Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

D espite the smile that Janet had put on his face earlier, Sabrost regarded the now cleared door with a deep sense of foreboding. When he had awoken from his sleep, he had tackled the project with renewed enthusiasm and succeeded in clearing away the rest of the rocks.

Unfortunately, the sight of the massive door brought back all his misgivings. In addition to the rocks that had been piled against it, wooden boards had been nailed across the opening. He was convinced that it had been erected as a barrier of some kind, but he didn't think they had a choice other than to open it. They couldn't stay in the cavern forever.

He began prying away the boards covering the door, wondering as he did where they had found the wood. The damp environment aided his efforts, the boards crumbling at his touch. The door itself had been locked as well with an old-fashioned metal lock, but that too had deteriorated and flaked away beneath his fingers.

"Stay behind me," he ordered Janet, then sent a prayer to the Goddess as he started to pull the door open.

He had to use all of his strength to get it to move, but eventually the harsh scrape of rock against rock echoed through the cavern. As soon as he created an opening large enough for him to pass through, he stopped.

"Can you see anything?" Janet whispered.

He strained his eyes but all he could see was the beginning of a tunnel before darkness blocked his vision.

"Nothing. But the air seems fresh." He tasted the air but could detect nothing other than a faint metallic scent that reminded him of the medicinal note in the water of the healing pools. "That's a good sign."

"It's so dark." He could hear the fear in her voice.

"I've been thinking about that, and I believe I have a solution."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, although it will require the sacrifice of more of your blanket."

"Anything to get me naked," she teased. "Go ahead."

"You know I prefer you that way," he agreed as he removed another strip of the kestava cloth from the bottom of her dress. He couldn't resist stroking her soft skin in the process, but he quickly forced himself back to the task at hand.

She watched curiously as he took the piece of material and pressed it against the wall, rubbing both sides repeatedly along the rock. Then he wrapped it around his hand and stepped through the opening and into the tunnel.

"It's glowing!" She clapped her hands in delight. "How did you do that?"

"There are microscopic plants that live on the walls of the cavern. They are the source of the light."

"That's amazing. You're a genius, Sabrost."

He felt like one when she smiled at him that way, but he shook his head.

"What now?" She gave him an eager glance. "Do you want to explore a little?"

"I would prefer to gather our belongings and leave as quickly as possible."

"You don't want to wait until after we've rested?"

His spines flared in alarm. Even though he had yet to detect anything in the tunnel, the thought of sleeping here with the door open filled him with dread. The sooner they were through the tunnel, the better. Unless…

"Are you too tired to go on, valitta?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine. I haven't been working anywhere near as hard as you have. Let's get our things."

She headed for their sleeping room, and he followed more slowly. He didn't like turning his back to the opening even for such a brief period.

"Tetlana, protect us," he prayed.

It didn't take long to gather up their few possessions. Janet whistled to the avian and it flew over to perch on her shoulder. When they approached the doorway once more, the bird squawked and he saw it shiver, although it remained on her shoulder. Its concern only added to his own, but he still didn't see another choice. He rubbed the material across the walls one last time, and then they entered the tunnel.

As Janet followed Sabrost into the tunnel, she could feel the tension in his body even though she wasn't quite sure why he seemed so concerned. Admittedly it was kind of spooky, but with the soft glow from the fabric to light the way, it was far less intimidating for her than that first walk along the river in the suffocating darkness.

The tunnel seemed innocuous enough, although obviously formed through the use of technology. The ground was level beneath their feet and the ceiling arched overhead in a smooth curve. The air was noticeably dryer here, and there were no stalactites or stalagmites. A slight but perceptible slope upwards encouraged her to believe that they were moving towards the surface.

Time was impossible to tell in the shadowy light, but the increasing tiredness in her legs indicated that they had walked for some time before she saw it. Sabrost was holding the fabric light high in the air, his eyes constantly scanning the tunnel for danger. She looked down as she felt one of her foot coverings started to come loose. As she turned to let him know, she saw the faintest flicker out of the corner of her eye.

"Sabrost," she whispered.

He whirled in her direction. "What is it, valitta?"

"I don't know, but I thought I saw something. Over there." Her fingers trembled as she pointed. He stepped in front of her, sweeping his hand along the wall. She was just about to decide that it had been her imagination, when she saw it again. A faint shimmer like the reflection of water.

She grabbed his arm and moved it towards that spot. When the light was in the right place, the wall turned translucent. A figure floated in the darkness behind it. Details were impossible to make out in the dimness. The arms and legs were too long for it to be human, but she was quite sure that it had once been a living being.

"What is that? Or who is it?"

"I think it is a Varjomas," he said quietly. "I have seen images of their species, but it is thought that they became extinct many generations ago."

"As long ago as the buildings in the cavern?"

"Perhaps."

"He's not… alive, is he?" She forced herself to ask the question. "Not trapped in there?"

"No, he's not alive. Just very well preserved."

She shuddered. "Who would do something like that?"

"I don't know. But I suspect there may be more."

He turned out to be correct. Now that they knew what to look for, they discovered more of the translucent panels, more bodies floating in the darkness. All of them appeared to be from different species. Sabrost recognized a few of them, although they were all species thought to be extinct, but there were many he didn't recognize.

"I don't want to see anymore," she said suddenly. The knowledge that there were bodies entombed in the wall horrified her enough. She didn't think she could face looking at another one.

"I understand, valitta." He put his arm around her and drew her into the warmth of his body. She breathed in his comforting scent as she tried to regain a sense of perspective. Even though it was like a horrible combination of a zoo and a funeral parlor, at least there was nothing here to hurt them.

She finally managed to give him a shaky smile. His arms tightened for a brief instant before he turned to resume their journey.

As she started to follow him, some trick of the light had her looking straight into the face of another creature. This one was nothing like the previous bodies. Its skin had an almost metallic gleam, and it looked more like a machine than a living being, its eyes reflecting the light.

She shuddered, then froze in horror as it blinked at her.