by Alan Black
Tanden’s line of logic shattered as he crawled headfirst into a rock.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
He sat back on his rump and waited for the dizziness to pass. A thin trickle of wet ran down his forehead. Running his fingers through his hair, he could feel the sticky blood, but could not locate any deep cuts or gashes. He reached forward, probing to find a passage around the rock before him, but there was none. He was sitting alone at the end of a blocked tunnel.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid. I don’t know how many times I’ve told you to keep your thoughts on what you’re doing. Well, no sense in getting your toga twisted too tight. Just back up until you hit the water.” He sat quietly for a moment and listened. He could not hear his crew or the babbling of running water from the stream.
He turned around, keeping the rock wall to his right retracing his path. Before long, he heard the sounds of water and soon he was at the stream’s edge. He paused briefly to splash the cold water over his head and face, washing away the blood. When his fingers could not feel any more blood, Tanden turned left continuing to follow the water downstream.
In the darkness, Tanden could not tell how he had become separated from his crew. A good excuse would be to claim that using his hearing as his primary sense was unusual. He needed to concentrate harder. He crawled forward.
He said aloud, “I need to listen more and think less. No, not think less. I need to think more but focus on the task at hand. Letting my thoughts wander is childish. Tanden, behave yourself.”
A flutter of wings froze Tanden in place. He heard another sound coming from above his head. He realized he must be in another open area within the underground network. He crouched along the streambed listening. He could not tell how far away from him the winged creature was or what type of creature was hiding in the dark.
Tanden did not know of any animal that could fly in the dark and lived in caves, except dragons and demons. Demon spirits were not just stories to scare little children. The Dark One and its minions may indeed have wings and may move about the underground. Living without light would not hamper any demon. Holding his breath, he crawled downstream as noiselessly as he possibly could. He felt a flutter of breeze across the back of his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut and continued crawling forward.
After a few short yards, he drew a quiet breath and opened his eyes. Demon spirits or not, he decided he was not going to bang his head against another rock wall. Making as little noise as possible, Tanden crawled onward through the water. Hurrying as much as he could, he told himself he needed to catch up with the others quickly. Deep in his heart he wanted to leave this cave and any evil lurking within its darkness.
Shortly, Tanden heard Gadon’s sneezing and coughing echoing through the cave. The noise came from in front of him. Hand after hand, with his knees following in rhythm, he crawled closer to his crew. Hearing splashing near at hand, he calmed his pounding heart. Trying to keep the edge out of his voice, he asked, “I-Sheera? Are you all right?”
“Tanden?” Her voice came out in a rush, “You were so quiet. You didn’t answer when I called. I thought you were lost. I wanted to come back and look for you, but Seenger said to keep going. Where have you been? Are you all right? I thought real hard with my mind that you would return to us, is that all right? Oh, Tanden. I’m glad you’re here. Listen to Gadon. He sounds very ill. This—”
Gadon’s voice floated out of the darkness. “Enough, girl,” he wheezed. “It’s just cold in this hole. This is the only place on earth I’ve ever been that’s both damp and dusty at the same time. I’m well enough.”
Tanden smiled to himself, but he was concerned about his friend. They had all been cold and wet for what seemed like an eternity. Gadon had not been able to find any clothing to keep out the chill or fever. “We’re all tired. Does anyone need to rest?”
Gadon snorted, “You don’t fool me, Tanden. I won’t have you thinking I’m a feeble old man that needs pampering. I say we keep moving.” He would have said more, but a fit of coughing made him gasp for breath.
Tuller called out, “I’m tired and could use a break, but I think if I stop I might not be able to get started again. And I’m anxious to get into the sun again.”
Tanden said, “Time may slip by us. We may lose the sun before we gain open air, but I do want to get out of this cave.”
I-Sheera asked, “How do we know we aren’t crawling in circles? We can’t see our way.”
“It’s the water,” Seenger replied. He spoke as if his statement needed no explanation.
Tanden said, “He’s correct, I-Sheera. The stream we’re following flows downhill. Water can’t flow in an endless circle, at least, I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
The group fell silent. As they crawled along in the dark, they listened to Gadon coughing and sneezing. Tanden lost all track of time and distance traveled.
Tuller called, “Hold your places. Tanden?”
“What is it?”
“The streambed drops off here. I’m at a ledge to a deep pool reaching from wall to wall.”
“Do you know how long the pool is? Or how deep?”
They heard a splash. Then they heard a sputtering echo through the tunnel.
Tuller said, “At the edge it’s about chin high on me. I make it about five feet, but the bottom is slippery and the footing is uneven. And Tanden?”
Tanden said, “I’m listening.”
“The water is brackish. It’s thick with salt.”
“Does the water still flow?”
“No,” Tuller said. “It’s standing.”
“Good.” Tanden continued, “We may be nearing the sea.” Tanden thought about what else thick brackish salt water might mean. The water could be salty because they had come to an underground lake with an inlet and no outlet. This pool might be like the Lost Sea that was so thick with salt a man could float without effort because the water didn’t flow anywhere. He kept those speculations to himself.
Tanden continued, “Drink from the stream before we move into the pool. It may be our last fresh water for a time. Then Seenger, stay close to Tuller. We may have to swim to the other side if the pool becomes deeper. I’ll take I-Sheera. Gadon, are you ready to swim?”
Gadon coughed a deep hack to clear his throat. “After all this time on my hands and knees, I’d enjoy the change.”
Tanden heard the hesitation in the man’s voice, “But?”
“Tanden,” Gadon replied, “Wait, I do need to rest for awhile. I’m sorry, my friend, but I don’t have the breath for swimming right now. Leave me here. I’ll catch up.”
“Gadon, I can’t leave you here. Can you float if I tow you?”
“All I need is a rest without all of you jabbering around me. I’ll be refreshed soon enough.”
“No. I don’t think so, Gadon. I’m speaking as your captain and your friend, you’ll drag yourself out of here if I have to push you the whole way to get it done.”
Gadon said, “I’m sorry, Captain. You can’t tow me and the woman at the same time.”
Tanden said, “I believe I can. I-Sheera is as light as a feather.”
The woman spoke up, “I’ll bet he can tow us both, Gadon. I’ll wager my jewel. That is, if you’ve got as much courage as you have belly, old man.”
Gadon shouted, “Old man!” He wheezed and coughed harshly to clear his throat, “Now I’m beset by a mere woman? I swear by the food in my children’s mouths I’m truly the most maligned man in all of Holden.”
Tuller said, “You don’t have children, brother. Plus, we aren’t in Holden. I heard a wager. What do you say, Gadon? Afraid to gamble with a woman?”
Seenger said, “Gadon, if you don’t want the jewel, I’ll take the wager.”
Gadon said, “Wait. I’ll take the wager. I-Sheera, what will you accept on the gamble?”
I-Sheera was silent for a moment, then said, “You have nothing I want with you right now, but I want a saurus of my own. When we get out of here, you
buy me a saurus?”
“Done,” Gadon said.
Tuller interrupted, “Wait. I’ve seen the jewel, Gadon. In Harkelle’s markets, it’s worth four or five good sauruses, plus a breeding stud saurus. You’re cheating this woman.”
Gadon said, “Mind your own business, Tuller. She set the terms, not me. I’ll probably never live to collect, anyway. Tanden will most likely drown us both.”
Tanden commanded Seenger to move past Gadon to link up with Tuller. He instructed the two to stay to the left side of the cave wall, if possible. He signalled them to begin moving through the pool, and warned them to stay within voice contact with him and the others. He slid up to I-Sheera. Reaching out in the dark, he patted her on the shoulder. He realized she had deliberately prodded Gadon’s ego to keep him moving. He told her to stay close.
Together they crawled to Gadon, then the three moved to the edge of the saltwater pool. Tanden tried to ease himself into the water, but the edge and the bottom were as slippery as Tuller cautioned. He found himself thrashing for a foothold. Finally, he was able to balance upright on a couple of rocks sitting at opposite angles. He had become turned around in the dark and had no idea which direction I-Sheera and Gadon sat waiting for him until Gadon sneezed.
“Gadon? You first. Have you a strap?”
“Aye. It’s not long, but it should be long enough for us both to hold.”
“Come ahead, careful, it’s slippery.”
A moment later Gadon surfaced next to Tanden, having slipped and slid under water. The heavyset man came up coughing and gasping for air. Tanden braced himself against the rocks as best he could and held his friend’s head above water. Standing this close Tanden heard the man struggling to breathe. His coughs raged from deep in his lungs.
Tanden held him close and whispered, “Hold on, my friend. We’re almost out of this cave. We’ll get you warm and well soon.” Gadon didn’t answer, but his coughing did grow quieter. Tanden reached for his hand and grasped the free end of the strap.
Tanden said, “I-Sheera. The rocks are slick, but both Gadon and I are here to catch you. Don’t be afraid, trust us to catch you.”
Without a word, she slid off the ledge into the water. She had not tried to reach the bottom and kept a firm hand on the ledge. Doing so enabled her to keep her head above water.
Gadon said, “Grab my leg, girl. Pull yourself along to us.”
Tanden continued to brace himself against the tugging and pulling until he felt I-Sheera’s arms wrap around his neck. She squeezed him tight, trying to draw herself up out of the water.
“Relax,” Tanden said to soothe the woman. “We’re fine. You need to relax and try to float in the water. I can’t hold onto you like I did in the open sea. You must hold on to me, but hold me lightly. Here.” He pried one hand loose and set its grip on the collar of his tunic. “If you hold here, then I’m free to swim, plus I can breathe if I feel the need.”
Tanden raised his voice, “Tuller? Seenger?”
Tuller shouted back, “We’re here, just ahead of you.”
Tanden called back, “Now that we’re in it, I feel the water flowing. We must be getting close to an opening.”
Tanden pushed against the bottom towing his two charges along behind him. The bottom was slick and broken with loose rocks, but even so, he found it easier to continue to push along the bottom than to try to swim. He made almost no headway when he tried to swim. He had Gadon keep an arm stretched out to touch the left wall as a guide. Between Gadon’s bouts of coughing and wheezing, he could hear Tuller talking to Seenger. They were discussing a future visit to a particularly rowdy tavern near Harkelle’s wharf. Most taverns near the docks were rowdy, but few allowed ogres through the door. The one they were discussing did not. It sounded like they were planning a very rowdy evening indeed.
The darkness was frustrating to Tanden. He could not determine the size of the cave. He clenched his jaw, squeezing his lips tight. He knew if he spoke, he might say something he would regret later. No one could relieve the darkness. Cursing the surrounding rock seemed pointless. He tried to focus his thoughts but found his emotions were overriding his ability to control them.
“Tanden!” Tuller shouted. “We have a light ahead.”
“Thank the six gods,” Tanden said.
Tuller called, “It’s not the air, but the water below is becoming lighter.”
Tanden was not able to see anything for a few more minutes, but after a time, he could see a murky glow coming up through the water around him. He saw Tuller and Seenger ahead as dim shadows. Soon, he was standing next to the two men where the tunnel opened into a larger cavern filled with glowing water from wall to wall with no apparent outlet. The light in the water cast a glow around them. Ribbons of light and shadow chased each other across the ceiling.
Tuller flung out a dripping hand pointing to the other side of the pool. Tanden could see the light filtering through a hole lying under water. The pool itself looked bottomless with only the top layer highlighted in a murky whiteness.
Tanden said, “Gadon. Can you stand here?” Without speaking, Gadon let his feet sink to the bottom and stood. Tanden continued, “I-Sheera, hold on to Gadon.” He took her hand and guided her through the water, putting her in contact with Gadon’s shoulder. “Everyone stay here. I’ll swim to the other side and look at the opening.”
He pushed himself off the bottom, keeping his head up and his eyes fixed on the light. He swam to the other side in a few strokes. Not hesitating as he reached the other side, he took a breath and ducked underwater into the hole. His intent was to swim through it to gauge how long it would take before they could resurface. He felt the water sucking at him, drawing him along faster and faster. If he continued much farther he might not be able to get back to his crew.
He reversed direction and swam back, pushing against the current. In the murky water, he was not able to tell how much forward progress he was making. The water tugged and pulled at him, trying to drag him away from his crew. He was reaching the end of his last breath.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Tanden rolled in the water onto his back and pushed himself up to the roof of the tunnel. Clawing for any handhold, he pulled himself against the flow of the water. His struggles against the current were sapping him of stored air. Suddenly, his face broke free from the water in a clear air pocket. The water gurgled around him as he sucked air filling his aching lungs.
He packed as much air into his lungs as he could manage. Pulling harder along the rocky ceiling, he fought his way upstream. Then with a kick, he shot into the pool. The surface of the pool was much calmer once he was away from the hole. Tanden swam a few leisurely strokes over to his crew.
He said, “Water is pouring out of the cave through that hole.”
Tuller replied, “The water level in here is dropping. Right now it’s only an inch or two, but it’s definitely dropping.”
Tanden said, “We may be in an area affected by the tides from the sea. We must be experiencing an ebb tide.”
Seenger asked, “Will the cave entrance be clear at low tide?”
Tanden looked to Tuller, who shrugged.
Tanden answered the ogre, “I don’t know, but I don’t believe we should wait. We still have some light to swim by, but we don’t know how much time we have remaining. This may be the dawn’s light or the last piece of the evening sun. We must be through this tunnel before the tide comes in or we’ll be trapped in here. This may be low tide. The outward rushing water will help us swim through quickly.”
Picking a color at random to name a magician who could draw power from the fourth element, he thought, “Where is that yellow wizard when you need him? A little water magic right now is exactly what we need.”
Tanden turned to Gadon and I-Sheera. “Are you ready to hold your breath for an underwater swim?”
I-Sheera swallowed hard and nodded.
Gadon looked pale, even in the dim light. Choking back a cough he rasped, �
�If I could hold my breath for nine months in my mother’s womb, I can hold it here. Besides, if I drown what would you care? You drag me halfway around the world without so much as a please or thank you and now you pretend to be concerned about my safety? I ought to drown just to teach you all a lesson.”
Tanden said, “Seenger?”
Seenger shrugged, “If you say to go, then I go.”
Gadon coughed and said, “By my own aching butt, Seenger, you’re right. What else can we do but follow where the great and mighty master leads! And follow we will and without complaint, because you all know with my sweet and gentle heart, I’d never complain. However, Tanden, should you ever ask, next time, lead us to a tavern with a warm fire and a busty wench to serve me my supper.”
Tanden said, “Then let’s go. Gadon hand me one end of your strap. I-Sheera, hold tight to Gadon. Stay with me as best you can. Take several deep breaths and hold it when I command.” Tanden pushed off the bottom and swam across the pool using strong kicks, pulling at the water with his free hand. The surface of the pool was calm, so towing the two in tandem was slow, but relatively easy.
At the entrance to the hole, Tanden commanded, “Take one more deep breath, and hold it.”
He ducked under the water and swam into the hole. After a few strong swimming strokes, he felt the stream tugging at him, sucking him into the tunnel. The current yanked at him and threatened to separate him from Gadon. Tanden tightened his grasp on the strap, silently willing I-Sheera to strengthen her hold on Gadon.