FICTION
Dome Nation — The Ark
Part two — The Guardian
In the first part, Elea, a freshly graduated guardian from the Glacier Temple, sets off to the Ark with her party. Upon reaching her outpost on the mountain, she met a guardian who left Elea a tiny hand-drawn map of a strange secret place on the other side of the mountain.
The first month of the shift passed quickly and unnoticed. The second month dragged on, stretching out like an eternity. Nothing happened during the day, and the same, nothing happened during the night. The schedule was simple: cleaning, morning training, meditation, weather measurement, then another training, and back to sleep, only to wake up to the same routine.
One night, while getting ready for her night watch, Elea accidentally dug up a piece of paper in her bag.
At first, she rejected the temptation. It couldn’t be that boring to break a dozen guardian regulations and risk being excommunicated from the temple. But there couldn’t be any harm in taking the map just to study it. She grabbed the paper and crumpled it in her hand.
After three long hours on the lookout, Elea’s eyes began to shut. She already knew every rock and snowy hill around. Counting stars proved to be a bad idea unless you meant to fall asleep immediately. Even the Ark was not so breathtaking anymore — just a block of metal in the snow.
It’s not boredom, it’s torture, she finally thought, wrapping and unwrapping the map in her palm. She had already studied it well and found the main entrance. There was a tiny line drawn to the left of it. It turned left and transformed into something resembling a staircase. An arrow showed up. Elea crumpled the map once again, fighting her curiosity.
A snow owl let out a distant hoot. Then another one.
Hoot. Hoot.
Go. Go.
Elea let out a loud “ugh” and carefully climbed down the ladder back into the common room. A fire was burning in the center, woods cracking from time to time. She tossed in a couple more logs, ensuring the fire would last in her absence, and pushed the entrance door lever. The door was heavy and old, so Elea had to lift it a little, avoiding drawing any squeaks from the old hinges.
She stepped outside and made sure the door was not shut, leaving her a chance of an unnoticed return, then looked to the left to find the passage. There she saw a small opening. Elea squeezed between the rocks and found herself in a long, dark tunnel.
Keeping her hand on one wall to navigate, she slowly walked down the tunnel. Soon her fingers found a wall in front of her. Must be the left turn. Carefully, she raised her foot and searched for the steps. The final destination wasn’t far now, according to the map. In a minute, she saw a tiny line of moonlight, falling from a slightly opened door. Elea reached and pushed it.
The guardian wasn’t lying. The room was far more interesting than the outpost. It looked like a control panel room, with screens and knobs everywhere. The cold must have preserved it from rust, but it was now covered with a thick layer of ice.
A partially broken panoramic window opened an astonishing view of the ice plain and the rest of the mountains. Finally, Elea saw The Ark. It looked different from this angle. Like a giant, peacefully sleeping in snow, it stood there, touched by a full moon’s milk-white light.
Elea took off her cape and began exploring her surroundings. She found some thick volumes written in the General Language but in a strange old dialect. She went through some pages, looking at peculiar images and schemes.
Among her most interesting finds were a folding knife, an image of a lady in her underwear, and a metal box with a large mask in it. It looked like a warming mask but with a round compartment on the left side. Elea decided to take a knife with her. Daniel would be really glad to have it. He cherished things from the old world.
Not willing for her absence to be noticed by anyone, Elea decided it was time to return. She took a long last look at the plain and the Ark and disappeared into the dark abyss of the tunnel.
“Wake up! Quick!” The sound of Master Ovo’s voice broke the silence of the morning. Elea and the rest of the guardians jumped from their hammocks, still a little sleepy. “Get dressed. We have an incoming!”
Everyone shared confused glances. Still trying to fit her foot into a snow boot, Elea ran into the common room. Master Ovo was already there, looking down at the road. Elea came to the window and saw fifteen large black dots far away, growing slowly as they approached.
“What’s that?”
“The Cult?”
“What’s going on?”
“Listen up, guardians. The Ark is under attack. The red dragon from the third outpost appeared in the sky ten minutes ago. Beril,” Master looked at one of the most experienced guardians.
“Send the red dragon to alert the first outpost. The Iron Pathway will protect us. Positions, everyone!”
Elea and other guardians took their positions at the window, observing the road. The gliders were getting closer. A loud hissing noise came from the lookout, and a red burning beam of light pierced the sky. Elea tried to calm herself with short breaths, as they were taught during meditations. Soon she was not confused or worried anymore, only focused on back dots, that already turned into poorly built gliders. She could see three people on each glider. Their heads were painted white with red stripes — an insignia of the End Cult.
Elea tried to recall every bit of information she learned about the Cult during her training. A hundred years ago a tribe of wild people appeared out of nowhere, trying to attack the Ark.
The first wave was torn into pieces while going down the Iron Pathway. Soon more of them came. The guardians were able to catch one of their soldiers but got nothing from him. The scrolls described his mad eyes and foam, coming from his mouth. Through his screams and growls, the guardians were able to understand the mission of the Cult. The savages believed that humanity needed to be reborn, and the only way to do it was to destroy everything that could save it. No one should be left alive. Nothing should be preserved.
Only death can revive us all.
Elea shivered. Every monk in the temple, every apprentice and guardian was taught to do one thing — preserve the legacy. This greatest honor fell on Elea’s shoulders. She put on a brave smile. Now it was time to see the Iron Pathway in action.
Master Ovo, however, didn’t seem to share her courage. He was deep in his thoughts, trying to see something far behind the gliders. Elea caught uncertainty in his eyes.
“Master, is everything in order?” She asked. Ovo grunted.
“Only one red dragon came from the third outpost,” he said. “There should’ve been two. Something is wrong.”
The gliders started to slow down. Elea saw the cultists jumping from the vehicles.
“What are they doing?” Whispered Master Ovo.
There was only one reason to stop the gliders under their outpost — climb up. But the base was thoughtfully placed on a cliff. Climbing a straight, slippery mountain wall was an impossible task to achieve. The only way to the outpost was through a secret passageway.
Elea saw the soldiers running towards the wall and turning to the opening on the right.
“Master, how did they…” she tried to say, but Master Ovo already grabbed his bladed fighting stick.
“Guardians! We have been exposed. The Cult knows about the passageway. It is time to fulfill your destiny. We stand between chaos and everything left of humanity. This is the day we show the Cult filth what we were trained for. To arms!”
Everyone picked up their fighting sticks and ran to the entrance door. The roar from the gliders outside went quiet, leaving only the hellish screams of the Cult rogues. Soon they faded away too.
The whole outpost drowned in absolute silence. Elea could hear her breath. Her heart was pounding faster than ever. Four guardians ran to the front line outside the door. Mico winked at her and disappeared behind the door. She was left inside to guard the quarters.
Then it came.
The screams from the outside reached Elea’s ears, filling every corner of the room. And in a minute — silence again.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Master Ovo ran inside, closing it tight behind him. The sound of metal clinging and banging on the door followed. It was playing a horrible drum melody of inevitable brutal death. Master Ovo leaned heavily on his stick, hand pressed against a bleeding wound.
“Listen, guardian,” he said breathing heavily. “There’s too many of them. Somehow they found our passageways. There’s no way back now. Elea, Take this,” master carefully handed Elea a key. “Go to the lookout. There’s a hatch on the left. Go down there but close it tight. Then run. The passage will take you to the Keep. Tell them…tell them the Cult is coming.”
“Master, what about the first outpost?” Asked Elea with a trembling voice.
“There’s nothing we can do for them. They are lost. The only thing that can save the Ark is the Iron Pathway. Go. Now! I’ll buy you some time.”
Fighting the excruciating pain, the master stood tall and faced the door. Elea wanted to beg him to go with her, to save himself, but she already knew the answer.
She rushed to the lookout, ignoring the bitter tears falling from her eyes.
In a dystopian, totalitarian future, humans live amidst ice and snow. Those who can afford it stay in warm, enormous Dome Cities. Those who can’t — survive in small villages and gather scrap metal left from the War of Machines in exchange for food.
Nick H. Struutinsky © 2024 All Rights Reserved.
