Into the Wastelands: Book Four of the Restoration Series

by Williams, Christopher

  Warren glanced over at her and nodded. “Yes. Well, it’s the main entrance anyway. As I said last night there are several secret entrances we can use.” He looked around to see how the others were doing before continuing, “Most of the secret doors near the plateau have been found, but we know of some farther away.”

  Heather looked back the way they had come. “But we travelled miles, are you telling me that the mine reaches this far?”

  Smiling, Warren nodded. “The dwarves are at home under the earth. They built many mines, outposts, and even a few cities in these mountains.”

  “And the Faerum allowed this? In their lands?”

  “Both peoples benefitted. The dwarves got to do what they love; dig, mine, and make things. The Faerum got an excellent trading partner.” His smile slipped a little, “Like I said, they both profited from the arrangement.”

  “Until the Faerum were all killed in the Third War of the Races? Were the dwarves all killed as well?”

  For just a moment Warren looked unsure how to answer. He was spared from having to by the sudden and hurried return of Jerrold.

  Even before Jerrold arrived, Warren had already waved for everyone to take cover. They were walking along a ridge on a rather steep slope and they were still going to the northwest, but that now involved some climbing. Luckily, the bushes and shrubs were fairly thick all along the mountainside. There was plenty of places to hide and they didn’t needed Warren’s urging, and in fact, they had already started moving that way before Warren had moved.

  They all hunkered down in the bushes and prickly shrubs that grew this high up in the mountains.

  Jerrold moved quickly to join them but he didn’t seem panicky or frightened and they had all began to relax even before he spoke. “We can see the entrance to the mine but there’s a problem.” He knelt down next to the shrubs and his multicolored cloak blended in nicely. “A small group of goblins are in the cave.”

  “You think they’ve discovered the entrance?” Heather asked hurriedly.

  Jerrold’s eyes twitched from Warren to Heather and then back to his leader. He did not look in her direction again, nor did he respond to her question. He plainly did not like the Guardians’ presence here and he wanted everyone to know it.

  Warren sighed. “Please answer her question,” he said simply.

  “I don’t think so,” Jerrold said and he gave no indication that he had noticed Warren’s frustration. “Most likely a patrol that just used the cave to make camp.”

  Heather looked at Warren. “Do you mind asking Jerrold how many goblins are in the cave?”

  Jerrold shot her a nasty glance and Warren actually smiled. This time Jerrold did not wait for his commander to repeat the question. “We are not sure. We did not enter the cave and it is rather difficult to tell from afar. Our guess is no more than five or six.”

  “Thank you,” Heather said, although she continued to look at Warren. She wasn’t sure why Jerrold disliked them so much but she could be just as childish as he could.

  Warren was silent for a moment as he considered their best course of action. Finally he looked back up, “Scout the area. I want to know if there are any more goblins hiding out there.”

  Jerrold nodded once and then stood and jogged back along the ridge in the direction he had approached from.

  Warren stood and motioned for the others to follow. Heather moved close and spoke quietly. “What’s the plan? Are we going to attack the goblins?”

  Warren hesitated for just a moment, “I think we have to. That’s the way into the mine and it’s the only one within three days that the goblins don’t know about. And I’m not even sure that the goblins haven’t found the other secret entrances. This might be the only one that’s still undiscovered.”

  “You’re assuming that it’s still a secret,” Heather answered quietly. She didn’t like questioning Warren about his plan. She reserved the right to stop following Warren at any moment, but for the time being, they were following his lead. She didn’t like having her decisions questioned and she really didn’t want to irritate Warren either.

  He looked at her then; his eyes seemed to bore into her. “I know the risks, both to your people and mine. I don’t do this carelessly, but I believe it’s important to protect Nerandall.”

  He seemed to mean what he said and she found herself wanting to believe him. She decided that she would trust him, at least for the time being. “All right,” she said quietly, “what’s the plan?”

  Warren smiled. “When I have one, I’ll let you know.”

  As they neared the cave, that hid the secret entrance, Warren led them carefully through the brush. He was careful to keep them out of sight of the cave. It was still rather early for the goblins to be about, but they didn’t want to take any chances.

  The cave was in a rocky stretch of a steep slope that overlooked a long swath of thick trees. The trees at least would provide them plenty of cover as they approached the cave.

  They worked their way through the trees in an overly slow manner. A bird called out three times and both Warren and Heather turned in that direction. He looked at her sharply and she just smiled. “We use bird cries as signals too.”

  It didn’t take long for Maynard and Neely to push their way through the shrubs. They saluted Warren and then huddled in near him and Neely spoke quietly. “Sir, no sign of any other goblins in the area and we haven’t seen the goblins in the cave stirring yet.”

  “We’re about to change that,” Warren said.

  “So, what’s the plan?” This time it was Heather that spoke. Maynard and Neely both looked at her, but neither said a word. They didn’t seem to have the dislike for her that Jerrold showed.

  “I need a decoy,” Warren said in way of answer.

  Heather blinked at him, “A decoy?” she repeated dully.

  He nodded, “Yes. Someone who can walk past the cave and then run once they’re spotted.”

  “How long do they have to run?”

  “Not long,” Warren answered. “My men have short bows and will start shooting at them as soon as the goblins clear the cave. If any survive the arrows, we’ll have to take them out,” he paused briefly, “a bit closer.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. She would much rather kill the monsters from a distance than put any of her people in jeopardy up close.

  Warren sensed her hesitation and spoke quickly. “We use this ploy frequently and it works well against goblins. They’re not very smart.”

  After a moment she sighed. “All right, I’ll be your decoy.”

  “You?” Warren asked, looking surprised.

  For some reason the look he was giving her irritated her. She didn’t know what his people felt about women fighters, but she wasn’t in a mood to listen to any such drivel. “Yes me. I’m the best woodsmen in my group and I’m the fastest too.”

  Neely and Maynard shared a look but wisely held their tongues.

  “As you wish,” Warren said after the briefest of pauses.

  They set up with Enton, Atock, Aaron, Jerrold, and Warren near the cave with their swords at the ready. Quinn, Maynard, and Neely took up position to either side of the cave and slightly up the slope. That would give the advantage of being able to shoot at the goblins’ backs and not worry about being seen. The magic-users had been hidden in a clump of trees several hundred yards from the cave; close enough they could enter the mine with the others after the ambush but not close enough to be caught if things went badly.

  After taking up their positions, they waited patiently for Heather to make her appearance. The plan was simple, Heather would draw the goblins out and the others would finish them off. Since there didn’t seem to be any other goblins in the vicinity, they didn’t have to worry about being too quiet. If they could kill them without too much of a mess, then they could hide the bodies and hope that this patrol’s disappearance was blamed on desertion.

  A whistling came floating through the air and they began turning th
eir heads to see what was causing it. It didn’t take long to spot Heather walking casually and whistling rather louder than what one would expect.

  Breathing steadily, Heather walked slowly along the ridge. Her plan was simple but not easy. She had to catch the attention of the goblins and draw them out, but she couldn’t look like that was what she was doing.

  She shuffled along the ridge and stopped several times to pick flowers. Pausing, she listened for any sign that she had been spotted. Nothing. Leave it to goblins to screw up patrol duty, she thought. If she hadn’t wanted to be seen, they probably would have already noticed her.

  She moved several more feet along the ridge and stopped to pick up a small stone, which she hurled down the slope. Still nothing. She considered picking up another stone and throwing it into the cave but that seemed rather too obvious.

  She started walking again, albeit slowly. Her path was meandering and passed within maybe twenty yards of the cave mouth.

  She was just beginning to suspect that the goblins would somehow not notice her when they emerged from the cave. With a guttural roar, the first goblin burst forth. He was a large brute, maybe a little taller than the average human. The fur that covered his body was a light brown. Like most goblins he didn’t wear much clothes, just a cloth wrap around his waist. In his hands he carried a large two-handed axe. He was followed closely by his companions.

  Heather didn’t wait around to see what all the others looked like, but she couldn’t help but see several of them. They too were covered in brown fur and they shouted as they ran, showing off their wicked looking fangs.

  In two quick strides Heather was running along the ridge. She didn’t run down the slope as that would be extremely difficult and she would probably fall. Running along the ridge allowed her to move faster and with better footing. Still, she nearly fell on the steep slope and forced herself to slow down. It wouldn’t do to trip and break her neck.

  The goblins howled from behind her and she had to speed back up.

  Jumping over a low line of bushes, Heather realized with a start that Enton and Atock were standing up from the bushes. Her momentum carried her on past the others but she managed to slide to a halt, nearly stumbling again. Turning, she was momentarily relieved to only see two of the brutes pursuing her. That relief disappeared and she wondered where the rest of them were. It wouldn’t do to have the main group of goblins still in the cave.

  Atock and Enton was squared off with the goblin on the right, while Jerrold and Warren had the one on the left. Aaron had his sword drawn but was looking from group to group as if trying to determine where he could most help.

  Drawing her own sword, Heather moved closer to Enton and Atock. She shouldn’t have bothered as she didn’t even get there before it was over.

  The monster roared and swung a massive axe at Atock. Undoubtedly the swing was powerful enough to cut a person in two but the goblin didn’t control the swing and Atock deflected the blow easily. He then reversed his sword motion and penned the goblin’s axe against the ground. It was only for a moment, but that was all Enton needed. He swung his sword from the other side of the threesome and nearly decapitated the goblin. The brute’s head remained attached by only a small bit of skin and tissue and the body collapsed to the ground and did not move.

  Heather quickly turned her attention to the other group, but they too had dispatched their opponent. “Where are the other goblins?” she asked.

  Warren grinned and pointed back along the path that Heather had followed. She looked in the direction he pointed and saw, for the first time, the corpses that littered the way back to the cave. Three goblin bodies lay sprawled on the ground, each one with several arrows protruding straight up into the air.

  Heather grinned back at Warren. “Well, I guess your men know a thing or two about the bow.”

  He nodded, “Unfortunately we have had opportunity to practice.” He turned his attention to Jerrold. “Hide the bodies. I don’t want them being discovered by whomever comes to look for these goblins.” Warren looked back at Heather and the Guardians. “Come. We have a ways to go still.”

  The words made Heather’s spirits sink. She hadn’t got much sleep last night and had been on the move for hours. She was exhausted and it was starting to affect her. Her face must have shown her disappointment because Warren smiled and spoke again.

  “It’s not too far now. There’s a small chamber just inside the entrance. It’s hard to find and very defendable. We’ll make camp there tonight.” He paused and looked again at Heather, “We should be there within an hour or so.”

  It took a little over an hour to reach the chamber. They first had to wait on the magic-users to rejoin them from their hiding place and then they entered the cave.

  The secret entrance was a small stretch of the back wall which Warren opened by moving a rock to the right and up. The rock was actually a mechanism to unlatch the door. Once opened, the door swung outward easily enough and revealed a deep dark stairwell. A cold dry air blew from the door and there was an eeriness about the opening.

  “I can provide light, if you require it,” Cassandra said from the middle of the group, sounding rather tired.

  Heather glanced over at the mage and immediately grew more concerned. Cassandra looked exhausted and it was understandable. She wasn’t used to this type of physical exertion and she was nearing the end of her strength. Agminion and Dagan also looked like they were about to fall over. None of the three had any type of training that could prepare them for this all day march through the mountains.

  “Light’s not necessary,” Warren answered from in front, near the door, “once the door is closed, you’ll see.”

  Heather glanced sharply at Mikela who caught the look and nodded once. If this was a trap, then she was counting on Mikela to give them light when it was necessary.

  Heather’s group followed Warren into the dark. There was a small landing that was big enough for them all to huddle on. Quinn brought up the rear and closed the door behind them. Jerrold, Maynard, and Neely were disposing of the goblin bodies and were supposed to come along shortly.

  The door closed without a sound and they stood there in the darkness. It was an absolute blackness, the kind that can only be found underground. “I thought you said we would be able to see once the door was closed,” Heather said, starting to get a little worried.

  “Give it a moment,” Warren answered. His voice was close and calm. “It takes a moment for the affects of daylight to fade.”

  So they stood in the darkness, silently staring around, trying to see anything. And then, gradually, they slowly began to see each other. First, there was just a faint outline and then slowly in more detail. Finally, they could see fairly well. It was still dark, almost like late in the daytime, near dusk.

  “What is this?” Dagan asked. He sounded tired but the curiosity in his voice was a good sign.

  “The dwarves made use of a fungus that grows in caverns,” Warren answered. He was smiling and pointed at the walls and ceilings, “This fungus gives off a faint light, not much, but enough to see by.”

  “Remarkable,” Dagan said and his words carried his feeling of awe. “I always wondered what they did about lighting their cities.”

  They looked around in silence for several moments, even though there wasn’t much to see. They were standing in a circular stairwell, the steps circled around and down into the darkness.

  “How about we find that chamber you mentioned?” Heather asked.

  “All right,” Warren answered. “We’re going to descend quite a long ways. This stair goes deep into the earth. We will go to the third passage and then the chamber’s not far.”

  Almost as one, the entire group sighed. Smiling Warren led them down into the darkness.

  The stairs continued for what like seemed forever, although Heather knew it had been less than an hour. The stairway had been hewn from the rock along the path of a natural fissure or crack. It was amazing to imagine how lon
g the stairwell had taken to create.

  Heather was fairly sure that they encountered the first passage a little less than a quarter of an hour into their descent. There was a landing in the stairs and then an arch that led to the passage. It was a fairly large passage and even Enton would have been able to follow it easily enough. There wasn’t much to see. The passage ran away from the stairs on a slight upwards incline and disappeared into the darkness rather quickly. The walls and ceiling were worked stone and the floor was worn smooth by the countless number of feet that had used the tunnel through the years. They all glanced into the opening as they passed and then kept right on moving.

  The visibility issue worried Heather. It was gloomy and hard to see things at a distance. There could have been a goblin party camping down the first passage and she wouldn’t have even been able to see them. Goblins like the dark and without a doubt can see better than humans in poor light. She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the worry that was rising up within her.

  They passed the second passage, if it could be called that, within mere moments of passing the first. The second landing coming so quickly on the heels of the first surprised them all. This tunnel looked more like a natural groove in the rock and less like a worked passage. It was wide but very short. A person would have to crawl through on their belly and Enton might not be able to make it even then.

  “That’s a passage?” Cassandra asked from just behind Warren.

  “It’s naturally formed and I think it was left in its natural state due to it’s beauty. I’ve been back up in there and it’s truly amazing.” Warren’s answer was quiet but it still floated back to Heather’s place in line. “The next passage is ours but it’s a good ways away.”

  Several people sighed loudly and Heather suspected it was Dagan and Agminion. It had been a rather difficult and challenging day.

  They continued on down the stairwell for over half an hour until they reached the third landing. There was an arch of worked stones here, similar to the first passage they had come across. Both the arch and passage beyond were made of worked stones but there was one noticeable difference; this passage was much shorter than the first one. It had been built by dwarves for dwarves. The hallway was at most five tall.