Ignoring the remark, Martin said, “Jimmy?”
“Yes, I’ll go first. I’ll not end my days because one of you lost his grip and fell on me. Keep clear of the opening until I call down.”
With assistance from Martin, Jimmy easily made it into the chimney. It was a good fit, with just enough room to negotiate easily. The others, especially Martin and Baru, would find it a tight fit, but they would squeeze through. Jimmy quickly made it to the top, about thirty feet from the chamber below, and found another cave. Without light he couldn’t tell its size, but faint echoes of his breathing told him it was a good size. He lowered himself down just far enough to call the come ahead, then scrambled up to the lip.
By the time the first head, Roald’s, popped into view, Jimmy had a torch lit. Quickly they all climbed up the chimney. The cave was large, easily two hundred feet across. The roof averaged a full twenty-five feet high. Stalagmites rose from the floor, some joining together with the stalactites above to form limestone pillars. The cave was a forest of stone. In the distance several other caves and passages could be seen.
Martin looked about. “How high do you judge we’ve climbed, Jimmy?”
“No more than seventy feet. Not yet halfway.”
“Now which way?” asked Arutha.
Jimmy said, “Nothing for it except to try them one at a time.”
Picking one of the many exits, he marched toward it.
After hours of searching, Jimmy turned to Laurie and said, “The surface.”
Word was passed and Arutha squeezed up past the singer to look. Above the boy’s head was a narrow passage, little more than a crack. Arutha could see light above, almost blinding after the faintly lit passages. With a nod, Jimmy climbed up until he blocked out the brilliance above.
When he returned, he said, “It comes out in an outcropping of rocks. We’re about a hundred yards from the bridge side of the black building. It’s a big thing, two stories tall.”
“Any guards?”
“None I could see.”
Arutha considered, then said, “We’ll wait until dark. Jimmy, can you hang close to the surface and listen?”
“There’s a ledge,” said the boy and scrambled back upward.
Arutha sat and the others did likewise, waiting for darkness to come.
Jimmy tensed and relaxed muscles to avoid cramping. The top of the plateau was deathly silent, except for an occasional sound carried by the wind. Mostly he heard a stray word or the sounds of boots coming from the direction of the bridge. Once he thought he heard a strange, low sound coming from the black building, but he couldn’t be certain. The sun had dipped beneath the horizon, although the sky still glowed. It was certainly two hours after normal suppertime, but this high on the face of the mountains, this close to Midsummer, and this far north, the sun set long after it did in Krondor. Jimmy reminded himself that he had worked jobs before where he’d had to skip meals, but somehow that didn’t stop his stomach from demanding attention.
At last it was dark enough. Jimmy, for one, was glad, and it seemed the others shared his feelings. Something about this place brought them to the edge of outright agitation. Even Martin had several times been heard muttering curses at the need to wait. No, there was something alien about this place, and it was a subtle sort of effect they were feeling. Jimmy knew he wouldn’t feel secure again until this place was miles behind him and a dim memory.
Jimmy climbed out and kept watch while Martin came next, followed by the others. By agreement they split up into three groups: Baru with Laurie, Roald with Martin, and Jimmy with the Prince. They would scout the lakeshore for the plant, and as soon as one found it he would return to the crack in the rocks, waiting down below for his companions.
Arutha and Jimmy were slated to move toward the big black building, and by agreement had decided to begin their search behind the building. It seemed wise to check for guards before searching near the ancient Valheru edifice. It was impossible to know the moredhel attitude toward the place. They might hold it in similar awe to the elves’ and refuse to enter, give it wide berth until some ceremony, as if it were a shrine, or they might be inside the building in numbers.
Slipping through the dark, Jimmy reached the edge of the building and hugged it. The stones felt unusually smooth. Jimmy ran his hand over them and discovered they were textured like marble. Arutha waited, weapons ready, while Jimmy did a quick circumnavigation of the building. “No one in sight,” he whispered, “except at the bridge towers.”
“Inside?” Arutha hissed.
Jimmy said, “Don’t know, It’s a big place, but only one door. Want to look?” He hoped the Prince would say no.