by Shannah Jay
Baffled, the overseer sought a way of saving his skin when what had happened was utterly impossible to explain. 'It must be those Sister hags,' he said at last. 'They must have used their magic on the mine.' He fixed one of the guards with a glare. 'It'll be that old woman you saw lurking around a few days ago. Sister in disguise, I shouldn't wonder.'
'What? But - ' the guard was beginning when his friend elbowed him in the ribs.
'I saw her too, sir. You could be right.'
The overseer nodded. 'Good fellow. I hope you chased her away?'
'Oh, yes, sir. I know my duty.'
'You've got a bit of sense in your head, you have. You're hereby promoted to deputy, instead of Linor.' He was going to need a deputy who could think on his feet if he was to get out of this in one piece. And anyway, Linor was too harsh on the miners. If you wanted people to work hard, you didn't half starve them and whip their children to death before their eyes.
He cursed as the ground heaved beneath him again, this time near the mine itself and then began to pray to his Dread Lord the Serpent that the mine wouldn't be affected. But even as he spoke, the hillside shivered again.
Inside the great cavern, the ground continued to shudder.
'What's happening now?' Davred asked.
It was Dissler who answered him. 'The Petrigeist are closing the mine.' He cackled with laughter. 'I hope they make the barracks slip down the hill as well. Oh, I hope they do.'
As the rumblings died down and stopped, there was a clamour of terrified voices from the trapped miners. When Herra materialised out of the dusty darkness, her glowing stick held high, its light burning more brightly than a dozen torches, there was a babble of sound, then everyone fell silent.
'Over here, Sister!' called Malin, rattling the bars of his sleeping cavern. 'If you can release me, I'll be able to free the rest of them.'
Voices echoed the word 'Sister', voices with a hint of hope, for once. One woman began to sob with relief, muttering the word 'Sister' several times, and no one chastised her. 'Brother, look down!'
she kept saying, over and over again. 'Oh, Brother, look down upon us all. Save us now! Save us now!'
Herra began to move around, releasing Malin first, then working with him to free the panic-stricken people who were locked in the narrow side caverns. At her touch, the metal bars of the gates twitched sideways and locks clicked open of their own accord. The mere sight of her serene smiling face brought hope to the battered miners.
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'This is Herra of Tenebrak, Father,' Purvlin announced loudly. He still couldn’t believe that the Sister who had chosen him was such an important personage. 'And with her is Lord Davred, Manifestation of the God our Brother.'
Voices echoed his words, as people tried to take in the information that the two senior figures in the Sisterhood were right here in the hills of Setheron.
Malin sucked in his breath in shock, then let it out again in a long slow whistle. He inclined his head.
'We thank you for your help, Elder Sister.' The faint glimmer of hope within him began to burn up fiercely. Perhaps some of them might actually escape, with the famous Herra of Tenebrak to help them. ' Brother, we thank you!' he whispered.
Herra snapped her fingers to gain their attention. 'We aren't safe yet. For the moment, we'd better release the rest of your friends and tend to their hurts. We'll talk properly afterwards about what we should do.'
Malin nodded, couldn’t resist hugging his son briefly just once more, then went to find his brother.
A woman came up to Herra, an old woman with a lined face and a scrawny body, but stubborn strength radiating from every part of her. 'Herra of Tenebrak,' she said, nodding her head in greeting. 'I saw you once in the temple. Is there anything I can do to help you, Lady?'
'What does it matter what we do?' a voice said behind them both. 'We're trapped in these caverns.
It'll be a long slow death. It’d have been better if we'd died quickly in the rock slide.'
The old woman turned round and gave the man who was complaining a shove that sent him staggering backwards. 'Oh, shut up, you fool! You've always been a pessimist, Rogal - it's a wonder you even bother to keep breathing. If you want to die, go and find a quiet corner and kill yourself. I won't stop you. But don't come moaning to me. I want to live and I think we've got a chance now.'
He bristled and glared at her. 'It's all right for you, Lerna! You've had an easy job, doing the cooking. I was a clerk before Those of the Serpent took over, not a miner. The digging's nearly killed me. It's a wonder I've survived so far. An absolute wonder. And if you hadn't been a good cook, they'd have killed you long ago. You know what they think of older women.'
'Well, I am a good cook and I've survived to taste freedom again, however this ends - for which I thank our Brother, and so should you.' Even as she was speaking, Lerna moved across to the big water butts at one side of the cavern. 'Now, stop complaining and drink your fill, for once. Come and get a drink, everyone! Lady, would you like a drink of water?'
Herra shook her head, hiding her amusement at their sharp spat. She watched as Lerna scooped out a ladleful of water and poured it into a horn beaker from a pile next to the butts, handed it to the person next to her and continued to ladle out water until the beakers were all in use. She kept the last one for herself and stood still to drink it thirstily before collecting the beakers and starting to ladle out more water. A practical woman, clearly. Within a few minutes, everyone had had a drink, some more than one.
'Those snake-lovers kept us deliberately thirsty at night, so that no one would need to piss,' Lerna said in an aside to Herra. 'I hope they suffer for this rock fall.' She gestured to the front of the cavern, where large chunks of rock were piled one on top of another across what had been the entrance.
'Aswar will make someone suffer if this cave-in has spread to the mines, that's for sure.'
'Who is Aswar?'
'The Initiate.' Lerna shuddered at the mere mention of his name.
'Well, he can't reach us at the moment,' Herra said comfortingly. She looked around. People were standing with heads drooping, weariness and hopelessness in every line of their bodies. They didn't look capable of walking far through the tunnels, let alone scrambling up and down rock faces and slopes.
It suddenly came to her how she could most help them to find the energy and will for an escape.
She raised her voice as Lerna finished dealing with the last group at the water butts. 'We shall hold a Gathering before we leave, my friends, and you shall all feel our Brother's love once again to give you heart for the journey. But first, let the children come forth.'
Davred and Ivo exchanged glances, then shrugged. They’d been expecting to leave immediately. But there was nothing you could do once Herra had decided on a course of action.
A beaming Jiran led the group of bedraggled youngsters down from the hidden tunnels above.
Voices exclaimed in joy and people ran to and fro across the great chamber as families were reunited.
Those children who had no relatives there stood hesitating at one side, and Lerna went across to offer them a drink and ask their names, so they didn't feel too left out.
A tower of strength, Lerna, and a woman of sound common sense and compassion, decided Herra.
Such as her are the pillars of society, for they keep people alive. Smiling, she waited until the hubbub had died down a little, then clapped her hands loudly. ' Now we shall gather! ' she called in ringing tones.
Everyone fell silent, staring at her, not moving. It was as if they'd forgotten how to celebrate a Gathering.
'Are there any singers among you?'
A woman hesitated, then stepped forward. 'I used to sing, Elder Sister. But I - I don't know if I have the heart for it, now.'
'Step forward, friend,' Herra encouraged, then raised her voice again. 'Singers! We need more singers.'
At one side of the chamber, Dissler was rocking to and fro
in anxiety and impatience. Daranna went and offered him a beaker of water, and he seemed so surprised to be helped that he’d accepted it before he knew what he was doing. By the time he’d finished drinking, a ragged group of singers had formed in the centre of the cavern, bewildered, but willing.
'Light more torches!' commanded Herra.
When that was done, she clapped her hands together again. 'Form your circles around us.' Without looking to check that she was being obeyed, she held out her hands to Davred and Alaran, then Soo and Ivo joined them, followed a little hesitantly by the three newly-chosen youngsters.
Tugging at their hands to pull them into a circle and start them moving, Herra raised her voice in a favourite song, easy and lilting, one that everyone was familiar with. Alaran immediately joined in, and the beauty of his tenor voice was in itself a boost to morale, for it soared through the caverns and something in the rock formations bounced the silver notes to and fro in a gentle whispering harmony.
The group of self-designated singers joined in, their voices wavering at first, then gathering strength.
Herra kept her small circle moving round in time to the music, using the slow dancing steps they had favoured in the temples. People around the circle began swaying to the rhythms and then started to hold out their hands to each other. It was a time to touch, a time to hold one another, a time to start hoping again.
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Herra watched Jiran dance the simple steps with style and flair, and an instinctive understanding of his body and its balance. She saw Daranna move with tight carefully accurate steps and she smiled as Purvlin stumbled along behind them, looking embarrassed, with little idea of what he was doing. Soo was extremely graceful, her every movement a pleasure to watch. For someone who had never joined in the temple dances before, only seen them from the satellite in a holocube image, she was doing well.
By the time the first two verses were finished, the singers were looking happier, stronger and more hopeful, and some people in the audience were swaying or beating time with little head or hand movements.
Herra kept her small circle moving and started off another song. Tremulously at first, more voices joined in, until nearly sixty people were singing, the music rising up to echo and re-echo from the cavern roof. Then, hesitantly, more of them began to move, until they were all dancing slowly across the rough ground, clasping hands to form two circles around the Kindred.
As the notes of that second song faded, the central circle slowed down and Herra's voice rang out again, ' Let us gather, my friends.'
She and her companions sank down into sitting positions, still in their circle, still clasping hands, and the rest of the people in the cavern sank down in untidy lines around them. In spite of the strange circumstances, it was just as it had been in the old days in temple ceremonies: the peace and joy of a Gathering grew and radiated outwards from the inner circle, to be shared with whoever joined the Sisters in a celebration of their mutual beliefs. But this time there were men as well as women in the inner circle; this time it was the Kindred who led the people forward towards peace and wisdom.
Somehow the radiance of the inner group's joy was magnified a hundredfold to spread out like a comforting cloak across the filthy ragged people in the cavern. Even Dissler's face settled into softer lines and he nodded his head slowly in satisfaction.
And around them, in the rocky walls, something watched and puzzled, but also approved of the gentler emotions now radiating inside its abode. No pain, no anger, but joy and hope. She who carried the light had brought this about. As had long been foretold, She who carried the light would drive evil from the mountains.
When Herra opened her eyes, she waited a few more moments before clapping her hands to end the Gathering. She had felt how her Enhancement spread the joy of the Gathering over these poor souls, felt and rejoiced at it. Now she hoped and trusted in her Brother that her Enhanced Gifts would lead them all to safety from this dark place.
When everyone had sighed into alertness again, she smiled around her. 'Shall you follow me out of the caverns now, or do you wish to stay here?' she teased.
Smiles appeared on the faces of people who had thought never to smile again.
'We'll follow you anywhere, Sister,' called Malin. 'Better death trying to escape than a return to serving Those of the Serpent.'
A chorus of voices endorsed this statement.
Herra smiled upon them. They were recovering from their apathy now. 'Then, my friends, let's make our way through these caverns and find a way out. But before you leave, you should know that we’re not alone here.' She gestured at the cavern walls. 'In the rock that surrounds us lives an entity called the Petrigeist. No, not an entity - it calls itself a unity. I think the Petrigeist will help us to escape.'
'Told you so,' someone said.
'I always felt there was something in them tunnels,' another voice agreed. 'That's why the guards always went about in pairs.'
While they were speaking, Dissler jerked and went rigid, eyes staring. 'Follow the wild one,' he whispered, his tone so strange that Herra knew the Petrigeist were speaking through him again. 'We will help all we can. Follow the wild one.'
The people nearest Dissler edged backwards a little, he looked so strange. When he stopped speaking, he blinked a few times, shook his head as if to clear it and turned immediately to lead the way out. The miners allowed Herra to go before them, then fell into place behind her. Some were holding hands openly, husbands and wives walked clasped one against the other, children clung to their parents, and people smiled occasionally at each another. And all of them bore signs of hope, in the brightness of their eyes, the alertness of their expressions and the way they moved. One miracle had happened to them today - it didn’t seem beyond reason that another might follow, that some of them, at least, might escape.
As the hours passed, Dissler led the way through more long tunnels and across a few larger caverns.
Once they had to wade through an underground stream, another time they climbed slowly up a cleft in the rock, helping one another from foothold to foothold on the jagged rocky slope.
Most of the people had to walk in near darkness, trusting to their companions to hold them steady if they stumbled. Not a few measured their length on the rocky floor, but there was no time to stop to wash their abrasions, so they just got up again and stumbled on. They all knew that Those of the Serpent would try to follow them once they’d made a new entrance into the mines. Aswar would be furious once he found that the cavern wasn’t filled with dead bodies. Better death than Aswar's fury.
'Is there another way Those of the Serpent can get into these caverns?' Herra asked Malin as they walked.
'Yes. A couple of air shafts high up the hillside. It'll take them a while to make an entrance that way, though. They aren't miners. Only Shebbler, the overseer, knows his way around below ground.'
'We'll not worry about them for the moment, then.'
She walked on, as sure-footed as ever. Occasionally she pointed out to whoever was walking near her a piece of rock carved in a fantastic shape. Once it was a wall of quartz that twinkled at them in the light of the torches. Another time, a side cave was full of water, patterned lacy ripples flowing down the rear wall, more water dripping through the roof and everywhere tiny musical tinkling sounds. She made them pause a moment to listen to that. They needed regular pauses and better to stop where there was something to see.
But most of them were too tired to do anything but catch their breath at each halt and ready themselves for another period of stumbling through the darkness.
Dissler mostly walked just in front of Herra, occasionally turning to volunteer a remark. 'The Petrigeist did the best they could to close the entrance. It took a few major shifts. The rock there was very hard. It won't be easy for anyone to open it again. But they had to leave the air vents. Can't cut off all the air, not while you're here.'
Later, he tugged at her sleeve and said, 'There's a cav
ern ahead with plenty of water. Good place to sleep. No need to keep watch.'
Everyone was asleep within minutes.
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Dissler roused Herra a few hours later by tugging at her hand. 'Lady! Lady! It's time to move on.' He lowered his voice and added, 'They've got into the caverns now and they're angry that there are no bodies.'
She blinked instantly into alertness and found that Lerna had heard Dissler and was already rousing people at the other side of the cavern.
'Can you tell us how far we have to go, my friend?' Herra asked, as they started off.
He shook his head. 'The Petrigeist haven't said. A long way, I think. They don't want any more trouble and fighting on their territory. It upsets them. So they're taking you as far away as they can before they let you go outside again. And they'll make it difficult for Those of the Serpent to follow you or move around inside.' He gave a toothless grin. 'The walls will crumble for no reason, and rocks will fall on those who walk the tunnels.'
No one complained about empty bellies. The miners had grown used to short commons since Those of the Serpent had seized the mines, and the children had grown up in troubled times, so knew better than to complain. And water was freely available, at least. When the younger ones grew too tired, there was always someone to pick them up and let them rest against a shoulder as they were carried.
When a lot of people grew tired, Herra would call a halt by one of the many pools.
After several more hours of walking, they came out of the tunnel into a huge echoing space. Herra sent her light floating outwards to shine into the gulf and it showed that they were on a broad ledge.
Below them was a sheer drop of about a hundred paces. A sigh went up from the miners. Too far, too steep, and they had no climbing equipment. Herra and Malin stood at the brink to consider matters, while most of the others sank down and huddled together at the back of the ledge.
'Pity we've got no ropes,' Malin said regretfully. 'Those of the Serpent never left anything useful in the caverns, except for the wagons. They were afraid we might use stuff to escape. And we would have, too.'
