Daedalus Krane and the Hand of God

Chapter 5

'Even in familiar circumstances the lurking darkness can fill the mind with imagined fears.'  

Flo Braithwaite  

They followed the line of the ramparts, bumping along over pockets of cool air rising up from the lake below them. Then recognising a familiar landmark Azad turned the Bumblebee in a gentle arc and they skimmed over the top of the rough hewn walls into the Palace grounds. Finding his marker, a blazing brazier in an open courtyard tucked between the buildings he quickly dropped the airship down, levelled off and bought them to a grinding halt on the pebbled stone surface.  

Flo looked around. Azad had set the skiff down in an enclosed white walled cobbled courtyard. Around them following the line of the wall sprang a line of ragged leaf topped palm trees standing like stilted wild haired ogres in the brazier's liquescent ochreous radiance. A sentry wearing a sliver breastplate aglow with orange light waved across at them before strolling across to a wood pile in the corner of the courtyard to replenish his supplies.  

'Tradesmen's entrance I'm afraid.' laughed the Prince waving his acknowledgment to the sentry. 'We go through the door there. It's a little walk I'm afraid but it's further from the main gate so it better suits our needs.'  

He led them to a small corbelled doorway set back into the wall and they entered the outer precincts of the palace. Inside Azad picked up battered kerosene stained lamp left there for the purpose and pulling a packet from his pocket rattled it in the air. Then deftly pulling a Lucifer from the carton he struck it against the wall. For a moment the citrus flare lit up them up. Their faces drawn and tired like sallow death masks, stared unblinking at each other before Azad carefully lit the lantern. He adjusted the wick with a practised hand before replacing the heavily smoked hurricane cover over the base.  

'Follow me.' Holding the lamp high above him Azad turned and walked into the darkness.  

They made their way briskly through the high walled corridors, guided by Azad and his hissing brass lamp. Occasionally flickering lights would appear in the darkness in front of them, ethereal spirits guiding them on their way and as they approached they would crystallise into oil burning clay lamps placed on lintels set high on the soot stained walls. To Flo and Daedelus the Palace appeared an endless maze of featureless passages and flights of stairs with so many twists and turns that within no time they had completely lost their bearings. They clung onto Azad heels afraid that if they fell behind it would be hopeless trying to find their way back.  

Azad's hurried on, his nail shod shoes clicking softly on the titled floor, the staccato noise ricocheting off into the darkness giving the impression they were being followed by an army of miniature hoofed creatures. After a while they began to notice a change in the labyrinth of passages and stairs. The walls had turned from pockmarked stone to smooth marble coloured an unearthly pink, the titled floors from rough clay to polished marble.  

'We've entered the old palace now,' whispered Azad glancing nervously behind them. 'Not too far to go.'  

Flo thought she had heard it too, a low scuttling noise far off down the passages behind them. When they walked it moved, when they stopped, it stopped. She looked at Daedalus. He was still deep in his thoughts moving along mechanically behind Azad seemingly unaware of his surroundings.  

Ahead, caught in the febrile lamp light a figure appeared out of the darkness. Its body was a disturbing unnatural shape, contorted and bloated. Its head grotesquely distended was turned toward them silently watching their approach. Flo grabbed Azad's arm uncertain as to whether he had seen the unspeaking sentinel awaiting them. 'Azad look!'