Calis smiled in the dim light. “I’ll be back before dawn.”
With that he moved ahead, and the weary column of men followed after until they came to the next wide space on the trail, where they gladly settled in for a night’s rest.
Erik discovered he had no sense of time in these caves. Calis had mentioned to de Loungville that it had been two and a half days of travel, which in his judgment accounted for a twenty-mile journey from the hillock to the foothills of the mountains, and then a gradual climb into the interior of a large peak. Erik felt as if it had been a lot farther, but he realized that so much of the trek had been up the spiral path inside this mountain.
Earlier that day, Calis had said he was convinced the entire region was deserted, but there was something in his voice that hinted to Erik there was more that he was not sharing. Despite Erik’s constant pledge to himself not to seek trouble but to mind his own business, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was that seemed to be lurking behind the Captain’s words.
One fortunate result of Calis’s exploration was his saying that he thought they were getting close to a way out of this maze of dark passages and tall caverns. At one point he had hesitated between two large tunnels, one angling down into the mountain, the other veering once again upward. Erik sensed Calis had wanted to take the other tunnel, the one heading deep into the heart of the mountains, but he kept them moving upward. Erik wondered what had drawn Calis to that other tunnel.
Late the next day, the soldier carrying the bundle of torches said they were running low. Calis acknowledged the report, saying nothing else.
Erik felt an unexpected stab of fear at the thought of being in these mines without light. They had been extinguishing the torches when they slept. On the first night he had awakened in total darkness and had to fight back the urge to shout in alarm. He had never awakened to so utter a blackness, and he had lain there listening in the dark. He realized he was not the only one awake, for he could hear the rapid breathing of men not able to sleep in such conditions, and the quiet weeping of one or two who felt terror so profound he could understand it even if he couldn’t name it.
Another fitful night was spent in utter darkness, and then they resumed their march. At noon on the fifth day they broke for the midday meal, more dried rations. Water was a problem, as they had only two large skins and a handful of smaller ones, filled at an underground pool the morning before. But there was no sign of water anywhere nearby, and Calis ordered the men to drink as they had in the desert, one mouthful, no more.
As they were readying to move out, a distant clatter rang through the tunnel, as if someone had dislodged rocks. Calis motioned for everyone to stand still. After a while de Loungville whispered, “Rock slide?”
“Perhaps,” answered the Captain. “But I need to be sure.” He pointed up and toward the left. “If I am correct, somewhere up ahead you should come either to an opening that leads directly to the surface, showing you some light, or a big passage leading up and away to the left. Ignore any passages that clearly lead downward or off to the right.” He smiled slightly. “You should be on the surface by the time I catch up with you. I will follow as soon as I am sure there is nothing behind us.”
“Do you want a torch?” asked de Loungville.
“I can find my way without one. If we are being followed by the Saaur, I don’t want any light to show them where I am if I get too close.”
Erik wondered how he could find his way through the dark, and, even if he could, how he was willing to give up the torch’s reassurance, scant as it was. Calis moved down the line, offering a quick tap on the shoulder or nod to each of the men as he passed them.
De Loungville motioned for hand signals only and indicated they should follow him. Erik discovered he was now second in line. He peered into the gloom, barely able to see ten feet beyond the sergeant into the murk, as the flickering torch in the middle of the line caused the shadows, to dance. He fervently hoped that Calis was correct and they were getting close to getting out of these caves. They moved forward.
Faint noises echoed through the passages as the torch burned low. De Loungville judged Calis had been gone for almost a half day. The men were tired, and it seemed an appropriate time for sleep.
Motioning for a halt, he whispered back, “How many torches?”
The answer came, “We have two after this one.”