Trail of the Gods Part 21

"That's good!" Jiron hollers to those in the hallway and then begins making his way down to James. The others enter and begin following him down.

"Stop!" James cries up at them when he sees they're about to all come down the stairs at once. "The stairs won't support you all," he tells them. "You need to come down one at a time. And Uther?" he asks. Once he has Uther's attention, he says, "See if you can find a thick piece of wood out in the woods, about three feet long." He uses his hands to show the size he wants.

"What do you want that for?" he asks.

"Just do," he replies.

Illan turns to him and says, "Take Jorry with you, and be quick."

Uther and Jorry leave to do as requested. Once Jiron has reached the bottom, Illan begins to descend. The stairs groan badly in one spot and he even hears one of the boards give a little crack. Continuing carefully, he makes it to the bottom.

Looking around the room, he says, "There's nowhere to go."

"Yes there is," James says as he moves to where the entrance to the secret door in the wall is located. Tapping on it, he says, "Behind here is the old escape route from this keep. It leads through an underground cavern to an underground river that eventually leads to the river at the bottom of the canyon."

"And you plan to hide that," he asks, indicating the box containing the Fire, "somewhere down there."

"Precisely," he says.

"Why do you need the boat?" he asks.

"I don't plan to hide this in an easily accessible location," he explains. "But rather somewhere that would make it very hard to get, even if someone should learn of its location."

Illan nods as he glances around the room.

From the hallway at the top of the stairs, they hear Jorry and Uther coming back. They're talking to one another and when they enter the room they both begin to descend the stairs at the same time.

Illan notices them and cries out, "One at a time!" but is too late.

The stairs give out with a loud crack and the top section upon where they're stepping suddenly collapses and Uther falls forward, hitting the step just after the section that fell, and smas.h.i.+ng though it with a grunt. They fall ten feet and land on the equipment James and Miko had left there from their earlier visit.

James and the others rush over and he asks, "You guys okay?" Pulling some of the broken stairway off of Jorry, they find them with only a few minor sc.r.a.pes and cuts.

"Nothing broke," Uther says as Illan helps him to his feet.

"Same here," says Jorry.

Now that they're all together, James lays out the plan to them. Taking a few of the items out of the backpacks, he explains how they're to be used and so forth.

"Once we're done, Jiron and I have something we need to do so won't be coming back this way," he explains. "You will need to return through here and take the horses and wagon back to The Ranch." Pointing to the stashed equipment that now lies under the debris of the fallen stairs, he adds, "And take that equipment with you as well."

"Where will you two be going?" Fifer asks.

"Saragon," he tells them.

"Are you crazy?" Yern exclaims. "That place is in enemy hands. How are you going to get in there? And why?"

"As for how we'll get in there," he says, "there's a way." Pulling out the medallion, he holds it out to them and continues, "I still need to understand why this was given to me. The only place left for me to find out is in Saragon, it was the home of the last High Priest of Morcyth. Ollinearn, from the City of Light said that it's possible he might've gone there before they disappeared. It's all I have to go on."

"You be careful," Illan says.

"Oh, I plan to be, rest a.s.sured," James tells him. "Now, to open the secret door."

"Uther, on the wall along the stairs you'll find a circle engraved into it," he says. "Go up there and stand by until I tell you to press it. There are three triggers and they have to be pressed in the correct order."

"Sure thing," he says as he moves to climb the stairs, this time using great caution. He makes it almost up to where they end at the break before stopping and turning around. He gives them a thumb's up indicating he's found it and ready.

"Illan, if you will take this," James says as he picks up the broken piece of the door jamb he used last time. Handing it to him, he points out the double circle on the ceiling. "After Uther presses the circle by the stairs, you press that double circle on the ceiling. Then I'll step on the triple circle on the floor and the door should open." Glancing around at everyone, he says, "Got it?"

When he gets a nod from Uther and Illan, he says, "Okay Uther, press your circle."

Uther presses his circle and then nods to Illan. Illan then raises the broken door jamb and presses the double circle in the ceiling. Once he's begun lowering the broken door jamb, James goes over and steps on the triple circle in the floor.

From where the secret door is located, they hear a soft grinding noise as the door slowly begins to open. To Jorry, James says, "Take that piece of wood you brought down here and lay it in the doorway to keep it open. You'll need it open if you are to come back this way."

Jorry picks up the wood and goes over to the door where he wedges it in to prevent the door from closing.

James waits a minute for the door to begin to close, but the piece of wood successfully keeps it open. "Good," he says. "Through there is a narrow pa.s.sage which should be wide enough to carry the boat through sideways. After that is a cavern with ample room."

"Okay boys," Illan tells the others, "You've got the boat."

Yern, Fifer, Uther and Jorry all take a side and lift the boat off the ground. Jiron moves into the pa.s.sage with James right behind. "There's a bundle of old torches here," he hollers back to Illan. "Grab a couple to use on your way back."

"Good idea," he says.

With a groan, the four guys flip the boat on its side as they move to the opening in the wall. It's quite a tight fit, but they manage to maneuver the boat through the opening and shuffle with it down the pa.s.sage. From the rear, light flares up indicating Illan has found the bundle of torches and has lit one.

When they at last exit the narrow pa.s.sageway and are in the cavern, they flip the boat back upright again. Moving the boat through the stalagmites rising from the floor and the pools of water is much easier than it had been getting it through the narrow pa.s.sage.

Jiron, who had been scouting ahead with one of James' orbs of light, comes back. "There's a broken down bridge ahead, spanning a very deep chasm," he tells them.

"I know," says James. "That's the way we've got to go."

"How in the world are we to get that boat across?" he asks.

"What do you mean?" interrupts Uther from where he's carrying the boat. "What bridge?"

"You'll see," replies Jiron.

Shortly, the light from James' orb illuminates the beginning of the rickety bridge hanging precariously across the chasm.

The guys carrying the boat stop and set it on the ground. "It'll never hold us carrying the boat across," states Fifer. "It'll collapse!"

"I never said we'd be carrying it over," he tells them.

"Then just how do you propose to get it over there? Magic?" asks Uther.

Shaking his head, he says, "No, I'll need all I have for a little bit later on. Somewhere in one of the packs are three large eye rings. We need two of them now." They rummage through the packs and produce the two eye rings.

James takes out the long rope from within his own backpack. After making sure it's long enough, he hands one end of it to Fifer. Taking the other end, he gives it to Jiron and says, "Take this over to the other side."

Nodding, he ties the rope around his waist before beginning to cross the bridge. As he makes his way over, James turns to Yern and says, "You take one of the eye rings and sledge hammer over across the bridge after he's cleared the other side. Then you and Jiron need to hammer it into the stone securely."

To Fifer he says, "Tie the other end of the rope to the forward section of the boat."

He notices Illan already has a long piece of rope and is securing one end to the rear of the boat. "I think I see what you're planning to do. You've been planning this long?" he asks.

"Ever since I found that," he says, pointing to the box carrying the Fire. To Uther and Jorry he says, "Take the other eye ring and hammer it securely into the stone on this side.

"Okay," Uther says as Jorry takes the eye ring and sledge hammer over to within three feet of the edge of the chasm. Soon, hammering can be heard coming from both sides as they put the eye rings into the stone.

Seeing that Fifer has the end of the rope secured to the bow of the boat, he tells him to cross over to the other side. By the time he arrives there, the hammering has stopped. "Now," he hollers over to the other side, "slip the rope through the eye of the eye ring." When they've accomplished that, he has them stand to one side as they grasp the rope. He sees that Illan already has the rope that's tied to the rear of the boat threaded through the eye ring on this side.

With Jiron, Fifer and Yern on one side and Illan, Uther and Jorry on the other, he has them firmly grasp the rope and take in the slack. "Now, when I holler 'GO!' I want you on the far side to pull slowly and steady while those on this side maintain the tension on the rope as the boat goes over. Use the eye rings for leverage and it shouldn't be too difficult. Everyone understands?"

Once he gets the affirmatives from those on both sides, he yells, "GO!"

Jiron's side begins to slowly pull the boat toward them while Illan's on this side continues to maintain the tension. Inch by inch, the boat moves toward the edge of the chasm. If this doesn't work, I don't know what I'll do. If this doesn't work, I don't know what I'll do.

Suddenly, the prow of the boat clears the edge and soon the rest of it follows. He can see the strain of those on his side as they try to maintain a steady rhythm of hand over hand and still keep a firm grip.

He watches as the boat slowly makes its way across the chasm. When it's a third of the way across, he hollers, "Doing good!"

Halfway across and the two teams still maintain the tension, though the boat has dipped a little into the chasm. The team on the other side continues to steadily reel in the boat.

Two-thirds of the way, and everything is still moving steady. It has dipped still further into the chasm, but continues making its way across. Finally, the bow comes to within a foot of the other side. Yern lets go of the rope as he steps to the edge and reaches out to help get it up over the lip of the chasm. Pulling with the help of those behind him, the boat finally slides onto the other side.

James can hear a groan of relief as the men on his side release the rope. Hollering over to the other side, he says, "Pull the rope the rest of the way across." Jiron waves back at him as he goes to the boat and begins reeling in the rope that is tied to its rear.

"Just need to get the rest of us across now," he says to Illan.

"You go first," he tells James. "Then I'll send them across one at a time."

"Very well," he says. Shouldering his pack, he moves to the bridge and works his way across to the other side. "You guys alright?" he asks Jiron and the others when he gets there.

"Arms are sore, but otherwise fine," Fifer tells him.

Jiron's there, rubbing his shoulder, the one that had been hit by the crossbow back in Lythylla. "Shoulder hurt?" he asks as he comes over to him.

"A little," he admits with a grin. "Too much strain I guess. It'll be fine in a few minutes."

"We'll have a break when everyone else gets over here," he tells him. Over on the bridge, Jorry is making his way across while Uther and Illan stand on the other side waiting their turn. One by one they make their way across until they're all together once more.

"Let's take a few minutes to rest and have a bite to eat," he suggests.

"Good idea," Jorry and Uther say at the same time which makes the others start laughing.

As they break out their rations, Yern asks, "What's up ahead?"

"Up ahead is another small pa.s.sage which opens up on a vast cavern," he explains between bites. "That's where it gets interesting."

"You mean, more interesting than what we just went through?" asks Jorry.

Nodding, James finishes a mouthful of food before continuing. "At the end of the pa.s.sage, a narrow stairway leading down has been carved out of the rock. It descends for several hundred feet before coming to a stone platform next to an underground river."

"Is that where you'll be needing the boat?" asks Illan.

"That's right," he tells them. "You're going to hold the rope against the rus.h.i.+ng of the water, preventing Jiron and me from being sucked along with the torrent. I'll hide the box somewhere in the tunnel, and when I'm done, you just release the rope and let us go."

"Isn't that going to be dangerous?" Fifer asks.

"Some," he admits. "But Miko and I came through here earlier this summer and survived."

He can see those around him have their doubts about his plan, but he can't think of anywhere that would be as good a place to hide it as here. Who would even think to look in such a place?

"You all must swear to keep the secret of where this is hidden all the way to your graves," he says. Looking from one to another, they nod saying they'll never tell. "I'd hate to think what would happen should this ever be found."

"You can trust us," Illan says. Glancing at the others, he says, "Right?"

"Sure." "Right." "You can count on us."

When everyone is through having a small bite to eat, they shoulder their packs and the four again lift the boat. With Jiron in the lead, they cross the remainder of the cavern until they come to the narrow pa.s.sage.

Flipping the boat again on its side, they carry it into the pa.s.sage. The floor of the pa.s.sage is slick with slime, water runs along the bottom in the same direction they're going. At the end of the pa.s.sage, the roar of a waterfall can be heard from somewhere in the distance.

Jiron goes to the edge and says, "I'll go down and help with the boat as you lower it down."

"Good idea," agrees James.

Nodding, Jiron takes the stairs and soon all that can be seen is the glowing of the orb as it descends into the darkness below. As the men with the boat approach the end of the pa.s.sage, they suddenly hear Jiron's voice holler from below. "James! You need to see this!"

"Wait here," he tells the others before he descends the stairs to see what Jiron is talking about.

Before he reaches the bottom, he sees Jiron still standing on the stairs. His breath catches in his throat when he sees what it is that Jiron is talking about. There is no longer a stone platform. The water level has risen from the rains and now has completely covered the platform.

"What are we to do now?" Jiron asks over the thunderous roar of the waterfall.

James stares at the water a moment then throws the orb toward where he and Miko had left through the tunnel on the boat last time. The orb arcs through the air and before it hits the water, they can see the opening where the water is rus.h.i.+ng out.

There's barely enough room for the boat, in fact, there may not be enough at all.

"What do you think?" he asks Jiron. "Can we make it through in the boat?"

"Man, I don't know," he says shaking his head. "It could be possible. Depends on how much our weight will cause the boat to sink into the water."

From up above, they hear Illan holler, "What's wrong?"

"We better go up and tell them," James says. Jiron nods his head and they begin to climb back up. Once up there, they explain the situation to Illan and the others.