by Dale Britton
Like a tomb.
Chapter Seventy-Five
"I wish we didn't have to leave the horses alone up there,” Sarah said when they were gathered at the bottom of the ladder. The light from Yrabelle's sphere was comforting, but it didn't reach very far into the darkness that surrounded them. The walls of the passageway were made of stone blocks that stretched out forever to the left and right. There was a thick layer of dust on a floor that felt like cement. Nobody had walked in this place for years. The ceiling was about eight feet above their heads, except for in the place where the ladder led up to the surface.
"We'll just have to be as fast as we can." Ollie hoped the dungeon wasn't too huge. With Ian, it could go either way. He also hoped it didn't go very deep, where the more dangerous monsters would live.
"Does anyone have any paper?" George asked. "I'd feel a lot better if I could map this place out as we went."
Yrabelle opened her pack and pulled out a small leather-bound book. "I have my journal," she said. "I believe I could spare a few pages."
"Great!" George said. "That's perfect, Yrabelle. I could kiss you."
"You could..." Yrabelle said softly, a small smile forming on her lips. George suddenly turned bright red.
Ollie had to control himself to keep from laughing at his friend's discomfort. "The map's a great idea, George. I'd hate to get lost down here." When they played the game, mapping a new dungeon was standard procedure. Of course, so was making sure you packed a lot of torches before you went exploring. They hadn't done that here, and if it weren't for Yrabelle's light they would be in big trouble right now. For someone as smart as he was supposed to be, he was making some pretty dumb mistakes.
"Should we vote on the direction?" he asked.
"You pick," Sarah said. "We'll follow."
"All right then," Ollie said when the others nodded. "Right it is."
The passage was wide enough for the group to walk side by side. In fact, Ollie noticed, it was just about eight feet wide, which just happened to be the scale they used on their maps when playing the game at home. He doubted it was a coincidence. George scribbled on the paper as the group advanced cautiously. It was about twenty feet before they came to the first door on the right.
Everyone stood silently and stared at it. The door had a latch instead of a knob, and it was ornately carved with a design of an evil looking dragon. It looked like the creature was staring at them. Ollie half-expected it to jump off the door the moment no one was looking and tear into them with its wickedly sharp teeth.
"Does this mean that there's a dragon in there?" Sarah asked.
"I doubt it," Ollie said. "This is only level one of the dungeon. It's probably just a decoration."
"It could be level two or three," George said. "That ladder went down pretty far."
"Still not deep enough for a dragon."
"Well, we have to open it." It was clear George wasn't very happy about it. "This might be what we're looking for."
"Yeah," Ollie said. "I know." They would have to search everywhere. Every passageway, every room. Many most likely infested with monsters. He sighed. It seemed so impossible. Well, there was nothing to do but to get to it.
Ollie called forth a ball of fire and held it in the air in front of him. "Stand back, everyone. Open the door, George."
George obediently pulled on the latch, and the door opened smoothly. Ollie quickly sent his fireball into the room. There was an inhuman screeching and hissing sound from inside, and movement as a number of creatures quickly retreated from the light of Ollie's fire, fighting each other to find cover in the shadows around the edges of the room.
"What are they?" Sarah held her hands over her ears to block out the creatures' piercing cries and squinted from the brightness of the fire.
"Cat people," George said. "Looks like an entire nest of them. Nocturnal. They hate the light."
"I know of them," Yrabelle said, "but I have never seen them before. They were once a powerful race in Valoria before the demons came."
"Level three," Ollie said. "I guess we did go down pretty far."
The cat people cowered in the furthest corner of the room. They looked almost human, except they were covered with dark fur and had long tails. And of course, they had cat heads.
"Oh, don't hurt them," Sarah said. "They're so cute."
"Yeah," George said. "Until they slash you to death with their claws or rip out your throat with their teeth."
"I don't think we need to hurt them," Ollie said. "I'll keep an eye on them while you guys look around." He split his fireball into three smaller balls and spread them out, pinning the cats in their corner. The creatures pushed even closer against the walls, hissing angrily. There were about twelve of them, some of which were pretty small. Children. One of the larger females was holding a tiny one that almost looked like a kitten.
"We don't want to hurt you." Ollie had no idea if the cat people could understand him, but he felt a strange need to explain the group's actions. The creatures' cries of distress were really getting to him. "We just need to find something and then we'll leave you alone. We have to stop the demons."
"The room's empty," George reported after a few minutes. "Just a bunch of dead rats. But there's another passage leading out to the south."
"Great," Ollie said. "This really is going to be a maze." So, either back out the door and continue down the original passageway or follow this new one. Ollie mentally flipped a coin. "Let's try the new passage. Just keep the map updated, George."
George nodded. "Bet on it."
Ollie kept the fireballs going as long as he could after they entered the new passage. He didn't want to hurt the cat people, but he didn't want them to follow after them either. When he let the fire go the group paused and listened carefully. No sound came from behind. No creatures appeared in the light of Yrabelle's sphere. It looked like the cat people had decided not to come after them.
"We're probably going to be down here for a while," Ollie said with as much spirit as he could manage. "We'd better get moving."
Chapter Seventy-Six
Jordan stood alone above the shore of the huge lake. It wasn't quite as big as any of the Great Lakes back home, but it was still impressive, especially from this vantage point. The journey to this point–the northern edge of the lake–had been very slow. The terrain had risen steadily over uneven ground that had given the horses fits. The party had been forced to climb a steep incline while the lake had fallen farther and farther below.
But this view was worth all the trouble. Jordan leaned out and looked over the side of the cliff. The lake looked like it was a mile down. It glittered like a blue gem in the early evening light. Off to the right, at the very northern point of the lake, a massive waterfall poured over the edge of the cliff and splashed with a thundering roar into the water below. The lake churned below the torrent, sending a thick spray of foam into the air. Jordan had once gone on a field trip to Niagara Falls when she was in middle school, and she had thought it was the most incredible thing she had ever seen. At the time it was probably true, but this waterfall was like ten Niagara's all at once. It was at least a hundred yards wide and fell forever. Where could that much water even come from?
The mountains in the near distance added to the beauty of the scene, and to the south, the forest stretched as far as Jordan could see. It was truly a breathtaking sight.
For just a moment, Jordan considered jumping off of the edge. Just a couple of steps, and then it would all be over. No pain, no shame, nothing at all. She took a deep breath, and then slowly backed away from the precipice. She let her breath out slowly, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. I thought I was done with those kinds of thoughts.
A gust of wind made Jordan shiver and reminded her of what she was supposed to be doing. Firewood. She was looking for firewood. It was nearly freezing, and they needed enough wood to last the night. Once the ward was up it would be too late to look for more.
Stupid Ollie. J
ordan hadn't said a word when the group had discussed splitting the party into two groups. She'd known exactly how it was going to work out–just like everything else in her life. Sure enough, Ollie and Sarah were together, and Jordan was put in the other group. It wasn't fair. Ollie had been her best friend forever, and then this stupid cheerleader shows up out of nowhere...
You should have told him how you feel.
"Jordan?" Ian's voice ripped her out of her dismal thoughts.
"Over here, Ian."
Ian appeared from around a bend in the path. He looked almost as miserable as Jordan felt. He had recovered from the paralysis he had suffered from the fight with the shadows, but Jordan could tell the experience had affected him, and not in a good way. He had always been kind of withdrawn from the rest of the group, but now he was even more so.
"Oh, there you are. We need to get back to camp. It's almost time to set the ward."
Jordan took one last look at the waterfall. The light was beginning to fade, but it was still an incredible sight. I wish Ollie were here to see this.
"Okay," she sighed, pulling her gaze away from the beautiful scene. "I'm ready. Let's go."
Chapter Seventy-Seven
"You're sure there isn't another way?" Ian stared into the dark opening in the cliff wall, but the blackness was too deep to see what might be hiding inside. The sound of the great waterfall was loud here, making conversation somewhat difficult.
"Unless you wish to travel several hundred leagues north to the ancient bridge," Lylor said. "But I don't think we can sacrifice the time. The dwarves built this tunnel many centuries ago to allow quick passage to the western side of the lake. I have used it myself many times, as have my rangers. I assure you that it is safe."
"How long ago?" Johnny asked.
Lylor thought for a moment. "Nearly three years, I believe. We do not often have cause to travel this far from home."
"So before the demons came," Johnny said. "It might be different now."
"Oh, come on, guys," Jordan said impatiently. "We have to go through. Suck it up. What's the worst that can be in there?" She realized her mistake as soon as the words came out of her mouth.
"How about a dragon?" Ian suggested. "Or a dark wraith."
"Or a death mage," Johnny said. "Or a giant scorpion, or a pack of zombie bunnies, or..."
"We get the picture," Jordan interrupted. "But it doesn't matter. You know we have to go in."
"We do not have much time," Lylor said. "Not if we are to save my people and return you to your world."
"I know, " Ian muttered. "I know. It's just so creepy."
Lylor pulled a couple of torches out of his travel bag and passed one to Ian. He pulled out his tinderbox and in a minute both torches were blazing.
"We'll have to lead the horses," he said. "The ceiling's not high enough to ride. I'll go first, then Jordan, then Johnny, and Ian in the rear with the other torch. It is not a long passage–only about twelve hundred feet. Let us stay close and we will shortly find ourselves safely on the opposite side."
Lylor led the way, and in moments the travelers were inside the passage. The temperature, already near freezing, dropped several more degrees the instant they entered the tunnel. The light from the torches dimmed as if it were afraid to brighten their surroundings. It struggled to reach out into the darkness. Their footsteps echoed faintly as they walked on the hard stone floor. The horses walked rigidly with their ears flickering wildly, their eyes darting in every direction.
"I don't like this place." Jordan's voice sounded strangely hollow in the confined space. "I feel like something's watching me."
The group walked for several minutes in silence. The air in the tunnel felt thinner than it should, making breathing difficult. Nobody spoke, not even in whispers. Time stood still as the teens marched silently after Lylor, each wishing that their journey through the oppressive passageway would end.
Lylor stopped walking abruptly, almost causing Jordan to run into him. "Hm," he murmured.
"What's wrong?" Ian asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Why are we stopping?"
Lylor lifted the torch above his head to better illuminate the passage ahead, and everyone was able to see the problem. They were in a place where the tunnel had widened. Just ahead, their path divided into two passageways.
"Isn't this supposed to be a straight path through the cliff?" Johnny asked.
"Yes," Lylor said. "I have made this crossing several times. This is wrong."
"Maybe we should go back." Jordan's voice trembled. "We could still take the long way around."
"That might not be too easy," Ian said quietly. "Look."
The others turned to see where Ian was pointing. Behind them, where moments before there had only been one tunnel, they could now see that the passageway was divided into not just two, but three distinct tunnels heading roughly back toward the direction they had come.
"That's not possible," Jordan said.
"Nope," Ian agreed, his voice shaking noticeably. "Totally impossible. I think we're in some big trouble here."
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Even Lylor was shaken. Not only had their path forward suddenly become unclear, but their escape back had also been tampered with.
"How can there be five passageways?" Jordan asked.
"Six now," Johnny said. And sure enough, somehow, without anyone noticing, another tunnel had appeared in the short time they had been standing there. This one seemed to lead off to the right of their original route. The horses were going crazy now, and the party had to hold them tightly to keep them from bolting.
"We have to pick one," Ian said hysterically. "If we don't move now there'll be hundreds of them. We need to get out of here!"
"No, Ian," Johnny said. "We can't rush off. That's what it wants us to do."
"What what wants us to do?" asked Jordan.
"I don't know," Johnny said, "but this is obviously a trap."
"It certainly does appear so," Lylor agreed, "but I've never heard of the like."
"Wait a sec," Jordan said. "I think I have... but I can't remember." She closed her eyes, thinking furiously. "Oh, why can't I remember?"
"Something in the game, right?" Johnny said. "I think I know what you're talking about. Something that uses illusion."
"Yes," Jordan said. "Illusion, and it's really nasty. We fought one three campaigns ago. Ollie's campaign. Oh, what was it?"
"Mind crab," Ian said. "It's a mind crab."
"That's it!" Jordan said.
"Of course," Johnny said at the exact same time.
"I have no knowledge of this creature," Lylor said. "If you would, please educate me."
"A mind crab uses illusion and mind control to trap its victims," Johnny said. "I'm guessing that only three of these tunnels are actually real. Two are the original passage and the third leads to its lair. It's trying to trick us into going the wrong way."
Lylor shook his head. "I don't like the idea of a creature that can make one see that which is not. And what should we find if we were to take the monster's path?"
"Mind crabs are huge," Ian said. "Poisonous too. Plus, they get into your mind. They'll try to convince you that everything is alright, and you don't need to fight. They can even make you happy to be eaten."
"Level twelve," Johnny said, as if that explained everything.
"So, it would be best if we avoided this beast," Lylor said, somewhat obviously, the others thought. Who would want to fight a giant poisonous monster who could control your mind? "How can it be done?"
"Well," Johnny said. "We really only have one advantage. The mind crab won't leave its lair unless it's threatened. If we can fight our way past its illusion and find the right path, we should be safe."
Lylor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we are four and there are only six passages."
"Seven," Ian corrected. Another one had sprung up on the left side.
"Very well, seven," Lylor said. "If we work under the assumption that
we are all seeing the same thing, then if we each choose a different one to test at least one of them has to be false."
"Process of elimination," Johnny said. "I like it."
It was a difficult process, and not only because it was hard to maneuver while trying to keep hold of the horses. The biggest challenge was that the false tunnels seemed so real. The illusion was so good that even after several moments of trying to go through a solid wall it was still hard to convince yourself that the passage wasn't there. And then, for every false passage they discovered, another one would pop up somewhere else. Lylor had to go through several torches before they managed to mark every false path and only the three true tunnels remained. One of the three was a rather roughly dug tunnel that led off to the left–obviously the way to the mind crab's lair.
"Finally," Ian said. "Let's get out of here."
"Agreed," Lylor said.
They resumed their marching order and began walking. They all felt enormous relief at having avoided the mind crab. It wasn't one of the most horrible creatures in the game, but it was pretty close.
Before long, the tunnel began to slowly brighten, and a small hole of light could be seen not too far ahead. They were finally coming to the end of the nightmare.
"Your knowledge of this world has once again rescued us," Lylor said. "I bless the day that your party arrived in our lands."
Jordan took a deep breath. The air felt lighter now and she could smell flowers. It was wonderful. "Can we find a different way to come back?" she asked. "I don't want to go through that again."
"Another route would take an inordinate amount of time," Lylor said. "Now that we know the secret of this passage, I see no reason not to use it for our return."
"Ian?" Johnny said abruptly. "Are you alright?" He had noticed that his brother had been strangely silent. A closer look showed him that Ian looked a little sick and was glancing around uneasily. At some point, he had lost his torch.