119 – Camping in the dark

  At its maximum depth the water was up to Steven’s waist and he had to crouch-walk in several spots as the tunnel was cleared for shorter people than Steven’s six and a half feet of height. The water soon began to pick up speed, and echo more, and the depth began decreasing. This worried Steven, but Karen had been emphatic that this way would get him there. He picked his footing carefully, but with the flow this was sometimes hard to do.

  The water was going quite fast now, and the lichen was in spots on the floor as well as the walls and ceiling, giving a dull glow to the tunnel. The turbulence of the water was hard enough to scour some of the lichen from the rocks and the tunnel began to noticeably widen. Also there was less water running down the walls, and the mineral water seemed to disappear. At this point it was pushing only his calves, and cold, with white rills as it tumbled along.

  Then the tunnel ended, and the trail almost did as well. Some distance below, the cascade of water splashed across rocks and ran into a pool. Someone had strung a chain across the mouth of the tunnel that Steven caught hold of as the water pushed his feet, and Steven now noticed another chain running back up the tunnel on one side at what would be a comfortable height for people native to this world.

  Steven’s tracking sense told him to get out of the light from the tunnel. The cavern he was entering was of substantial size, with rock formations scattered across it barely visible in the dim light, and colonies of the glowing lichen on many surfaces, making it almost as bright as a moonless night. Steven could not begin to sense the far side. Also from this altitude it, he could sense the bottom. The humidity level suggested there was a lot of water in here, however big here was. As well, the ambient sound was confusing. Wanting to not just wander blind, Steven pulled the second torch handle from the side of his pack and held it as a probe before him.

  The trail went to the right, and looked to be carved. It quickly descended into a small boxed area, where it switched back as it descended. The trail went back crossing under the water fall from the tunnel. As it went down it switched back on itself two more times, crossing under or through the waterfall. It continued to descend, but after the switch backs the trail went in a long clockwise curve around the wall of this large cavern. Steven squished along the descending trail waterlogged from his belt down, looking for somewhere to stop that was clean so he could undress and dry his socks. As he went the pools under the waterfall stepped down into an underground lake that filled a significant portion of the cavern, below a long first step.

  As the trail leveled off, and continued along the wall, Steven noticed a breeze of air, almost fresh. Finally Steven’s stomach compelled him to stop. The trail skirted the edge of the lake as it wound in and out against the wall or away from it among rock pillar gardens. Here and there he stepped in something nasty. The trail seemed to stay about three feet above the water level. Every so often Steven thought he heard a fish jump, and could sense the occasional flutter of insects. The echo’s of the chamber came in a diffused and confused manor for all the rock pillars, and ins and outs of the wall. Steven had several times returned to his memories of searching the tomb for the sword. This expedition was different. Then he had been able to light old torches to provide light beyond what he carried. Here he had no specific light source that he could do anything about, beyond the unlit torch he carried.

  Steven soon found a flat spot on a rock formation a little off the trail, across a gap of about two feet of open space above the water. The flat spot was big enough to stretch out on, and was at about eye level for Steven, so, Steven reasoned, it would be above average eye level for most of the locals. Steven climbed on and looked it over. It dropped to the water on two of its sides, the third he had climbed over, the forth was sided by a higher pillar. He could stand to full height, and stride a full step from the rising pillar and two from edge to edge in the other direction. Content, Steven set about getting to and removing his sodden socks.

  First he removed his pack, vest and harness. True to the promise of the old crone elf, the boots themselves were waterproof. But his trousers were not, and had let water seep in to his feet. After removing his wet trousers and socks Steven dug into his pack and put together a satisfying dinner, and found his dry socks.

  With his feet in dry socks, and his other socks, trousers and boots drying in the breeze, Steven put his second set of trouser on and wrapped his coat around him. His weapons harness at his side, and his pack under his head. Arranged thus, he dozed off.

  Unlike Steven who traveled a side tunnel, Roxanne followed Caspian down the apparent main tunnel. It was wide enough for carts and beasts to travel. It wound slowly down hill in generally the direction parallel to how Rox understood the mountains above to run, north-to-south, with occasional side chambers and tributary tunnels. It also seemed to have carved holes between chambers as it descended.

  As the hours passed, Roxanne’s eyes grew more accustomed to the dark, and she found she could more easily perceive depth by the heat of things, and see that way. The elves had mentioned this, but for whatever reason, she had not remembered until the night with Karen in Skarg, and what she had seen after their swim.

  Now she and Caspian hiked along. For being a main thoroughfare, Roxanne was surprised at the lack of traffic.

  Caspian’s staff glowed, specifically the head of the dragon carved on the top of it, its wings acting partly as reflectors throwing the light forward, depending on how he held it. Fortunately, or incidentally, for Roxanne the light did not put off heat, so it did not hamper her expanded range of sight. Cyrril could obviously see in the dark somehow, as he kept fluttering about.

  Roxanne suddenly realized she was crouching, with her bow out, one of the wooden arrows knocked and ready. Cyrril was stuck to a patch on the wall, pressed flat, and stretched to length, his throat showed a slight rise from normal temperature. Caspian had turned off his staff and disappeared. Roxanne looked down the cavern and road, and trained her hearing that way. Then she heard it: the soft shuffle of several sets of boots coming closer.

  Then the sound took form as several bipeds came around a corner; a male, then a female, and a second male. Roxanne did not quite trust her depth perception with her new vision range, but the three beings were within range, should she choose to shoot. Rox was curious at how the heat patterns if the sexes differed. Also they were dressed in some materials that she guessed were probably leather and some kind of home-spun, though nothing on the unfamiliar costume stood out. She was content to hide as these three did not seem to notice her, or Cyrril yet. So Roxanne continued to watch.

  A blinding flash and deafening concussion knocked Roxanne over and momentarily senseless. She shook her head and blinked to get the spots out of her eyes. When she could see again, she picked her arrow back up and crouched as she reset it, looking around. Her ears rang.

  The three were down, and Caspian was approaching them. His staff was held horizontal, with the dragon shooting light at the ground. His hand-crossbow was in his hand. He prodded each body in turn, as Roxanne noticed spreading pools of warmth around each one.

  Cyrril picked himself up from the ground nearby, disoriented and agitated.       

  “What was that for, and why?” Rox asked when she was sure she would be heard.

  “A trick from your world. A ‘flash-bang.’ At their range, it was fatal. Let’s go.” Caspian put his crossbow away under his coat, and moved on down the cavern.

  Roxanne stepped around the bodies. For a moment Caspian let his light fall across the faces of the elves. She noticed that they had elfin features, but pale gray skin with short hair. They were shorter than anybody else she had met. Also the female might have been pregnant. Roxanne was not sure, and blanched at finding out. It wasn’t the shape of the body, but that a bit more heat emanated from her belly. Either way it did not matter now.

  Roxanne moved on, in considerable thought. In the weeks she had known Caspian, she thought she had a good grasp on him. But this gave her pause. He hadn’t given them a chance to fight back. This was execution, bordering on murder. She caught up to him.

  “Isn’t anybody going to miss them? And what happens when they are found?” She asked.

  “I doubt they will be found. The things that live in the other tunnels will see to that. As for being missed, people go missing all the time. Besides they were traders. They won’t be expected back for a while.” Caspian explained.

  “Do you normally kill everyone you come across?” Rox asked what really concerned her. Steven had said Caspian was capable of being dangerous, and she had seen it, but this seamed different.

  “Of this race of flesh peddlers? Yes. Uht, wait.” He stopped her from interrupting. “Unlike the slaver that had you, these were actual flesh peddlers. They wouldn’t sell you as a slave. They would sell you as dinner.” Caspian tried to dissuade Rox’s argument before it could get momentum.

  Roxanne had to consider this. But came to no real conclusion. While killing was bad, did killing cannibals count? What about battle vs. vigilantism? She decided that beyond family, these would probably not be missed. But she still did not like it.

  They found a side chamber to camp in. A group trooped past disturbing their sleep. This turned out to be a merchant group. Roxanne huddled at the back of the cave, watching and thinking ‘invisible.’ They were soon gone, and Rox went back to sleep. Done sleeping, she and Caspian got out as fast as they could.

  Time became subject to their sleep cycles, that relative afternoon they entered a huge chamber, an unknown height above and widened out as it went in the direction of travel. Steven would travel through this cavern on a different track and altitude, and where he has the wall to his right, Roxanne and Caspian have it to their left. The carved road dropped very fast, switching back where room allowed. At some of the switch backs were watering holes, and dung holes. In a few spots Caspian produced a rope, and they descended the side to the road below. Roxanne almost asked how he knew when to do this, but never got the question out. Finally they came to what seemed to be the bottom. It was warmer than higher up, and the air had a definite dry heat to it.

  “We are near a lava seam. Follow this crack down, and you end up in a subduction fault zone. But it has been inactive for centuries,” Caspian explained.

  They soon entered a kind of natural rock garden, with stalactites and stalagmites, pillars, arches, etceteras scattered about. The road only going around what it had to. Just before making camp among these, they passed the sound of water falling down a far wall. The road branched off that way, but as they did not yet need water they passed it up. Finally after what felt like a full day of walking, Caspian led Roxanne off into the rock garden and picked a place to camp.

  “Tomorrow we should reach the village, and have a look around. So sleep yourself out.” So saying, Caspian handed Roxanne a biscuit, and broth with vegetables in it.

  Those finished, she set her bow where it would not get damaged, and curled up in her cloak.