Chapter 9

 

 

A heavy downpour of rain in the late afternoon gave Berrin and Dom the cover they needed to get closer to the boglin village. As Berrin crept through the jungle, Dom was thinking about the shaft that would take him to Racos’ tomb. When Berrin had explained what Mebin had suggested, he immediately said he would go. But it didn’t stop him from feeling nervous.

 

He imagined the shaft was probably full of cobwebs and no doubt spiders. And what if he got lost in it? Mebin hadn’t said whether it would take him directly to the tomb. What if there were other shafts along the way and he got lost in them? He didn’t like that notion at all.

 

But his thoughts were scattered as Berrin suddenly swung them into a large tree. She climbed up to a higher branch and sat down. Through the easing rain they could see across the clearing where Racos’ tomb stood. Numerous huts stood about it and they could see boglins coming and going. A larger hut stood near the stepped entrance, a short distance from their tree.

 

‘That’s Trall’s hut,’ Berrin pointed and whispered. ‘That’s where Jena’s bracelet will be.’

 

‘Do you know what kind of distraction Mebin is going to use to help us?’ Dom asked.

 

‘We’ll have to wait and see, Dom,’ Berrin smiled at him. ‘Whatever it is, I think it will interesting.’

 

The day’s light faded from the sky and the rain disappeared. The yellow lights came on in the village and Dom saw that they came from large yellow crystals that sat affixed atop poles scattered about.

 

‘I think those crystals must absorb the sunlight during the day to glow like that,’ Berrin commented with interest.

 

‘Would that make them magical?’ Dom asked, always interested in anything magical.

 

‘I suppose they must be,’ the elf nodded. ‘Perhaps they were left here by the ancient owners.’

 

Suddenly a thunderous roar filled the air and they saw half a dozen Thad’s come charging into the village. In the light they saw them ploughing into some of the huts, sending boglins scampering clear and milling about in panic. Some of the light poles were knocked over and much of the clearing was plunged into shadows.

 

Then Trall appeared from his hut and dashed into the chaos, shouting and screaming. Berrin made her move, slipping from the tree in a single leap and running as she hit the ground. Dom hung onto a braid of her hair as she darted through the village, the shadows masking her flight.

 

Then she was in Trall’s hut, its interior lit by a light crystal light. A small table sat by Trall’s bed and on top was Jena’s tiny bracelet, along with several other pieces of jewellery.

 

‘There it is!’ Dom exclaimed eagerly.

 

Berrin quickly scooped it up.

 

‘Let’s hope Trall doesn’t find it missing for a while,’ she said. ‘If he does, he might do something nasty to Mebin’s folk.’

 

‘Then we’ll have to get Jena free before that happens,’ Dom said firmly.

 

Berrin left the hut and melted back into the jungle, the roar of the rampaging Thads still filling the air. She made her way through the jungle to a spot at the rear of the tomb. As she stepped clear of the trees they saw Mebin waiting for them in the shadows. He was standing by a small opening in the wall, about two feet square and barred by two thick rods of rusted iron.

 

‘We don’t have much time,’ he said in a hushed tone as they reached him. ‘Is your friend still prepared to go?'

 

‘I am,’ Dom said.

 

‘Then take this to light your way,’ Mebin said and handed Dom a small nugget of glowing crystal about the size of a pea.

 

‘How long will its light last?’ Dom asked as Berrin lifted him down to stand between the bars of the shaft.

 

‘Several hours… long enough for you to reach the tomb’s level,’ Mebin replied. ‘Now… you must take the first turning left in the shaft and from there, the next right, then left, then right and so on… even if the shaft travels downwards, always remember to follow that pattern.’

 

Dom nodded, thinking it sounded easy enough.

 

‘I’ll find my way,’ he said as confidently as he could.

 

‘I wish there was some other way, Dom,’ Berrin said worriedly. ‘But you’re our only hope now.’

 

‘They’ll find me, Berrin,’ he replied. ‘If anyone knows tunnels and tombs, it’s Lore.’

 

‘We must go!’ Mebin urged. ‘The elf will have to hide in the jungle and await you. I wish you luck young gnome.’

 

‘See you soon,’ Dom said and slipped between the bars of the grate.

 

‘Good luck, Dom!’ Berrin whispered after him and then she and Mebin were gone.

 

He then took a deep breath and headed into the shadows of the shaft.

 

* * *

 

Jena woke after a fitful sleep and opened her eyes to utter darkness. She lay there a few moments without stirring, nestled against the side of a still sleeping Nyssa. As she did she wondered at how they had survived this long in the tomb.

 

They were at the moment at the top of some stairs leading down to the fourth level. Here Lore had decided to rest, as all had been bone weary after avoiding the tomb’s traps and snares. They had also been down to their second last candle and Lore had snuffed it out to save it.

 

Jena didn’t know how long they had been in the tomb. She thought the rest of the day had passed and most of the night. In that time they had discovered just how huge the tomb was. The three levels they had made it down so far had wound on for miles. And it had taken all of Lore’s skill to avoid its traps and snares.

 

Often he had had to study a section of passage for some time before leading them on, telling them where to step and where to duck. To their horror they had come across the remains of many folk that hadn’t been so lucky. Their pale skeletons lying on the ground pierced by spears or wicked looking darts.

 

One of them had been Alin, Berrin recognising a leather thong holding a bright blue stone around his skeleton neck. Both the desert elves had shed some silent tears at the sad discovery.

 

Three times they had come across great pits in the floor… deep, dark holes that looked like they might drop forever. They were too big to jump across and they had been forced to climb out across the walls to get across. Thankfully Lore was good at climbing over rock and stone and Nyssa and Nye were light and agile.

 

But Jena couldn’t but help wonder whether the pits had claimed any of Mebin’s folk and thought in dismay that they probably had. The humans were larger than elves and dwarves and they would not have been able to cling to the tiny footholds the walls offered.

 

She felt Nyssa stir beside her.

 

‘Nyssa… are you awake?’ she asked.

 

‘Yes… how are you feeling, Jena?’ the elf asked as she sat up.

 

‘Still tired… even though I haven’t done any walking,’ Jena replied.

 

‘I think it’s the foul air down here,’ Nye’s voice said in the darkness. ‘It saps your energy.’

 

A bright light suddenly bloomed in the darkness, making Jena squint and then she saw Lore holding a lit candle.

 

‘This place hasn’t felt a breath of wind for an age,’ he said.

 

‘It’s a horrid place!’ Jena said, tears in her eyes. ‘I can’t think why anyone would want to be buried here.’

 

Lore eyed them all, seeing the haunted look in their eyes. They had all seen some pretty gruesome sights, the tomb a depressing place. They were in danger of giving up and that was something he couldn’t allow.

 

‘I don’t think it was such a gloomy place long ago, Jena,’ he said. ‘There would be mechanisms somewhere to turn the traps and snares off and I think the ancient folk looked after the tomb. The shafts we’ve come across would have brought air down here and I think they used the strange light crystals to light the passages. I think the tomb would have been a marvellous place to see long ago.’

 

‘I suppose so,’ Jena said, though she was still unconvinced.

 

‘I think you should show Jena the tombs in Dwarf Gate one day, Lore.’ she said. ‘She would see that not all are so dreary.’

 

‘I would like to see them too,’ Nye said. ‘Anything but this.’

 

‘If we get out of here,’ Jena said gloomily.

 

‘Come on, cheer up everyone!’ Lore urged as he got to his feet. ‘We’ve made it this far and there’s one level to go before Racos’ tomb. Let’s make a start.’

 

He headed off down the stairs, holding the candle aloft and the others followed. The stairs descended some distance before arriving at another long passage. This passage was much wider than the others above and they discovered why.

 

Large niches had been made in the walls and in them were dark metal coffins. Many had their lids pulled off and the skeletons inside were half dragged out or lying on the floor.

 

‘Only the boglins would have done this,’ Nye said in disgust. ‘They must have been searching for treasure and weapons I’d guess.’

 

‘I did wonder about the spears and swords they carry,’ Nyssa said. ‘They’re too well made.’

 

They continued down the wider passage till they came to a sudden narrowed section. It ran to an archway and a huge open space filled with inky darkness.

 

‘What now?’ Nye muttered with a frown.

 

‘It’s a huge chamber of some kind,’ Lore said.

 

‘Will it have a trap?’ Jena asked.

 

‘You can count on it,’ he replied. ‘The trouble is, what kind?’

 

He knelt in the archway and fixed the candle to the floor with a bit of melted wax. It lit up the edge of the chamber and showed that its floor was made up of different coloured stone tiles. He then picked up a loose rock off the floor and tossed it out into the chamber. They heard it hit the floor and clatter loudly across it.

 

Then before it actually stopped something huge struck the floor. A deafening crash filled the chamber and they all covered their ears against its echo. The sound faded away, leaving the four friends a little stunned.

 

‘What… what was that?’ Nyssa asked in alarm.

 

‘A big stone… or boulder I think,’ Lore replied. ‘They must be hanging in the ceiling, ready to drop when a certain floor stone is touched.’

 

‘Is there a way past them?’ Nye asked.

 

‘I don’t know,’ Lore admitted. ‘This is the deadliest trap we’ve seen so far. The trouble is, I can’t see the far side of the chamber to know where to step.’

 

‘We need some light on the far side,’ Nyssa said.

 

Lore agreed with a nod.

 

‘Yes… because without some we’re stuck here!’