Chapter 5: Egress

(Anyone who has read The City of Ember knows that "egress" means exit. For those of you who haven't...well...now you know :P)

Akire did not know for how long she and Ryda ran through the ebony trees. It seemed like an endless journey, and it was dotted with intervals at which Ryda would pull her daughter to the ground, or crouch behind a bush and a tree. Akire held her breath at these moments, afraid that even the sound of her exhaling would bring the Wraith down on them.

But, at long last, the two women emerged from the woods into a grassy clearing. Akire's mouth dropped open. The clearing was dominated by a large, circular ring with the height of about two and a half grown men.

A short ways away from that, her father was crouched over near what looked like a large tree stump that had been carved and inlaid in the middle with a large, orange stone.

[[whoa, that was a bad description of a DHD, but I couldn't think of anything else, I hope the pictures help]]

[[<~~DHD]]

"Xerin," Ryda called out, her voice soft but carrying. "I've brought Akire." Xerin looked up from the device, and met his daughter's eyes. "Good," he said in the same tone. "Bring her over here." Ryda and Akire walked swiftly towards Xerin, Ryda's hand still clasped tightly around her daughter's arm.

"Father, what is this?" Akire said, finally regaining her voice. She stared up at the large circle, and saw that elegant symbols were carved around the inner ring. On the outer circle, seven large triangles, all of their top points facing inwards, were placed evenly around the circle.

"It is called a Stargate," Xerin said. "But some planets refer to it as the ring of the Ancestors, or the Ancestral Ring, or other names of that sort."

"And what exactly does it do?"

Xerin beckoned her over to the device on the ground. "This is called a DHD. You see these symbols? Each of them is a number. When you press each key, you dial one number. Seven symbols, each for one triangle, make an address. One the gate is active, you can walk through it."

"Where does it go?"

"To whichever planet's gate address you have dialed. It's like a portal."

"A portal..." Akire breathed, and a little shiver ran down her spine as she looked at the gate with new eyes. Then, regaining her thoughts, she asked, "Are we going to go through it to a different planet? To escape the Wraith?"

"No," said Ryda. "You are."

Akire was stunned. "Me? Only me? Why aren't you coming too? Can't we stay together? Why--" Xerin cut her off. "It's too dangerous," he explained in a soft tone. "If you go through alone, no one will suspect anything or wonder why you're gone. They will just assume you were culled by the Wraith. But if we disappear as well, along with three sets of gear, people will talk. And that is something we must avoid."

Akire's violet eyes started to cloud with tears. "Oh no, Akire, please don't cry," Ryda said, taking Akire's face in her hand. "It's for the best. And perhaps," she smiled here, a little dreamily, "we will see you again."

She hugged Akire to her chest, then held her at arm's length. "You'll be fine," she sniffed. Tears were streaming down Akire's face now. Ryda waved her hand, almost as if she was brushing a gnat away from her body, then walked quickly over to stand next to the DHD.

Xerin slid the pack off his shoulders and handed it to his daughter. "This contains a month's worth of supplies," he said. "Use them wisely. We will be sending you to the only gate address that we know is safe, but I can't guarantee that there will be more supplies waiting for you there. The place you are going to is the city of the Ancestors, a large complex that they sunk underwater many thousands of years ago to protect it from the Wraith."

"Father--"

"I love you, Akire. And so does Ryda. Remember that." Akire buried her face in her father's shoulder, and they rocked back and forth for a moment before breaking apart. "Go and stand next to the gate," Xerin said, no longer able to conceal the break in his voice. "Once we dial the gate, go right through, okay?" Akire nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and did as her father bade her.

Xerin pressed in one of the keys on the DHD, and one of the triangles lit up, as did a symbol. He did this six more times, and with a whoosh of air, a watery, blue-ish substance appeared in the Stargate. Akire walked up to it cautiously, then turned. "By the way," she called back. "What is this place you are sending me to called?"

It was Xerin who answered, and his words were the last thing Akire heard before she stepped through.

"Atlantis."