The lock was an internal one with a keyhole waiting invitingly. He had no great desire to try and open the chest. To do so would most likely be extreme folly. Reneeke pictured himself being sprayed with acid, or perhaps struck by a dart covered in the most deadly of poisons, along with a dozen other situations bards had filled their stories with. Each tale contained a more gruesome outcome than the one before.
He hadn’t realized he had remained motionless for an extended time until Seward hollered, “Are you going to open it or not?”
“Yeah!” he hollered back. Gazing at the keyhole, he added silently, but not this way.
Taking in the advanced decay and rot undermining the integrity of the chest, an idea came to mind. Moving around to the side of the chest, he kicked the rotten wood with as much strength as he could muster.
Splintering under the blow, the wood of the chest collapsed, but not entirely as the iron bands held bits and pieces of it together. He could now clearly see items of gold and silver forming a small pile within. Another kick completely obliterated what remained of the wooden chest. Simultaneously, a liquid spray exploded outward from the chest’s front to coat a sizeable area of the floor.
Reneeke began sifting through the remains of the chest as the others entered the room and approached. He glanced to Charka, grinned, and asked, “Did I do that right?”
Laughing, Charka nodded. “Boy, you did that perfectly. We’ll make an adventurer out of you yet.”
There were five more of the golden disks, six gems of varying sizes and colors, what once had been a book but all that was left was the hard, leather binding that had bound the pages together, and a dagger long succumbed to the ravages of time and rust.
Charka divided the booty between himself, Seward and Lady Kate. Jaikus couldn’t help but look longingly at the treasure his earlier misjudgment would probably keep him from ever sharing. He knew that at least Reneeke would receive a part, and that his friend would share with him.
Coming to Reneeke’s side, he started untying the rope from around his friend. “My turn.”
“You know, Jaik, this is easier than they led us to believe.”
“So far, I would have to agree with you. But we aren’t out of it yet.” He glanced to the dark doorway he would be leading the others through. “The worst could be yet to come.”
“If we keep our wits and do nothing stupid, I believe we will survive this.”
“Rene, I sure hope so.”
Securing the rope around his middle, he then waited for the signal from Charka for him to get going. When it came, Reneeke moved to the rear with Lady Kate, and Jaikus headed for the doorway.
Another passageway made a quick left turn not far from the room, then continued unabated for only a short distance before coming to where it widened to twice its former size. Three pedestals sat centered in the passageway, three feet apart. Made from gray marble, they were but two feet in height. Atop each sat a small statuette. The one atop the first pedestal was of a miniature, naked man; its face similar to that of the faces carved on the walls. The second statuette was of a little tree, possibly oak. On the last pedestal rested a simple, three inch silver cylinder. Dark runes were inscribed upon its surface.
Jaikus came to a stop a good six feet before the first pedestal. “What do you make of this?”
The others came up behind him and looked at the naked man, the tree, and the cylinder.
“Decorations perhaps?” asked Reneeke.
Charka didn’t immediately answer. “It’s possible. Kate?”
“There is definitely magic at work here,” she replied after a moment of spell casting.
“I don’t suppose it’s the good, helpful kind of magic?” asked Jaikus.
“No, it isn’t.” Turning her attention upon the young Springer, she said, “To put it bluntly, it’s more the ‘You come close and I’ll fry you’ kind.”
“Wonderful,” Jaikus groaned.
Shining the light so it illuminated the passageway beyond the three, statue bearing pedestals, he could see where the walls again narrowed, bringing the passageway back to its original width.
Charka kept silent as he contemplated what they should do. The words of Lady Kate weighed heavily upon him. He desperately desired to find out what lay at the end of this passageway, but he didn’t want to needlessly throw away the lives of his Springers. True, that’s what they were there for, but he had just enough of a conscience not to do so simply because he could.
Turning to Lady Kate, he asked, “Is it passive?”
“The magic?” she asked. When he nodded, she said, “I can’t be sure. What I can be certain of is that it’s strong, and that it permeates the area in and around the three pedestals. It may react if we try to pass, or it may react only if we move the statuettes, or it may not react at all. But I get the feeling, that should the magic react, it will be bad. Very bad.”
Face turning grim, he struggled with vying emotions: greed and caution. In the end, greed won out. He glanced to Lady Kate and she could see the decision in his eyes.
“You can’t.”
“It’s what we are here for,” he replied. Turning to Jaikus, he indicated for the Springer to continue down the passageway.
Jaikus looked at him with undisguised horror. “You can’t be serious. After what she just said?”
“Merely pass through,” Charka instructed. “Touch nothing.”
“But…”
“But nothing. Fulfill your contract, or leave.” He met Jaikus’ gaze with one of grim determination.
A quick glance to Reneeke showed him to be just as fearful as was Jaikus. “Good luck,” he said.
“Thanks.” Mouth dry from nervousness and fear, Jaikus almost hadn’t been able to get that single word out. Turning toward the pedestals, he could feel his legs trembling.
“…it’s more the ‘You come close and I’ll fry you’ kind.”
The words of Lady Kate kept running through his mind. Doing his best to shove them back to the nethermost recesses, he took a step forward.
“Hug the wall,” she advised. “Keep as far away from them as you can.”
“I…I’ll do that,” he stammered, without bothering to glance back.
He took another step forward, moving closer to the wall at the same time. Eyes glued to the statue of the naked man, he cautiously took a third.
Was it his imagination, or were the naked man’s eyes tracking his movements? His fourth step brought him within arm’s reach of the pedestal. The overactiveness of his imagination was dispelled when he moved out of the naked man’s line of sight. Having made it this far with no ill affects, he took two more quick steps, then paused.
Glancing back to where the others waited, he saw Charka, Seward, and Reneeke all maintaining a grip on the rope. Just behind them stood Lady Kate. In her right hand she held a black, rune-inscribed wand.
“You’re doing great,” said Reneeke encouragingly.
Moving once again, he quickly came abreast of the tree statuette. Back when he stood with the others, it had looked like a regular, normal tree. But now that he was closer, could see that the leaves of the tree were in an advanced state of wilting. Slightly curled in on themselves, each leaf looked like a hand, frozen in the act of curling in on itself to form a fist. The entire aspect of the diminutive tree disturbed him far more than had the naked little man.
Several rapid steps took him past the tree and brought him near the final pedestal atop which rested the silver cylinder. Passing his eyes over the dark runes marring its surface made his skin crawl. Of the three, the little cylinder unnerved him the most. Why it should be so, he couldn’t even hazard a guess. Moving past, he was just glad the three pedestals and their objects were behind him. And that he was still alive.
“I made it!” he cried.
Back at the other end, Charka had Seward follow, with Reneeke waiting until Seward traversed the pedestaled area and joined Jaikus, before following.
While waiting for t
he others, Jaikus directed the lantern’s light into the as yet unplumbed section of the passageway, curious to see what may lie ahead. He was surprised to discover that the light was being reflected, or rather refracted, by a glittering circle just beyond the lantern’s reach.
“Look at this,” he said to Seward when the man reached his side.
“Hmmm, interesting,” was all the reply he received.
The circle drew his gaze. Curiosity impelled him to take a step forward. But the rope drew taut, preventing him from proceeding.
Seward jerked the rope another two times. “Wait for the others.”
Charka was the last to pass through the pedestaled area. When he arrived and saw the circle glittering farther down the passageway, he indicated for Jaikus to continue.
His Springer nodded, took two steps forward, then collapsed.
“Jaik!”
Reneeke shouted his friend’s name as he raced forward to render what aid he could. Charka grabbed him by one of his pack straps and jerked him back. “Hold up there, lad.”
“But Jaik needs me!”
Ignoring him, the Troupe leader signaled Lady Kate who cast a spell toward their unconscious Springer. “Dart,” she announced.
“Haul him back.” Pulling the rope quickly, Charka, Seward, and Reneeke dragged Jaikus back to where they stood.
Lady Kate had already drawn forth a small flask from her pack by then and knelt down next to Jaikus’ head. Seward knelt on the other side and held open the Springer’s mouth while she poured a portion of the flask’s contents through the parted lips. She then stoppered the flask and set it aside.
“Here’s the culprit,” Charka said as he drew forth a small dart from where it lay embedded within Jaikus’ neck. “He must have triggered some sort of trap.” To Seward he said, “See if you can find it.”
Seward nodded then moved to carry out his leader’s request.
Reneeke knelt beside Lady Kate. “Will he die?”
“Not if I can help it. I gave him a powerful antidote, which negates the effects of almost all poisons.”
He looked to her with great anxiety. “What if the poison isn’t one of the ones it negates?”
She turned a serious look upon him. “Let us hope that is not the case.” Returning her attention to the one lying before her, she moved his head to expose the area just below his left ear that had been struck, and gasped.
It was swollen an angry red with a single, dark vein gradually making its way downward along his neck. They watched as it drew ever closer to where the neck merged with the upper body.
“Give him the rest of it,” said Charka.
This time, Reneeke parted Jaikus’ lips while Lady Kate emptied the flask into him. Again, they turned his head to the side. The line of red had stopped its downward progression.
“It’s working,” announced Reneeke with glee.
Lady Kate wasn’t so assured of the potion’s effectiveness, but kept her concerns to herself.
“Come on, Jaik,” said Reneeke.
Then, the line slowly began to fade and the swelling to subside. In a matter of minutes, all redness was gone. When his eyes fluttered open, Lady Kate said, “Thank the gods.”
Feeling weak as a kitten, Jaikus glanced from face to face, uncertain as to how he came to be lying on the passageway floor. “What happened?”
“You were hit by a poisoned dart,” explained Lady Kate.
“Yeah, man. It was ugly. But she fixed you up with an antidote. Now you’re right as rain.” Reneeke couldn’t help but smile.
“We’ll take a short break so you can recover your strength,” said Charka. To Lady Kate he added, “If he hasn’t recovered in that time, give him a healing draught as well.”
She nodded, then had Reneeke help her in moving Jaikus against the wall where he could sit in greater comfort. Producing the less than appetizing trail rations, she handed them to her two Springers and they ate while Seward worked to discover the mechanism by which Jaikus had triggered the dart.
Chapter Ten
“It was just another pressure plate beneath a floor stone,” Seward explained. “There are three. I marked each with a bit of charcoal. Make sure you don’t step on them.”
The dart that had laid Jaikus low was now nestled safely within a bit of rolled leather at the bottom of Charka’s pack. He informed his two Springers about how thieves back at the Guild often paid for samples of hitherto unknown substances.
“Poisons, you mean?” asked Reneeke.
“Yes, lad. Poisons. And considering the way it brought your friend down, this one should fetch quite a bit.”
Ever the killjoy, Seward added, “Unless they already know about it.”
Charka shrugged. “Still, it won’t hurt to bring it back.”
Reneeke took the Springer duty as Jaikus was still in no condition to adequately perform the function. Rope now tied about his middle, he stood before the stones marked with lines of charcoal. He made sure to avoid them as he navigated the trapped area and continued down the passageway.
The first thing he became aware of, was the circle of refracted light Jaikus had seen shortly before being struck by the dart. It glittered in an explosion of rainbow color that gradually increased in luminosity the closer he came.
Unlike Jaikus before him, he didn’t fail to pay attention to the floor as he went. Good thing, too, as he came across another two stones that shifted beneath his feet. In neither case had he put any great amount of weight upon the stones, and thus, avoided tripping the trap. He signaled the stones’ position to those that followed, then continued on.
Reds, greens, blues, every color imaginable seemed to be part of the dazzling circle. It wasn’t until coming to within ten feet that he saw how the circle was composed of a myriad of tiny gems, and that it surrounded another stony face. This one, however, was different. Its eye sockets were vacant cavities, as was the mouth.
Intent as he was on watching the floor and viewing the display of color, he failed to realize they had reached another dead end until he was almost upon it. Reneeke glanced back to his leader. “Dead end,” he announced.
Charka came to stand next to his Springer and contemplated the gem encircled face before them.
“I would advise against removing any of those gems,” warned Lady Kate.
“Magic?” asked Reneeke.
“Yes.”
“Is there another hidden way to uncover?”
Lady Kate nodded. “It looks that way.”
Reneeke gazed at the face on the wall. Every face previously encountered had been identical from one to the next. The fact that this one was not could in no way be a coincidence.
As if they were thinking the same thing, Charka said, “Accessing the next area must have something to do with the face.”
“I thought that as well,” commented Reneeke.
“Maybe we should put a gem in its mouth or something,” suggested Jaikus.
“Don’t be foolish,” argued Seward.
“I agree,” said Charka. “Such a course of action would provide little in the way of results.”
“No,” said Reneeke as he turned to his friend. “Probably not.” Then he glanced toward Lady Kate. “But maybe something else…”
“Such as?” she queried.
“If I’m not mistaken, two of those items in your possession that were recovered from the bottom of the shaft bore the etching of irises? And wouldn’t those same items fit perfectly within the empty sockets of the face?”
Unshouldering her pack, she said, “You may be right.” Once she had it opened, she reached in and pulled out a small, velvet pouch. Untying the golden, velvety thong keeping it closed, she poured the two marble sized objects onto her palm.
“Yes, indeed,” said Charka. Glancing from the face, to the two items, then back again, he nodded. “They would fit perfectly.”
Jaikus looked confused. “How did they get down at the bottom of that trap?”
The Troupe leader
shrugged. “Could have been a thief who had acquired the items, yet ran afoul of the trap before being able to use them.”
“If that’s the case,” began Seward, “then the third item, that uh, orb, may fit in the mouth.”
Lady Kate reached into her pack and removed the crystal orb whose heart was aquamarine. Stepping close to the face, she held the orb before its oral cavity. It was a perfect fit.
“But the question is, should we?” Turning her attention toward Charka, she added, “These items, the eyes and the orb, are imbued with magic. Setting them within the face could start something we would be in no position to stop.”
“Or, by doing so, we could gain access to a treasure trove,” he argued.
“That is true.” Lady Kate continued to meet the Troupe leader’s gaze. “Is the reward, worth the risk?”
“We don’t even know if there is anything worthwhile to be had,” stated Reneeke. “For all we know, we could be opening a long lost prison of some demonic monster that upon release, will kill us and then lay waste to the world.”
Seward shook his head. “Boy, you’ve been listening to too many bards.”
“I am simply saying that we should proceed with caution,” explained Reneeke.
“I agree,” chimed in Jaikus. “With being cautious that is.”
Lady Kate still held Charka’s gaze. Moving the orb closer to the face’s mouth, she asked, “Shall I?”
There was only the briefest hesitation on his part before Charka nodded his head. “Yes.”
Then she glanced to Reneeke who shook his. “It’s a bad idea. Better to leave with nothing, than die a rich man.”
Seward nodded when her eyes came to him. “It’s what we are here for. Let’s see what happens.”
Then she turned toward Jaikus. “I say no. So it is now two for it, and two against.” She gave him a grin. “It’s all up to you.”
“This ain’t up to him,” argued Charka.
Jaikus and Reneeke Join the Guild Page 13
