by Sky Croft
Shale dropped a pebble into the shaft. Many moments passed, but she at least heard it land—a quiet crack that sounded like stone striking stone. The shaft was deep.
“Do we only have the one rope?” Shale asked.
“No.” Kale dug into her satchel and removed a tightly coiled length of rope. “We have two.”
“I don’t know that either will be long enough, but I’ll try it and see.”
“I? We’ll both go to scout it out. Then Amber and Blake can follow.”
“It’ll be a hard climb back up, Kale, your arm will feel the strain.” Shale held up a hand to stop the expected protest. “At least let me go down and check it’s not simply a dead end? Then you can come down if there’s a reason to.”
Kale’s nod was reluctant. “All right.”
“I’ll tie the rope around a pillar.” Amber started toward a cluster of rocks. “It’ll be sturdy enough to hold your weight.”
“She’s saying you’re fat,” Kale teased.
“I noticed that.” Shale feigned indignance but her lips twitched in humor. “I’ll need a torch.” She suspected it’d be pitch black down the shaft. She patted the pouch on her hip. “I have a flint to start it with.”
“I’ll find something suitable to burn,” Blake said, heading away to search.
“I’ll whistle once when I’m down.” Shale tucked her hair back, making sure it was out of the way. “The sound should carry. We heard that pebble after all. I’ll whistle twice if I want you to join me, Kale.”
“Fine. But don’t light the torch till you’re down. You don’t want to burn through the rope.”
“What do you take me for?” Shale said, a touch impatiently. “But more importantly, how would you expect me to strike the flint, light the torch, and hold onto the rope all at the same time?”
Kale paused for an instant, then she chuckled. “You’ve got me there.”
Shale produced a self-satisfied smile. “So if I outsmart a genius, what does that make me?”
“More than egotistical.”
Shale barked a laugh. “Nicely played.”
Amber came back, kneeling beside them at the edge of the hole. “Rope’s nice and tight. It won’t come loose.”
Shale gave the rope a harsh tug to test it. “Good.” She dug out the second rope, and draped it diagonally across her body, the coils crossing one shoulder and down to her waist. When Blake returned, Shale wedged the torch, which essentially was a short, stubby section of branch with a cloth wrapped around the top part, between the coils of rope.
“Right, I’m all set.” Shale gave Blake a brief kiss, then locked her forearm with Kale’s to assist her over the lip of the hole. Climbing down the rope, Shale began a controlled descent into the thick, smothering darkness below.
“WOW.” KALE RAISED her torch overhead, adding the light to Shale’s. “This place is remarkable.”
The shaft opened up into a vast cave, and the flames of their torches danced on the stone walls, giving the cave an odd yellow glow. As Kale explored, stepping around strange rock formations, she found a tunnel of sorts, sprouting off from the main cavern.
They followed it for a short while, though Kale slowed when a deep rumbling reached her ears.
Shale drew to a halt. “What’s that noise?”
“I think it’s water. We must be near an underground river.”
The rumbling only grew louder as they continued on, heading lower into the bowels of the cave. Rounding a bend in the winding tunnel, they came across a dead body, skeletal, like the Amazon they’d found. Protruding from the side of his lower rib cage, Kale assumed it was a he from his ragged clothes, was an axe. Beside him lay a bag of gold, which had split and spilled out on the ground.
“This isn’t a very good sign.”
“Don’t get jumpy, Shale. And I would say otherwise. We’re on the right track at least.” Kale pawed through the tattered bag, seeing what else was inside. “Just money. We’ll have to return with our satchels and load them up, this bag is next to useless now.”
“Our priority is the urn.”
“You’re right. Let’s keep moving.”
At Shale’s hesitation, Kale asked, “What is it?”
“The last time I was in a cave...” Shale grimaced. “It didn’t work out so well.”
Kale knew that was an understatement. Shale had nearly been tortured to death. Her smile was sympathetic. “I tell you what. I’ll go first, and you just follow my lead. All right?”
Shale sounded grateful. “I can do that.”
“Come on then.” Kale touched her arm as she passed by, the contact meant to reassure.
The tunnel, which had always had a downward gradient, grew steeper still, and soon the slope was at such an angle they had to position their feet carefully, or risk a nasty tumble. They emerged from the tunnel and found themselves on a high ledge, suspended above yet another passageway.
Shale removed the rope she was carrying and secured it around an outcrop of rock.
“Kale, look at this.” Shale indicated another rope, which was already fastened around the same outcrop. It was frayed quite badly in a few different places, its state of disrepair revealing its old age.
“That man we found, he must have used it. I wonder why he didn’t take the rope with him.”
“The gold he carried was probably weight enough. And besides, the money made him rich, so he probably figured he could buy another.” Shale paused. “What I’m wondering is where was the rope he came in by? It had to be tied at the top to drop down the shaft.”
Realization struck Kale. “When I landed, it was on something soft, spongy. It was obscured by moss, but I’m betting that was the rope. It likely wore through and dropped down the shaft.”
Shale nodded at the explanation. “Makes sense.”
Kale swung herself off the ledge using their rope, not wanting to chance using the older one. The rumbling of the water grew to a thunderous roar as she reached the bottom, and she stepped clear so Shale could throw down the torches. Kale picked them off the ground before either could snub themselves out, and waved one back and forth to let Shale know it was all right to descend.
Shale landed deftly, and reclaimed her torch.
Kale had to yell to make herself heard. “The river must be close.”
The passageway grew tight up ahead, and Kale had to turn sideways to squeeze through. It continued like that for a short distance, then when it opened back up she was able to see the rushing flow of water. It was indeed an underground river, but unfortunately for them it cut right across their path.
Kale cursed. “I don’t see the next tunnel, or even a route elsewhere. Do you?” Her view was restricted where she was, she needed a clearer picture. All Kale could see was the froth of the gushing water, and beyond that was a solid rock wall.
“The river has to be going somewhere,” Shale said. “If we can just get to those rocks, we can peer round and see the course of the water, maybe spot another tunnel.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Leaving her torch on the ground, Kale waded into the water that had pooled into the tunnel. The pool wasn’t particularly deep, not quite waist high, so she was able to keep her bandaged arm dry. The pool didn’t have the driving force of the main flow, but even still, as they neared the end of the tunnel, they had to brace one another against the powerful current.
With Shale steadying her, Kale leaned out into the much deeper river, gripping the rock to hold herself in place as the river tried to forcefully wash her downstream. “Shale, shine your light this way.” From the glow of the torch, Kale managed to track the course of the river, though she had to be quick about it. She was exceptionally strong, but after only a few moments she had to duck back into the tunnel, out of the path of the tumultuous water.
“Well?”
“There’s another tunnel farther up. But it’s on the opposite side, and there’s no way we can swim upstream, not with that current.”
“Could
we utilize a rope somehow?”
“Not that I could see.” Kale knew they’d used all the rope they had, but if need demanded they could fetch some from the nearest town. Nearly every blacksmith stocked rope. An idea suddenly struck her.
Kale leaned back out into the flow of the river. She felt along the wall, taking note of the different textures under her hand. Despite Shale’s support, it was difficult to keep herself in position, the cold, icy water pounding her relentlessly.
With effort, Kale pulled herself back into the tunnel. She smiled at Shale. “I don’t think the water’s usually this high. I think the excess rain recently has flowed down through the mountains, and lifted the water level.”
“What makes you think that?”
“The river wall is smooth lower down, yet rough near the top. The water’s worn it smooth only up to a certain point, because it’s not usually this high. The rush of water is just the excess trying to escape. I bet we’d be able to wade through it normally. They’d still be a current of course, but if we could keep our feet on the ground, we’d probably be able to make it upstream and on to the next tunnel.”
Shale proudly clapped her on the shoulder. “Sounds logical to me.”
“If we go on with our trip, by the time we get back from our old village, the water level may have dropped enough for us to pass.” Kale took another look at the surging flow. “Let’s hope I’m right, because we can’t go any farther as is.”
Shale waded out of the water. “Let’s get back to the others. They’ll be starting to worry.”
THE EXERTION OF the hard climb was wearing on her. Shale hadn’t allowed herself to rest, eager to get out of the caves. Kale had insisted that Shale go first, no doubt seeing her keenness to leave.
The smell of fresh air from above urged her on, and she smiled up at Blake when her face appeared at the top of the shaft. The sight renewed her energy, and ignoring her burning arm muscles, she pushed herself on.
Blake and Amber’s offered hands were gratefully received, and they helped to haul Shale up off the rope and onto solid ground.
As Shale shook her arms out and rolled her shoulders to loosen them, she felt Blake’s touch to the small of her back.
“Are you all right, Shale? You look a bit pasty.”
Shale felt a smile emerge. Blake could read her like an open scroll. “I just need to walk it off. I’m glad to be out of the caves.” She strode away from the hole, toward a crowd of stone pillars.
A moment later Shale heard footsteps behind her—Blake’s footsteps. It didn’t take her long to catch up, and she wound a hand around Shale’s waist, smiling when Shale’s arm settled around her shoulders.
They walked in silence for a few moments, then Blake asked, “What happened down there? Why are you so pale?”
Shale summed it up for her. “The cave reminded me of when I was kidnapped by Theron, that’s all.”
“That’s all?” Blake looked mortified, yet annoyed with herself at the same time. “Shale, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. It didn’t even occur to me that it would raise such awful memories.”
“Don’t feel bad, it didn’t occur to me either. Only when I was down there did my thoughts take such a turn. But I managed. It worked out all right.”
“I don’t want you to go back down. Not if it’s going to cause you distress.”
“Blake, I’m fine, it just caught me unawares.” She gave Blake’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be all right to return. Trust me.”
“If you’re sure?”
“Quite sure. Besides, we’ll all be needed to lug along the extra ropes. Not to mention any treasure.”
“Did you find anything?”
“A bag of gold. We’re definitely at the right place.”
Blake seemed thrilled at the news. “Nice work, warrior.”
Shale dipped her head, though her smile faded when she recalled the river blocking their path. “Don’t get too excited, we can’t do anything just yet.”
Blake’s brow creased. “Why not?”
Shale gestured to an enormous toppled pillar, lying flat on its side like some sort of fallen titan. “Let’s sit down. Kale and Amber are on their way, so we’ll fill you both in together.”
She could sense her twin’s approach, and sure enough, Kale soon appeared, with Amber close in tow. Blake no longer looked surprised by such a feat, but she did shake her head in amusement, as if still amazed by the connection they shared.
Kale and Amber sat down opposite, forming a small square.
“At the bottom of the shaft lies a cave, like we expected,” Kale said. “It only has one way out, excluding the shaft, so we followed that tunnel a ways.”
Shale seamlessly picked up the conversation. “Which was where we found the remains of a dead body, and with it, a bag of gold coins. We wondered whether he’d been caught stealing, since he had an axe buried in his side, but that doesn’t explain why the gold was still there. Surely whoever caught him would’ve taken away the loot.”
Kale waved a dismissive hand, clearly she didn’t think it was important. “Anyway, we had to use our other rope to descend into the next tunnel. Unfortunately, at the end of it was a raging underground river.”
“So that’s why you’re all wet,” Amber said.
Kale nodded. “The river blocks our route completely. We were able to spot the next tunnel, but it’s upstream, so we simply can’t reach it.”
Shale continued once more, “The water level has risen because of the recent storm, so if we give it time, it should disperse somewhat. We thought if we came back this way after visiting our old tribe, we might be able to go farther.”
Blake gave a nod of agreement. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”
“We have to pick up some more rope on route. We’d used ours before we even reached the water. I’m not sure how many we’ll need, though they have to be long.” Kale dug into the pouch on her hip and pulled out a stash of gold coins. She’d obviously grabbed a handful on the way back through the tunnel. “This should buy what we need, and more besides.”
Amber took a coin and placed it between her teeth, as if testing it. “It’s real. You said he had a bag load of these?”
Kale grinned. “Sure did. We’re rich.”
“You can haul it up the rope, Kale,” Shale said. “It’ll be awfully heavy.” “I’m not worried. Between us we’ll make short work of it.”
Shale released a snort. “Rope me into the task, why don’t you?”
“Actually,” Kale tapped a finger against her chin. “It could be a good thing that we have to come back, or we’d end up lugging whatever we find around with us. Gold does weigh a lot.”
“You have a point,” Blake said. “And if we do find Zephyra’s urn, it’s probably best that we take her straight back to the sanctuary of Amazon land. Imagine if we found her, only to be robbed by bandits.”
Kale frowned, as if her warrior pride took offense. “We could handle a few bandits, Blake.”
“I’m sure you could, but why risk it?”
“You both speak sense,” Shale said, before Kale could object further. “There is a town not too far from our old village. We can buy some rope from there, and whatever else we need. Lanterns would probably be a good idea, so we can set them down without having to worry about the flame.”
“What about some extra candles, too? For the lanterns.” Kale paused a moment. “Oh, and some twine to mark our way in case the tunnels divide up. We don’t want to get lost down there.”
“We may have use for tools,” Amber said. “In case we need to cut into the rock.”
Shale snapped her fingers. “We’ll definitely want a,” she and Kale spoke in unison, “chisel.”
“I’d better start a list,” Blake said.
Chapter Nine
BLAKE GLANCED UP from the scroll in her hands as Kale, retracing her steps, came back to join her.
Shale was crouched over a plant, studying it with an intense expression.
Kale hovered for a moment, then loudly cleared her throat. “Shale, are you coming or what? Blake doesn’t need any more flowers. You must’ve chosen three already.”
“They’re not for me.” Blake waved the scroll at Kale. “Appollonia gave Shale a list of rare herbs to look out for, plants which simply don’t grow near our territory.”
“Did she now? That was presumptuous.”
“I offered,” Shale said.
“Of course you did.” Kale shook her head. “The things you get yourself into.”
Shale ignored her. “You and Amber go on ahead. We’ll catch up.”
“Don’t take too long.” Kale strode away. “It’s nearly time for lunch.”
“You could always get it prepared,” Blake said.
“Sorry?” Kale yelled, tapping her ear and shrugging. “I didn’t quite catch that.”
Blake shook her head in exasperation, hearing Kale’s laughter fade as she left. She refocused on the unfurled scroll in her hands, reading the detailed description Appollonia had helpfully provided for each plant. Even more useful, was the drawing alongside each, giving them a better idea of what to look out for.
“Here.” Blake knelt next to Shale’s crouched form. She tapped the picture that befitted the plant before them, turning it around for Shale to examine.
“That makes four. We’re really doing quite well.” Using her hands, Shale began to dig the plant out of the soil, being cautious around the roots.
Blake put down the scroll and spread a cloth across her hands. Each plant was to be wrapped separately, so they wouldn’t contaminate one another. The plants would be left to dry out of their own accord, then Appollonia would presumably grind up the leaves or flower petals, depending on what type of plant it was, so the powder could be used for medicinal remedies.
