Unsuspecting Mage

by Brian S. Pratt

  It seems an agonizingly slow time, but he eventually makes it to the other side where James stretches out his hand, helping him the last few feet.

  “Great job,” he says, patting Miko on the back. “I knew you could do it!”

  Miko’s knees begin to shake and he all but collapses on the ground before falling over.

  “I guess now would be a good time for a rest break,” James says as he opens a bag searching for food. When the bag containing the food comes up empty, he realizes they gave all their food to the families last night. “Uh, oh,” he groans.

  Miko turns his head and looks at him, “What?”

  “We’re out of food,” James tells him.

  He wraps his arms around his legs, rests his head on his upraised knees and groans, “Great! Now we’re going to starve to death.”

  Giving him a look of annoyance, James says, “You know, you’re awfully negative sometimes. We are not going to starve to death, it takes days for that to happen and we should be out of here by then or at least found something to eat.”

  Miko just looks at him for a second then stretches out and lays on the ground, not saying anything.

  James allows him to rest for a few minutes to calm his shaky nerves before getting him up and pressing onward.

  The cavern continues past the chasm for another hundred feet until it begins to narrow and ultimately end at another passage that had been carved out of the rock. This new passage is as narrow as the previous one and the sides are wet with water that seeps through cracks in the rocks. The floor of the passage has a thin coating of algae which makes for a slippery surface.

  As they follow the passage, the water that’s seeping through the cracks slowly begins to create a small flow running along one side of the passage bottom. It continues to grow until the passage abruptly comes to an end where the water flows over the edge and down toward an unseen bottom. They have come to another subterranean cavern. How big it is and how far from the bottom they are is uncertain as the orb’s light fails to illuminate the cavern in its entirety.

  The drop-off before them extends almost vertically downward to an unknown depth. Standing at the opening they feel a slight breeze blowing from the cavern and into their passage. A narrow flight of steps has been carved out of the side of the cavern and descends into the darkness below.

  “Wonder what’s down there?” James asks. Placing one foot onto the uppermost step, he holds the glowing orb out as far as he can. The light doesn’t illuminate very far and all they can see are the narrow steps disappearing into the darkness below.

  “I don’t know,” Miko replies. “I hope we can get out of here soon.”

  “I’d like that too,” James agrees. “Be careful, the steps may be slippery.” He takes another step and begins descending the steps, being careful as the water flowing from the passage cascades over the first six before moving off.

  They don’t descend very far before they notice the sound of a distant waterfall coming from somewhere below. Soon after that, mist begins to float upon the air. The further they descend, the louder it becomes until when they finally reach the bottom of the steps, the sound is practically deafening. They are unable to see where the sound is originating from as the light from the orb doesn’t extend quite that far. The stairs end at a stone platform that has been carved out of the wall of the cavern.

  Upon the stone platform, sitting on a wooden rack is a small boat that looks as if it could seat four people comfortably. Mounted on the wall next to the boat are two oars resting on several pegs. At the edge of the platform flows a fast moving underground river. It disappears through a wide tunnel in the wall, whose ceiling seems barely high enough to allow adequate clearance for the boat let alone any passengers.

  Upstream to the left, they hear the crash of the mighty waterfall as it plummets down, forming the river somewhere out in the dark. The mist from the waterfall fills the cavern, leaving everything slightly damp.

  “Looks like we ride from here,” James says as he drops his backpack on the platform and goes over to inspect the boat. He takes a second to try and figure the best way to remove it from the wooden rack without wrecking it.

  Motioning for Miko to help him, he takes one end of the boat while Miko takes the other and together they gently lift it off the rack, setting it slowly upon the platform.

  Miko leans close to James so he’ll be able to be heard over the thunder of the falls and asks, “Think it’ll float?”

  “I sure hope so,” he replies. “I really don’t fancy getting in the water and swimming through that tunnel.”

  “What do we do if it sinks?” Miko asks worriedly.

  “Stay afloat and swim as best we can, I guess,” James says. “But the wood looks sound, even if it has been down here for a long time.” He whacks the side of the boat with his hand, showing Miko that it still has some strength and durability left in it.

  Miko looks dubious, but holds his tongue.

  James removes the two oars from the wall and places them inside the boat. Then he grabs his backpack and places it inside as well.

  Miko follows suit and places his bags inside and then they slowly work the boat over to the edge of the platform. The end of the platform gently slopes downward until it is only a few inches from the top of the flowing water. James eases the boat into the water, all the while maintaining a firm hold to keep it from being pulled out onto the water and through the tunnel. He signals with a jerk of his head for Miko to get in.

  Miko shouts “Don’t let go!” and climbs into the boat, sitting down in the rear of the two bench seats.

  James concentrates on the glowing orb and it floats over and takes position at the stern of the boat. He looks at Miko and hollers, “Now, when I get in we’ll each take an oar, and use them to keep us away from the walls and anything else that may pop up in front of us.” James waits until Miko gives him a nod, indicating that he understands and then pushes the boat out and jumps in yelling, “Stay down and watch your head!”

  The boat moves out from the platform a little as James settles into the front seat and takes an oar. Then the current grabs hold of them and shoots them toward the tunnel, picking up speed rapidly. They begin going faster and faster until they pass from the cavern and into the tunnel. The ceiling is only about six inches from the tops of their heads. James places the oar back into the bottom of the boat as he quickly realizes that if he were to use it against the sides of the tunnel, at the speed they are going, it would be ripped out of his hands.

  They both scrunch down as far as they can and hold on for dear life. Luckily the current is keeping them a comfortable distance from the sides of the tunnel, so they have little worry about hitting it. The walls of the tunnel rush past in a blur and James can hear faint sounds coming from Miko but he’s not sure if he’s crying or laughing.

  James is scared to death and loving every minute of it. This sure beats the hell out of any log ride I’ve ever been on! Letting out a cry of enjoyment, he grips the sides tightly and rides on. Rushing headlong into the unknown, the possibility of being killed at any moment, is an exhilarating rush for him.

  From up ahead they begin to hear a change in the sound of the water, it’s getting slightly louder and the tunnel seems to be growing narrower, causing the boat to increase in speed. Fortunately the tunnel is still sufficiently wide to accommodate the boat. Then all of a sudden the ceiling of the tunnel opens up and the river suddenly goes over a steep, ten foot drop.

  At the speed they are going, the boat flies out over the waterfall, becoming airborne. A scream of terror comes from the back of the boat as they sail through the air, but James dares not look back to see if Miko’s okay, for fear of falling out. Unable to contain his excitement, he lets out a scream of his own, “Yeeeeee Haaaaaa!”

  Wham!

  The boat slams against the surface of the water, almost knocking them out of the boat. James tries to regain his breath after it had been knocked out of him from when they hit the
water. The boat slowly begins reducing speed as it floats upon the placid water. He looks around and realizes that they are upon an underground lake.

  Turning to Miko, James says excitedly, “My god! Was that some ride or what?”

  “Yeah,” says Miko miserably. “It was great.”

  “Oh come on!” James exclaims. “Where I come from people would pay top dollar to go through that, again and again.”

  Miko just looks at him like he’s insane and shakes his head.

  His lack of enthusiasm somewhat dampens James’, but he can still feel the thrill of it when they went sailing over the waterfall and landed on the lake. Grabbing the oars, he begins to row in the direction the boat is currently going.

  To Miko he says, “Keep a lookout behind me and make sure I don’t run into anything.”

  Miko just nods his head and keeps an eye out for anything in the lake ahead of them.

  After rowing for a few minutes, Miko points behind James and says, “There’s something in the lake ahead.”

  He glances over his shoulder and sees a small island poking out of the surface of the water directly in their path. He turns the boat a little to the right and they sail around the island, which isn’t very large, and continue on their way. For a brief moment he has visions of riddles and rings.

  He continues rowing for a little longer before Miko suddenly exclaims excitedly, “James, there’s light coming from up ahead!”

  Looking over his shoulder, he can see a small patch of light in the distance ahead of them. He angles the boat toward the light and rows harder. “Maybe it’s the way out?” he says.

  “I hope so,” Miko replies. “I want to get out of here!”

  Pulling on the oars with renewed vigor, he rows toward the patch of light, which continues to grow as they approach. When they’re closer, they can see that it’s an opening in the cavern wall, allowing a small stream wide enough to accommodate the boat to flow through.

  “Should we take it?” James asks, knowing the answer even before he hears it.

  “Yes!” exclaims Miko.

  James heads for the opening and as they get closer, begins to see trees and bushes on the other side. Excited, Miko gives a whoop and holler as they enter the sunlit world, leaving the underworld behind them.

  The stream flows through a tangle of trees and undergrowth, flowing steadily and smoothly. As it turns out, the stream is barely deep enough for the boat to keep from scraping the bottom. Twice, they become stuck when the boat runs aground where the stream becomes too shallow. Using the oars, they push off from the bottom until they are once more in deeper water and the boat is able to float free.

  It isn’t far until the trees open up and they realize that they are now at the bottom of the gorge. Through the trees ahead they can see where the stream will be joining the river as it flows on its way into Madoc. Having no more need of the glowing orb, James cancels the spell.

  As they join the main river, they look up and can barely make out the road that they had been on earlier in the day, way up the side of the mountain. “Hard to believe that we were way up there just a few hours ago,” Miko says.

  James looks at the shadows on the mountain and realizes that they had been in there far longer than a few hours. “I think that we were in there most of the day,” James corrects him. “Gauging by the shadows the sun is casting on the mountain, it’s more likely early evening. We left the way stop just after sunup.”

  “Guess that’s why I’m so hungry,” Miko says, looking at James.

  “Let’s find a good spot for a brief camp and we’ll see what we can do about that.” He maneuvers the boat to the center of the river and doesn’t worry too much about rowing, except in maneuvering them around obstacles, the current here is fairly fast. He sits back a bit and rests his arms, which have been growing tired from all the unaccustomed rowing.

  The river makes a turn up ahead and on the inner bend of the turn, there’s an open area, a sandbar really. As likely a spot as any to make camp, James uses the oars to bring them closer. When they get near and are about to be carried past by the current, he signals to Miko and they both leap from the boat. James keeps hold of the side until he’s regained his balance.

  Miko on the other hand didn’t fare nearly as well. For when he jumps from the boat, his foot slips on a submerged rock and falls into the icy, cold water. He starts splashing and yells, “James! Help me!”

  James looks over as he steadies himself and says, “Its not deep, just stand up.”

  Miko’s thrashing begins to calm down and with a face red with embarrassment, he stands up and realizes he was only in a couple feet of water. Dripping wet and frozen, his clothes are soaked through and through. And with the sun behind the mountains, there is little to help him get warm.

  With the bedraggled Miko’s help, they get the boat far enough up onto the sandbar so the current will be unable to drag it away. By the time the boat comes to rest, Miko is shivering quite badly and his teeth have begun to chatter.

  Seeing his predicament, James collects some of the driftwood lying around and stacks it together. He uses a fire starter spell, catching the wood on fire and then begins placing larger pieces on top. Soon he has a fair sized fire going and Miko gets close, holding his red hands as near the flames as he can stand.

  Now that Miko’s plight is beginning to improve, James hunts the sandbar until finding a stick approximately three feet long. He then takes his knife and sharpens one end of the stick to create a makeshift spear. Once it’s finished, he wades into the river and stands patiently waiting for a fish to swim by.

  Miko shivers by the fire, its warmth slowly seeping back into his body. Not far off in the river, James stands motionless, his face a study of concentration as he searches the water for movement. Then, in one quick movement, James thrusts the stick into the water and pulls out a large wriggling fish impaled upon its end. Bringing his catch over to the campsite, James uses his knife to gut and scale the fish, then uses the same stick he used to catch it to roast it over the fire.

  “How long are we going to stay here?” Miko asks after sitting quietly listening to the spit and sizzle of the juice dripping from the fish into the fire.

  Thinking a bit, James turns the fish before answering. “Probably not until after dark and our clothes are a little drier,” he replies. “I want to get through the gorge and past any patrols that Cardri may have at the other end of the Pass.”

  “Isn’t it going to be dangerous riding the river in the dark?” questions Miko.

  “Probably, but if we keep our wits about us and listen for any changes in the sounds of the river, then we should make it through,” he says.

  “Once through, we head for the City of Light?” he asks.

  “That’s right,” answers James. “Unless of course the Empire’s army is in our way, then we’ll just have to see what choices present themselves and go from there.” He takes the fish off the fire and inspects it, deciding that it still needs more time and puts it back over the fire to cook longer.

  “The first town we come to, we shall see about getting a couple of horses,” he tells Miko. “We’re going to need speed if we want to keep ahead of the Empire’s forces. Hopefully, they will not venture into the same area where we are planning to travel.”

  “Yeah, let’s hope so,” agrees Miko.

  Checking the fish one more time, he decides it’s fit to eat. Grabbing a couple large leaves from a nearby plant for makeshift plates, he divides the fish between them and hands Miko his share. While they eat, the sunlight continues to dim as the sun sinks lower and lower behind the mountains. By the time they finish eating, the first stars begin to appear in the sky and Miko announces his clothes are fairly dry, at least the part that has been facing the fire.

  Anxious to leave the Pass behind them James says, “Let’s get going and pray we are not seen as we exit the Pass.” He uses a stick and scatters the fire, kicking sand over it with his foot until it’s completely
out.

  They push the boat to the edge of the river until it just begins to float, then Miko hops in. Once he’s seated with the oars at the ready, James gives the boat a final push as he jumps in and they float out onto the river. Miko extends the oars and maneuvers them toward the middle of the river. Once the boat is in position, he pulls the oars from the water and allows the current to carry them downriver.

  The night slowly deepens until only the light from the stars above illuminate possible obstacles in the river. They keep a vigilant lookout ahead of them, as well as listening for any changes in sound that may indicate rapids or a possible waterfall. Riding an unknown river in the dark makes James uneasy, but feels the risks are worth it if they can make it through the Pass undetected.

  As fortune would have it, a quarter moon peaks over the tops of the mountains, giving them more light with which to spot rocks jutting from the surface. After floating for some time, they make their way around a bend and James realizes the river is growing wider. He begins to relax, as that usually means a gentler river and less chance of coming across any rapids.

  They drift along for another hour or so when Miko whispers, “James, look up ahead.”

  Snapping awake, he realizes he dozed off for a few minutes. Ahead of them can be seen the light from several fires on the shore to their right. Silhouettes of many men move among them.

  “It must be the checkpoint at the end of the Pass,” he whispers to Miko. “Let’s be quiet so they won’t know we are here.” Taking the oars he slowly edges the boat over to the left side of the river, putting as much distance between them and the men on the shore as possible. When he has moved them as close to the shore as he dares, they lay low in the boat and watch the men on the shore as they drift silently by.