The Twins secret

Ch 4-The Secret

A little over Four years ago Orion and I had found some strange coincidences in old writings from a dozen different cultures. Nothing solid, nothing that gave any indication of what they were all writing about, but enough that we believed that these ancient cultures had all had experience with a place not on any map and referred to as only the ‘point of nowhere’ it took us 8 months of research to figure out that they all literally meant nowhere. It was not a mistranslation or a degrading term for a small backwater town or village far away from their cultural centres. They meant nowhere. Not on any map. Near nothing.

Each writing had no details about what in this place, or why they were making the journey. They all contained only two pieces of information of any use. How long the voyage took and their starting point. We got out our maps and Orion and I set about figuring out the distance each culture could have travelled and what methods they had access to at the time of the writings. Putting all that information together we charted a course where all the writer’s journeys would intersect. The point of nowhere.  In the middle of the South Pacific Ocean.

Forty-eight degrees, Fifty-two minutes and four seconds south, One-hundred and twenty-three degrees, twenty-three minutes and six seconds West. That was where all the routes overlapped.

It was the longest journey we had planned to date. It took us two more months to put together a crew we trusted and enough supplies for the journey. We had no intention of making any ports before Melbourne Australia.

We had some old friends, that were on some not so great terms with Her Majesties navy, smuggled in to crew our ship. Charlie, one of Orion’s friends, was a notorious pirate, but him and his crew swore they could make the journey in 70 days by pushing us as south into the ‘roaring forties’ as they could handle. We made it to Melbourne in 62 days.

Once there we resupplied and gave the crew four days leave as we were a week earlier than expected.

From there we made our way east headed for the point we had calculated; it took us 42 days between the journey and the search. We were running low on supplies. We guessed we had at maximum another 6 days of supplies before we started to creep into out rations for the return journey, when Pete, one of the crew yelled down from the crows’ nest that he spotted land. Even with him pointing the way we were practically on top of it by the time anyone on deck saw it.

It was so much smaller than we expected. We expected this island with trees and some farmland. Fisherman with their tiny boats that could not venture more than a mile of two from shore. Instead we found a flat rocky island barely a quarter mile in each direction with a temple no bigger than a tavern bar room. Made from a black polished stone that played tricks on the eye if seen from any significant distance.

We insisted on going inside alone and good thing too. 

Once inside it was narrow walls twisting downwards in a spiral until we were well below sea level. Seven trap we found along our decent and a few skeletons, all in armour or jewellery from hundreds of years ago. Covered in dust, I don’t think the temple had been opened in a very long time.

When we reached the bottom, it opened into a central chamber full of all the priceless artifacts we brought home with us and the pillar. We took etchings of the marks on the pillar, some of which we recognized as ancient Mesopotamian, Aztec, Mayan, Greek and even Albion. Hundreds of symbols carved into the Pillar. From the few we recognized which all had similar meanings we could only theorise that they all had the same meanings, yet from cultures we could not determine. Maybe one or two are from the builders, we don’t know as we still haven’t found the matching languages for over two thirds.

We spent five days bringing the items back to the ship and studying every detail we could.

The black stone wasn’t just on the outside. The entire structure inside and out was made from it. At first, we thought it was simply bricks made from some dark volcanic rock. But there was no seems and no signs of mortar, It was also to shiny for that so we then decided it must be obsidian. When we tried to chip off a few pieces to take home with us our chisel broke. We tried again, same result. If it was obsidian, it would have chipped somewhat easily.

Whatever it was it was one solid block carved…… somehow, into the design we were seeing.

Many of the items we took had signs of old blood stains. A goblet made of gold and rubies had a thick dark brown powder inside. Old, Very Old blood. A knife also had a coating of the dark substance.

Was it a sacrificial chamber we wondered?

On the last day Orion insisted on bringing back the knife and goblet, he wanted to see if either might be a key of sorts to a secret chamber. We’d found quite a few in our past expeditions and the goblets base had a very distinct spoke like structure which would work quite well as a key.

The crew were getting ready to set sail, they would be back for us in an hour or two when frustration got the better of my hot-tempered twin and he threw the knife at the wall. Just before it should have struck it suddenly stopped and hovered in mid-air. I wasn’t paying much attention being used to his outbursts.

I don’t know why I didn’t notice or think it strange, I swore it was embedded in the wall. Even though our chisels had not made so much as a scratch, I wasn’t thinking and the light and shadows on the obsidian like walls must have played tricks with my eyes. I walked over to pull it free, still paying more attention to the goblet I was holding, looking for a latch or sign of its use. I had already reached up carelessly, to pull it from the wall when Orion yelled for me to stop. It was already to late, my hand had already wrapped around the dagger, but not the hilt, the blade.

I cut my self on it, opening quite a large gash on my palm. I barely felt it.

Orion came striding over to me, I could see he was ready to growl at me for my absent mindedness when he saw the cut. It was strange. It was bleeding quite badly, yet the blood was pooling in my palm, not dripping to the floor even when I turned my hand palm downwards.

Orion exclaimed in astonishment and went to grab my hand, that is when we realised he had an identical wound on his mirroring hand. He had not touched the knife, nor had he felt the slicing of his skin when it happened.

It was like this magnetic pull, like a strong wind pushes and pulls at you.

Our hands seemingly of their own accord moved over the goblet I was still holding in my left. As soon as they hovered above it the blood started streaming into the cup. It started swirling like a whirlpool inside, then the goblet was yanked from my grasp by an invisible force and went flying in the blink of an eye towards the Pillar.

It stopped about a foot away and the pillar began to glow, the marking upon its surface outlined in gold. They were projected onto the walls and then the pillar began rotating in place. The symbols flying across the black surface in a blur of golden light. I became dizzy and faint. Orion had to help me stand.

As we watched the spectacle, I swear the gold light resolved into an image, a moving image. Like those candle story wheels we had as children. It was monstrous. I could not comprehend the utter devastation I saw in the lights. Tidal waves and tentacles and monsters wiping out entire continents.

I fainted. When I awoke, we were on the Louloudi on our return voyage. I am told we were found both unconscious in the room with the pillar, the dagger on the floor beside us and the goblet sitting innocently next to the pillar. Charles and his pirates carried us up to the dingy, rowed us back to the ship and put us to bed in our cabins. Mary was left to watch over us. We both had fevers and were unconscious for three days and four nights.

We awoke on the fourth morning still feverish but coherent enough to ask what happened. I recovered first so I took over, looking after Orion who, although he had awoken only seemed to be getting worse. His fever was not subsiding, he could not keep down any sustenance. I was beside myself with worry.

On the Seventh day I was sitting beside him replacing his wet cloth like had become routine when my hand passed right through. Surely, I was hallucinating. I shook it off and replaced his cloth, he felt solid enough the second time. 

I fell asleep by his bedside, his hand in mine. At some point I must have tipped forward and been resting my head on his chest because I woke with a start when my head hit the bed at a jarring angle.

Orion was gone, not up and walked away gone, gone-gone, simply vanished. The cloth I had on his head was laying on the pillow, his smalls and shirt where exposed and neatly laid out on the bed when I lifted the blankets. It was as if he had simply dissolved and left behind everything material.

I ran around the ship yelling for him, I awoke the entire crew with my fit of hysteria. No one had seen him. We checked and re-checked every inch of the ship he was nowhere to be found.

Charles the ship captain and one of Orion’s closest friends sat me down and poured me a very large drab of whiskey. Once I had my first, he poured me another and broke to me what he thought happened. He thought Orion had, in his feverish state, made his way onto deck and wondered to close to the railing and gone overboard when we hit a sudden swell.

I ordered him to turn around and look for Orion. I was beside myself with guilt and needed him found no matter the cost, he should not have been able to leave without my noticing, I should have been awake tending to him, I should have locked the door, I should have heard him leave.

It turned out to be almost impossible to turn around, we were deep in the ‘roaring forties’ and the winds were against us. They tried anyway, they dropped sails, put together some makeshift oars to try to row against the wind. They only succeeded in keeping us in position until morning.

Everyone was on deck, some hanging from the rigging for better views, searching the water for him. I knew they didn’t expect him to be alive, they were looking for a body, but still they tried for my sake.

Standing at the prow, searching the waters myself I heard my name called out softly. Looking around I saw no one paying attention to me, surely whomever was looking for me would come to me if it was important. Then I heard it again a little stronger, a little louder. Orion. It had to be Orion; I would know that voice anywhere. No one else seemed to hear him so he must be near the prow where I was. I climbed up on the railing to look over, was he directly beneath the figurehead, maybe he had caught onto her and had been clinging on for hours while we all searched the glassy ocean further afield.

My hopes were dashed, he was not there. Yet I heard him again, this time it was so loud I thought him rescued and standing behind me. Turning in elation I tipped overboard, plummeting into the freezing water.

Something slimy grabbed my ankle, startled I tried to scream, instead swallowing copious amounts of seawater. I struggled free of the creature and surfaced to see Mary dangling from a rope just inches from me. She hauled me out of the drink and back aboard.

Shivering and exhausted I informed Charles of what had transpired, that I had heard Orion. Thinking me gone mad he had me locked in my chambers for my own safety, giving up the search after thirteen hours he set sail again. He was determined to return one of us at least to England despite my orders.

Even I believed me mad. Locked in my cabin for most of the journey with only Mary for company when she could get away from her duties or when she delivered my food. I had started to hear Orion again. Not yelling my name like I had heard above deck, no, this time he was simply talking to me, telling me everything would be alright, that he would figure it all out and set it to rights.

I had no idea what IT was. Some days I knew with certainty I was insane; I was hearing my dead brothers voice after all. Others I was sure I could help him figure out his problem if only he could explain to me what IT was. Those days I would beg and plead with him to explain what was happening. Tell me his theory, tell me how I could help.

A week after we passed Cape Horn and started north, I stopped eating. I just wanted it all to stop. I did not wish to return to England, insane and without Orion. I became weaker and weaker; Mary was trying to get me to eat but her attempts were in vain as I would vomit anything, she forced me to ingest.

I became to weak to sit up and fell into a deep sleep to exhausted to stay awake. When I awoke I felt energised and strong again. Had they force fed me while I slept? I did not know. Orion was quiet, I could no longer hear him. Had my sanity returned after my slumber?

I lay there staring up at the ceiling for over an hour when I heard my cabin door unlock and saw Mary slip inside and re-bolted it from the inside.

“Oh, Orion you awake” she said while juggling a pitcher of water and a platter of rations, attempting to put them down on the table by my bedside.

Just as I was about to ask her if she was daft, I heard him reply “Yes, I am, the food has helped regain our strength. Thank you for keeping our secret.”

I tried to look around our small cabin for him, but I could not seem to control my body, then suddenly I was sitting up and reaching for the food. As my hand came into view, I realised with a start it was not MY hand. It was masculine and large with long fingers and a scar over the knuckles.

I screamed and the hand shot up to my head.

“Ow Ariadne that hurts, could you please refrain from screaming “

Suddenly I was looking into brown eyes and a giant smile. “She is finally awake?” Mary asked

“Yeah, she’s awake. Now if only she would STOP SCREAMING it is giving me a headache” I heard Orion saying.

I stopped screaming immediately.

“well it’s only to be expected, after all I barely understand what is happening and she has been unconscious for 2 days and has no knowledge of her circumstances. “Mary hesitated

“you want me to give her back control?”

Nodding vigorously Mary smiles “please”

Give me back control? Control over what I wondered.

Then the pain started. I had never gone through childbirth but from all accounts it was extremely painful. If this was anything akin to that pain, I never want to have children. I was in agony, my screams muffled by Mary’s bosom and she clung to me making shushing noises. It felt like I was being burned alive and my bones broken one by one.

When it stopped Mary was looking at me with tears in her eyes.

“Welcome back”

Welcome back? Where had I been?

“what has happened?” I asked my voice horse from the screaming. Mary poured a cup of water for me and waited until I finished to explain.

She had come in two days ago to remove my uneaten rations and bring me some new ones hoping to nag me to eat only to find Orion laying weakly on the bed in a torn shift and the food gone.

Setting down the food she had run to retrieve Charles only to return to find the second helping of food also gone. They asked Orion where I was and how he had gotten back onboard or where he had hidden as they had checked everywhere.

He told them he had somehow, he did not know how, lost his body and was now sharing mine.

Obviously, they thought him quite mad, he persisted recounting everything that I had said or done since his disappearance. Most of which only Mary, my companion during my isolation, knew.

Stunned but starting to believe him they fed him until he was fully recovered keeping him in isolation, not trusting the crew to keep such a wild tale to themselves once we made port.

Once His strength returned mine did as well and I ‘woke up’, scared and confused I had started screaming and that is when I had been given back control.

For the rest of the journey we had experimented with our new condition. The results seem to confirm our hypothesis. Orion’s body is gone, where and how we still do not know, somehow, he is sharing mine. Which gives me primary control. I can give up control to him at which time my body will shift, melt or reform into Orion’s or he can take control if I am weak, sick or unconscious.  When not in control we still see and feel everything the one in control does we simply can not move a muscle, speak allowed or anything else for that matter. We are silent observers, a voice in the back of the others mind. It gets a little crowded and very irritating as I can no longer simply walk away when he is ranting, arguing or being indecent. I tell you know you do not wish to know what occupies a man mind most of the time.

Ariadne watched Lily. The entire time she had been recounting her story Lily had not interrupted as Ariadne had asked, she had not expected her to fully comply though and now worried what was going through Lily’s mind as she still had yet to speak.

“Lil” she quired shaking the hands she still held in hers.

“Are you done belittling me, making up silly stories you expect me to believe. I am not without some modicum of intelligence” Lily asked in a cold monotone as she wrenched her hands from Ariadne’s grasp, springing from her seat heading for the door.

“WAIT” Ariadne called jumping to her feet and grabbing Lily by the shoulders just as she passed her by. “I can prove it to you Lil. Please. Stay. Let me prove it. I have never lied to you before please do not think I would now”

“How?” came the whispered reply.

“I’ll…” Ariadne could not believe she was going to do this. “I’ll give Orion control, right here right now. We will shift and you will have no choice but to acknowledge I told the truth no matter how unbelievable it may seem”

Nodding her head Lily turned to look at Ariadne “Alright, prove it to me”

Suddenly very shy Ariadne asked Lily to turn away, surprised when Lily refused “how am I to know you do not simple trade places while I am not looking?”

“she has a point” Orion agreed. “I did not ask for your input Orion” She snapped back to the voice in her head. Lily just raised one elegant eyebrow.

“Fine, Orion agrees with you, so it is two against one. Just know it might be a little disconcerting”

Taking a deep breath and exhaling in a sigh Ariadne squared her shoulders, closed her eyes and gave up control. Orion came rushing to the forefront. He had complete control as the shift began Ariadne retreating expecting Lily to be horrified and hiding from her reaction.

Ariadne’s hair drew up, shortening dramatically. Then her golden skin darked a few shades to a deeper tan. A film of liquid seemed to cover her body from head to toe, blurring her features and distorting her shape. She grew taller and wider, the exact changes distorted by the flesh coloured liquid. One the shape grew to Orion’s six-foot-two size the liquid receded, being absorbed by the skin. As it receded Orion’s features became more distinct. His square jaw with a spattering of stubble, his well-defined muscles, his chest on full display as the robe gaped open as it was not made for such a build.

Lily stared astonished, never had she expected them to be telling the truth. And here she was inches from a naked man. The robe Ariadne had been wearing left little to the imagination and this was Lily’s first time seeing a man in any form of undress.

Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. It took all her will power not to drop her eyes to his groin. Having never seen a male’s genitals before she was extremely curious and a little intimidated. Orion was a very big man, broad of shoulder and heavily muscled.

Her younger sisters had often spoken of intimate things, enjoying rehashing their bedroom escapades to their elder sister. From their conversations she had gathered that men had varying sizes and they were very proud of their size, comparing it to others and always wanting the bigger one. She had also heard through her sisters some stories of women being unable to accommodate the man’s girth and the consequences.

Orion was by no means a slight man. Every part she could see seemed twice the size she expected. It had been years since she had known Orion as a scrawny fifteen-year-old boy, having only seen him a couple of times since he returned from collage after becoming a surgeon. Never up close, always across a field at polo games or race days. At the other end of a table that sat sixty during a formal dinner. Now here he was a beautiful specimen of a man, naked except for Ariadne’s robe, standing less than two feet in front of her, his emerald green eyes twinkling in amusement at her.

Green? Did he always have green eyes? She wondered absently; she swore they were brown in their youth.

They were coming closer and she froze in shock.

“what is he doing? Is he going to kiss me?”

Her eyes dropped to his lips and her breath hitched in anticipation. She didn’t know whether she wanted to flee or lean forward and let their lips meet.

Frozen in place she did neither, allowing him to close the distance and press his warm rough lips to hers wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

“I SAID NO” Ariadne screamed in his head asserting her control just as Lily’s body came to press against his.

She forced the change, speeding it up, taking only a microsecond to transform. They had purposely shifted slowly last time to allow Lily to see the shift. Now Orion was gone and replaced by Ariadne in less than a blink of the eye.

The Lips pressed to Lily’s became soft and warm, they moved against her so gently that when a soft wet tongue pressed against her bottom lip it took her a moment to comprehend what it was. She gasped unwittingly giving access to her mouth. The tongue slipped inside, and she hear a soft moan. Husky yet assuredly feminine moan. Had she moaned? How embarrassing Lily thought.

Lily reached up to push Orion away only to find silky skin and soft breasts where she had expected hard muscle and rough skin. Her eyes snapped open, there was Ariadne, golden skinned black haired, Ariadne, with her eyes closed, her eyelashes making a dark crescent on her checks and blissful expression.

Lily pressed her hands against Ariadne’s shoulders until she released her grip on Lily and took a step back, trembling hand raised to her lips.

“I’m Sor..ry Lil I just… wan.. wanted to stop Orion taking advantage of you” Ariadne whispered her voice cracking and trembling, Orion hooting in amusement in her head. “You finally kissed her…Poor Ari, she looks like you traumatised her. Never knew you were such a bad kisser”

Ariadne reached out a trembling hand to Lily imploring her with her eyes to take it. Hoping she had not just ruined the friendship she had fought so hard to keep for all those years.

Tears welled up in Lily’s eyes while she stared back “ I can’t” she cried out before spinning on her heel and dashing our the door knocking the chair propped against it aside.