Malcolm stepped through the doorway that materialized after they crossed the tiles. His boot landed on pristine white and cream mosaic that gleamed under the ambient light. He ran his palm along the wall—still raw stone, but worked smooth. Behind him, Valgrin let out a low whistle. Izzy's fingers twitched toward her bowstring, a habit when confronted with the unexpected. They all stood frozen, ears straining for sounds beyond their own breathing.
Malcolm's eyes narrowed as he pulled his gaze from the tiled ceiling. "Seems like more of your—continuity issues," he said, drawing out the words as if testing their weight. He glanced back at Valgrin with a frown. "Doesn't match the previous rooms. Hell, it doesn't even stay consistent in this hallway." He scuffed his boot against the immaculate floor. "And where's the dust that should be holding those tracks we've been following?"
“Dunno, guess we just keep moving forward til we find a different direction to go or a door. Not sure what the source of light is either, Skwilly be ready in case it all goes black.”
Skwilly nodded back at Valgrin, “I’ll be ready.”
“At least the hall is wider than usual.” Izzy held her arms wide with her finger-tips on the right wall, and her left hand several feet short of touching the wall on that side. “Has to be at least ten feet wide.”
About fifteen feet into the hallway, Malcolm threw up a hand to stop everyone. “Izzy or Bridget, can you hear me?” Both nodded back. “Hmm, any of you on the back row hear me?” All three answered they could. “Our feet stopped making noise on that last step. Strange they go silent but I can hear rustling noises from our equipment and we can hear each other.”
Valgrin stomped his foot, the thud echoed slightly in the hall. “My feet still make noise.”
Izzy repeated the experiment, “Mine don’t.”
“So the line of silence is between the two rows. Strange, and a little worrisome.” Malcolm touched the wall next to him. “Can’t see anything that would be a trap. Lets take a couple more steps and stop.”
They came to another stop, Valgrin stomped the floor, no sound. “Ylnah?”
No sound came from her, or Skwilly’s attempts.
“Nothing from the back row now.” Valgrin confirmed.
Malcolm nodded, “Still don’t see any signs of traps.”
“Is none,” a squeaking voice came from nowhere.
Ylnah's head snapped up. " Who? Where?" Her voice rose to match the pitch of the mysterious speaker.
“Sounded like it came from the wall next to me.” Izzy pointed as she backed away a few steps.
Bridget pivoted to face the wall, planting her feet wide as Izzy slipped behind her. "Identify yourself."
“We.” A different voice, slightly deeper, answered.
Skwilly stepped next to Bridget, “We can’t see you. Which makes us nervous. Can you show yourself?”
A flurry of hushed whispers erupted behind the wall, rising and falling in what sounded like heated disagreement. After nearly two minutes of this muffled debate, the bottom half of the wall simply vanished, revealing three diminutive humanoid figures standing shoulder to shoulder in the newly formed archway.
Malcolm joined the rest of the group in a quiet gasp. Look like skinny little kids. Other than the lion mane like hair do, and the huge eyes. The lights coming from the lions mane is a little off-putting.
“Thank you,” Skwilly offered as he lit up in an echo to their glow.
“Oooh.” The small creatures cooed, “You look like we.”
“At least in the light up department.” Valgrin commented. “Who are you?”
“We are paaluns. I am Enal.” Said the one in the middle. He pointed to his right, “This is Rana,” and pointing to his left, “And this is Usta.”
Malcolm introduced the group, then asked, “Why hide behind the wall, but then announce yourselves?”
“We hide,” Enal stated, his large brown eyes slowly scanning the group. “You not bahdeevals. We no hide.”
“Bahdeevals?” Izzy queried.
Enal nodded, “We watch. Not want to attract bahdeevals. They not good, hurt paaluns. Step inside now so no bahdeevals find us.”
Malcolm looked back at the group, “Well, unless someone objects. I vote we follow Enal and his friends.”
Without waiting for consensus, Bridget hunched down and stepped through the opening. Malcolm glanced back at the group, then ducked his head and followed. The others exchanged quick looks before filing in behind him.
Everyone except Skwilly had to duck-walk through the first ten feet of tunnel before the ceiling finally rose enough to stand upright. The chamber beyond was small and unremarkable save for the strange purple hue that stained the otherwise ordinary packed-earth floor.
Enal turned before heading down the next passage, “We talk more here. Bahdeevals won’t hear.”
Malcolm got a quick nod from Izzy and Valgrin before asking, “I’ll repeat the question we had earlier. What are bahdeevals?”
“Mean…”
“Big, ugly…”
Usta broke in, thrusting his hands outward in a spreading gesture. “Some lots furry…”
“Lots teeth…”
The three paaluns gestured wildly, their voices climbing over each other in a chaotic chorus.
“Wait.” Ylnah held up her hand. “Too many trying to answer.”
Enal glared at his compatriots, “Enal be only to answer. Bahdeevals go down that hallway we came from to living place for them. They take or kill paaluns if see us. Sharp teeth. Knives on fingers. Some do little magic that can keep paaluns from moving.”
“And you were on watch?” Izzy asked.
Rana bounced on her toes. “Watch for bahdeevals, yes.”
“Keep home safe.” Usta nodded.
Bridget shifted from foot to foot, “Did you see them bring a…um…not bahdeeval down the hall the last couple of days?”
Enal nodded vigorously, “Had green arms touch everything. Not seen type before. Looked human with yellow hair, except extra green arms.”
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“That’s Shawin!” Bridget exclaimed, her next words came out rushed, “How do we get to bahdeevals? Do we need to go back down hall?”
All three paaluns shook their heads.
“Nooo.” Rana put her pale hands over her mouth.
“We have way.” Enal patted Rana. “Not go through hall. Lots guard. Go our way not many guards. Have to wait for morning. It only open for few hours.”
Bridget frantically looked over at Izzy, “Not sure I can wait.”
“Must.” Enal’s voice took on an air of command. “We no go down hall. Many guards. No live. Our way better, though must wait. Only able to open when bahdeevals do morning rituals.”
Izzy put her arm around Bridget and squeezed, “Even if we made it through the hall and bahdeeval entrance, we’d have to know where to go find her. If we use the backdoor the paaluns have, it sounds like we’ll be much closer and will be able to find her.”
“Yes,” Usta raised his arms. “Much closer, we find the shawin.”
“Shawin is my daughter.” Bridget’s voice cracked as a tear slowly slid down her cheek.
Rana walked over and put her hand on Bridget’s hip, “Me understand. Still not good to go down hallway. I get you and we go get your daughter when morning.”
Enal led the way down the next passage. The group had to walk single file and hunched over. After going twenty feet Malcolm groaned as he stretched to stand at full height.
Malcolm's neck cracked as he straightened, then froze mid-stretch. Before him stretched a vast underground city, its pathways spiraling outward like a spider's web from a central fountain that burbled and splashed, sending ripples across its purple-tinged surface. Paaluns scurried along blue and green gravel paths that crunched beneath their feet, disappearing into and emerging from mud huts whose walls shimmered with an iridescent gray-purple sheen. Far above, countless crystalline stalactites hung like frozen chandeliers, each one pulsing with gentle light that cast moving shadows across the cavern floor as the fountain's mist rose to meet them.
“Home.” Enal declared.
“Impressive.” Valgrin commented in a hushed tone.
“First we go to Nori, she current Tegent.” Enal explained as they stepped onto blue gravel, that Malcolm decided would look at home in an aquarium. “She assign you sleep place and then we have small welcome feast. After you go sleep and in morning we go get Shawin.” Enal made a slight bow to Bridget.
As they walked down the path toward the fountain, a paalun froze mid-step at the sight of Malcolm and the group, then darted down a side path with a squeak. Three more scattered like startled mice, their rusty-brown manes bouncing as they fled. Malcolm glanced over his shoulder to see those same paaluns now tiptoeing back onto the blue gravel behind them, ducking behind each other when he caught their enormous eyes peering at him. Near the fountain, a cluster of paaluns actually leaned forward instead of away, their gazes curious rather than frightened. One with a fiery ginger mane even waved. The veins beneath their skin glowed faintly blue against their translucent flesh.
They had taken several steps on a green path before Enal called them to a halt and asked them to wait, then slipped inside an official looking hut, one that seemed to have more purple than the others. A few minutes later he came out with a brunette maned, hazel eyed, paalun. “This is Nori.” Enal introduced them.
“Greetings,” Nori’s voice was light and airy. “Enal told me how you came here.” Nori turned to Bridget, “We will help to find your daughter in morning. For now, we must get you place to sleep. Follow me.” Nori continued down the green path, the fountain on one side and huts on the other.
Malcolm glanced into the fountain and saw several fish swimming in it. Each were the size of a full grown koi, a few had a slight blue tinge, the rest where completely white.
Nori came to a standstill and addressed the group. “This is guest sleep huts.” She pointed to three huts spaced around an open clay space. “Not need many these years. Long time ago many needed and were often filled. You first in a year. Take this one, “ Nori pointed to the one closest to the gravel path. “Later we have feast for you and some paalun—like Enal, Rana, Usta, myself, and others. Then let you sleep. Enough room in this one for daughter after we get her." Nori stood watching the group.
“Thank you, Nori.” Izzy stepped up and knelt to get to eye-level. “I’m sure this will be great.”
Nodding Nori placed a hand on Izzy’s shoulder. “Must go get feast ready. You settle and rest. Will be back in an hour, or little longer.” With that Nori and the other paaluns left the group to move into their temporary home.
Ylnah stepped inside, moving her fingers in a casting motion. Once everyone got inside, she spoke. “I have a small Silence spell going. Don’t want to leave it up for long. Just wanted to mention there is a lot of magic floating around out there. It would take me days to unravel and understand most of it. Less magic on this hut, but still some, hence the Silence spell. I’m not saying it’s malevolent or anything, just wanted to make you aware.”
“They seem to be a bit wary of us,” Malcolm explained what he’d seen. “Need to stay on our guard, just in case, but seem to be harmless enough.”
Skwilly’s body shuddered, “I’m getting some kind of strange feeling. Can’t identify it, guess it could be nerves, not sure.”
“I agree with everyone who’s spoken up. We should move forward with the help they offer, but be cautious at the same time.” Valgrin added, “We should drop the Silence now, though.”
Ylnah made sure everyone watched as she deactivated it.
As promised Nori and a few others came into the open area. Each one carrying some type of platter, bowl, or pitcher. “We brought food and water. We feast now.” The paaluns spread a woven cloth on the clay, setting the dishes on top and they each took a seat on the ground around the cloth. Malcolm and the rest joined their new friends.
After the meal of mushrooms and tubers similar to slender potatoes. The paaluns left and the group headed back in the hut.
“Amazing how they get so many mushrooms to taste similar to foods we know.” Malcolm commented on the meal.
Izzy nodded, “The water was cold and wonderful as well.”
“I’m headed to sleep as quick as possible, morning can’t come soon enough.” Bridget curled up in her travel blanket.
Soon the rest of the group had followed her lead.
