The Awakening (The Stones of Revenge) (13 page)

“How supportive of you.” Landon pointed to a bed on the far wall beneath. “I’ll take that one if you don’t mind,” he said as he laid his bag on the bed. He sat down to take in his new surroundings. The room was extremely sparse minus a few amenities. The bed he sat in resided in the corner of the room across from the door. Along the same wall in the opposite corner was a large empty shelf. Adjacent from the door was another bed which became Gavin’s for the night. 

Landon lay down and thought of the long road he had encountered thus far. The discovery of the ring from Godfrey, the mysterious messages from Mordecai and Godfrey, Daxis, Lord Malchus, and the Arden all swam through his mind keeping him wondering what this adventure had in store for him next. Then the eerie words from Mavin, “…
venture not into the tunnels… only death exists there,”
entered into his mind. They resounded cancelling out the thoughts of everything else. Before they had made the choice to spend the night underground Landon felt a presence of death in that place beneath the shadow of the mountain and the old abandoned shack. It definitely gave no invitation, and with the advent of Mavin’s admonition, he now knew that he wanted nothing more than to be free of the place. But there was also a slight curiosity beginning to build in his mind of what dangers could possibly lurk under the mountain. In the midst of them all there was one thought which he could not suppress. If Gavin’s story was true, the mountain had a personality long ago and perhaps some spirit, which escaped the irons of the mountain, now roamed beneath its many passageways. The thought terrified and excited him. He felt in himself a spirit of courage begin to build but it was quickly overcome by his fear.

Whatever the secret was behind Mavin’s words, Landon desired to know, but he was unwilling to betray the old man. Gavin had warned him not to say anything about their business, but it was possible that Mavin already knew their business. If that was the case, there was no telling what would happen. He decided to probe Gavin’s mind.

“How long ago did you say the mountain had been capped?”

“Oh, about four hundred years now or so. Why the sudden interest?”

“Do you really believe the tales of the mountain having a personality?” Landon carried on ignoring his first question.

“It’s hard to say. All the stories say there was something odd about the mountain and a type of supernatural possession would answer many questions.”

“And if this ‘spirit’ existed, after the cap, what do you think would have happened to it?” Landon inquired.

“Well, if it was a spirit, being without a body it wouldn’t have died. And it most likely took residence elsewhere.”

“Somewhere close by.” Landon said.

“Why the sudden interest?” Gavin demanded.

“Nevermind.”

“Perhaps there is an adventurer in you after all,” Gavin mused.

“What do you mean?”

“I believe you want to venture into the darkness.”

“I didn’t say that. . .”

“I’ve been wanting to explore the caves for years, but it’s a job that would definitely take two men. This is just the chance I have been waiting for.”

“Wait, but -”

“We will wait until Mavin is asleep. There isn’t a sound that could wake him. I discovered this secret when I first met him. We were being attacked by – uh, well, needless to say, he did not wake to help.”

Afraid to counter Landon sat in silence.

“I, for one, am going to get some sleep beforehand. Wake me in a few hours,” Gavin said as he clapped Landon on the shoulder and lay down on his bed. Landon sat on his own bed fearful of what business he had just gotten himself into.

Chapter Thirteen

Shadows and Flame

Hours later Landon was still wide awake imaging all of the terrible dangers which awaited them in the tunnels. He wasn’t sure how long he had waited but he knew he had heard Mavin enter his own room. He decided to linger long enough to make sure he was completely asleep. When the snores echoed into the main chamber, he sat up and looked over at Gavin who also was snoring comfortably on his bed. Landon grabbed his sack and threw it at him. Gavin snorted, sat up and drew his sword dazed but ready to fight.

“Put it away. It was only a sack.”

“Next time I take watch, you may not sleep so easily,” Gavin retorted sheathing his sword and a hint in his voice told Landon he wasn’t jesting.

“Mavin has been asleep for at least an hour.”

“You waited an hour? If anything you are cautious. I give you that,” he said as he rolled off his bed, grabbed his pack and slung it on his back. Then, he opened the door slowly and cautiously to see if Mavin truly was in his room. In the great chamber there stood only the shelves of jars and not a noise was heard. He beckoned to Landon to follow him. Once they were out in the great room, Landon decided to get a closer look at the jars on the wall. In one row, on the shelf closest to the door, Landon saw many stones in some sort of liquid. It looked green in the soft candle light. Landon bent down to look at the shelf below. These jars held many metallic objects also immersed in the greenish liquid. One on the far left shone a little brighter than the rest and Landon assumed they were all a part of some grand science experiment. He had heard of people who practiced science, but never met one before. The Lords considered the practice of science a crime and dealt harshly with any who practiced it.
No wonder the man lived under ground
, Landon thought
.

He stood and looked back at Mavin’s door expecting to be caught on the way out. As they passed through the archway into the tunnels no such thing happened. They were free of the strange old man and to wander the darkness at their leisure. The two men walked down the long corridor from which they had come just hours before and rounded the corner into complete darkness. Landon immediately began to regret his decision. It wasn’t the dark that worried him as much as the unknown. His stomach began to churn but he dared not say anything to Gavin. He had wanted this for so many years and Landon could not ruin this opportunity for him.

In the darkness, Landon heard Gavin stop and rummage through his sack. A minute later a torch burned bright giving them sight ahead. At that moment, Landon was thankful for a companion who knew so much of the world. His preference would not have been Gavin, but now that he was on the quest with him, he was glad to have him along. They continued forward passing the corridor which led to stairs to the outside world when it occurred to Landon that they should somehow mark their progress so as to make sure they were not retracing steps in the darkness.

“Gavin, wait.” Without argument he halted and Landon drew his sword. He then used it to carve a small arrow in the wall facing in the direction from which they had come. “So we know where we have been,” he said. Gavin nodded approvingly then continued forward.

As they moved along in the darkness, they listened intently for any noise which would alert them to what lay ahead. Nothing stirred. They continued to listen and when there was still nothing, they carried on in silence waiting for something to jump out at them at any minute. The path took a long curve to the left and the two men followed it. Ahead they walked, for hours it seemed, without deviation to the right or left. They began to think the old man had tricked them when suddenly the hall opened into a large room with five large archways. They were chiseled with such fine craftsmanship that Landon wondered who else had lived down here. The ceiling was higher than the corridor from which they came but still quite low. It was impossible to see where each path led beyond the doors but in a few of them the beginnings of staircases could be seen leading up or down. Gavin and Landon looked at each other.

“Which way?” Landon asked

“Depends on how adventurous you feel. My nose says that danger and excitement always lead down. That appears to be the case with the second doorway. Then again, it could just as soon lead us up to a dead end instead.”

“Why don’t we just take each one in turn to see where they lead? That way we can easily remember which we have taken.”

“That works too. Since this was your idea, I say you choose.”

“This was not my idea,” he mumbled. “Let’s begin with doorway one on the left.”

“Doorway one it is. After you, sir,” Gavin said with a smile and handed Landon the torch. Landon reached for it but stopped. Instead, he drew
Affliction
from its scabbard and walked back toward the door they had come from. Quickly he carved an arrow, then put his sword away and retrieved the torch. He took it feebly and walked ahead imagining many terrors waiting behind the door. He parted the archway to discover a straight path leading into more darkness. He continued on with Gavin behind. The hall ran about two hundred feet long before turning right into a pile of rocks where the tunnel had obviously collapsed.

“So much for door one,” he quipped. They turned around and retreated to the main hall. This time they entered the second door which opened to a downward stairway. The two men walked in a downward spiral for a few minutes before it too ended in a collapsed tunnel. Once again they retraced their steps back toward the main chamber.

“I wonder what collapsed these tunnels,” Landon mused. Gavin ignored the comment and grabbed Landon’s sword. He carved an X on the two that had dead ends, then handed Landon his sword. When Landon gave him a look of disbelief, Gavin explained, “Your blade is stronger than mine.” Landon didn’t respond but sheathed with force.

“That leaves three more,” he said. “I say we try door four.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Nay. I just like to be spontaneous.” And with that the two men passed through the fourth door which led toward another straight passageway. However, this one did not lead on for long before a choice was presented. The path continued straight but was crossed by another tunnel leading left and right. Not sure which path to take, Gavin marked an arrow pointing towards the way they had come and followed the path right. Landon had no choice but to follow. They had now spent hours in the tunnels and the torch was beginning to grow short. As they continued on their chosen path Landon offered some advice.

“The torch seems to be shrinking. Do we have anything to replace it with?”

“Nay, we will have to find something in the tunnels. Do keep your eyes open for anything useful. Without light the old man’s prediction may come true.”

Landon kept a continuous eye on the floor as they maneuvered though the tight corridors. At each turn Gavin carved a small arrow on the wall to indicate the way out. After a while, Landon lost track of how many turns and twists they had taken. A number of times the paths led them to dead ends, and the two were forced to retrace their steps. This became increasingly difficult due to the fading light from the torch. Finally, the light became so faint that Landon began to lose hope of any real excitement at all. He decided that this was the death Mavin warned against: to get lost in the tunnels and starve to death.

“We have been down here for hours and so far not a sound has been heard. Maybe we should return to our beds before the light dies out.” Just then Gavin turned and flashed a monstrous look at Landon. The long hours underground had obviously worn on him. He seemed determined to find something in the darkness.

“I will not turn back. I am going to find whatever is down here!” But with his last word, a great gust of wind swept through the cavern extinguishing the flame and leaving the two in utter silence and darkness. Immediate panic swept over Landon. In one moment, he was an adventurous explorer, the next he was lost underground in a cavern with a terror certain to be his doom. He was about to cry out in desperation when a thought occurred to him.

“There is no wind underground. Where did that draft come from?”

Gavin, who was sitting on the ground a few feet away, answered, “That is a grand question indeed. We should continue.”

“But how, we have no light.”

“Aye, that we do,” he said and sparked up a flame in his hand.  Beneath the light was a stick covered in slime and cobwebs. Looking at it closer Landon realized what kind of stick Gavin held. It was the filthiest leg bone Landon had ever seen. In fact, it was the only human leg bone he had ever seen.

“Nice,” Landon quipped. “Where did you find it?”

“When the light went out, I fell to the floor. Luckily, I landed on this bone in the corner.”

“Knowing there is a human leg bone rotting down here, doesn’t exactly encourage me,” Landon said. Gavin remained quiet.

They rose to their feet and continued along the wall in the direction the gust came from until it ran into a giant stairway leading up. They decided to take the stairs hoping for answers. When they reached the top, the answer they received was their biggest surprise yet. They had to stop abruptly because the stairs led into a massive cavern as big as their eyes could see. Landon looked up and could see no roof, only black. He looked down with the same result. Across the giant chasm he made out small islands of rock spotted about randomly with bases extending into nothingness.

“This must be where the wind came from,” Landon muttered.

Gavin ignored him and found a large stone. He rolled it off of the edge. The two men listened for the sounds of the stone hitting the bottom. It never came. They looked about in vain for a way to go forward. There was what looked like a narrow ledge to their right, but half way across it had collapsed. Another option was to scale the cliff into the void, but that did not seem a promising prospect. Thus they could not find a way forward and decided to return to the tunnels. But a noise from deep below made them stop. At first the noise began as a low hum, barely noticeable except for the immense silence permeating the structure. Then it began to build into a much more distinct clamor. Landon stopped to turn his ear toward the chasm in an effort to determine from where and whom the sound emanated. Gavin strode back to the edge and peered down below to see something, anything, moving.

Suddenly, a tall island in the distance began to wobble as though it had lost its balance. Then, at the sound of a terrible crack, it toppled over disappearing into the black. Minutes later the entire floor shook from the force of its impact. Landon and Gavin looked at each other with excitement and fear, neither intent on staying but both determined to find an answer. Then another island toppled to the sound of a great crack. This one was nearer to them.

“Whatever this thing is, it’s getting closer,” Gavin said from the edge of the cliff with fear and a hint of insanity.

Then, unexpectedly, something flew out of the blackness beyond and struck Gavin in the back of the head causing him to lose consciousness instantly. Landon saw that unless he did something, Gavin would be lost to the chasm forever. He may not have loved the guy, but he certainly wasn’t sure he could continue without his assistance. Lithely he sprung from his position towards Gavin whose eyes rolled back into his head. Landon sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him determined to reach Gavin before it was too late. He raised his eyes to Gavin at the edge of the precipice and saw that it was a matter of seconds before Gavin and the light would be lost and he would be stranded. With his last bit of strength in his legs, Landon leapt forward reaching his hands out. At the last possible second he grasped Gavin as he fell over the edge. His entire body swung down with the weight of Gavin’s pulling him over the edge as well.

Landon dug his knees into the ground using them as a break to stop his advance over the cliff with Gavin. The scraping of his skin against the rock tore his flesh causing an intense pain radiating through his lower torso, but his actions were effective. He saved himself and Gavin from plummeting to their demise. He held on to Gavin’s leg with both hands as he slowly reeled himself back onto the ledge. Once Landon was securely on the ground, he began the slow, steady work of pulling his companion back on safe ground as well. The fact that Gavin was limp and unconscious as well as the searing pain in his legs made the job even harder. Inch by inch the two of them made their way from the black of the chasm onto sure footing. Finally, with one final surge of strength Landon pulled Gavin back scuttling away from the ledge as quickly as possible.

He laid Gavin against the steps and saw something that made him grimace. The back of Gavin’s head had a small cut that was bleeding and his hair was burned. Landon looked back toward the chasm. Whatever had struck Gavin and caused his fall had also caused the torch to be lost in the void when consciousness had slipped from him. Landon saved his escort, but failed to save the light that could lead him to safety. He tried to rouse Gavin, but it was no use.
Landon sat down next to him, staring into the expanse, unsure of what to do next. Then, all of a sudden, the humming noise vanished and all was still. Landon sat quietly listening to the sound of his heart beating. He knew that if there was a light he was sure he wouldn’t want to see the damage to his knees. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

The next moment a ghastly bellow exuded from deep below. The voice sounded larger and more evil than anything Landon had ever heard. The voice grew louder and louder until it pierced his ears causing him to cover them and double over from the horrifying sound. Landon look about to see what was making the noise but still all he could see was black. Then slowly, almost indescribably at first, the blackness began to change.