by Victor Kloss
“Yeah.” Charlie nodded. “It’s so warm down here, right? I bet this moss thrives on the humidity. Cold might kill it, and clear the air a bit. Our heads, too.”
“It might help another way,” Natalie suggested. “Lizards don’t like the cold. I bet lizard-folk don’t either.”
That made sense. Ben remembered seeing plenty of lizards, the little tiny ones, on one of the few holidays he’d had abroad during the summer, out sunning themselves on rocks.
“Right,” he agreed, excitement countering fatigue for the moment. “I’ve got a few cold spells loaded. I’ll loose those and try to clear a path. You guys see if you can get our friends. Ready?” The others nodded and he took a deep breath. “Okay, here we go.”
Raising his spellshooter, he forced himself to work past his lethargy and coax the spell he wanted into his weapon. Concentrate, he reminded himself. Focus on the intent. Then fire. He did, and a blinding blue light burst from his spellshooter, rocketing into the chamber beyond and spreading as it went. Everything it touched and passed turned blue-white as well, as frost spread from the spell in a wave, coating every surface with ice. In an instant the entire chamber looked like the inside of an ice cave, and Ben breathed in deeply, sighing in relief as he straightened up, some of his fatigue falling away as cold, clean air filled his lungs and cleared his head.
The lizard-folk clearly disagreed, however. A series of loud, hissing roars filled the cavern as they all shook, icicles shattering from their limbs and clothes, and turned to glare up at him there in the entrance. But the cold was definitely slowing them down.
Not Charlie and Natalie. The pair of them raced in, skidding and sliding their way down to the altar. The nearest lizard-folk grabbed at them but sluggishly, their clumsy attempts easy to avoid, and Natalie quickly reached the rest of the Guardians, with Charlie right behind her. Krobeg was closest, and Ben saw her shake the dwarf.
“Wake up!” she insisted. “We need to get out of here!”
“Huh? What?” Krobeg shook his head, ice shattering at the movement, and sat up. “What happened?” He glanced around, taking in the situation at once, and let out a bellow, hopping down from the altar and slamming into a lizardman that had been slowly creeping towards Charlie. “Get back, you!” The dwarf began shoving lizard-folk away, while Charlie and Natalie woke the others and got them all moving. In minutes they were all stumbling up towards Ben. He stood ready the whole time, spellshooter raised in case anyone tried anything else.
“Our gear,” Dagmar managed to gasp out as she reached him. “They took our packs. We need to — “
But Charlie, who was helping her walk, shook his head. “There’s no time,” he warned, gesturing behind him. “We need to go now!”
Sure enough, some of the lizard-folk were shaking off the cold enough to start pursuing them. They were slow right now, but Ben knew they’d recover fast once they cleared this chamber.
Ben agreed, and a quick glance told him that the other Guardians still had their weapons and, more importantly, their artefacts. The rest they’d have to do without.
“Come on,” he ordered, and stepped aside so Charlie and Dagmar could squeeze past him. Natalie was right behind with Abigail and Josh, and Krobeg brought up the rear.
As soon as they were past, Ben fired another spell, sealing the archway in a wall of ice.
“That should hold them for a bit,” he stated. “But just in case, let’s hurry.”
He also knew they’d all start feeling exhausted again as the moss started working on them once more, so they had to move now while they were still energised.
Fortunately, their adrenaline carried them for a while, and by the time everyone started flagging they were almost back to the regular tunnels. The air there seemed cleaner and cooler in comparison, and Ben felt his head clear again. It was dark, and he burned through his last light spell to guide them back towards the intersection, since he worried his friends wouldn’t be alert enough to manage otherwise. But soon enough they were at that junction again, the one Krobeg had promised was a short distance from the exit itself.
They stopped there to rest a moment. Ben looked at them and felt relief and pride that he’d managed to get them all out okay, although he knew they hadn’t even gotten to the most dangerous part of their mission yet. Not by a long shot.
— Chapter Nineteen —
A Way Out
Krobeg led them confidently straight along the same tunnel they’d been following. The tunnel dipped shortly after that, however, and curved around a bend, and now they seemed to be heading back down again. When asked about it, however, the dwarf had brushed off the others’ concerns.
“We are fine,” he promised. “This is the way out. It’s just a little farther.”
All of them were tired, both from the aftereffects of that moss and from the pace Krobeg had been setting for them, but no one wanted to complain. Ben felt it was best to put as much distance between themselves and the lizard-folk as possible, in case the creatures came after them again, and he suspected everyone else felt the same. Plus they were getting farther from the High Council and their secret meeting chamber with each stride as well, and that was also a good thing. As a result, they did not even pause to rest or eat but kept right on walking.
Which was why it was only when Ben reached for his waterskin to take a quick sip that he realised they might have a problem.
He was walking at the back beside Natalie and Charlie, with Krobeg and Dagmar in front and Josh and Abigail next, and quickly gestured his two closest friends towards him.
“Do you guys have any water left?” he asked once they’d crowded round.
“A little,” Natalie replied. “About half my waterskin. You?”
Charlie looked embarrassed. “Maybe half that,” he admitted. “What? I get thirsty!”
“I’ve got about that much too,” Ben said. “But we’re the only ones. The lizard-folk took everyone’s gear when they grabbed them, and we were too rushed to find it and get it back.”
“We didn’t have a choice,” Charlie said. “If we’d wasted time hunting for our packs, they’d have grabbed all of us!”
Ben sighed. “I know. We did what we had to do. But my point is, we’ve got seven of us, and only supplies for three. And not even full supplies, at that. We’re going to have to ration very carefully.”
Charlie considered the matter. “Once we get out of the tunnels we should be able to find fresh water,” he said. “And probably some kind of food, too, even if it’s just nuts and berries or mushrooms, or whatever.”
“Sure — once we’re out,” Ben agreed. “But how long is that going to be?” They all looked up ahead, where Krobeg was still leading the way. “If it’s today, that’s fine. If it’s not, well, we may have a problem.”
Natalie nodded. “I’ll do my best not to eat or drink any more than necessary,” she promised. “And we’ll just hope for the best.”
With that agreed, the three friends hurried to catch up to the rest of their group.
But the best — which would have been an exit out of the tunnels — failed to materialise. Instead, after what must have been several more hours, and could have been as much as another full day of walking, Dagmar called a halt.
“We need to take a break,” she declared, and even she sounded a little ragged.
“What? Nonsense. We’re almost there,” Krobeg insisted. The dwarf didn’t look tired at all, but then the breastplate gave him increased stamina as well as strength. “Still,” he admitted, leaning against the nearest wall, “I could do with a quick bite, I suppose.”
Ben stepped forwards. “We’ll share what we have,” he said, indicating to himself, Charlie, and Natalie. “Water, too. But I need to know exactly how much longer before we get out of these tunnels. An hour? An afternoon? A day?”
Krobeg snorted. “Nothing like that, I assure you,” he stated confidently. Under the collective stare of his friends, he eventually dipped his head and added, “A
t least, I don’t think so,” mumbling that last part into his silver beard.
“So you don’t actually know how much longer?” Josh demanded. “Do you even know if we’re going the right way?”
“Yes, of course we are” the dwarf snapped. “I have an instinct for this sort of thing. All dwarves do!” He deflated again almost instantly. “Though I should admit I don’t actually know how far away we are, how long it’ll take us to get there, or if there’s a faster way to go.”
Everyone had gathered around now, and Ben could tell they were getting worried. It was one thing to die fighting, but getting lost in an underground tunnel and slowly dying of hunger or thirst was another.
“So you have no idea where we’re going, or how much longer it’ll take?” Natalie asked, exasperation clear in her voice. Out of all of them, Ben knew she hated being underground the most.
“It can’t be too much farther,” the dwarf insisted plaintively. “Can it?”
Ben turned his attention to Dagmar. “Can the boots help us here?” he asked.
The stocky Master of Apprentices considered. “I don’t know,” she replied after a moment. “Thus far they have not given any clear guidance within these tunnels, but I will try.” She shook her head. “Perhaps we should all eat something and get some rest first. If it does work, I don’t know exactly how it will take shape, so it’s best if we’re ready for anything.”
Ben didn’t have anything to say to that, so he silently divvied up half of what was left of his food and water between himself, Josh and Abigail. Natalie did the same with Dagmar, and Charlie split his with Krobeg. It wasn’t much for anyone, but at least it was something. When they’d all finished, Ben, Natalie, and Charlie set out their bedrolls and got some sleep. What felt like only minutes later, Ben found Josh shaking him awake.
“Sorry, man,” Josh told him. “But Dagmar says it’s time to switch.”
“Yeah, alright,” Ben agreed. He dragged himself to his feet and leaned against a wall, still half-asleep, as Josh tried to get some rest. Natalie and Charlie replaced Dagmar and Abigail on watch. Krobeg had insisted that he would be fine with only the breastplate to sustain him.
After a few hours, Dagmar roused. It was as if she had some sort of internal alarm, Ben thought. He wished he had that knack; it would certainly make getting up in time for class a lot easier. That made him think about classes, and the Institute, and he felt a surprising pang of homesickness. He hadn’t even realised before now how much the Institute had become his home, and how comforting he’d found the schedule of classes and training. He couldn’t help wondering if they’d ever go back to that again.
“Alright,” Dagmar declared, her quiet words still reaching all of them easily in the still air of the tunnel and rousing Ben from his dark thoughts. “Stay back while I attempt this.”
The others all gave her some space as she stepped a little way ahead of them and then stopped. From where he was, Ben could only see that she was standing completely still, her eyes shut but not squeezed so. She looked relaxed, actually, like she was meditating, and he suspected she was attempting to commune with the boots.
He hoped it worked.
After a moment, Ben noticed that it seemed to be getting brighter in the tunnel.
Then Natalie gasped. “She’s glowing!” she declared, pointing at Dagmar. Sure enough, their stocky instructor had begun to give off a soft white glow. It was brightest around the boots, but as Ben watched, the glow spread to cover her completely, and slowly intensified until he could no longer look directly at her.
Then the glow suddenly shot out in front of her, forming a glowing corridor that led forward down their current tunnel but then took a sharp left turn at a side corridor he hadn’t even noticed before.
All at once, Dagmar started moving, marching quickly down the newly lit path.
“Let’s go!” Ben shouted, hoisting his pack and hurrying after her. The others did the same.
But the stocky Director of Apprentices proved too quick for them. Her pace was such that, even jogging, Ben could not keep up. Nor did she show any sign of slowing, even when he and the others all shouted at her. It didn’t even look as though she had heard them.
In moments she was too far ahead for any of them to catch up. A few minutes after that she had vanished completely from view.
“Great,” Josh huffed between pants as he tried to keep up. “What do we do now?”
But Charlie surprised them all by laughing. “We follow her, of course,” he replied. And he pointed the way she had gone. The blindingly bright corridor had disappeared as Dagmar had moved through it, as if it were lighting her way alone, but there was still a faint glow remaining. In the darkness of the tunnels, that glow was more than bright enough for them to follow without difficulty.
“Nice!” Ben clapped his best friend on the shoulder. “Okay, everybody, keep moving - we don’t know how long this thing will last.”
Despite that, they were all in good spirits as they set out again. Part of it was simply having enough light to see where they were going, but Ben knew it was also the reassurance that the boots would show them a proper way out. This was Elizabeth’s Armour they were talking about. It wouldn’t fail them.
They continued to jog steadily, following the path. Once Ben glanced back and saw that the glow behind them had faded to the point where he could barely make it out. That was good — if anyone was trailing them, it wouldn’t do to leave such clear markers. But even though the glow ahead did fade a little over time, it was still more than enough for them to keep going without any hesitation.
They didn’t stop to rest or to eat or drink. Instead they shared what was left of the food and water as they went. No one complained — they didn’t want to risk the glow vanishing and leaving them stranded just because they’d decided on a break.
Everyone was tired, and their pace eventually began to lag, but every time it did Charlie urged the rest of them on.
“Come on!” he said cheerfully. “We’re almost there!”
Ben was impressed. Normally his best friend was the first one to complain, so to watch him encouraging everyone else and staying so relentlessly optimistic was uplifting. The path did eventually start leading upwards again, which gave them all a bit of a boost.
Then they rounded a corner — and found themselves facing a solid wall.
“What?” Josh blurted out. “You’ve got to be kidding!”
But there was no question about it — the glowing path led straight to that barrier.
And, now that he looked more closely, Ben saw that it wasn’t the only light visible.
“Check it out!” he said, pointing. When they saw what he meant, relief spread through the small party: daylight around the wall’s edges.
It was the way out, at last.
Ben stepped up to the wall and ran his hands over the rock. “There must be a hidden catch here somewhere,” he muttered, searching the rough surface. “We just have to find it.” But he didn’t see anything, and the wall remained steadfast and silent.
“Let me try,” Krobeg suggested.
He gently shouldered past, and Ben stepped back to give his dwarven friend access. Then he watched as Krobeg went through the same process he had, but at what for Ben was about waist level. Of course, Ben realised watching him, this pass had been built by dwarves, so it made sense that they’d have put the panel or lever or whatever it was at their own height! Sure enough, after a few minutes Krobeg grinned and Ben heard a loud click.
“Got it!”
Then the dwarf quickly hopped back a pace as the entire wall began to swivel outwards.
“Be ready for anything,” Ben warned, drawing his spellshooter and his sword. “Just in case.”
The others nodded and drew their weapons as well. But when the wall had stopped moving, creating a nice wide entrance, they heard nothing but the sound of air moving across the entry and saw nothing but grass, trees and sky. Still, Ben advanced slowly, stepping just
outside and stopping there, blinking to let his vision adjust.
What he saw once he had acclimatised was a small clearing at the edge of a forest. There was a cliff behind him, though not as steep as the ones they’d been navigating before the tunnels. This was clearly the start of the mountain range they had been in before, and practically a foothill compared to what it became on the far side.
They were finally back outside.
— Chapter Twenty —
Don’t Look Down
“No sign of Dagmar,” Natalie reported a few minutes later. She, Josh and Krobeg had gone to scout a little way ahead in different directions while Ben stayed back with Charlie and Abigail. “But there’s a nice little stream not far from here.” She already looked so much happier to be outdoors again. Ben could hardly blame her. Every breath felt like a revelation now, and even though the bright sunlight still made his eyes hurt he didn’t want to look away.
“Nothing that way either,” Krobeg announced as he returned. He had gone east and Natalie had gone south.
“I’ve got something,” Josh stated when he returned shortly after the other two. “Not Dagmar, but her trail. It’s harder to see out here, but it’s definitely there.” He gestured behind him to where two trees had grown a short distance apart, and Ben saw that the other boy was right. If he squinted a little, he could see that there was a faint glow between them and it continued deeper into the forest.
“Okay, time to move, then,” he declared. “We don’t want to risk the path fading away on us.”
“But what about the water?” Natalie asked. “We really need it.”
Ben had to think fast. “You and Josh go fill everyone’s waterskins,” he decided after a second. “Then come after us. We’ll keep our eyes open for you, too.” He hated dividing the group, especially after what had happened the last time, but she was right. They needed water, and who knew how long it would be before they found any again? Natalie and Josh were both fast, so they should be able to catch up without any trouble.