“How was it?” Torrick asked Ria, taking his place in front of Sam.
“It felt like the memories were being torn out of me instead of freely given,” she replied weakly. Torrick nodded, then took hold of Sam’s hands and placed them on his own head. Horrific images filled Sam’s mind. Rape, torture and brutality. She witnessed a house being burnt while its owners, a young man and his wife with a baby in her arms, stood beside it, crying. The lord who had ordered his soldier to light the fire for non-payment of taxes laughed at them and said they were lucky he had allowed them to get out of the house first. When Sam withdrew her hands she had gone pale. Torrick stood up, allowing Oak to take his place. Oak showed her a family group of tree sprites, sitting together enjoying a meal. A female entered the scene, tears streaming down her face, her hair a mess and her clothes in disarray. She had obviously been running. When she was able to speak, she told her family that she had been in a meadow by a stream, with someone whose name Sam did not recognise, and that they had been seen by a group of humans. The humans had released their dogs, instructing them to kill, and the two tree sprites ran for their lives. The young lady’s companion tripped and he yelled at her to keep running. The dogs were on him in seconds and tore him to pieces. All the while the humans laughed. Sam removed her hands, thankful she only experienced the telling of the tale, not the incident itself. Tears fell down her face and she wiped them away with the back of her hand.
“That was my sister,” Oak told her quietly. “It was her fiancé that was killed.” He stood up and was replaced by Tor.
“I’ve seen enough,” Sam said. She felt like vomiting.
“Then let me show you my homeland and how all countries should be.”
This time the scenes were pleasant and happy. She witnessed crime being justly punished, victims cared for, peasants rushing to line the streets and cheering as the King rode by. She saw hard work being rewarded and people were smiling. It seemed like a different world not just a different country.
“This is how I wish my country to remain,” Tor said. “Unfortunately I am not sure all of my brothers will put the country before themselves and standards may slip, allowing some of the horrors you have seen to become as commonplace for my people as they are now for others.”
Sam nodded, unable to speak. “My turn,” Brin announced unexpectedly.
“No, I don’t need to see any more,” Sam informed him.
“There is something I want you to see. Please, it is important to me.”
“Alright.” She reluctantly outstretched her hands and Brin gently placed them against the sides of his head. The memories he revealed took her by surprise. All were of her. They started with her sleeping, laughing, talking with others. He had evidently been watching her a lot more than she realised. They ended with them dancing together at the wedding they all had attended in Vada and the walk back from rescuing the bear cub. “Why?” she asked him when the images disappeared.
“You need to know that you are not alone. I will stick by you whatever you decide to do. If you choose to leave, I will come with you.”
Sam was too overcome with emotion to speak, so she squeezed his hand tight. “I need to think,” she eventually said before standing up and walking alone into the night. Brin made to follow her, but felt a restraining hand on his arm.
“Let her be alone for a while,” Tor said softly. “We should all get some sleep,” he announced loudly, ignoring the fact that he could see Samson slinking after Sam out of the corner of his eye. “Volunteers for first watch?”
At some point during the night, Brin felt Sam return and settle down beside him. He placed his arm over her and pulled her close, pleased that she had chosen not to sleep in Hawk’s coffin.
The next morning, nobody asked her what she had decided to do, knowing she would let them know when she was ready. Even Bellak did not push her, though Sam suspected this was due to a severe warning from Tor or Hawk rather than any concern or respect for her. She did, however, receive many expectant glances during breakfast until Brin, who was sitting beside her, could not take any more. “What do you want to do?” he asked her.
“Go home,” she replied. “Watch TV, meet friends down the local, catch a train into the city, use a hair drier, wash my clothes in a machine. I want to use a god damn flush toilet for Christ’s sake, but that isn’t likely to happen any time soon is it?” It was a rhetorical question so she received no reply. “Sorry,” she continued in a calmer voice, taking Brin’s hand. “I didn’t mean to snap. I’ve decided to stick with you all. I’ll suffer agony for you.”
Nobody showed any reaction, unsure whether they were pleased that she was still prepared to help them, or worried about what she was going to go through. Tor, Oak, Brin, Torrick and Ria had been especially quiet that morning. Their heads were hurting considerably, a fact they were doing their best to hide. Sam looked at them closely, realising why they looked so pale. “You showed me how much this means to you, despite the cost to yourselves, so I can hardly say no now can I?”
“Yes, you can,” Bellak said, “and after all I have done, it would be perfectly understandable if you did.” A stunned silence surrounded them.
Eventually Sam broke it. “So what happens now?”
Plans were made as to who would enter the cave once the door opened and they took their positions, close to what they thought would be the entrance. All that was needed now was a volunteer to attack Sam.
“I will do it,” Brin announced, shocking everyone. Sam gave him a serious look, then nodded her head. He did not trust anyone else to do it without causing her permanent damage. “An arrow in the shoulder will cause much pain, but is not life threatening.”
Ellen approached and took her hand, as Brin retreated the necessary distance. “I promise I will fully heal you and give you something to dull the pain as soon as I can.” Ellen backed away as Brin pulled back the drawstring on his bow and aimed it at Sam, who stood facing him, eyes closed. As she took a deep breath he let the arrow fly. His aim was perfect, the arrow imbedding itself deep into her flesh, knocking her down.
She emitted no scream. She felt cold spreading down her arm, but no pain. Brin dropped his bow and was instantly by her side, grabbing her hand and gently moving her hair away from her face. She saw him squeeze her hand tightly, but could not feel anything.
“Your body is in shock,” he informed her. “This is not uncommon. You have two choices. We can either wait until the pain starts to take effect, but there is no way of knowing how long that will be, or I can increase the pain.”
Sam looked at the concerned faces surrounding her, some showing the horror they felt at Brin’s suggestion. Then her eyes locked onto the elf’s. For once he was displaying all of his emotions. She knew he would never have given her the alternatives if there had been a choice. “Do it,” she whispered.
Without letting go of her hand, he took hold of the shaft of the arrow and twisted it, pushing it deeper. Agony burned through her and she heard vomiting from somewhere beside her. Someone screamed and she took a while to realise it was herself.
Chapter 2
The agony in Sam’s scream was unmistakable and the response was immediate. Even before the air was once again filled with silence, a large hole had appeared in the side of the hill and the eager explorers lit torches, preparing to enter. Tor walked up to Brin and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We may need you in there.”
Brin did not look up. “And she needs me here.”
Tor walked away, knowing arguing would be pointless. Ellen would take good care of Sam and Brin would only get in the way, but he could see it would be impossible to remove him from her side. Taking a torch from Patrick, he led the way through the hole. The tunnel was narrow and low, forcing the men to walk with their backs bent. Ban suggested he remain behind, but Grimmel reminded him that they were both needed to obtain the next clue, so he had to suffer the indignity of crawling on his hands and knees.
“How did you bring y
ourself to do that?” Dal asked Brin, wiping the remains of vomit from the side of his mouth.
Brin ignored him, looking at Ellen. The arrow needed to be removed quickly, but he was not prepared to try until Sam had been given a sedative. His hope had been to hit directly into her muscle, where the arrow could be removed from the soft flesh relatively easily. Unfortunately his manipulation of the arrow had embedded it too close to bone and pulling it out would be difficult. On top of that, it was dangerously close to an artery, which he would have to avoid cutting at all costs. Not only would the extraction leave a gaping wound that would bleed profusely, but her body may not be able to cope with the additional pain. There was a risk her heart would give out. He needed her unconscious. Ellen had the potion ready within a minute, but time went slowly for Brin as he watched Sam struggle to breathe through the pain, making it seem more like an hour. Ellen asked him to lift Sam’s head slightly and together they managed to tip the sedative down her throat, both sighing with relief when she swallowed it.
The relief was short lived. As soon as her body started to absorb the mixture, it reacted badly. Violent convulsions overwhelmed her and she began to froth at the mouth.
“What is happening?” Dal yelled as he dived onto her legs, holding them still. Ellen held down her uninjured arm while Brin lay across her body, desperately trying not to be thrown off. The convulsions subsided and they began to relax their grip on her.
“She must be having an allergic reaction,” Ellen panted, quickly grabbing Sam’s flaying arm as a second round of convulsions gripped her.
“She is embedding the arrow deeper into herself with each movement. We have to get it out. Now.” Brin stared at Ellen, who nodded. They both knew Sam was still awake enough for the procedure to kill her, but there was no alternative. “Liselle, get over here,” he shouted.
Liselle, who had been watching her husband disappear into the tunnel, rushed over. She took over from Brin, keeping Sam’s body as still as possible, while the elf positioned himself ready for the extraction. As soon as there was a temporary lull in her convulsions, he warned the others that he was ready then pulled hard on the shaft. Sam screamed loudly, then fainted. The arrow shifted slightly, but did not come out. The blood flow increased making it harder for Brin to get a good grip on the projectile. On the third attempt, the arrow came free and blood spurted out, covering them all. Brin and Ellen worked quickly, Brin applying pressure to the wound while Ellen sang a healing enchantment. When the blood finally stopped flowing, Sam was deathly pale; she had lost far too much of the sanguine fluid. Brin laid his head on her chest. She was breathing very shallowly, but her heart was still beating strongly. He collapsed beside her, overcome with relief.
“What was that?” Tor asked as Sam’s scream echoed through the tunnel.
“Should I head back?” Torrick enquired, worried that the rest of their party was under attack.
Tor shook his head. “The ladies have Brin, Oak and Modo to look after them, as well as Samson, and I am sure that even Bellak would be some use if a defence was needed.” He started walking down the tunnel again. “The sooner we get to where we are going, the sooner we can get back.”
They continued for what felt like miles, all the while the air getting stuffier, making breathing progressively harder as they walked. The tunnel twisted and turned, preventing them from seeing far in either direction. They had no idea if the entrance had remained open, or how they would open it again if it had closed. Though this had crossed everyone’s minds, none of them wanted to voice the question, as though speaking it out loud would make it a reality rather than a possibility.
After an hour, Tor called a halt. They had all brought water bottles with them and took a quick drink. They drank sparingly, not knowing how long their water supply would need to last. The tunnel was getting hot, making them sweat. Ria had borrowed a pair of trousers from Dal for the expedition and had the legs rolled up as high as she could, exposing her calves and a large amount of thigh. Patrick almost made a comment about what a nice sight it was, but stopped himself before the words formed in his mouth. By the torchlight he could make out at least one knife secreted about her person and he knew from experience how well she could use it.
They soon set off again, with much grumbling and complaining. Minutes later Tor turned a corner and pulled up sharply, causing Ria to walk into him. In front of him was a large cavern. The light from his torch reflected off numerous mirrors that had been placed round the edge, illuminating the entire chamber. He could faintly hear running water and looked around for its source, spotting a small trickle of water running down the cavern wall at the far end. He made his way to it, dipped his fingers in and placed them to his lips. It was cool and fresh. He cupped his hands underneath, allowing them to fill up, then drank deeply. By now, the others had entered and were investigating their surroundings and the men took the opportunity to stretch their aching backs.
“There is absolutely nothing here,” Ria declared. Apart from the mirrors, the chamber was bare. “Where is the next clue?”
“We were told we need the short and the tall, so there might be a very small crawl space up high.” Torches were raised high as six pairs of eyes looked upwards. Grimmel refused to take part, claiming that he stretched his neck enough just speaking with Ban yet alone trying to see any higher. Every inch was searched, but no hidden cubby hole could be found. The walls were smooth, too smooth for the cavern to be natural, meaning they could not climb for a better view.
“Wait a minute,” Seth suddenly called out to Torrick. “Wave your torch again.” Torrick did as instructed while Seth glanced at the wall above him. “Did anyone else see that?” he asked.
“I definitely saw something,” Tor confirmed. “Move your torch one more time.” This time everyone was watching. Though no hole or tunnel entrance could be made out, a shadow caused by the torchlight did not seem to fall quite right. “Something is up there, but I am not sure what.”
“How are we going to get that high? It is hard enough to see up there yet alone reach it.”
“Let me try,” Ria volunteered. “I used to be an acrobat, remember.”
“Among other things,” Seth whispered, not quite quietly enough. “Ow.” He rubbed his arm where Ria had thumped him. She may look like a sweet and innocent female, but she could hit like a man.
Ria placed Ban close to the wall, his hands cupped ready for her to step into and his knees bent. From the other end of the cavern, she ran towards him, springing upwards the moment her foot touched his hands. At the same time Ban stood up, pushing his arms high, launching the young woman into the air. Having confirmed that there was definitely a small ledge above them, she then attempted to throw a torch while in mid air. On her third try she was successful; the lit torch balanced on the edge, threatening to fall down for a moment before coming to a rest. The hole that was revealed by the light was tiny.
“I should be able to get through there, even if I have to crawl on my belly,” Ria observed. “If one of you stands on Ban’s shoulders, I can climb up you both and reach the ledge.”
Patrick was quickly mounted on top of Ban, both leaning against the wall for support, and Ria expertly made her way up Patrick’s back and onto his shoulders. She pulled herself onto the ledge then, lying flat, wormed her way into the hole. Her progress was slow, but she did not have far to go. Soon her way was blocked. Rolling over onto her back, she looked up and swore loudly. She could see a number of scrolls on a small ledge above her, but there was no way she could reach them without sitting up, and even this small task was not possible with such a low ceiling. It could be done by someone with a shorter backbone, but was an impossible feat for anyone of her size, even with her flexibility. Turning back onto her stomach, she wriggled her way back out, banging her elbows and scraping her bare skin on the rough stone floor as her clothes rode upwards.
“Sorry gentlemen,” she called down once she had readjusted her clothing, “but you will need to send Grim
mel up. I can see some scrolls, but I cannot manoeuvre myself into the right position to reach one.”
The dwarf looked up. “You have got to be kidding me.”
There was no way the dwarf was going to be able to climb up Ban and Patrick the way Ria did so he stood on Ban’s hands and reached up towards Ria. Ban straightened his arms enough for Ria to reach Grimmel and she pulled him up, scraping his shins on the way. Taking the torch from her, he crawled into the gap on his hands and knees and was able to stand when he reached the end. Turning round, he easily reached one of the scrolls and was able to quickly crawl back again. He threw it down and Tor deftly caught it. He unrolled it and read it out loud.
Take many friends to Ukland Maze
For in its heart the next clue lies
Four and one puzzles must be solved
For each mistake, a companion dies
“Short but to the point,” Patrick observed dryly. “Why do I have the feeling that I will be volunteered to be the first to attempt each puzzle?”
“I do not think we will want to wait around for you to revive if you get yourself killed, so I think getting them right on the first attempt is a better idea. Anyone ever heard of Ukland Maze?” Tor asked. Nobody had.
The Maze Page 2
