It took only a dozen steps for Samuel to discover why the water level was only knee deep. Something- perhaps the creature or perhaps the men of the keep-had completely blocked one end with stones and earth; to what end, Samuel could not begin to fathom. Perhaps the creature enjoyed its new abode, but preferred it a little less damp, or maybe the magicians’ spells, in their attempts to destroy the beast, had brought a part of the roof of the tunnel down. Whatever the reason, this direction offered no escape and so Samuel turned about and headed back to try the other way.
Returning to below the well shaft, a great lump of earth fell down with an echoing splash, an ominous reminder of the danger of the situation. Samuel peered up, with dreadful thoughts of the whole tunnel collapsing and burying him alive. As he edged past the shaft, a second chunk splashed behind him, wetting his back and head. He shuddered with its cold embrace against his skin and spelled himself a little warmer. It was about all he could manage at present, as exhausted as he was, but he was momentarily thankful for his magician’s gifts. His confrontation with the creature, followed by the harrowing fall, had left him in a frail state. There was not much magic left in him to be had-although that was not strictly true, he reminded himself. Magic was always present in vast quantities. It existed in and around every living thing. It was merely his mortal body which was worn and tired, unable to channel in its haggard state. If only he was somehow refreshed and rejuvenated, he could be out of there in moments. Unfortunately, he needed time to recover his strength.
He continued along past the main shaft, sending mage-lights out to illuminate the walls. He did not want anything jumping out and surprising him. It would be enough to scare him to death at the moment. Then again, someone could walk straight up to him with a hammer and pound him on the head and there would be little he could do about it. The thought made him shudder once more.
The tunnel curved to the left and Samuel followed it cautiously. The water was deeper in the middle, but only up to his knees at the sides, so Samuel kept his feet to each edge, shuffling along with his hands pressed against both walls to maintain his balance. It was slower going, but it took only a moment to discover that this way was also blocked. A short distance ahead, illuminated by his lights, was a wall of solid stone.
Samuel’s heart sank. He waded up to it, pushing through the water with determination and almost fell into a deep circular pool at the tunnel’s end. Shallow at its edges, the water was black as night at its centre, seeming to go down into the bowels of the earth. Hopefully, it would lead somewhere safe, somewhere where he could rest or find his way to the surface. His life depended on it.
There was a stirring in the pattern, and the stone around him shuddered as spells were cast above. Flecks of stone dropped from the roof. From back near the shaft, a splash sounded, as if other, larger pieces were crashing down. His friends were trying to unearth him and Samuel hoped they were being careful. The stone all around was fractured and brittle. It would not take too much more to flatten this tiny tunnel and him inside it.
Samuel returned his attention to his escape and sent a mage-light down into the dark waters. Its light did not penetrate far, but he could see it going down some distance into the black depths before he felt the further resistance of his spell meeting more stone. Somewhere down there, there would have to be some way for the water to move on. This was part of a natural underground system in the area and so would eventually meet other such tunnels. He could just not be sure which of those would have air and which would be filled completely with water. The creature, after all, had dragged its bodies down here and must have put them somewhere. It seemed to have been storing its food for later. Somewhere, through this pool, must be another cavern that the creature had used as its larder.
There was another tremor in the fabric of the pattern and the tunnel was shaken once more, more violently, causing Samuel to brace himself between the smooth walls. The earth groaned all around and a loud crash of falling earth sounded down the tunnel. Samuel froze, expecting the roof to fall upon him at any instant but, after a nervous moment, no such end to him came. Ripples came lapping against his thighs, but all else was quiet once again.
If he was a common magician, the others above would perhaps be able to sense him and know of his well- being. Unfortunately, unless he was channelling some powerful magic, he was invisible to them all. What was previously a boon to him was now a curse. They could not know whether he was alive or dead, or even where he was. Their only choice would be to slowly dig their way down and hope they could reach him before they buried him alive.
The walls trembled once again and a straining groan crept through all the rocks around, chased by a series of cracking and clacking sounds. That was enough for Samuel. Taking his lights with him, he stepped into the freezing waters and, taking as great a breath as he could, he dived down and kicked towards the freezing depths. His mage- lights threw a ghoulish blue hue onto the pale, stone walls around him. Tiny colourless things wriggled and danced before his eyes.
Samuel spied a dark opening just below him and began to swim through it, kicking into a narrow shaft that went straight back up to mirror the first. His lungs had begun to burn, craving air. He fought upwards with all his resolve, desperate for some sign of salvation. His mage-lights reflected a silver wall above him and he kicked towards it with all his resolve. Expecting some kind of resistance, he was surprised when the barrier vanished on contact and he found himself breaking through onto the surface. His lungs pulled in a great gulp of air and he immediately felt sweet relief. A second breath followed quickly and, after a time, still kicking all the while to keep his head above surface, the craving in his chest slowly yielded. It was only then, as he began to take note of his surroundings, that Samuel noticed the rancid odour that saturated the air, like festering meat.
The edge was smooth and without purchase, so Samuel had to kick with considerable effort to get himself up onto the tunnel floor. He lay like a stunned fish, shivering to the bone until the soreness had eased in his legs. The stone floor was cold and hard against his wet cheek, but he lacked the energy to even lift his head. As his breaths slowed, Samuel finally had the chance to survey the tunnel and hope there was nothing here with him. He rolled over and managed to climb woodenly to his feet. His clothes were sodden and freezing against his skin. His boots were full of water. All he could do was hug himself for warmth with his hands pushed into his armpits. Thankfully, his mage-lights were still with him, hovering not too far away and no other creatures had yet swept down to swallow him.
This tunnel was narrower, although much taller than the first and led down at a steady gradient. The walls were filled with crevices and cracks, and it was from these that hung the arms, legs and bodies of Captain Orrell’s Royal Guards. Their carcasses were stuffed firmly into the narrow openings, hanging out somewhat where they would not entirely fit. Sticky fluids trickled from many of them, oozing down the walls to form a pool on the floor. The sight sent a shiver running up his spine.
A further boom shook the walls all around and Samuel found himself hurrying along as best he could on the slippery stones. From far ahead, running water could be heard and he continued towards it, past the men who glared out at him with lifeless, bulging eyes and mouths locked open in endless, silent screams. There were other men also pushed into the cracks here. Some wore armour and others the clothes of magicians. All were mangled and still. Now, at least, Samuel knew what had happened to the unfortunate occupants of the keep.
Sebastian had said that there was only one such creature and Samuel was beginning to feel that the madman had spoken the truth. If there were more monstrosities in the cavern, they surely would have shown themselves by now. Still, Samuel eyed the many empty fissures and dark corners with dreadful anticipation as he passed them by. His heart could not help sounding a steady rhythm against his ribs.
He had been walking for some time, ever downwards. His shivering had begun to subside, yet his limbs felt weighted with lead. The rumblings had been left far behind and only the increasingly loud echo of rushing water could be heard still ahead. The tunnel then began to grow smaller once more, its sides slick and smooth, until Samuel came to the point where he could see its end. Angling down sharply, the tunnel formed into a narrow sluice. Samuel judged it to be treacherously slippery, and cautiously he began down, placing each footstep with the utmost care lest he should slip and fall to some jagged death. The stone had been worn as slick as ice where the underground stream had run its course for years unknown.
The sound of water had become a roar and Samuel could feel moisture thick in the air. He managed to slide cautiously down the tunnel on his backside, until he came to a gaping drop at its end. An underground river surged below-a thundering torrent of white water rushing by, illuminated by his hovering mage-lights. The tunnel edge was treacherous and slippery and Samuel had to keep his hands pushed out firmly against the walls to hold himself in place.
