The City under the Sky of Stone - Part Five - Original fiction

by Michael Warner Molema

The great cave in which the City of Illumination was built, was five hundred meters deep and possessing a radius of three kilometres. One and a half kilometres from the west cave wall there was a two-hundred-meter-long stalactite that hung from the cave roof. This stalactite had become an artificial column due to the massive building called, fittingly, the Column. At the very top of the Column was a restaurant called the Stalactite’s Tip. And, very recently, the sealed environment of the restaurant had become exposed to the methane rich atmosphere of the cave.

I hung in the dark, choking air of the cave, the shattered glass about me glittering in the spot lights that illuminated the Great Cave Bats moving about in a glorious slow motion. I slowly turned my head and looked at the beautiful woman who had done this to me. “Venessa Mire,” I cried out in my mind. “Why have you done this?”
Suddenly, either the spell she had used wore off or gravity reasserted itself, I began to fall. I got one last look as Venessa as I fell, tears were gathering in her eyes.

The air began to rush in my ears, like a thousand trees in a storm as I fell. I spread my arms and legs out, but I fell back first to the glass roofed square three hundred meters below. Above me a Great Cave Bat tucked in its wings and begun to dive towards my falling form.

From nowhere in particular, an object shot up and struck the descending
bat and engulfed it in flames. The creature let out a cry charged with the
magic found within, and I was struck with an electric charge that pushed me to
the brink of consciousness.

I felt my limp form get plucked out of the air, my falling form slowing to a
gradual halt. Through half closed eyes I watched the injured bat fall down to
the city below. With one last conscious effort I turned to see a well armoured,
tank laden, helmet bearing, Methonaut.

From his side, the creature pulled a breather mask on a long tube. With
unexpected gentleness, the being strapped the mask to my face; at which
point I lost touch with the waking world.
I woke in a small apartment with a man towering over me, his face very
familiar. The man spoke with a voice that was almost my own, “Friend, he
wake.”

From elsewhere another man said, in an accent that I recognised, “Good work
Thirty-six. You can go eat your food now.”
A man, clearly of Arabic descent entered my field of view, “Ah, I see you
are well Mr Jade. I am Yusuf, and your saviour over there is Thirty-six.”
“Yusuf,” I muttered, “Not the Council Enforcer?”
“Yes, I am that Yusuf.”

I sat up, to find I was laying on a couch. I looked around and saw
Yusuf’s cultural tastes all about the apartment, as Yusuf was born in
Constantinople-Istanbul, his Cultural tastes were from that area.
“How did you know to save me?”
Yusuf handed me a bowl of food, falafel, pita, and all manner filling. “Please,
eat Nathanial Jade, and I will explain as to my presence here.”
I began to eat the food as Yusuf explained his presence within the city
of Illumination. The truth almost had me choking on my food as I look from
Yusuf to Thirty-six. After the exposition I found myself speechless.