“Yes master. The slope is gentle ahead, but there is loose sand on the stone ground, so please watch your step.”
The little guy pattered off and Simon followed, his light globe keeping pace above him. Aeris brought up the rear, his body shining in the gloom.
Kronk was right. The passage was wider but it sloped just enough to make his footing slick on the sandy floor. He almost fell several times, but his staff helped to keep him on his feet and he was grateful to have it with him.
After a steady, if cautious, hour of traveling through a series of galleries and small caves, they eventually reached an area that obviously wasn't crafted by nature.
“Stairs, master,” the earthen's voice echoed out of the darkness ahead.
“Stairs?”
Simon looked back at Aeris, who looked startled.
“There are stairs down here?” the elemental wondered out loud.
“Guess so. Let's take a look.”
The wizard sent the globe of light ahead of them to illuminate the ground. This section of the crooked tunnel twisted and turned so much that they had lost sight of Kronk and could only guess how far away he was.
A last turn and they were standing in a round chamber. The walls were about seven feet high and perfectly smooth. There was no sand on the ground, just plain gray stone. In the center of the room was a hole and Kronk was waiting beside it.
“Here, master,” he said and pointed at the dark opening. “Steps leading down. I believe that a dwarven tunnel is below us.”
Simon nodded and sent his light to hover above the opening. He walked over and cautiously looked down into it.
Kronk was right. Steps had been carved into the stone and circled downward in a clockwise direction. They were steep but looked solid.
“Cool. I hope you're right. Do you want to go down first?”
“Yes master, that would be the safest choice. Allow me a moment to get ahead and then you can both follow me.”
“Go on then. I'll count to ten and start down.”
The earthen hopped down the steps. The sound of stone on stone echoed up as they quickly lost sight of him.
Simon counted slowly to ten and then began to descend, Aeris closely behind him. Between the light of the globe and the glow that the air elemental emitted, the wizard had no problem seeing his footing.
“How old could these stairs be?” he asked Aeris as they descended. “They have a lot of cracks and they're dusty. Hundreds of years?”
“Thousands, my dear wizard. Thousands. The dwarves have had not contact with your kind or the surface world since the gods, both good and evil, retreated from this universe.”
“But why build something like this in the first place? Were the ancient peoples of the Earth, humans and dwarves, so close that they felt the need to make these connections between the underground and the surface?”
“Perhaps so. I have no real knowledge of the dealings of the two races with each other. Maybe you should ask Shandon Ironhand when you see him?”
“Yeah, maybe I will.”
The sounds of Kronk hopping down the steps had faded and Simon wondered if he had finally reached the bottom.
They continued downward, turning and turning. The dust on the steps became thicker and Simon coughed violently several times to get the heavy stuff out of his lungs.
“Damn, how much further?” he wondered wearily. “Good shape or not, my legs are turning to jelly.”
“It can't be much deeper, my dear wizard,” Aeris said from behind him. “I've counted six hundred and seventy-two steps so far, which means that we are very deep inside the world now.”
Simon stopped abruptly and looked over his shoulder at the elemental, who was hovered a few feet behind him.
“Hang on; you're actually counting each step?”
“Certainly.”
“Why, for God's sake?”
Aeris shrugged.
“Gives me something to do, I suppose. This whole thing is rather tedious, don't you think? I needed some diversion.”
Simon coughed to clear his throat and began walking again.
“You really are a child at heart, do you know that?” he said. “Or you have a bad case of OCD. That's possible, I suppose.”
“Excuse me?”
The wizard was saved from answering by a call from below.
“I have reached the bottom, master.”
“Thank God for that,” Simon said with heavy relief. “I really need to sit down for a few minutes and have some water.”
They found Kronk waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The room that they emerged into was a duplicate of the one at the top, except that there was a square doorway sealed with a heavy iron door.
“The exit, I assume?” Simon asked and nodded at it.
“Yes master. I wanted to wait until you got here before opening it.”
“Can we open it?” Aeris wondered.
He floated across to the large, imposing door and grabbed the thick handle that protruded from it.
Simon watched, amused, as the glowing elemental heaved and tugged at the door. Nothing happened.
“Well, that's it then,” Aeris said in disgust. “We'll have to go back. A shame to have come all this way for nothing, but that's life sometimes.”
Kronk snorted and crossed the floor. He slipped his stubby little fingers in the crack where the door met the frame and pulled steadily.
“Why are you wasting your time?” Aeris asked him. He flew down and landed next to Kronk. “If I can't open it, then...”
With an ear-splitting screech of rusted hinges, the iron door began to open, inch by stubborn inch.
Aeris looked flabbergasted.
“How?” he stuttered.
“Instead of asking how, maybe you could give him a hand?” Simon said pointedly.
“What? Oh, yes. Right. I'll do that.”
With both elementals working together, the heavy door finally seemed to give up the fight and opened wide with a last, weak squeak.
“Good work, guys,” the wizard told them with a smile. “I'm assuming the door hasn't been opened in a very long time.”
“I agree, master.”
Kronk moved into the doorway and stared out at the darkness beyond.
“A hallway, master. Perhaps fifty feet long. I can sense the underground highway beyond it. If you can wait until we reach it, I think it would be a more comfortable place to rest instead of this dusty room.”
“Thanks, Kronk. I'm sure you're right. Let's go.”
The tunnel was straight as an arrow and the air was stale and dry, smelling only of dust.
Simon shivered suddenly. It felt like they were entering a long lost tomb.
He sent the light globe ahead of them and it illuminated Kronk as the little guy skittered along, obviously oblivious to any fear of the underworld around them.
Lucky guy, Simon thought.
“The exit, master,” the earthen called out. “We have arrived at the dwarven trade roads.”
“About time,” Aeris said irritably. “Let's hope your magic isn't so impeded by all of this blasted rock that you can't Gate us home when we're done down here.”
“Don't be so impatient,” Simon replied. “We may be underground for quite some time. God only knows how far away Kingstone is.”
“Delightful thought.”
They emerged from the passageway into the massive tunnel system of the dwarves. Simon directed his light upward and it brightened as it ascended, lighting up the entire area for fifty feet in all directions.
The tunnel soared twenty feet over their heads and every ten or fifteen yards, a sturdy arch helped to reinforce the walls and ceiling, keeping them from collapsing from the weight of the rock around them.
There were deep grooves worn into the surface of the road, proof that at one time a lot of traffic and commerce traveled the highway from city to city.
“Any signs of recent activity?” Simon asked Kronk as he took off his pack and s
at down with a weary sigh.
The little guy walked along the road examining the ground. He was mumbling to himself, something that Simon couldn't remember Kronk ever doing before, and he watched him curiously.
A few minutes later, the earthen came back and sat down a few feet in front of the wizard with a quiet thump.
“No signs, master. The gravel and rock dust that has fallen from the ceiling over time has not been disturbed. At a guess, I would say that no one had used this section of the tunnel in many, many years.”
Simon nodded. He dug out his flask and drank some water. Then he opened up a packet of dried peaches and ate a few.
“Which way do we go to reach the capital?” Aeris asked as he bobbed up and down over their heads.
He was turning in a slow circle with his head cocked to the side, apparently listening intently.
Kronk pointed to their right. The tunnel descended in that direction, gently heading deeper into the bowels of the earth.
“It is that way. But the trip will be a long one. It is many, many miles away.”
Simon drank some more water and rolled his shoulders, working out the kinks.
“Ah well, it's not like it's a surprise; we figured it would be quite the hike. Aeris, do you feel like doing some scouting? Now that we're on the main highway, Kronk doesn't have to lead anymore. Besides, no offense to our friend here, but you do move a lot faster than either of us.”
“No offense taken, master,” Kronk assured him. “You are correct. Aeris is a very good scout.”
“Why, thank you,” the air elemental said with a smile. “It's nice to be recognized for one's talents. And yes, I would be happy to scout up ahead. There are many more dangers wandering the world now than there were the last time we traveled these roads.”
“Thanks Aeris. If you see anything dangerous, get back here immediately.” Simon shook a finger at him. “No heroics.”
Aeris rolled his eyes, gave them a wave and flew off; his glowing body looking like a comet as it disappeared into the darkness.
Simon watched him go and then put his flask and the rest of his food back in his pack. He stood up, picked up his staff and settle the pack over his shoulder.
“Shall we?” he asked Kronk.
“Yes master, let us follow Aeris. There is a long road ahead.”
They walked for hours along the deep road. Aeris would return every hour or so to report in, but it remained uneventful. And just when Simon had decided to stop for the day, the air elemental came back to tell them that there was a way station up ahead.
“Way station?” Simon asked wearily.
“Yes. Remember we found one once before? There is a well with good water, I checked to make sure, and the room it is in has been used by travelers before. At least, it looks that way. I think it would be a good place for you to spend the night.”
“How far?”
“Another half-hour's walk, I'd say.”
Simon adjusted his pack again and nodded.
“Okay, I think I have that much energy left in me. Let's go.”
The way station, or whatever the dwarves called those little rooms that they had built in the distant past, was a good place to camp for the night. It had a well with clean water, an even floor where Simon could unroll his sleeping bag and lay down comfortably and stone benches carved into the walls to sit on. It was practically a hostel.
“Good find, Aeris,” Simon said when they arrived and explored the area. “And just in case something nasty comes stalking out of the darkness, this doorway is narrow enough to defend easily.”
“Yes, I thought so too. And that little alcove off to the left there will be useful as well.”
“Why? What is it?”
The wizard poked his head into the small room, which wasn't much bigger than an old-style phone booth, and looked around.
“Wow. It's a latrine. Yikes, I wonder how deep this hole is?”
Aeris flew by him with a chuckle and looked down into the darkness.
“As long as it is separate from the well, which I'm sure it is, it doesn't matter. Do try not to fall in, won't you?”
“I'll do my best,” Simon told him dryly.
He got settled in, hauling up some fresh water to use for washing and drinking. He missed having a fire to heat the water for tea. And the liquid was extremely cold, so his clean-up was a quick effort. But all things considered, it was an excellent place to stop.
He was sitting on one of the benches, chewing on a bar of dried berries and thinking random thoughts, when Aeris floated into the room. Simon's eyes were getting heavy and he was ready to get some sleep. Kronk was sitting next to the low rim of the well.
“Well, I'm off,” Aeris said abruptly.
His comment was so sudden that Simon jumped a bit and almost fell off the bench.
“Cripes, Aeris, don't do that. Where are you off to?”
“I'm going to scout ahead a few miles, then return and patrol the tunnel around the camp for the night. Can't be too careful down here.”
“Are you not being just a little bit paranoid?” Kronk rumbled. “We have seen and heard nothing down here except ourselves. And I feel nothing through the stone that could be threatening to us.”
Aeris shrugged and flew back to the doorway.
“It never hurts to keep an eye open, right? I'll check in when I get back. Sleep well, my dear wizard.”
And he was gone.
“He's bored, master,” Kronk said with a shake of his head.
“I know. But he's right too. Better safe than sorry.”
“I suppose that is true, master. I will go out and keep watch in the tunnel. Call me if you need me. Good night.”
“Night, Kronk.”
It was impossible to tell what time it was when you are underground. Simon slept when he was tired, ate when he was hungry, and just continued walking toward the capital city in between.
The deep road seemed unending. It undulated, rising and falling, twisting to the left and right seemingly at random. At times, it felt to Simon like he was traveling in the belly of some monstrous snake.
When he asked Kronk why the road took some many turns and dips, the earthen tried to explain that various densities in the rock had forced the ancient tunnelers to detour around certain spots rather than force their way through them. Aeris commented that it was the most boring conversation that he'd ever had the misfortune to overhear.
The air elemental was constantly on the move; racing ahead to scout the road, ducking into side tunnels, of which there were many, and then returning to report his findings. So far, what it had basically boiled down to was 'all clear'.
When Simon got up on the fourth day of the trip, or after his fourth sleep, he washed up and ate quickly. Aeris had found another way station and the wizard had slept well. The small shelters were located at fairly even points along the road and had made the journey a bit more comfortable.
But even with a sleeping bag, lying on the solid stone ground had given Simon muscle aches that took a few hours to work out every day. He couldn't even imagine himself back before the Change making this trip; his middle-aged body would not have been able to handle it.
The way station was located just at the top of a very steep, twisting section of the highway and Simon summoned two light globes to travel to the front and rear as he moved. The footing was treacherous due to pebbles and dust that had been dislodged over the centuries from the ceiling above the road and he wanted to be able to see exactly where he was walking.
Kronk led the way, surefooted as always, and the little guy helpfully pointed out the deeper cracks that Simon had to step over carefully.
“Is it just my imagination, or is this part of the tunnel more ragged and damaged than the rest we've been through?” he asked the earthen as they slowly descended along the road.
“No, you are correct, master. I would guess that a major earthquake hit this area some time in the past and that even the reinforcing arches that th
e dwarves built into the tunnel weren't enough to keep it from being damaged.”
He hopped over a wide crack and pointed at it.
“This is also proof that the dwarves do not used this path any longer, master. They would have repaired broken sections like this long ago it they still used it.”
“Good point. Hmm, I wonder why they stopped trading with other cities. Monsters? Civil war?”
He took a long, careful step over the same crack the Kronk had jumped across and then leaned on his staff while the two magic lights bobbed along over his head.
“Perhaps neither, master,” the earthen said as he looked down the slope at the road ahead. “Monsters have only recently returned to the world, thanks to the dark gods. And I have never heard of the dwarves warring with each other. However...”
His voice trailed away as he stroked his chin.
“Yes? However what?” Simon asked.
“The dwarves, as we know, are very insular. They isolate themselves from the rest of the world and call it protection.”
He shook his head, looking a little sad.
“But what if this isolation extended to their own people over time? Perhaps as the years passed, they simply stopped communicating with each other? These days they are united again, under the banner of Shandon Ironhand, but before that? Who knows, master.”
They began walking again, slipping a little on the steep road.
“You may have hit on the answer, Kronk,” the wizard mused. “Although I doubt that we'll ever know. The dwarves that I have met are very private people. Even Shandon wouldn't talk about something that puts his peoples' past in a bad light, I'm guessing.”
Kronk kicked a jagged rock down the slope and it skittered and bounced out of sight.
“I agree, master. It makes for interesting speculation as we walk though, does it not?”
Simon just laughed in agreement.
The steep section of the road seemed endless. Simon and Kronk had been descending for what felt like hours when they finally saw the road level out ahead of them.
A small pile of dirt and debris had rolled and trickled down the slope over the years and they had to climb over it to continue their hike.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 94