“So that’s what that smell is,” Lorik remarked. “Did you see anything else?”
“No, nothing,” Braden said.
“All right, we’ve been fortunate. Now that we have a continual source of light, we need to discover the passage through these halls,” Aaron said. “Lorik, you and Braden go left… Garam and I will explore to the right. Whoever finds the exit, give a signal.”
Lorik and Braden stepped off together, with Braden holding up one of the small glowing stones. They disappeared into the damp, cold darkness of the hall. Aaron watched as the two vanished from his sight, only the bobbing and weaving of the stone gave an indication where they were. Garam stood next to Aaron still holding the torch. They began exploring to the right of the stairwell. With the bright, glowing stone in his hand, Aaron led the way through the hall. He looked down at his shorter companion and noticed a hesitation in the dwarf’s eyes.
“What is it, Garam?” Aaron asked.
“Captain,” Garam’s voice trembled as he spoke. “Can’t you feel it? There is something watching us.” His eyes darted back and forth under his heavy brow.
Aaron looked around, but all he could see was the light of the other two searching the opposite end of the hall. Aaron watched as the distant light winked on and off as the two passed behind various pillars and other stone objects but he could sense no other presence. “There are only the four of us down here.” Aaron attempted to keep his voice calm and confident, eager to reassure his companion. “I don’t see anything that would make me think there is something or someone else with us.”
“Captain, think,” Garam retorted. “What could have killed two wizards? There must be something alive down here… a hidden evil. Legends speak of a guardian who dwells in the ancient ruins of Charis. The old stories speak of a creature that exists only in shadows and remains veiled until it attacks its prey. I didn’t believe it at first, but those two dead bodies speak a strong warning in my heart. Some call it a wraith—a creature of darkness that uses its ability to blend in with the shadows to catch its victims unaware.”
“Garam,” Aaron replied, “you said that this road would be the only way for us to remain undetected as we travel south. Now we are down here and have no other choice but to find the southern exit from these catacombs.” Aaron again tried to buoy the dwarf’s dwindling courage. “We need you to help guide us through them. If there is an adversary down here, we will meet it together. Let’s take our dilemma one crisis at a time. Right now, we must find a way out of this hall and begin the long walk to the other side. Now, help me look… we will stay together.”
Garam took a deep breath, and walked with Aaron away from the stairs. Dust had settled everywhere and the two companions kicked up small clouds at their feet as they walked. Their surroundings carried a sense of grandeur long forgotten, a grim reminder of an ancient glory now dimmed and lost to a hidden past. Tall statues, great portrayals of ancient warriors rested upon the floor, toppled over and covered in layers of dust. Pillars which once held high procession along the central axis of the grand hall lay broken and shattered. Large sections of the ceiling that the pillars had once supported were now little more than piles of broken rubble. Slowly, through the fragments of stone and masonry, Garam and Aaron made their way toward the southernmost wall. Their crimson light, held by Aaron, radiated its pale glow several yards ahead of them, encircling them with its ruddy illumination.
The wall that Garam and Aaron followed displayed exquisite carvings of many images. Most were worn from time, but those scenes that remained depicted various aspects of an ancient civilization that inhabited the ruined city. Aaron marveled at the stonework, often running his fingers along the wall, tracing out some of the ancient writing with the hope of discovering its secrets. He felt as if he had leapt back in time, walking in the shadows of past glories. He could almost hear the sound of the revelry as he looked upon the extraordinary carvings with their scenes of great celebration and wondered if dwarves had carved out the mosaics on the wall. Aaron stopped when he caught a glimpse of a large shadow ahead of him.
Garam was startled by the captain’s sudden halt. “What is it, Captain?”
Aaron didn’t answer, but stared at the dark object that loomed directly ahead of them, a deeper shadow in the midst of shadows. It was large—a great blackness that reached twenty feet high and ten wide. It seemed to move, swaying in some ghostly, ethereal breeze. Garam came alongside him, his eyes wide with terror and his double-bladed axe firmly in his grasp. One step after another Aaron slowly moved toward the impenetrable shadow, Garam at his heels. In the circle of their light, the shadow vanished, replaced by the sight of an open door.
With great relief, Aaron sighed, chuckling at his own apprehension. “With all your talk of monsters and shadows, Garam, you’ve got me jumping at every mouse that crosses our path.”
“Captain,” Garam said, his voice lowered to a hoarse whisper, “I wish I had your confidence, but I am sure that I saw something there… in front of that doorway. It vanished as the light approached, but there was something there!”
“Perhaps,” Aaron said dismissively, “but the door is here and the shadow is gone. We’ve found our path and I mean to take it.” He turned around and saw in the distance the bobbing, weaving light of their companions. “Lorik!” he shouted. His voice resounded across the hall in a chorus of echoes.
From somewhere in the darkness came the reply, “Yes, Captain!”
“Come quick, we’ve found the door!” Aaron said as he waived his light in the air to show the other two his location.
Aaron watched as the dim, glowing orb bounced and moved through the debris-filled room. Soon after, Lorik and Braden were standing with their companions at the large, broken door. It was once made of a heavy, hewn oak but now the timbers lay rotted and broken on the floor. Large iron hinges still held fast in the stone frame, rusted useless over time.
With the benefit of Braden’s additional light, Aaron could see a greater distance down the corridor that led away from the pillared hall. He guessed that the passage moved southward, slightly descending deeper underground, disappearing into the blackness beyond. Aaron took this opportunity to try and size up his companions once again, and wondered how each one faired. Lorik stood with his eyes fixed upon the exit and Braden calmly waited, checking the edge of his axe. Even Garam seemed to have regained his nerve with Braden and Lorik close at hand.
“Well, Sergeant?” Aaron asked. “What did you two discover?”
“Nothing much more than what we have already seen. Braden showed me the bodies of the two men. He was right; by their clothing I think they were wizards. Morryn might have killed them. The night when our men were attacked, Morryn had come running out of the passage we entered. You said that Morryn stole the book, perhaps he meant to bring it to these two and something went wrong.”
“If that’s the case,” Aaron surmised, “then the wizard’s guild might be trying to get this book as well.”
Braden looked up at Aaron with a puzzled expression. “Who or what is this
wizard’s
guild
?”
Aaron shook his head as he thought. “Simply put, they are perhaps the most disruptive sect in Celedon.” He paused to see both Garam and Braden listening intently. “They are a group who strive to gain power through fear and intimidation. They practice dark magic and use their evil powers to terrorize the people of Celedon. They are secretive and seditious, with their aim at trying to seize power over the population.” Aaron paused as he thought. “If their intent is to gain the Book of Aleth then I’m sure they think it could be used to take control of Celedon.” As he thought of it, the sense of urgency struck him. “We need to get moving. It’s late and I would like to have a few more hours under our feet before we stop for the night. It looks as if this is the only exit out of here so let’s get going.”
The four companions hoisted their packs on their shoulders as Aaron led them into the dark passage beyond the door. With Braden and Aaron each holding an illumine stone, Lorik and Garam carried their weapons at the ready. The way was wide enough for four to walk abreast. Aaron and Garam led out with the other two close behind. Unlike the hall they had left, the southern corridor was plain, cut stone. No adornments hung on the walls and no carvings disrupted the smooth surface, only ancient sconces littered the walkway that they traveled. The rusted holders, some of them still bearing torches, were spaced several hundred feet apart, lying where they fell. They each picked up a torch as they passed and placed them in their packs.
The companions walked for hours, though time had little meaning in the cavernous halls beneath the Shattered Hills. The tunnel narrowed in some places, widened in others, but always descended at a gentle slope and never veered left or right. Occasionally they would pass a small door or an alcove recessed in the stone walls. Aaron, however, would not divert from the straight passage that they travelled. In this way they covered several miles.
Aaron was about to call a halt when the four men came to a small open chamber, square with exits in each direction. Their two glowing stones provided enough light to dimly illuminate the entire room. In the center, a discarded pile of old rotted wood lay scattered and forgotten by the ancient inhabitants. The remains of two chairs and a rusted iron cook-pot sat against the wall to their right. To their left the iron skeleton of a door frame hung on rusted hinges still bolted to the wall. All about the doorway lay broken timbers, shattered and splintered by some great force. The wood had long since decayed, covered with centuries of dust. Directly across from where they stood, the tunnel continued on its course, however the passageway narrowed significantly.
“It seems that this is a juncture of some kind,” Lorik commented. “Now the question is which way do we follow?”
Aaron was tired. “We’ll decide tomorrow,” he replied as he dropped the satchel from his back. Looking at the debris around the chamber, he glanced up to see a small hole cut in the center of the ceiling, high enough so that smoke from a fire would not choke them out of the room. “I imagine that this was some sort of guard post set here to keep watch over the different passages.”
Braden pondered. “I wonder why the way we came is so much wider than the other three?”
“I suspect,” Aaron said, “that these three corridors lead to different sections of this underground dwelling, and that the tunnel we took was the main road leading in.” Yawning, Aaron looked to Garam. “Can you ignite this pile of wood for a fire? I think we could all use a bit of warmth, I know that this damp air has chilled me to the bone.”
Garam nodded. The dwarf’s eyes darted back and forth, as if looking for something that his fears alone could sense.
“What is it, Garam?” Lorik asked.
The elder dwarf looked up at the sergeant. “I am plagued by the notion that someone or something is nearby.” His words trailed off as he focused on his task. “Braden,” he said, “give me a hand with this wood.”
Braden cast his belongs to the ground and both gathered broken pieces for fuel and piled it in the center of the small room. Kneeling, Garam began to whisper his incantation—his hands cupped at the base of the pile. It took several tries before smoke began to issue from the center of the mound. But soon the crackle of burning wood echoed in the room and flames vigorously leapt up from the blaze. Shadows twisted along the walls from the flickering light, and the room was filled with its warming glow.
“Now that’s better,” Lorik said with a sigh. He stepped up to the fire and stretched his hands out to enjoy the warmth. Braden stood close by with his arms extended as well, reaching out as if to capture the heat of the flames. Garam still crouched next to the fire, deep in thought.
Aaron, however, wandered around the room examining the doorways that led away from their location, trying to determine the next route to take. Next to each door was a carved, golden plaque, tarnished over time but still legible. Etched into each one were symbols that Aaron thought he recognized, but was unable to decipher. Slowly he traced his finger along the writings of the door to the left of the large hallway, examining every aspect of its markings. Shaking his head, he turned to the door on his right, directly opposite the hall from which they entered. The symbols were similar on the plaque, but far more worn and misshapen, almost illegible. He moved to the next and final door, hoping that he could discover some secret to their writings. Again, the plaque was inscribed with familiar symbols but far too worn to make any clear distinction.
“Captain,” Lorik interrupted Aaron’s examination. “I’m sure that those doors will still be here tomorrow. You need to rest and regain your strength.”
Aaron sighed and resigned himself to sit by the fire. “Sergeant,” he said, “I think you’ve tried to take care of me since I was a cadet.”
Lorik chuckled. “You’re right about that.” Both men sat silent for some time when Lorik spoke up. “Well, Captain,” he asked, “what did you discover?”
“I’m not sure,” Aaron replied. “There is something familiar with the markings on those gold plates, but I can’t make out the writings. I wish we had a Celedon scribe with us to decipher these runes.”
“Perhaps Garam could,” Lorik remarked. “He seems to have knowledge of these ancient catacombs.” The two men looked toward the dwarf who sat staring into the fire. Beside him, Braden had already fallen fast asleep.
Garam gazed at the two soldiers. “Well,” he said, “what is it?”
“I need some help and wonder if you could decipher the writings on these markers,” Aaron said as he pointed toward the nearest door. “We need to take one of these passages, and it’s my guess that these markings will give us a clue which way to go.”
“Very well,” Garam huffed. He stood from his place and moved toward them. “Let’s begin so that we can get a decent night’s sleep. I’ve noticed that you never rest when you think a task needs doing… so let’s get it done.” The two walked to the nearest door, directly behind the captain’s location.