow

Chapter 25

Lydia opened her eyes to the familiar green light of the catacombs. Relief swept through her. A moment ago, when awareness had begun to creep back, she had been terrified that she was coming awake inside a closed coffin. In those first few seconds all she could think about was how long it would take her to go mad.

She had a feeling that the image of the lid of the sarcophagus descending downward, blotting out the light and sealing her into the quartz burial box, would provide her with an ample supply of nightmares for the rest of her life.

As if she didn't have enough weird dreams already.

She sat up cautiously. Her stomach swam and her head spun. Whatever they had used to put her out had some unpleasant side effects. Just like last time.

After a moment she decided that she was not going to throw up. Her head cleared a little. She started to shift positions again and discovered that she was on a pallet, not the hard quartz floor of the small chamber.

The space in which they had confined her was about the size of her office at Shrimpton's. But given that it was a lot bigger than the sarcophagus she decided that she would not complain too loudly about the accommodations. At least not yet.

There was a comforting familiarity about the chamber. She had spent a lot of her professional life underground in these catacombs. The walls, ceiling, and floor were oddly proportioned to the human eye but they were not uncomfortable. Every surface in the space glowed with a soft green radiance just like all of the other passages and chambers and hallways that the aliens had built below ground. As with the proportions, the light took some getting used to but after a while it felt natural, like sunlight or moonlight.

The experts had never been able to figure out the source of the luminous glow. It seemed to be a property of the particular type of green quartz that had been used to construct the catacombs. So far as anyone knew, the illumination had never so much as flickered or dimmed anywhere in the endless miles of underground corridors that had been explored thus far. Nevertheless, para-archaeologists, hunters, ruin rats, and everyone else who went down into the tunnels always carried spare flashlights, just as they carried spare amber and spare water.

The eerie light and the design of the room weren't the only things she found comforting, she thought, pushing herself to her feet. Psi energy pulsed heavily everywhere down here in the catacombs. It was invigorating.

Her stomach settled and her mind cleared. She looked toward the entrance of the chamber and saw a row of human-engineered steel bars and a lock. The aliens had not used doors or gates to seal their rooms. They had re-lied on various types of illusion traps to ensure privacy and security. But someone had obviously decided to go low-tech here to make sure that she did not escape. A smart move, given that she had never met a trap she couldn't untangle.

That thought made her glance at her wrist. She was relieved to see that her kidnappers had left her with her bracelet.

There was a tiny room off the main chamber, its entrance closed by a curtain. She pulled the drape aside and found that someone had thoughtfully installed a portable rest room, complete with commode, shower and basin. It was the same make and model as those that were standard equipment on most professionally run excavation sites.

She made use of the facilities and felt even steadier after she washed her face.

When she was finished, she went to stand at the bars of her cell and looked out into the corridor. A short distance away down the hall three people with shaved heads and green robes were seated at a long folding table. There was a stack of sandwiches and several cans of Curtain Cola in the middle of the table.

One of the Greenies, a woman, noticed her and quickly pushed back her chair.

"She's awake," the woman announced excitedly. "Acolyte Martin, go and tell the assistants. They said that Master Herbert wanted to see her as soon as she was alert."

"I'm on it." Martin took off, sandwich in hand, and disappeared around a bend in the corridor.

The third Greenie, another woman, peered at Lydia. "How do you feel?"

"Like I could dance until dawn." Lydia leaned heavily on the bars and tried to look as wan as possible. "Too bad I didn't bring my new dress."

"Hey, don't get smart mouthed with us," the first woman snapped. "We're just doing our job."

"Are you going to tell me why you went to all this trouble to grab me?"

"We don't know why the Master wants you here," the second woman said.

Lydia nodded. "Well, that's a real conversation stopper, isn't it?"

The first woman hesitated. "My name is Acolyte Frances. You want something to eat?"

Lydia did a quick status check on her stomach. Things appeared to be under control in that department. Maybe it would be a good idea to take some nourishment. She might need energy later.

"Got any rez-tea?" she asked.

"Sure."

"I'll take a large cup and one of those sandwiches, please."

By the time Acolyte Martin returned to inform everyone that she was to be escorted into the "Master's Chamber" Lydia felt almost normal, assuming she ignored the fact that she was both very mad and very scared.

Frances told Lydia to stick her hands out between two of the cell bars. The Greenie bound her wrists with some tape and then unlocked the door.

Lydia concentrated on orienting herself silently, using the amber in her bracelet to draw a mental map of the route to the Master's Chamber. She'd had a great deal of experience navigating underground and a professional's feel for alien architecture.

Her three escorts guided her through a short series of halls and intersections. They passed a number of chambers that had been converted into offices, complete with desks and files. There were no phones, of course. For some reason, a property of the illuminated quartz no doubt, most communications systems did not work underground.

One passage caught her attention. It was blocked with a gate of illusion shadow. Two burly-looking Greenies were stationed on either side of the darkened entrance.

"What's in there?" she asked her escorts.

"That's classified," Acolyte Martin intoned. "Only those with a need to know go in there."

"Need to know, huh?" Lydia glanced back over her shoulder as she was led past.

There was a small sign propped on one side of the passage. It read AREA 51.

The next hallway contained a row of small chambers that had been outfitted as offices. Each was staffed with a Greenie or two. If it hadn't been for their bizarre robes and shaved heads, they would have looked like normal clerks.

"What are all these people doing?" Lydia asked.

"They handle the financial and business affairs of the Order," Frances explained. "The contributions and donations we receive amount to a great deal of money. The funds have to be invested and managed wisely according to the instructions Master Herbert receives from Amatheon if we are to prosper and grow."

"You guys make a lot of money off those Thirteen Steps to Bliss books?"

"The books are one of our sources of income," Frances said. "There are others."

"Such as?"

"Save your questions for Master Herbert," Martin said.

They halted at a doorway that was cloaked in illusion shadow. Another pair of Greenies with broad shoulders and tough-looking features greeted Lydia's escorts.

"The Master is ready to see her," one of them said. "You are instructed to take her to the Philosopher's Chamber."

Lydia watched intently to see which of the two guards de-rezzed the trap that shuttered the entrance. It was the one on the right. The other was probably a hunter, she decided.

She felt psi energy shiver in the air for a few seconds and a moment later the illusion shadow evaporated. She and her escorts walked into a large, imposing green hall. Behind them, the shadow reappeared. The guard had reset the trap.

She surveyed the grand hall and almost laughed, in spite of the fear that was snaking through her. Hysteria, she thought. Get a grip.

But that was easier said than done. The room was really quite amazing. Human furnishings invariably seemed very much out of place when they were moved into the ruins and the catacombs. The clash of perspectives and proportions was simply too great to allow for any harmonious blending of styles. When people did bring furniture into the catacombs, as was sometimes necessary, they generally stuck to simple, utilitarian pieces.

But whoever had done this space had clearly felt compelled to go for drama. The walls were hung with great swaths of red and gold velvet draperies. Intricately patterned carpets were spread out on the floors. The furnishings were large, heavy pieces in the style that had been popular at the time of the Era of Discord. The sofas, chairs, and tables were hand carved and gilded to a fare-thee-well.

In addition to looking distinctly odd in the ancient, nonhuman setting, the thick carpets and heavy wall hangings cut down the natural light that emanated from the quartz. The result was an over-furnished, dimly lit room that was probably supposed to appear aristocratic and imposing.

Lydia looked at Frances and raised her brows. "Who was your decorator? It looks like a stage set for a low-budget horror movie."

Frances and the other two were obviously stunned by her lack of good taste but before they could lecture her on issues of artistic design, a short, plump figure in a green robe bustled forth from another shadowed room. Amber beads clinked.

"I am Acolyte Rich," he announced.

"Okay, that settles it," Lydia said. "You're of the masculine persuasion. I wasn't sure. Those unisex robes complicate things, you know."

"My Master considers you an honored guest," Rich stated. He sounded offended by her failure to immediately recognize his sex.

"Yeah?" Lydia held up her bound wrists. "If this is the way you treat your guests, I'd sure hate to see how you handle folks you don't like very much."

Rich looked at Frances and the other two.

Frances shrugged. "She's been real chatty ever since she woke up. Probably a side effect of the drug they used to bring her in."

"Chatty?" Lydia frowned. "You call this chatty? You haven't seen anything yet. Five will get you ten that I can talk any of you right into the ground. Come on, let's see your money."

Rich's eyes glinted angrily beneath the hood but when he spoke he kept his voice calm and polite. "Please come with me, Miss Smith. The Master is expecting you."

"Gee, I sure hope he isn't expecting too much." Lydia walked forward. "I'm not. Let's go talk to the murdering bastard."

There was a horrified silence from the Greenies.

"What are you saying?" Frances whispered. "That's a lie."

"Master Herbert would never hurt anyone," Rich growled. "He is the First Acolyte of Amatheon. The Philosopher teaches that Bliss can only be achieved through peaceful means."

"How dare you accuse the Master of murder?" Martin took an ominous step toward her. "You owe him an apology"

The velvet curtains shifted again and another figure appeared. Like the others he wore green robes but his gown was trimmed at the sleeves and hem with lots of intricately worked letter As stitched in gold thread.

The cowl was thrown back to reveal a tall man in his mid-thirties. In other garb he could have passed for a successful CEO or an academic on the fast track to department head. He was striking in appearance with a high, aristocratic forehead and prominent cheekbones. But it wasn't his looks that drew the eye. It was the way he commanded the space around him. He had a stage actor's charisma, Lydia thought.

"Enough, Acolytes," he said in a deep, mellifluous voice that rolled like dark honey through the entire room. "Miss Smith has had an unpleasant experience and is upset. There is no need to make the situation worse. I'm sorry to say that she has good reason to feel negative toward all of us at the moment." He turned toward Lydia and bowed slightly. "I am hoping to change her opinion."

"You must be Herbie," she said.

The acolytes threw her annoyed looks but the newcomer merely smiled tolerantly.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he said. "I am, as you guessed, Master Herbert. I know you have questions." He paused a beat. "I have answers."

"Well, Herb, I don't know why you went to all the trouble to kidnap me, but I can tell you one thing: My husband is going to be really pissed about this."