“I take it your knowledge comes from the unfortunate act of taking another’s life out of necessity?”
“What do you know?” Landon exploded. “You sit there and claim to know so much about the world, but you know nothing of me!”
“I know that your father was a great man who bequeathed to you a gift of extreme importance. I know that your mother was a woman of such elegance and beauty that women grew jealous at her entrance to a room. I know you have a deep seated emptiness within you for not having the opportunity to meet them. And I know from your reaction to bloodshed, that your abhorrence to it can only have resulted from the intimate knowledge that only comes when you deprive a man of his last breath,” Gavin said calmly. Landon sat silent bemused at the truth Gavin had just spoken especially of his parents.
“Yes, I killed a man in self-defense, and I never will again,” he said quietly.
“For your sake, I truly hope that comes to fruition; however, we have many dangers ahead and many people will try to stand in your way once you have been discovered. You may soon find that your principles are not as easily stood upon.”
In his heart, Landon was beginning to fear that Gavin was right, but he refused to respond. Instead he watched as the sky darkened into twilight and searched for a suitable location for the night. Gavin did the same and offered a solution.
“At the base of the Cap there used to live an old hermit. I met him many years ago on my travels. If he is still alive perhaps we may find shelter for the night. But I warn you, he has a very strange way about him, so be very tight lipped about our business.”
Landon nodded his understanding and within minutes they came upon an old shack nestled into the hillside a few yards off of the path with a few tall trees scattered about. There were no lanterns or candles lit which made the place seemed deserted. Landon serious questioned whether this hermit still lived there. The two men rode up to the shack and Gavin dismounted. Landon watched as he walked up to the door, but instead of knocking, Gavin ran his hand along the door as though he was searching for something.
His hand stopped about a third of the way from the top. Gavin scratched at the door until he was able to retrieve what looked like a small rock then he placed into his pocket. Turning to Landon he said quietly, “Look for a thick branch about the length of your arm.”
Landon dismounted and began searching for any piece of a broken limb he could find. The hunt was difficult due to the limited fading light. He scoured the ground near one of the large pine trees keeping his face close to the ground but he could not find a single piece of wood. Suddenly, the ground lit up and Landon could see a pile of broken branches about ten yards away. He hurriedly picked up the nearest branch and turned to see where the light was coming from.
Behind him, Gavin had already found a branch and after wrapping the end with a piece of cloth, he had lit it on fire creating a torch. Landon looked at the branch in his hands then tossed it aside hurrying back to the shack. When he arrived, Gavin was busy searching the ground.
“What are we looking for?” he asked.
“There used to be a large wooden door built into the earth. According to the stone I retrieved, it should be about fifty steps from the door. Forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight,” he began counting aloud. “Forty-nine, fifty.” Gavin stopped and bent over the ground with his torch revealing nothing but grass and leaves.
“Looks like whatever was here is gone,” Landon said. Without answering Gavin knelt down and began to feel the ground hoping to find some clue as to what happened. Landon watched as he ran his hand along the ground in a square shape. Suddenly, he thrust his fingers into the leaves and began removing them from the area. Fistful by fistful the pile of leaves disappeared and a small square of grass with definite boundaries began to appear in the ground. Finally, he reached under the grass at the edge of the square and lifted the entire patch into the air revealing a hidden cave.
He knocked on the side of the walls which gave back a hollow sound. He thrust the torch forward into the hole to reveal a wooden ladder they could use to climb down. Landon didn’t like the idea of crawling into a dark tunnel underground but he liked even less the prospect of spending the night in the shadow of the shack. He glanced back at it. The old shingles and the broken windows snarled back at him with hate. Darkness emanated from within. The hairs on the back of Landon’s neck stood up.
“Get the horses and tie them up to the posts on the backside of the house away from the road. Then return here.” Landon wanted to protest not desiring to be nearer to the building, but he did as he was told and found Gavin waiting for him on the steps of the ladder when he returned. He handed Landon the torch and slowly began to lower himself down. Landon leaned over the hole trying to give Gavin as much light as possible. About fifteen steps down Gavin stopped.
“This is the bottom. You can go ahead and come down.”
Carefully Landon eased himself onto the ladder with torch in hand and climbed down the steps. When he had cleared the rim of the hole, Landon closed the door above him and continued his way down. Near the bottom Gavin retrieved the light allowing Landon to finish his descent. Looking around all Landon could see was a short narrow passageway that led to a solid wooden door. The two men approached it, and Gavin knocked hard and loud with three solid pounds. Behind the door they heard a metallic clanking sound and the shuffling of feet. Finally a man’s voice echoed from behind the door.
“What do you want?” a feeble but stern voice asked.
“We seek shelter for the night,” Gavin said. The man opened a tiny slit in the top of the door.
“Show me your mark, otherwise pray you will survive the night.” Gavin reached into his pocket and pulled out the small stone he had taken from the door. He held it up to the man under the torchlight.
“I see,” the man said inspecting it, “very well.” The man unlatched the door and opened it as an invitation.
“You go in first. I’ll follow,” Gavin said. Landon figured they had already come this far, it couldn’t get any worse.
Behind the door, the sides of the tunnel had been crafted into a stairway made of hardened earth which provided a fairly easy descent. Once at the bottom, Landon needed Gavin’s torch to see his next step because it was pitch black. He paused for a minute allowing Gavin to secure the door and catch up to him. The torchlight revealed a long passageway which dead-ended into a ninety degree turn left or right. At the end of the hallway, the three men turned right then followed the passageway until it turned sharply again to the left. This led to a new long corridor which fed into a large chamber lit by candles hanging in a wooden round from the ceiling. Along the sides of the chamber were shelves of jars stacked to the ceiling. At the end of the large room were two wooden doors one on either side of the wall.
“What is in the jars?” Landon asked
“Suppose you should tell me what two men are doing in this part of the world digging up secret doors leading to underground caverns?”
“Forget it.”
The old man let him drop the issue and led them to the door on the left.
“Gentlemen, behind this door you will find lodging for the both of you. Help yourselves to any comfort which I own but I warn you, venture not into the tunnels from whence we came. Only death exists there.” He stopped to look deep into both of their eyes to ensure they understood his counsel. Then, as though struck suddenly by an ill thought, his gaze arrested on Landon’s right hand. His head turned sideways and his eyes glazed over as if he were in a trance. Landon flinched as if about to recoil when a quick glance from Gavin told him to relax and give in. Landon did so and watched as the man inspected his ring without touching it. For an awkward few minutes Landon stood still wondering what the crazed man would do next. Then just as suddenly as it began the man stood tall and carried on about his business. Landon and Gavin entered their room for the night and closed the door.
“Do you suppose he knows of my ring?”
“It is
very possible. Mavin knows many things about the world. He has seen parts that many have dreamed of. Then of course, he may just have thought your ring looked nice. Either way, I’d take care tonight,” Gavin warned and Landon was unsure if he was serious.
“How supportive of you.” Landon pointed to a bed on the far wall beneath. “I’ll take that one if you don’t mind,” he said as he laid his bag on the bed. He sat down to take in his new surroundings. The room was extremely sparse minus a few amenities. The bed he sat in resided in the corner of the room across from the door. Along the same wall in the opposite corner was a large empty shelf. Adjacent from the door was another bed which became Gavin’s for the night.
Landon lay down and thought of the long road he had encountered thus far. The discovery of the ring from Godfrey, the mysterious messages from Mordecai and Godfrey, Daxis, Lord Malchus, and the Arden all swam through his mind keeping him wondering what this adventure had in store for him next. Then the eerie words from Mavin, “…venture not into the tunnels… only death exists there,” entered into his mind. They resounded cancelling out the thoughts of everything else. Before they had made the choice to spend the night underground Landon felt a presence of death in that place beneath the shadow of the mountain and the old abandoned shack. It definitely gave no invitation, and with the advent of Mavin’s admonition, he now knew that he wanted nothing more than to be free of the place. But there was also a slight curiosity beginning to build in his mind of what dangers could possibly lurk under the mountain. In the midst of them all there was one thought which he could not suppress. If Gavin’s story was true, the mountain had a personality long ago and perhaps some spirit, which escaped the irons of the mountain, now roamed beneath its many passageways. The thought terrified and excited him. He felt in himself a spirit of courage begin to build but it was quickly overcome by his fear.
Whatever the secret was behind Mavin’s words, Landon desired to know, but he was unwilling to betray the old man. Gavin had warned him not to say anything about their business, but it was possible that Mavin already knew their business. If that was the case, there was no telling what would happen. He decided to probe Gavin’s mind.
“How long ago did you say the mountain had been capped?”
“Oh, about four hundred years now or so. Why the sudden interest?”
“Do you really believe the tales of the mountain having a personality?” Landon carried on ignoring his first question.
“It’s hard to say. All the stories say there was something odd about the mountain and a type of supernatural possession would answer many questions.”
“And if this ‘spirit’ existed, after the cap, what do you think would have happened to it?” Landon inquired.
“Well, if it was a spirit, being without a body it wouldn’t have died. And it most likely took residence elsewhere.”
“Somewhere close by.” Landon said.
“Why the sudden interest?” Gavin demanded.
“Nevermind.”
“Perhaps there is an adventurer in you after all,” Gavin mused.
“What do you mean?”
“I believe you want to venture into the darkness.”
“I didn’t say that. . .”
“I’ve been wanting to explore the caves for years, but it’s a job that would definitely take two men. This is just the chance I have been waiting for.”
“Wait, but -”
“We will wait until Mavin is asleep. There isn’t a sound that could wake him. I discovered this secret when I first met him. We were being attacked by – uh, well, needless to say, he did not wake to help.”
Afraid to counter Landon sat in silence.
“I, for one, am going to get some sleep beforehand. Wake me in a few hours,” Gavin said as he clapped Landon on the shoulder and lay down on his bed. Landon sat on his own bed fearful of what business he had just gotten himself into.
Chapter Thirteen
Shadows and Flame
Hours later Landon was still wide awake imaging all of the terrible dangers which awaited them in the tunnels. He wasn’t sure how long he had waited but he knew he had heard Mavin enter his own room. He decided to linger long enough to make sure he was completely asleep. When the snores echoed into the main chamber, he sat up and looked over at Gavin who also was snoring comfortably on his bed. Landon grabbed his sack and threw it at him. Gavin snorted, sat up and drew his sword dazed but ready to fight.
“Put it away. It was only a sack.”
“Next time I take watch, you may not sleep so easily,” Gavin retorted sheathing his sword and a hint in his voice told Landon he wasn’t jesting.
“Mavin has been asleep for at least an hour.”
“You waited an hour? If anything you are cautious. I give you that,” he said as he rolled off his bed, grabbed his pack and slung it on his back. Then, he opened the door slowly and cautiously to see if Mavin truly was in his room. In the great chamber there stood only the shelves of jars and not a noise was heard. He beckoned to Landon to follow him. Once they were out in the great room, Landon decided to get a closer look at the jars on the wall. In one row, on the shelf closest to the door, Landon saw many stones in some sort of liquid. It looked green in the soft candle light. Landon bent down to look at the shelf below. These jars held many metallic objects also immersed in the greenish liquid. One on the far left shone a little brighter than the rest and Landon assumed they were all a part of some grand science experiment. He had heard of people who practiced science, but never met one before. The Lords considered the practice of science a crime and dealt harshly with any who practiced it. No wonder the man lived under ground, Landon thought.
He stood and looked back at Mavin’s door expecting to be caught on the way out. As they passed through the archway into the tunnels no such thing happened. They were free of the strange old man and to wander the darkness at their leisure. The two men walked down the long corridor from which they had come just hours before and rounded the corner into complete darkness. Landon immediately began to regret his decision. It wasn’t the dark that worried him as much as the unknown. His stomach began to churn but he dared not say anything to Gavin. He had wanted this for so many years and Landon could not ruin this opportunity for him.
In the darkness, Landon heard Gavin stop and rummage through his sack. A minute later a torch burned bright giving them sight ahead. At that moment, Landon was thankful for a companion who knew so much of the world. His preference would not have been Gavin, but now that he was on the quest with him, he was glad to have him along. They continued forward passing the corridor which led to stairs to the outside world when it occurred to Landon that they should somehow mark their progress so as to make sure they were not retracing steps in the darkness.
“Gavin, wait.” Without argument he halted and Landon drew his sword. He then used it to carve a small arrow in the wall facing in the direction from which they had come. “So we know where we have been,” he said. Gavin nodded approvingly then continued forward.
As they moved along in the darkness, they listened intently for any noise which would alert them to what lay ahead. Nothing stirred. They continued to listen and when there was still nothing, they carried on in silence waiting for something to jump out at them at any minute. The path took a long curve to the left and the two men followed it. Ahead they walked, for hours it seemed, without deviation to the right or left. They began to think the old man had tricked them when suddenly the hall opened into a large room with five large archways. They were chiseled with such fine craftsmanship that Landon wondered who else had lived down here. The ceiling was higher than the corridor from which they came but still quite low. It was impossible to see where each path led beyond the doors but in a few of them the beginnings of staircases could be seen leading up or down. Gavin and Landon looked at each other.
“Which way?” Landon asked
“Depends on how adventurous you feel. My nose says that danger and excitement always lead dow
n. That appears to be the case with the second doorway. Then again, it could just as soon lead us up to a dead end instead.”
“Why don’t we just take each one in turn to see where they lead? That way we can easily remember which we have taken.”
“That works too. Since this was your idea, I say you choose.”
“This was not my idea,” he mumbled. “Let’s begin with doorway one on the left.”
“Doorway one it is. After you, sir,” Gavin said with a smile and handed Landon the torch. Landon reached for it but stopped. Instead, he drew Affliction from its scabbard and walked back toward the door they had come from. Quickly he carved an arrow, then put his sword away and retrieved the torch. He took it feebly and walked ahead imagining many terrors waiting behind the door. He parted the archway to discover a straight path leading into more darkness. He continued on with Gavin behind. The hall ran about two hundred feet long before turning right into a pile of rocks where the tunnel had obviously collapsed.
“So much for door one,” he quipped. They turned around and retreated to the main hall. This time they entered the second door which opened to a downward stairway. The two men walked in a downward spiral for a few minutes before it too ended in a collapsed tunnel. Once again they retraced their steps back toward the main chamber.
“I wonder what collapsed these tunnels,” Landon mused. Gavin ignored the comment and grabbed Landon’s sword. He carved an X on the two that had dead ends, then handed Landon his sword. When Landon gave him a look of disbelief, Gavin explained, “Your blade is stronger than mine.” Landon didn’t respond but sheathed with force.
“That leaves three more,” he said. “I say we try door four.”
“Any particular reason?”
“Nay. I just like to be spontaneous.” And with that the two men passed through the fourth door which led toward another straight passageway. However, this one did not lead on for long before a choice was presented. The path continued straight but was crossed by another tunnel leading left and right. Not sure which path to take, Gavin marked an arrow pointing towards the way they had come and followed the path right. Landon had no choice but to follow. They had now spent hours in the tunnels and the torch was beginning to grow short. As they continued on their chosen path Landon offered some advice.
The Awakening (The Stones of Revenge) Page 13
