There was more of this torment to go. How did he get himself into these situations?
Slowly, with infinite concentration, he moved along the ropes. They were stout and stable, but even the small amount of give they had sent him into flutters of panic. As long as he kept his feet and hands connected to the rope, he’d be alright. As long as the rope didn’t break.
When he reached the other side, he was genuinely surprised. He stepped off the rope, moved a safe distance from the edge of the chasm. Suddenly, all his misgivings were forgotten, and his bravado reasserted itself. What had he been worried about, anyway? It was easy! If it had been half a metre off the ground instead of hanging over a bottomless pit, he’d have practically run across it! He’d never been in any danger of falling for a moment!
He grinned at Jez and then waved his hands over the chasm at the others. ‘Come on, fellers!’ he called. ‘Nothing to it!’
It took some time, but soon they were safely on the other side, with Crake looking more than a little relieved as he adjusted his pack. Frey looked back to Malvery and Pinn, hunkered down in a circle of light.
‘Shout if you see that bloody awful thing we heard earlier, eh?’ he called maliciously.
‘Right-o,’ said Malvery, not concerned in the least. ‘You too.’
‘Wait, I forgot about that!’ Pinn said. ‘Hey, Cap’n, wait a minute! I’m coming!’
‘You made your choice, Pinn!’ Frey said. ‘See you later.’ He led them off down a new fissure, with Pinn’s increasingly frantic protests echoing in his ears.
Pelaru was becoming visibly agitated now, hurrying them along when he could. He sensed they were getting closer, and his Thacian composure had all but deserted him. Shortly afterwards, a break in the fissure wall led them into a corridor of dank brick, evidently an underground passageway of some kind. It was partially collapsed, but a way had been cleared, and there were fresh bootprints in the dust.
‘Come on,’ said Pelaru. ‘Not far now. It’s not—’
‘Wait,’ said Crake, holding his hand up. He frowned.
‘What’s up?’ Frey asked.
Crake said nothing. Instead he took a lantern from Silo and began poking around the rubble. He picked up a brick and examined it closely.
‘Crake?’ Frey said again.
‘He’s right, Cap’n,’ said Jez. ‘Something’s wrong here. A feeling. Like . . . crawling on my skin.’
Crake held out the brick so Frey could see it. There were markings carved on one side. ‘There are other bricks around here, with more markings.’
‘What are they?’ Frey asked, bemused.
‘Well, from what I can make out, they look like wards. Daemonist wards.’
Frey felt a trickle of ice pass down his spine. He’d had enough of daemons to last several lifetimes. ‘Meaning what?’
‘Meaning there was a wall here covered in wards,’ said Crake. He tossed the brick aside. ‘Powerful ones, too. I can still sense them, even now. Probably the wall came down with the quake.’
‘And whatever they were keeping out got in,’ said Ashua.
‘That, or the other way round,’ Silo added.
Pelaru looked pale. Frey thought of the howl they’d heard earlier. ‘Great,’ he said. ‘That’s just bloody marvellous. Crake?’
‘I’ve got some tricks in my pack, Cap’n,’ he said. ‘Can’t be sure they’ll—’
He was interrupted by a cry from Pelaru. The whispermonger pushed past them and up the corridor, disappearing beyond the range of the lantern light. Frey ran after him. A few metres on, he caught up, and found Pelaru staring at something on the ground.
There was a body there. The upper half of one, anyway. It was lying face-down across the corridor, having been roughly ripped in half.
Pelaru wore an expression of anguish on his face. ‘I . . .’ he began, but then his mouth dried up.
Frey walked up to the corpse. ‘Calm down, it’s not him,’ he said. ‘Look how withered he is. He’s been dead for ages. There’s
Slowly, with infinite concentration, he moved along the ropes. They were stout and stable, but even the small amount of give they had sent him into flutters of panic. As long as he kept his feet and hands connected to the rope, he’d be alright. As long as the rope didn’t break.
When he reached the other side, he was genuinely surprised. He stepped off the rope, moved a safe distance from the edge of the chasm. Suddenly, all his misgivings were forgotten, and his bravado reasserted itself. What had he been worried about, anyway? It was easy! If it had been half a metre off the ground instead of hanging over a bottomless pit, he’d have practically run across it! He’d never been in any danger of falling for a moment!
He grinned at Jez and then waved his hands over the chasm at the others. ‘Come on, fellers!’ he called. ‘Nothing to it!’
It took some time, but soon they were safely on the other side, with Crake looking more than a little relieved as he adjusted his pack. Frey looked back to Malvery and Pinn, hunkered down in a circle of light.
‘Shout if you see that bloody awful thing we heard earlier, eh?’ he called maliciously.
‘Right-o,’ said Malvery, not concerned in the least. ‘You too.’
‘Wait, I forgot about that!’ Pinn said. ‘Hey, Cap’n, wait a minute! I’m coming!’
‘You made your choice, Pinn!’ Frey said. ‘See you later.’ He led them off down a new fissure, with Pinn’s increasingly frantic protests echoing in his ears.
Pelaru was becoming visibly agitated now, hurrying them along when he could. He sensed they were getting closer, and his Thacian composure had all but deserted him. Shortly afterwards, a break in the fissure wall led them into a corridor of dank brick, evidently an underground passageway of some kind. It was partially collapsed, but a way had been cleared, and there were fresh bootprints in the dust.
‘Come on,’ said Pelaru. ‘Not far now. It’s not—’
‘Wait,’ said Crake, holding his hand up. He frowned.
‘What’s up?’ Frey asked.
Crake said nothing. Instead he took a lantern from Silo and began poking around the rubble. He picked up a brick and examined it closely.
‘Crake?’ Frey said again.
‘He’s right, Cap’n,’ said Jez. ‘Something’s wrong here. A feeling. Like . . . crawling on my skin.’
Crake held out the brick so Frey could see it. There were markings carved on one side. ‘There are other bricks around here, with more markings.’
‘What are they?’ Frey asked, bemused.
‘Well, from what I can make out, they look like wards. Daemonist wards.’
Frey felt a trickle of ice pass down his spine. He’d had enough of daemons to last several lifetimes. ‘Meaning what?’
‘Meaning there was a wall here covered in wards,’ said Crake. He tossed the brick aside. ‘Powerful ones, too. I can still sense them, even now. Probably the wall came down with the quake.’
‘And whatever they were keeping out got in,’ said Ashua.
‘That, or the other way round,’ Silo added.
Pelaru looked pale. Frey thought of the howl they’d heard earlier. ‘Great,’ he said. ‘That’s just bloody marvellous. Crake?’
‘I’ve got some tricks in my pack, Cap’n,’ he said. ‘Can’t be sure they’ll—’
He was interrupted by a cry from Pelaru. The whispermonger pushed past them and up the corridor, disappearing beyond the range of the lantern light. Frey ran after him. A few metres on, he caught up, and found Pelaru staring at something on the ground.
There was a body there. The upper half of one, anyway. It was lying face-down across the corridor, having been roughly ripped in half.
Pelaru wore an expression of anguish on his face. ‘I . . .’ he began, but then his mouth dried up.
Frey walked up to the corpse. ‘Calm down, it’s not him,’ he said. ‘Look how withered he is. He’s been dead for ages. There’s
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