by Ben Yallop
'And did it make you feel better?'
'Yes,' said Sam. 'Every time.'
‘Time to go.’ whispered Weewalk, his voice startling Sam. They packed up their things and climbed carefully down the tumbled stone onto the jumbled rocks of the cavern floor. It could only be thought of as a floor because it was beneath them. There were few flat horizontal spaces. As they pressed forward they were climbing more often than not, sliding over rocks, using their hands to pull themselves along. But all the while their passage sloped downwards, deeper into the earth. It was not very long before the ceiling came lower and lower. Soon the feeling of claustrophobia was hardly bearable as the space between roof and floor became less and less. Sam felt as though he was being crushed between two enormous slabs of rock and he had to force himself to not panic.
Once they passed a great chasm which dropped away suddenly to one side. Sam edged to the side of it to peer in but the bottom, if there was one, was well out of sight. As he looked over the edge his foot dislodged a rock which fell out into the space, cracking and making echoing 'pock' noises as it bounced off the walls as it fell. He tried to grab it with presence, horrified at the sound but it fell away too fast and was invisible in the darkness.
'Sorry.' he whispered when he had finished cringing.
'Don't worry.' said Weewalk 'Rocks crumble away here all the time. This pit is said to be bottomless.'
They sat by the pit for a moment. Then Sam thought he heard the rock land again. A very distant noise swirling softly out of the chasm. Then it came again and they all heard it.
A distant boom danced out of the darkness, like the far off beat of a large drum, a giant door thrown back on its hinges. The sound echoed around them, making it impossible to guess at its direction. Sam saw Weewalk's face turn to horror.
Then another sound reached them. A distant chattering began, like a far away troupe of monkeys. Sam noticed the darkness begin to lessen to one side and then yellowish firelight was clearly visible.
‘The wendigo.’ said Weewalk with fear in his voice. ‘We must run.’
The spell was broken. They jumped to their feet and keeping the faint firelight behind them they dashed into the darkness ahead, the chittering of high pitched voices at their backs.
They clambered over the tumbled rock as quickly as they could, keeping as low as they could in the enormous dark cavern. Hadan had extinguished the lantern and so they stumbled in near darkness, the wendigo's fires behind them were all that illuminated their way in the gloom. As they hurried along as best they could the sounds of pursuit fell away, and then rose again as the creatures searched for those who had disturbed their lair. Several times Sam and the others were forced to stop and seek shelter in the shadow of jagged boulders as animalistic shapes dashed nearby or birdlike shapes flew overhead. The chase went on for what seemed like hours and they quickly tired from climbing. All of them bore bruises and scrapes from colliding with the edges of the rocks. Sam was sure his shins would be blue from the endless impact of stone on skin, but he didn't care so long as they stayed ahead of their pursuers.
Eventually, Weewalk pulled them into a large recess under a rock and drew them around him. He was sweating despite the cold air.
‘I don’t know where we are.’ he confessed in a whispered voice, ‘And we can't run forever. We might be going in circles for all I know. Let's rest a while. I don’t think they're near at the moment.’
So they spent a short time crammed into the small space to catch their breath. At one point some small rocks tumbled to their feet from just overhead but if it was from a passing wendigo they never found out.
Eventually Hadan climbed from their hiding place for a look around. He climbed one of the higher piles of stone before returning to the group.
‘The wendigo have lit a number of fires, so there's a bit more light now, but I don’t think any are nearby. If we need to keep moving downwards then we should head in that direction.’ He pointed away to one side. ‘The ceiling seems to be coming even lower that way.’
Cautiously they emerged from the rocks and crept in the way Hadan had pointed. They could see that the cavern did seem to be getting smaller as they moved forwards, narrowing to a point. The rocky ceiling became lower and lower and soon there was little space between the rocks on which they climbed and those above. They were now moving lying down more often than standing and they all felt the panic and chill of claustrophobia. This would not be a good place to be caught by the pursing wendigo thought Sam, trying to calm the terror caused by the rocky embrace of ceiling and floor. Eventually the cavern wall began to come into view and they hurried towards it. Reaching it however left them with a difficult choice. Left or right.
Weewalk suggested they head left since again, the floor seemed to slope downwards that way. As they moved down the ceiling moved away again, allowing a little more room although it did not rise far above their heads. They crept on again for what seemed like hours, following the wall as best as they could until, eventually, they could see a dark opening up ahead.
Reaching the doorway they saw that it was a rough archway, which seemed to have been crafted by design, made by someone or something. Casting a look around Hadan carefully lit the lantern and raised it to make out the rough letters that were etched into the stone around the opening. They looked as though they had been chiselled in a hurry so indistinct were they. Weewalk read them aloud.
‘Here you will find us, cyclops.’
‘Well.’ whispered the kobold. ‘We don't have much choice. And the name of the Cyclops means that we might be on the right track.’
At that moment, as they faced the opening, they heard a scrabbling on the rocks behind them. They turned to see what they had been dreading. A grey humanoid sat upon the rocks grinning at them. Its large yellow eyes stared at them unblinking. It leered at them, its dry papery skin tight over its bony gaunt face. Bloody, tattered lips parted like flesh being ripped from bone and it raised its head towards the ceiling and gave a long echoing call.
Suddenly the wendigo flew away from the rock as though it had been smashed by an enormous invisible fist. Its cry echoed as it tumbled away broken, into the darkness.
Sam looked in surprise at Kya who had her hands raised towards the place where the beast had been a moment earlier.
‘No point in hiding now.’ she shrugged. ‘Guess we'd better meet this Cyclops of yours’, she said to Weewalk.
They dashed into the tunnel. Sam stopped after a few paces.
‘Wait, I've got an idea!’ he said.
He closed his eyes and extended his arms.
‘Whatever it is, do it quickly!’ hissed Kya, and Sam heard the chittering of the wendigo rushing towards them. He lost his concentration then regained it. He sensed the rocks beyond the tunnel entrance and, using his presence, he picked them up and pulled them towards him.
‘Quick!’ shouted Weewalk.
Sam heard and felt the stone hit the tunnel entrance a few feet ahead of him and sensed that the wendigo had arrived at the same time. He heard a yelp and felt one of his larger rocks crush a body as the tunnel sealed, plunging them into silence.
He opened his eyes and turned to look at the others.
‘That was well done.’ said Hadan, with respect in his voice.
‘And not an easy thing to do.’ said Weewalk going back to look at the newly created barrier. ‘These stones have been set perfectly. I've not seen such a neat wall this side of Cuzco.’ He ran his hand over the wall. The stones fitted together like pieces of a jigsaw.
Sam shrugged as if it had been nothing but relief washed over him. He hadn't been sure he was going to complete it in time.
‘Well.’ he said. ‘The only way is forward.’
Hadan raised the lantern and they started their way along the rough rock passageway.
Jak walked confidently through the cavern. He had no need to fear its inhabitants. At first a few came close, sniffing at the air, wary of someone who strode through with s
uch purpose. These few, Jak killed and flung their bodies towards the others. After that none drew near and he heard their chittering dwindle as they scurried back to the depths from which they had come. It was unusual to see them this high in the tunnels of the deep. The old witch had done well in sending her coin to alert them but it did not seem as though the wendigo had caught their prey. The others had a good head start on him, but he was in no hurry. He enjoyed the hunt.
Chapter Fourteen
The tunnel wound down and down into the cold darkness. How it had been crafted none of them could guess and neither Weewalk nor Hadan, despite their extensive travels, had heard of the Cyclops whose lair they were about to disturb. Sam had told them all he could remember of the Greek myth of the one-eyed giant but Weewalk and Hadan had not been able to tie what Sam had said to any denizen of Mu that they knew of.
The tunnel was sometimes narrow, and sometimes it widened as they crossed caves but the route was always clear. As they marched Sam studied the young man who walked just ahead of him. He had not been sure he was going to like Hadan when first they had met. Sam had warmed to Weewalk almost instantly and had quickly come to respect him as a leader and a friend. But Hadan had been aloof almost to the point of unfriendliness at the start. Sam wondered now whether it was a lack of presence that had so shaped his character. Weewalk had hinted a few times at Hadan's past and Sam had the impression that Hadan had been some sort of prisoner or slave in the place where the King dwelt. But neither Weewalk nor Hadan seemed willing to expand on what had happened or how Hadan had been liberated and, anxious not to offend, Sam had let the matter rest. Anyway, he had to admit that he felt very differently about the young man now. As Sam's powers had strengthened Hadan had seemed to find new respect for him and the bond between them had become closer. Sam often noticed Hadan studying him with a twinkle in his eye and they shared jokes more and more often. He reminded Sam of somebody but like a half remembered dream Sam could never quite put his finger upon who. Hadan must have felt Sam's eyes on him for he turned his head and glanced over his shoulder. He dropped back half a step and put his hand on Sam's shoulder for a moment and gave him one of those rare smiles of his. They had already been through a lot together.
After another hour or so they reached a cavernous chamber with a sandy floor and a high ceiling. The musty ammonia smell of bats wafted over from one corner of the space but Weewalk felt that it was a good place to stop and take a rest. They had been walking for the best part of a day he thought. One part of Sam was surprised at how long they had been underground. It was hard to keep any sense of time in the endless night. But another part of him felt sure they hadn't stopped walking for weeks. His legs ached and he was extremely grateful for the chance to sit on the soft sand and eat some of the food that they carried. Rubbing his legs he thought about the lessons that Vallalar had given him.
‘Weewalk, do you think I could use my presence here?’ he asked. 'It won't cause any problems will it?'
‘I think it's safe.’ said Weewalk looking at Hadan, who nodded.
Sam closed his eyes and turned his focus to the aches in his legs. He concentrated on each muscle feeling its size and shape, noting where it ached and where it was tense. He tried giving each part a little massage by applying a little pressure with his mind. As he concentrated on each part in turn he felt some of the tension in his legs ease and his tired muscles felt soothed. After a few minutes his legs were noticeably different.
He shuffled on his bottom over to where Weewalk sat with his short legs outstretched, checking the contents of his bag. Sam sat opposite the kobold.
‘Weewalk, can I try something?’
‘Sure,’ said the kobold, ‘What's up?’
Sam closed his eyes and sent his mind out to sense the small legs pointing towards him. He moved his mind into them, again feeling the muscles as he had his own. He heard a gasp from Weewalk and opened his eyes quickly worried that he had hurt the little man, but Weewalk was looking at him in surprise, not pain. Weewalk gave a nod and Sam reached out to put his hands on the short stumpy legs before him. He closed his eyes again and continued. It was much more difficult than doing it on himself, and Weewalk's legs did not seem to have quite the same anatomy as he own, but the basic principle was the same. Sam was amazed to feel just how tight the knots in Weewalk's leg muscles were and again he felt a flash of guilt that he had forgotten that Weewalk had to take several steps for every one of his. The clamber over the floor of the rocky cavern must have been incredibly arduous. It was testament to the hardiness of kobolds that Weewalk had not shown any tiredness.
After a while Sam felt he had done as much as he could and opened his eyes again. Weewalk looked as though he had almost fallen asleep. Sam realised Hadan and Kya had been watching him and he grinned sheepishly. Weewalk stretched and then stood up and did a little dance, twirling in his spotted dress.
‘Now, that feels better!’ he said.
‘Who's next?’ asked Sam, pleased.
Hadan declined Sam's offer. 'I don't want anyone else's presence invading my body.' he said. 'No offence.'
Sam shrugged and moved over to Kya. As he was about to start Hadan called from behind him.
‘Weewalk and me are just going to have a look around the cave and see how far it goes’, he said and Sam heard them move off into the gloom. He had an uncomfortable feeling that they had purposely meant to leave him alone with Kya.
He sat opposite her and looked into her eyes. She gave him a coy smile and took his hand and placed it on her bare leg. Sam felt as though his stomach was doing somersaults. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Kya lay back and closed her eyes.
Sam moved his hand slightly on her leg, feeling the smooth soft skin slide under his fingers.
He sent his mind into the muscles as before. He placed his other hand on her leg and slid his fingers underneath so all eight rested on her calf, his thumbs near her shin. He massaged away the tightness that he found in that part before moving on to the next part. After a while he realised that he had become caught up in the healing process and had run his hands all over Kya's leg. He dropped it hurriedly and she sat up with a smile on her face.
‘Weewalk's right.’ she said, staring deep into his eyes, ‘That feels much better.’ She took his hands and placed them on her other leg and he repeated the process. When he had finished she stood and pulled him to his feet. Then, in the darkness, she kissed him on the cheek, shyly.
‘Thank you.’ she said softly as she held his face in her hands.
They heard Hadan and Weewalk making their way back over and, embarrassed, they quickly stepped apart from one another.
Hadan looked into both their faces and grinned.
‘We’ve had a good look around. This cave seems fairly safe. We think we should get some sleep here and move on in a few hours. We'll post a watch and take it in turns. I'll go first.’
And so, they pulled out blankets and made themselves as comfy as they could on the sand. Sam lay awake for some time, staring into the flickering lantern. He could hear Kya breathing softly in the gaps between Weewalk's snores and all he could think about was the feel of her lips on his own.
Eventually, he must have fallen asleep for Weewalk shook him gently by the shoulder.
‘Your turn.’ the kobold said quietly.
Sam stood and stretched, brushing sand from his clothes. He walked around in large circles for a while staring into the darkness whilst the others slept. The cave was almost silent. The sound of the sleepers and the rustling of the bats were the only noises that filtered through the black air. Once Sam tensed when he thought he heard the rumble of rocks from far back the way they had come, but there was no further sound and, dismissing it as his imagination, he continued his watch and no further sounds, real or imagined, reached him until a short while later when the others awoke.
They had walked for an hour before they came across the first set of bones. They had left the cave feeling rested and reasonably
fed and had continued on through the next part of the passageway feeling more positive. The tunnel had continued to descend into the depths of the earth through a twisting, winding and uneven subterranean world, devoid of life. They were all grateful for Hadan's lamp which he checked regularly and topped up with oil when needed.
The skeleton lay in the dust, its arms stretched above a yawning skull as if it were trying to crawl away from the direction in which they were headed. There was no way to tell how long it had been there, no clothes or jewellery, just old, dead, grey bones.
After another hour they had passed two more. One lay on its back, its jaw wide as if screaming to the sky, miles above. The other was the same as the first, stretched out as if it were clawing itself away from the depths. This one had no legs below the knees although whether the bones had been removed before or after death none of them wanted to guess.
Not much further on echoes began to sound from beneath them, rushing back up the tunnel, distorted by the crumpled rock walls. They slowed their pace and moved more cautiously and Hadan was careful not to let the light travel too far.
After a while the passageway began to widen again and then they were at the entrance to another cavern but this was like nothing that any of them had ever seen before. They stood in silence at its edge, stunned by the sight that lay before them. The cavern itself was impressive. They could see a good way in. Light filtered in from somewhere, despite how far underground they were. Long thin stalactites hung from the ceiling and were matched by similar stalagmites which rose from the floor. At some point some of the roof must have collapsed because there were long rocky spines protruding from the walls as well. It was like being inside the giant mouth of some terrible beast, a maw ringed by fangs. But it was what was held in those monstrous, needle-like teeth which was the most remarkable.