now due to the faint light and wider passage. Near the south end of the fault Durek led the party into a narrow crevice and along a smaller crack in the bones of the mountain which opened into a crudely-worked tunnel. They followed the tunnel for a few minutes, then left it to wade down an underground stream whose water was icy cold and crystal clear. The clumps of peton moss were more and more frequent as they travelled; degree by tiny degree the light improved until Bridget found she could see for about ten feet, albeit vaguely and in shades of gray.
The stream’s tunnel was a n oval tube five feet in diameter, with the few inches of gravel flattening out the bed making for easier walking; the stream was only a few inches deep, but it filled the ‘floor’ of the tube, making it impossible to walk without getting one’s boots wet. They marched for forty minutes through the cold water which managed to defeat the waterproofing of nearly half the footgear worn by the party; taking a break was pointless as there was nowhere to rest.
Bridget noticed that Kroh was scooping handfuls of gravel out of the stream bed and tossing them aside stone by stone as he walked, which at first she thought of a merely an idle diversion, but the Dwarf’s methodical approach to the pastime intrigued her. Picking up her pace, she leaned over the Waybrother’s shoulder. “What are you doing?”
The Dwarf picked a tiny flake out of the debris in his hand and held it up. “Gold.”
Their trek through the cramped stream-tunnel ended when the tunnel opened up into another fault within the mountain, a much larger one whose ceiling was at least forty feet above them. The stream twisted and danced between the rounded stones at the fault’s bottom following the path of least resistance, but Durek led the Badgers up a steep slope to a narrow roadway cut into the wall of the fault halfway up its side.
“Break,” the Captain called softly. “ Janna and Bridget stand watch.” He pointed to either direction of the road as he spoke their names, indicating the direction they were to guard.
The tired priestess moved a dozen yards down the elevated roadway in the direction he had indicated and sat down with a sigh of relief on a small boulder which apparently had fallen from the ceiling. Laying her blanket roll on the ground, she untied two of the leather thongs that held it shut and fished out her clay jar of foot powder and a dry sock; her left boot had sprung a leak. Using her kerchief to dry her foot, she carefully powdered both it and the inside of the boot before pulling the dry sock on and replacing the boot. Returning the powder jar to her roll, she bound it back up tight, tying the wet sock around her left thigh so it would dry.
Loosening her sword-rapier and basket-hilted parrying dagger in their scabbards, Bridget loaded a bullet into the pouch of her staff sling and watched the roadway, relying more on her ears than her eyes in the poor light. She had stood watch on dozens, perhaps even hundreds of other occasions, in every conceivable clime and condition; this post was nothing special. She leaned against the dry crevice wall, careful not to let her iron cap strike the stone, half-closed her eyes, and deliberately relaxed. Guard duty or not, this was all the break she was going to get for the next hour or so.
A low cough recalled her to the main body, which was forming up as she rejoined them. Moving at a steady pace, Durek and Janna scouting a short ways ahead of the main body, the Badgers followed the roadway along the fault’s wall to the end of the cleft, and beyond as the road entered a tunnel. The luminescent moss was thicker here, extending Human vision to fifteen feet, Dwarf and Lanthrell’s three times that.
Bridget ended up next to Kroh as they moved two abreast down the tunnel, which was a comfortable eight feet high and six wide. “How much gold did you find?” she whispered to break the tension that the weight of
The stream’s tunnel was a n oval tube five feet in diameter, with the few inches of gravel flattening out the bed making for easier walking; the stream was only a few inches deep, but it filled the ‘floor’ of the tube, making it impossible to walk without getting one’s boots wet. They marched for forty minutes through the cold water which managed to defeat the waterproofing of nearly half the footgear worn by the party; taking a break was pointless as there was nowhere to rest.
Bridget noticed that Kroh was scooping handfuls of gravel out of the stream bed and tossing them aside stone by stone as he walked, which at first she thought of a merely an idle diversion, but the Dwarf’s methodical approach to the pastime intrigued her. Picking up her pace, she leaned over the Waybrother’s shoulder. “What are you doing?”
The Dwarf picked a tiny flake out of the debris in his hand and held it up. “Gold.”
Their trek through the cramped stream-tunnel ended when the tunnel opened up into another fault within the mountain, a much larger one whose ceiling was at least forty feet above them. The stream twisted and danced between the rounded stones at the fault’s bottom following the path of least resistance, but Durek led the Badgers up a steep slope to a narrow roadway cut into the wall of the fault halfway up its side.
“Break,” the Captain called softly. “ Janna and Bridget stand watch.” He pointed to either direction of the road as he spoke their names, indicating the direction they were to guard.
The tired priestess moved a dozen yards down the elevated roadway in the direction he had indicated and sat down with a sigh of relief on a small boulder which apparently had fallen from the ceiling. Laying her blanket roll on the ground, she untied two of the leather thongs that held it shut and fished out her clay jar of foot powder and a dry sock; her left boot had sprung a leak. Using her kerchief to dry her foot, she carefully powdered both it and the inside of the boot before pulling the dry sock on and replacing the boot. Returning the powder jar to her roll, she bound it back up tight, tying the wet sock around her left thigh so it would dry.
Loosening her sword-rapier and basket-hilted parrying dagger in their scabbards, Bridget loaded a bullet into the pouch of her staff sling and watched the roadway, relying more on her ears than her eyes in the poor light. She had stood watch on dozens, perhaps even hundreds of other occasions, in every conceivable clime and condition; this post was nothing special. She leaned against the dry crevice wall, careful not to let her iron cap strike the stone, half-closed her eyes, and deliberately relaxed. Guard duty or not, this was all the break she was going to get for the next hour or so.
A low cough recalled her to the main body, which was forming up as she rejoined them. Moving at a steady pace, Durek and Janna scouting a short ways ahead of the main body, the Badgers followed the roadway along the fault’s wall to the end of the cleft, and beyond as the road entered a tunnel. The luminescent moss was thicker here, extending Human vision to fifteen feet, Dwarf and Lanthrell’s three times that.
Bridget ended up next to Kroh as they moved two abreast down the tunnel, which was a comfortable eight feet high and six wide. “How much gold did you find?” she whispered to break the tension that the weight of
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