by Jake Halpern
"No one's got any business down there," replied Misty matter-of-factly.
"But have you been down there since?" asked Hill.
"I ain't gonna lie to ya," said Misty with a sigh. "'Twas a time when my nephew fell sick 'n' no one 'ad any money. Was right 'fore the Great Sleeper came and the crops was all dyin' and people was starvin'. I went in by meself, real quiet, carried lotsa light, reapplied my skelter sap three times, and came out with a bunch a mile markers. It was just t' help my nephew, you understand?"
"Can you show us how to get down there?" Alfonso asked.
"No," said the old miner. "I won't letcha go down there. And it ain't just cause of the zwodszay either. Ever since the roots of the old Foundin' Tree withered away, none of the ground beneath Somnos has been stable. Mines've been collapsin' left and right. That's why I've taken to huntin' ants fer a livin'. I haven't been down 'dere for over a year now. It ain't safe."
"Please," said Resuza.
Misty sighed heavily.
"Fine," said the old miner finally. "I'll jus' show ya parta the way. But'cha better grab a few of those rank-smellin' vats that are sittin' on my porch—we may need 'em."
"What are they?" asked Bilblox.
"Skleter sap," replied Misty with a grunt.
***
Later that evening, as the moon began to rise, Bataar made her way into the foothills that loomed above the jungle. The temperature here was pleasantly crisp, a perfect mix of the warm jungle air below and the icy mountain air above. Looking backwards, it was still possible to see the majestic lights of Somnos in the distance. The area they were traveling through was a barren scrubland, composed of rocks, grass, and occasional clumps of snow. No one spoke. Alfonso, Hill, Resuza, Bilblox, and Misty were each lost in their own thoughts.
For his part, Hill was busy looking through a leather bag stuffed with a slingshot, a shepherd's flute, a hooded robe, and an assortment of herbs. These, of course, were the items from Kiril's list. Hill's aide had been incredibly resourceful at finding everything on the list. She had worked at lightning speed and delivered the items to Misty's house at dusk, just before they had departed for the Fault Roads. The only item missing from the list was the khopesh—no one could figure out what this was.
"Aha!" said Misty. "Bring this 'ere anteater to a halt!"
Resuza, who had the reigns, tugged forcefully.
"What's the matter?" asked Hill.
Misty jumped to the ground and pointed to a round boulder that, at first glance, looked no different from the hundreds of boulders surrounding it. Upon closer inspection, however, they saw a small curlicue carved into the bottom of the rock.
"That's the mark I use," Misty proclaimed. She looked at Bilblox. "Come on then—help me with this thing. It's good t'have some strong folk helpin' out."
Misty and Bilblox pushed the boulder to one side, revealing a dark hole in the ground just over a foot and a half in diameter. Alfonso looked at it. The hole didn't seem particularly exceptional, certainly not like an entrance to the ancient Fault Roads.
"Any signs of Josephus or Kiril?" asked Hill.
"Impossible to say," said Misty. "Ground 'ere is all rock—no place to leave a footprint. If they came through 'ere, they musta moved dis 'ere boulder back into place and covered their tracks."
Hill looked unsatisfied.
"Whatchya' got that look on yer face fer?" asked Misty.
"We need to know if Josephus and Kiril are down there," said Hill. "I want to go down and see if we can find any traces of them."
"And what if ya do find some traces?" asked Misty angrily. "Then what? You gonna just keep goin' till the zwodszay ambush ya and eat ya for lunch?"
"No," said Hill. "I have no interest in exploring the Fault Roads. We'll just poke around a little bit. And, if we find any traces of them, we'll report back to the Grand Vizier and she can decide what to do."
"Blasted fool!" cursed Misty. "Stubborn, thick-headed, arrogant fool of a man. And they call ya a blasted dignitary? All them years ya spent in the outside world softened yer brain up like milk on porridge."
"Will you take us down there?" asked Hill.
"It'll cost ya," replied Misty.
"What's your price?"
"Let's put it this way," said Misty. "If I see any of them mile markers, ya just turn yer head, and I'll come home with a few souvenirs."
"Fine," said Hill.
Misty still looked worried, as if she knew she was making a terrible mistake, but she eventually nodded. "Well," said Misty finally. "It oughta take a few hours to git down to where ya want to go. I can show ya where them Fault Roads start. We can poke around a bit. Then we can resurface and ya can go have yer chat with the Grand Vizier."
Hill nodded.
"I got some extra packs wit' me," said Misty. "Just in case, I figre we oughta take enough supplies fer a few days."
"Why's that?" asked Alfonso. "You said it should only take a few hours."
"First rule a-minin'," said Misty. "Always plan for the worst—cave-ins—especially these days. It's real easy t'get trapped. That's why I'm insistin' on the extra food, and torches, and skelter sap, too."
Misty tied one end of a thick rope around a nearby boulder and then dropped the other end down the hole. It was impossible to see how far down the hole went. Bilblox placed a hand just above the hole.
"Do you feel that air?" he remarked. "It's cold." He shook his head and looked at Alfonso, who had his hand on Bilblox's shoulder. "Do you remember the catacombs below Barsh-yin-Binder? Afterward, I swore I'd never go underground again."
"We got no time fer storytellin'," muttered Misty. She had turned quite grumpy and her coal-black eyes glared at the group. She put on a battered miner's helmet, double-checked an overstuffed canvas bag slung around her shoulders, grabbed hold of the rope, and lowered herself down into the hole, burly hand over burly hand. When only her head peeked out of the hole, she looked around once more and let out another cackle. "Each of ya remember yer packs 'n' supplies and hurry up!" she said. "Follow me quick—you folks is liable to stand around that hole fer hours, makin' excuses why ya won't go down!" And with that last word, she disappeared.
They stood around the hole, listening to Misty's grunts and half-curses as she lowered herself down. Finally, Resuza grabbed hold of the rope, smiled at everyone, and disappeared through the hole. Hill quickly followed. Then Bilblox, with Kõrgu perched on his shoulders. Alfonso was the last. Suddenly, Alfonso had a very dark feeling, as if he'd rather do just about anything else than descend into this hole. But it was too late for second guesses. Alfonso grabbed hold of the rope and felt its coarseness against his palm. More noises fluttered up from below. Alfonso shut his eyes, ground his teeth together, and descended into the darkness below.
CHAPTER 21
THE DESCENT
THEY DESCENDED roughly fifty feet until they landed in what appeared to be a large, hollow cavern jagged with stalagmites and stalactites. It was completely dark, except for a solitary beam of moonlight coming from the hole above them. The stone floor was covered with dust and the air smelled musty and stale. It was cold as well—not cold enough for ice to form, but cold enough for them to see their breath and to feel the tingle of a cough forming in their chests.
Hill removed his pack and took out a lantern. Misty immediately put a restraining hand on Hill's arm. "Not now, laddy," she warned. "Ya got plentya time later when ya might need that light. No use wastin' it while we still got some above us. Now where's them barrelsa skelter sap that Bilblox was carryin'?"
Bilblox took a barrel out of his oversize backpack and set it on the ground. The barrel was roughly the size of a large watermelon. Misty uncorked the barrel and poured an ounce or so of liquid into her hands. It glowed faintly and smelled like rubbing alcohol.
"Great-uncle Dlugosz swore by this stuff," she said. "Those zwodszay 'ave an especially keen sense-a smell, but the sap covers yer scent near perfect. I'd smear this all o'er yer faces and any other expos'
skin—the zwodszay don't like it. Plus it glows a little, so ya can see one another. Don' worry—the zwodszay got terrible eyesight. They'll smell ya miles away but can only see ya if yer within' kissin' distance." She looked at Kõrgu. "The wolf won' like it, but ya better cover 'er as well."
"Wait a minute," said Bilblox. "I though ya said the zwodszay were in the Fault Roads—not in ordinary mines like this one."
"That's right," said Misty. "But with all the collapsin' that's been goin' on down 'ere, it's impossible to say where the zwodszay might be. We're all lucky they ain't found a way up to the surface—otherwise Somnos would 'ave a far worse problem than those ants."
Everyone smeared the sap over their exposed skin. It went on smoothly, so that only a small amount was necessary for each person. Bilblox grabbed Kõrgu and applied the sap to her fur and snout, even though she wriggled and tried to brush it off. This task completed, Misty gestured toward a far corner of the empty cavern, where an iron cage sat almost directly over a dark mine shaft. The door to the cage hung open on one broken hinge. "There's the transportation to the mine below. Took us months to dig the shaft." They walked to the rickety cage, which was large enough to fit the entire group.
"All righty then, git inside, ladies and gents," muttered Misty. "We're not here fer a school trip, and these bonesa mine ain't gettin' any warmer with us standin' 'round and waitin'."
"Are you sure this still works?" asked Hill.
Misty let out a gruff cackle. "Well, ya got no other options, that's fer sure. S'long as the chain still holds, we'll be fine." They reluctantly crowded into the cage and felt the floorboards creak ominously. One or two appeared to be missing altogether. Misty entered last and dragged the lopsided door closed. "Hold on tight," she said. "This 'ere cage is apt to give ya a jolt."
Misty reached up and pulled down a metal rod. It screeched down, and suddenly the cage began to descend into the complete darkness of the mine shaft. At first the descent was quite slow, but after thirty seconds or so, it sped up so quickly that it wasn't clear whether the cage was still attached to its metal chain.
"MISTY?!" yelled Hill.
"Jus hol' on there," shouted Misty. "The ballast balancin' the other side is a bit light. We're goin' faster than we should." They continued their near free fall in the iron cage. Alfonso huddled in a corner of the cage. Both his hands gripped the rusty bars, and his mind whirled round and round, trying to calm his panic.
Brrraaaaacckkk!!!
The cage shuddered and began to slow. Thousands of sparks bloomed above them and rained down like falling fireflies. A loud scraping sound, like fingernails on a chalkboard, reverberated throughout the cage. Misty slapped Hill on the shoulder and shouted in his ear, "Those are the brakes kickin' in! I knew this ol' gal was still workin'! Why, she could prob'ly go fer another hunnert years!"
At that moment, the cage stopped abruptly, and they all fell to the floor. It was completely dark, except for the last sparks dying out on their packs and jackets. Bilblox moaned. "I thought Fort Krasnik was behind on the times," muttered the blind longshoreman. "That elevator's a death trap. Any broken bones out there?"
No one said anything. Slowly, the group stood back up and brushed themselves off. Bilblox reached out toward the cage door to push it open, but found nothing. "Where's the door?" he asked.
Misty lit a candle and let out a surprised whistle. "Good thing we didn't move around in the cage!" she exclaimed. "That cage door musta snapped off. Well, nothin' we can do now. Let's get movin'."
She lit a lantern and walked out of the cage into a small room with a low, hand-dug ceiling. A narrow tunnel led out of the room and a great many rocks lay strewn across the floor.
"Hmm," said Misty. "These rocks've all been moved 'round. This tunnel used to be almost totally blocked."
"Maybe Josephus and Kiril moved them," suggested Alfonso.
"Not by 'emselves," said Misty. "It'd take more'n two men to move these rocks." Misty scrambled into the tunnel, moved aside several smaller boulders with practiced ease, and then motioned for them to follow.
"So you don't think Josephus was here?" asked Hill.
"Impossible to say," said Misty. "Mebbe he was, mebbe he wasn't, who could..."
Just then, their voices were drowned out by an enormous rumble, which sounded unmistakably like an earthquake. The ground shook and small rocks fell from the ceiling.
"What was that?" asked Resuza nervously.
"Oh that's just the ground shiftin'," said Misty. "It's like I told ya's—ground ain't stable anymore after the old Foundin' Tree died." Her voice trailed off in the midst of another rumble.
They walked down a long tunnel lit only by Misty's lantern. After about two hours, they were stopped by what appeared to be a cave-in. The tunnel was completely filled in with smashed wood timbers, cracked chunks of marble, and hundreds of boulders.
"The mines keep goin' past this spot, but that's many years ago," Misty said. She rubbed her chin and looked around, as if she were lost.
"Should be 'round here somewhere," she muttered. Misty set down her lantern and began groping around on the floor. "Yup, 'ere it is. And no rocks or pebbles on it either. Someone mighta been through 'ere recently—quite possible."
Everyone clamored around Misty to see what she had unearthed. On the ground before them was a rusting metal door with a hefty sliding bolt. "I put this 'ere door in after the disaster with Josephus," explained Misty. "Didn't want any trouble clawin' its way up, if ya know what I mean."
"This is the door to the Fault Roads?" asked Bilblox.
"Yup," said Misty. She smiled. "Now, my dear Foreign Minister, ya may want to reconsider whether ya really wanna open this 'ere door. Maybe we all can 'ave a drinka water and ya can mull it over."
Hill nodded somberly.
Misty patted her pockets. "Ah crimminy!"
"What is it?" asked Alfonso nervously.
"I misplaced me satchel with me cigars in em," said Misty. "Oh, I musta put 'em down about five minutes back, when I stopped to 'ave a drink. I'm gonna go grab 'em real quick. You all wait 'ere. Have a good look around, mebbe have a little snack, and then we can formulate a plan. Keep mullin' it over, Mr. Foreign Minister. I'll be back in a jiffy!"
Misty traipsed off into the darkness.
"Lunch, anyone?" asked Bilblox as he groped around in his backpack. "Feels like Misty packed us some beef jerky and ... some more beef jerky."
"I'll have a piece," said Resuza.
"The jerky is excellent," said Bilblox as he chewed loudly. "Must be venison, maybe with a bit of paprika or garlic."
"Okay," said Alfonso. "Give me a piece, I'd like..."
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrunnnn!
There was a deafening rumble. Everyone was knocked off their feet. Dust fell thickly from the ceiling and pebbles flew through the air. Kõrgu started barking ferociously.
About a minute later, Hill managed to light a torch and together they surveyed the damage. There had been a large cave-in and much of the ceiling had crashed down around them. The most obvious and immediate problem was that the way back to the elevator—the passageway that Misty had just walked down moments before—was now completely sealed off with enormous boulders. Alfonso, Hill, Bilblox, and Resuza immediately set to work trying to move the boulders. They worked feverishly for several hours, but it was no use. Even the mighty Bilblox, who was famous for lifting six-hundred-pound containers with ease, couldn't budge the massive rock pile.
"What are we gonna do?" asked Bilblox finally.
"We don't have much of a choice," Resuza said grimly.
"What are you suggestin'?" asked Bilblox. "You wanna open that door and go down into the Fault Roads? Where's that gonna take us?"
No one spoke for a moment.
"It could take us to Jasber," said Alfonso quietly.
"And it could take us straight to hell," retorted Bilblox. "I got a strong feelin'—a very strong feelin'—that we don't want to open that door."
"We're goin
g to have to open it," said Hill wearily. "And it has nothing to do with Jasber, or the zwodszay, or Josephus, or Kiril. The thing is, if we don't open that door, we're going to run out of oxygen."
"He's right," said Resuza. "The air is beginning to feel a little thin in here."
"And what do we do once we're down there?" Bilblox demanded.
No one replied.
***
Hill slid the bolt on the old door and heaved it open. A blast of warm air blew into the cavern, as if they had just opened the door to an oven. "Heaven have mercy on us," muttered Bilblox. "Who's goin' first?"
"I will," said Hill. "Everyone remember their packs with the supplies. And reapply some of that skelter sap, just in case." That done, Hill fastened a rope to the door and lowered himself into the darkened hole below. Alfonso went next, followed by Resuza, and then Bilblox with Kõrgu around his shoulders. They touched down on a cobblestone floor. It appeared to be an ancient storeroom, filled with shards of pottery, several intact plates, and a number of items that glittered in the dim light of Hill's torch. The storeroom opened into a tunnel that glowed with a faint light.
Hill set down his pack, pulled out his Colt .45 revolver, and stuck it into his belt so he could grab it quickly if need be. He then pulled out a sturdy wooden club. "This was in one of Misty's packs," explained Hill as he handed the weapon to Bilblox. "It should work very well in short-range combat, even when wielded by a blind man."
Bilblox nodded appreciatively.
Resuza took out her Enfield rifle and expertly moved her hands around the stock, muzzle, and firing mechanism. She glanced through the sight, and slid a bullet into position. "I'm all set," she said. "Hopefully I won't need it." She slung the rifle across her shoulders, and it hung loosely across her body, at the ready.
Hill turned to Alfonso. "Do you have your blue sphere?"
Alfonso nodded.
"Good," said Hill. "Make sure you can access it quickly."
"What's the plan?" asked Bilblox.
"Well, let's have a look around before making any decisions. All right?" Hill asked.
