The longer they proceeded through the tunnel, the better Bren started to feel. Without any magical energy he could no longer feel its call but on the other hand, it felt as if part of him was missing. At the moment, he was torn between happiness and distress.
The path in the tunnels didn’t twist or turn and there seemed to be no offshoots from the main path, but it was a seemingly endless path. When they had walked for more than two hours, they took a small break so that Cass could prepare a second torch.
“How long is this blasted tunnel?” Cass asked as he pulled the second torch out of his pack. “I only carry three of these and I doubt they will last us for more than a day.”
“I think we might find ourselves walking in the dark before long then,” Bren said sighing.
“That doesn’t sound too pleasing,” Faye said in a shaky voice. “The mountain didn’t look that big. Maybe we won’t have to stay in the dark for too long.”
“We can only hope,” Cass said as he slung his pack over his shoulder and strapped it down so it wouldn’t shift.
Once the new torch was lit, they continued walking down the dark path. Before long, the tunnel started to open up until they could no longer see the edges. Cass had them spread out with Phena in the middle.
“There is an exit here,” Faye yelled after a little while.
“There is one here as well,” Cass hollered a few moments later.
In all, they found seven different tunnels besides the one through which they had entered. Using a white stick made of a mix of fat and oil, Cass made marks outside each tunnel so they could keep track of where they had been in case they needed to backtrack later on.
I think we should make our camp here for now,” Cass said while they were trying to decide which way to go. “I know we have only been walking for at most half a day, but we need to decide the best route as well as to what we are going to do once we run out of light. I would suggest that we save the last torch until we need it.”
“I agree,” Bren said. “I think we should look for any wood or plants that might burn.”
“That sounds good,” Cass said. “But we should work in pairs so that we don’t risk getting lost. No taking offshoots; just stick to the main tunnels, and then turn back after no more than fifteen minutes of walking.”
Four of them paired up into two groups with Brenda waiting in the center to call to them as a guide if needed.
With no light, Bren and Faye tied themselves with a thin piece of rope so that they couldn’t get separated. As they moved off down the tunnel, Faye took a firm grasp of Bren’s hand. It was hard to walk in total darkness and slow going. Bren and Faye found nothing that might be of use. Nothing; not even a stray stone on the ground.
When time was up, Bren heard Brenda give a loud call. Turning around, Bren and Faye started heading back, but only a few short steps later, Faye stopped dead in her tracks. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.
Bren didn’t answer as he listened. A faint scraping noise was coming from somewhere, but Bren couldn’t tell from where. Sliding over to the wall, Bren placed his ear against it and listened closely. The scratching grew louder and louder, and Bren was sure that it was coming from somewhere above them. Pulling his sword from its sheath, Bren pulled Faye behind him so that anything coming would have to go through him to get to her.
Bren didn’t have to wait long to find out what had made the noise as something heavy landed on his shoulders, dragging him to the ground.
Even though he couldn’t see what it was, Bren could feel the creature’s teeth trying to dig into his skin. It quickly learned that his skin was far thicker than just his leather armor. Pulling his sword from where it was pinned by his side, Bren tried to get it under the beast, but there was too small of a gap, so he started banging the hilt of the sword against what he believed was the creatures head as he tried to get his feet under it.
After wiggling around for a few seconds, Bren got his right leg positioned and kicked up. As soon as the pressure was off his chest, he pulled his sword underneath the beast, and as it fell back down, it impaled itself on the sword’s blade.
The creature continued to fight for a few moments, but its movement began to slow until it no longer moved at all. “Faye can you hear me?” Bren asked as he tried to get out from beneath the dead creature.
“Is it…?” Faye asked in a weeping voice.
“It’s dead, but I could use a hand getting it off of me,” Bren replied.
Faye tried to push from the side, but whatever was on him was too heavy for her to even budge. Bren knew that he could push it off if he could get a grip on the creature, but whatever it was had a slippery body that offered no real hold. After four tries, they gave up and were forced to call down the tunnel for help.
It didn’t take long for Cass and Phena to arrive, and with their help, the creature was dislodged from Bren’s chest.
“Cass took a piece of cloth from his pack and lit it so that they could see the creature he had felled. It looked like a crab though made completely of rock. Bren had expected to see jewels for its eyes much like Avalanche, but instead he found two large dark orbs.
“Bren help me open this thing up,” Cass said after he had finished examining the creature. “My sword will cut it, but I don’t want to risk breaking my blade.”
Bren laughed as he pulled his blade from its sheath and drove it into the creatures back. It only took a few seconds for Bren to open the thing up, and inside they found much what they would find in any creature, though the blood was a dark blue. When one of the burning pieces of cloth fell off the rag Cass was using and fell into the blood, the whole creature caught fire as if it were doused in oil.
“Put it out,” Cass yelled as he tried to throw his cloak over the burning creature.
Everyone quickly followed suit, and the fire was soon out though not without a few singed eyebrows.
“Anything you have that will hold liquid, use it to collect the beast’s blood,” Cass said as he bent down and started to collect the creature’s blood in a large glass cylinder. Bren laid down his pack and started pulling out many different things that had been collecting in it. He had bought many things, most of them things he didn’t need, but plenty of those could be used to hold liquids. Bren passed them around, and they all started filling them.
Using old clothes as wicks, Cass made a lamp using the creature’s blood as oil. It burned a light blue and put off a lot of light—more than enough to see by. That night, they slept knowing that they wouldn’t have to traverse the tunnels in the dark, but they had also learned that they were not alone.
Chapter 21
They only had a small rest before returning to the tunnels. They decided that the best choice would be to take the first tunnel on the left of where they had entered from, and should they have to come back, to take the next one along the path.
Just like the other paths, the floor was smooth and clean. It was like walking down a hallway, yet it would have taken a host of people cleaning nonstop to keep this place as clean as it was. It was eerie and left Bren feeling on edge.
Bren tried to listen for any sounds that might tell him if anything other than them were in the tunnel, but it was so quiet that even though they were trying to walk quietly, each step was like a strike on a drum. At least they had the makeshift lantern to light up their surroundings. Bren kept finding himself looking to the ceiling that was more than ten feet high.
The underground path twisted and turned, making it hard to know what direction they were going. Cass tried to use his instruments but the little needle spun restlessly in circles making them useless. It wasn’t long before Bren started hearing small voices in his head. They were barely whispers at first, but the longer they walked, the louder they became until it felt like they were almost screaming in his mind. When he reached up and held his head, Phena looked to him. “The voices getting to you too?”
“That’s good,” Bren said feeling somewhat better. “At le
ast I’m not the only one hearing them. Anyone else hear the voices?” Bren asked loudly. Everyone raised their hand except Cass and Brenda, who looked at them as if they had grown a second head.
“It seems this place only affects mages,” Phena said more intrigued than bothered. “Reminds me of home. They always liked to play with us mages—doing everything they could to test our mind. Master Sae-Thae always said it was to make sure that a mage never lost his state of mind during a battle. Nothing worse than a mage who has lost control of his own powers.”
Bren had heard stories of the Vathari and their training. Sae-Thae used to tell him stories, though they sounded more like nightmares, but unlike dreams, they were true; however, given his current situation, Bren was starting to wish he had been given the same training.
They made camp without seeing anymore of the horrors they had encountered the day before. One would think that would set everyone at ease, but they still sat nervously around the makeshift lantern huddled together as if that would stave off the unknown dangers lurking in the darkness.
They slept in rotation, with two of them up at any time. Having only five of them, meant a restless night with only broken moments of sleep. Even when he got to sleep, the voices in his head did not quiet, instead they seemed to grow in number making it impossible to enjoy a moment’s peace. Needless to say, he was not shaken when Faye kicked him lightly to wake him. “Something is out there,” Faye said as his eyes shot open.
Sitting up, Bren noticed that Brenda was already waking the other two, though her eyes were focused on the darkness and her hand already held her sword. Once everyone was awake, they formed a tight circle with Faye in the middle. Unlike the others, Faye was almost useless without her powers, as she had little real training with a blade. If Bren had known that this would have happened, he would have brought Hayao with him instead, though he had to admit that having her nearby calmed his nerves.
Unlike last time, there were no scraping noises. This time it was more like a light banging in the distance. It sounded almost as if someone was tapping on the ground with a tiny hammer. Before long, it started to sound as if more hammers had joined in the tapping. It didn’t take long before the tapping grew louder and louder then it suddenly stopped.
The noise had been bad enough, but when it suddenly stopped, Bren could feel fear grip his heart. It was so quiet that Bren could hear his heart beating in his chest. One, two, three loud beats then a loud screech filled the air, and the tunnel was suddenly filled with numerous little creatures no bigger than a foot tall. They looked a little like rats that walked on two legs. Bren tried to count them, but as more rushed into sight, he lost count, but he was sure that there were far more than a hundred. Each creature carried a small sword or other weapon that looked almost toy-like in their tiny hands.
The small creatures circled around the group as they snarled and made screeching noises. Once Bren and the others were completely, surrounded the creatures began to hop up and down, then they attacked.
Bren swung his sword but the low angle of the attackers made it a bit awkward, and his sword flew inches above their heads. He felt the little weapons hit his skin but he knew without looking that they hadn’t broken the skin, but from the sounds from his friends, they were not as lucky.
The little creatures passed over them then came back for a second round. This time Bren bent his knees a little more and swung again. His sword met with meat, and he cut through half a dozen of the small monsters. Though the small creatures were dying by the score, they carried on relentlessly.
Soon the tiny creatures were crawling all over, stabbing, and biting wherever they could find a hold. Even Bren with his iron skin felt their stings as they got ahold of the more sensitive areas. Bren reached and grabbed one of the creatures and threw it to the floor and stomped on it. He heard a slight squeak then a pop as the creature’s body broke. Turning around, Bren saw one of the creatures pulling at Faye’s hair. Being careful not to cut her long flowing hair, Bren stabbed the small creature.
The creatures continued to swarm them, Bren and the others continued to fight. It looked like there would be no end to it, then just as quickly as they had appeared, they rushed off back into the darkness.
“What in the nine hells were those things?” Cass asked as he slipped his sword away and began to check himself to make sure one of them weren’t still on his person.
“Talamers,” Phena said in a disgusted voice. “Little rats love to eat flesh, and they don’t really care where it comes from.”
“They had weapons,” Bren said as he picked up one of the small swords that lay on the ground. “Not much of one, but they had them all the same. That would suggest that they are not just normal animals.”
“Yes. The rats have brains,” Phena said, kicking one of the dead creatures. “Long ago, one of the Vathari mages thought to try and create his own army, but they didn’t turn out like he wanted. The Talamers were the result, and since then they have been a plague on everything that lives in the Underdark. They dig, burrow, and breed without care of anything.”
“You really don’t like them,” Cass said almost with a laugh.
“They are abominations born of our own making,” Phena said. “I would be happy if they were wiped from the world. They offer nothing of value, they only eat and destroy.”
“Enough talking, I think we need to move on before they decide to come back with more of their friends,” Cass said as he started packing up his gear. Everyone quickly did the same, and they were once again walking aimlessly through the darkness.
His body tired and his mind exhausted, Bren could do little but watch the back of his friends as he walked. It was during this time the words, which had seemed a jumble at first, started to come to order. They called out to him. He recognized the voice as his mother’s voice. It was the voice she used when she was mad. She yelled at him about everything he had ever done. She cursed him for what he was doing now. It didn’t take long before Bren found himself yelling back into the darkness, though his words were directed at his mother.
“Yelling at them won’t do you much good,” Phena said hitting Bren hard on the face. “They aren’t real, it is simply a spell.”
“If it is a spell then where is the magic?” Bren asked his face turning red in anger. “I can’t even feel the slightest hint of magic anywhere.”
“There isn’t any, the spell is cast on the whole place I believe. I have seen it done before, but not on this large a scale. You should start thinking of this place like a giant enchanted item. Somewhere there is a core, and it is what is controlling everything, including the flow of magic.”
Bren wanted to argue with her, he wanted to hit her, but one look in Faye’s eyes calmed him. “Sorry,” Bren said sheepishly. Without any magic, the emotions he had held in check had run wild, it was almost as if every feeling was rushing him at once, and Bren was not too fond of that feeling.
Shaking the anger from his mind, Bren thought about what Phena had said. “A giant enchantment,” Bren repeated to himself. It was possible if there was a large enough core, though it would take a gem the size of a house or larger, but considering how much magical energy was outside, Bren dismissed the thought. “Knowing that doesn’t really help,” Bren said after thinking everything through.
“It might not help you get your magic back, but it will at least let you know what is doing it,” Phena replied, shrugging her shoulders. “A little information is better than none. Now, if you’re done yelling at the wall, can we get back to our walk? The sooner we get out of this hell pit, the better.”
“Sure,” Bren said sourly as his emotions began to spike again. He thought about apologizing again, but Phena had already turned and walked away from him.
The voices continued to yell at him, and when his mother’s calling voice no longer got him to react it changed to a much darker voice, one that Bren had not heard in a lifetime—his father’s. It didn’t yell, it spoke calmly, yet with pent up b
itterness as it asked him why he had killed him. It was too much for Bren to bear, and he hit his knees crying. He pleaded with the voice to stop, but it wouldn’t, it just kept asking the same question over and over.
Bren felt a soft touch on his arm and looked to see Faye smiling down at him. As soon as she spoke, his father’s voice was lost to his ears, and all he could hear was hers. Bren found his strength again and began walking, though he didn’t let go of Faye. He held onto her like a drowning man to a raft.
They walked for ages, but still there was no sign of an exit. Bren didn’t know how much longer he could take it, but then he looked to Faye who happily walked beside him, and he was sure that he would last at least as long as she stood beside him. Bren wasn’t sure why she had the effect on him, but he was glad that she did.
When the lantern began to burn low, Cass called everyone to a halt, so they could refill it with the monster’s blood. The blood was being used up quickly, but Cass was sure that it would last them for at least three days, though Bren was unsure how his friend could tell time in such a place.
Once the lantern was filled, they all took turns sleeping for a few hours. After everyone was rested, they returned to their journey through the endless darkness.
Chapter 22
The passage of time was impossible to judge as they wandered through the darkness. The only thing Bren could measure it by was how many times he had been allowed to sleep. Over the course of what he believed was three days, they encountered more of the small rat-like creatures, as well as more of the cave crabs; they also encountered a few other monsters, but they were not hard to deal with.
The voices still nagged at his mind, but thanks to Faye, he was able to hold them at bay, but each day they grew more aggressive. Bren had held strong, but his will was starting to waiver more and more each day. It was like a small stream of water eating at the bedrock that was his very soul.
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