The Home Stone

The room was pitch black for the candles had burned out some time during the night. A loud knock awoke the two. Brendan was the first up and at the door. He opened it with caution only to find one of the guards standing there. The sharp rays of daylight illuminated the room, forcing the two to shade their eyes with their hands.

“The captain would like to see the two of you,” he said in as soft a sound as his gruff voice could speak.

The two followed the troll downstairs to where Grog was waiting. Two chairs were placed in front of the large oak desk and the captain motioned for them to sit. He then seated himself behind the desk and clasped his hands together. There was a short silence before he began to speak.

“It seemed that our merchant’s friends are still out there waiting for you,” he began. “Both paths leading out of the city are being watched.”

“How are we going to leave here?” asked Shannon. “We cannot stay here much longer. We have to get to Evermore as quickly as possible.”

Brendan was about to say something, but Grog stopped him just as another troll entered the room. He was much smaller in height and younger looking.

“This is Marrak,” spoke the captain, “and he will take you out of the city, unseen. Not many people know that under the city there are passages the lead out onto the desert floor. He will take you as far as the oasis just south of the city of Hakkon. From there you will be on your own.”

“How do we know that we can trust this man?” asked Brendan.

“Oh! He can be trusted alright,” answered the captain with a grin. “He is my son.”

Brendan’s face turned a shade of red as he hung his head. Shannon smiled. Finally this rogue put both feet in his mouth. What a wonderful fit she thought.

“When do we leave?” she asked.

“As soon as our supplies arrive,” answered Marrak. “We will leave here and work our way down through the underground passages to the bottom of the Crags. There we will wait for nightfall and move out onto the desert. We will travel by night, as it is cooler and sleep during the day. This way we will make better time.”

Within the hour, the three were passing the cells that just a short time ago housed Brendan and made their way down deeper into the dungeons. There at the bottom they came to a large and empty room. In the middle of the floor was a trap door, which Marrak lifted without any effort. The troll was the first to climb down the wooden ladder, which lead into an unlit passage. Brendan was next, followed by Shannon. At the bottom Marrak waited with a torch for each. His was already lit and used it to light the other two. The passage though narrow in width was high enough so that the troll could walk upright. The walls were roughly hewed out of the rock and had sharp edges that would cut clothing and skin. The floor was dirt and full of loose pebbles making walking uncomfortable.

“From here on we do not speak. Try to be as quiet as possible,” warned Marrak. “There are openings to the streets above and any noise can be heard. We do not want anyone to know that we are passing this way.”

He then turned and started to make his way down the narrow tunnel.

They walked along in silence for some time before they arrived at an intersection. Here the young troll turned and said in a low whisper. “If we become separated for any reason, just follow the tunnels on you right. This will lead you to the entrance at the bottom. Wait there, until we are all together again.”

He then turned into the right-side tunnel and picked up the pace. They followed the passages for some time and managed to lose all track of time. Finally, Marrak stopped and motioned sat down to rest. “We are now out of the city and no-one can hear us anymore,” he said. “We can speak normally, but no loud sounds, as the echo can carry the sound back up the tunnels for some distance.”

Moments later, they were back on their feet and heading down the passage. Sometime later the passage ended and opened to what looked like and large thirty-foot-wide deep well with a three-foot wide staircase, spiraling down its side into a black abyss.

Here the young troll stopped once more and turned to the elf and Brendan.

“Watch your step here,” he spoke. “The stairs are narrow and slippery. They lead all the way to the bottom to where we want to go, but we don’t want to get there too quick. I have no rope to tie us together, so we will have to watch ourselves carefully. We will rest here for a while and then continue.”

The three had a small meal and drank some water. They rested until each felt strong enough to descend into the dark hole. Shannon was a little concerned about Brendan’s condition. She had seen him falter and weave slightly back there in the tunnels. The elf worried that he might collapse during their descent. She asked him if he was all right and Brendan nodded that he was.

Marrak stood and lit a fresh torch. He then tossed the almost burned out one down into the well. The three watched the light from the torch sink deeper and deeper until the light was gone. Still they heard nothing of it hitting the bottom.

“Remember. Stay close to the wall and watch your step,” warned the troll as he approached the stairwell. “I have three torches left. Just enough light, to reach the bottom. Once yours burns out we will continue with just one burning at a time. The light will be dim and the steps become even more treacherous.”

They descended one at a time with only a couple of steps separating the three. The walls in the well were smoother than the ones in the tunnels. At least here they could hug the side as they slowly made their way down.

“How come you know so much of the underground part of the city,” asked Shannon.

“Ever since I was a little boy I was fascinated by what the dwarfs had achieved with their diggings under the mountains,” answered the troll. “I have always wanted to be a soldier and stand beside my father in battle. But since I was too little, he gave me an unofficial order to explore and map the tunnels under the city. I spent years down here and found many places where I could play and pretend that I was here to scout out the best route for the army to pass. This is how I found this secret way out of the city. There are so many tunnels leading everywhere, but out. Most of them end up as dead ends while others lead right back to where you started. My father said that the information I gave him about this place would come in handy some day and he was right.”

Shannon had to smile. The young troll was very proud of his accomplishments.

As they continued to descend into the endless black pit, the dampness penetrated their clothes making them stick to their bodies and made the stone hewn steps even more slippery. At one-point Brendan began to slip. He missed a step and landed on the back of the troll. Marrak sagged a bit, but caught himself and stopped, preventing the rogue from careening off the steps and to his death. Shannon reached to help the rogue regain his footing and they continued giving more care to the wet stairwell.

At last, the troll called for a rest and lit the second torch, throwing the used one away. Shannon peered over the edge and watched the light disappear into the vast darkness below. A short time later, they carried on. It was not until they stopped and lit the last and final torch that they ate a small meal and rested. This time, when Marrak threw the old torch into the hole, they saw and heard it as it hit the bottom and exploded like a firecracker into thousands of sparks, before dying out.

An eternity later they reached the bottom, Marrak took them through another tunnel and soon they stood in a large cave. The room was about the same size in diameter as the well from which they had just come, but the air was a lot dryer and fresher. Here, Marrak stopped and spoke the other two. “It is still daylight out there,” he said pointing to a small opening. “We will wait for darkness and then venture out onto the desert. The cooler air will make traveling easier, plus less chance of being seen.”

Shannon helped a now weakened Brendan over to the opening and eased him down onto a spot that she had cleared of loose stones and other sharp and pointy rubble. Marrak came to her and told her that he was going to take a look around outside.

“Try not to make any noise until I return,” he said and stepped through the opening.

Shannon returned and sat down beside Brendan. He still felt weak and closed his eyes. The stairwell had been exhausting for him, as he didn’t have all of his strength back before they started. She offered him some food and drink, but he refused. Moments later he fell asleep. She too must have fallen asleep in the dark, with only a tiny amount of light seeping through the opening that led to the outside.