Trail of the Gods ms-4

by Brian S. Pratt

  Jorry picks up the wood and goes over to the door where he wedges it in to prevent the door from closing.

  James waits a minute for the door to begin to close, but the piece of wood successfully keeps it open. “Good,” he says. “Through there is a narrow passage which should be wide enough to carry the boat through sideways. After that is a cavern with ample room.”

  “Okay boys,” Illan tells the others, “You’ve got the boat.”

  Yern, Fifer, Uther and Jorry all take a side and lift the boat off the ground. Jiron moves into the passage with James right behind. “There’s a bundle of old torches here,” he hollers back to Illan. “Grab a couple to use on your way back.”

  “Good idea,” he says.

  With a groan, the four guys flip the boat on its side as they move to the opening in the wall. It’s quite a tight fit, but they manage to maneuver the boat through the opening and shuffle with it down the passage. From the rear, light flares up indicating Illan has found the bundle of torches and has lit one.

  When they at last exit the narrow passageway and are in the cavern, they flip the boat back upright again. Moving the boat through the stalagmites rising from the floor and the pools of water is much easier than it had been getting it through the narrow passage.

  Jiron, who had been scouting ahead with one of James’ orbs of light, comes back. “There’s a broken down bridge ahead, spanning a very deep chasm,” he tells them.

  “I know,” says James. “That’s the way we’ve got to go.”

  “How in the world are we to get that boat across?” he asks.

  “What do you mean?” interrupts Uther from where he’s carrying the boat. “What bridge?”

  “You’ll see,” replies Jiron.

  Shortly, the light from James’ orb illuminates the beginning of the rickety bridge hanging precariously across the chasm.

  The guys carrying the boat stop and set it on the ground. “It’ll never hold us carrying the boat across,” states Fifer. “It’ll collapse!”

  “I never said we’d be carrying it over,” he tells them.

  “Then just how do you propose to get it over there? Magic?” asks Uther.

  Shaking his head, he says, “No, I’ll need all I have for a little bit later on. Somewhere in one of the packs are three large eye rings. We need two of them now.” They rummage through the packs and produce the two eye rings.

  James takes out the long rope from within his own backpack. After making sure it’s long enough, he hands one end of it to Fifer. Taking the other end, he gives it to Jiron and says, “Take this over to the other side.”

  Nodding, he ties the rope around his waist before beginning to cross the bridge. As he makes his way over, James turns to Yern and says, “You take one of the eye rings and sledge hammer over across the bridge after he’s cleared the other side. Then you and Jiron need to hammer it into the stone securely.”

  To Fifer he says, “Tie the other end of the rope to the forward section of the boat.”

  He notices Illan already has a long piece of rope and is securing one end to the rear of the boat. “I think I see what you’re planning to do. You’ve been planning this long?” he asks.

  “Ever since I found that,” he says, pointing to the box carrying the Fire. To Uther and Jorry he says, “Take the other eye ring and hammer it securely into the stone on this side.

  “Okay,” Uther says as Jorry takes the eye ring and sledge hammer over to within three feet of the edge of the chasm. Soon, hammering can be heard coming from both sides as they put the eye rings into the stone.

  Seeing that Fifer has the end of the rope secured to the bow of the boat, he tells him to cross over to the other side. By the time he arrives there, the hammering has stopped. “Now,” he hollers over to the other side, “slip the rope through the eye of the eye ring.” When they’ve accomplished that, he has them stand to one side as they grasp the rope. He sees that Illan already has the rope that’s tied to the rear of the boat threaded through the eye ring on this side.

  With Jiron, Fifer and Yern on one side and Illan, Uther and Jorry on the other, he has them firmly grasp the rope and take in the slack. “Now, when I holler ‘GO!’ I want you on the far side to pull slowly and steady while those on this side maintain the tension on the rope as the boat goes over. Use the eye rings for leverage and it shouldn’t be too difficult. Everyone understands?”

  Once he gets the affirmatives from those on both sides, he yells, “GO!”

  Jiron’s side begins to slowly pull the boat toward them while Illan’s on this side continues to maintain the tension. Inch by inch, the boat moves toward the edge of the chasm. If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what I’ll do.

  Suddenly, the prow of the boat clears the edge and soon the rest of it follows. He can see the strain of those on his side as they try to maintain a steady rhythm of hand over hand and still keep a firm grip.

  He watches as the boat slowly makes its way across the chasm. When it’s a third of the way across, he hollers, “Doing good!”

  Halfway across and the two teams still maintain the tension, though the boat has dipped a little into the chasm. The team on the other side continues to steadily reel in the boat.

  Two-thirds of the way, and everything is still moving steady. It has dipped still further into the chasm, but continues making its way across. Finally, the bow comes to within a foot of the other side. Yern lets go of the rope as he steps to the edge and reaches out to help get it up over the lip of the chasm. Pulling with the help of those behind him, the boat finally slides onto the other side.

  James can hear a groan of relief as the men on his side release the rope. Hollering over to the other side, he says, “Pull the rope the rest of the way across.” Jiron waves back at him as he goes to the boat and begins reeling in the rope that is tied to its rear.

  “Just need to get the rest of us across now,” he says to Illan.

  “You go first,” he tells James. “Then I’ll send them across one at a time.”

  “Very well,” he says. Shouldering his pack, he moves to the bridge and works his way across to the other side. “You guys alright?” he asks Jiron and the others when he gets there.

  “Arms are sore, but otherwise fine,” Fifer tells him.

  Jiron’s there, rubbing his shoulder, the one that had been hit by the crossbow back in Lythylla. “Shoulder hurt?” he asks as he comes over to him.

  “A little,” he admits with a grin. “Too much strain I guess. It’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

  “We’ll have a break when everyone else gets over here,” he tells him. Over on the bridge, Jorry is making his way across while Uther and Illan stand on the other side waiting their turn. One by one they make their way across until they’re all together once more.

  “Let’s take a few minutes to rest and have a bite to eat,” he suggests.

  “Good idea,” Jorry and Uther say at the same time which makes the others start laughing.

  As they break out their rations, Yern asks, “What’s up ahead?”

  “Up ahead is another small passage which opens up on a vast cavern,” he explains between bites. “That’s where it gets interesting.”

  “You mean, more interesting than what we just went through?” asks Jorry.

  Nodding, James finishes a mouthful of food before continuing. “At the end of the passage, a narrow stairway leading down has been carved out of the rock. It descends for several hundred feet before coming to a stone platform next to an underground river.”

  “Is that where you’ll be needing the boat?” asks Illan.

  “That’s right,” he tells them. “You’re going to hold the rope against the rushing of the water, preventing Jiron and me from being sucked along with the torrent. I’ll hide the box somewhere in the tunnel, and when I’m done, you just release the rope and let us go.”

  “Isn’t that going to be dangerous?” Fifer asks.

  “Some,” he admits. “But Miko and I came t
hrough here earlier this summer and survived.”

  He can see those around him have their doubts about his plan, but he can’t think of anywhere that would be as good a place to hide it as here. Who would even think to look in such a place?

  “You all must swear to keep the secret of where this is hidden all the way to your graves,” he says. Looking from one to another, they nod saying they’ll never tell. “I’d hate to think what would happen should this ever be found.”

  “You can trust us,” Illan says. Glancing at the others, he says, “Right?”

  “Sure.” “Right.” “You can count on us.”

  When everyone is through having a small bite to eat, they shoulder their packs and the four again lift the boat. With Jiron in the lead, they cross the remainder of the cavern until they come to the narrow passage.

  Flipping the boat again on its side, they carry it into the passage. The floor of the passage is slick with slime, water runs along the bottom in the same direction they’re going. At the end of the passage, the roar of a waterfall can be heard from somewhere in the distance.

  Jiron goes to the edge and says, “I’ll go down and help with the boat as you lower it down.”

  “Good idea,” agrees James.

  Nodding, Jiron takes the stairs and soon all that can be seen is the glowing of the orb as it descends into the darkness below. As the men with the boat approach the end of the passage, they suddenly hear Jiron’s voice holler from below. “James! You need to see this!”

  “Wait here,” he tells the others before he descends the stairs to see what Jiron is talking about.

  Before he reaches the bottom, he sees Jiron still standing on the stairs. His breath catches in his throat when he sees what it is that Jiron is talking about. There is no longer a stone platform. The water level has risen from the rains and now has completely covered the platform.

  “What are we to do now?” Jiron asks over the thunderous roar of the waterfall.

  James stares at the water a moment then throws the orb toward where he and Miko had left through the tunnel on the boat last time. The orb arcs through the air and before it hits the water, they can see the opening where the water is rushing out.

  There’s barely enough room for the boat, in fact, there may not be enough at all.

  “What do you think?” he asks Jiron. “Can we make it through in the boat?”

  “Man, I don’t know,” he says shaking his head. “It could be possible. Depends on how much our weight will cause the boat to sink into the water.”

  From up above, they hear Illan holler, “What’s wrong?”

  “We better go up and tell them,” James says. Jiron nods his head and they begin to climb back up. Once up there, they explain the situation to Illan and the others.

  “Do you still mean to go through with this?” he asks.

  “I have to,” he stresses. “This is more important than I can say.”

  “Alright, what do you want us to do?” he asks.

  “Fifer, you and Yern make your way down to the water lever,” he explains. “Take the last eye ring and a sledge hammer. As close to the top of the water as you can, pound in the eye ring then return here.”

  “You got it,” he says as they get the equipment and head down the stairs. Jiron hands Fifer his glowing orb for light before they go. They watch as the orb makes its way down into the darkness. Soon, the sound of them pounding the eye ring into the stone wall can be heard. Shortly after the sound stops, they return back up to the others.

  “All done,” Fifer tells them as he hands the orb back to Jiron.

  “Thanks,” he says. “Now, to get the boat down there.” He thinks for a bit before continuing. “We’ll lower the boat gently until it rests upon the water. Then well put the rope tied to the stern through the eye ring. The rest of you will have to remain on the stairs holding it while Jiron and I get in.”

  “Once we’re in, slowly let out the slack in the rope until we’re within the tunnel and I give you a signal to hold it still. At that point, I will be placing the box within its hiding spot.”

  “What’s the signal?” Uther asks.

  “I’ll make one of my orbs appear,” he explains. “When the orb disappears, that’ll be the signal to let the rope go. After that, you make your way back out. Make sure you allow the secret door to close, no sense announcing to anyone coming in there that it’s there.”

  “Alright,” Illan says. “How long will it take you to make it back to The Ranch?”

  Shrugging, he says, “I can’t even begin to guess on that. But if we’re not back in a couple weeks, start worrying.”

  Illan just nods.

  “Everyone ready?” he asks.

  When everyone nods their head, he has Jiron move to the bottom of the stairs to aid the boat in reaching the water safely.

  Once they get his holler saying he’s ready, they start lowering the boat over the edge. It seems like they’re lowering it forever before tension in the rope slackens and they hear Jiron holler up that it’s on the water.

  “Secure it to the eye ring while we come down!” he hollers down to him.

  “Okay!” they hear back in a second. “Come on down.”

  They make their way down to where Jiron stands on the step just above the water, the boat resting on the surface near him. The rope attached to the front of the boat is secured to the eye ring.

  Giving Jiron the rope tied to the back, he waits while Jiron switches the rope securing the boat to the eye ring. When he’s finished, the boat is now pointing in the correct direction.

  Handing his pack which contains the box to Jiron, he has him put it into the bottom of the boat. Jiron is about ready to get in when he tells him to wait until the others are in position and gripping the rope.

  “You ready?” he asks them.

  “Go ahead,” Illan shouts down to him from where he’s anchoring the rope.

  Nodding to Jiron, he waits while he gets into the boat, then climbs in after him. He indicates the two oars secured to the bottom of the boat and tells Jiron to take one. “Use it to keep us from the walls as best you can.”

  Jiron removes one and indicates he’s ready. To the ones on the stairs, he hollers, “Okay!”

  Slowly, the boat begins to move out into the rushing torrent on its way to the outflow. The light from Jiron’s orb begins to illuminate the entrance to the outflow. “Man, we’re not going to fit in there!” he cries out to James. The opening looks even smaller than it did before. Water crashes on both sides of the opening sending fountains of spray up into the air, soaking them in ice cold water before they even get close.

  When they’re within several feet, they discover that they will in fact be able to make it through, though the ceiling of the tunnel will be but inches from the top of the boat. They’ll have to practically lie down in the bottom of the boat to keep from hitting their heads.

  As the bow of the boat begins to enter the tunnel, James looks back to those on the stairs holding the rope. The light from Illan’s torch illuminates him and Uther who stands just below him from where it lies on the step above. Foot by foot, the tunnel swallows them until the light from Illan’s torch can no longer be seen.

  “Hold on!” Illan cries out to them as they continue letting out slack for James and Jiron to move even further into the tunnel. He looks behind him and sees there’s only about another ten feet before they run out of rope. Still, James’ signal has not appeared.

  Uther’s hands have begun to bleed from where the rope is cutting into them, but still he holds on. “Can’t hold on much longer!” he cries up to Illan.

  “Yes you can!” he hollers back. Suddenly, an orb appears before them.

  “That’s it!” Illan cries out. “Hold it steady while he does what he needs to.”

  Keeping the rope still is much harder on their muscles than controlling it as the slack had been let loose. They hold it there for five minutes before Fifer yells up to Illan. “The eye ring! It’s sl
iding loose!”

  “How long?” yells Illan back to him.

  “Seconds!”

  “When it goes, let loose or you’ll lose your arms!” he yells to the others.

  “What about James and Jiron?” cries Uther.

  “There fate will be in the hands of the gods!” he hollers back.

  Suddenly, the orb disappears just as the eye ring lets loose. They let go of the rope and watch as it gets sucked into the tunnel. “Good luck James,” Illan says quietly to himself before they begin climbing back up the stairs.

  Chapter Fifteen

  As they inch their way along the tunnel, the boat continuously scrapes the sides and ceiling of the tunnel. Water periodically sloshes into the boat from where it hits the sides, and the bottom has already filled with two inches of water. When Jiron mentions it to James, he tells him the added water isn’t that bad, that it will enable them to ride lower in the water and hopefully not scrape so much.

  It seems they’ve been a long time within the tunnel before James finds what he’s looking for. Suddenly, the light from the orb reveals a gap in the ceiling above them. When the gap reaches the middle of the boat, James releases the magic and the orb appears back with the others, signaling them to hold fast.

  The boat abruptly stops its forward progress and James takes the orb as he inspects the cavity in the rock above. It’s about two foot in diameter and several more feet deep. The light from the orb shows it is just a vertical opening with no place to set the box and crystals.

  He feels Jiron tap him as he shouts to be heard over the sound of the rushing water, “You better hurry, not sure how long they’ll be able to hold us here!” Lying on his back, he has one of the oars pressed to the side of the tunnel in an attempt to hold them steady.

  “I know,” he hollers back. Picturing in his mind what he wants to do, he lets the magic flow as chips of rock begin to fall from one side of the top of the cavity, three feet above the rushing water. A hole begins to form as more and more of the rock is broken away. It takes a couple minutes to clear a spot large enough and level enough for the box.