The Other Realm

by Joab Stieglitz

  “Indeed.”

  “Where do we find the entrance to these catacombs?” Lamb asked.

  “Khan-Tral knows the way,” Khan-Tral said with confidence. “That’s how he rescued Deb-Roh last time.”

  “You have rescued Deb-Roh from Gho-Bazh before?” Anna asked with suspicion.

  “Of course,” the warrior replied. “Khan-Tral and Deb-Roh sought renown by challenging the Red Wizard in his lair. They failed, then escaped from the dungeon through the catacombs. That was before Gho-Bazh knew who Deb-Roh was.”

  “And he sent Sif to lure you back,” Anna deduced to the swordsman’s surprise.

  “Just so,” Khan-Tral replied in amazement. “How did you know?”

  “I read this story in one of Brian’s journals,” she said. “But in that tale, you and Deb-Roh separated because you were jealous of Sif’s affection for him.”

  “That is a fiction. Khan-Tral and Deb-Roh are as one. That temptress lured him with her wiles and gave him to the wizard.”

  “And only he was taken with her?” Lamb asked. Khan-Tral hesitated uncharacteristically. “If we are to put our lives in your hands, we must trust each other.”

  “Very well,” the warrior conceded. “We were both captivated by her, but Khan-Tral was the stronger of them, and he managed to break free of the spell. Deb-Roh was thoroughly under her power. In the end, Khan-Tral had to bind and gag Deb-Roh and carry him through the catacombs until the spell wore off.”

  “Or you were far enough away,” Anna said, remembering Lamb in Sif’s palace. “Her magics must have a limited range.”

  “If we are to take to the catacombs, we will need some supplies,” Khan-Tral said. “We will need light, a lot of rope, and rations.” He paused with a frown. “And we will have to leave our mounts behind.” He patted his shuffler’s flank with unexpected affection.

  “And how are we to acquire these supplies?” Anna asked. “We have no money with which to pay for anything.”

  “And we don’t want to be seen,” Lamb added.

  “We will have to borrow what we need from those who have it,” Khan-Tral replied coolly.

  “You mean steal it,” Anna spat.

  “It happens all the time,” Khan-Tral replied. “Invading armies take whatever they want. We will take only what we need.”

  “How do we know we will even find anyone else on this road?” Lamb asked.

  “This is the only road from Kreipsche to Tiornen. All traders who do not go by sea must travel this way. There are a few trading posts along our path before we head for the entrance to the catacombs.”

  “We really have no other choice,” Anna conceded.

  “On the other hand,” Lamb mused, “if we are sighted in this area, Gho-Bazh might send more of his forces to look for us here.” He turned to Khan-Tral. “How many know of these catacombs?”

  “Few are aware of them, and even fewer have passed through.”

  “Then this sounds like a good plan,” Anna said. “We will make our presence known in this area, and then we will disappear, only to reappear in the fortress itself.”

  Chapter 19

  ?

  “KNOW THAT THE ASSISTANCE YOU GIVE KHAN-TRAL AND HIS COMPANIONS WILL AID IN ENDING THE TYRANNY OF THE RED WIZARD!”

  The phrase was getting bothersome to Anna and Lamb since the swordsman shouted it every time they left one of the homesteads of trading posts they raided. They tried to leave game or trade goods they didn’t actually need that had been taken from other raids to conceal their plans, but as their required supplies increased, there was less space to carry extraneous things.

  They spent several days traveling up and back down the road, stopping at alternating settlements each time. At the last trading post, the farthest point north that they had intended to go, the inhabitants had been prepared as word had spread of the marauding band in the area.

  As expected, the simple folk were neither skilled fighters or well-equipped. The three put up a show of being repelled by the defenders and pursued into the wilderness, but evaded the angry folk easily enough. Word would surely spread to Gho-Bazh that they were in the area and out for his head.

  They had acquired torches, a large quantity of oil, several hundred feet of rope, spikes used for mountain climbing, and a goodly supply of dried meat. Lamb had also acquired, at Khan-Tral’s suggestion, a large quantity of metal arrowheads, which the warrior pounded holes through so that they could be used to shoot ropes into distant stone.

  “Your bow will not be very useful for combat down below,” the swordsman had said, “but it will be essential if we are to cross chasms or climb sheer chimneys. The only things plentiful in the catacombs are water and danger. Whatever else we need, we will have to bring in on our backs.”

  The muscled giant was not daunted by the sheer weight and bulk of what they had assembled, but Anna and Lamb doubted that they would be able to carry it all.

  “The most important things are the lanterns and the oil,” the warrior replied. “There is water, and we can do without food for a while, or eat the denizens of the dark if we must, but without light we will be helpless.” He eyed the two. “Unless either of you can naturally see in total darkness.”

  “I am afraid that neither of us are so gifted,” Anna replied.

  “I think this will be a new experience for both of us,” Lamb added.

  “I have been in underground tombs and catacombs before,” Anna said, “so I have some idea of what to expect.”

  “You may be surprised,” Khan-Trail said.

  “When will we reach the entrance to the catacombs?” Anna asked.

  “We will access them through an abandoned mine not far from here,” Khan-Tral said.

  “How do you know it is still abandoned?” Lamb asked.

  “When the miners broke through to the tunnels below,” the warrior said, “the denizens of that dark realm emerged and decimated them. The mine was abandoned and sealed.”

  “Then how are we to get in?” Anna asked.

  “Khan-Tral and Deb-Roh came upon the fallen rock of a collapsed tunnel in their escape from the Red Wizard. With no other recourse, they dug their way through it, and eventually found the surface world once again. They plugged the entrance behind them to prevent the escape of the abominations from below, but Khan-Tral can open it.”

  “All right, then,” Lamb said, “how far is this mine from here?”

  “It is but a two day ride through the broken country,” the swordsman said. “We will stay off the road so that we are not seen.”

  ◆

  “Where are they going?” O’Malley asked, watching as the three made their way along the side of a sheer cliff.

  “They appear to be looking for something.”

  ‘True. The big one keeps searching in caves and cracks.”

  ◆

  Khan-Tral walked next to his mount and looked into every opening in the side of the mountains, going so far as to move stones here and there. Anna and Lamb kept watch for any onlookers as he probed, but the swordsman made no attempts at stealth.

  “Should we not be more clandestine?” Anna asked the warrior after he threw a large rock into the trees, scattering a flock of birds. “If anyone is nearby, they have surely been alerted to our presence by now.”

  “There is no one within a day of this location,” Khan-Tral said confidently. “We are far from the road and the land here is too rocky and broken for farming.”

  “What of hunters or herders?” Lamb asked. “I have noted footprints here and there.” This caused the warrior some consternation.

  “That is a valid concern,” Anna agreed. “Wanderers or refugees might find such a remote place ideal.” The swordsman stopped mid-throw and set the stone in his hand on the ground out of the way.

  “Khan-Tral must confess that the landscape has changed somewhat since he was last here.”

  “And when was that?” Lamb asked.

  “Khan-Tral and Deb-Roh escaped the Red Wizar
d just before the first thaws.”

  “So the ground was covered with snow and leafless trees,” Lamb said in irritation. The warrior shrugged.

  They continued on in to a copse of trees and around an outcropping when Khan-Tral stopped abruptly and signaled for silence. Quietly, Anna and Lamb dismounted and joined him at the end of the foliage.

  About twenty feet away was another outcropping. Between the two arms of the cliff were the remnants of a rockslide that nearly filled the space, but Khan-Tral pointed to a small opening where the rockslide met the wall they now stood by. It was carefully concealed such that it would only be visible from their perspective, and it was large enough for even the giant warrior to squeeze through.

  “That is the entrance to the mine,” Khan-Tral whispered, “but it seems that it has been reopened recently. Perhaps the abominations have escaped.”

  “From the foot traffic,” Lamb said, studying the ground, “I would say that there are people in there, and they probably come out to hunt fairly regularly.” He gestured to the ground, but the others could not see the tracks until he pointed them out.

  “In any case,” Khan-Tral said, “our point of entry has been discovered. We must assume that those within are hostile, and possibly in the employ of the Red Wizard. Be ready.”

  “I suggest that we reconnoiter first before unloading the supplies,” Lamb said, readying his bow.

  “KHAN-TRAL WILL SURV-” the warrior shouted before Anna and Lamb pulled him back deeper into the copse.

  “Perhaps stealth would be a better approach at this time,” Anna scolded, putting her finger before her mouth for silence. “Cover me,” she said, drawing a pair of knives from her bandoleer before sneaking forward out of the copse toward the opening.

  Anna caught herself unconsciously twirling the blades around her fingers as she tiptoed toward the gap. Since they had left Sobak and “her” parents at the cabin, she had considered who they might be, or more precisely, how they came to be. Anna and Lamb were, after all, traveling in a realm of Brian Teplow’s imagination.

  She concluded that Brian’s version of things was being influenced. They knew that Kovacs had hijacked the spiritualist’s dream world, but a family for Nygof was too mundane for the sorcerer to have inserted. Anna considered that perhaps the figures had come from her own imagination, but she had never had any familial inclinations of any kind, so that could not have been it.

  Anna focused again as she rounded a boulder that concealed the opening of the cave from someone facing the cliff. The opening was about three feet in diameter. There was weathered rubble on the ground which suggested that stones had been broken, perhaps by hammers.

  Maybe some miners had returned. But if that were the case, the mine was not being worked. The entrance was deliberately concealed. It was more likely someone’s hiding place. She grabbed the knives tightly in each hand and padded toward the opening. There were no sounds coming from within, and she did not smell anything unusual.

  Anna glanced back toward the trees and saw Lamb with an arrow nocked in his bow. Carefully, she stepped forward. The little light that penetrated the hole revealed little. Just as she reached the threshold, a slab of polished stone in the floor reflected sunlight into her face, blinding her. Anna fell backward, shielding her eyes with her arms.

  At the sight of Anna, Lamb took aim toward the gap, but Khan-Tral leaped forward into his line of sight. Lamb followed a moment later and joined the swordsman at Anna’s side.

  “What happened?” Lamb asked, moving Anna’s arms to examine her eyes.

  “There is a mirrored stone set in the floor at the entrance,” Anna said as Lamb opened each eye to look closer. “It seems to be angled to catch sunlight and blind whoever approaches.”

  “A cunning trap,” the warrior said. He pointed up to where another shiny slab was set into the wall and angled toward the one at the entrance. “Anyone who approaches must go down this narrow passage. Undoubtedly more treachery awaits beyond the threshold.”

  “Your eyes look fine,” Lamb said in a professional tone.

  “Khan-Tral agrees,” the warrior said with a smile.

  “I mean there doesn’t appear to be any damage-”

  “I know what you meant, doctor,” Anna said. “The trap is designed to impair seeing in the dark. I have seen similar devices in tombs. I expect that the terrain within is dangerous enough that impairing vision would be sufficient to eliminate trespassers.” Anna waited under Lamb’s observation until her vision cleared.

  While they sat, Khan-Tral eyed the reflective stone in the cliff face. He scooped up a large handful of dirt and sand from the ground and tossed it to where he estimated its counterpart would be. He then stepped forward with his hand out, looking for light reflected onto it. When he saw none, he peered within the cave.

  “THERE IS INDEED A GREAT CHASM IMMEDIATELY TO THE RIGHT OF THE ENTRANCE,” the warriors voice echoed from within. “TREAD CAREFULLY.”

  “We better get in there,” Anna said. Lamb offered his assistance, but she batted his hand away. “I am fine now.”

  She carefully stepped toward the entrance and noted that the reflective stone was now covered with detritus. After crawling through the hole, the entrance turned abruptly to the right, and along the side was a dark, wide gap. The path itself was narrow by comparison, and the wall was irregular.

  “I suggest we unload our supplies,” Anna said quietly. Her voice echoed several times.

  “I agree,” Khal-Tral said. Anna could not see him in the darkness.

  Anna crawled back out of the cave. Lamb was there with an arrow nocked watching the thicket where they had left their shufflers.

  “Let us unload our equipment.”

  Chapter 20

  ?

  The darkness beyond the entrance was unfathomable. Lamb had lit a torch, the stony gloom on all sides seeming to drink it. It was sufficient to illuminate the chasm enough to see Khan-Tral at the other end of the narrow ledge, where the path widened slightly.

  “We are not going to be able to get the bulkier supplies past this,” Anna said. She examined the walls. “I do not see any handholds, and who knows how deep that pit is.”

  “Perhaps we can set up a pulley system and send the supplies over that way?” Lamb said introspectively. “We just need something to slide along the rope.”

  “At the very least, the rope would give us something to hold on to,” Anna replied. “The ledge is quite narrow in places.”

  “Khan-Tral,” Lamb said quietly. They had established that whispered voices from Anna and Lamb could be heard clearly by the warrior, whereas he needed to shout to be heard.

  “I AM HERE,” the swordsman replied.

  “I am going to shoot an arrow close to your position, and we will ferry the supplies across with it.” The warrior grunted, which Lamb took as acknowledgment.

  He adjusted the tension on the bow by turning the gears. Then, using one of the special arrowheads, Lamb wound half of one of the lengths of rope through the hole. When he was satisfied, he shot the arrow, which landed with a solid THUNK in the wall a few inches from Khan-Tral’s head.

  “A FINE SHOT, ARCHER!”

  Anna and Lamb pulled on the other end of the rope as hard as they could to test the hold. It was solid. Lamb then drove another of the metal arrowheads into the wall on their side, and pulled the other end of the rope through it. He pulled it taut and tied the two ends together, leaving about ten feet of rope dangling.

  “We can use that to tie bundles of supplies to the rope, and pull it to the other side where Khan-Tral can untie and stow it. Do you have space over there to put things?”

  “THERE IS A SMALL CAVE ON THIS SIDE. IT SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT.”

  “Very well then,” Anna said with satisfaction. “We should start with the saddle bags and do the bulkier things later.”

  “I don’t know,” Lamb replied. “Each time we put weight on the line, we risk pulling out the anchors. Perhaps we should send
the heavier things first.”

  “It is a matter of what we can carry versus what we will need most,” Anna countered.

  “OK,” Lamb conceded. Anna had already retrieved their saddle bags, so Lamb picked one set up and draped them over the rope. It sagged uncomfortably. “I don’t know if it will hold the heavier things,” he said to the swordsman. “We may have to leave them behind.”

  “WE WILL TAKE WHAT WE CAN,” Khan-Tral replied. “THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE THAT ANYTHING WOULD FIT THROUGH THE NARROW SPACES WE MIGHT ENCOUNTER WITHIN.”

  Lamb shrugged and tied the saddle bags to one of the ropes. Then he started pulling the other and the bags drooped almost to the lip of the chasm before moving across.

  “Oh my,” Anna said, returning with their bedrolls. “I see your point, doctor.”

  “We’ll have to make due,” he said stoically.

  ◆

  They had to tighten the ropes several times, but in the end, all of the supplies save for some kegs that worked loose and dropped endlessly into the chasm. Lamb tightened up the rope one more time before Anna took hold of it and steadied herself as she crossed the narrow ledge that was the path.

  The going was slow as the height of the gap varied, but most of the way, she had to hunch forward precariously, putting her weight on the rope. She was about halfway down when the ropes suddenly bowed out, and Anna just barely managed to grip the ledge with her feet. Her body was fully extended, and she peered down blindly into the abyss.

  “Are you hurt?” Lamb cried.

  “I am fine,” Anna replied, “but I do not think I can get back to the ledge without assistance.”

  “I’ll come out to you,” Lamb said quickly.

  “STAY WHERE YOU ARE, ARCHER,” Khan-Tral said from the opposite end of the ledge. Then, to Anna, “NYGOF, YOU MUST TAKE HOLD OF THE ROPE FIRMLY, FREE YOUR FEET, AND CLIMB THE REST OF THE WAY USING THE ROPE.”