True, there was no way Mira could be in THAT mound, but Bennu still had to check out the rest of them. Besides, what with all of the books he had been reading, he had developed an entirely reasonable curiosity about the Indian magic in addition to Indians and ancient astronauts. After all, he KNEW they had been in contact. Had the natives left depictions of the Survey and Constuction Teams? In fact, since he and Mira had spent a short time on the planet before entering hibernation (to familiarize themselves with the local Sun and atmosphere), was it possible that THEY had been depicted? And what about Yago, whenever he had started to become active?
Since the current presence of Yago would certainly give rise to a “haunted” site, Bennu was careful to check for his mind before entering the area. Happily, whatever the cause, it wasn’t Bennu’s problem. No Yago.
Curiousity or not, Bennu had a job to do. He checked half the other sites before heading over to the haunted one. As he approached its entrance, a vague sense of unease built up. He dismissed it as concerns over the stability of the mound he was preparing to enter. Climatic conditions had probably changed for the wetter over the last millennium, and nothing on the site looked in very good shape. This looked worse than the rest, and considerations of safety should have overriden his curiosity. He really should have left it alone. He cautiously took a step through the entranceway.
He took that same step backwards a lot faster. UGH! It felt like mental sewage in there! He hastily moved away from it. That place gave him the creeps - a feeling that virtually no adult of a Mature race ever felt.
By the time he’d finished purging the remnants of that feeling from his mind, he’d covered a decent distance. Looking up, he found himself facing the entrance to the mirror-image mound. What a difference! The aura around it was good, pure, and even bore traces of The Light. He must have automatically followed It to Its source.
Confidently - but still watching out for loose rocks in the ceiling - he stepped into the mound, and soon found himself in its central chamber. No, that wasn’t Mira’s sleep chamber - it really was a coffin. Judging by the type and placement of ceremonial objects and signs, it was that of a medicine man, and quite a powerful one at that. But the presence of the aura made the “powerful” part obvious to any Sensitive - and all telepaths were, by their very nature, Sensitives.
Dimly heard rumbles of thunder, followed by the dripping of rainwater through leaks in the roof, did nothing to alter Bennu’s reverent, but thorough, inspection of the burial. This was clearly a holy site. He wished he could ask the resident who or what was in the other mound. Uh, oh! Even Mature Adults sometimes get a wish they should have known better than to have made, and this was one of those times!
The other mound also contained a similar burial, though the objects were placed differently and the coffin, at least initially, was covered with symbols. Many of these had been defaced by water leaks or small rocks falling from the ceiling, though - the mound really was starting to fall apart, and Bennu was lucky not to be in it, evil aura or not.
The tinkle of water dripping was replaced by a more forceful stream, and yet another rock fell and defaced a symbol on the coffin. A second, much larger rock followed, and with a dull crunch, actually put a crack in it. A black mist began to escape through the crack. The mist seemed to gather itself and reach up to the ceiling. With a teriffic BANG! a bolt of lightning struck the roof. The mound shuddered once and collapsed, shattering its contents.
For a brief time, all was silent as the black mist continued to rise from the pile of debris. Suddenly, the pile began to shift as though something was forcing itself up through it. Indeed, something was - a medicine man in full regalia. Freeing himself, he wrapped the mist about himself like a black cloak and climbed out the top of his former burial place.
Bennu had heard the lighting strike, of course, but thought nothing of it. He thought plenty about the fact that those few torches still in place, wet or not, burst into flame. A Sun symbol on the coffin began to glow steadily brighter. Bennu waited patiently - this was a place of good, not evil, after all, and some Earthly magic had obviously been set in motion.
He didn’t have long to wait, as the coffin opened and the medicine man stepped out. The medicine man didn’t have to ask why he had been Awakened - he could easily sense the presence of the One he had been left to guard. Nor was he surprised at the presence of a powerful and friendly Mind in his chamber - he assumed members of his People had reacted to the escape and come to aid him.
He was astonished to find that the body of the other Presence in the chamber was most peculiarly pigmented. His mind reached out. //I am Osiron the Lightkeeper. Yojo the Destroyer has broken free and is loose upon the Earth to wreak havoc upon my People again. I must stop him.//
Before Bennu could Mindspeak in response, Osiron, his eyes wide in utter amazement, grasped who he was. //You are not merely not one of the People, but not of the World. You come from the Stars, yet you bear the Sunflame in you and wear it on your body as an amulet of great power! Will you help me in my task?//
Bennu: //Of course. I, too, battle an Evil mind - one of my People.//
The two of them strode out to deal with Yojo, Bennu having just enough time to wonder about the similarity of names. Perhaps this was evidence of contact with Yago long ago?
Yojo and Osiron blasted away at each other with magic while Bennu fired a Sunbolt. The thunderous CRACK! and flash of light that followed were quite appropriate as each found himself hurled to the ground, half stunned. Bennu, able to use Sunpower to heal himself, was the first to return to functionality. Obviously magic and Sunpower could be a combination as dangerous to the users as to the target!
Osiron and Yojo, now both recovered enough to resume their fight, resumed their duel. Bennu, though he couldn’t draw upon his Power, was still a Missionary Healer. His mind and its telepathic powers were very stong, far more so than even those of Immature magic-users. Yojo was too occupied with Osiron to defend his mind from Bennu’s mental stunning attack and found himself powerless. NOW what?
Osiron: //We cannot hold him indefinitely, nor return him to his place of confinement.//
Bennu: //My Race does not kill.//
Osiron: //Nor do my People. Yet, I must do what is best for my People, and what should have been done long ago.//
Osiron’s Medallion of the Sun flashed and Yojo’s body was burned to ashes. Osiron scattered them to the four winds. //It is not killing, since his Mind is quite strong enough to let him stay in the Land of the Living if he so chooses. Let him! He can do no further harm. Now, I see you seek constantly, yet do not find the object of your search. Come, I will try to help you.//
Bennu was uneasy. The Wise of his planet had badly underestimated the power of Yago’s mind, and he recognized the correctness of Osiron’s actions. Yet the inhibitions against Killing were so strong that he doubted that he could do as Osiron did in the unlikely event he did have the chance.
They reentered Osiron’s mound. He unblocked the chimney, selected a few powders, and kindled them in a stone bowl. White smoke spiralled up and out of the chimney.
Osiron: //Focus on the smoke and think of that which you seek. My memories hold much of the history of my People. If We have any knowledge, you will see it in the smoke.//
Bennu did so, and many images flickered before his eyes. Suddenly one came into sharper focus. Tall blond people with machinery and vehicles! Without question, an Eldebrani Survey Team. Alas, they reentered their vehicles and left.
Osiron: //Why, I saw that myself - I was only a young boy then, though. They did not find what they sought and left. I am sorry.// He moved to extinguish the fire. Suddenly his eyes narrowed. //Enemies approach. They invade the land of the People - and seek you!//
Bennu: //Preminger!//
Osiron: //Yes, that is the name. Our fight with Yojo and the Mindsmoke seem to have attracted him.// He blocked the chimney and threw more powders on the fire. //Concentrate on the smoke and make an image of yourself.//
Bennu considered the possible risks and then Smiled. Surely he could safely use his mind to manipulate the smoke as long as it was unaided by Sunpower! Soon Preminger and company, trying to keep the Smokeimage surrounded, were clear on the other side of the site. Bennu led it into a small mound, intending to let it dissipate.
Meanwhile, Osiron had prepared a small amount of the powder to give to Bennu. Virtually everything in the mound had been ruined by the weather over the long years Osiron had slept. Only what was in or near the coffin and under the Sleep spell was still intact. He reverently removed a sacred amulet from a pouch he carried and poured the Mindsmoke powder into the pouch.
Osiron: //Give it back to me. I’ll finish the job while you escape. Here, take this. If you ever need to contact me, there is enough powder in this to call me twice. Just light it and think of my image. I will appear in the Smoke.//
Preminger led a team into the mound. “Bennu” seemed to flicker, then changed abruptly into a bear. It seemed to growl ferociously and charged. Osiron made sure that Bennu’s enemies stayed far away from Bennu’s escape path. When he was satisfied that his Friend was safely away, he allowed the gunshots to “kill” it. As the agents cautiously approached, he let the Smokeimage dissipate - into a cloud with an utterly nauseating stench.
Preminger led the agents back toward Osiron’s mound with all the dignity a man who has soiled himself in fright and fouled himself with vomit can muster. Obviously, this was a trick of Bennu’s, and he must still be nearby, probably still in the mound the smoke had been coming out of.
He strode up to the entrance - and found an Indian in full regalia standing before it. He. too, wore a medallion, clearly bearing an image of the Sun.
Preminger: “Out of my way. I’m looking for a tall blond man and I’m sure he was in that mound.”
Osiron spoke slowly - partially because his telepathic powers weren’t as efficient as Bennu’s at learning new languages, and partially out of the dignity of a great Healer of the People: “He was here, but he is far away from you now. He is not even from this world, much less the People, yet he volunteered to help both Us and all of Mankind. You would cage him like an animal and experiment on him! You stand in the dust of the Enemy of the People he helped me defeat. Leave before you join that dust.”
Fine grey ash swirled up around Preminger, sticking especially to the front of his still damp pants.
Preminger was both stubborn and, already humiliated before his fellow agents, loath to admit defeat. His thoughts turned to the physical violence that firearms threatened.
Osiron was a patient man, but he had little tolerance for deliberate stupidity. His medallion began to glow. It wasn’t the beautiful, gentle light that reports on Bennu spoke of, but a brighter, angrier color. Nor did Preminger like the look in his eyes. He liked Osiron’s final words even less.
Osiron: “Ignore my warning at your own peril! Leave the People, Our land, and Our burial sites alone or Our ancestors will gnaw at your mind and eat your liver!”
The glow intensified and a gust of hot air blew across Preminger and the other agents. Preminger, all semblance of bravado gone, fled.
Whether it was a reaction to the day’s experiences or an actual curse Osiron had uttered - not that Preminger could accept the existence of curses - from that day on, Preminger found that Indian sites gave him the creeps. Unfortunately, the effect wasn’t strong enough to keep him away from them, though.
Copyright July, 2000 Three Cheeks Productions (Richard Kaplan)