CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  THE RIVER CAVERNS

  Standing outside of the main entrance to The River Caverns, Garrick, Elias, and Cerelene meticulously checked their weapons. If what Maldrin had told them was true, this part of their quest would be far from easy. Once they walked the short, narrow part of the land along the river that flowed into the caverns, they would then duck into a side passageway and journey down into darkness as the river continued to wind through and then around the hill.

  “Here. Just in case,” said Garrick, trying to hand Maldrin a good sized knife.

  Anytime the mercenary and wizard fought or explored in close quarters, be it caverns, tunnels, or dungeons, Garrick made sure Maldrin had some sort of weapon, in case an enemy surprised the wizard before he could get off a spell.

  “No my boy,” replied Maldrin, pushing Garrick’s hand away. Then he lifted his staff. “Not this time. This will be enough.”

  “I know your powers have grown, and that staff is part of the reason, but it would still make me feel better, you old wizard,” stated the mercenary in a serious voice.

  Elias glanced at Cerelene as he pulled his shield from his back and gripped his sword. Then the Knight of Providence pointed at the elf maiden’s belt and put up two fingers. After looking down, Cerelene nodded.

  Seeing the two old friends at a possible stalemate, Cerelene shouldered her bow and stepped in, taking out the elven dagger she had acquired earlier in the journey in the fight with the goblins.

  “Maldrin, please, take this instead,” insisted the elf maiden. “The High Priest gifted me with a dagger he used years ago. I do not need two. It will only slow me down and could get in my way.”

  Garrick gazed over at Cerelene with a look of relief. Elias smiled at the mercenary, who grinned back. Then the knight checked his own dagger.

  “My dear, I am now past having to arm myself with something other than magic...” assured Maldrin, shaking his head.

  “Consider it a gift,” continued Cerelene. “You would not want to refuse a gift from the royal house of Lightshower. Please. I insist.” Then the elf maiden bowed.

  After hearing her words and seeing Cerelene bow, Maldrin looked at Elias, who pretended to inspect the mechanism on his shield, and then at Garrick, who was checking his bow string again. Then the old wizard sighed.

  “In that case. I accept,” bowed Maldrin. Then the four companions started down the narrow patch of land that led into The River Caverns where Onyx, Azure, and Tal were already waiting.

  As Garrick, Elias, Cerelene, and Maldrin came into view, Tal jumped from Onyx’s head, ran to the wizard and climbed up to his shoulder. Azure looked down from the last remaining tree at the cavern entrance and screeched. Then the falcon flew toward Cerelene, reaching the elf maiden before the mystic wolf walking toward Garrick.

  “Well Onyx, did you see anything?” asked Garrick, hunkering down and rubbing the black wolf’s head and neck. Onyx licked his chops and barred his teeth. Then he walked toward the rocky passageway that broke off from the river. After Garrick watched Onyx for a second, he took a deep breath, and then turned to the rest of his friends. “Alright. It is now or never.”

  It didn’t take long before the darkness of the narrow passage surrounded them.

  “Dawning Light,” spoke Maldrin, and the lapis lazuli stone in his staff shown with a dim light. The illumination was bright enough for the wizard and his companions to see, but not bright enough to arouse anything or anyone ahead.

  As the other companions followed Maldrin down the dark, dank passage, they watched rats scurry away from the wizard’s staff. Next they kept their eyes on large long lizards, that perched their bodies just a bit out of reach above them. Then after a few minutes Maldrin stopped, grabbed Garrick’s shoulder and lifted his staff. All together, the two old friends, along with Elias, and Cerelene looked up to see five bats almost the size of small eagles.

  Garrick took his hand from his sword and slowly started to pull his bow from his shoulder. Following the mercenary’s lead, Cerelene patted Azure’s wing and then slid her bow off her shoulder as well.

  “Leave them be my friends. We will need all our weapons soon enough. I will go first...” whispered Elias, raising his large shield. “Keep those arrows nocked though.”

  After Elias slid in front of Maldrin, the mercenary and elf maiden kept their bows raised, ready to begin a volley of arrows the moment the monsters opened their eyes. After they passed the bats, Onyx took the lead in front of Elias and Maldrin, while Garrick and Cerelene walked backwards, hands still on their arrows until the monsters were out of sight. Then the archers shouldered their bows once again.

  For the next stretch of the dim passage, Maldrin waved his hand, sending snake after snake back into nearby holes, while Garrick, Elias, and Cerelene side stepped the larger hairy cave spiders or simply crushed the smaller ones under foot.

  “Be on your guard my friends. In a few minutes this stone corridor will open up,” announced Maldrin, with his eyes staying straight ahead. Then he looked back at Cerelene and Azure, who was perched on the elf maiden’s shoulder. “She can stretch her wings then. The top of the this cave is quite high.”

  Upon reaching the end of the narrow passageway, Elias walked out first, shield up, as Onyx fearlessly trotted on ahead slowly, after Garrick reminded him of the troll attack on the way to The Holy City. After the Knight of Providence and mystic wolf stopped, Maldrin, Garrick, and Cerelene exited into the open area. The companions looked around the cave and noticed four other passageways leading off in different directions. The small passageway to the left led higher into the caverns. The one to their right was curved, but was level. The third passage, just an arms length away, was wide, but didn’t go very far.

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  Maldrin watched Azure float up into the air of the dark, rocky room and then felt the others eyes upon him, waiting for directions.

  “What is wrong my friend? Do these passageways not look familiar? Do you need a moment?” asked Garrick, trying to mask the nervousness he was feeling.

  “No my boy,” whispered Maldrin, but loud enough for the others to hear. Then he raised his staff and pointed the glowing lapis lazuli stone toward the fourth passageway straight ahead. “If we walk down that passage we will reach the serpent’s den soon enough. However, I am a bit perplexed and a little worried as to why there are not as many creatures in the caverns as before.”

  “Maldrin, you know this terrain better than any of us,” said Elias, lowering the bottom of his shield to sit on the damp ground. Then he looked at the mercenary. “Garrick, you lead our quest for the Scepter Sword. I respect you both.” Then the knight looked over at Cerelene, who joined them after checking out the shallow passage behind them. “I always tell my men we must constantly be careful. We must never lose our head. Experience and intelligence are parts of the battle as well...” Then Elias looked straight ahead at the passageway that would continue toward the serpent’s den. “But sometimes you just have to move forward.”

  Garrick looked at Elias and was reminded that he was not just a Knight of Providence, but he was their captain. Elias may not command as many men as a captain of The Knights of Aubrelon, but he still led men into battle. And not for a king, but ultimately, for Elion.

  “I think you are right, Elias,” agreed Garrick, striking his beard. Then the mercenary looked over at Maldrin. The wizard was still looking over The River Caverns while petting Tal, who had quietly emerged from his pocket and returned to his shoulder.

  “I agree,” replied Cerelene, scanning the terrain as well. Then the elf maiden smiled. “Besides, I have not shot an arrow in awhile. I am getting a little antsy.”

  Maldrin looked at Cerelene and grinned as the intoxicating feeling of adventure course through his being. Then the old wizard looked at his two human counterparts and lifted his staff. “Alright then. Onward we shall go.”

  The companions walked on again and entered the pathway leading straight ahead. However, to their surprise they spotted a few torches posted into the crags of the rocky corridor. Maldrin quickly extinguished the light from his staff, prompting Tal to return to his pocket. Garrick and Cerelene pulled out arrows from their quivers. Elias looked over his shoulder and Onyx growled quietly, as Azure flew up and perched upon a high rock at the top of the cave. There was no noise other than the sound of the flicking flames.

  “Stay here,” whispered Garrick, as he patted Onyx on his side. Then he crept forward.

  Elias turned his head to watch Garrick as he moved forward, but then returned his gaze behind them. Closer and closer Garrick crept down the tunnel, the knife he had tried to give Maldrin in hand. Then the mercenary stopped as the passage led into another large room of stone.

  Garrick squinted his eyes in the faint light and after a few seconds he saw two goblins sitting on two rocks. One was asleep and the other looked soon to join. Then the mercenary watched as the second goblin shook his head after it fell forward. They were armed with swords and it looked as if they were guarding a passageway to the left. There was also a passageway to the right, and a bigger one straight ahead, as Maldrin had told them.

  “Well my boy, what did you see?” asked Maldrin, after his friend returned, as Elias and Cerelene moved closer to hear the report.

  After Garrick spoke of what he had seen, Maldrin grabbed the wyvern tooth that hung around his neck with his left hand and tapped the top of his staff with the fingers of his right.

  “We are near the serpent’s den. That I know for sure. As to the goblins watching one of the other passages, I do not know,” whispered the old wizard.

  “Perhaps they are only seeking shelter,” replied Cerelene. “These caverns are not nearly as big as King Taudridor’s, but they are caverns nonetheless.” Then the elf maiden glanced at Elias, who she could tell had something to say.

  “These goblins are lookouts, or they may only be guarding treasure,” added the knight. “Yes, these caverns are much smaller, but they are certainly big enough to not only house natural gems, but hold treasure taken from unsuspecting travelers.”

  Garrick ran his hand over his beard again and looked at Maldrin. “You said you were concerned that there were not as many creatures here. Between the serpent and this small group, perhaps they have taken care of most of them.” Then the mercenary looked over at Cerelene, who was brushing off a spider crawling up her green skirt. A second later a plan emerged.

  “We will creep in and have Cerelene take out one of the goblins. Then we will interrogate the other. If all goes well, we will be out of these dark and cold caverns in time to see the sunset,” declared Garrick, hopefully.

  Cerelene lifted her arm and swung it back and forth. Within a few seconds, Azure floated down and landed on her shoulder.

  “Well my boy, there is no reason to overthink the situation. I will say that. We are close to our destination. The serpent’s den is what we should be most worried about,” smiled Maldrin, trying to mask his fear of having to face the giant monster again.

  Though it had been Maldrin guiding them to this point, Garrick now took the lead. After reaching the room with the goblins, he pointed to Elias and then at the right passageway. The knight crept over and stood in front of it. Then the mercenary pointed at Onyx and gestured to the bigger passageway that led to the serpent’s den, and the mystic wolf faithfully trotted over to it. Cerelene and Maldrin walked out only a few steps from the lit passage they had all walked down and stopped, while Garrick continued toward the goblins guarding the left tunnel.

  Cerelene lifted her bow and nocked an arrow, ready to fire at Garrick’s command. When the mercenary lifted his hand, Maldrin watched as the elf maiden pulled the arrow back, her eyes fixed between waiting for Garrick’s arm to drop and the enemy before her.

  Suddenly, her arm jerked as she felt Azure take off with a screech, causing the arrow she gripped to fly toward the sleeping goblin. When the arrow clanged against the rock inches away from his head, the elf maiden and wizard looked up to see Azure and a large bat battling just above them.

  The two goblin guards opened their eyes wide. The one closest to Garrick went for his sword, but the mercenary grabbed the green monster’s wrist with his left hand and drove his knife into its head with his right hand. The mercenary pulled his sword out in anticipation of the second goblin’s attack. However, the attack didn’t come. Garrick watched as the second goblin raised a horn to its lips. The mercenary swung his sword as the warning sound echoed through The River Caverns. Garrick’s blade dug deep into the goblin’s side. Then the monster fell to the floor next to his comrade with the horn he had just held.

  Garrick cursed. How could he have missed the horn when he had scouted out the room?! Then he saw Elias rushing toward him. He heard the growl of Onyx and then looked back as a large bat hit the ground in front of Maldrin and Cerelene. The elf maiden pulled an arrow out of the creature and she, along with the wizard, met the mercenary and knight in the middle of the rocky room.

  “I do not know how many, but we have company,” said Elias with a sarcastic grin.

  Garrick looked from the knight and patted Onyx, who had joined them after checking out the passageway behind the goblins. The mystic wolf gnashed his teeth, staring intently at the passageway he had just left.

  “Whatever the number, double it,” announced Garrick, pulling his bow from his shoulder.

  The noise coming from the two passageways became louder and louder. Garrick, Onyx, Elias, and Cerelene surrounded Maldrin. The wizard slammed the bottom of his staff onto the ground as Cerelene and Garrick raised their bows and Elias lifted his shield and gripped his sword tightly.

  “Illumination!” screamed Maldrin.

  As a large sphere of light flew out of his staff and crashed into a stalactite covered ceiling, chasing away the natural darkness, the wizard and his companions then watched as not only goblins, but trolls flooded into their midsts.