by R. F. Pace
Ralnor thought how best to explain this to Jake. Finally stating, “Here the day will cycle from one to the next just like it does in your world. But a day here is faster than a day in your world. The two worlds have days about the same, but while you live a day here, one has not passed in your world. It would roughly take about 30 days here to equal one day in your world.” Jake said, “So only a few days have gone by in my world while several months have gone by here?” Ralnor asked, “What are months?” Jake smiled and said, “It is a way we measure time and the seasons. Thirty days is roughly one month.” Ralnor nodded to him. Jake, now feeling better than he had been, wanted to share the news with Sara.
***
Ralnor called the group back together and was explaining the various ground impressions they had found, when a noise caught his attention. He stopped in mid-sentence and turned toward the direction of the noise. The other four had not heard it, but knew not to interrupt while Ralnor was concentrating on something. Ralnor exclaimed, “A very large animal is approaching. We need to move quickly.” After stating that, he moved up the hill, away from the noises. The four followed him without question. Ralnor said to them, “When confronted with danger, take the high ground. Always make sure the wind is blowing from the area the danger is coming from toward you. That will prevent any creature from detecting your scent.”
Ralnor removed his bow and notched an arrow. The others followed suit. A few minutes went by before the others could hear what Ralnor noticed a while back. Jake asked, “What is it?” Ralnor said, “If I had to guess, I would say it is a monitor lizard. If it is, then we will need to kill it fast before it starts making all kinds of noise and drawing attention to this area.” Tammy said, “Why don’t we lead it to the main entrance of the caverns. Maybe it will kill a lot of those nasty creatures.” Ralnor said, “That would be nice, but it is too risky for us. Once it gets its prey in sight, it will start a very long and loud cry. It tries to cause fear in its prey and make it panic.”
It didn’t take long until this huge lizard came waddling into sight. The lizard raised its head a bit and started flicking its tongue in and out. Ralnor whispered to everyone, “You have to shoot it under the neck or in the eyes. When it gets a little closer and raises up again, shoot.” The lizard lowered its head and start moving as if it had a new purpose in life. It covered about 30 feet rapidly. As it raised its head, Ralnor let his arrow fly. Once he released, the other four did also. The lizard never saw the arrows coming toward him. The first set didn’t kill it, but did pin its mouth closed. As its head lowered, Ralnor placed an arrow dead center of the lizard’s eye. The lizard rolled to its side and began twitching.
George started to move toward it when Ralnor stopped him. He instructed, “Give it time to bleed out and then we will approach it.” When Ralnor felt enough time had passed, he got up and went near the lizard. He poked it with the end of his bow and didn’t get a reaction. Ralnor looked at the others and said, “Now the fun begins: field dressing it and carrying it back to camp.” Both Tammy and Sara turned their noses up and shook their heads no. Ralnor removed his knife from the sheath and went to work on the carcass. Jake and George were standing over him, admiring his handy work. Within minutes he had it dressed out and made it ready to be transported. Ralnor walked over to a sapling and trimmed it up to use as a transport pole.
Ralnor secured the lizard’s legs together and then slid the pole in between them. Once the pole was in place, he took the leftover line from the legs and secured them to the pole to prevent the kill from sliding off. Ralnor told Jake and George to grab one end and he would take the other. When the three lifted the lizard, both George and Jake grunted at the weight. Ralnor smiled at them and lifted his end effortlessly.
***
Both George and Jake thought they had walked a hundred miles to get back to camp. They were winded and ready to drop, yet Ralnor hadn’t broken a sweat. They put the dressed lizard down inside the cave. Fontun smiled and walked outside. He returned a few minutes later with six saplings. He rigged them together to hold up the other pole with the meat. He then placed the meat on the pole so he was able to freely turn it. The poles were then setup over a fire pit and Fontun started a smokeless fire.
The teens were totally fascinated by the magic Fontun had use to make the fire. Jake thought about the magic for a second and went over to get his spell book. The others did the same. All four of them recorded the fire spell. Jake completed the fire entry, and took the opportunity to speak with Taragin. Jake asked him for the spell to detect. Taragin sat with Jake to explain the use of the spell. Jake recorded it in great detail, then went to study both.
The lizard wasn’t as tough as Jake thought it would be. After dinner was finished, there was still a long wait until sunset. With Rotan and Trueway still absent, the night seemed longer than usual. Not one of the 12 in camp got a full night’s sleep. Ralnor tried several times to reassure everyone that things were fine. Rotan and Trueway would not return until first light at the earliest.
CHAPTER 36
Everyone was awake by the time first light reached the cave. Fontun made a huge breakfast with the leftovers from the night before. He said, “Rotan and Trueway will want a good hot meal before they go to sleep. Ralnor agreed, “With a good hot meal, they will sleep well.”
They no sooner started cleaning up from the meal when Rotan and Trueway arrived. The way they were greeted one would have thought they had been gone for years. Questions started coming from everyone all at once. Rotan and Trueway looked at each other and smiled. A smiling Rotan said, “Please give us a minute to eat and we will tell you all that we know. The two wasted no time getting food and eating. Exhausted and hungry, it didn’t take long for them to finish their meals. All eyes were fixed on them.
Rotan smiled again and started with, “We have located what we believe is the treasure room. Whether it’s the room containing the stone is a question that, only Jake with Yatuku will be able to answer. We did grab coins from the room.” The two pulled their coins out of their pockets. Rotan tossed his to Ralnor and Trueway handed his to Taragin. The two of them took some time inspecting the coins. Ralnor was the first to speak, “These are not only very old, but very rare. Taragin added, “There are believed to be very few in existence.” Ralnor added, “You can see the high artisanship the Dwarves put into their work.” The coins were passed from one to the other until they were returned to Rotan and Trueway.
Rotan then said, “We know there are humans involved with what is going on in there.” “How do you know that?” Ralnor asked. Rotan focused on Ralnor and said, “They sent a troll to one of the storage room to retrieve an old book. The troll selected the wrong one, so two humans arrived to retrieve the correct book.” Taragin’s and Haralin’s interests were both peaked at the mention of old books in a storage room. Taragin asked, “By chance did you get a look at the book or into the storeroom. Rotan replied, “The book passed by a little too quickly to see what it was. All I can tell you is it was rather large with black leather bindings. We did get a look into the room.” Stirgan and Fontun started listening a bit more keenly now. “The room was just about four paces across, by four paces wide. It had shelves filled with books, scrolls and vials. Most of the writing I could not read. It appeared to be a very ancient language. The vials were heavily-dust covered and contained various colored liquids in them. That was the first room we found with books in it, the second was near the treasure room.” Taragin’s eye brows raised and he nodded.
Ralnor then posed, “What can you tell us about the troops inside?” Trueway expl
ained about the overlook, then described the area below and what percentage was occupied by the troops. He informed them about the side rooms and the various ladders going up and down. Trueway said, “If I had to guess the number of troops there, I would say around 400. Rotan nodded his head in agreement. Jake and George were both astonished by the number of enemy troops. Tammy with raised eyebrows, asked “How are we going to fight all of them?” Rotan turned to her, “We do not intend to fight any of them.” Jake added to his statement, “If we have to fight, then we will do whatever we have to do.” Rotan nodded.
Rotan and Trueway headed over to their pallets and were asleep immediately. Ralnor move the group away from them so they could speak without disturbing their rest. Looking at Jake, then George, then Sara and finally at Tammy he said, “When they wake up, each of you need to gather as much detailed information about the tunnels in the cavern. Each of you will remember different things and must be able to collectively remember it all.”
Ralnor peered at Jake and asked him what his plan was. Jake drawing a blank, just stared at him. Sara nudged him, bringing him out of the daze. Jake was baffled, “I was hoping you had a plan. I never expected to be entering a cavern with 400 creatures looking to eat me for dinner.” Ralnor smiled at him and said, “Talk with them when they awaken, and then with your friends. You will make the right choice.” Sara whispered in Jake’s ear, “My hero.” Jake instantly went red in the face. Embarrassed, he turned away to prevent anyone else from noticing it, and walked out of the cave. Tammy was closest to Sara and heard what was said. It took everything she had to keep from laughing. Everyone had noticed and were stifling snickers.
Sara followed Jake outside, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t joking, I really meant that. You are my hero and I love you.” Jake was once again speechless. He regained his composure and said, “I didn’t take it as a joke. You just caught me off guard.” He then mumbled, “I love you too.” Sara said, “What?” He looked up, grabbed both of her hands in his, and said, “I love you too.”
A few minutes later George and Tammy joined them. As they walked up, they could see they were interrupting a private moment. George asked, “Are we interrupting something?” Both were quick to say, “No!” All four of them grinned at each other. Tammy said, “Are you sure? We could come back by later if we’re still in the neighborhood.” George nudged Tammy and winked at her.
Jake changed the subject by saying, “Ralnor is right about all of us talking to Rotan and Trueway together.” The others started to object, but Jake held up his hand and continued. “We started this together with everyone having one like thought. We will continue and finish this as one.” Sara said, “I guess you’re right, because the prophecy does say the four can go where no one else can, or something like that.” Jake exclaimed, “The four as one.” The others all softly repeated, “The four as one.”
***
The four slowly walked toward the horses, all lost in their own thoughts. When they came to a nice little area near a stream, Jake sat down and said, “I’ve been thinking about the storage room with all those books and scrolls.” Sara smiled, “That’s funny, because I was thinking the same thing.” Tammy said, “George and I had just started talking about that.” Jake repeated again, “The four as one.” Sara then interjected, “With all those books and scrolls, the wizards will want to accompany us in there. I was going to suggest we have a couple of them, if not all of them, join us.” George and Tammy both nodded in agreement. Tammy said, “Fourteen people going through those tunnels is going to make a lot of noise.” Jake agreed, “Yes, but we may need everyone before it’s all said and done.”
***
The four spent most of the day relaxing and discussing what they should do. By the time they returned, Rotan and Trueway were awake. Ralnor greeted them saying, “We thought you ran off. Glad to see you back.” He couldn’t hold the serious face any longer and began chuckling, letting them know he was just joking. He continued, “Now that everyone is here, Rotan can give you more specifics about the tunnels.”
For the next three hours Rotan and Trueway gave a very detailed description of the tunnels, doors, and the guards they encountered. He meticulously illustrated each passage they took. When he finished, he asked if anyone had questions. Jake was the first to speak, “While we were gone, we discussed the trip into the caverns. We felt that everyone should go in there together.” The other three were giving him their support by nodding. Ralnor said, “As you four were gathering your thoughts, so were we. It is not our place to go into the caverns with you, as we may alter your destiny.” The four of them sat stunned by what they had just heard. They figured everyone would agree with their decision.
George asked, “What if we run into trouble? What would you have us do then?” Ralnor said, “Knowing the decisions you have made in the past, I trust you to make the right ones in there.” George said, “But there are several hundred creatures in there.” Ralnor said, “I know, you will be fine.” Sara then made a valid point when she asked, “What about all those locks we’ll have to pick?” Ralnor looked over at Trueway and said, “Will they be able to pick the locks?” Trueway shook his head, “No, they are complex Dwarven locks.” “In all our discussions we never talked about the locks,” Ralnor said. He looked at Trueway and relented, “You will have to accompany them in. You are the only one here that can open those locks.”
By the look on Trueway’s face, they could tell he was none too happy about having to return to the caverns. “If I must, then I will.” Taragin said, “I would also like to accompany them. I feel I need to take a look at the books and scrolls. Those items could be traps.” Ralnor looked over at Jake as if to say “it is your decision, not mine.” Jake understood and thought about it for a couple of minutes. “I do want to check those rooms.” Jake said. “And you are right about us not knowing what to touch and what not to touch. It would be an honor to have you join us.” It was difficult to tell rather Taragin was happy or sad about the decision. Taragin just gave a slight nod at Jake.
Ralnor looked at Jake and said, “My suggestion to you would be, once you have those doors opened, and the books have been checked, send them back right away. If they stay, you may not fulfill the prophecies.” Jake said, “As soon as Trueway opens the rooms, Trueway and Taragin will search the book storage room and we will start our search for the stone.” Jake looked at Trueway and Taragin and said, “Once you have what you need, return back to camp.” The two of them nodded to Jake.
***
The six were packed and ready to leave by early afternoon. As they were departing camp, Ralnor asked Jake, “Are you forgetting something?” Jake looked at him and was about to say no when he spotted Yatuku leaning against the cave wall. The corners of Jake mouth curved and went over to pick up Yatuku. Jake said, “Thanks. Without this we wouldn’t be able to locate its stone and complete our quest.”
The whole group went to the tunnel cave and waited for the sun to set. Jake had everyone check to make sure they had what was required for the trip. He told everyone to take three days’ worth of dried rations and water, one knife, a short sword and an empty backpack. George was to take his whip and some rope. Sara was to take her bow and as many arrows as she could carry. Jake said, “If we put items in our backpacks and we get into trouble, we will leave the packs behind. Nothing in there is worth losing someone over. Any questions?” Everyone shook their heads no.
CHAPTER 37
Trueway led the group into the tunnels followed by Jake, Sara, Taragin, Tammy and George. Trueway was a natural at mo
ving through these tunnels. The others, however needed a lot of work keeping up. Several times Trueway had to stop and wait for the back of the group to catch up. Taragin was having the most problems with the uneven terrain. Several times Trueway had to slow the pace down to keep the group together. Once they made it to the smoother sections, everyone seemed to move quickly along.
They arrived at the first book room and Trueway had it opened in seconds. Taragin started checking the books and found they were old history and stories books. The books were a collection of one families’ history. The vials weren’t labeled, so Taragin left them alone. After searching for 15 minutes, he had seen all he needed to and departed. He whispered to Jake, “Nothing of value to us.”
After three hours of dodging and ducking into various tunnels, Trueway took them into the passage with the overhang, where they would be able to see the masses of troops below. Trueway said, “This is the area with the overhang and will be the safest place for us to rest. We will remain on the overhang until their troops have settled for the night.” Tammy asked, “Are you sure it’s safe for all of us to be out there at one time?” Trueway nodded, then slid through the hole.
They each took turns sliding to the edge and looking over at the vastness of the old Dwarven city. Sara whispered to Jake, “This is such a cool spot. I wish we were here under different circumstances.” Jake put his mouth to her ear and whispered ever so softly, “As in just you and me? All alone?” Sara’s face went blood red this time. Jake smiled and said, “That’s a first. You turning red instead of me.”
