Chapter 17 - Eight Statues

The fire spread quickly. The conflagration began to pull the air out of the cave as the flames surged. A howling through the tunnels began. Violetta led the way past the stone gate and through the tunnels to the crystal chamber. Though it was not possible for Agog to follow, the torch became a danger. If the light went out there was little that could be done to stop any betrayals. Wilde was still capable of killing them and getting out without much difficulty. So could Raeyn and they knew that the Gobbos wanted her back. If anyone was the most likely to survive it was now her.

" We need that entrance now. " Violetta said to Raeyn.

The direction of the wind in the branching tunnels had revealed something that was not possible before, a powerful breeze from one of the branching tunnels to the right. The air was strong and fresh. Sticking close to the wall had been a good method, but no other obvious entrance had been revealed, and the torch would not last long if they continued this approach.

" Down this way. " Huron mentioned it. " It leads to the outside or a very large chamber. "

Cade hurried as he carried Huron, and the rest followed. The path twisted and descended in a spiral then they came to a narrow door gate with five vertical iron bars blocking an entrance. The bars were closely spaced to prevent entry. Why was it not solid stone?

Violetta tried to push through, turning to her side and pressing her shoulder into the side, but her chest and hips were getting in the way. Testing the side of her head, she realized that even trying to force her through with her head cocked to the side would likely be a tough fit. Only Raeyn would likely fit through.

" Push through and look for a mechanism on the other side. " Violetta turned to her.

" Sure. " Raeyn said as she mimicked Violetta but was able to slink through sideways.

The entranceway appeared to be some sort of guard station with the wall lined with spears and two swords hanging against the wall. The mechanism Violetta spoke of was in front of her, a hand wheel connected to a chain. She struggled to turn the crank, and it began to raise the bars slowly. The mechanism was difficult to turn, but it did not seize as she grunted and strained to continue turning the wheel. Violetta was the first to come through, followed by Wilde. Cade and Huron were the last in. The gate did not lower on its own as it raised up, but a locking latch had triggered overhead that kept it in place. Hitting the latch would release the catch and drop the bars it seemed.

" Well, we are in. " Violetta started to head down the path and noticed right away the path had uneven stonework. " If only we had Stirge with us. "

Wilde let out a grunt, " You left him behind! "

" He was already dead. What would you have her do? " Cade shifted Huron further up on his shoulder, " We had already seen three of them and he could watch his own back. "

" I tried! " Wilde snapped, " Damn things are sneaky. They cannot fight fair. "

" Violetta knew we could not win. " Huron added.

" If you had not fallen in…. " Wilde trailed off with a sniff and shook his head, " Forget it. Let’s finish the mission. "

Violetta held out her arm to stop Wilde from pushing ahead, " The floor is uneven. This is the thieves’ entrance. The traps here are meant to kill and the end will be nothing more than a fake treasure. "

" Figures. " Wilde pushed past her. " Do not step on the raised plates. "

Wilde began to cross the path and headed to the far end of the tunnel as easily as if it was a normal corridor and called out from the next chamber, " There is another mechanism here. "

" Do not use it. " Violetta warned. " That is another trap. We will have to dance our way through each one of these trials if we are to get into the main quarters. Cade can you carry Huron? "

" Don’t worry about my leg, just get us through. " Huron said.

Violetta pulled one of the two swords from the wall and handed it Raeyn, " Carry this with you. "

She then claimed the other for herself and watched as Cade took both himself and Huron across the floor with careful attention to the plates. Violetta gestured for Raeyn to cross next and avoiding the slightly risen plates was easy. This sort of trap could actually work? She had not noticed it before it was called out, so perhaps the shifting lanes of left and right places would catch the unaware. It could have been her if she had fled down the corridor.

Violetta was the last to cross and immediately looked into the new chamber before them. Four statues lined the left and right sides of the square chamber. Each statue faces a mirrored version of themselves on the opposite side of the room. Each pair having the same stalwart guard pose and stood at attention in a different way. The only thing that the eight nearly identical stone warriors had in common were their suits of armor that resembled fish scales, from head to toe the weird armor of these ‘fish scale’ warriors was meticulously carved with different flair on their odd swooping helms that resembled the mouths of trout or perhaps a bass. The warriors' chiseled features were simple and devoid of expression, but the detailed eyes held matching gemstones of green, red, blue and white. On the far side of the room was an open door leading to another tunnel.

" A puzzle? " Wilde scoffed, " Is this really the thieves’ entrance? " Violetta carefully moved around outside edge of the room and began to look at the statues one by one, " Does anything seem amiss? "

" No. " Cade stepped into the middle of the room, " They are matching. The eyes. The poses. Are we supposed to do something? "

" This trial does not make sense. " Huron added from Cade’s back. " Is there any clue? "

" It would not be a trial otherwise, but can we spot it? " Wilde turned to glare at Raeyn.

Raeyn fell in behind Violetta and the two paced the room, but Violetta was the one who came to look at the floor more closely. Looking for signs on the ground, she crouched and put the torch just over the floor. A small footprint took to the flame. The trace burned for just a moment, but the smell was obvious. The fleeting flame had revealed the outline of a foot. Small enough to be a young child, or a Gobbo like Raeyn.

" They have already been here. " Violetta looked to Raeyn, " Tracked in the guano and their strain and sweating moving the statues left the footprints. Do you know anything about this, Raeyn? "

" No. " She responded honestly, " I had not left the warren until today. "

" Make her lead. " Cade demanded.

Raeyn looked down the tunnel and Violetta gently nodded in approval. She would be the one to test it? So much for being necessary. It was to be expected. Still, she looked down the corridor and saw no upturned plates or anything that looked like a trap. Violetta would not risk the torch or follow close behind. She headed out of the room and walked down the corridor and saw its end in the darkness. The tunnel itself seemingly came to an abrupt end and the ceiling opened above. A vertical shaft of smooth stone and traces of dried brown and red lined parts of the stone. It was blood. Proof that the way had already been traversed. How to get up the narrow shaft though? She turned to look at Violetta from the back of the corridor only to see Wilde behind her. In his right hand was a dagger.