William knew she was right, but he wasn’t looking forward to it. It would hurt, obviously, but that seemed less important than the possibility he might not be able to walk afterward. But he had an even worse fear. “Look, I’m not afraid,” he said through short, shallow breaths. “I know it’ll hurt. A lot, but I can handle it. But what if I scream? What if someone out there hears me—”
“Don’t worry,” said Maya. “I can knock you out.”
“How? On the head? If that’s what it takes…”
“No, silly. Chloroform. It will put you to sleep for a few minutes, and you won’t feel a thing. I don’t usually use it, but I couldn’t bring the good stuff.”
William was confused, but he was in so much pain it didn’t matter. “How does it work?” he asked as she unpacked her equipment.
“First, a little alcohol to sterilize everything. Get your pants off. No, stay put. Jack, help him.” Jack scrambled over, glad for something to do. “Now,” said Maya. “Anything to say before I get started?”
“Someone keep a watch,” he said. Rachel moved and found a spot where she could survey the land and still be hidden. She too, was glad to be occupied.
Maya held a cloth to his mouth. “Breathe through this.” William coughed as the sweet fumes filled his lungs. Consciousness slipped away, and he blacked out, aware of nothing until a distant voice told him to wake up. He tried to sit up, but a heavy weight on his chest restrained him; Maya told him to relax. It took him a few moments to remember where he was and what had happened. He shivered, and someone threw a blanket on him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw familiar faces. Relief washed over him. He had survived.
“Hava muh murg?” he asked, his tongue refusing to cooperate.
“Your leg is fine,” said Maya. “I have a present for you. Can you see yet?” She handed him a jagged yellow fang. “I found this in your leg. You should have let me do this sooner. Another day and we probably would have lost you.”
With the decaying tooth removed, William improved immediately. Surprising even himself, he could walk that very evening while putting only a little weight on his crutch. It was still slow going—he couldn’t risk tripping and tearing the new stitches—but any improvement was welcome. The nights grew colder as they approached the mountains, but walking kept them warm. The mornings came later and later as the looming mountains blocked the rising sun, full daylight warmed them up quickly. The ground was no longer flat here. The rolling hills alternately concealed and exposed them, but they offered a strategic view of the land to the west. With Rachel’s guidance they kept frequent vigil, searching for any sign of people following them. “Watch for any sudden flights of birds,” she told them. “Or smoke against the sky. Look for flashes of light too; it might just be water, but it could also be sunlight on metal. And don’t just look; keep your ears open, as well.”
Twice every night they concentrated on covering their tracks. They walked on hard rock where possible, erasing all signs of their passing. Rachel even stopped Steve from relieving himself during these episodes, causing William to shake his head in wonder at just how well she had trained him.
They ventured to the river at least once a day to test the water, always with the same results. They even detected a faint odor that would have warned them against drinking it had they not already known about the danger. The banks themselves were clear of greenery for several feet on either side. They had to be nearing the source of the poison now, thought William.
Far upstream, they could see the river vanishing between two mountains. They would have to cross it soon, or else find a path through the mountains on this side. Several small streams flowed in from the snow-melt higher up. Maya reminded them that any stream might be the source of poison, and that no one should drink from any of them until she tested it. William noted with despair that she was running low on the tablets she used to test the water. He didn’t bother to ask if she could make any more; what if the answer was no?
They had gone so long without sign of their attackers that William dared hope they had escaped. He was on the verge of deciding they could finally travel during the day when Jack spotted something during his watch. At first he thought it was bushes swaying in the wind, but the longer he looked the more nervous he became. He woke Rachel to get her opinion.
Rachel stared into the distance even longer than Jack had. Finally something convinced her. “It’s them.”
“How many?” asked William.
“I can’t tell yet.”
The next few days were tense. They traveled as far as possible every night, no longer taking time to cover their tracks. The bandits were obviously on their trail because they got closer every day. Each night they increased the distance between them; every day the bandits more than made up the ground.
“Rachel, how far are those mountains?” asked William. “I can’t judge the distance.”
“We can get there today if you want.”
“I do. We’ll have better luck finding a place to hide there, I think.”
Rachel nodded. “And we’ll have the high ground if it comes to it.”
William didn’t want to think about that possibility, but she was right. “Can we get there before they catch us?”
“If we don’t stop in the morning, then yes.”
It would have to be a forced march, then. By morning, one way or another, their fate would be decided.
The single biggest impediment to the mining of ores was the lack of metals to begin with. The Colonists arrived without tools, leaving them only the equipment left by research teams in the years prior. The only ores found near the surface were soft metals like silver, gold, and copious amounts of copper. There was little iron to make the necessary tools for digging mine shafts.
Planet of Hope: A History of Esperanza
By morning they reached the high ground they had hoped for, and from there they could clearly see the bandits in the distance behind them. Their pursuers were still gaining on them, moving quickly day and night, and not even bothering to conceal their approach. Rachel pointed out two more groups, one south of the river, and one to their north. It appeared the bandits were closing a net around them, and that made William more nervous than before, because it implied what he had already feared: the bandits must know their quarry was trapped, and that there was no path upstream for them to escape. They were blocked by bandits on three sides, and a mountain range on the other. Uphill was their only choice. Eventually, they would probably be trapped beneath some impassable ridge, but at least they would be on higher ground where they might have an even chance in a fight. It was the only option that gave them any hope at all.
They stayed out of sight as much as possible, keeping an eye out for permanent hiding spots. There were no trees at this altitude, only low-lying bushes, and even the largest boulders offered no permanent refuge.
The searing pain in William’s leg returned with a vengeance. The wound was no longer infected, but the stitches had had no time to heal, and he had strained his leg far more than he should have. They had already marched well past their normal sleeping time, at a faster pace than they had before, and the steady uphill grind sapped what little remaining strength he had. The path in front of him careened as his balance finally failed. His leg gave out, and he staggered sideways through a bush and collapsed with a heavy thud. “Rest time already?” asked Jack. William was too exhausted to respond.
“I’m surprised he made it this far,” said Maya as she gave Jack a dirty look. “He should have been resting, not walking.”
“As long as we’re stopping, let’s get behind these bushes,” said Rachel.
William struggled to get up but his strength was fully spent. Charlie dragged him behind the bushes he had crashed into, and the others followed. As they looked around, it became apparent that this was a better hiding spot than they could have hoped for. The bushes had concealed a small, rocky cleft, which in turn led to a rift surrounded on all four sides by solid rick. They h
ad just enough space for all of them to lie down, and unless one of the bandits crashed through the same bushes, they would remain safely hidden. All they needed now was to wait silently and hope the bandits would give up their search. Fatigue soon took them. One by one they fell asleep before they could even unpack their bedrolls. No watch was set; who could possibly stay awake after a full day of marching, and on an empty stomach at that?
Tired as he was, William awoke first. His leg throbbed; no doubt it was that which had woken him. A small patch of dried blood on his pants hinted at torn stitches, but he resisted the urge to look. Best to let Maya tend to it when she woke. It wasn’t as though he was bleeding to death.
The day’s last sunlight reflected off the rock face above him. Somehow they had escaped detection for the entire day, and soon they would have the cover of darkness. Would it protect them, or leave them vulnerable? He wondered if they should dare attempt an escape during the night, sneaking past the bandits before dawn revealed their hiding spot. No doubt Jack could pull it off, and likely Rachel and Steve as well. Charlie and Maya too, maybe, if they were careful. But William himself could barely walk. Stealth was out of the question.
The sound of voices startled him. It came from beyond the bushes that concealed them, and they were accompanied by the sound of footsteps. Try as he might he couldn’t make out what they were saying. His heart pounded as he weighed his options. Should he risk waking the others? What if they forgot where they were and spoke too loudly before he could warn them? King’s beard…what if Steve barked? He decided to wake Rachel first, trusting she would stay quiet by instinct and keep her dog under control. He was right. Quietly they woke the others, and together they kept a silent vigil, waiting for the bandits to give up and depart.
Jack tapped William’s shoulder and nodded toward Steve sniffing at the other end of their hiding spot, whimpering. “What’s that mutt getting into?” asked Jack in a hushed voice.
“I don’t know,” said William. “Can you check it out? I can’t trust my leg yet.”
Jack slipped away silently, returning a few short a few moments later, his eyes glowing with excitement. “It’s a tunnel, Will. A small one, but even Charlie will fit.”
“What kind of tunnel?” asked William.
“I don’t know. It’s a tunnel. What kinds of tunnels are there?”
“I mean does it lead somewhere? Who made it?”
“Oh…no, it’s natural. It probably just leads to some caves. Anyway, there’s nothing to gain by staying here.”
“Maybe,” said William. “Let’s tell the others and see what they say.”
The noises outside stopped. Likely their pursuers had bedded down for the night, but were no doubt keeping a watch. William and Jack told the others about the tunnel. No one warmed to the idea of going underground, but only Charlie was dead set against it. William knew why, but kept the reason to himself. He resented having to account for Charlie’s weakness while figuring out how to keep everyone alive, but if it came down to it he could order Charlie to stay above ground and guard the entrance, possibly sacrificing him in doing so. Then again, if this was the only entrance, Charlie’s presence might draw the bandits to them. It was a horrible quandary, like standing on a burning boat and not knowing how to swim.
William was surprised when Jack called from the tunnel entrance. Somehow, he had moved all the bags to the opening without anyone noticing, and was dropping them into the hole, one at a time.
“Jack! What on Esper are you doing?” William asked, almost forgetting not to yell.
“I fell in by accident,” he said, despite clearly not having done so. In answer to William’s puzzled look, Jack moved beside the hole, then plunged out of view.
“King’s throat, I’m going to strangle him!” said William. He hobbled to the hole and called for Jack as loudly as he dared.
Jack’s face appeared from the shadows below. “Get everyone in,” he said. “It’s safe; the gravel slide will break your fall.”
William ignored the comment. “Get back up here, Jack!”
“I can’t. No rope, and it’s too high to reach.”
“What on Esper has he done?” asked Rachel. “Why did you do that, you idiot?”
Jack’s grin was apparent, even in the dying light. “Like I told William, I fell in by accident.”
William seethed. He had no choice now. As mad as he was, he couldn’t abandon his friend, especially now that all their gear was in the tunnel. Besides, it was the decision he was probably going to make anyway. “Fine,” he said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. “Everyone in.” Rachel jumped first, quickly followed by Steve. Maya had a difficult time trusting the fall wouldn’t kill her, but she eventually jumped.
Charlie was shaking, and William raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll be okay,” the Guard said. “You go.”
“Are you sure?” asked William. “I can’t leave you here by yourself.”
Charlie nodded. “Watch your leg.”
William limped to the hole and let himself fall. He hit the gravel on his backside, and slid to a stop about twenty feet down. His injured leg jammed into something solid and his mind went dizzy with pain. Several agonizing moments later he heard Charlie jump in behind him. Charlie’s momentum drove him into William, multiplying the pain in his leg. William couldn’t tell if he had blacked out or not until Jack lit a torch.
No one dared move. They strained to hear any sounds from above, concerned that the sound of them landing on the gravel might have drawn the bandits’ attention. Satisfied that they hadn’t been followed, William looked around the tunnel. The ground sloped gently downward beyond the torchlight, and a faint breeze hinted at another entrance somewhere below them. Whether they could find it was another thing altogether, and William wondered whether they hadn’t made things worse. Jack was right; they couldn’t get back out by this entrance. They had to move forward now.
Immediate danger avoided, William directed his attention to a less urgent, but no less important issue. He hobbled over to Jack and punched his shoulder. “What did I tell you about making decisions for me?”
Jack rubbed his shoulder stared back at William, his jaw set in a look of defiance. “This wasn’t just your decision, Will. My life was in danger too.”
“So you decided your judgment was better than mine, or anyone else’s?”
“It’s not that—”
“Yes, it is that. We were discussing our options when you started tossing our bags into the hole. So my only choices were to follow you, or leave you on your own.”
“Why didn’t you just leave me on my own, then?”
“I couldn’t, Jack! You made sure of that when you dropped the bags down here. We act as a group, we take risks as a group. When you decide on your own, you endanger us all.”
No one else spoke as Jack stared at his boots. “I only did what I thought was safest. I really wasn’t just thinking of myself.”
“No one thinks you were,” said Maya. “But we came here to do something more important than ourselves. Sometimes we’ll have to take a calculated risk, and we have to do that together.”
“Fine. I’m sorry,” Jack said after a tortured silence. “I won’t do it again.”
“Well, we should at least look around,” said Rachel. “We won’t get anywhere by just standing here.”
“True,” said Maya. “But we haven’t taken much of a look here yet.”
“Fine, then, let’s look instead of talking. Jack, if you’re just going to flap your gums, hand me that torch.” Rachel grabbed the torch before Jack could answer, and she and Maya began surveying the tunnel. They walked back and forth, examining the surfaces closely, ignoring everyone else. At one spot Maya pointed at something on the wall and Rachel nodded.
“What?” asked Jack.
“Hush,” said Rachel with a wave of her hand. “Let the grownups work.” Jack sat on the gravel pile and sulked. Charlie followed the women as they wandered down the tunnel, but s
tayed out of their way. William was pleased he didn’t have to remind Charlie to protect them. Whether he was motivated by duty, or fondness for Maya, or the fact that they were carrying the only torch didn’t really matter. William was glad for the chance to rest his leg after landing on it so hard, but his impatience soon matched Jack’s. What could be taking them so long to investigate a simple cave? Before they got completely out of sight they turned around and headed back.
“Well?” asked Jack.
Ignoring him, Rachel spoke directly to William. “This tunnel isn’t natural.”
“What?” asked Jack.
“Don’t worry, Jack, neither are you,” she said. “It started out as a natural cave, but we found scrape marks on the stone where it has been widened.”
William’s stomach felt as though it had dropped several feet. “There are people down here?”
“No, I don’t think so. The ground is covered in dust, and we saw no tracks. Also, Steve didn’t smell anything.”
Relief washed over him. “King’s teeth, you had me worried there.”
Jack got to his feet and grumbled. “Well, if there’s nothing to worry about, let’s start exploring.”
William nodded. “Fine. But the priority is finding a way out. We aren’t exploring just for the fun of it.” Jack grumbled, but didn’t argue. At William’s insistence Charlie lit a second torch and led the way while he himself took the rear. Maya stayed in the middle sandwiched by Jack and Rachel. If anything jumped out of the gloom it would have to get through two people at least before Maya would be hurt.
They moved slowly at first, but the further they went the more obvious it became that the tunnel was no product of nature. William marveled at the amount of work it implied, cutting through this much solid rock. “Whoever made this tunnel must have had iron tools,” he said to Jack.
“If there’s a source of iron ore here, do you know how rich we’ll be?” asked Jack.
“Hang on,” said William. “I thought all iron goes to the Duke for ships.”
The Defender of Rebel Falls: A Medieval Science Fiction Adventure (The William Whitehall Adventures Book 1) Page 12