Chapter 10

 

 

Dom had been walking for some while, steadily making his way along the airshafts. The air here was foul and it was very humid. He wished he’d had a drink of water before he’d left.

 

Worse though were the cobwebs that hung everywhere and spun by spiders bigger than his hand. He was glad of his dagger and used it cut them away, as well as stab a few spiders that attempted to bite him.

 

So far had hadn’t lost his way, turning left than right whenever he came to a junction. Four times he had come to where the shaft just ended at a drop. The light from his crystal hadn’t been bright enough to show the bottom and he had to jump down them, hoping they didn’t fall to far. This always covered him cobwebs and he spent some time ridding himself of the clinging strands from his face and hair.

 

He figured he was now on the lowest level and had just arrived at another junction. He was to turn right here and in the glow of his crystal, he peered down the new shaft, wondering how close he was to the tomb.

 

Suddenly he heard a sudden squeal coming from shaft’s left and in the shadows he saw a shape move. And almost at the same time Jena’s bracelet began to glow on his wrist.

 

He was momentarily surprised that its magic worked for him. But then he remembered Eldor once saying that it could warn any gnome of an approaching danger. He wondered if he could use its magic, but had no time to think about how as the shape came into the light.

 

It was a huge rat, nearly as big as Dom. It had glimmering red eyes and it uttered a threatening squeal as it came toward him.

 

‘Don’t think I won’t use this!’ Dom threatened, brandishing his dagger at it.

 

But the rat didn’t seem worried by his threat. It continued to edge forward, its jaws slavering at what it thought was going to be any easy meal. It suddenly charged at Dom with a maddened squeal and he barely managed a slash at it.

 

He caught it across its face, the dagger slicing a decent wound. The rat squealed in rage, backing off a little and eyeing Dom warily. It then lunged at him again and Dom slid out of the way, stabbing as he did so. He was very glad of the lessons Lore had given him in handling his dagger.

 

By the time the rat had half a dozen or more wounds, it decided it had had enough. It backed off again and then turning, scuttled back down the shaft.

 

Dom took a shaky breath, glad to be still in one piece. He backed down the shaft in the direction he needed to go, wary in case the rat came at him again. But it seemed to have been scared off and he soon came to another junction.

 

Here he turned left and a short way along arrived at a grated exit. In his feeble light he saw a huge open space filled with dark shadows.

 

‘This must be the tomb!’ he muttered hopefully and slipped through the grate.

 

His crystal did little to light much of where he was, but then something incredible happened. Other crystals affixed in the chamber walls began to glow, absorbing it seemed the tiny light of his own.

 

Slowly they brightened and he stood mouth agape in wonder at where he had arrived. A huge chamber was revealed and in the centre was a high dais. Its steps were nearly head height and he had to clamber up them to reach the top. Once there he discovered a large skeleton.

 

‘This must be Racos,’ he said as he walked around it.

 

Here he discovered a slender wooden staff lying beside the skeleton, similar to what Eldor carried he thought. But instead of a silver claw at one end, it had a three-pronged gold fork and imbedded in this was a ruby coloured crystal.

 

‘I’ve made it!’ he said in relief. ‘This is Racos’ tomb.’

 

Then something caught his eye above and in the shadows where the light didn’t quite reach he saw numerous things glinting. He squinted to get a better look and then gave a sharp gasp. There were long steel blades hanging there, the entire ceiling in fact a forest of blades.

 

Dom could easily see it was some kind of trap. But what kind was it he wondered? Did the blades drop from the ceiling if something was triggered or did they do something else entirely?

 

Suddenly he heard squeals coming from the floor below. He dropped to his stomach and slithering to the edge of the dais, looked down. In the dim light he saw numerous rats coming out of the shaft, their noses twitching as they smelt the air.

 

And then one of them looked up at the dais… the very rat he had stabbed! It saw Dom and gave a squeal of rage. In a mass the rats surged toward the dais and began to climb up it toward Dom.

 

Dom leapt to his feet, dagger in his hand and terror in his heart. Jena’s bracelet was glowing furiously on his wrist, but he had no idea how to use it. He wished he had asked her about it, but it was a futile one now as the first rats appeared at the top step.

 

He darted forward, kicking at the closest ones and sending them tumbling into others below. But there were too many and some scrambled up to attack him. He stabbed and slashed, scoring some good strikes that earned him squeals of pain. But he was forced back till he came up against the staff. Dom knew then that he was doomed.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile Lore was inspecting the chamber they had come to, trying to see if there was some way they could avoid its obvious trap. The others were crowded behind him, each hoping he would find something.

 

Then he touched a narrow band of silver metal about an inch wide that lay between the walls and the stone tiles.

 

‘This metal strip…’ he said cautiously. ‘It runs around the entire chamber I think. If Jena can walk around it, she could carry our last candle to the chamber’s far side. Then I could see across it and hopefully find a way to step across without triggering the boulders to fall.’

 

‘How safe is it, Lore?’ Nyssa asked worriedly. ‘Jena would have no chance against a falling boulder.’

 

‘As safe as I can guess,’ Lore said. ‘Otherwise we sit here and wait to perish.’

 

‘What do you think, Jena?’ Nye asked. ‘Will you risk it?’

 

Jena nodded, knowing that if she didn’t they were doomed.

 

‘I’ll do it,’ she replied. ‘I trust Lore’s judgement. He’s got us this far.’

 

‘That’s the spirit!’ Lore grinned at her.

 

He quickly lit their last candle and handed it to her.

 

‘Now, just walk along the metal strip to the far side of the chamber,’ he said. ‘Take your time… there’s no rush. We aren’t going anywhere.’

 

Jena nodded and taking the candle, stepped into the chamber onto the metal strip. She turned right and began to step along it. As she went she braced herself with a hand against the wall and holding the candle with the other.

 

She made her way along the wall till she came to the right hand wall. Then down it to the far wall and then finally arrived at another archway and a flight of steps leading down. She looked back to where the others were, dimly lit by the candle Lore held.

 

‘That’s great, Jena!’ he called. ‘I can see a way across. Stay there and we’ll come to you.’

 

Lore turned at the others.

 

‘There’s a way across, but it’s very tricky,’ he said. ‘I’ll jump to the first safe spot, then go on. You both remember where I jumped to and follow me. We’ll have to leave this candle here so we have a little light to see by from this side.’

 

‘Okay, Lore,’ Nye said. ‘Lead on.’

 

Lore than turned and gathering himself, leapt out into the chamber. He landed on a particular stone tile and stood there, holding his breath. No boulders suddenly dropped on him, so he jumped to the next one.

 

Nyssa and Nye watched him jumping across the chamber and when he had jumped three times, Nyssa followed. She made the first tile and then jumped to the second.

 

Lore shortly jumped the whole way across the chamber and joined a relieved Jena. They then watched Nyssa and Nye jumping across the chamber and shortly Nyssa joined them.

 

Nye was only a couple of jumps away from them when he suddenly stumbled on the second last jump. He tumbled to the floor and instantly a boulder dropped from the ceiling above.

 

‘Roll, Nye!’ Lore shouted, but the elf was already rolling out of the way.

 

He then leapt to his feet as a boulder came crashing down where he had been. Then another boulder was triggered and with a sudden, huge leap Nye jumped the last distance just before it hit the floor.

 

Lore and Nyssa caught him as he landed and held him as he shook a bit in fright.

 

‘Good elves… that was close!’ he muttered a little breathlessly.

 

‘It sure was!’ Lore agreed, wondering just how much of their good luck was running out.

 

‘Hey! What that’s squealing sound?’ Jena asked, looking down the steps leading down to the fifth level. ‘It sounds like… rats!’

 

They could all hear the enraged squealing now, as if the rats were fighting over something.

 

‘Let’s have a look, but be wary,’ Lore said.

 

With their last candle they headed down the steps. They shortly reached the bottom and a short passage ahead. They could see an archway and bright light coming from it. Lore led them on, hurrying a little for some reason he couldn’t place.

 

Then they reached the archway and a scene of absolute chaos. They all saw Dom standing on top of a dais where a skeleton lay, stabbing and slashing at a horde of rats. He was covered in scratches and looked almost done for.

 

‘Lore!’ Jena screamed in horror.

 

‘Hang on, Dom, we’re coming!’ Lore shouted, not knowing how he had gotten here, but desperate to save him.

 

Without thinking they charged across the floor, kicking and ploughing through the rats to reach him.