Chương 16: 15. Miasmic Dungeon

Jarden silently squirmed in the flickering torchlight. The small, circular chamber of the dark tunnel barely held Tavian and his men. They all watched Jarden anxiously.

"What is it?" Tavian asked again. Jarden grimaced.

"Hush," he said.

"Keep quiet." Then he pointed with his chin, indicating a heap of rubble. Tavian pulled out his map, checking it. The blocked passage appeared to be the way they were meant to go.

"Freshly collapsed," Tavian observed. He checked the other openings to the chamber for danger, but found only the same thick black haze.

"They must have blocked it off, for some reason," Jarden said, his voice soft.

"This area has been so stable… Why would they block it off? Why would they do that?" Tavian's fingers tightened on his sword. He couldn't tell if Jarden's distress was genuine or not.

"We can dig through," Tavian said.

"We have enough men, it won't take too long."

"No," Jarden hissed, "You'll attract the spiders." Tavian compared their location to Jarden's scribbles. He'd clearly indicated that at this junction they were to stay to the right, or risk running through the spider's nest. Another passage continued on from here. Tavian peered down it, and noted a whitish coating of cobwebs high, matting the tall ceiling.

"This goes through, right?" he asked. Jarden nodded.

"Past the spiders."

"But you've gone through that way before?"

"Never again," Jarden murmured.

"Please."

"There are no dangerously venomous spiders on the Corinath Isles."

"They bite," Jarden said.

"Have they killed anyone?" Jarden shook his head slowly.

"Not that I know of."

"So the only other way is through the chokedamp." Jarden nodded.

"You said that's more dangerous. People die in there."

"We could simply abandon this endeavor?" Jarden suggested hopefully. A soldier nearby stamped, and everyone looked at him. He stomped again, and looked up.

"Lot of bugs around here," he muttered.

"Yes, you fool," Jarden hissed.

"They're attracted to vibrations, like your voice, movements, or your stomping!" Everyone had their eyes fixed on the floor now, and shifted uncomfortably, trying to step on the dark, crawling shadows. Tavian glanced up, and one dropped onto his forehead. He cursed, flinching, and slapped himself in the face. Spider guts burst out of the thumb sized arachnid.

"Gross," he groaned, wiping his face on his tunic. Through the nest? Or back the way they'd come, then through the lethal chokedamp and along the alternate route?

"Please, my lord, let's go back," Jarden pleaded.

"I don't like spiders."

"Not now," Tavian said.

"We're so close. We'll just have to go through the spider nest." And, despite Jarden's murmured protests, they forced him through first. Moving quickly, torches held high, they managed to get through the worst of the nest and cobwebs before the curious critters realized that anyone was there. Tavian felt them dropping down on him, landing like pebbles on his garment and arms, occasionally hitting his torch and burning to a crisp before they slapped down on the damp ground.

He cursed as he felt one bite him through his silk hose, just where his boot ended. A black wave of arachnids spilled out of the cracks far overhead, swarming down the webs.

"Run!" Tavian shouted. They ran, perhaps thirty meters, before the ceiling lowered and the corridor widened. The wooly spiders nests had disappeared from overhead. A strange dance ensued, as each man slapped at his arms, legs, and chest, and at the bodies of his neighbors. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Every breath of air brushing against Tavian's skin felt like an insect crawling. He flinched at every itch, slapping at every tingle.

The air turned sour. They came to a body lying on the ground. Dressed in Anarvian livery, but that was all that could be identified, as every inch of flesh was crawling with insects. The eye sockets were hollow caverns of horror. Tavian choked, and they all started jogging again, leaving the scene behind them. He felt a little dizzy, and the bite on his leg stung. Finally, they reached their destination.

"This is it, my lord," Jarden said.

"I have never passed through this wall, but there is this—" he indicated a hole in the wall. Tavian scanned his men. Most of them looked unharmed, though they still slapped at phantom bugs. Jarden was picking at his own bites. He appeared to have a few on his legs, along with those on his neck and face, since his hands were bound. Tavian checked himself. He had a few bites, but the one on his leg was the worst. It was red and swollen, and throbbed in time with his pulse. Mathen crouched down and vomited.

"I don't feel well," he groaned. They needed to get out of this dark hole.

"Tell me about the other way," Tavian demanded.

"It crosses on the other side of the crumbling hall," Jarden said.

"I have placed some planks down to bridge across dark holes in the floor. It is the shorter, more direct route. But you must navigate through the chokedamp."

"Bad air," Tavian muttered.

"But no spiders?"

"No nests," Jarden confirmed. Tavian peered through the hole in the wall. The mortar here had nearly crumbled to dust. He started pulling bricks away from the wall, thrusting his torch through to get a better view. The room beyond was the gatehouse larder. Tavian pulled more bricks away with a clatter, making a hole large enough for him to step through. Soldiers followed him. At that moment, a girl opened a trap door to the larder.

A ray of golden light illuminated Tavian's dusty soldiers as the girl began descending. She had green ribbons in her hair. Tavian breathed a sigh of relief. His people were here.

"Hello—" Tavian said. The young lady took one glance at the filthy men emerging from a hole in the wall. She screamed, scrambled back up the ladder, and slammed the trap door behind her. Tavian started up the ladder after her as the remainder of his men entered the larder. Still smarting from spider bites, they were all anxious to get out of the dark. A few hungry soldiers couldn't resist snacking on some of the fresh fruits carefully packed in straw and placed down low to keep cool.

Tavian pushed on the trap door, but he found it blocked by something heavy above. Heaving with all his might, he managed to shift the object, and a ray of light shone down into the cellar. Lieutenant Zael joined him and together they pushed open the trap door. They blinked against the blinding light, and found themselves staring down the shafts of several spears.

"Hands in the air," a man behind a spear growled. A gaggle of terrified children cowered behind the men; they had, apparently, emerged into the gatehouse kitchens. Tavian lifted his hands.

"Praise Ishtoran," he said.

"I had hoped to find men still loyal to my father here!" The soldiers peered at him curiously, and Tavian slowly lowered his hands.

"Is that Tavian, lad?" came a gruff old man from the darkness beyond.

"I'd heard that you returned from Endara. You've grown!" Tavian beamed.

"Cormath!" he exclaimed.

"I'd recognize that voice anywhere!"

"Spears up, men," Cormath ordered, stepping into the light. He was a tall, lean man, and he moved with the grace of a dancer.

"This is no trick or ghoul, it is the crown prince." Spears were raised, and Tavian was helped up into the gate house.

"What is going on out there?" Cormath demanded, extending a hand to Tavian and helping him climb up into the kitchen.

"Men in Anarvian purple tried to storm the gate, so we sealed off the guardhouse, blocked the doors and windows. When the kingdom's influence failed and our Classes vanished, we were worried, but we stayed true to our orders. Nobody's been in or out of the gatehouse all day. Save you, of course."

"The king is dead," Tavian said, and faces fell.

"I am mounting a resistance from the Core Courtyard. I need loyal men like you, who will join me."

"How'd you get into the cellar?" Cormath asked. He peered down into the dark hole where the other men waited.

"The same way the Anarvians managed to ambush us in the palace, everywhere at once," Tavian said.

"Hidden tunnels. Come back with us." Cormath nodded.

"We'll go back with you. But you all look hungry, and we were just getting supper on. What's thirty minutes going to matter?" Tavian's stomach growled, and he looked at the encouraging faces of his men.

"Wonderful," he said.

"We'll eat with you." The soldiers piled out of the cellar, and were offered a chance to wash up, along with salves to care for their bug bites. The gatehouse itself was a miniature fortress; it had been designed to be able to independently resist a siege, even if other parts of the Fortress fell. It contained a cooking and dining hall, which was now emptying of soldiers and their families, who had finished their meal.

"Here, lad," Cormath said, pulling Tavian aside.

"Show me the forms. I trust you've kept in practice while you were in Endara?" Tavian glanced around. There wasn't a lot of space to be waving a sword around, and he didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone.

"Keep focused and controlled," Cormath said, seeing his glance.

"That's the point of the forms." So Tavian drew his sword, and ran through a training exercise. Designed to help swordsmen practice their transitions through the six elemental forms, the form involved resting a beat in each before pivoting to the next one. Cormath smiled approvingly as Tavian finished.

"Well done," he said.

"You've grown much more fluid!" Tavian couldn't help but smile back. Cormath did not give out praise lightly. Then their food was ready, and Tavian ate with his men. A smiling, plump woman kept pressing buttered bread into Tavian's hands, insisting he eat his fill. The food, though simple, was seasoned with hunger and good company, which made it delicious. For a short time, the dangers outside the gatehouse walls were forgotten.

The soldiers in the gatehouse gathered their families, along with any food or valuables that might be sifted. Personal effects were to be left behind; Tavian promised that they'd return for those later. As they were gathering, Tavian had a rushed conversation with Cormath.

"How many are here?" he asked.

"A full Squad of soldiers," Cormath said.

"There were four Fists on duty, and a few of us joined them before they sealed the gate. Then their families, which makes for around seventy people in all."

"Children?"

"Yes, there are a few dozen children." Tavian rubbed his forehead. His leg still smarted where the spider had bitten him. Mathen still had smatters of vomit on his tunic. He looked pale, and was leaning against the wall. Going back through would be worse, since they'd already riled up the arachnids. Tavian looked down the two dark passages. Back through the spiders? Or the other route, through the chokedamp?