Naked Empire

by Angreal

  Richard reached the spot where the way ahead abruptly started up at a steep angle. Feeling the walls all around to find places to grab, he started the difficult climb. In places he had to wedge his back against one wall and use his feet against the opposite wall to brace himself while grappling for any ledge or crack in the rock he could find to help pull himself up. He had to balance his pack in his lap as he went, and keep his sword from getting wedged. It was slow going.

  Richard finally reached the high table where the rock from above had first come down. The hollow left under the mountain of rock was basically horizontal, rather than vertical, as it had been. Rock rested along the edge of most of the shelf, but there was one place with ample room for them to make it through, over the edge and then in under the slab above them. Once up onto the flat, he leaned over as far as he could, extending a hand down to help Kahlan.

  He heard the grunts of effort from below Kahlan as the rest of the small company worked their way up the precipitous passage.

  From his place atop the table of rock, Richard could finally see light ahead and light above. He had scouted the route and knew that they were close to being out the other side, but first they had to make it across the shelf of rock where the slab left little room above them. It was uncomfortably confining.

  Richard didn't like such places. He knew, though, that there was no other way through. This was the place he worried most about. Tight as it was, it was fortunately close to the end.

  "We have to crawl on our bellies from here," he told Kahlan. "Hold my ankle. Have everyone behind do the same."

  Kahlan peered ahead toward the light coming from the opening. The glare of that light made it difficult to see to the sides. "Richard, it doesn't look big enough. It's just a crack."

  Richard pushed his pack out onto the rock. "There's a way. We'll be out soon."

  Kahlan let out a deep breath. "All right. The sooner the better."

  "Listen to me," he called back into the darkness. "We're almost out."

  "If you make us walk through any more rotting animals, I'll clobber you," Jennsen called up to him. Everyone laughed.

  "No more of that," Richard said. "But there is a difficult spot ahead. I've been through it, so I know we can all make it. But you have to listen to me and do as I say. Crawl on your stomach, pushing your pack ahead of you. Hold the ankle of the person in front of you. That way you'll all follow in the right place.

  "You'll see the light ahead of you. You can't go toward the light. That isn't the way out. The ceiling drops down too low and the slope of the rock starts pitching down to the left. If you slip down in there it gets even tighter; you'll not be able to get out. We have to go around the low place in the ceiling. We have to go around on the right side, where it's dark, but not as low. Does everyone understand?"

  Agreement echoed up from the darkness.

  "Richard," Jennsen called in a small voice, "I don't like being in here. I want out."

  Her voice carried a thread of panic.

  "I don't either," he told her. "But I've been through and out the other side. I made it through and back. You'll be fine. Just follow me and you won't have a problem."

  Her voice drifted up to him from the darkness. "I want to go back."

  Richard couldn't let her go back. The ledges, where they were exposed to the races, were too dangerous.

  "Here," Kahlan told her, "you come ahead of me. Take hold of Richard's ankle and you'll be out before the rest of us."

  "I'll see that Betty watches you go through and follows," Tom offered.

  That seemed to break the impasse. Jennsen moved up to the ledge and handed her pack up. Richard, lying on his stomach in the low slit of the shelf, took her hand to help her up.

  When she saw in the light how low and tight it was, that Richard had to lie on his stomach, she started to tremble. When Richard helped pull her up, and her face came up close to him, he could see her tears in the dim light.

  Her wide blue eyes took in the way ahead, how low it was.

  "Please, Richard, I'm afraid. I don't want to go in under there."

  He nodded. "I know, but it's not far. I won't let you stay in here. I'll see that you get out." He cupped a hand to the side of her face. "I promise."

  "How do I know you'll keep your promise?"

  Richard smiled. "Wizards always keep their promises."

  "You said you don't know much about being a wizard."

  "But I know how to keep promises."

  She at last agreed and let him help her the rest of the way up. When he pulled her all the way up onto the shelf of the mountainside, and she actually felt how the roof of rock didn't allow her any room to get up and that she had to lie flat just to fit, and worse, that the roof of rock was only scant inches above her back, she started to shiver with terror.

  "I know how you feel," he told her. "I do, Jennsen. I hate this, too, but we have no choice. It's not dangerous if you just follow me through the place where there's room. Just follow me and we'll be out before you know it."

  "What if it comes down and crushes us? Or what if it comes down just enough to pin us so we can't move or breathe?"

  "It won't," he insisted. "It's been here for ages. It isn't going to come down. It's not."

  She nodded but he didn't know if she really heard him. She began to whimper as he turned himself around so he could lead her out.

  "Take my ankle," he called back to her. "Here, push your pack up to me and I'll take care of it for you. Then you'll only have to worry about holding on to my ankle and following behind."

  "What if it gets too tight and I can't breathe? Richard, what if I can't breathe?"

  Richard kept his voice calm and confident. "I'm bigger than you, so if I fit, you will."

  She only nodded as she shivered. He extended his hand back and had to tell her again to pass her pack forward before she did as he instructed. Once he had her pack, he tied the straps to his and pushed them both on ahead. She seized his ankle as if it were the only thing keeping her from falling into the arms of the Keeper of the underworld.

  He didn't complain, though, about how hard she held him; he knew her fear.

  Richard pushed the packs out ahead and started inching his way forward. He tried not to think about the rough ceiling of rock only a hand-width above his back. He knew it would become narrower before they got out. The shelf of rock sloped upward to the right slightly, into the dark. The light was to the left, and down.

  It looked like the easiest way out was to go straight toward the opening. It wasn't far. They had to go, instead, up into the darkness and around the narrowing of the cleft in order to get around to a place where they could fit through. Forcing himself to go up, into the dark where it felt tighter and more closed in, rather than toward the light of the opening, felt wrong, but he had already scouted the route and he knew that his feelings were wrong about this.

  As he moved deeper into the darkness, going around the impassable area in the center of the chamber, he reached the spot where the rock above lowered. Advancing in farther, it came down until it pressed against his back. He knew it wasn't far, not more than a dozen feet, but, without being able to take a full breath, the cramped passage was daunting.

  Richard pushed the packs ahead as he wriggled and wormed his way along. He had to push with the toes of his boots and, with his fingers finding any purchase available, pull his chest through, force himself to make headway into the dark, away from the light.

  Jennsen's fingers had an iron grip on his ankle. That was fine with Richard, because he could then help pull her through with him. He wanted to be able to help pull her through when she reached the spot that would compress her chest.

  And then she suddenly let go of his ankle.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 33

  Off behind him, Richard could hear Jennsen scrambling away. "Jennsen? What's going on? What are you doing?" She was crying out, whining in terror, as she bolted toward the light at the opening.


  "Jennsen!" Richard called to her. "Don't go that way! Stay with me!" Wedged in as he was, he couldn't easily turn to see. He forced himself ahead, crabbing sideways, trying to spot her. Jennsen was clambering toward the light, ignoring him as he called to her. Kahlan wormed her way up to him. "What's she doing?" "She's trying to get out. She sees the opening, the light, and won't listen."

  Richard shoved the packs and frantically worked his way ahead, moving into the area beyond the tight spot, to where it was open enough that he could at last get a full breath and almost get up on his hands and knees.

  Jennsen screamed. Richard could see her clawing frantically at the rock, but she wasn't making any headway. In a frenzy of effort, she tried to push herself forward, but, instead, she'd slipped sideways farther down the slope, wedging herself in tighter.

  Each exaggerated, panting breath as she strained and stretched ratcheted her in deeper.

  Richard called to her, trying to get her to listen, to do as he said. In her desperation, she wasn't responding to any of his instructions. She saw the opening, wanted out, and would not listen to him.

  Fast as he could, Richard scrambled through the darkness and around toward the opening, guiding Kahlan, Owen, Cara, and Tom through the only way he knew they could make it. Kahlan held tight to his ankle and he could hear by the panting of effort that the rest of them were all following in a line behind her.

  Jennsen screamed in terror. She struggled madly, but couldn't move. Wedged in as she was, with rock compressing her rib cage top and bottom, it was becoming difficult for her to breathe.

  "Jennsen! Take a slow breath! Slow down!" Richard called to her as he scurried around toward the opening. "Breathe slow! Breathe!"

  Richard finally reached the opening. He emerged from the dark crevasse, squinting in the sudden light. On his knees, he leaned in and helped pull Kahlan out. Betty scrambled out, somehow having passed the rest of the people. As Owen and then Cara clambered out of the opening, Richard pulled the baldric over his head and handed his sword to Kahlan.

  Tom called out that he was going back in to try to reach Jennsen.

  As soon as the rest were safely out, Richard dove back into the fissure. Headfirst, on his hands and knees, he scuttled into the dark. He could see that Tom, from his angle of approach, had no chance to get to her.

  "Tom, I'll get her."

  "I can reach her," the man said even as he was getting himself wedged tight.

  "No you can't," Richard said in a stern tone. "Wishing won't make it so. You'll just get yourself stuck. Listen to me. Back out, now, or your weight will help push you downhill and get you stuck so hard that we won't be able to get you out. Back up, now, while you're still able to. Go. Let me get her."

  Tom watched Richard moving around behind him, and then, making a face that showed how unhappy he was to be doing it, he started pushing himself back up into the darkness, where there was a few precious inches' more room that would let him make it back out.

  Richard worked his way through the tight spot and then moved down the slope so that he wouldn't be facing downhill as he tried to help Jennsen and possibly wedge himself in tighter than he wanted. If he wasn't careful, he would do the same thing Tom had been about to do. Down in the darkness, Jennsen cried in panic.

  Richard, flat on his belly, wiggled and snaked his way deeper, all the while moving to his left, down the pitch in the shelf of rock. "Jennsen, breathe. I'm coming. It's all right."

  "Richard! Please don't leave me here! Richard!"

  Richard spoke in a calm, quiet voice as he moved around behind her down into the tighter part of the cave. "I'm not going to leave you. You'll be fine. Just wait for me."

  "Richard! I can't move!" She grunted with effort. "I can't breathe! The ceiling is coming down! It's moving—I can feel it coming down. It's squeezing me! Please help me! Richard—please don't leave me!"

  "You're fine, Jennsen. The ceiling isn't moving. You're just stuck. I'll have you out in a minute."

  Even as he worked his way into the low spot, trying to get up close behind her, she was still struggling to move forward, making it worse—there was no way she could go forward and make it out. As she kept struggling, though, she was slowly slipping deeper down the slope and with every frantic breath wedging herself in tighter. He could hear how desperately she was trying to breathe, to draw each shallow breath against the immovable compression of rock.

  Finally all the way back around behind her, Richard started pushing himself in the way she'd gone. She had gone into a narrow channel that closed down on the uphill side of her, so there could be no moving her sideways up the slope; he had to get her to back up the way she'd gone in. He had to get her to go away from the light and back into what she feared.

  The roof of rock scraped against his back, making it difficult to draw a full breath. He had to take shallow breaths as he moved deeper. The farther he went, he could not even breathe that deeply.

  The need for air, for a deep breath, made the pain of the poison feel like knives twisting in his ribs. Arms stretched forward, Richard used his boots to force himself in deeper, trying to ignore his own rising sense of panic. He reasoned with himself that there were others who knew where he was, that he wasn't alone. With the powerful feeling that a mountain of rock was crushing him, reasoning with himself was difficult, especially when the shallow split of rock he was pressed into hardly let him get any air as it was and he was desperately working himself deeper trying to reach Jennsen. He knew that he had to help pull her out of where she was stuck or she would die there.

  "Richard," she cried, "it hurts. I can't breathe. I'm stuck. Dear spirits, I can't breathe. Please, Richard, I'm scared."

  Richard stretched, trying to reach her ankle. It was too far away. He had to turn his head sideways to advance. Both ears scraped against rock. He wiggled, inching in tighter even though his better judgment was telling him that he was already in trouble.

  "Jennsen, please, I need you to help me. I need you to push back. Push back with your hands. Push back toward me."

  "No! I have to get out! I'm almost there!"

  "No, you're not almost there. You can't make it that way. You have to trust me. Jennsen, you've got to push back so I can reach you."

  "No! Please! I want out! I want out!"

  "I'll get you out, I promise. Just push back so I can reach you."

  With her blocking the light he couldn't tell if she was doing as he instructed or not. He squirmed in another inch, then another. His head was almost stuck. He couldn't imagine how she had gotten in as far as she had.

  "Jennsen, push back." His voice was strained. He couldn't get enough of a breath to talk and to breathe, too.

  His fingers stretched forward, reaching, stretching, reaching. His lungs burned for air. He just wanted to take a deep breath. He desperately needed a breath. Not being able to draw one was not only painful, but frightening. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

  As high as they were in the mountains, the air was already thin and it was difficult to get enough air the way it was. Limited to taking shallow breaths was making him light-headed. If he didn't get back to where he could breathe soon, the two of them were going to be forever in this terrible place.

  The tips of Richard's fingers caught the edge of the sole of Jennsen's boot. He couldn't get a good grip on her foot, though.

  "Push back," he whispered into the dark. It was all he could do to keep his own panic in check. "Jennsen, do as I say. Push back. Do it."

  Jennsen's boot moved back into his hand. He snatched it in a tighter grip and immediately worked his way back a few inches. Pulling with all his might, he strained to drag her back with him. Try as he might, she wouldn't budge. She was either stuck tight, or was fighting to go forward.

  "Push back," he whispered again. "Use your hands, Jennsen. Push back toward me. Push."

  She was sobbing and crying something he couldn't make out. Richard wedged his boots, top and bottom, in the tight cleft and then pulled
with all his might. His arm shook with the effort. He managed to draw her back a few inches.

  He wiggled himself back an equal distance and pulled again. With agonizing effort, he slowly, painstakingly, started drawing her out of the dead end she had fled into in a panicked attempt to get out.

  At times, she tried to squirm back toward the light. Richard, the rock compressing him tight, kept a firm hold of her boot and muscled her back yet more, not allowing her to take back any of the distance he gained.

  He couldn't straighten his head. That made it more difficult to use his muscles to move the both of them. With his head lying on the right, he reached back with his left arm and gripped a small lip of rock in the ceiling, using it to help haul them back. With his right arm, stretched forward and holding her by the boot, he drew her back inch by inch.

  As he reached back again for another handhold, Richard saw something not far to his left, down the slope, wedged where the rock narrowed. At first he thought it was a rock. As he struggled to draw Jennsen back, he stared at the thing also stuck in the rock. He reached to the side and touched it. It was smooth and didn't feel at all like the granite.

  As he began to make good progress backward he stretched to the side and managed to get his fingers around the thing. He pulled it to his side and continued to wiggle back.

  With great relief, he was finally back far enough to where he was able to get enough air. He lay still for a time, just catching his breath. Almost as much as air, though, he wanted out.

  While he talked to Jennsen, distracting her with instructions she only intermittently followed, he began forcing her back and to the right, where there was more room. Finally, he managed to move up beside her and seize her wrist. Once he had her, he started moving her back up the slope, into the darkness, into the tight place that he knew was the only true way out.