three-foot-wide tunnel. Shovel marks scraped the
rough walls, indicating the space had been dug. The steps turned into bumps that
helped slow our progress as we slid down the sloped passageway. I coughed as the
dust of our passing mixed with the steady flow of cool damp air.
When we reached the cavern, the tightness around my ribs eased. Tauno’s light
reflected off stones resembling teeth. A few of these hung from the ceiling and
others rose from the ground as if we stood inside the mouth of a giant beast.
“Don’t move,” Marrok ordered as he examined the floor.
Shadows danced on the pockmarked walls as Marrok searched for signs. Deep
wells of blackness indicated other tunnels, and small puddles of water peppered the
floor. Dripping and running water filled the air with a pleasant hum that countered the
unpleasant wet mineral smell mixed with a sharp animal musk.
Moon Man hunched his shoulders and short breaths punctuated his breathing.
“Is something wrong?” I asked him.
“The walls press on me. I feel squeezed. No doubt my imagination.” He went to
mark the tunnel to the surface with red paint.
“This way,” Marrok said. Amplified by either the stone walls or by fear, his voice
sounded louder than usual. He showed us a series of ledges descending down a
chute.
The smell rising from the chute turned sharp and rank. I gagged. Tauno climbed
down. The ledges turned out to be large chucks of rocks stacked crookedly on top
of one another. In certain places he hung over the side and dropped down. We
followed and with some mumbling and cursing we caught up to Tauno.
He waited on the last visible ledge. Beyond him, the chute ended in a pit of
blackness. Tauno dropped his torch. It landed on a rock floor far below.
“Too far to jump,” Tauno said.
I pulled the grapple from my pack and wedged the metal hooks into a crack, glad
I had decided to bring it along. Tying the rope onto the hook, I tested the grapple’s
grip. Secure for now, but Moon Man braced himself and gripped the rope when
Tauno swung over the edge and descended.
Moon Man’s forehead dripped with sweat despite the cool air. His uneven
breathing echoed off the walls. When Tauno reached near the bottom, Moon Man
released the rope. The grapple held Tauno’s weight. He jumped the last bit and
picked up the torch, exploring the area before giving us the all-clear signal. One by
one we joined him at the bottom of the chute. We left the grapple in place in case we
needed to return.
“I have some good news and some bad,” Tauno said.
“Just tell us,” Marrok barked.
“There is a way out of this chamber, but I doubt Moon Man or Leif will fit.”
Tauno showed us a small opening. The torch’s flame flickered in the breeze coming
from the channel.
I looked at Leif. Even though Marrok was taller than him, Leif had wide
shoulders. How had Cahil and Ferde fit through? Or had they traveled a different
way? It was hard to judge size based on a memory. Perhaps they hadn’t encountered
any trouble.
“First explore the tunnel. See what’s on the other side,” I instructed.
Tauno disappeared into the hole with a quick grace. Leif crouched next to the
opening, examining it.
“I have more plant oil,” Leif said. “Perhaps we can grease our skin and slide
through?” He stepped back when Tauno’s light brightened the passageway.
“It gets wider about ten feet down and ends in another cavern,” Tauno said.
Black foul-smelling muck covered his feet. When questioned about the mud, he
wiggled his toes. “The source of the stench. Bat guano. Lots of it.”
Those ten feet took us the longest to traverse. And I despaired at the amount of
time we used to squeeze two grown men through a narrow space. It might be
impossible to catch up with Cahil and the others. And Moon Man’s panic attack
when he had become wedged for a moment had set everyone’s mood on edge.
Standing ankle deep in bat droppings, we made for
rough walls, indicating the space had been dug. The steps turned into bumps that
helped slow our progress as we slid down the sloped passageway. I coughed as the
dust of our passing mixed with the steady flow of cool damp air.
When we reached the cavern, the tightness around my ribs eased. Tauno’s light
reflected off stones resembling teeth. A few of these hung from the ceiling and
others rose from the ground as if we stood inside the mouth of a giant beast.
“Don’t move,” Marrok ordered as he examined the floor.
Shadows danced on the pockmarked walls as Marrok searched for signs. Deep
wells of blackness indicated other tunnels, and small puddles of water peppered the
floor. Dripping and running water filled the air with a pleasant hum that countered the
unpleasant wet mineral smell mixed with a sharp animal musk.
Moon Man hunched his shoulders and short breaths punctuated his breathing.
“Is something wrong?” I asked him.
“The walls press on me. I feel squeezed. No doubt my imagination.” He went to
mark the tunnel to the surface with red paint.
“This way,” Marrok said. Amplified by either the stone walls or by fear, his voice
sounded louder than usual. He showed us a series of ledges descending down a
chute.
The smell rising from the chute turned sharp and rank. I gagged. Tauno climbed
down. The ledges turned out to be large chucks of rocks stacked crookedly on top
of one another. In certain places he hung over the side and dropped down. We
followed and with some mumbling and cursing we caught up to Tauno.
He waited on the last visible ledge. Beyond him, the chute ended in a pit of
blackness. Tauno dropped his torch. It landed on a rock floor far below.
“Too far to jump,” Tauno said.
I pulled the grapple from my pack and wedged the metal hooks into a crack, glad
I had decided to bring it along. Tying the rope onto the hook, I tested the grapple’s
grip. Secure for now, but Moon Man braced himself and gripped the rope when
Tauno swung over the edge and descended.
Moon Man’s forehead dripped with sweat despite the cool air. His uneven
breathing echoed off the walls. When Tauno reached near the bottom, Moon Man
released the rope. The grapple held Tauno’s weight. He jumped the last bit and
picked up the torch, exploring the area before giving us the all-clear signal. One by
one we joined him at the bottom of the chute. We left the grapple in place in case we
needed to return.
“I have some good news and some bad,” Tauno said.
“Just tell us,” Marrok barked.
“There is a way out of this chamber, but I doubt Moon Man or Leif will fit.”
Tauno showed us a small opening. The torch’s flame flickered in the breeze coming
from the channel.
I looked at Leif. Even though Marrok was taller than him, Leif had wide
shoulders. How had Cahil and Ferde fit through? Or had they traveled a different
way? It was hard to judge size based on a memory. Perhaps they hadn’t encountered
any trouble.
“First explore the tunnel. See what’s on the other side,” I instructed.
Tauno disappeared into the hole with a quick grace. Leif crouched next to the
opening, examining it.
“I have more plant oil,” Leif said. “Perhaps we can grease our skin and slide
through?” He stepped back when Tauno’s light brightened the passageway.
“It gets wider about ten feet down and ends in another cavern,” Tauno said.
Black foul-smelling muck covered his feet. When questioned about the mud, he
wiggled his toes. “The source of the stench. Bat guano. Lots of it.”
Those ten feet took us the longest to traverse. And I despaired at the amount of
time we used to squeeze two grown men through a narrow space. It might be
impossible to catch up with Cahil and the others. And Moon Man’s panic attack
when he had become wedged for a moment had set everyone’s mood on edge.
Standing ankle deep in bat droppings, we made for
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