|
| |
 eacefrog frowned as he searched in vain for some way to enter the mountain catacombs. His skills were highly tuned to city life; but there were no doorways with locks to pick to enter a mountain. The others looked to him as the one who would find the way inside, and he did not feel comfortable with the pressure, which made him more surly than usual.
Reluctantly, they had left their mounts beneath the shade of the forest well before approaching the foothills, unsaddled and unbridled. Kedra and Keith had made a sort of paddock for them out of magical roping, but they knew it would be all too easy for a horse or pony to jump their fencing. If all went well, they would still be there upon their return, but the chance of that happening, they all agreed, was slim. The horses seemed content enough, so they were not without hope. The Nightmare, however, would not be staying with the horses, which was just as well; the beast seemed to make the horses nervous. It followed Feather around like a dog wherever she went, and it would seem that it would even follow her into the mountain.
They broke off into groups. Gladstone and M’Ladyhawke paired off and searched the mountain base, looking for anything that might conceal or reveal a tunnel. There did not seem to be an obvious entrance on this side of the vast mountain.
Arana, Peacefrog and Shahrressa went in the opposite direction, poking and prodding through the underbrush that crowded their way. There was a slight deer path that they could follow, but it was overgrown thickly with bushes and vines. Raggot tagged along behind them, but did not seem to be much help in their search.
Keith and Kedra climbed upwards, looking for an entrance on the mountain’s side, rough as it was. They had to concentrate very hard to keep their footing, for the ground was dry and the rock crumbled under their feet as they scaled the mountainside. They talked very little, and discovered nothing. Feather and her mount Respect searched the higher areas also, but away from the mages, without having much luck. The damp misty morning soon gave way to a hot afternoon, and still they had not found a way in.
The group made their way back together again, meeting very close to where they had started. Keith and Kedra slid the last five feet down the side of the mountain, showering the rest of the party with rocks.
“Ow!” grumbled Peacefrog, who tossed a small rock back at Keith with one hand as he rubbed his head with the other. “Thanks for the shower.”
“Don’t mention it,” muttered Keith. “At least you didn’t nearly kill yourself looking for a way in.”
“Where’s Feather?” asked M’Ladyhawke, but before anyone could answer, they were showered with another volley of rocks from above. They looked up to see the ranger sliding expertly down the side of the mountain with no trouble keeping her footing, and she was waving to them.
“I found a way in,” she said breathlessly. “It’s a tight squeeze for Respect, but I’m certain it leads to a tunnel inside; not just a cave.”
It took some time before everyone managed to scale the side of the mountain, but they found that Feather had indeed discovered a definite entrance. Behind an evergreen bush was a great, black hole, wide enough for two to walk through together. There were no paths or footprints, which indicated that it was a little used entrance, but the cool air coming from inside signaled a tunnel of some depth.
Keith and Kedra used their magic to cast the night-sight spell upon them all, except for the Nightmare, which needed no magical assistance to see in the dark. After briefly adjusting to the light (and clearing the fuzzy spots from before their eyes), the party entered the mountain. They had to duck to get through, but once inside, the tunnel ceiling rose above them comfortably.
Despite their night-sight magic, Kedra felt it necessary to cast a spell that made a fist-sized glowing orb, which she set to float over her head. It enabled the rest to have something to follow as they made their way down the dark, damp tunnel, and provided some decent light to travel by.
The journey became monotonous. There was nothing to distract the travelers; in fact, the night-sight spell seemed rather wasted on this tunnel – just dirt and roots, and it went straight as an arrow into the mountain. Kedra’s glowing light bobbed hypnotically as she walked. The tunnel was wide enough for three to walk abreast, but the travelers did not chatter loudly amongst themselves. There was no sound except their own breathing and the occasional whisper between them.
Hour after hour, it seemed, the group traveled into the mountain. Shahrressa and Arana whispered to each other their feeling that it was nearly impossible to tell how long they had been walking. They simply plodded onward over the dirt and clay floor. There was still no variance on the tunnel – no offshoots, no surprises. The only inhabitants seemed to be small, glowing worms and tiny, hard-shelled beetles. Occasionally they would see a rat, but it would quickly scatter away from them. Once, the Nightmare dipped its head quickly to the ground without missing a beat. M’Ladyhawke grimaced as she noted a rat’s tail sticking out from between its lips.
There was an ancient musty smell that permeated the tunnel. Feather ventured a guess.
“I doubt this tunnel has been used by man or beast in some time,” she said, “perhaps long forgotten by the inhabitants… if there truly are inhabitants here besides the vermin usually found within the ground. Strange we have not seen larger beasts.”
Gladstone nodded his head in agreement. “Aye, ‘tis unlike any dungeon I’ave traveled b’fore…”
But before he could finish his sentence, it was clear he had spoken too soon.
|
