Zjhon as slaves? Would you rather be a slave or die free?'
Master Beron sat for a moment before responding, but Master Edling's glare demanded he say something. 'I suppose I'd rather die free,' he said with uncertainty.
'You're boiling right you would. Now act like a man. These are terrible times, and if we're to survive, then terrible things must be done.'
By midday, they reached an area where the vegetation thinned, giving way to mature trees that were widely spaced. Benjin scanned the valley walls, looking for another landmark.
'There was an ancient landslide-huge boulders in an enormous mound of rubble that was grown over with moss. It looked like a sleeping giant leaning against a cliff,' he said as he searched, growing anxious as they traveled with no further sign of a landmark. 'Wendel and I carried lighter packs, and maybe we were able to cover more ground. It was a long time ago, and my memory is not what it once was.' They continued their hike for what seemed like ages, and still they found no signs of the sleeping giant. Benjin called a halt and looked for a place he could climb the valley wall.
'Maybe from a height I'll be able to see it,' he said.
'I'll go with you,' Chase said, following him. Catrin, Strom, and Osbourne settled into the shade to rest while they climbed.
'We've gone too far,' Benjin announced when they returned. 'Chase spotted some trees growing high and at odd angles, and I think they are growing out of the mound.'
'Great job, you two. We must be getting close now. I trust your instincts,' Catrin said.
After a short hike, Benjin smiled widely. 'I think we're almost there!'
He walked closer to the cliff and found another set of marked stones, and they soon saw signs of the ancient rockslide.
'Chase and I will climb up first to locate the entrance. The rest of you stay here and remain alert. You'll want to back off a ways because we could loosen some stones,' he warned. Using trees and bushes for support, they climbed the rocks, nearly slipping on places slick with moss.
In a loud whisper, Benjin said, 'The entrance is blocked. We're going to have to clear it, and some debris may fall.'
Chase and Benjin stacked the stones they removed to the side of the entrance, trying to keep them from falling, but a few still tumbled down the slope and crashed through the trees. The shadows were long by the time they cleared an opening large enough for Benjin to squeeze himself through to take a look.
'The place looks about the same as when I last saw it. Let's finish getting this opening cleared,' he said. From inside the entrance, he was able to dislodge large sections of rock. They took two ropes and tied them to a remaining boulder and tied small stones to the other ends. Chase and Benjin tossed down the ropes, and although the stones helped to propel them through the foliage, only one reached the ground; the other caught high in the branches. Chase pulled it back up and tossed it again; this time the rope got low enough for Strom to reach it.
'Secure the packs, one at a time, and we'll haul 'em up,' Benjin said. 'Gather wood and kindling, preferably dry,' Benjin called down after they began pulling the packs up. 'Tie it off in bundles, and we'll haul them up.'
Catrin and Osbourne scrambled to find wood in the failing light while Strom tied the bundles and guided them as they rose. Benjin's request for wood meant they would have a fire, which was reassuring because it meant he felt they were safely away from any pursuers. When darkness threatened to make scrounging impossible, they made the climb while they could still see, a relatively easy task when unencumbered.
No one spoke as they passed through the entrance and stared at the sight before them. The narrow opening emptied into a spacious hallway, which sloped downward at an angle. Perfectly rectangular, the hall was clearly not a natural formation, which was further evidenced by the worn scrollwork that decorated the lichen-covered walls. A short distance ahead, the hall gave way to a cavernous chamber. Its floor was littered with debris and the bones of small animals, and despite its relatively smooth appearance, it was pocked with small holes.
A narrow opening in the ceiling let in moonlight, which was reflected by the still waters of a subterranean lake. As they crossed the area that stood between them and the lake, the massive size of the cavern became apparent, and the scale of it dwarfed them. The vaulted ceiling was almost invisible in the growing darkness, and the dark waters of the lake seemed to stretch on forever in the distance.
'What is this place?' Catrin asked.
Benjin stood up from the bags he had been unpacking and joined the others. 'Your father and I found this place by accident when looking for shelter from a storm. We couldn't figure out much about it other than the fact that this chamber had once been inhabited, possibly before the Purge. Other passages once led to this chamber, but they had all been blocked or the ceilings had collapsed. We investigated a bit, even built a small raft we used to explore. I bet it's still here.' His eyes took on a faraway look as he remembered the time long past, but he pulled himself from his memories and returned to the present. 'Let's get a fire started, shall we? I'm hungry and I'd really like some hot food. We can explore later.'
Catrin got the tinderbox from her pack and started a fire. 'Don't make the fire very large, li'l miss,' Benjin warned. 'We haven't put anything across the entrance yet, and the light could give us away. The cavern's big enough that it'll take up the smoke before it escapes through that hole up there, but we'll still need to be careful.
'The lake water should be safe to drink,' he continued, 'but I think it'd be best to boil it first. There's a kettle in one of the bags. After the water is boiled, you can put the kettle in a shallow part of the lake to cool it quickly. Let's fill our flasks too.'
Catrin and Strom set about boiling water and getting ingredients together for a stew. She was glad to see Benjin pull recurve bows, strings, and several quivers of arrows from one of the long bags, along with a couple of short fishing poles.
Long before the stew was really done, they decided it had cooked long enough and fell to it. Full stomachs made them sleepy, and they were soon curling up in their bedding, letting Benjin take the first watch.
On trembling legs, Nat approached the ruins of the greatoak grove. Tears filled his eyes as he beheld what had once been a sacred and beautiful place. Now it looked more like a battlefield of epic scale, like a vision of what was yet to come.
Catrin.
This was where she and her friends had come to camp. They were here when the storm struck. She had to be connected to the destruction. This place had been undisturbed for thousands of years, and after only one night in her presence, it was destroyed. The evidence around him only served to strengthen his convictions. He had to do something, but he lacked the resources and connections. There was only one person who could do what needed to be done: Miss Mariss. Only she was powerful enough within the Vestrana to make such a decision.
As he crept back to town, sliding from shadow to shadow, his mind was consumed, trying to find the words to convince Miss Mariss that he was right. It would not be easy, but he had to succeed. To fail again would mean certain disaster.
Chapter 7
With dogma and aspiration, one can spin sand into gold.
