16. The choice in which they decide whether to let sleeping baems lie

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The choice in which they decide whether to let sleeping baems lie

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This room was more akin to the room Kally had accidentally fallen into before. It was large, circular. Its high ceiling stood tall, almost pressed upwards by the piles of artefacts shoved to the edge of the room.

All the gold the rest of the tomb was severely lacking, seemed to reside in here. Stacks of coins and ingots, both glittering and littering, were placed with no particular rhyme or reason. This treasure’s keeper was not tidy, it would seem.

Again, scattered around were books, large tomes, filled with secrets of the past and prophesies of the future, lost to the present, written in ancient tongues. Their spines cracked, not from overuse but from being placed without care of who, or what, would step or slide upon them.

Despite this abundance of visual intrigue, Kally had not noticed any of this. Instead, her heart had pounded as soon as the lilac stench hit the back of her throat. Should they really have trusted the baem?

Battling with her fears, her eyes locked onto the beast in the centre of the room. She stifled a yelp. It was close. The great baem from the painting - coiled up neatly, almost politely - rose and fell in rhythm with its deep breathing.

An ancient colossus.

If it was not for the pile of books she was standing on - honestly the whole side of the room was an obstacle course - she would be able to walk a few steps and touch its scales. These scales, each as large as her torso, crackled with a purple shock. All except one. One was missing. She looked down at her hands and a cold shudder trickled down her spine.

Ahkaiyu, standing beside her, also faced in the direction of the beast.

“Keun Baemeun,” he whispered in disbelief.

“It can’t be…”

“It cannot be anything else.”

They spoke in hushed tones so as not to disturb the beast’s slumber.

Kally’s eyes widened. “Even so...” Her mind raced. “It died, eons ago, along with the other legendary beasts. How could this one survive all this time?”

“I don’t know.”

Ahkaiyu’s voice hardened. “You need to leave before it notices you. Get Katoia to safety whilst you can.”

Kally felt a twinge at this but said nothing.

“Go.” Ahkaiyu ushered.

The baem lifted its head, its great tongue frizzling before them. Kally shuffled and stumbled on a book. They froze. The pain of willed silence pressed against them as they watched for a reaction, holding their breaths. The baem did not wake, though it did stir. Its head fell back into its coiled body, the rumble of its breathing more rapid than before.

They eased out their sighs. Even at a whisper, they might disturb the beast. Ahkaiyu pointed to his mask and mouthed an enquiry about Kally’s own. She carefully slid it out of her pocket and held it up. With a motion indicating she should put it on, he signalled towards the exit at the other side of the room.

Only you, he mouthed.

Kally, though wearing the mask, had not moved. She glared at him, willing him to understand her. Ahkaiyu sighed, clicking his tongue in frustration. She was too stubborn.

“As you wish,” he muttered as he formed the sigil, now so familiar to Kally, and wrapped her in it.

Still glaring through the mask, she cocked her head at an obstinate angle.

“You can’t—!” Kally cried through the barrier, her voice muffled but audible, as the blue glow of his scimitar was finally unleashed.

“Silence,” he commanded.

She puffed out her chest and this time bellowed, “Don’t, Kai!”

Ahkaiyu, frowning at this, rested his body on the barrier, a bear above her, as if trying to prevent her cry from escaping.

The baem’s scales cracked together as they moved inch by inch, the body curling tighter. The lilac smell grew with each scrape of the scales, and it tickled his throat. Coins of gold rippled off the great snake and clattered to the ground. Ahkaiyu flinched and turned to the baem, monitoring any change in its state. He exhaled. Baems, it turned out, were heavy sleepers.

“It’s sleeping, Kai. You can’t…” Kally lowered her volume.

It was clear this time what face Ahkaiyu pulled, despite the cover of his mask. Incredulous is the only way to describe him.

“Why ever not?”

Kally clutched for words, any words, that might mean something to him. “Y-you should not strike an enemy off guard.”

“You think it is dishonourable to kill a beast when it is in a slumber?” he whispered, emphasising the ‘beast’ with a sound that resembled a hiss.

“I’m not really talking about grand things like honour or dishonour. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” Kally faltered, wondering how to phrase her thoughts in a way he would understand.

“It’s not fair,” she settled on, aware it did not quite convey the full extent of her reasoning but it would have to suffice.

“It’s not fair,” Ahkaiyu repeated slowly. He pushed a brown strand of hair back into his hood. “You think I am not being fair?” he asked in an even quieter voice, so quiet Kally had to rest her ear on the barrier. Her chest grumbled at his words.

“Look, if we go now, no one gets hurt. You don’t have to fight.”

Strong willed, almost eager, Ahkaiyu stood tall. “I can fight it.”

“I’m not saying you can’t—!” Kally shifted her focus between him and the baem.

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Ahkaiyu stepped back and shuffled on his feet. “I don’t want to argue, I just want us to be safe from it.”

“We will be.” Kally motioned to the door a stretch in front of them. The books formed a path of sorts, leading them to it. “It’s so close, we can both leave, together. Safely and quickly.”

“And, if it wakes?”

“Then, and only then, you fight it.”

Seemingly convinced by this, Ahkaiyu took a final glance at the baem. Still asleep, he noted.

“Very well.”

He sheathed his sword and broke the sigil, allowing Kally to move freely once again.

≋❈≋

Kally led the way this time, crawling over more books, willing them to hold their precarious positions. It should not take long, they did not have far to go. She hugged the wall as she scrambled.

Progress was slow.

They were keenly aware that any sudden movement could cause a landslide, which would deliver them both into the lap of the slumbering beast. If it was Keun Baemeun, she could only imagine the scale of the fight that would unfold. She shuddered; it was not worth thinking about.

It was not too long before they reached the exit. A door, with a keyhole. Kally grinned, she knew what to do. She took the key from her pocket and placed it in the lock. She turned it slowly, willing the click to be light as she forced the lock to release the door.

Click.

It whispered to her.

She smiled, her emotions like a feather, and opened it. A bright piercing ray flooded into the room, the red sun’s glare hot and shocking to the senses.

Before Kally could step out into the light, a roll and a thud brought her attention to the centre of the room again. A mortified looking Ahkaiyu also faced the same direction, at the white ball of fluff, which had tumbled out of his robes and down towards the sleeping baem. With startled eyes, Yuki froze. You cannot argue with instinct. Her nose wobbled and she let out a shallow whimper.

“You go, I’ll follow.” A hushed tone rushed out of Ahkaiyu, who then leapt down, his feet barely touching the floor.

Kally’s fingers shook with purple static but she complied. She had seen his jaw set firm, resolute. There was no changing his mind this time. And, what help would she be if she stayed? Still shaking, she strode out of the pyramid, with an appearance of confidence. Looks can be deceiving.

≋❈≋

Kally turned to face the pyramid, unable to see the events unfolding inside. She chewed on her lip and wondered if she should go back in. The pyramid shook. The sand around it shifted, that hourglass of time being flipped again.

She ran her finger through her hair, matted with sand. Great, in all the commotion, she had forgotten to put her hood up. She pinched her nose and held her breath. Chunks of the pyramid’s stones were falling now. A great vibration took hold of it.

Her heart thumped, in shaky bangs, as she thought about what could be happening inside.

Not long after her exit, Ahkaiyu dashed out - tokki in hand - and slid down the dune. He crashed to the bottom and, with manic laboured breath, laughed a wild laugh. Kally gawked.

The pyramid, though she no longer paid notice to it, tumbled down behind her.

≋❈≋

Sitting beside him, the adrenaline still thumping through her veins as she processed all that she had witnessed, curiosity set in. “What happened to the baem?”

Ahkaiyu smiled and reached towards her nose to plug it back up.

He steadied his breathing and then replied, with a chuckle, “It must have been groggy from waking up.”

Kally’s eyes widened at this. Was this a joke? Kai’s first joke.

As it turns out, Ahkaiyu had retrieved Yuki and made it out of the tomb before the baem had chance to notice them, let alone react. He had felt a penetrating stare on his back, of that he was certain. There may have been a flicker of the tongue on his boots as he reached the exit, but he could not be sure. Kally accepted this gladly. She chuntered about hating mazes and hoping never to encounter another.

Exhausted, and now silent, they looked out at the expanse of desert where the pyramid once stood. The sand stretched out in level and pristine sheets, taking on the image of a painting: surreal and languid. All that had happened could have been an illusion, but for the faint smell of lilac still lingering in the stuffy air.

It was only after the initial relief of still being alive wore off, and after dealing with the rather pressing matter of hunger, that a morose mood set upon them. Self reflection reared its ugly head. Had they done the right thing by avoiding the baem or would this baem cause havoc in the future? What if it truly was Keun Baemeun? Kally shook her head at this thought and forced herself to stand. She could not wallow for long; they had to press on before dark.

The desert became their own tomb, a never-ending expanse of nothingness, as they passed the hours away, walking in this tired and thoughtful mood. Gone was Kally’s original enthusiasm for the crossing. The reality hit hard. This desert was vast. Its beach-like appearance, hinting at an ocean in the horizon, taunted her as it promised frivolity and fun.

The heat of the sun made her body itch and her mood soured. Beads of sweat, long been forming on her fulcrum, dripped onto her mouth. She tasted the salt and thought of the sea. Her feet ached and one toe in particular, throbbed. Kally grumbled. Now? It had to be now? Then again, when would have been a good time?

Kally took off her left boot and, now sitting, took the opportunity to shake out any intruding sand. She removed her sock, shaking it, and Katoia spat out clumps of golden-red.

Spluttering and red, she chastised, “Kally—! I’m starving, when are we going to eat something?”

“Oh, now you’re awake.” Kally rolled her tired eyes - half joking, half serious - she continued, “After all that, you only wake up when you’re hungry.”

She flicked her a piece of leftovers and let her eat in silence.

Ahkaiyu paced back and forth on the dune, slipping as he did so, looking out in the direction of their destination. He peered and contorted, trying to make out as much as his eyes could see. Was he mistaken or, far in the distance, was there a group of figures? Silhouetted by the glaze of the sun. Could this be a mirage? If it was, it was pretty artsy looking. A group of six striking figures.

“Kally, do you see them?”

Kally looked in the direction of his point. Confirming her part in the potential shared mirage, she nodded. Ahkaiyu nodded.

“They seem to be headed our way. It seems there’s no avoiding them so we might as well set off to meet them.” He paused. “If they are dangerous, stand back.”

Kally sighed. She would need to learn how to fight some time. It was getting annoying, this damsel in distress part she had no option but to play. For now though, she could do nothing about it but nod.

“Let’s go. Sorry, Kat,” she said, as she ended Katoia’s short lived freedom and made her way towards the group.

As they neared, Kally saw through the silhouettes and made out their forms. She did not recognise most but relief swept over her as she saw a wisp of an old man in a healer’s robe. It was the man from her vision: Barley.

Though drained from the ordeal of the pyramid and baked by the sun, Kally’s heart leapt. Finally, the reason they had gone on this journey was stood before her. She had never forgotten why they were on this journey; why she had been through so much these past few weeks.

This doctor could be the one. The one to finally separate them.

A bittersweet joy filled her. They would have separate lives. Katoia would not need to be hidden away anymore, and she… she could do as she pleased, without the constant niggle in her toe.

Even if she ended up with no toe at the end of this process, she would be glad.

A final thought resonated deep within her; she would soon know for certain that the emotions she felt were hers, and hers alone. She reined her thoughts in. No need to get carried away just yet. There was no guarantee, after all.

She smiled, certain of one thing. The first part of their journey was coming to an end.

More importantly, she felt different in herself. Gone were the days of drinking away her sorrows in Karin’s bar. Though she thought of those days with something akin to fondness, a whole world had opened up to her, and she was ready to embark upon a new life brimming with adventure.