Forbidden Quest (15 page)

The small group sat quietly in the purple halo of Sarah's torch eating berries and trying not to think about the source of the stench. Finished with her snack, Sarah opened her book and searched for something that might help. 

"There's nothing in here about finding talismans. What exactly did the boy in the stables say about the treasure at the falls?
" She
asked, glancing up at Jack and Nicole.

"He said we needed it." Jack answered, shaking his head.

"He didn't say why?" Sarah frowned.

"Sorry he . .
. Uh
. . . wasn't too . .
.articulate
."

"And he smelled." Nicole added, smiling, "Pretty much the same as this place."

Staring down at the floor, Sarah concentrated on what the deception of the tunnel could be. Finding a large crack  running across the floor, she ran her fingers along
it
absent-mindedly
.
She jerked
her hand back as
a
large brown spider slipped through the crack and skittered across the floor. Glancing around, she realized their mistake.

“Todd, which way did we turn at the first side tunnel?"  She asked.

"Left, I think." Hopper answered, straining to remember.

"Go back down the hall and take a look to the right
. "
  She ordered, scrambling up from

the
floor.

Hopper rose and jogged back down the hall to the first open hallway and peered around the corner.   “It's the steps up to the shack," He called back to them.

Following him, Jack and Nicole stared at the same stone steps they had used to enter the tunnel. "How can that be?  We haven’t made enough turns to have reversed our steps.
"
Jack scowled
,  "
Right?"

"We were never more than a few meters from the entrance the entire time." Sarah announced, from behind them. "We're caught in some kind of illusion."

"So what do we do?" Hopper asked, pushing past Nicole

and
Jack as they moved to join Sarah.

"You see this large crack in the floor? It runs across the hall. Maybe it's what we've been looking for all along." Sarah explained, "I saw a big spider climb out of it. I bet there's another passage below us."

Kneeling down to examine it, Jack held his hand over the crack and nodded. "I can feel a breeze."

“How do we get in?" Nicole questioned, starting to examine the walls around them.

"Stand back." Hopper ordered, raising his club over his head. He hammered
on
the floor for several minutes with the large tree limb before surrendering, exhausted.

"Not a mark on it." Jack said, tracing the border with his fingertips. "The edges go under the walls, there's no way
to
pry it up."

"Then it's got to slide to one side or the other."  Nicole added, still examining the walls. "I can't find any loose stones that might trigger it."

"There has to be some way.”  Sarah said then started, gagging as the stench suddenly grew overwhelming.

"Behind you!
"
Hopper shouted, pushing Nicole to the floor in his attempt to reach Sarah.

Wheeling around, Sarah could see only darkness beyond their dim torch light.  A large black claw reached out, and snatched the Book of Incantations' from her hands.  Hopper dove over Sarah's shoulder, shoving her to one side as he threw himself into the large hairy creature.  They disappeared into the darkness, grunting and squealing. Jack snatched the torch from Nicole and rushed forward drawing his sword.  Stopping abruptly near the far end of the corridor, Jack found Hopper lying unconscious on the stone floor his chest
covered  in
blood.

"Todd !
"
Sarah
screamed, r
ushing to his side, she pulled the torch from Jack's hands and knelt over Hopper to check his wounds. There was a large slash across his chest and a deep wound to the side of his neck.  Handing the torch back to Jack, Sarah tore at her robes and applied pressure to the flow of blood coming from Hopper's throat.

"He's still alive." She whispered to Nicole as she grabbed her hand and placed it on Hopper’s neck.  "Keep pressure on it until I get the bandage secured."

"What was it?" Nicole looked up at Jack, as he explored the darkness around them.

"I don't know, but it was big, almost as big as Hopper," Jack said.  "I'm going after it."

"No, we need you to help us get Todd up the stairs."

Sarah ordered as she slipped one of her makeshift bandages under Hopper's back and across his chest. "I think he may have some broken ribs."

Jack tossed his sword to Nicole and handed Sarah the torch.  He grabbed Hopper by the shoulders and started to drag him toward the stone steps. "Keep your eyes open. It
may come

back
."

Sarah handed the torch to Nicole and Sarah picked up Hopper's large feet and followed Jack.  As they reached the steps the stench grew worse, Nicole spun around and brought Jack's sword to bear just as the creature reached her. Nicole thrust out and upward and severed the clawed hand from the beast.  An
ear piercing
screech sent the torch flying and forced back as the creature fell to the ground, squirming an enormous mass of greasy brown hair.  Behind him appeared another beast of equal size and strength that hesitated for only a moment before charging Nicole.

Using all his might, Jack tossed Hopper on to the floor of the shack and dove down the

stairs
to help Nicole.  Jack pushed Sarah upward as he
passed
her.  "Get Hopper out of here!”  He yelled and yanked Nicole's short sword from her belt to attack the nearest of what seemed to be an unending stream of smelly monsters converging on the tiny stairwell. 

The beasts dove sporadically at the pair of warriors, lashing at them with their tremendous claw then disappearing into the darkness. Jack and Nicole were unable to force them backward.  Their best effort barely kept the creatures from
overtaking
them. Backing up toward the stairway, the monsters tore at their legs as they fought to escape.  Then Sarah appeared at the top of the stone steps chanting. Suddenly a bright purple light flared between them and their attackers, giving them a clear view of the creatures.  Nicole gasped and stumbled up the stairs
.
The beasts screeched in agony as the flames reached them. Jack crawled up the last few steps and to
be pulled
free by Nicole.

The two warriors scrambled for the doorway of the shack as Sarah threw the small door closed and shoved as much debris as she could find in front of it.  She found Nicole and Jack lying next to Hopper's still form under a particularly thick stand of gnarly trees some distance from the shack.  Sarah began to tear at the arms of her  robes,  making bandages for the deep gashes Jack and Nicole’s arms and legs
.
A
s
she finished tending their wounds as best she could, Hopper moaned and tried to raise his head.

Sarah rushed to his side.  "Todd? Can you hear me?" tears welled in her eyes. "It's Sarah."

Hopper opened his eyes and stared up at her. "It was . . . sick."  He said softly, reaching for his neck.

             
"The tunnel
trolls,
there was something wrong with them.”  Nicole clarified, leaning back against the small tree they had taken shelter
under,
her eyes no were longer glowing.

"They were trolls
? "
  Sarah stammered
.
"The smell, it came from them."

"This doesn't sound good." Jack interrupted, rising to test his aching legs. "If they're sick, they could have infected us.”

Nicole looked at Sarah. “You’re the
practitioner
?”

Staring back at them, the young sorceress shook her head, dumbfounded
.
She turned back to help Hopper sit up.  Checking his wounds, she sighed
,  "
How could you tell they were sick?"

'
             
'The smell for one, that's not the way I smell.” Todd answered as he arched his back to test his
injuries .
  He felt hot and greasy.”

             
"They were covered in large sores. It was hard to tell what they had once been." Nicole added.

"Then how can you be sure they were trolls?
"
Sarah reasoned jumping up and moving toward the horses.

"They were trolls alright.
"
Jack followed her, slowly,  wincing from the pain of the slash wounds on his arms
.
“They were almost the same height as Hopper and wore the same type of fur clothing, right down to those furry boots of his.  Add the big head thing to the picture and what else could they be."

"Okay, then the sickness could be almost anything, ranging from Chicken Pox to an allergic to fleas or the plague. 
Any of which may or may not be contagious.
  But I would expect that we, being of another species and having been through the normal childhood and diseases and inoculations should have nothing to worry about." Sarah said as she grabbed her horse’s reins and led him into the shade of
the trees. 
"Besides it'd be a bad business decision to kill off one of your adventurers
off
with a plague. Aren't we supposed to die in battle?"

"Hopper
's t
he same species as they are." Jack said, "And I'm not
so
sure Dr. Strong knows what he's doing."  Jack took his
horse's
reins from Sarah as she gathered the remaining horses. "What are you doing?"

" We have to get out of here before those creatures decide to come after us
.
We're out numbered and injured
.
It’s
crazy to stay."

"I don't think they'll come out of the tunnels."  Hopper offered, appearing beside them. "They've been down there too long.”

"Todd, how can you know that?
"
Sarah questioned as she reached
up
to
touch  the
bandage at his throat.

"I could make out some
of  their
language, they were scared.  They attacked us because we came into their home."

“A
ll
the more reason to leave them alone.”
  Sarah said.

"They have your book.”
Nicole's voice came across the quiet clearing, through the deepening
fog .

"And the talisman?
"
Jack asked
.

“If we go down there, they'll attack us again." Sarah answered looking to Hopper for assistance.

"I think that fireball of yours scattered them."
Jack insisted
,
"
Now
would be the perfect time to try."

“Todd," She pleaded with him.

“H
e’s r
ight,
”  Hopper
shook his head swaying slightly. 

“You're in no condition to go back into that hell hole.”  Sarah pulled him back toward the trees.

"I'm just a little dizzy, give me a couple minutes and I'll be fine.”  Hopper said as she pulled him down on the grass beside her and checked the wound on his neck.

"The bleeding has stopped but you need stitches. How do your ribs feel.
" .

"He'
s
fine, Sarah.” 
Nicole assured her and headed toward the shack.' "We've got to get moving. 
The talisman is in there somewhere and hopefully your book is with it
.
They might have even made a nice little meal out of it by now. We know the trick to the maze and where the talisman is hidden
.
All we have to do is find the release for the slab." She stopped and turned around expectantly.

"We looked everywhere, there isn't
one!
”  Sarah snapped

"There's one place we
haven't
checked and Hopper’
s
the only one that can reach it."  Nicole answered.

Reluctantly, Sarah followed her three limping companions back down into the tunnel. They filled the tunnel with torches from one end to the other. Jack and Nicole stood guard at either end as Hopper examined the ceiling. In a manner of minutes he located a small rock protruding further than the others and pushed it slowly
.
Hopper jumped backward and knocked the others off their feet just inches clear of the void that
was left
as the stone slab broke apart and fell silently into the darkness.