[Vfw-times] MK Winter Assault part 30

[COkane8116 at aol.com]

After a few more nods, smiles, and farewells, the four rats were nothing more 
than a faint glimmer of light beyond the portal.  Charles watched them until 
they disappeared around a corner and up a set of stairs.  Sighing, he turned 
back to his fellow Sondeckis and gestured into the darkness before them. 
"Shall we see if this takes us where we want to be?"

Jerome handed Garigan the other lantern, and soon they were walking down that 
narrow passageway.  Charles took the lead, with Jerome at his back.  Garigan 
followed quickly on the heels of the broad man, while Zagrosek stayed in the 
rear, watching behind him, though all that could be seen was a passage 
dwindling into darkness.  Of course, that was all Charles could see before 
him as well, and that did not appear likely to change anytime soon.

Yet the passage did not contain the same sort of stink and disrepair that was 
prevalent in their descent through the cellars and sub-cellars of the Keep.  
Even so the passage, or at least what they could see of it in the hooded 
light from the two lanterns, appeared to be rather old, with a dry musty 
scent that neither Charles nor Garigan could place.  The stone lining the 
passage was uniform black for the most part, though no signs of tunnelling or 
other construction could be seen.  Even the corners were looked seamless, or 
very nearly so.  It was as if the passage was formed from a single slab of 
stone, shaped according to the will of the very earth.

"I must show this to Murikeer sometime," Charles said aloud, without 
realizing he had done so, for the very thought that magic could have been 
involved in its construction was startling to the rat.  He knew that the 
skunk was familiar with the magics of the earth, and in fact that it was his 
speciality.  Surely he would be intrigued by this ancient passage that did 
not appear to have any normal construction.

"Who?" Jerome asked from behind him, peering ahead, and seeing nothing but 
the endless passageway.

"A friend I've made recently.  I think this passage might have been made 
magically."

"It does appear to be abnormally straight and smooth," the larger man 
confessed, his head nearly touching the roof of the hall.  It was not a large 
passage, despite its length.  Instead, it was narrow, barely five feet 
across, and only two feet more from floor to ceiling.  Charles was grateful 
for the light; for otherwise he knew the madness that had crept upon him only 
a few hours ago would overwhelm him here.  As it was he felt confined and 
squeezed on all sides, for the illumination provided by the lantern in his 
hand only pierced a few paces of darkness, and the black walls leaned heavily 
in to either side.  It was as if they were in a room made entirely of 
shadows, the floor revolving beneath their feet as they progressed from 
nowhere to nowhere.  The way it appeared to narrow ahead only made him more 
nervous with each step forward he took.  Yet, it never turned and it never 
changed its proportions.

And so far, it did not appear to end. "I wonder if we won't end up in the 
Dragon Mountains before we leave this tunnel."

Jerome let out a guarded laugh at that. "If it does, the fighting will be 
done and over with before we even escape this place!"

"And we'll be damn hungry too," Charles murmured, gently pressing a palm to 
his belly.  The thought of food had stirred his stomach in revolt, and it 
voiced its misgivings to him quite vocally then, gurgling through his fur and 
clothes.

Jerome heard it and gave another of his light chuckles. "I'm sure we will 
find something to eat when we leave this place.  It will be at least a day's 
walk to this Glen Avery if I reckon the distance correctly."