The Hypogeum Ch. 04-05

Suddenly, Baphomet roared, "Leave! Now!"

All of the men took a step back and then turned to exit, when the demon pointed one tentacle at Sir Nigel and another at the only other man who had spoken, "You two will stay, we have much still to discuss."

The two men stood silent as the remainder filed out of the room, more than one covetous stare was directed at them for the honour they had of a private audience with Baphomet. When the last of the disciples had left Baphomet and the two men alone, the demon roared once more and the oak door slammed closed.

Uncertain and nervous, they waited until Baphomet addressed the other man, "Lazenby, are you certain that the Henge will be free of interlopers at the allotted time?"

"Yes Milord. I assure you that we will not be disturbed."

"Do you have need to watch over the proceeding of the motion through the council."

The man shook his head fervently and replied, "No Milord, everything is set and nothing will stand in our way. I have thought of everything."

"Then you are useful for only one more thing."

The man's expression changed from nervousness to fear and he stood petrified as Baphomet reached out and grabbed him. The demon raised the suddenly screaming man to his massive mouth, the scream changed to a gurgle and then silence as his head was neatly nipped off. Baphomet spat out the head and raised and inverted the dead body, so he could squeeze every last drop of blood down his throat.

Once he was sated, he threw the husk that had, moments ago, been a living, breathing, misguided man to the floor at his clawed feet.

Sir Nigel went deathly pale as Baphomet wheeled round to face him, "Be not feared, Winthrop. His fate shall not be yours. I have something else in mind for you."

The old man swallowed hard and tried to calm his breathing. With a quavering voice he whispered, "What is that, Milord?"

"Know that I am well pleased with you, Winthrop. I believe that it is time for you don the red robe of the Inner Fellowship."

Sir Nigel was staggered that he had been offered this honour and he felt weak at the knees. Considering only seconds before, he thought that he faced a grisly death, but now to be invited into the inner circle of Baphomet's most trusted and powerful disciples. "Milord... I don't know what to say..."

"Then say nothing, I do not require your thanks, only your obedience!" snapped the demon, "But there is still more for you to learn if you are continue to be useful to me."

The human, knelt down and bowed his head, "I live, but to serve you, Milord."

Baphomet struck out with his huge, clawed foot and sent Sir Nigel sprawling across the floor, "Spare me your mindless posturing!"

Sir Nigel clambered quickly to his feet and whispered, "Yes Milord."

The demon began pacing up and down in front of his newest red robe and said, "Until now you have been unaware of the true purpose of my plan. Now is the time for you to learn."

The human waited expectantly for his master to continue, "I cannot currently enter this world completely in my true form. DataVault will change that, for it will be the agent that will allow me to open the gateway from my world to this one and take my place as the ruler of mankind. I shall build a palace of human skulls and thousands shall die for my amusement."

As Baphomet got into his stride, Sir Nigel could see that the demon was beginning to drool as he spoke about his vision of the future, "All mankind shall bow down before me, and live or die at my whim. But not all shall be my slaves... Some shall be my trusted advisors and they are those who wear the robes of red," he stopped pacing to stand and face Sir Nigel and said, "The wealth and power you now enjoy is as nothing to that which awaits you."

His disciple could not believe his tremendous good fortune. Sir Nigel would be a king, all men would kneel before him and all women would be eager to share his bed. He was, however, shaken from the vision when Baphomet finished, "Unless you fail me Winthrop... Then the worst nightmares you can imagine will be as nothing to the pain and terror that I shall inflict upon you."

He roared and the door flew open, "Go!" he shouted and watched as Sir Nigel ran from the room.

CHAPTER FIVE

"We are all broken and wounded in this world. Some choose to grow strong at the broken places." - Harold J. Duarte-Bernhardt

Alma stood in a dark glade of trees, unlike the rest of the forest, which had a feeling of warmth and goodness, this was a cold and unfriendly place. The trees had black bark that oozed with thick amber sap. None were in leaf as though this was an oasis of winter in the midst of summer.

She looked around but could see no escape back to the light, the branches although bare, were densely packed together forming an impenetrable barrier. The man with the face in shadow appeared before her.

She stood up straight and asked, "Where is my baby?"

There was a harsh laugh, "Your baby? You murdered him, don't you remember?"

Alma faltered, "It was an accident. I didn't mean to-"

"But you did. Your baby died and you are to blame!"

She couldn't help crying as this evil man continued to pour spite and bile over her, "If you had been any kind of a decent person, your baby would be alive now... And your husband as well!"

Shock set in as the memories came flooding into her mind. How could she have forgotten that she had a husband? Jake? James? No, John... Athon... His name was Jonathon, "I have a husband."

"Wrong! You had a husband, but you let him die, just like you let your son die."

"What did I do?"

"You lived. Your husband died, you killed your baby and now you throw yourself at other men like a cheap whore," as he spoke, he leaned forward and his face came into view. It was Jonathon.

"You forgot about me as soon as I was in the ground. Couldn't wait to get rid of our son so you could jump into bed with the first man to cross your path. You must have been gutted when his neck got snapped before he could get to it!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

"Really? What about lover boy? The way the light catches his eyes and how handsome he looks when he smiles... Remember that, whore?"

Alma couldn't answer because it was true, she had noticed how Ranulf was good-looking, and she could only stand mute. Jonathon was right; she was a whore, a worthless bitch and a whore! She covered her face with her hands as Jonathon continued spitting insults at her, "Whore! Murderer! Worthless bitch!"

A breeze sprang up from nowhere and whispering voices flew in on the wind, "No, this is not so."

As before, Jonathon vanished. In addition, the trees around her started to change. In moments, where they had been dark and unfriendly, they now matched the warm greens and browns of the rest of the forest.

Louder and louder the whispers turned to murmurs, "The trees say no. The Alder and the Larch and the Rowan say no. You did not murder your baby. You must believe... You are not a whore, you are not a murderer, and you are not a bitch. The Oak and the Elm and the Sycamore say no... you are not worthless, you are the Lady."

Once again, Alma woke with a start and was covered in a cold sweat. It was still dark, but not the oppressive darkness of her dream, but a warm darkness. The fire had burned out earlier and she could hear gentle noises as nocturnal creatures went about their business.

Ranulf muttered in his sleep and shifted, before turning over onto his side and falling back into deep sleep. Alma thought she would have trouble getting back to sleep after the nightmare she had suffered, but the warmth of the blanket and the gentle murmur of the wind in the leaves above lulled her back into sweet slumber.

The sun was rising over the horizon when Alma woke. As before, she opened her eyes to the sight of a billycan of bubbling water over a small fire. But this time, Ranulf was not to be seen. She got up and stowed her blanket as she had seen Ranulf do and then called out to him. From behind her, she heard his call in answer, so she followed the sound of his voice, she came to the edge of a slow moving river that wended its lazy way through the forest and spied Ranulf's head in the water. His long hair was flowing behind him as he swam.

Alma could see that he had left his clothes in a neat pile on the riverbank. Ranulf shook the water from his eyes and noticed Alma; he smiled and called out, "We must have come further than I thought yesterday. I wasn't expecting to meet the river until this afternoon," he waved, "Come in. The water is good."

Alma was tempted as the crystal water did look inviting, but as she had no bathing costume, she just shook her head.

"Why not?"

"No swimming cozzie."

He grinned, "So? Neither do I," with that, he started cutting through the water with long even strokes, just enjoying the feeling of the cool water washing the dust from his body.

Alma could see the interplay of his well-defined muscles as he swam and had difficulty taking her eyes off him, until she realised what he had just said. The notion that she was admiring a naked man made her blush red and then she felt a twinge in her belly.

Ranulf sensed her discomfort and swam towards where she was standing. He looked up at her and said, "I'm sorry Lady, I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to embarrass you, I'm sorry."

Still crimson, Alma responded with a shake of the head, "No, I'm not embarrassed. I just felt a bit of a twinge. I'm not certain that I am a hundred percent yet."

Not altogether convinced, Ranulf answered, "I meant no disrespect Lady, I just though that a swim would be good. It helps to shake the cobwebs loose."

On a whim, Alma decided that she would go for a swim and hastily sat down to take off her boots. Once Ranulf saw what she was doing, he turned his back and called out, "Let me know when you're in the water."

Alma quickly stripped down to her panties and decided to leave them on. She dipped her toe in the water and agreed with Ranulf that it did feel good. Alma waded out into the deeper part of the river and then started to swim out nearer to Ranulf. As she approached, she said, "You can look now."

He turned around and smiled at her. In reply she splashed him. Ranulf laughed deep and throaty, before he retaliated in kind and soon they were splashing each other with abandon and giggling like children.

A short while later they started to float and enjoy the cool water washing against their skin. Ranulf looked across at Alma as she floated on her back with her eyes closed, he could see every curve and his eyes flashed as he took in the sight. Her breasts were out of the water and exposed to his view.

He was sure that Alma was unaware how she was exposing herself to him, so he quickly turned and swam further away. Her eyes opened and she called out, "Where are you going?"

But there was no response, he merely swam back to the riverbank and climbed out to retrieve his clothes. She could see his finely developed body from behind as he quickly made his way into the trees and back to camp. Puzzled at his sudden departure, she looked down and the realisation hit her. Ever careful not to embarrass her or make her feel uncomfortable, he was embarrassed himself.

Cursing herself for an idiot, she made for the riverbank and quickly climbed back into her clothing, ignoring the wet patches that appeared over the material.

When Alma arrived back at the campsite, she found Ranulf busily stirring a cup of tea. She said gently, "Ranulf?"

He refused to look at her but answered, "Yes lady?"

Alma could see that he was still blushing and thought it gave him a childlike appearance, she said, "Ranulf, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Still unable to look her in the eye, he responded, "No Lady. No need for apologies. I am sorry."

He looked so forlorn that Alma couldn't help reaching out to rest her hand on his shoulder. As she did so, she felt him tense slightly and she could feel the muscle go hard like rock. She found that she enjoyed the feeling, until a twinge of pain shot through her abdomen like a bolt of lightning. Alma cried out and fell to the ground in a heap as the waves of agony washed through her body.

In an instant, Ranulf was kneeling next to her, his face a vision of concern, "Lady, what is it? What's wrong?" Struggling to get her breath as the pain ebbed away, Alma moaned and then tried to stand, but Ranulf restrained her gently and said, "Wait, let the pain pass."

The couple made a tableau, Alma lying down and Ranulf kneeling next to her. Once she felt able, she allowed Ranulf to help her back to her feet and across to where she had been sleeping. He laid Alma back down and retrieved her blanket, which he used to cover her. Tenderly he said, "Rest. Lay down a while, we have no need to hurry."

Alma reached up and squeezed his hand before relaxing. It was not long until Alma was asleep again whilst Ranulf sat back down with his back resting against his pack and stared at her.

A strangely familiar house came into view as Alma stepped into the clearing and she was surprised at how modern it looked, not fitting in with the aesthetic of the forest at all. She moved to the front door and rapped on it with her knuckle. The old woman answered, "Come in, I've been expecting you."

Alma followed her inside and was again surprised at how old-fashioned, almost medieval the interior was. The old woman studied Alma's face for a moment and then said, "The boys thought I should move with the times, but I like things as they were. I made the outside look new for their sake, but I must admit that it isn't as drafty as it used to be."

Alma nodded and then said, "I'm searching for something, but I don't know what it is." The old woman didn't seem to hear and made her way towards the cauldron over the fire, "Camellia?"

Suddenly angry, Alma shouted, "Didn't you hear me? I said I'm sear-"

"I heard what was said young lady, old I may be but the ears are still working and I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head!"

Suddenly contrite, Alma muttered an apology, which was waved away, "T'is of no moment. Fact is, its good to see that the fire were only banked and not put out altogether."

Alma asked, "Are you Taika?"

"Yes."

"Is this real or is it a dream?"

"Is what a dream?"

"This, you, the forest, everything."

Taika was slow to answer, "Well now. Depends on your point of view."

Exasperated, Alma snapped, "Can't you just give a straight answer?"

Taika once again threw off the mantle of a tired old woman. She stood straighter and seemed to grow by several inches, her eyes flashed angrily as she snapped back, "And weren't you told to keep a civil tongue in your head?"

Alma once again felt the power that was emanating from the older woman who continued in a voice that seemed younger and more powerful with every passing moment, "This is a dream, but the Forest is not. It is more like an idea of a forest, as the trees would like it to be. But at the same time it is a dream. It is the dream of every tree in the world all in one place. As the trees of the forest are connected so are the trees of the world and all their dreams are one."

Alma was confused, "Trees dreaming? Thinking? What are you talking about?"

Taika seemed to shrink back to the feeble old woman and replied, "The trees are old and have seen much. They have great power and noble spirit. The trees are the soul of the world and its most powerful guardians."

She fixed a solemn eye on Alma, "Do not underestimate the power of the forest, it can be your greatest ally or your worst enemy."

This gave Alma much food for thought, "So you're saying that the trees can help me find what I've lost?"

The old woman crowed in triumph, "Exactly! Took your time, but you got there in the end. Let the trees help you to learn the difference between what is a dream and what is real," she gazed into space for a moment and said, "Time you woke up."

Alma drifted into wakefulness, she was lying down under her blanket once again and as usual, Ranulf sat watching her. She asked, "How long was I asleep?"

He shrugged, "Not long."

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and then clambered to her feet, "How far is it now?" she asked.

Ranulf seemed a little confused as he looked around and replied, "We're closer than I thought. I think they've been playing games with us."

"Who?"

He packed Alma's blanket and they shouldered their packs before Ranulf answered, "I'll let Taika explain it. She's better at that sort of thing than I am."

Alma resigned herself to having to wait a while longer for answers, as Ranulf would say no more. So she hoisted her pack into a comfortable position and followed Ranulf, who had already begun to make his way along the track that weaved its way between the trees.

After a short distance, Alma was surprised to step out into a clearing in the woods, she saw for the first time the familiar house with her eyes and not her mind. A shiver ran down her spine as she took in the view.

Both Alma and Ranulf stood for a moment in silence until he said, "Come on. She's waiting for us."

They walked across to the front door, which opened in front of them with a gentle creak and Taika smiled gently at Alma, "I see you got here then."

She moved to one side to allow the arrivals to enter the house, "Come in, lunch be ready and then we have much to discuss."

Ranulf smiled and made his way inside, but Alma could only stand and stare at the old woman with the kindly face and the strange manner of speech. Taika reached out and took Alma's smooth hand in her own, which was wrinkled and liver-spotted with age. Her eyes twinkled as she murmured, "Come in, child. The answers you seek aren't biding on my doorstep."

With that, Alma allowed the old woman to gently lead her inside and close the door behind them.

* * *

Eric Jenkins was nervous. His boss, Sir Nigel Winthrop was coming to his laboratory in the secure area to oversee the initial integration of the Hypogeum routine into DataVault. All of his team were bent down in front of their computers busily typing instructions to the mainframe computer or scanning screens of coding for errors.

Only Jenkins had nothing to do, except wait for Sir Nigel to arrive. Nervously he looked at his watch again and ran a hand through his thinning pepper-and-salt coloured hair. This was the most important project he had ever worked on as well as the most dangerous. Naturally a law-abiding person, he was most uncomfortable with what Hypogeum was designed to do, but this had been overshadowed by two simple facts.

He was a very timid man, also an interview with Hardacre at the outset of the project had impressed upon him the danger both he and his family were in, if he should fail in the task he had been set, or even spoke about it to anyone including his own programming team, outside the environs of the third floor of WinCom headquarters.

An electronic beep startled him slightly and he saw the small LED light in the card reader by the steel security door flash from red to green. The door swung open silently and Sir Nigel entered the room. The door swished shut behind him and with no preamble, he asked tersely, "Jenkins, are you set?"

Eric swallowed back his fear and answered, "Yes Sir, we were only waiting for you to get here, before integrating the routine and starting the initial testing phase."

Sir Nigel glanced around the windowless room that was illuminated by harsh lighting, instead of daylight. The large plate windows that had previously allowed light into the room had been removed and the holes bricked up. Each of the programmers sat in cubicles that separated each workstation with thin plywood panels.