by J. M. Briggs
“Alex it worked,” Nicki said a moment later. “Just look.”
Opening her eyes, Alex blinked in surprise and then smiled. There was an orb of softly glowing light in the center of their little circle. Small wisps of pale light, almost like smoke surrounded it as it waited in the air. Releasing Bran and Nicki’s hands, Alex reached out towards it and watched the wisps of magic reach for her fingertips. A giggle escaped her.
“I can see it too,” Bran said and he looked at Aiden who nodded.
“See what?” Jenny asked. She looked intently at the space between Alex’s hands. “Is there something there?”
“So the mages can all see it this time,” Bran said thoughtfully. “Well, that’s easier than just one of us seeing it. I wonder what we did differently. Last time Alex couldn’t see it.”
“Maybe because it went through Alex and used a little bit of all of our power,” Nicki suggested.
“As interesting as the theory of magic is we do need to get moving.” Aiden gave a pointed nod at the orb.
“Right,” Alex agreed, dropping her hands and focusing on the orb. “Uh… show us the way.”
She felt silly saying that and must have sounded it based on the chuckle that came from Lance. Nonetheless the orb pulsed for a moment before beginning to float away. Alex’s feet followed. It hung in the air just a short ways in front of them, always a little ahead, but never moving off more than a few feet. They followed it down the road and around a couple of turns before coming to a sudden stop on a side street just above a manhole cover.
“Down down to goblin town,” Nicki sang softly.
Alex looked at her in confusion before dismissing it as a reference she didn’t understand. “Okay, Bran, you’re up,” she said. Alex glanced around at the people on the sidewalk and the cars on the street. “Hurry.”
Yellow magic flashed in the night and the manhole cover lifted out of its snug position. Lance grabbed it with both hands and looked down into the dark hole. There was a collective intact of breath and Alex’s legs began to shake. Nicki acted first and opened her hand, forming an orb of softly glowing light which she then dropped down the hole. It floated down gently, illuminating the hand rungs of a ladder set into the stone.
“I’ll go first,” Aiden volunteered. Turning around, he shifted his position and found the first rung. Then he laughed weakly. “Maybe I shouldn’t be so sad about missing the quest for the Holy Grail.”
“Don’t be,” Lance said. “But hurry up. Illegal remember.”
“Be careful,” Nicki added.
Aiden nodded and began to descend into the hole in the ground. Nicki went next as a cold sweat broke out across the back of Alex’s neck. Bran gestured for Jenny to go next and the girl grimaced, but gingerly began to lower herself down the ladder. Alex slowly followed. The metal rungs were icy to the touch and each movement to lower herself made the hole seemingly convulse around her. Sheer terror hit her and her fingers clamped around the rungs desperately. Raising her eyes, Alex looked up towards the light of the street.
“Alex?” Bran called down. “You okay?”
“Fine,” Alex said. “Just…” she trailed off and fought back a tremble. “Don’t worry I’m not claustrophobic.” Alex paused at her own words. She had never been before at least, but that sudden sense of terror had been overwhelming.
Slowly, she made herself let go and focused on the rock face in front of her. She tugged at her magic to illuminate her hands and carefully descended into the tunnel. After what seemed like an eternity her feet touched down on a solid rock surface and Nicki gently tugged her away from the wall. Alex’s legs trembled a little, but the sense of terror had passed as suddenly as it had come. The guiding light was shimmering in a tunnel before them next to the softly glowing orb of Nicki’s that Jenny was huddled nearby.
“So you can’t see the guiding orb or any light from it?” Alex asked as she joined Jenny.
“No, all I see is this orb,” Jenny said, pointing at the one made by Nicki.
Alex nodded thoughtfully and started to look around as Lance touched down in the tunnel with Bran right behind him. Both shook their hands and Bran glanced at the light orb and the guiding light. Then he opened his hands and his magic formed a second one. Jenny and Lance gave him a grateful smile.
“Okay,” Lance said, shifting to the front of the ground. “Stay together and keep your flashlight at the ready just in case. Mages be careful using magic for more than light around here. There is a chance of cave-ins, small, but real so let’s not help things along.” He paused and looked down the long stone tunnel stretching before him. “Stay aware of support points in the walls and caverns should anything happen.”
Everyone nodded and carefully swung off their backpacks to retrieve their flashlights. Alex slipped hers into the pocket of her hoodie, grateful that they’d thought to dress warmly down here. A dank chill hung in the air and the hum of Paris was already barely audible. Lance looked like he was going to say something more, but shook his head.
“I’ll lead,” Aiden offered. “Since I can see the guide. Lance, you know the most about rocks and caves in general so you should probably be next.”
“Yeah,” Lance agreed, shifting the side to let Aiden through.
They slowly started walking with Alex taking up a position right behind Lance. Jenny was behind her with Nicki’s orb hanging just over her head. Bran was behind her with Nicki at the rear. Aiden summoned his own light orb for Lance’s benefit and Alex was almost amused by the dual lights floating down the tunnel in front of their small group.
It was slow progress. The tunnel was wide enough for them to pass through, but the floor was uneven with small dips and holes. Around them, the walls were marked with graffiti and carvings left by centuries of explorers. Even Lance looked uneasy as he examined the walls. Alex was paying attention the graffiti and carvings, but she was certain that Lance was probably paying more attention to the rock. He’d be aware of what it all was and maybe even how much it could hold up. Alex shivered at the thought and did her best to banish it.
“I can’t believe I’m down here.” Nicki sounded like she just might faint or start jumping around insanely. “The actual Paris catacombs!”
“It’s so creepy,” Jenny whispered, shining her flashlight around. “Look at all the graffiti.”
“Lots of people come down here,” Nicki said. “They’re called cataphiles. They actually found a movie theater down here a few years back. And there are Nazi bunkers and-”
“Maybe not now,” Aiden interrupted. “Let’s get moving.”
They began to slosh through the water and Alex cringed. These jeans and shoes would never be worn again. She could hear the others behind her and the sound of them struggling through the water, but the silence around them was unearthly. Every movement seemed to echo and Alex had to look back to remind herself that everyone was still there. Her legs were beginning to ache and she wondered how long they’d been walking.
“Why are these tunnels even here?” Jenny asked, breaking the heavy silence.
“Oh, these are old mines actually,” Nicki informed her cheerfully. “No one is really sure when it all started. I think the first real mention of the mines was in the 13th century. After they took out the stone they wanted for buildings they found they could use the caverns for other things.”
They followed the light past a small tomb-like room piled with brown bones that made Jenny hiss in alarm. Nicki grimaced slightly, looking less impressed with her surroundings now.
“As for the bones those were brought down here because the cemeteries of Paris were full and the tunnels were collapsing,” Nicki said. “After one major collapse, the city created a special office that inspected and tried to map the tunnels. They filled in some areas beneath streets, but they also used millions of bones to reinforce the tunnels.”
“And made it a tourist location,” Jenny said. “Creepy.”
“Actually not all the bones are in the ossuary,�
� Nicki corrected. “There are lots of bones in other tunnels that aren’t as organized as the main ossuary.”
“Do you think Mjǫllnir would be there?” Alex asked.
“Mjǫllnir?” Nicki repeated, giving her a curious look. “Possibly. It depends. I can’t imagine that Eckstein hid it in the tourist area, but maybe nearby if he came into the catacombs that way.”
“The find the path will take us there,” Aiden said confidently from the front.
“Find the path?” Jenny repeated.
“It’s a reference,” Alex told her with a chuckle. “Just go with it. They like to do that.”
Then the light turned, moving away from the more open tunnel and slipping into a smaller tunnel with a much lower roof. The whole passage dipped lower and Alex paused as she caught sight of the water filling the lower section. Aiden glanced back at them before he began to press on. As he sloshed into the water the sense of dread hit Alex once again, her eyes locking on the low ceiling as the light kept moving forward.
Bran grabbed her hand and kept her upright. The tightness in her chest increased. Around her, the old tunnels of Paris vanished and she could see the white neat stone walls of the Sídhe tunnel. She could hear crying and musical voices echoing against the stone. Someone said something, but their voice was far away. Her body was too heavy and it was hard to breathe. Then she connected with the wall behind her, the cold chill of the stone seeping through her clothes.
“It’s okay, Alex,” Bran’s voice called to her. “We’re here. It’s okay. Everyone is safe.” The short sentences made it through the haze a little and she tried to focus on Bran. “That’s it, good job. Focus on your breathing. Come back to the present.”
Slowly the white stones faded away and were replaced with the rougher stone of the mine walls. Alex’s eyes focused on a small worn carving of a horse across from her. She closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Bran. He smiled at her and she realized that she was half collapsed against the wall at the edge of the water.
“Good job,” Bran said gently. He offered her a smile and glanced down the small tunnel. “Do you need more time?”
“No,” Alex forced out through her dry mouth. “Let’s find the hammer. I’ll be okay.”
Bran nodded and said nothing more. He stood up and offered Alex a hand. It was then that she noticed the others were a bit ahead of them and flushed with embarrassment.
“Don’t worry,” Bran told her. “It wasn’t long.”
“This isn’t the place,” Alex growled. She took a tentative step forward into the water. The chill hit her hard and she clenched her teeth. “We aren’t safe down here.”
She followed the wet passage and sighed in relief when it began to slope up a little more. The water receded and there was only the barest amount beneath her feet. None of the others had turned to look at her and Alex wasn’t sure if she was grateful or hurt by that. Bran followed her closely and she spotted the others waiting for them up ahead. Nicki gave her a beaming smile and Jenny reached out a hand to her. Alex took the hand and Jenny gave it a reassuring squeeze. That helped.
The long passage stretched out past the edge of the light. Around them, the rounded walls were marked with graffiti and small carvings left by other people. Alex swallowed thickly, struggling to ignore the tightness of the space. There were no bones, just tiny passages, and grottos that had been carved from the rock.
Ahead of them, the tunnel opened into a large room and Alex sucked in a sharp breath. The air was stale, but she didn’t feel the weight of the stone all around her. Up ahead gargoyle-like figures were carved into the stone surrounding a rough limestone pillar. Alex’s stomach turned at the realization that the pillar was one of the only things keeping the rock above her head from collapsing onto her.
Bones were piled up around them. They lacked the elegant arrangements of the photos she’d seen in the past. Instead, they were pushed up against the walls and neatly stacked in only a few places which were collapsing. Brown with age, they were a mix of different types of bones and Alex heard Jenny make a sound of terror behind her as they spread out. Unlike other areas, there were only a few signs of modern explorers. The light shimmered and dropped closer to the floor.
“I think this Find the Path spell is broken,” Nicki groaned.
Alex frowned and moved closer to the guide, kneeling onto the cold ground. She touched the ground as she bent down to get a better look at a shadowy patch of wall. A jolt traveled up her arm. There was a hole at the lowest point in the wall, barely two feet across and not even a foot high. Alex waved her hand. Her magic burst forth and formed an orb of light that she pushed towards the hole. Somehow out of this whole maze-like place this was familiar. Before she thought about it, Alex shrugged off her backpack and leaned it up against the wall.
“Alex?” Bran called.
“Just a second,” Alex said as she took a shaky step forward. “This is… familiar.”
Moving to the hole, Alex ignored their protests and began to crawl down the hole. The guiding light moved ahead of her. This didn’t match her vision, but Alex could feel her heart racing with every inch she managed. She could hear Jenny telling her to stop and Bran urging caution, but she kept shimming her way through the small opening. Then beneath her hands was empty air and Alex turned her attention to the floor. She fell out of the hole with a yelp and into an ungraceful pile. The light orb illuminated the whole small grotto, but Alex’s eyes instantly focused on a figure on the other side of the room.
It was a body, a skeleton that was half collapsed amongst a pile of rubble. There were fragments of clothing left and a dark stain on the rocks surrounding the bones that made bile rush into Alex’s throat. Scattered on the ground were bits of metal and Alex gasped as her eyes found a small stylized cross on the ground.
“Alex!” Nicki called through the wall. “You okay.”
“Yeah,” Alex said, raising her eyes back to the skull. There next to his head was carved a small German eagle. A discarded skull pin sat on the rocks below it, one side badly bent.
“What is it?” Nicki demanded. “Alex!”
Tightening her hands in fists, Alex scooted away from the body and pressed herself into the far corner. Tears pricked at her eyes and she slammed them shut. She was stumbling through the tunnels and crawled into here. She couldn’t breathe, she was starving and so hungry, but the light was gone. There was just darkness and silence. Terror clawed at her insides, sobs tore out of her throat and tears ran down her cheeks. Alex couldn’t help it. She screamed.
27
The Jǫtnar
116 C.E. Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
The stars were brightening up the sky in an arch of light that should have enthralled Thor, but it was all he could do to keep from pacing. He was trying to stay out of the way of the Sídhe as they carefully organized themselves. Thor leaned against the rock face and watched a small Síd child that he thought might be a girl pick through some shards of pottery. His eyes shifted over to where Sif and Odin were waiting and looking up the valley. Baldr would be back soon with reinforcements and they could investigate the tunnel.
Shifting impatiently, Thor looked back towards the tunnel in question. Small torches illuminated the Sídhe village just enough for him to see Merlin and Morgana by the opening. The Dark Elves had gone to a lot of trouble for this raid and the knowledge that the prisoners might be undergoing some sort of transformation made him feel ill. The sound of someone approaching made him turn sharply and his eyes were drawn to Sif as she climbed up the rocks towards him. Thor extended his hand and she took it with a grateful smile.
“Thank you,” Sif said as he helped her up onto the flat area. “How are things?”
“I’m not sure, to be honest,” Thor confessed. “They seem to be moving things into the intact houses, but with the tunnel…”
“So what is the plan?” Sif pressed. “When my brother returns and all the Dvergrs are here? Are we planning to destroy them all?”
Tensing up, Thor wondered if this was a trick question. Was there a right answer to this? He couldn’t see how that was possible. “The Dark Elves are dangerous,” he finally said. “I don’t like it, but I don’t see how they can coexist with us.”
“I’m sure Merlin and Morgana once felt the same way about the Sídhe who were trapped in the Iron Realm,” Sif pointed out with a hint of curiosity in her voice. “They didn’t kill all of them.”
“No,” Thor admitted. “I’m not sure what happened there. Merlin and Morgana talk a lot, but they rarely truly say anything.” Rubbing his eyes, Thor frowned at the headache beginning to form. “I’m sorry Sif. I don’t have an answer for this. The Sídhe were a military with a clear goal: an ugly one, but Merlin and Morgana have been clear on that front. When that fell apart they scattered and hid.”