Aynsefian

As soon as Zarasena sits down, she takes her focus completely away from me and then I see both Arlyss and Cindlyss turn to her. Only for a moment. Then they half-turn back to the front, keeping their eyes on the approaching city, but paying partial attention to Zarasena.

This goes on for a while. Zarasena is also looking at the city as she is in this silent exchange with my travelling companions. I am doing well to be patient and not interrupt. I yearn to know what is being said between them. Mostly because I have never gotten a true feeling about how they think. Our communications have been so limited. Even when they sent those visions to me a few days ago, it wasn’t a two-way conversation.

After a few minutes, Arlyss glances at me briefly, eyes shining, then they and Cindlyss look back to the front, transfixed again. Zarasena turns back to me.

“Okay, mate. Here goes. I’ll try to get out everything they told me as quickly as I can, in summary. They know quite a few things but have some gaps in their knowledge. They are already reading the city before we arrive. It is constructed mostly of red stone, but some bluestone is in certain buildings, which was mined off planet. They don’t know why. Crystal used to feature significantly but is largely absent now and was removed when the people left. They are also not sure why the crystal was taken or why the people left. They didn’t die here. Also, that mausoleum we saw in that small village back there? There are none in this city. It seems like that place back there was the only place where they embalmed and preserved their dead. It’s a total mystery to them.”

I’m distracted by looking into her brown eyes as she talks, but I’m equally fascinated to know more.

She continues. “The sun thing, that freakin’ crazy thing up there? It was built about a half-million years ago. Built! Crazy, huh?”

“Yeah strangely enough I got that sense from them already, but I don’t know how I did.”

“You’re already learning. You’ll get there. Anyway, this sun thing creates a gentle vacuum throughout the cave and circulates the air throughout, as well as keeping the temperature steady. The off-planet mining thing is interesting to them. About a quarter of the materials of this city were brought from other star systems. They think maybe even Melcheisa, but they can’t say for sure. Arlyss thinks that this civilisation was seeded more than once from different races over millions of years. They’re also not sure of that. It’s a best guess.”

I nod knowingly. I don’t really know, but I’m doing my best to convince her I do.

She continues. “They can tell a bit about how the society functioned. It was highly rules based. They were spiritual, but within specific guidelines. They all adhered to those guidelines, in their millions. Or else.”

“Millions?”

“Yes. Apparently about three million lived in this city we’re approaching. They don’t know if there are many more of these cities, or if this is the only one. They think maybe it isn’t. Anyway, births and deaths were carefully controlled to keep the population stable. It worked and it was indeed stable for hundreds of thousands of years. Then, as far as they can tell, it just ended, and they haven’t the faintest clue why. They hope we can find out with an up-close investigation. That’s all they told me. That good enough for ya?”

“Yeah, thanks so much.” I pause in thought for a moment. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but this all feels totally true to you?”

I notice Cindlyss, out of the corner of my eye, give me a quick glance. Chagrined, I drop my eyes. Of course it is true. I try to send them an apology. They look again for a split second, smiling warmly at me, eyes shining. They are so nice. Then they switch back to the front again.

I will never doubt them ever again.

I look back at Zarasena. She’s grinning at me. She doesn’t need to say anything. Her features soften and for a moment I think she’s going to kiss me. I must be dreaming. Nikse slows in a hurry and my attention is snapped back to the front. The moment is lost. I yearn for it to come back.

We have however arrived on the outskirts of this Aynsefian city.

“Zarasena?” I ask, glad for a reason to ask a useful but mundane question.

“Yeah?”

“Did Arlyss or Cindlyss say what the name of this city was?”

We are descending and slowing. I’m aware I want to totally focus on the city now that we’re here, and so probably does everyone else.

Zarasena shakes her head. A quick exchange between her and Cindlyss follows.

“They don’t know. It doesn’t seem to matter. It doesn’t have a name, they think. They said you can name it.”

“Me?” I feel unworthy again.

Zarasena nods.

“I’ll think about it.”

There’s too much to see in front of us. The conversations stop. I am aware that Anathusa and Jinekali were also talking but have now gone silent. I wonder if they know as much as we know. Lanemu is sitting next to them but is silent also. I haven’t heard him utter a single sound these past few days. I suspect that he is an important member of their group, but I’m not sure what his purpose is. Zarasena has been deliberately cagey about him every time his presence or purpose has come up in conversation.

The Aynsefian city demands my attention again. We are almost upon it.

My first impression, up close, is that everything is clean and intact. No overgrown plants or rundown buildings. No rubbish or debris strewn anywhere. This is most certainly not what I’d expect from a long-dead civilisation. This place is already far different from anything I’ve seen. Then again, with constant temperate weather, it’s understandable that decay would be minimal.

Nikse is travelling quite slowly now and is keeping low to the ground. It gives us a clearer impression of the scale of the city. In front of us is a massive wall of stone, many hundreds of metres high. It is all red stone, as per what we saw at the small village yesterday. It seems to be the first of several similar walls of stone and is a vertical neighbourhood of sorts, from its appearance. It looks functional but otherwise unremarkable if it weren’t for the lighted crystals evenly scattered at intervals across its breadth and height.

The crystals shine gently, illuminating the entire wall and improving its visibility, despite the brightness of the overhead sun. I wonder for a moment how the residents of this city maintained their body clocks, with the light as constant as it is. Maybe there was a way to shield their windows, so that they can sleep without light interference. Or perhaps they can turn off the crystals, as we do back on Inconflencia.

I also wonder, crazily, if they even had body clocks. It seems nonsensical, but I suppose it’s possible.

One other thing is immediately noticeable. Like the first building we saw way back there on the lake, the windows of each residential cabin, carved out of the wall, are completely open. I suspect at one time they were filled in with crystal, but now that’s gone, as the Purlinians said.

We cruise through a gap in this first stone wall. The river has split beneath us into two water courses, which flow on through the city on either side of a central expanse of greenery. A beautiful and extensive garden, kilometres wide, is below us, between this wall and the next one. I’m stunned by the height of these walls. They almost disappear out of view above us. The scale of this place is bewildering.

We pass through a gap in the second wall and then the whole layout changes. We can now more clearly see the wide expanse of forest and greenspace in between the two watercourses. On either side of the watercourses are dozens, maybe hundreds, more stone walls, each stretching up to the sky and looking much like the other. There is uniformity and precision in this place that is more than impressive. It just feels right and true. As if it was meant to be and there is simply no better way to construct this city. The perfection I feel when realising this is awe inspiring. They were truly an advanced race of beings, the builders of this place.

Ahead of us is the most riveting sight of all. Surrounded by gardens, in the centre of the city, is a massive circular column of blue stone. On top of that is another. And then another, in decreasing diameters. Three in all.

It is plainly the central portion of the city, perhaps devoted to religion or something like it. Zarasena leans over and whispers in my ear. Her closeness startles me, sending a thrill through my body.

“Government.”

I nod slowly, relishing her presence so close to me. I’m losing it and I know it. I’ve got to stop. Now is not the time or place for this.

Nikse cruises to the top and lands on the massive bluestone surface of the central column. A perfect circle of small trees surrounds us on all sides, recessed artfully into the stone surface. How they are still alive and looking so perfect is hard to understand. It looks like someone maintained them just yesterday.

“Enjoy your travels in here and please stay safe,” Nikse says as she touches down. I’m shocked to hear her voice. I’ve been so taken with Zarasena that I haven’t even thought of Nikse all morning. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.

We exit through her front steps and stand on the stone surface. For a moment we pause in silence. The energy of this place is electric. I feel as if I am almost superhuman, just standing here on this surface. I could do anything I liked, because of this place I'm standing in.

I look over and happen to catch Anathusa’s eye. She gives me a similarly wondrous, spaced-out look. It’s not just me.