Epic of Aravinda 1: The Truth Beyond the Sky by Andrew M. Crusoe Page B

anywhere.
    “Curious,” Oonak said. “The fracture we made in the surface of the ice has disappeared.”
    “Why?”
    “Unknown. I shall cut a new one.”
    A red grid appeared all around them, as if the entire ship were about to begin a fight to the death. Behind him, he heard a faint high pitched sound, and below him a single square of the red grid flickered furiously. A fraction of a second later, two painfully bright violet beams of plasma converged from two sides of the ship and cut through the ice below them.
    As Navika effortlessly cut into a large section of the ice, a chunk of it broke free and fell into a hollow space below. Once the hole was large enough, they flew in and found themselves in a large underground cavern. It was quite dark, and Oonak must have mentally signaled Navika to illuminate the cavern because Zahn didn’t see him speak or move at all. Could this incredible ship actually read his mind?
    Despite the radiance of Navika’s light, the system of caves seemed almost sinister to Zahn. Stalactites hung from the ceilings like ghostly apparitions, and the way they cast shadows onto the walls gave him the impression that they were not alone in these caves.
    But they were alone, and Oonak seemed very calm as he navigated the cave system, occasionally following a dark passage deeper underground and then following another passage that curved back up. While he did this, Zahn said nothing. He trusted Oonak’s sense of direction.
    When they finally slowed down, they were in a massive cavern that was just below the ice. Zahn could tell because light filtered through a section of the ice above, giving him a clear idea of the cavern’s size.
    Near the far wall, he could see a large ring-shaped machine between two columns set atop a rocky pedestal. The whole structure looked ancient.
    As they landed on the cavern floor, Zahn braced for a thud, but none came. Navika had alighted upon the rock just as a bird would alight upon a stem: with perfect grace.
    “Smooth landing.”
    “You can thank Navika for that. I give him commands, but Navika is the one who puts the real finesse on the flight.”
    “So there’s a kind of symbiosis between you two, isn’t there?”
    “In a way, and right now Navika indicates that the air outside is quite cold but still breathable. Come with me.”
    Oonak led him back out to the central room.
    “Be careful. Water will solidify quickly out there.”
    “You mean it’s below freezing?”
    “Oh, yes. You will need these. They are warm and repel water, as well.” As Oonak said this, he handed Zahn a thick silver jacket, long silver pants, and boots, all of which were similar to the uniform that he was wearing.
    “Oh, thank you.”
    “You are the one who deserves thanks. You were not obliged to assist me, yet you did.”
    When the door opened, the temperature of the air shocked Zahn’s exposed face, causing him to pull his hood tighter, and as they headed toward the ancient gate, he was again struck by the size of the cavern. He wondered how many cave systems were yet to be discovered on Avani and if any of them might be hospitable to life.
    And then, the immensity of the gate dawned on him.
    Despite its apparent age, it was perfectly preserved. The main feature of the gate was a huge upright ring made of a strange metallic stone. To either side of the ring were two control panels that curved outward, and all of it was atop a large stone pedestal.
    Zahn walked up to one of the control panels, and found it to be unlike any technology he’d ever seen before. The panel was covered in strange markings and circular grooves that had been etched into the stone. He moved his hand over the panel, and found it chilling to his exposed fingertips.
    He tried touching a prominent ring shape in the upper left corner of the panel, but nothing happened. No matter what he did, the controls didn’t respond. Oonak walked up behind him, holding a device that reminded him of his father’s