by W. D. Newman
CHAPTER 15
HEAD’EM OFF AT THE PASS
Louise whirled around. "Casey?" she called. "CASEY! She was just here!" Frantically she turned to Gob and Nob. "Did either of you see where she went?"
"When you called us over to meet Mueller," Nob answered, "she stepped back, so we could see him. I thought she was standing right behind us!"
"Do you think she wandered off?" Gob asked, peering into the dark tunnel.
"Heavens no, she would not wander off. She's been terrified ever since she's seen that cave troll."
"Then it has to be gnomes," said Gob, placing his fists upon his hips and fixing Mueller with an angry glare, "and I'm not convinced this one here was not in on it!"
Ben laid his hand on Mueller's arm. "Mueller, where's Casey? Do you know what has happened to her?"
Mueller stood up and tied the tunic Ben had given him, tightly about his waist. "No, I do not, but we know she did not fall into the river and we know she did not go outside. The only place she could have gone was down into the caves."
"I just told you, she would not wander off like that," cried Louise. Now there were four people to rescue. She could feel the panic building in her chest.
"I know," said Mueller, "so, that leaves only one logical choice; she must have been taken."
"Who took her? Gnomes?" asked Ben.
Mueller nodded. "There is nothing else it could be. It was probably a single Holedigger, two at the most. If there would have been three, or more, they would have tried to overpower us all."
"Then we must go after her, at once," said Louise.
"Hold up," said Mueller. "We'll never catch them by following them. We need to take a shorter route and cut them off. We'll have to surprise them too, to get her back unharmed, but we must hurry, so follow me."
"One sec," said Ben. "We can't all go. Someone has to stay here with Amos to keep the fire going. We have to keep him warm and Jonah will need to brew the Faerie Oak tea when he returns. That will have to be you, Grandma. And Nob, you need to stay with Grandma and keep her safe until we get back. Gob and I will go with Mueller."
Louise started to protest, but Ben stopped her. "I'm very sorry, but there's no time to argue, Grandma. We have to leave now. Come on Gob. Mueller, lead the way."
Louise watched helplessly as Ben and Gob followed their new gnome friend down into the tunnel. As much as she hated to admit it, Ben was right. Although he didn't come out and say it, she would have only slowed them down and they needed to move really fast if there were any hope of getting Casey back. Also, someone did need to look after Amos and keep the fire going.
Nob reached up and gently took her by the arm and led her back to the fire, while the others hurried on their way.
"You watch after him, Gob," Louise yelled over her shoulder. "If anything happens to him, I will pull your beard out by the roots and strangle you with it!"
"She sounded as if she meant that," Mueller marveled.
"She did," Gob grumbled, "and she will bloody do it too."
The gnome led them into the shadows where a narrow fissure opened into the cave wall. These walls were lined with crystals and quartz, and the dazzling reflection of the torch light made the opening hard to discern. Mueller instructed them to leave the torch and then slipped into the narrow opening. Gob dubiously eyed the thin crack in the wall. He removed his axe and tightened his belt as Ben squeezed through. It was a tight fit for the stout dwarf, but he finally managed to get inside without having to suffer the indignity of getting stuck.
"How are we supposed to see in here?" Ben asked.
"One moment," Mueller answered. They could hear the gnome rattling something around in the dark and then they heard him spit. A pale green light blossomed in the gnome’s hand and softly lit the area around them.
"Wow," said Ben.
"These are rock busters. If you need a light to see by, simply wet one of these rocks and it will shine for several hours. The wetter the rock, the brighter the light," said Mueller, as he reached into a dark hole and retrieved a rather large sack. He tied the sack at his waist and took the rock buster back from Ben.
"Why do you call them rock busters?" asked Gob. "I'd think rocklights or glowrocks would be a more fitting name."
"They are called rock busters because, when you put a flame to them, they will explode. They are used in the slave mines to blast new tunnels. Let's walk and talk. We must not let them get ahead of us." Mueller started down the tunnel with Ben and Gob following along behind him. The tunnel was very narrow, so they had to travel single file. Mueller spoke over his shoulder as they walked. "The Crystal Cave tunnel, where the Holediggers are traveling, curves in a great sweep before it joins a passage that will lead to the city, but this tunnel we are in is leading us in a straight line. We will intersect the Crystal Cave Tunnel where it forks to the city. As a matter of fact, this tunnel will actually cross right over the top of the one they are travelling in."
"Do you know a lot of secret tunnels?" Ben asked.
"Oh yes, I know ALL of the secrets of Kahzidar. I have had many long years of hiding and sneaking about down here."
"Well, I hope you have a plan," Gob called from the rear. "I have gone and left my blasted axe back at the cave entrance!"
"I do," Mueller replied. "A very simple plan too, but the simple plans are always the best."
The three walked in single file, Ben and Gob following Mueller and his green glowing rock buster, until the gnome raised his hand and signaled for them to stop. He held the rock buster out in front of him and pointed to a dark hole in the floor of the tunnel.
"This shaft angles down and comes out through an opening in the ceiling of the tunnel below us," said Mueller. "I'll go first. Ben, you come second. I'll need your help to catch Gob." Mueller laid the rock buster on the ground beside the hole and then jumped in, feet first.
"WAIT!" Gob cried. He tried to grab the gnome before he disappeared into the hole, but he was not fast enough and watched helplessly as Mueller dropped into the murky shaft.
"What did he bloody mean about catching me?" Gob asked Ben.
"I don't know, but we can't ask him now. Also, if you don't mind, please wait a few seconds before you jump in. I don't want you landing on top of me."
"You are not seriously going to jump into that hole, are you?"
"We have no choice, Gob. They have my sister!"
"Yes, yes, of course, you're right. I still do not like it, though."
Instead of jumping into the hole as Mueller had done, Ben sat down on the edge of the opening and dangled his legs into the darkness. With a gentle shove, he slid into the fissure and vanished.
Gob paced back and forth for a few seconds, nervously yanking on his beard. Finally, he walked to the edge and peered down into the darkness. It was pitch black. Mueller had left the rock buster and Gob thought momentarily of tossing it down the shaft, so he could see what it looked like. Then he imagined the rock coming through the ceiling and bonking Ben on the head, so he quickly dismissed the idea. Finally, he screwed up some courage and lay down on the floor. He scooted to the edge and eased over the rim, slowly lowering himself, until he was hanging by his fingers and his feet were dangling in space.
"Oh blast it," he grumbled. Even though it was pitch black in the hole, Gob scrunched his eyes tightly shut and let go of the rim. He fell a just a few feet and, almost immediately, the shaft curved beneath him, breaking his fall and sending him sliding down the smooth polished surface. In a few seconds, the floor vanished beneath him and the poor dwarf plummeted through the air, his arms and legs flailing wildly.
Mueller had lit another rock buster and caught Ben when he fell through the crack in the ceiling, but when Gob fell through the fissure they were unable to catch hold of the panicky dwarf. Fortunately, however, they did manage to cushion his fall and everyone made it down to the lower tunnel safely with no injuries.
"How far ahead of t
hem are we?" Ben whispered.
"It's hard to tell. It will depend on how fast they are traveling, but if I had to guess, I'd say they should be here in just a few minutes."
"Okay," said Gob, "what's your plan?"
Mueller handed the glowing rock buster to Ben and reached into his sack. He pulled out a candle and handed that to Ben as well. Then he reached beneath his tunic and tore a thin, ragged strip of fabric from his shirt and handed the dry brittle rag to Gob. "Light this, quickly," he told the dwarf.
Gob dug the flint and steel from his pockets and promptly lit the rag. Mueller took the candle back from Ben and used the burning rag to light the candle.
"Now, give me back the rock buster."
Ben handed the rock buster back to Mueller. "What exactly are you planning on doing?" Ben asked.
"It's really quite simple, yet a very brilliant plan. If they do not release Casey to us, I shall light the rock buster and blow us all up."
"WHAT?" cried Gob. "That is the dumbest plan I have ever heard!"
"It's just a bluff. I won't really blow us up. If I have to light it, I will throw it behind them. They will scramble to get away from it and we'll grab Casey."
"No, it's too dangerous."
"Look! They're coming," said Ben. "I see their torchlight."
"Give me that rock buster," said Gob, reaching for the gnome.
"You cannot have it," Mueller snapped, placing the rock buster behind his back and holding the candle up between him and Gob.
Gob glared angrily at the gnome. "You are not going to light that rock buster. You'll kill us all."
"I'm telling you, this plan will work! Besides, YOU are not in charge here and YOU cannot tell me what to do, because I am no longer a Mudcrawler; I'm an Alderman!" Mueller defiantly waggled the candle in front of the dwarf.
"Oh yeah," said Gob, through clenched teeth.
"Yeah," Mueller replied, still waving the candle in the dwarf's face.
Gob puffed on the candle and blew it out.
At that moment, Casey walked around the corner with two Holediggers behind her. The Holediggers were each carrying a spear in one hand and a torch in the other. Casey was looking down at the ground and crying. Her hands were tied behind her back and her captors had gagged her to keep her from calling for help. To make matters worse, the gnomes were carrying their spears backwards and they were goading Casey with the dull ends of the shafts. Ben felt the anger rise in his chest and took a deep breath to calm himself.
When the Holediggers spotted the would-be rescuers, they yelled for Casey to halt. Startled, Casey looked up and saw her brother and two companions. The gnomes tried to grab her, but she was too fast. She lunged forward and sprinted the short distance to her friends. The Holediggers flipped their spears around and warily advanced on the intruders.
Ben quickly slipped out his hunting knife and sliced away the bonds on his sister's wrist. Behind him, Mueller was untying the sack at his waist and Gob was rolling up his sleeves, a look of grim determination on his face and, maybe, a touch of eager anticipation.
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