Pangaea.
At this moment, Jake understood why the Neanderthal tribe chose to live on this side of the ridge. There was great beauty here, savage yet wondrous.
Bach’uuk got them moving again toward a steep-walled cove, pocked with caves high up the walls like windows on a skyscraper. Some openings were dark, while others glowed with firelight—real firelight, not glowing crystals, shimmering, flickering, dancing flames.
Jake counted in his head. There were well over a hundred caves, maybe twice that. This wasn’t some little Ur village, but more like a thriving metropolis.
“I never imagined…” Marika said.
“It’s so big!” Pindor exclaimed.
Jake heard the hope in Pindor’s voice. If the tribe could be convinced to come to the town’s defense, there might be some chance of driving off the Skull King’s forces.
Bach’uuk pretended not to hear their words or the awe behind them. But he did walk a bit taller.
Crude ladders connected the various dwelling levels, while vine ropes draped between them, holding baskets, buckets, and hooks. It was like a city turned on its side, where traffic didn’t flow east and west, but up and down. Still, it was clear the Neanderthals respected the jungle’s dangers. The lowermost caves were high above the ground and rows of sharpened logs poked outward like thorns.
A tall shaggy figure dressed in sewn leather garments stepped out of the first cave and spoke to Bach’uuk in the Ur tongue. His expression was not welcoming. Bach’uuk pointed to their group and answered. A short argument followed, but eventually the tall man grimaced and walked back inside.
Bach’uuk returned. “Kopat will gather our Elders. They know of the attack, but the Ur do not make rash decisions.”
“What’s there to decide?” Pindor asked. “The Skull King will bring this war to your caves once he’s finished with Calypsos.”
Bach’uuk shrugged.
With no choice but to wait, Jake’s mind pushed aside the mysteries of the day and turned to a more immediate worry. Kady. He had no idea where his sister was or how she was doing. He began to conjure up horrible scenarios, and his breathing grew heavier with his fear for her.
Before he descended into full panic, the large man returned. This time he spoke in All-World. “Come. The Elders will listen.” His expression was no more inviting, but he turned and led them all inside.
Bach’uuk lifted up an arm and barred Pindor from stepping across the threshold. “As an outsider, you may not carry a weapon in the Elders’ presence.” He held out a palm for the grakyl sword.
Pindor’s shoulders slumped, but he passed the blade over.
With the sword in hand, Bach’uuk led the way inside. Jake quickly became lost in the maze. Along the way, he spotted more of the Ur. Most shied away but curiosity kept them close by.
Suddenly the tunnel opened into a natural cavern. A small pool of water lay in the middle, reflecting the flames from a small fire. The firelight also glowed over the walls. A vast landscape had been painted, showing a wild jungle where giant saurians lumbered and all manner of beasts roamed, flew, slithered, and crawled. In the flicker of the flames, the animals seemed to caper and dance.
Marika passed along the wall with her neck craned. Her eyes shone with wonder.
From a tunnel behind the fire, three shapes emerged from the shadows and into the light. Their backs were bent with arthritis, and their hair had gone white with age. They hobbled on thick staffs, which had been decorated with glowing crystals and polished bronze bangles. The bangles reflected the firelight and caused the painted animals on the wall to dance even more.
Their eyes seemed nearly blind, only able to see light and dark. They sank heavily to the rock floor near the flames. These were not just Elders, but more like ancients.
The one in the center spoke in native Ur to Bach’uuk, who bowed his head and answered. Three pairs of eyes swung to stare at Jake. Their gazes weighed down upon him. Jake had never felt such intensity—it was almost as if they were trying to peer into his mind.
“Why do you come to us?” the middle Elder asked.
Jake swallowed. “We come to see if you will join in the battle against the Skull King.”
Those eyes merely stared.
“Calypsos will fall without additional aid,” Jake pressed.
“All things come to an end,” the Elder to the left whispered hoarsely.
“All life exists only in the short time,” the Elder to the right added. “Marked by the beating of the heart.”
The center Elder finished what sounded like an ancient proverb. “Only one heart marks time in the long count.” He lifted his ancient hand and formed a triangle with his bony fingers.
He must be referring to the pyramid and the crystal heart that pulsed in the center of it.
The Elder lowered his hands. “And only the temple will be here when we are all gone. So it is spoken from the time when the Ur first came to this land and walked into its great shadow. Nothing else matters.”
Jake recalled Marika’s story about how the first of the Lost Tribes discovered these people already here. The Neanderthals must have also been snatched from their homeland—and time—and brought here. But how long had the Ur settled here before the other tribes arrived?
“So you won’t help us?” Pindor snapped off angrily.
There was no hesitation. No apology. Not even regret. Just a swift “No.”
“But you must,” Marika pleaded.
“That is not our way,” the center Elder intoned, echoing the same words Bach’uuk had used before. “We are not Calypsos. Such a struggle in the short time is of no concern to the Ur. We serve only the temple as it marks the long count.”
Jake understood. The temple had protected the Ur when they first came here, and reverence for it had been deeply instilled.
“What will come will come,” the Elder finished with a note of finality. “But the temple will always be.”
Plainly the town of Calypsos could expect no help from the village. The Ur were set in their ways.
Then again, maybe not all the Ur.
Bach’uuk stood straighter. “This is wrong.”
The Elders turned to him slowly, clearly showing surprise.
Bach’uuk continued, “I have seen much this past day. Flesh turned to ice. Men who walk in shadows. Monsters who carry swords.” Bach’uuk hefted the weapon they’d taken from the graykl lord. “And I’ve seen the heart of the temple darkened with poison.”
At these last words, the centermost Elder waved for Bach’uuk to bring the sword closer.