by Warhammer
‘You have been to Albion?’ she asked. Felix nodded.
‘You are extraordinarily well travelled.’
‘Some people would say so,’ said Felix, pushing ahead of the dwarfs and following the path deeper into the jungle. He had very dark memories of the Paths of the Old Ones and no wish to relive them. Leaves from overhanging branches stroked his face. The screech of parrots mocked him.
‘Come back, Felix,’ he heard the girl shout. ‘You are going the wrong way.’
‘You think the Old Ones have been here?’ Felix asked Gotrek as they strode along. The Slayer tipped his head to one side as he considered his answer.
‘Perhaps. This is not orc work.’
Felix noticed that the girl was staring at them. ‘What do you know of the Old Ones?’ she asked. ‘I thought only scholars and sorcerers possessed that lore.’
‘Very little. We encountered some of their handiwork once. A long way from here. You give the impression of knowing more about them than I.’
‘My father was a learned man in his own way. He claimed some pre-human race had made the temples and the city, but that the orcs had taken them over for their own. It’s more likely that men lived here after the Old Ones and before the orcs. The Old Ones are long gone. I have talked with many scholars about them myself.’
‘Ask five scholars about the Old Ones and you will get fifteen opinions,’ said Felix. ‘There is little known for sure about them.’
‘I am more interested in the treasure, anyway,’ said Katja, but there was something in the look of her that made Felix disbelieve that.
‘The Old Ones left many guardians for their temples,’ said Felix, remembering some of the vile monsters they had encountered in Albion. ‘And much of their work was corrupted by the coming of Chaos.’
‘Is that one of fifteen opinions, Felix Jaeger?’
‘No, that comes from bitter experience.’ Felix’s thoughts turned to the monsters of Albion, ancient guardians corrupted by the power of Chaos. Could the same kind of creatures be present on this island? Felix feared it was all too likely.
Night found them still toiling along the ancient road. It had led them up jungle-covered hills and down into tree-filled valleys. It had passed near stinking swamps and festering bogs, but over time Felix knew that they were climbing slowly upwards towards the great volcanic peak at the mountain’s heart.
‘Could your father not have picked an easier place to bury his treasure?’ Felix asked, surveying the seemingly endless jungle that lay before them. He felt every extra pound of the chainmail now, but was more reluctant than ever to take it off. He slapped a mosquito that had settled on his cheek. His hand came away splotched with blood, most likely his own.
‘I think the idea was to make it difficult to find,’ the girl replied with maddening equanimity.
‘I would have thought burying it on an island not found on civilised maps would have gone a long way towards ensuring that.’
‘Aye, but these islands are not unknown to pirates, merchant voyagers, and the dhows of Araby. Elvish ships pass this way occasionally as well.’
Her words caused a stir of grumbling among the dwarfs, which did not in the least surprise Felix. The animosity between elves and dwarfs was age old and bone deep. Just the faint possibility of elves finding this treasure would keep the crew searching from now until doomsday. Felix wondered if Katja knew that, and then wondered why he was so suspicious. Maybe it was this island, he thought. There was something about it that bred an atmosphere of fear and mistrust. He hoped that was just his imagination.
Ahead of them another small ruined tower emerged from the jungle. Urli returned from inspecting it. ‘There’s orc marks all over the place. Recent, but not fresh. Looks like there are greenskins on the island, for sure.’
‘Good,’ said Gotrek. ‘My axe thirsts.’
Felix wished the dwarf had not spoken quite so loudly. He could not quite rid himself of the thought that there was something out there listening.
They decided to camp for the night in the ruins. It was warm, so there really was no need for a fire, but Felix was glad when they built one anyway. Dwarfs might be able to see in the darkness but he could not, and it would help to keep wild beasts at bay. Hopefully, the thick jungle all around would keep them from being spotted by watchful eyes.
Felix lay down in a corner of the tower, and watched the dwarfs draw lots to see who would stand sentry. He and the girl were excluded from the process, which left him feeling at once glad and vaguely insulted. He was sure it reflected some dwarfish prejudice against human hardihood, and he mentioned it to Katja.
‘Perhaps they simply want sentries who can see in the dark,’ she said. ‘And I don’t blame them. Now it’s time to sleep.’
Felix found that sleep did not come easily. At night the jungle was just as loud as during the day. Things crashed through the trees. Raucous birdcalls erupted at odd moments. Out there he knew things were killing and being killed, and eaten. In here the mosquitoes whined annoyingly close to his face. The roof of the tower was long gone, and he could see stars through the clear patches in the canopy of leaves overhead. He felt infinitely far from home, and almost as far from safety. Even though the Storm Hammer was only just over a day’s march away, she might as well be on the far side of a moon for all the difference it made. The expedition was completely isolated.
He wondered whether the ruins would contain an opening into the ancient extra-dimensional warren of the Paths of the Old Ones, and if so, was the corrupting influence of Chaos seeping through there? He shivered when he thought of the daemonic creatures he had encountered, and his hand stole towards the amulet that the elvish mage Teclis had given to him. To his surprise, he found that it was cool, which was usually a good sign. It grew warm in the presence of inimical sorcery. If the amulet was responding to some threat, it did not appear to be imminent.
Gotrek rose to his feet and moved towards the entrance. His cocked his head, listening for something, and then returned to his place, where he sat with his back to the wall and his good eye focused on the entrance. There was one who was not going to be caught off guard, Felix thought, stifling a yawn. Sleep snuck up on him before he was even aware of it.
Just before consciousness left him, he thought he saw a dark silent shadow pass between himself and the stars.
The rain woke him. It was dark and droplets sizzled down in the vanishing remnants of the fire. The dwarfs paid it not the slightest heed. Felix scratched at an insect bite and rose to his feet. He grabbed a handful of waybread and dried meat from his backpack and stuffed it into his mouth. The dwarfs and Katja were ready to move.
The rain was warm but it seeped through his tunic and britches and made him uncomfortable. He did not complain though, knowing that it would simply expose him to the mockery of the dwarfs.
‘Where’s Snelli?’ Urli asked. ‘If he wandered off and found a place to kip instead of taking his watch, he’ll feel my boot on his backside. Snelli!’
The shout echoed through the wood, startling the birds and smaller animals, but there was no response. Once again, they found themselves searching for a missing dwarf. They found tracks leading off to the edge of the wood, where the dwarf had gone to relieve himself, but after that, just as with Mobi, they vanished.
‘Sorcery!’ Urli muttered. Gotrek shook his head. He looked upwards into the trees. Felix followed his thoughts. Maybe something had grabbed the dwarf from above and carried him off along the branches. His thoughts returned to the shadow he had seen the previous evening. It might just have been a figment of his imagination, but he thought he had better mention it.
‘If you saw something why did you not wake us?’ asked Urli.
‘I was asleep by then, and it might just have been something I dreamed.’
‘And it might not.’ The dwarfs were grumbling amongst themselves again. They were a hard crew, but they were out of their element, and two of their number had disappeared without any explanat
ion whatsoever. Felix could understand why they were upset. There was something out there that could sneak up on a wary dwarf in the dark without detection, and carry him off in silence. This alarmed them all.
Only Gotrek looked undismayed as they set out along the old road, but Felix noticed that even he kept a careful eye on the branches overhead. At noon they paused to eat. Ignoring all entreaties Gotrek moved off into the woods alone. He had drunk a lot of ale and reeled visibly. Felix thought this unusual, for normally the Slayer could consume barrels of the stuff without seeming the worse for wear. He decided he had better follow him, and strode off in the direction he had headed. He entered a grove of trees where the branches were thick overhead. Gotrek sat with his back to one of the trees, his head lolling drunkenly.
Suddenly a noose of rope dropped from above. This time the overconfident attacker had picked the wrong target. Before the loop of rope could close over his neck, Gotrek’s eyes snapped open and he grabbed it. A sharp tug brought two tattooed goblins tumbling down out of the tree. The axe flashed and before either body hit the ground, it was relieved of its head.
‘There’ll be fewer disappearances now,’ said the Slayer. Seeing Felix’s quizzical look he added, ‘They have been following us overhead all day.’
‘You think there will be more?’
‘Almost certainly, manling. The signs are getting more numerous the further inland we go.’
‘That’s reassuring,’ said Felix, following the Slayer back to where the expedition rested. He showed no signs of drunkenness now.
CHAPTER SIX
TREASURE, TRAPS AND GUARDIANS
Late afternoon found them high up the volcano’s side. The road had ended. They looked down into a valley full of ruins. Once there had been a large city here, Felix was sure. Several of the ruins were stepped pyramids that reminded him of things he had seen in Albion. Others were massive halls, perhaps palaces. The jungle had swallowed the place. Trees filled what had once been streets. Creepers obscured the walls of many buildings. It had been an age since this place was occupied.
‘Quiet as an elvish wake,’ muttered Narli.
‘This the place?’ Gotrek asked. Katja nodded.
‘I hope we don’t have to search it all,’ said Urli.
‘No. We find the central hall. That’s where my father left his treasure.’
‘And this magical jewel?’ said Gotrek.
‘That’s there too.’
‘Let’s get on with it then.’
They pressed on through the heavy undergrowth and down into the ruins of the dead city.
‘Quiet here, isn’t it?’ said Felix.
‘It was until you started talking, manling,’ said Gotrek. The Slayer seemed pre-occupied, straining to hear something, his head tracking from side to side warily.
‘It is though,’ Felix insisted. The quiet was unnerving after the cacophony of the jungle. It seemed like even the beasts were scared into silence here, and Felix did not blame them.
Katja led them onwards through the streets. They were laid out in a rectangular grid pattern between the pyramids and the palaces. They would have been easy to navigate before the jungle came.
‘Makes you think, doesn’t it?’ he said to Katja, just to break the unnerving quiet.
‘About what?’ she asked. Like the Slayer, she seemed preoccupied, but in her case it was doubtless because she was so near to finding her father’s legacy. Felix could see the tension and excitement in her very stance. Her face was pale. Felix doubted it was because of fear.
‘About how this happened. Maybe one day Altdorf will be like this, swallowed by the endless forests.’
‘We can only hope, manling,’ muttered Gotrek. He glanced at the nearest tree as if considering taking his axe to it. ‘I hate trees,’ he muttered apropos of nothing.
‘You’ve come to the wrong place then,’ said Felix.
Urli returned from scouting along a sidestreet. ‘There are orcs here,’ he said. ‘In this city. Tracks are everywhere. Climbed up onto the roof. I thought I saw our friend Goldtusk and a horde of goblins.’
Felix looked at the dwarf. ‘What is he doing here?’
‘He knows the treasure is here somewhere,’ said Katja. ‘I told him.’
‘It’s more than you told us,’ said Felix. ‘When did you get so friendly with him?’
Felix noticed that Katja’s expression was angry. Her fingers were flexing in complicated patterns that reminded him of the way Max Schreiber’s used to when he was about to cast a spell. Did the girl know sorcery, Felix wondered? Abruptly she seemed to realise what she was doing and her expression changed.
‘When he threatened to torture me,’ she said. ‘I had to tell him something.’
‘If we hang about here,’ said Urli. ‘He’ll come and torture us all. He has quite an army of those little savages.’
‘Excellent,’ muttered Gotrek. ‘Lead me to them.’
‘At least let us get the treasure first before you start a fight,’ said the marine. ‘Not all of us have shaved our heads.’
Gotrek considered this. Like any dwarf he was subject to goldlust.
‘Good idea,’ he said. ‘First the gold, then the killing.’
The place had once been a palace, and a big one, perhaps the home of the city’s ruler. Katja led them through one massive entranceway and down a long hall. Felix was in no way surprised to see that this was lit by glowing green gems, set in the ceiling. Such gems had lit the Temple of the Old Ones on Albion.
A strange glow coming from one of the chambers attracted Felix’s attention. Cautiously he moved through the doorway to check it out.
As he did so, hot air washed over his face. His eyes felt suddenly dry, and his skin taut. He moved cautiously forward, with the Slayer at his side. Ahead of them was a pit from which emerged an orange-red glow. He made his way to the very edge and saw a long way below what looked like molten rock.
‘Lava,’ said Gotrek. He looked baffled. ‘Why would anyone build a palace with vents leading down into a lava flow?’
‘Perhaps they wanted to heat the place,’ said Felix, not entirely facetiously. The Slayer shook his head as if he took the suggestion seriously.
‘On a tropical island? No. They must have had some other purpose.’
‘Sorcery?’ Felix asked. He could not imagine how this could be but it was one possible explanation.
‘Maybe,’ said Gotrek. ‘Perhaps it was a place of sacrifice?’
Felix shivered. The Slayer’s words made a terrible sort of sense. ‘You mean they propitiated the mountain with human sacrifices?’
‘They would not have to be human, manling. But yes. It would not be the first time this sort of thing has occurred in history.’
‘The Old Ones were too civilised for that,’ said Felix.
‘No one, least of all you, knows what the Old Ones were like. Perhaps they were some sort of degenerate remnant of the Old Ones who fell into barbarism. Or perhaps this place was not built by the Old Ones, but one of their slave races, or someone else entirely.’
Felix could see something about this place had caught the Slayer’s imagination. That had been just about the longest speech he had ever heard Gotrek make that did not concern the sad decline of human civilisation or how much better things were in the old days. He sensed eyes on them and turned to see Katja and the dwarfs standing in the doorway staring at them. The dwarfs looked impatient. The girl looked thoughtful. He wondered how much of what they had said had been overheard.
‘We’d best be getting on,’ said Urli. ‘There’s greenskins about, remember?’
Gotrek looked contemplatively into the firepit for a moment, then spat into it. Felix felt no inclination to do the same. He was too busy wondering what it would be like being thrown into that pit. He did not want to consider what thoughts might run through his mind during that last long fall. He stood looking into it for a while, until he realised that the others had left without him, then he raced to catch up.
Instinct told him that this was no place to wander alone.
They made their way down a central aisle until they came to a large square, open to the sky, with an altar in it. The altar was covered in carvings of some sort of lizard-like beings.
‘This is the place,’ she said.
‘I don’t see any treasure,’ said Urli.
‘My father discovered this by accident,’ she said, moving over and beginning to twist the carvings on the altar. Gotrek nodded as if he understood what she was doing. He strode straight over to one gargoyle and tugged at it. Instead of breaking, it moved, and a moment later there was a grinding sound as the altar slowly slid into a new position, revealing a flight of stairs leading down into the darkness below.
‘Amazing that he managed to inscribe all this on the lid of a jewellery box,’ said Felix sardonically. Katja shrugged.
‘There was a tale he told me when I was a child, about a princess and a dragon and a hidden treasure. As soon as I saw this altar I recognised it, and knew what to do.’
‘Whatever you say.’
‘Why do you doubt me, Felix Jaeger?’
‘I don’t doubt you. I just think there are things you are not telling us.’
‘Of course there are. When this is over and we have time I will gladly tell you the story of my entire life if you so desire, but at the moment we must hurry.’ She strode down into the stairwell and vanished. Events were moving too fast now. There were orcs about, and Felix felt sure that Katja was deceiving them in some way.
‘I wonder if this goes all the way down into the lava pits?’ said Gotrek nastily. Felix wished he hadn’t.
They emerged into a vault. There were more patterns woven into the floor and Felix did not need to be a magician to know that they were of some sorcerous significance. He wished that Max Schreiber, or even Teclis, were here to tell him what they were. Well, perhaps not the elf, not with all these dwarfs present.
