The Fourfold Key

As it turned out, Tom was right. They walked the same direction for the whole day, and when they became tired—they couldn’t say it was night, because it was always dark—they set up camp. Their camp consisted of two things: Themselves. All their belongings had been lost in the quicksand, so there was nothing to do but curl up in the boggy soil to sleep.

Ruth was curious to know if Tom’s prediction as to where north was was right, so before they slept she convinced Tom to boost her into a tree. She climbed to the very top. It was dusk, so she had to sit there for a while before she could locate the north star. Tom had assured her that the north star pointed north in Adonia, and well as Earth. They were indeed going the right way. She clambered down and marked the direction, so they could sleep in peace and know where to go in the morning.

Tom took the first watch. Ruth was worried that he would fall asleep like he usually did when he took watch, so she slept lightly. But when the time came, Tom woke her up like he was supposed to. It was a little strange how careful and polite they were both acting, but if it had stopped their fight, Ruth would go along with it.

In the morning they set off again, the same direction as before. Ruth was skeptical of their direction quite a few times, but Tom never seemed dubious of the invisible path he was set on.

By the end of the day they had reached the edge of Troll Swamps. Ruth had spent the entire time worrying that the trolls would appear out of nowhere, but fortunately, they encountered none.

They slept out in the Elven Woodlands that night, both relieved to have a view of the stars as they slept. This time, unfortunately, Tom did fall asleep. They both woke in the morning, groggy after a long night of sleep. Ruth didn’t say anything about it.

“A half day’s walk and we’ll be there!” Tom announced. “I’m not entirely positive if that’s a good thing, though…”

Ruth sighed with relief. Soon she would see her father! She was so close! She wished the rest of her family was here…

Around midday they reached the Dwarf Mines. It was a hole in the ground, just large enough for an adult to walk through. The ground around it was bare and dry to match the blistering sun above. Ruth was hiding the Key now, and the weight wasn’t helping her fatigue. Dwarves wandered in and out of the hole, bringing in loads of what looked like weapons and armor.

Ruth turned to Tom, remembering what he had said at the beginning. “So, I guess this is where you’ll leave me then?” Her voice cracked. She couldn’t believe how much she’d miss this dwarf.

Tom shut his eyes tight. “Ruth…all of my worst nightmares root from that place. I want to run screaming back to my old cottage in the Gnome Forest right now. But…” He took a deep breath. Ruth couldn’t breathe at all. Was he going to stay? “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I just left you here, at the most dangerous stop on our journey. No. I’ll come with you. I’ll be at your side until we finish what we began.”

Ruth teared up. “Thank you,” she whispered, and slowly wrapped her arms around him.

They sat in silence, watching the dwarves milling to and fro, until they had fully composed themselves.

“Does anyone know they make all those weapons?” Ruth whispered as they peered around one of the trees at the edge of the forest.

“To a certain extent, yes. No one knows the full extent of their building, and the little they are aware of they view as self-defense.”

“Didn’t you say something about it while you were out there? To let people know what they’re doing?”

“Yes, but it was just me. No one else would vouch for what I said,” Tom replied.

“How rude.” Ruth shook her head. She needed to get back on track. “Okay, we need a plan of attack.”

“Attack?”

“You know what I mean. How are we getting in?”

“The helmets. We get a pair, and sneak in that way.”

Ruth thought it was a good idea at first, but when she thought about it, “I’m like, eight inches taller than everyone else. Plus, I don’t have a beard. And I’m not burly like the rest of you. They’ll be able to tell I’m no dwarf from a mile away.”

Tom considered that. “Then what do we do?”

Ruth grimaced as an idea came to her. It was risky, but it might work. “Got any more rope, Tom?”

Ruth walked in front of Tom, trying to look as much like a captive as possible: terrified, tired, and a little confused and angry. Not that it was very hard, as she was feeling all of those things to a high extent. Her hands were tied loosely in front of her with the rope Tom had fashioned from some flexible vines in the woods.

Tom walked behind her, wearing a helmet they’d stolen from a passing cart. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruth saw Tom adjust the helmet nervously. She understood. It was the only thing keeping the other dwarves from recognizing him. He also had a small sword in hand, the flat end of which was pressed gently at her back.

They walked past a dwarf pushing a cart full of weapons. He glared at them. Ruth fought the urge to glare back. When they reached the entrance to the tunnel, a dwarf with a bushy black beard stopped them.

“What is your business?” he asked Tom gruffly. “Why is this human here?”

Ruth realized they had never thought up a good lie for her ‘capture.’ Luckily, Tom was prepared.

“I was sent out to find this girl - Ruth McKenzie - and the traitor, since the other four were captured.”

“Captured? I haven’t heard anything about this.” The dwarf rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful.

“Yes, well, the Sorceress doesn’t like sharing her failures with the rest of us, now does she?”

“Hm. All right. I’ll take her from here.” The dwarf reached for Ruth’s arm, and she backed up into Tom.

Don’t let him take me, Tom! This wasn’t part of the plan! We have to get in there together! Ruth screamed in her head.

Tom grabbed Ruth’s arm and jerked her back, which hurt her arm a little, but he was scared, too, so she let it slide, knowing it could only help their ruse.

“No, actually, I’d like to take her in.” Tom’s voice shook a bit.

“Why?” the black bearded dwarf asked suspiciously, eyeing him intensely. Tom shrank under the cold gaze.

“Because…because my relative went to find her first, and he is still being held captive by the elves. I thought if I brought her to the Sorceress she might…do something for him.” Tom held the dwarf’s gaze.

“Fine,” the dwarf huffed, motioning for them to go in. “If it makes her happy. She’s been in a horrible mood lately.”

That…didn’t sound good at all. At least they wouldn’t have to go to her. She hoped. The dwarf viewed Ruth up and down. Right then she remembered she still had the Key hidden beneath her pants’ leg. She hoped he wouldn’t search her.

But the dwarf waved them in. Tom nodded to the guard and walked into the black opening. Ruth could still feel his dark eyes boring into the back of her head as they walked away.

It was cool inside the tunnel. At least, for the time being. The light that lit their way was made from the quickly fading sunlight and fires that Ruth could see faintly in the distance. And by the looks of it, there were a lot of fires.

The heat was worse than outside. Massive fires were everywhere, but were contained by pits in the ground, going so deep she couldn’t see the bottom. The flames were so high they reached the top anyway, making it quite a harrowing experience to walk over. The path was now a narrow ledge going between the dark pits; fortunately, not all of them were full of fire. That didn’t change the fact that she was feeling dizzy and nauseous, though Tom must have been feeling worse. She couldn’t imagine him living here.

“Where are we going?” Ruth whispered to Tom.

“We should check the dungeons first.”

Ruth thought back to the dungeon she’d seen in her vision. “Okay, I think I can remember what the dungeon looked like that he was in. If I see one like it, I’ll let you know.”

They walked on in silence, and Ruth looked at as much as she could.

Dwarves were working everywhere. Shouts and clangs sounded throughout the cavernous room, along with the harsh crackling of the fire. The flickering light made the shadows heavy, giving everything a dark, dangerous look. The smell of the fire was strong and Ruth felt the smoke sting her eyes. She hoped that the dungeons were far away from the smoky blaze.

The farther they went into the ground, the less fires there were. This seemed to be newer tunnels, and the dwarves were still digging at it, flinging the dirt into wagons that sat behind them. Every now and then the dirt would miss the wagons and hit her. She heard snickering right after each of these episodes so she wasn’t sure if they were on purpose or not.

After a while they turned onto older parts of the tunnels and Tom quickened his pace, like he knew where he was. The walls were crumbling and the air was cooler, but there seemed to be less of it, making her slightly short of breath. Ruth figured it was because the fires near the entrance were taking a lot of the oxygen. She hoped they didn’t have to go much farther.

“Are we almost there?” Ruth asked softly, even though she was sure no one else was around.

“Not much farther.”

They lapsed into silence.

Tom turned a final bend and they came out to a massive cavern. The thin paths above endlessly deep pits reappeared, and a fire glowed brightly at the far end of the cave. Pulley systems went up and down as dwarves pulled themselves deep into the pits and up to the paths. The path they were on reached to the edge of the cavern, winding around and around, higher and higher. And there was the dungeon. The cells were set into the walls where the path wound up, one cell every few feet. Ruth looked around with a sinking feeling; this was not where the dark, damp cell her father was imprisoned in, she was sure of it. All the same, they walked to the cells, up and up. Ruth was hoping to find a secret door or something that led to her father’s cell. So far, all she found were the sad, despairing eyes of the prisoners.

“Is this the right place?” Tom asked. The prisoners’ eyes now held a spark of curiosity; ‘why was this girl’s captor talking to her like an equal?’ they seemed to say.

“No.” Ruth forced back her frustrated tears. All this work, all the risks she took, she was so close, and she couldn’t find him. “But maybe there’s a hidden door or something; it’s worth a shot. Have you heard of anything like that?”

“I haven’t, but there could be one. I really wouldn’t know. We could ask…” Tom suggested.

“No. Too risky,” Ruth decided. “That could only end in disaster. We’ll just keep looking.”

They climbed higher and higher, their hopes sinking lower and lower with each step. Ruth was trying very hard not to look at the prisoners. Some of them let out a weak plea for help, a few gave outraged shouts and hurled themselves at Tom, but most of them just laid in the corner of their cell, their hopeless eyes following her and Tom’s every move.

As they neared the top, a group of dwarves entered the cavern and the bottom of the path. Ruth glanced at them, then gasped and quickly looked away. The black-haired guard from the tunnel’s entrance was at the head of the group. Ruth whispered this information to Tom, who tensed and lowered his head. If the dwarf saw them and realized they hadn’t gone to the Sorceress, they would be in serious trouble. They both quickened their pace, Ruth still glancing at the walls in hopes of seeing something that might help. Please don’t let him see us. Let me find Dad, she thought. I’m so. Close. She risked another peek at the huddle of dwarves.

The black-haired dwarf was pointing at her. At them. He waved at the other dwarves frantically. They began to run - right toward Tom and Ruth.

“Tom! They know why we’re here! They’re chasing us!”

Tom breathed in sharply. Then he began to run.

“Wait, why are we running?” she cried. “There’s nothing up here! It just goes up there and stops!” Ruth moved her hands awkwardly up and down. She was having a hard time running with her hands tied.

“We can hide if we get a good head start! There’s a platform at the top where they store things. We can hide there until they leave, then go find your father!”

The dwarves were getting closer. She could hear their angry shouts now, and she saw that they had weapons.

“No,” she decided, stopping to look at him. “It’s too risky! We’ll get caught! Neither of us know this place like they do! We have to use the pulley system to get away and out. We can try again later.” Deep down, Ruth knew that trying again would be impossible. If they escaped, then the dwarves would know they were there. And so would the Sorceress. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of her dad, trapped in these mines. She could be a tunnel away from him, for all she knew. For all any of them knew!

“We won’t be able to try again, Ruth. This is our one shot! Now or never!” Tom began to push her forward to the platforms. She resisted.

“Well then I guess it—it’ll be never. There’s no way we can hide here and wait! They’ll catch us and…and I’m not losing you, too. Not if I knew I could have prevented it somehow. Please, Tom. I know what it’s like to lose someone. I’m not going to let you do this!”

Tom stopped pushing. The dwarves ran faster.

“But…your father,” he whispered. “There won’t be a next time, Ruth. Never. Leave now, and you’ll never see him again. Can you really do that?”

“Yes.” Ruth was surprised to hear herself say so. “I mean…no…I don’t know! But I can’t lose you. I know that. I already thought Dad was dead. And if I lose you…I lose you and Dad. I don’t think I could handle that.” Ruth gave him her most pleading look. Tom’s eyes watered; whether it was from smoke or tears she wasn’t sure.

After a long pause Tom gave his answer. “Okay.” He angled his sword and sliced her ropes, then pulled her down the slope toward the other dwarves.

For a fleeting second Ruth thought he was giving her up to the dwarves, but then realized he was leading her to a pulley a few feet away. The pulley right in between her and the mob of dwarves.

They raced as fast as they could, Ruth’s feet pounding the ground so hard they hurt, pumping her legs so fast she thought she would trip. Tom raced beside her, teeth gritted and eyes set.

When the dwarves saw the two of them charging them at top speed, they faltered, confused. Then they noticed the pulley, and with a cry of simultaneous rage, sped forward.

Get to the pulley get to the pulley get to the pulley! her mind chanted, falling into the rhythm of her pounding heart and pumping legs.

She was going so fast that when they reached the pulley and she skidded to a halt, she slid several feet past the pulley. Right in front of the dwarves.

Ruth screamed and scrambled back. The dwarf that led the mob was a little ahead of the rest, and he pounced on her, grabbing her arm with his burly one, in the other arm he held a raised sword. With a cry of terror, Tom leaped at the dwarf, hacking deep into his sword arm. The dwarf screamed in pain, releasing Ruth and his sword, which clattered off the edge into the flames.

The dwarf saw Tom, and his face twisted with rage. “Traitor!” he screamed, and leapt at him.

“Villain!” Tom retorted and backed up a step. Ruth could see he didn’t want to fight one of his own kind. He did in the Gnome King’s Castle, but here, surrounded by the sights and smells of where he grew up…Ruth could see how this would be harder for him. The dwarf hurried forward, dizzy with pain, and lunged. Tom held out his arms. The dwarf hit the oncoming arms, tripped backwards and stumbled off the cliff, into the consuming flames below. Ruth screamed again and scrambled back as the mob rushed at them. She ran to the pulley and turned to help Tom on, but he was right where he was before, on his knees, staring down into the abyss where the dwarf had fallen.

The wave of dwarves hit him, engulfing his figure.

“TOM!” Ruth screamed, terror flowing in her veins.

Tom’s head appeared over the rest. “Run, Ruth!” he shouted desperately. “Get out! It’s too late!”

“No!” she screamed. “Not without you!”

Tom broke through the line of dwarves long enough to shove her back, right onto the awaiting pulley. The pulley went down, and Tom was dragged back.

“NO!” she shrieked. But that was all she could say.

More faces appeared over the edge. Angry dwarves. The dwarves that had taken both her father and now Tom. She felt hatred and anger bubble in her head, but stronger was the emotion of heartbreak. Pure heartbreak. Two of the people she loved the most. Gone.

She fell to the floor of the rough wooden platform, not caring that the flames were coming nearer, their consuming hands reaching for her. Nearer and nearer. But the will to continue without them was gone.

“They’re gone,” she sobbed to herself. She was alone in this strange world, hurtling to her death. There was no one left. Nobody to care for her. Her body shook and her breathing became ragged. Tears streamed down her cheeks. They were all gone. The pulley shuddered and jerked as it ascended, but never slowed its breakneck pace. But then she realized, her loved ones weren’t all gone. Her brain reached for the faces of her people. Her mother, her siblings; CJ, PJ and DJ. Ramere, Drexel, Lemonjello, Lila. They were all still there. She could go to them, be comforted by them, and comfort them herself. She felt hope and determination fill her, erasing the anger and hurt as she raised her head. With all those faces still spinning in her head, she grabbed the rope.

It hurt. A lot. The heat from the friction and pain from the rope burn combined was enough to make her scream. But she gritted her teeth and held all the more tightly. She could make it stop. She had to.

But it wouldn’t. She continued down, faster and faster toward the heat prepared to engulf her, and she felt the panic rise. She felt her feet begin to lift off the platform; she wasn’t heavy enough to stop it. She closed her eyes and pulled down as hard as she could.