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From: eriadoriii@aol.comnospam (EriadorIII)
Subject: {ASSM} The Ring of Power Part Six
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Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 16:10:01 -0500
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Two passages left this end of the chamber. They picked up there
stuff and fled down the one on the right. The tunnel was much wider than any
they had previously traveled. Perhaps twenty feet wide, all three of them
could have moved side by side, but at first they moved in single file, Liselle
in the lead with the torch, the wounded Mercyn just over her shoulder and Erin
bringing up the rear with her bow ready to fire.
The darkness and the isolation began to take its toll on the trio.
The torch provided little light and they could see only a few feet in front of
them. Frequently Liselle thought she saw a dark figure loom before them. Each
time her heart jumped in her breast until the light of the torch revealed the
illusion but then she would jump again, as a warm breath fell on her neck. It
would take her a moment to remember it was only Mercyn. The tunnel was silent
for the most part, the heaving breaths of the trio and their slapping feet on
the earth were the dominant sounds. But the oppressiveness of the environment
warped even these. Mercyn felt the presence of something watching, something
looming just beyond the light of the torch. He waited for it to pounce but it
never did. Erin, for her part, would frequently slow and look back over her
shoulder, sure that a grommen lurked in the shadows, ready to pounce.
They ran for about a quarter hour before another, smaller tunnel
broke off from the larger, running to the right. Liselle paused before the
opening and turned to Mercyn questioningly. He nodded at the passage. "We
always go right."
This tunnel was much thinner, allowing only one person at a time to
slip by. At one point the tunnel was so narrow that Mercyn needed to turn
sideways to slip by. The tunnel also jogged around sharp corners that blocked
the light of the torch and the elf constantly found herself momentarily bathed
in darkness. Each time the darkness came, a chill ran up her spine and she
pressed closer to Mercyn, both because she was comforted by his presence and
because she was closer to the light.
The smaller passage ended in a much larger passage, this one even
larger than the one they had recently left. It stretched away in either
direction, moving in a line straighter than any tunnel they had seen
previously.
Mercyn leaned against the wall of the tunnel and gritted his teeth
against the pain in his shoulder. The light-headedness was still present and
he could still feel the warm, searing ache of the wounds along his ribs. A
quick reconnoitering of his bandages revealed a shirt soaked through with blood
that was even now seeping through and dripping down his sides.
Liselle came up and checked the bandages also, a horrified breath
escaping her lips at the amount of blood. Seeing the paleness of his face and
the pain-driven sweat, she pressed her hand against his forehead. The worry in
her eyes increased.
She turned to the elf. "He has lost a lot of blood and a fever has
set in. I don't know how much farther he can go."
"Far enough," he grumbled, though he wasn't sure if he said the
words aloud or just spoke them in his mind.
Erin didn't answer at first. She was staring at the wall of the
passage and ran her fingers along it. "Look at this. Look how smooth they
are."
Mercyn didn't need to look as he could feel the smoothness against
his back.
Liselle also ran her hand along the wall. "Man-made, they must be."
"Made by someone, though I doubt men could live this deep
underground," the elf retorted, caution in her voice answering the growing hope
in the other woman's.
"But they still might be here. Perhaps they can help us," Liselle's
eyes unmistakably shifted to Mercyn.
"Just as likely they will kill us for trespassing," Erin answered.
Liselle confronted her with her hands on her hips in that familiar
pose. "Do we have a choice?"
Erin looked at Mercyn. The warrior leaned against the wall, his
eyes closed tightly and his breath shallow. He didn't seem to even hear the
two women. "I guess not."
Liselle took Mercyn's hand and gently pulled him away from the wall.
They headed to the right and moved down the passage. The rest seemed to have
sapped much of the adrenaline from Mercyn and his body had a difficult time
responding to his fevered mind. Liselle found herself having to guide him and,
at times, she had to support much of his weight. This was difficult as he was
much bigger than she was and because she was trying to hold the torch in one
hand. Once, the warrior stumbled and Liselle dropped the torch. For a
horrified moment they watched the torch land on the floor of the tunnel. The
flame sputtered once, twice and then the flame regained strength. Breathing a
sigh of relief, Erin bent and picked it up. Against her better judgement she
held onto it as they proceeded. She would not be able to use her bow while she
held the torch, but it was a better choice than losing their only light.
The elf dubbed the tunnel, the Avenue, because it reminded her of
the large streets in the cities aboveground. The size of the Avenue was
daunting to the three travelers. Walking down the middle of the tunnel made
them feel exposed and vulnerable. The trio hugged the right wall and it made
them feel a little more secure, though the light from their torch didn't
stretch to the far wall and the shadows were omnipresent. The minutes
stretched to hours in their minds as they trudged along. Mercyn rapidly was
losing his strength and when the elf called a rest he sagged against the wall
and slid to the floor.
Erin had called the halt because she had noticed a strange scrawling
on the wall. She peered at the writing under the light on the wall and then
shook her head in puzzlement. "I can't make out any of it."
Liselle looked up from wiping Mercyn's face and glanced at the wall.
"I was never taught to read." She was too tired to defend her ignorance. She
dismissed the strange writing and returned to tending the warrior.
"Come on," the elf turned away from the wall. "If we don't go now he
may never get up."
The elf helped the woman pull Mercyn to his feet. All strength
seemed to be drained from him and his fever was obvious to the two women. He
was barely conscious and the part of him that was aware was lost in delirium.
He muttered words in a language that neither of them understood but he echoed
one name, over and over again. Tara. Liselle looked scared and somewhat
jealous when the warrior first called the name. There was so much longing in
the call as he yelled it at the top of his longs; so much sadness in the tears
that rolled down across his cheeks; so much hopelessness in his sobs. Erin did
not doubt that this person was the reason Mercyn had set out on this quest to
begin with.
It was soon obvious that Liselle would be unable to carry the weight
herself. When Mercyn's bulk threatened to overburden the girl, Erin was forced
to take hold of the other side of the man and take half his weight on herself.
It was also soon apparent to the two women that they could not continue on this
way. But they trudged on as the time stretched out and the Avenue continued on
into darkness.
They were about at their limit when they could suddenly see a light
shining in the distance. It appeared suddenly, far in the distance, and it did
not move, only sat there. The light never flickered either, just cut brightly
through the darkness. Liselle and Erin exchanged looks, wondering what that
light meant. Liselle shifted the weight of the now comatose warrior and
shrugged her shoulders. They really had no choice.
Hope now strengthened the women and they were able to increase their
pace. As they approached the light the Avenue began to widen. The women
traced a direct path towards the light and were forced to move away from the
side of the tunnel. The darkness then seemed to surround them, stranding them
in a tiny island of light in the giant sea of darkness, with only the light
ahead to guide them.
Finally, the Avenue abruptly ended in an immense cave. The two women
gasped at the tableau before them. They stood on a ledge overlooking a vast,
underground city. The Avenue split to either side, sloping down to the floor
of the great cave a hundred feet below and then meeting again directly below
the two women. The Avenue then split the city, running straight until it split
again, circling a tall, white tower and then meeting again to proceed into the
darkness. It was from this tower that the light sprang.
The light from the tower played dimly across the city below, hiding as much as
it revealed. Amidst the shadows the women could see the forms of buildings and
fountains, plazas and towers, markets and temples. None of the buildings
reached the height of the ledge and none were even half the height of the white
tower. No lights shined from any of the buildings, no sounds echoed through
the cave and nothing moved in the shadows.
They paused only briefly to take in the scene of the city before
they started to descend to the city, their burgeoning hope suddenly joined by a
deep foreboding of the deserted city. Neither of them wanted to approach the
tower, but they had no choice.
The city itself seemed extremely well preserved. Everything was made of
stone and none of the buildings had doors or windows, merely openings. The
Avenue was cobbled, each stone carved with a strange rune. The several side
roads that split away were similarly cobbled, though they held no runes.
Statues stood proudly, dotting the sides of the Avenue in a regular pattern.
They stopped long enough to stare at one of the statues, seeing the image of a
young man dressed in a long robe, standing on a pedestal, a scroll clutched
high in the air and a shout of exaltation lighting his face. Another statue
revealed a woman similarly garbed but with a wreath encircling her head. She
held a sword point down into the pedestal and glared defiantly back at the
trio. A fountain was elaborately carved with a coiled dragon. The eyes of the
dragon reflected red when it caught the light of their torch. Compared to the
ornate quality of the statues and the fountains, the buildings seemed drab and
lacked even the smallest adornment. Everything seemed new, as if it was built
yesterday and then abandoned.
The white tower was the only building with a door. A large oaken
door, the only wood they had seen in the city, stood slightly ajar, opening
inward, the faintest light creeping through. They could see no windows on the
tower, only the opening far above from which the mysterious light spilt. Like
all the other buildings, the tower was very plain, seeming to be a column of
solid marble rising into the sky.
The women hesitated when they reached the door. Rampant hope warred
with caution inside their minds as they looked at each other. Finally, without
words, Liselle shouldered Mercyn's entire weight and Erin unslung her bow.
When the elf was ready Liselle reached out with her foot and pushed the door
open.
The door opened into a round room that took up the entire bottom
floor of the tower. The room was well lit, though the source was unclear. The
walls were bare and the ceiling was high. Two soft leather chairs stood next
to a bed. A small table stood next to the bed, platters of meat and bread and
cheese stood next to two silver pitchers and three silver cups. They were the
only furnishings in the room. Opposite the door a stairway curved around the
wall and through a trapdoor in the ceiling. The trapdoor was open and a man
stood at the top of the stairs. He was extremely thin and wore flowing white
robes.
"Oh my, you are early," his voice was pitched high and
disappointment coursed through his words. "I was just coming to get you."
The women didn't know what to do. They stood inside the door and
stared as the man scampered down the stairs.
"Come in, come in. Everything has been made ready for you."
--
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