We all nodded. "Well, then, yes--I can send you up there safely. But if you don't have at least one lion, eagle, gorilla, crocodile, wolf, and raven among you, you'll get stuck by the Gateway, and I won't be able to help you. Then there's the problem of getting down...." "Can...can you tell us more about the Kingdom of Emerotopia?" asked Eris, eyes wide with wonder. The Gatekeeper tilted his head, then dipped his hand into the honey-pot again. "You know of the Kingdom. Few who live still do; and it's probably better that way.... "I'm afraid I can't tell you much. When the Kingdom fell, millennia ago, they set--" "They?" said Ewar. The Gatekeeper frowned, more at himself than anyone else, it seemed. "I can't say who they are. Just know that they were the rulers. As I was saying; when the Kingdom fell, they set one single creature to keep the old ways, and to admit others in great need into Emerotopia." Of a sudden, he let out a soft snore. He had fallen asleep while he stood. "Um...?" said Laval. Still the Gatekeeper snored. Razar sighed. "Should I hit him?" "There'll be no need for that," said the bear, wiping his mouth on his arm. "I get drowsy spells...it's all right..." He set the honey-pot back on the table and yawned. "Where was I? Hm! The keeper of the ways...yes, and this same creature also made an agreement not to speak of the Kingdom, unless it had to do with his job as Gatekeeper. I'm his grandson; and I don't want to be the first to break the family tradition. So that's all I'm telling you." He looked around at each of us individually and nodded. "As a rule, I don't ask too much about why you want to get to Emerotopia--if you've travelled this far, you must have your reasons--but you all seem especially set on this. Do you really want to go through with this? I can't promise that you'll return. This kind of Travel is unusually risky."
A silence followed his words, and I reconsidered my reasons for Travelling to Mount Cavora. My mind was awhirl with the idea of Emerotopia, but I forced it aside for the time being and asked myself: did I want to risk my life further with the Gatekeeper's method of Travel? Now that the end seemed so near, did I truly want to reach it? I clenched my beak nervously. "If we wanted to, could you send us back home?" Laval stepped forwards, looking quite nervous himself. "If you wanted to," said the Gatekeeper thickly. "But I don't think you do." Loradus. I had come this far to break his control over Chima. Or had I? The room spun around me. How did I know Loradus even existed? Why had I driven myself to exhaustion day after day, not thinking of my purpose, or even what would happen once we reached our destination? "I'm going," said Ewar, with an air of mock gravity. "And let it be known that, in the end, I knew what to do with myself." Then he chuckled. "Dude," said Gorzan, eyes wide, "will I get to see the Great Brother-Mellow?" The Gatekeeper inclined his head, then nodded. "If you know where to look. He's quite a sight." Gorzan howled with delight, and crossed the room to give him a hug (which was happily returned). As the others came to a positive decision and moved, one by one, to stand in a group by the Gatekeeper, I fidgeted and shifted my eye, my once-cold feathers becoming oily again. Then my mind settled on what it had been searching for: 'You shall need Emerot, as it needs you'. The message burned into the wall of the Lion Temple by Chi itself; it had been written for me specifically, I knew. And I simply couldn't ignore it now.
Smiling grimly, I lifted my head to find everyone else staring expectantly at me from the other side of the room. "If you wish to finish what we have begun," I said, "I will be with you all the way." The others returned my smile somewhat (though some looked to be grimacing more than smiling). The Gatekeeper looked around at all of us, smiling a sleepy smile of his own. "I'll send you off tomorrow morning, then! But now...dinnertime." He gestured to the table, then shuffled up to me. "Yes?" I said quietly. He extended his hand, and I shook it, uncertain of what else to do. "You made the right decision," said the Gatekeeper. I blinked. "Have I?" "It's what I would've done, considering what you're up against." I glanced over at the table nervously. "You know who--?" "Yourself." And I watched as he shuffled back to the loose block in the floor, pulled it out, and climbed down into the low light of whatever was below. Shaking myself alert, I joined the others at the table. "What is all this?" Laval was saying, lifting a can and eyeing it rather suspiciously. "Honey, dude," said Gorzan. "All the cans have honey." Laval raised an eyebrow. "And how d'you know this?" "I don't know," said Worriz, "Maybe it says 'honey' on the side of every one? Hm? Hm?!" Laval dropped the can and started looking intently over the two pots in the center of the table. When the Gatekeeper returned, he set out four more chairs and laid eight plates and eight bowls around the table, removing the cans of honey and stacking them against the nearest wall. "I hope you like black-bean chili," he said, handing us each a spoon, "Because you probably won't have tried it before..." That turned out to be an understatement; for I felt certain none of us had even heard of it.
But as he ladled it into our bowls, I found that it mattered not; I was hungry. I could have eaten a raccoon's dinner then; and this black-bean chili looked infinitely more appetizing. Small, dark, rounded shapes (which I assumed were the 'black beans') sat in among slices of red and green vegetables, spices and bits of leaves mixed in as well. Immediately, I dug my spoon into the liquid and brought it up filled and steaming. Then I closed my beak around it, and the flavors wove themselves together to create something entirely unique, the like of which I had never tasted before, and which I felt sure I would never taste again. I had emptied my bowl twice ere remembering to breathe; and I did so, inhaling and exhaling, slowly and deeply. The Gatekeeper chuckled softly. "Enjoying it?" I nodded and looked around at the others, all of whom were nodding as well; with the exception of... "What's in it?" said Laval. He had yet to take a spoonful of the chili, and was looking at it with an eyebrow raised. The Gatekeeper dragged his rocking chair over to the table and sat, his half-closed eyes twinkling. "I thought it would be obvious, but, black beans, tomatoes, sometimes--" "Gatekeeper, can I ask you a question?" Worriz interrupted loudly. Laval dipped a finger into his bowl to taste, and the Gatekeeper turned. "Of course." "Y'know," said Worriz, "I asked you one a little while ago--" "And that would be the one about the Legend Beasts I drove away, yes?" "You have a good memory." "Thank you." Razar opened his beak and raised a claw, and the Gatekeeper said, "I haven't forgotten you either; and no, I'm afraid you can't have my weapon." Razar shut his beak with a snap. The Gatekeeper leaned back. "Anyone else...?" "Your--your way of Travel?" said Cragger. "Is it the same as...the Travel 'in old times' that you mentioned? As in, what the Legend Beasts did earlier?"
The Gatekeeper nodded. "It is the same--and I can tell you more about how it works once I've satisfied your wolf friend." Cragger looked up from examining his almost-clean spoon. "Alright." The Gatekeeper turned back to Worriz. "Now--unless I'm mistaken, those Legend Beasts were under the influence of a terrible power, and I don't enjoy the company of the wicked." Laval began, "Well, you got that right--" "Don't tell me, don't tell me!" The bear raised his hands. "The less I know about you, the better." He sighed. "To see the Beasts--once grand and majestic and powerful--reduced to slaves of--of--" His eyes widened, and he rested his chin on the tabletop. "Yes? What?" said Ewar. Worriz scowled. "Aah, it doesn't matter if he doesn't wanna tell us." "That's right," said Laval. "But...Mister Gatekeeper? What was that thing you did with your weapon?" The Gatekeeper let his eyelids sag again. "Ah, that. A couple of Emerotopian tricks with extra-dimensional space." And when he saw the looks on our faces, he added, "A regular thing with Emerotopian weapons." Razar whimpered. I leaned back in my chair, gasping in surprise as pain stabbed into my side. I felt the area, causing it to sting all the more. "Apologies," I rasped, standing from the chair and making my way towards the door. "Mind the wind!" said the Gatekeeper as I stepped out into the night. Clutching my side and folding my wings about myself, I looked up at the sky. The stars were out, as bright and beautiful as ever; and I found myself wishing Ewar would follow me out here with his spyglass in hand. I shivered, remembering the exact moment the arrow had come up and scratched my side to begin with.... Behind me, the door creaked open and slammed shut, and I removed my hand from the graze on my side and took a breath. "Ewar?" I said, turning about.
But it wasn't Ewar. It was Laval. I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Pardon me; Laval?" He acknowledged this with a slight nod, but said nothing himself. I accepted this for the time being, and turned my gaze back unto the stars. So many...and each one held its own mysteries. The wind blew again, the chill coming under my skin. I breathed out a puff of steam. "Something is troubling you," I said, still gazing up into the heavens. Briefly, I was reminded of when Eris had told me very much the same thing--and she had been very much right. Laval sighed. "That Gatekeeper was starting to put us to sleep with his explanations of extra-dimensional space--" He bit his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Whoo, that's a mouthful. Anyway, I--thought I'd come out here with you." I turned my head to look into his golden eyes. "With me?" "Um--yeah." "Your reason being...?" Laval looked at the ground and smiled awkwardly. "Well--you talk to the others a lot--" I squinted. "That would be something of an overstatement..." "--So I thought you could help me." "Er..." I was at a loss for words. Me? Help him? He went on, "I've been nothing but an extra mouth to feed ever since this journey began." He paused. "A picky mouth to feed. I don't think I've done much to help, and I've done a lot to hurt, I realize." I blinked and shook my head. "You shan't be blamed for anything the Anti-Chi--" "It isn't just the Anti-Chi. I've done things...that aren't right. And...I've ended the lives of several fearless creatures...while I'm still afraid of death." He gulped and closed his eyes. "Rothmir was braver than I'll ever be." This, then, was why Laval had seemed so disturbed upon our leave-taking from the raccoons: he had seen Rothmir's acceptance of torture and death when threatened (not idly); and it had failed to match his own. Thus he began to fully doubt himself. "We all have different fears," I said gently, "And bravery has nothing to do with being fearless." A corner of Laval's mouth turned up.
Next morning, the Gatekeeper woke us from our various states of slumber with a miniature gong and hammer. "Rise and shine, everyone! I'm only awake to send you on your way, then I'll get to my early-morning nap." I exhaled and blinked rapidly, my eye aching. Finally, I heaved myself into a sitting position and stretched my arms, shocked to find that I was only one of four still inside the house. Laval was snoring gently next to me, the Gatekeeper standing by the door, Razar bouncing up and down next to him. "Laval," I whispered. "Do wake up. The others are waiting on us." He groaned and slid his eyes open the barest fraction. "Alright, hang on..." A few minutes later we were all standing in the early-morning mists, the Gatekeeper standing with his back to us and holding his peculiar weapon in both hands. Razar was still bouncing in apparent excitement. I turned to face him. "Why must you do that?" Razar gave me a wicked grin. "I heard tell, my friend; that the inside of Mount Cavora is made of GOLD!" "And exactly where did you hear this?" "It was in some old raven proverb..." "Raven proverb?" "Yes! You'd probably know about it..." I raised my eyebrows. "Perhaps," I returned slowly, "But consider this one: 'he who always counts his money always has itchy palms'." He stopped bouncing to work this out, and I moved up to the Gatekeeper. "Well?" I said. He frowned and held up his weapon in one hand. Then he fully closed his eyes, and I watched as the sphere of energy at the tip grew brighter and brighter. Eventually, a crimson line appeared in the air; and as the Gatekeeper moved the weapon about, more lines revealed themselves, until a rough square shape floated before him.
He then used the end of his weapon to prod the air at its center--and it gave way, opening a dark entranceway into impenetrable shadow. I sensed that the others behind were all staring at the entranceway with anxiety, much as I was. "My good sir," I whispered to the Gatekeeper, "Have you conjured our way, or--?" "This opening has always been here," he returned quickly. "I just had to push the door away." "Did--?" "No, I didn't create it--I only make it usable to those who need it. Now--" He turned to address everyone. "Just inside is your Gateway. Present your six representatives from the tribes, and you'll enter the halls of Emerotopia." He nodded towards the shadows within. Slowly, reluctantly, Ewar stepped forth. He gulped. "Get on with it!" the Gatekeeper mumbled. "I've got a nap to catch." And into the darkness Ewar shuffled. I followed soon after, due to the fact that the others were still staring blankly. I took several steps through humid and uncomfortable blackness, unable to hear or see anything, before stumbling into a septagonal room illuminated by a violet mist. Carved into the stone floor near to six of the walls were wide circles, those walls themselves each bearing a different symbol (also carved); and the final wall had veins of blue running through it in spectacularly intricate patterns, though from where I stood it was unclear whether these were minerals or water streamlets flowing through the rock. I took a deep breath and turned about, a square-shaped "doorway" in the air behind me. If it closed itself off, we would have no way of leaving. "Rizzo!" It was Ewar. He sounded as if he were shouting from a very great distance, but when I turned, he was little more than five paces away.
"Your voice--" I began to say, but stopped; for my voice sounded distant as well. Ewar nodded, looking up and around. "It's this fog, I know it is--" He blinked, then frowned. "Er--is there a problem?" I asked. He shook his head, still frowning. "No...not really..." That was when hands closed around my neck from behind; instinctively, I flailed about, beating my wings, my eye widening in horror, until-- "Whoo," said a voice. "I'm not doing that again..." "Laval," I gasped, relieved, "Would you be so kind as to release me?" Ewar half-smiled, and Laval uncurled his fingers from about my neck and stumbled into the dim light of the fog. "Sorry," he panted, "But I needed to hold onto something...pull myself outta that--that--" He shook his head, rolling his eyes in a frightened manner. Gorzan came into the room soon after (arms outstretched before him, eyes closed), followed by Eris, Razar, Cragger, and Worriz. Each of them shuffled about, gazing up through the fog or examing the walls. I watched as Eris ran her hands over the blue-veined wall. "This is probably the Gate itself..." said she, the silencing effects of the place doing nothing to hide the awe in her voice. "And to--" There was a deafening bang that echoed throughout the room, and all of us froze. I attempted to calm my breathing, but still my heart felt as if it would burst out of my chest and beat its way across the room. Then Worriz's voice rang out softly, "Well, that's just great! Our way out just disappeared!" And, sure enough, when I turned about, the square opening into blackness had gone, leaving us trapped at the Gateway. Hurriedly, Laval made his way over to the Gate and looked over it, then turned to Eris. "You were saying...?"
Eris shook her soft-feathered head, eyebrows raised in worry. "I...I don't know...." "Easy," said Ewar. We all turned our heads to look at him, for it was not often that he proposed an answer to one of our problems (at least, not for all to hear). And even with all of our expectant eyes upon him, he did not flinch or stand down; there was a strange air of purpose about him now. He gestured to the six walls across from the Gate, then turned back to us. "Present your representatives, remember? Six walls for six tribes." Peering through the fog, I now saw that the carved symbols each stood for a different tribe. Quickly, the others began to move in towards the appropriate walls, coming to stand in the adjacent circles on the floor (Ewar and I were left standing by the Gate). And once everyone had found their place, the violet fog turned to blue, and the veins within the Gate shone brighter and brighter. "Now what?" said Laval, shielding his eyes. Ewar clenched his beak and looked at the floor, as if struggling to remember something. I blinked my squinted eye and (cautiously) placed a hand on the Gate--and it fell away, revealing an opening into what looked to be the night sky. The veined slab of rock tumbled end over end, down to whatever lay below, finally disappearing in shadow. "Well...?" said Cragger. "Do we go in?" My hand still outstretched, I looked to Ewar, who lifted his shoulders in a nervous sort of way. "Pretty stars," said Gorzan, striding up to the opening. "Duuude...." He reached out a hand himself, and as soon as it passed through the Gateway, he was lifted from his feet and drawn inside before one could blink, whereupon he completely vanished. The star-studded blackness spat out a few sparks, then returned to its natural state.
I pulled my hand back instantly, and a rather shocked silence descended. "Where'd he go?" asked Laval at length; but Ewar only opened and closed his beak soundlessly, any focus and purpose I had seen before, gone. I stepped farther from the Gateway, shivering. "I believe it is safe to assume that--that Gorzan is in Mount Cavora now," I said weakly. Worriz snorted. "Or in the afterlife. Take your pick." "No, Rizzo; he's right." Cragger strode up to me. "Gorzan's probably nowhere right now...." I felt my expression fall slightly into darkness. "I mean," he went on, "How do we even know there is an inside to Mount Cavora?" "We don't," I muttered gruffly, "but since Gorzan has already slipped through our Gateway, I suggest we follow." "To our death," said Worriz. "I don't think so." "Gorzan is not dead." Ewar stepped to the center of us all. "I can feel it." "And since when have you been 'feeling' things?" said Worriz, rolling his eyes. "Hm?" "Since I stepped foot in this room." Ewar lowered his eyebrows in a strangely imperious squint. "I don't know why, but I'm certain he's alive. Now, we're all going through this Gate. We've come too far to turn back. "Rizzo." He turned to me sharply. "You go first. Show them that they have nothing to be afraid of." But before I had the chance to open my beak to agree (or protest), before I could even wonder at his odd change of manner, Laval raised his hand and stepped forward. "I'll go through first," said he, breathing in and holding high his head. I suppressed a sigh of relief as Ewar nodded and Laval walked past me and towards the Gateway. And once he, too, had disappeared into it, Cragger haltingly offered to go next.
One by one, the others continued to step forward, until only three of us remained: Ewar, Eris, and me. The foremost of these smiled and nodded at me. "You don't have to go first then, I guess." I returned his smile, though still I felt rather nervous. He breathed in deeply. Then, turning on the spot, he passed through the Gateway and shimmered out of sight. "Our time, then," I said, looking to Eris. "You first." "Um--what?" She glanced at the Gateway, then turned back. "Are you sure?" "Quite." "But--can't we--?" Travel together, I wanted her to say; and perhaps she would have. But for reasons I would never know, she simply trailed off and averted her eyes from mine. Several moments later, she gave me a half-smile ere walking into the starry blackness; and, taking a last look about the place, I plunged into the nothingness myself. Instantly, I felt my vision blur into blank, white blindness, wind and energy rushing past all around me. I began to shiver violently, though intense heat was striking me in waves; my being seemed to be drifting apart. Somehow, my consciousness had survived, but it was a gibbering wreck, barely able to form a coherent idea. And then... I was standing, blinking, gasping, leaning against a moist wall of rock. "You with us? Rizzo?" I looked up, the eagle's face registering in my memory as-- "Ewar," I choked, trying to regain my senses. I felt a hand in mine. "You'll be OK," said Ewar. "A couple minutes...." I coughed, my insides burning. The backs of my eyes (even the covered one) were unbearably itchy. My muscles felt as if they had turned to water. And I couldn't even let out the slightest groan.
When finally I could stand (unassisted) again, I began to stagger about, putting my hands to the moist walls, peering up at the azure mists which hung far above, and counting each passageway that wound off from where we were. There was a mysterious light trickling in from every direction; and though the general impression was that of a cave, there was also a sense of majesty and...a hint of another world. "So this is it," I croaked, still gazing about. "It's amazing," Worriz breathed, a rare touch of awe to his voice. I stumbled on my false leg to avoid bumping into Cragger as he crossed my path, looking about as if in a dream (much like the rest of us). "The Gate," I heard Razar say. "Anyone see where it went?" I turned towards his voice to see Laval--Laval? I blinked several times to clear my vision, but Laval stood there still. He shook his head, then spoke (in his own voice). "There never was a Gate. Not in here." "Materialization and de-materialization..." A mutter entered my hearing, then faded away; and none of the others seemed to notice it (I was left not knowing if it was one of them who had muttered it). Despite the wonder of the place, I began to feel distinctly uneasy. "Let us not forget why it is we came here," I said loudly (perhaps too loud). Several of the others snapped to attention. "He's right," said Ewar. I whirled to face him, suddenly losing all sense of direction (or what I'd had of it). "This is a place of magick. Not all of it good." "Again, how...do you know this?" Worriz threw out his hands. Ewar opened his beak to respond when Gorzan said, "The Great Brother-Mellow!" Ewar smiled slightly. "Something...yeah, I guess." He looked at the rough, uneven ground, eyes suddenly distant....
Laval cleared his throat. "Why we came here...?" Ewar looked up vaguely. "Oh yes." "What?" "The Chi Fountain." Laval threw out a hand and shook his head in a show of frustration. "The Chi Fountain what?" But still Ewar's eyes were misted over when he said, simply, "We have to find it now." "Well, then, lead the way!" said Worriz. "Because we would've forgotten all about it and gotten lost and--" "He doesn't know where it is, either," I said softly, squinting at Ewar. But he knew something. Those misted eyes suggested that he had been struck with a significant understanding--or memory. "Well then...what're we supposed to do?" said Cragger. "Wander around until we find it?" Silence met his ears, as it did all of ours. "Because...uh...if what you said about...magick is right, this place won't make it easy for us." Ewar shook his head as if clearing it of unwanted ghosts and seemed to return to himself. "We don't have any other choice. And wandering lost is easier than standing lost." Worriz wolf-whistled. "Well, I'll be--" "We do have to stay together, though, right?" said Eris. Ewar took a breath and nodded. But finding where to start was difficult, as there were eight passageways to choose from, and all of them looked equally inviting: that is to say, not at all. Lost though we may have been, standing in one place seemed preferable to losing ourselves further, despite what Ewar had said. At length, Laval laid his broadsword in the center of the room (or as near as was possible) and spun it; and when it had stopped, the end of the blade pointed directly into one of the passageways. "That's our way then...?" said Cragger. Worriz shrugged and started off down it; and as Laval went to retrieve his sword, we followed after.
We had not gotten very far, however, before a sharp crash of steel rang out behind us. I whirled about to find that Laval was rushing up towards us. "It--broke!" he panted, holding up two pieces of metal for all to see: his Valious. "What?" said Cragger, shouldering his way to Laval. "How?" Having come to the back of our group, Laval tossed the broken pieces of the blade on the ground before us (or rather, behind us) and bent over, placing his hands on his knees. "Don't know how--When I picked it up, it--kind of shattered. The Chi energy's gone out of it." I nudged the hilt of the blade with my clawed foot. It felt hollow. "Did--" Cragger began, but Eris cut him off. "Does this really matter right now? Because--" "If you're going to cry over a broken sword all day, we'll leave you behind," Worriz finished. Eris raised a feathery eyebrow at the wolf, but Laval hurriedly gathered the two halves of his Valious into his arms and stepped past Cragger. Thus we started off again down the passageway, through its crazed twists: sometimes it doubled back on itself, and sometimes it felt as if we were walking in an endless, unbroken circle, yet at the same time making a strange sort of progress. After the tricks of the passage seemed to have fallen into a steady rhythm, we suddenly came to a place where the already low ceiling dropped frighteningly close to the ground. "OK, OK, enough," said Cragger, holding up his hands as Worriz attempted to stuff his head into the small space. "I know a little about crawling through tight places, so please listen. "You'll have to turn your heads sideways to fit in here...yeah. Anyone with wings, fold them very tightly...and probably go last..." He swallowed, eyeridges raised in apparent anxiety.
