The mirror: Kevali

First topic message reminder :

The Kevali inhabit vast cavern systems beneath the surface of their hostile planet. The twin suns constantly boring down on the surface have created a harsh desert environment. The days are long, the nights longer (the normal day lasts 36 hours). The intense heat of daytime and the bitter freezing cold of evening drove the Kevali underground centuries ago.

Phosphorescent algae provides an ambient glow, while oil lamps set into carved niches in the walls provide most of the dim light.

The capital city of Andhakara'a is built around an inky black subterranean river, the water is mostly drinkable...

The air is stale, it's crowded and the air is filled with the sound of tools and working.
It never seems to stop.

Map

Kaliyani shook her head. "I do not entirely trust the Elders. Keep them away from him."

Andre nodded and glanced to Christine, who showed her tiger's teeth in a yawn. "We will do what we can to keep him safe." Andre said and looked back to Kaliyani

"Thank you." She bowed her head to the tiger, which felt.. a bit weird.
"When they find the orb, you must get it before it can be brought to him. I fear she will take him over again to take it, we cannot allow that to happen. Intercept it, destroy it however you can. "

Andre nodded and frowned a little "The twins would be best for that, and we will keep at least three of our people close to him." He said with a nod. "With us sleeping in the only way to get up here, it will be hard to get past undetected."

Kaliyani nodded. "We will go to the mines and check on their progress tomorrow then."

Andre nodded then looked to the door "With permission, the twins could check it out without being seen"

Kaliyani considered that. "They could... yes, that could work. With luck, with him asleep, she will not realise our plan in time."

Andre nodded and turned to go out the door "Then we need to let them know" He said and headed to do just that.

Kaliyani nodded and went with him.

Andre glanced around the room as he went to the twins to speak to them quietly then took his place near the door to Jerral's chambers with Jessica.

The twins made sure no one was watching them before they would shift to...what seemed like nothing. They were mist as they slipped out of the room and headed for the mines

Kaliyani sat down on the steps themselves and waited.

--

The mines never seemed to rest, the sound of picks and people working made it easy to locate the entrance and from there down the shafts which became more and more chaotic the deeper they went. There was evidence of cave ins and shafts that had been abandoned after collapsing in on themselves. The ceiling was low and treacherously unstable. People were yelling, others were hauling carts of rocks back up to the surface. It was hot, it was cramped, it was absolutely pitch dark. There were no lanterns down here, no torches, the miners worked in complete darkness and in shifts around the clock.

The twins had to change their forms, choosing a cloud of tiny insects because of the heat. Mist needed more moisture in the air to keep that form. They continued to head down, uncaring of the darkness as they searched for any sign of magic.

People dug, and sweated, and looked miserable and dirty. Shafts drove off from shafts in a random chaotic manner, this mine was in no way planned, some shafts just stopped, as if whoever was guiding them changed their mind and had them go elsewhere. Some wobbled as if the instructions were unclear or kept changing as they dug. Right now the miners were digging down at a steep incline, which was making pushing the carts of rock all the harder for the carters who ran back and forth.

Maybe there was magic, but it was a dim sense, buried under a lot of rock.

The twins just kept going deeper and deeper, searching for a way to go beyond what the miners could get to, searching for an opening, a crack, any way to get past the miners.

They could probably get through some of the fissures and fractures in the stone.

The twins went down through the fissures, searching for the orb and it's signature. When they found it, the insects stopped and surrounded it.

It was a surprisingly small thing, about the size of a softball, golden in colour with a well hidden seam around the centre that suggested it could open. There was no obvious clasp or hinge though. It had no markings, no symbols on it, it was simply a gold colored metal ball.

The twins buzzed to one another, discussing how to get it out of there and to the ship. Hm. They became bigger bugs, turning to the fractures to find a way up that wouldn't go through so many miners. Nope, they were going to try not to open the thing.

Most of the fissures were too narrow to pull something that size, they'd have to enlarge any gaps, dig upward maybe.

The twins would have to work together, dragging the orb and enlarging the fissure they chose to get the orb through it, working their way upward now.

It would be slow going but nothing would stop them, the miners were focused on digging as instructed, down toward where the orb had sat.

The twins had to rest occasionally, but would make their way up until they found open air. One would cautiously peek out while the other kept the orb back and out of sight. Where had they come out at?

The would find themselves way up at the upper shafts of the mine, which hadn't been used in centuries. The shafts were still, silent and full of dust. Bat-like creatures and large lizards had made their homes here. A glimmer of light came from the end of the tunnel, and back the other way nothing but darkness.

--

Meanwhile, Jarral stirred fitfully in his sleep, muttering and mumbling to himself.

The twins looked to one another then slipped out, taking humanoid forms to slip the orb in a pocket and head for the light very carefully. One changed to a bat form to fly ahead, though he was bigger than the other bats.

~~~
Christine raised her head and looked to him worriedly. After a moment she stood and came to the side of his bed.

The light was moonlight, a near full moon hanging low in the dusty sky. It was absolutely freezing on the surface, as deserts often are with a particularly chill wind howling through the valley.
The entrance to the mines stood half way up a shere drop, much of the cliffside eroded away by the wind and the sand.
The bottom of the valley a few hundred feet below was covered in black glittering sand and rocks. A river must once, a long time ago have run through here, but the water had long since dried up and the sand and rocks had clogged the dried bed.

The sky was too full of dust and sand for the stars to be clear, and even the moonlight was dim and muted.

---

Jarral's eyes opened, his expression hard and angry. He rose from his bed and as if in a trance, headed for the stairs.

Wow, where were they? Brandon looked at the outside then changed to a larger bird that could handle the winds, taking off and circling to find their ship or any landmark they could use to find where they were while Bryan stood at the opening and watched him.

~~
Christine stumbled back then quickly shifted and followed "Jerral, what is it?" She called, not worrying about being quiet since he was up.

Sand sand... more sand. Some rocks. The landscape was barren and black. Along the cliff face there looked to be some cave openings though, there were something that looked like hand holds carved into the rock around a couple of the caves, it had to be man made.

--

Jarral ignored her completely and headed down the stairs, where he'd run into Kaliyani who was sitting on them.
She stood, bowing her head. "Forgive me my lord..." She began, then frowned and backed down the stairs in a hurry.

Jarral said nothing, he continued to walk as if in a daze.

"I do not believe he is entirely awake." Kaliyani tried to step in front of him. He stopped, looked at her with those furious greyish eyes of his and attempted to shove her aside.