Kebble sighed. “I wish I could say I did it for some noble reason, but the truth is I did it to further my own agenda. I played both sides into starting a war against each other, knowing full well whoever won would have me standing by their side.”
“Who won?” Elaina said.
Kebble laughed. “The forest.”
Elaina was about to savage the man for such a purposefully vague answer, when she realised he’d stopped and was staring at something above her.
A gigantic stone arch rose a hundred feet into the sky, the trees of the forest clinging to it and twisting around its great pillars. To either side of the arch were the crumbling remnants of an ancient wall, long since brought low by the forces of nature. Huge vines hung down from the arch, almost like a curtain, obscuring the view through it. Not that Elaina needed the view; she could already see that the forest gave way behind to powder blue skies dotted with white cloud, and above it all the sun shining down on them.
“Welcome to HwoyonDo,” Kebble said. He sounded sad. “City of scholars and traitors.”
Keelin rushed forwards, straight past Kebble and Elaina, and began hacking at the vines that hung down from the arch and pooled upon the floor. Smithe ran to help, and soon both men were frantically chopping their way through the natural gate while the others just stood and watched. Keelin was first through the hole they created, with Smithe only a step behind. They stopped on the other side of the arch, Elaina’s view obscured by their bodies.
Kebble stepped forward and placed a hand on the stone. He dropped to his knees and began to cry. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Elaina strode forwards, pushing through the hacked tangle of vines and inserting herself between the two men on the other side.
The city of HwoyonDo rose up before them like the nest of some giant insect. Buildings of grey-brown stone rose higher than most had cause to be, with the smallest of them a good five or six storeys tall. Stone bridges ran across the sky from one building to another; some were no more than broken piles of rubble on the ground, but others had stood the tests and rigours of time and nature, and gave easy, quick access from one structure to the next.
The roadways between the buildings were easily large enough for ten men to walk abreast, and to either side of the roads were trenches where water rested or flowed. The forest had started to reclaim much of the city, and a lot of the buildings closest to the arch were infested with trees and vines. Some had even started to crumble beneath the strain, but it seemed there was only so much the forest could reclaim, even after such a period of time.
Elaina felt someone push against her back, and she stepped aside to let Alfer through behind her. More members of the expedition filtered in, and soon all of them were standing there, staring at the half-ruined city spread out before them. Only Kebble hadn’t ventured through the arch. Elaina found herself more and more convinced that the marksman was no madman, but was in fact telling the truth about his immortality and even his origins.
“We’re here,” Keelin said, a look of reverence in his eyes.
“Aye,” Smithe said. “Looks like you finally made good on that promise. Now, which way to the riches, Captain?”
Chapter 36 - The Phoenix
“Everything in this city is treasure, Smithe,” said Keelin.
The grandeur of HwoyonDo wasn’t lost on Keelin, far from it, but it was a distraction that didn’t interest him. Of the eleven of them that had set out, two were lost already, and the longer they stayed, the more likely those who remained would join their missing companions. Keelin needed to find the Observatory. He didn’t care even a drop for the supposed treasure the city held.
“We’ll just pick up some bricks and run them back to the ship then, eh?” Smithe said with a sneer.
“I don’t give a fuck what you do,” Keelin snarled, barely sparing Smithe a glance. “There must be some street signs somewhere. Maybe I can see it if I get high.”
“See what?” Aimi said.
Keelin ignored her, striding forwards into the city. Buildings rose up high on both sides and extended far into the distance, blocking out any chance of seeing what lay ahead. Rubble littered the ground where the forest was starting to reclaim its territory, but further in there were fewer signs of the jungle. It gave Keelin hope that the Observatory was still standing and untouched. He picked a tall structure on his left with vines growing up the walls. Much of one side of it had been knocked down by the trunk of a tree. It looked like it may have once been used as housing; a small metal stove, rusted beyond use, hung precariously out of one hole in the wall. Shards of pottery lay strewn among giant roots, and a tarnished spoon had been half absorbed by a gnarled knot of wood.
If he could climb up the vines and find a way to the rooftop, he might be able to see the layout of the city, maybe even spot the Observatory itself.
“Keelin!”
A hand appeared on Keelin’s arm, but he shook it off, not caring who it belonged to, and advanced upon the nearest vine that looked sturdy enough to take his weight. Aimi slipped around him and stood between him and the building. Her brow was furrowed and her cheeks reddened.
“Stop!” she shouted.
For a moment Keelin considered shoving the little woman aside and starting the climb before any of the others could try to stop him. He glanced back to see the rest of his expedition standing just a few paces behind Aimi, sharing worried glances between their captain and each other. Even Smithe was frowning with concern.
“What?” Keelin said.
“Where are you going, Keelin?” said Elaina, hanging at the back of the group.
“I need to get to the Observatory.”
“That where the best treasure is kept?” Smithe said.
“Why?” said Aimi.
Keelin felt his jaw clench. He was so close to his vengeance, only to be held back by those who were supposed to be helping him.
“My city is dead,” Kebble said sadly as he walked slowly towards the others. Keelin spared the man a glance, and was shocked by what he saw. Kebble looked older, as though every line on his face was etched more deeply than before. His eyes were red from tears, and there were streaks down his face where they’d washed away the dirt and grime of the last few days.
“Eh?” Smithe grunted.
“It has been dead for over a thousand years,” Kebble continued, his eyes darting around the ruined city before them. “Even the ancient wards that kept the forest at bay have started to fail. It’s all my fault.”
“Wonderful,” Keelin growled, impatience tearing away at his last nerve. “This is all we need.”
“Your city?” Smithe said. “Ya been here before, Kebble?”
Kebble nodded slowly. “Long ago. When thousands lived here and we…”
“Good stuff,” Smithe said. “It’s all very tragic, I’m sure. You know where we can find the gold? Or at least the stuff that’s worth its weight?”
Kebble nodded slowly. “Yes. We should act quickly. The city may be dead, but it does not want us here.”
Smithe opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it again with a shake of his head. Keelin groaned and turned back to the vine; he had no wish to indulge Kebble’s delusion that he was immortal. Aimi still stood in his way, a determined look on her face.
“We’re not splitting up,” she said slowly.
“I have to do this alone,” Keelin said. He knew that what he was about to do was dangerous, and he wanted no one else to risk themselves for his attempt at vengeance. There was something else as well. He wanted no one to see the pain and rage that he’d kept balled up inside ever since the death of his little sister, ever since he’d watched her burn and had been powerless to stop it.