Read Online The Book Of Three by Lloyd Alexander - Free Book Online
Authors: Lloyd Alexander
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racing footsteps.
“We're just below the guard room,” Eilonwy whispered. “Something's happening up there. Achren doesn't usually turn out the guard in the middle of the night.”
“They must have gone to the cells,” Taran said. “There was a lot of commotion just before you came. They surely know we're gone.”
“You must be a very important Assistant Pig-Keeper,” said Eilonwy with a small laugh. “Achren wouldn't go to all that trouble unless...”
“Hurry,” Taran urged. “If she puts a guard around the castle we'll never get out.”
“I wish you'd stop worrying,” Eilonwy said. “You sound as if you were having your toes twisted. Achren can set out all the guards she wants. She doesn't know where the mouth of the tunnel is. And it's hidden so well an owl couldn't see it. After all, you don't think I'd march you out the front gate, do you?”
Despite her chattering, Eilonwy kept a rapid pace. Taran bent close to the ground, moving half by touch, keeping his eyes on the faint glow; he skidded past sharp turns, fetched up against rough walls, skinned his knees, then had to move twice as fast to regain the ground he had lost. At another bend in the passageway, Eilonwy's light wavered and dropped out of sight. In the moment of darkness, Taran lost his footing as the ground rose steeply on one side. He fell and rolled. Before he could recover his balance, he was sliding rapidly downward in a shower of loose stones and earth. He collided with an outcropping of rock, rolled again, and dropped suddenly into the darkness.
He landed heavily on flat stones, legs twisted under him. Taran climbed painfully to his feet and shook his head to clear it. Suddenly he realized he was standing upright. Eilonwy and her light could not be seen. He called as loudly as he dared.
After a few moments he heard a scraping above him and saw the faint reflection of the golden ball. “Where are you?” called the girl. Her voice seemed quite distant. “Oh--- I see. Part of the tunnel's given way. You must have slipped into a crevice.”
“It's not a crevice,” Taran called. “I've fallen all the way down into something and it's deep. Can't you put the light into it? I've got to get up again.”
There were more scraping noises. “Yes,” Eilonwy said, “you have got yourself into a mess. The ground's all broken through here, and below there's a big stone, like a shelf over your head. How did you ever manage to do that?”
“I don't know how,” replied Taran, “but I certainly didn't do it on purpose.”
“It's strange,” Eilonwy said. “This wasn't here when I came through the first time. All that tramping must have jarred something loose; it's hard to say. I don't think these tunnels are half as solid as they look, and neither is the castle, for the matter of that; Achren's always complaining about things leaking and doors not closing right...”
“Do stop that prattling,” cried Taran, clasping his head. “I don't want to hear about leaks and doors. Show a light so I can climb out of here.”
“That's the trouble,” the girl said. “I'm not quite sure you can. You see, that shelf of stone juts out so far and goes down so steeply. Can you manage to reach it?”
Taran raised his arms and jumped as high as he could. He could find no handhold. From Eilonwy's description, and from the massive shadow above, he feared the girl was right. He could not reach the stone and, even if he could have, its sharp downward pitch would have made it impossible to climb. Taran groaned with despair.
“Go on without me,” he said. “Warn my companion the castle is alerted...”
“And what do you intend doing? You can't just sit there like a fly in a jug. That isn't going to help matters at all.”
“It doesn't make any difference about me,” Taran said. “You can find a rope and come back when things are safe...”
“Who knows when that will be? If Achren sees me, there's no telling what might happen. And suppose
“We're just below the guard room,” Eilonwy whispered. “Something's happening up there. Achren doesn't usually turn out the guard in the middle of the night.”
“They must have gone to the cells,” Taran said. “There was a lot of commotion just before you came. They surely know we're gone.”
“You must be a very important Assistant Pig-Keeper,” said Eilonwy with a small laugh. “Achren wouldn't go to all that trouble unless...”
“Hurry,” Taran urged. “If she puts a guard around the castle we'll never get out.”
“I wish you'd stop worrying,” Eilonwy said. “You sound as if you were having your toes twisted. Achren can set out all the guards she wants. She doesn't know where the mouth of the tunnel is. And it's hidden so well an owl couldn't see it. After all, you don't think I'd march you out the front gate, do you?”
Despite her chattering, Eilonwy kept a rapid pace. Taran bent close to the ground, moving half by touch, keeping his eyes on the faint glow; he skidded past sharp turns, fetched up against rough walls, skinned his knees, then had to move twice as fast to regain the ground he had lost. At another bend in the passageway, Eilonwy's light wavered and dropped out of sight. In the moment of darkness, Taran lost his footing as the ground rose steeply on one side. He fell and rolled. Before he could recover his balance, he was sliding rapidly downward in a shower of loose stones and earth. He collided with an outcropping of rock, rolled again, and dropped suddenly into the darkness.
He landed heavily on flat stones, legs twisted under him. Taran climbed painfully to his feet and shook his head to clear it. Suddenly he realized he was standing upright. Eilonwy and her light could not be seen. He called as loudly as he dared.
After a few moments he heard a scraping above him and saw the faint reflection of the golden ball. “Where are you?” called the girl. Her voice seemed quite distant. “Oh--- I see. Part of the tunnel's given way. You must have slipped into a crevice.”
“It's not a crevice,” Taran called. “I've fallen all the way down into something and it's deep. Can't you put the light into it? I've got to get up again.”
There were more scraping noises. “Yes,” Eilonwy said, “you have got yourself into a mess. The ground's all broken through here, and below there's a big stone, like a shelf over your head. How did you ever manage to do that?”
“I don't know how,” replied Taran, “but I certainly didn't do it on purpose.”
“It's strange,” Eilonwy said. “This wasn't here when I came through the first time. All that tramping must have jarred something loose; it's hard to say. I don't think these tunnels are half as solid as they look, and neither is the castle, for the matter of that; Achren's always complaining about things leaking and doors not closing right...”
“Do stop that prattling,” cried Taran, clasping his head. “I don't want to hear about leaks and doors. Show a light so I can climb out of here.”
“That's the trouble,” the girl said. “I'm not quite sure you can. You see, that shelf of stone juts out so far and goes down so steeply. Can you manage to reach it?”
Taran raised his arms and jumped as high as he could. He could find no handhold. From Eilonwy's description, and from the massive shadow above, he feared the girl was right. He could not reach the stone and, even if he could have, its sharp downward pitch would have made it impossible to climb. Taran groaned with despair.
“Go on without me,” he said. “Warn my companion the castle is alerted...”
“And what do you intend doing? You can't just sit there like a fly in a jug. That isn't going to help matters at all.”
“It doesn't make any difference about me,” Taran said. “You can find a rope and come back when things are safe...”
“Who knows when that will be? If Achren sees me, there's no telling what might happen. And suppose
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