barked birch and quaking leafed aspen. The soil underfoot was changing from soft loam to hard-packed earth and stone. Periodically they were forced to skirt large boulders that stood alone like giant monoliths.
Hornsbuck called a halt and turned to look at Mika, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He studied Mika wordlessly for some moments as though filled with uncertainty. Then, coming to some decision, he sighed and shook his head.
'Look, Mika,' he said gruffly. 'No man alive knows what you are about to see, excepting me an' RedTail here. I learned it from someone else, and he's dead now. It's secret. You
'All right,' said Mika, puzzled as to what could possibly be so important.
'Don't promise unless you really mean it,' growled Hornsbuck. 'I mean, even if they pull your toes out with their teeth, you can't tell. It's that kind of promise I'm asking for.'
'All right,' Mika said slowly. 'Even if they pull my toes out with their teeth, I promise not to tell,' he vowed, wondering all the while who 'they' were and why they should want to do such a thing. Surely Hornsbuck was exaggerating.
'By the spirit of the Great She Wolf, Mother of us all, Guide of our spirits and protector of our souls, I Mika, son of Veltran, do promise never to tell this path to any man, not even if he pulls off my toes with his teeth and other horrible things,' intoned Horns-buck, holding up his hand and nodding at Mika, commanding him to repeat the words.
Mika held up his own hand and repeated the words word for word, feeling foolish all the while. Tam sat on his haunches and looked up, tongue lolling, laughing. Mika refused to meet his eyes.
Satisfied, Hornsbuck lowered his hand and resumed walking. The ground began to rise underfoot. The trees grew sparse and then disappeared completely, giving way to a dense mat of coarse and prickly bushes. They shoved their way through them with difficulty. Once again, they began to encounter the strange boulders, although now there were more and more of them, the ground more rock than dirt. The land began to rise in a series of low, jagged hills, stretching away to the far horizon. Mika was not pleased at the thought of traveling across such harsh open land and started to speak.
Hornsbuck chopped off his speech with one slash of his hand and held it up as though forbidding Mika to speak while he stared in all directions with sharp eyes, scanning the forest behind him intently.
Seeing nothing and receiving unspoken confirmation of some sort from RedTail who had been busily snuffling the air with upturned muzzle, Hornsbuck led the roan to a large boulder that stood nearby, a boulder seemingly no different from any of the hundreds that surrounded it. He then gestured for Mika to follow.
Mika did so, thinking that they might be taking a brief break, but Hornsbuck dropped to the ground and began moving stones at the base of the boulder. Mika stared down at the grizzled nomad, totally bemused. What was the man doing?
Hornsbuck moved to the opposite side of the boulder, making certain that the roan was out of the way, and then leaned his shoulder against the rock.
'Get over here and help,' he growled, looking up from his efforts and seeing Mika staring at him strangely. Mika joined him, putting his own weight against the rock, although he had absolutely no idea what on Oerth they were doing or why.
Suddenly, the rock began to move. It shivered under their palms and trembled with the anticipation of movement.
'Push!' commanded Hornsbuck, straining against the rock, his face suffused with dark blood and his neck corded with effort. Mika obeyed, pushing harder now that it seemed that something was actually happening.
There was a loud rumbling groan, and the boulder rolled to one side, exposing a yawning black cavity at their feet that Mika barely avoided falling into.
He stared into the dark hole with disbelief. He looked up at Hornsbuck who grinned at him broadly. 'What is this? Where does it go and how does it come to be here?' Mika stammered. 'And how did you come to know of it?'
'Hah!' exclaimed Hornsbuck, slapping his hands on his thighs. 'That is for me to know. There are still a few things left in the world that you have not discovered.
'Hornsbuck has had more than a few adventures in his day,' he said, green eyes glittering. 'I am not just some dusty old nomad who knows nought but wolves and killing. Dainty manners ain't everything. I, too, have my secrets, and they may save your life yet, young pup, so save your laughter and sneers for someone other than I.'
Mika felt the blood rush to his face and he sneaked a look at Tam who also appeared somewhat chastened.
'My apologies, Hornsbuck. I did not mean to give offense. I'm sure Tamlur and I can learn much from you and RedTail.'
Their eyes met and held, then Hornsbuck turned away. 'Too much talking,' he said gruffly. 'You've even got me doing it. Let's go.' Sweeping the area with one last look, he grabbed the reins and dragged the roan into the dark hole.
The roan was not pleased at the prospect and attempted to rear, his nostrils filled with the scent of damp earth. But Hornsbuck allowed no such opportunity, holding the reins tight in his huge fist right below the horse's muzzle. He had no choice but to follow where he was led.
Mika was more than a little reluctant himself, having never liked close, dark places. But he followed hard on the heels of the roan with Tam close behind.
The earth sloped gently for the first few feet, and as his head dipped below the surface of the ground, Mika felt a hand grip his arm and pull him aside.
Hornsbuck pulled two of the pitch-stained limbs from the roan's back and, striking his flint, lit them. They burst into flame immediately and began to burn with a bright flame, trailing tails of dark smoke.
Hornsbuck handed both limbs to Mika and then reached up and started pulling on what appeared to be the roots of bushes, that dangled from the earthen ceiling. There was a low, rending groan, and the boulder began to move. Mika's chest grew tight and a feeling of panic came over him as the boulder rolled back into place, blotting out the blue sky above. It settled into place with a solid, final-sounding thump. Mika wondered with a panic if it would ever move again.
'Don't mind,' Hornsbuck said roughly, clamping a callused hand on Mika's shoulder, 'it ain't so bad, after a bit. You'll get used to it. Come on, we'd best get going. Keep your mind busy so you don't have time to think.'
Mika was not too sure about Hornsbuck's logic, but he agreed in principle, so he handed one torch back to the older man and then followed behind the roan, concentrating on his immediate surroundings rather than the thought of where he was.
Their heads and shoulders brushed occasionally against the earth walls and ceiling. Roots poked through the ceiling, flaring briefly as they were touched by the torches. The roan filled the narrow corridor completely and scraped dirt from the walls which fell in Mika's path.
Quite soon, however, the path dropped abruptly in a series of gigantic steps. It gradually widened until it was broad enough for both he and Hornsbuck to walk comfortably abreast, the wolves in the lead and the horse bringing up the rear.
The ceiling rose higher and higher until it was more than three man-heights above their heads, and Mika's feeling of oppression lifted somewhat.
He looked about him curiously, noting the smooth blocks of stone underfoot that had obviously been worked by man or dwarf. Metal torch brackets were fixed to the walls at regular intervals, although the wooden stubs that filled them were draped with cobwebs, sad testament to the passage of long dark years since they had last known the heat of fire.
'What is this place?' Mika asked in a whisper that rustled about them in ghostly echoes.
'Don't know for certain,' rumbled Hornsbuck. 'I think it was a mine of some sort, although it seems too fancy for that. There's all kinds of other passages coming in here and there. You've got to be careful not to stray.'
'Why? What's down the side passages? Where do they go?' asked Mika, his voice filled with concern.
'Don't know,' said Hornsbuck with a shrug. 'Main path takes me where I want to go, so I never tried exploring. I figured it was safer sticking to the main trail.'
'Where does the main trail go?' persisted Mika.
