#writing
The Descent of Pirithous IIV
The Scholar, the Baron, and a collection of soldiers and servants made their way out of the palace in a great congregation through the streets of Ryden. Baldwin and Marlow sat tucked away within a carriage in the center of the royal procession, gathering the eyes of the entire district.
“What I am about to show you is not something to be taken lightly” Said Baldwin, peering through the curtains of the carriage into the crowd outside. He turned towards Marlow, who sunk into his cushioned feather seat. It was like laying on a cloud. “Are you familiar with the Odysseus?” Interrupted the Baron.
“I am not sure what you mean” Said the Scribe.
The Baron sighed. “You clearly do not understand nobility. One of the faults of living nose-deep in a book.” He continued, “A noble does not show weakness. It is incompatible with the world in which he occupies. Similarly, a noble does not admit defeat, or wrongdoing, or a lack of knowledge. Which is apt in my case, for I am never wrong.” He pointed at Marlow. “So if I ask you a question, I am not really asking. I already know the answer, for a noble is never wrong. I am going to ask you again. Do you know of the Odysseus?”
“I-“ He looked down at his robe.
The Baron smiled. “Listen boy, I am not your enemy. I too am aware of things I am not supposed to. You would be surprised the things that are whispered in the halls of the elite. Devilish things that would have others burned at the stake. But this is not your fate. Your privileges are special, and I know by virtue of your ability that you know of things that others should not. You know of the true nature of the world. Of the Emperor and his father, of his tragedy and cursed knowledge, and most of all you know of the edge.”
“What you speak of is heresy, this is a trick, a test. I know not of what you speak.” Marlow said.
“Please.” Said the Baron. “You do not have to hold your tongue here. We sit in a golden chariot parading through the streets like Gods! Enjoy these privileges! Besides, I do not care what you believe or don’t. In truth, I care not for your holy book. Truth be told, I care not for what you know. This knowledge is sanctioned by the Pope himself; I need to know if you are truly as learned as your reputation would imply.”
Marlow was stricken by such candid speech. He felt it must be a test of his character, a test of his faith. He looked out the windows, fearing those who might be watching, waiting for a slip of his tongue, a few simply words that might permit a dagger to be thrust deep into his chest.
The Baron leaned back, defeated. “Fine. Stay silent. We are arriving anyways, and I will show you with your own eyes.” The carriage came to a stop and a servant opened the door.
Marlow stepped outside. They were still in the city, somewhere in the slums, though in a location he was unfamiliar with off the main road. A servant helped the Baron out of the carriage, holding his hand as his surprisingly small boots touched the muddy ground. Before Marlow was a gaping hole, a wound that lead deep into the earth. All around them were miners with dusty faces cordoned by soldiers, their work interrupted by the visit. “Come, what I intend to show you is deep within the mine. We have a ways to go” Said the Baron.
They walked through the mineshaft, passing the occasional worker who stared at their passing. A small army of soldiers walked around the scribe and Baron as protection. The soldiers walked with swords and glaives in hand. The Baron clearly did not have much trust in his subjects. They walked deeper and deeper into the mine. Each step represented days if not weeks of slow chipping into hardened soil. The mine was held up by flimsy wooden supports and was lit by torches and oil lamps. The Baron assured Marlow that this was actually one of the more secure sections of the tunnels. Eventually they came across a large wooden box supported by metal girders suspended over a huge hole. It was held up by rope which was strung through a contraption of pulleys and breaks. They entered with only two other soldiers, the others forming a line by the door, and at once the elevator began descending into the ground.
The elevator descended slowly, shaking from side to side. Marlow felt as if the rope would snap at any moment and plummet them to their deaths. The Baron stared forward absentmindedly. The oil lamps placed throughout the tunnel cast beams of dust through the light on his face, lighting it only half at a time, as they slowly descended.
“This mine is the pride of Ryden as you know. Over the years it has bore me riches and wealth beyond your wildest dreams.”
“I saw your castle.” Marlow responded.
The Baron laughed. “You saw one of my castles. I have many estates, too many to count and far too many to visit. This one is one of the more humble ones.”
“Why do we descend into the Earth?” Asked Marlow.
“Now you suddenly show interest? eh? Never mind that. It is not what is within the ground that I want to show you, but what is below it.”
“I will not flirt with heresy.” Responded Marlow.
“Believe me, you’re gonna drown in it”. The elevator came to a stop with a thud. The air, which before was hot and stale, suddenly felt cool and crisp. Marlow could swear he even felt a draft pulling deeper into the cavern. The air entering his lungs didn’t sting but was cool and smooth.
They continued deeper into the mine, heading down at a gradual decline deeper into the Earth. The echoing sound of mining became ever more distant, until the only sounds were the scraping of feet from the soldiers and the Baron’s ever present panting. Finally, they came to a huge metal door that was reinforced with stone brick—quite unusual to find so deep within the ground. Whatever this place was was clearly intended to be both secret and protected. One of the soldiers moved to a small slit in the side of the door and murmured a phrase, and the door opened with a creak.
The gate, though large in size, was disingenuous to the true size of what it held within. Before Marlow was a huge cavern, natural in formation, perhaps due to the movement of the Gods or groundwater carving through the Earth. But there was no water to be seen or huge cracks. Instead, much of the natural rock had been eroded away by manmade expansions. The ceiling had been risen significantly, and massive contraptions of steel, stone, and wood snaked through the open space. Cranes moved back and forth under the direction of soldiers and workers, carrying pallets of supplies and raw materials with an efficiency unseen anywhere on the surface. The site was well built and organized, for whatever purpose that may be. He could not see over the edge from the entrance, but Marlow could tell he stood on a platform above many layers. Marlow stepped forward to the railing and at once nearly collapsed, beginning to fall over the railing. The Baron yelped a girlish cry, and one of the guards quickly stepped forward and grabbed Marlow by the tip of his robe.
Marlow opened his eyes, once again met with the faintly site, though now he dangled precariously over it. It was a hole, as black as any black, descending deep into the Earth. The hole must be unimaginably deep to be so dark, for Marlow could see no bottom. The ground, which would run along side the hole, stopped at the border of the darkness, completely engaged in shadow as well. The division between ground and nothing was distinct, and Marlow could make no logical sense of it. It was as if his brain had broken down, had viewed something beyond comprehension; Indeed it had, so much so that no sense could be made of it in the slightest. What lay before him was no hole. It was not the entrance to a deeper cavern but an ending, a maw of incomprehensible proportions that enveloped the whole Earth and swelled it up inside it. Marlow stared into the very void itself, the deep dark at the bottom of the Earth.
“It is said that Hell rejects those who are not its own, but it seems to me I could fall right in.” Said Marlow shakily as the Guard hoisted him up and threw him back onto the floor. The Baron stared down at him, arms on his hip, and laughed.
“You wouldn’t be the first, believe me”.
They began to walk around the cavern, the guards forever staying watch.