the orb. I think he’s reached the bottom.”
James gets up from beside Jiron and approaches the edge. Looking over, he sees him way down below. All that can be seen is the orb moving from side to side.
Next to him Miko asks, “Is he saying it’s clear or that he’s in trouble?”
“Maybe we should have set up a signal but I didn’t think it was going to be so far,” admits James. He gauges the distance and doesn’t figure on Jiron’s rope being able to stretch even half that distance. Coming to a decision, he gathers the others around him and says, “We’re going to have to help Jiron down in stages. Fifer, you stay with Jiron and it will be your job to aid him from stage to stage.”
“The rest of us will position ourselves in increments of fifty feet or so to hold the rope steady while you two make it down. Then once you’re past, we’ll follow. Understand?” When he gets everyone’s nod, he goes to the edge and waves his orb back and forth to tell Qyrll he saw his signal. Once Qyrll has stopped moving his orb, James turns back to the others.
“Okay Miko, you first,” he says. One by one they descend down the side of the drop-off and station themselves at points where the surface levels off slightly and they’ll be able to maintain balance while holding the rope. James has remained at the top and once everyone is in position turns to Fifer and says, “Alright, let’s do this.”
Fifer helps Jiron up and they tie the end of the rope to Jiron. Once James has a secure hold upon the rope and is properly braced, Fifer helps him over the edge. Inch by inch, James lets out slack in the rope as Jiron slowly makes it down to where the miner is waiting at the next stage.
As soon as he’s made it there, Fifer waves back to him and he releases the rope. Arms tired and aching from the constant pressure of maintaining a tight grip, he’s more than glad to send the rope down to the next person. Slipping over the drop-off, he begins working his way down while the miner holds the rope as Fifer and Jiron work their way down to the next person.
Stage by stage, Jiron and Fifer make their way down until at last they make it to Qyrll. The others arrive shortly after. They find themselves next to an underground lake, a shore of sorts runs along the outer edge in both directions. Jiron wets his finger and holds it up.
“What are you doing?” Uther asks him.
“Seeing if there’s a breeze,” he replies. After remaining motionless for a minute he shakes his head. “If there is one I can’t tell.” He turns to James and says, “It’s up to you.” When he hesitates, Jiron adds, “They already know we’re here.”
“True,” he agrees. In front of him a translucent bubble springs into existence.
“What’s that going to do?” the miner asks in wonder. Sure he’s heard of magic but seeing it up close kind of unnerves him, first the orb and now this.
“It will lead us to the way out,” replies James.
As if floating on a breeze, the bubble begins floating to the right around the lake. Fifer and Qyrll help Jiron to stand and they all begin following the bubble. Those helping Jiron along are unable to keep up, so James has Miko stay with them with one of the orbs while he, Jorry and Uther move ahead keep the orb within sight. The miner stays back with Jiron’s group.
The cavern is rather large, stalactites and stalagmites decorate the scene with many colors. Small creatures, blind and translucent, scurry out of the way as the light from James’ orb reveals them. From several places, other cascades of water flow from crevices and fissures in the walls to the lake.
Continuing its dance upon an unseen wind, the bubble floats on. It comes to an opening to their right, a dark gaping maw which extends further into the mountain. Rather than entering the opening, the bubble continues on past. James pauses but a moment to look within but the light from his orb reveals nothing.
They continue following the bubble for another ten minutes when a noise can be heard coming from up ahead. At first it sounds like the growl of some wild beast but then James realizes it’s the sound of water. The water of the lake is no longer placid but ripples as small waves course across its surface.
The further they go, the louder the sound becomes and the movement of the water along the shore becomes more pronounced, the waves coming with more frequency. Suddenly the source of the sound they’ve been hearing appears before them and James stops in stunned silence.
Illuminated by the light from the orb is a massive vortex at the end of the lake. Swirling and churning, the water is being sucked down as if through a giant funnel. “Oh my god,” he says as he realizes the bubble is moving to hover over the center of the maelstrom.
“You can’t be serious,” Uther says in disbelief next to him. He glances back to the others advancing toward them. “Oh Miko…” he says in voice loud enough to carry over the sound of the water being sucked into the maelstrom.
The others come close and when they can see why they’ve stopped, various expletives, not all of them polite issue forth.
Jorry glances to see Miko’s face frozen in extreme nervousness. “You ready for a bath?” he asks.
He looks at him and stiffens his backbone as he says, “No problem.” Then to James he asks, “Is that the way we have to go?”
“It looks like it,” he says.
“It must lead to the lake,” Qyrll says. “We may not survive it.”
“There is no other way,” James tells him. Glancing at the others, he says, “The bubble showed us the way out. It wouldn’t have led us here if we couldn’t survive.” He sees the doubts in everyone’s eyes, especially Jiron’s. How in the world will he be able to make it with his leg the way it is?
“So what do we do?” the miner asks.
“Get in the water and let it suck us down,” James tells him. Even though he knows it’s the only way, he’s not too keen on the idea either.
“But it’s freezing,” the miner says. “We’re not going to last too long in such cold water.”
“Anyone have a better idea?” asks James. “This is the way out whether we like it or not.” He stands there a moment while everyone digests that.
Jiron hobbles forward and says, “I’ll go first.”
“I don’t think so,” Uther says to him. “If anyone is going to be the sacrificial lamb, it better be someone with all their parts working properly.” To Jorry he asks, “You game?”
Shrugging in an attempt to appear nonchalant even though fear is one step away from taking over, he replies, “Sure, why not? Time for my bath anyway.”
“You got that right,” one of the others says, though who he couldn’t tell.
“Better space yourselves apart a few minutes so if it gets rough, you won’t be thrown against each other,” Qyrll suggests.
James steps toward them and says, “Once you’re through, I’ll check the lake to see if I can find you. Then I’ll start sending the rest through starting with Jiron and Fifer. Be ready to help him when he gets there if you can.”
Nodding, Uther says, “Alright.” He and Jorry begin shedding everything but their weapons and the clothes from their back. When they’re in nothing but shirts and pants Uther looks to Jorry and asks, “Odds and evens?”
“I’ll take odds,” Jorry says.
They face each other and to James it looks like they’re going to do a round of paper, rock, scissors. Bringing their hands down onto their other palm, Jorry says, “One.” The second time Uther says, “Two.”
Then just before they bring their hands down again, Jorry turns and runs toward the swirling maelstrom. With a “Yeehaaw!” he leaps away from the shore and hits the water two yards out. The water immediately grabs him and sucks him toward the center of the swirling water.
“Damn you!” cries out Uther. He had the same idea but Jorry beat him to it.
Around and around the water gradually brings Jorry to the center and then all of a sudden, his head disappears as he’s sucked beneath the water. At that, Uther follows and hits the water. A minute later, he too is sucked beneath the surface.
James moves over to the edge of the lake where he and Miko proceed to dig out an area for the water to fill. Then once it’s filled, they close it off from the lake and the water within the depression becomes calm.
Giving them a few minutes, he calls forth the magic and an image of the lake appears. He concentrates on Jorry, trying to center the view upon him. The scene shifts and all they can see is the calm surface of the lake. It’s
