Hammer 18: Portal

A shadow fell across Corvan’s eyelids, and he instinctively rolled away, pain shooting up his elbow before his arm went numb. The lizard had scratched him with his poisonous claw!

Corvan’s eyes popped over to find Tsarek standing over him, his head cocked inquisitively to one side. “I am so sorry frighten you into being wake, Kalian, sir, but it is time for us to leave.”

Corvan moved his arm tentatively. The numbness ebbed away, although his elbow still ached fiercely. He’d simply hit his funny bone on the rocky floor.

A faint tremor ran through the cavern walls.

“The first portal is about to open,” Tsarek said, jumping towards the cave entrance. “I was too occupied sorting through my collections, and I let you sleep too long. We will need to sort through your pack between the next portals of the labyrinth.”

Corvan sat up and pulled his pack closer. It seemed heavier.

The lizard gestured over his shoulder to a small cloth bundle tied to the end of a few long sticks, like the bindle the railway hobos would carry when they got off in town the trains in town to walk into Fenwood.“I did not have enough room, so while you slept, I added a few of my belongings to your pack. I hope that is all right.”

Corvan got to his feet and hefted the pack. It was much heavier. “What did you put in here, rocks?”

Tsarek grinned. “Just one,” he said, pointing to the musical crystals.

Corvan looked around. All that remained of the largest crystal was a broken stump.

“If it is too much for you, I cantryto carry it in my bundle,” Tsarek said, shaking the sticks balanced over his shoulder.

Corvan shook his head as he pulled on the pack. “It’s okay for now. When we go through my stuff later, we’ll decide what we really need.”

“Thank you, sir. I have grown attached to my music and I believe it will keep our spirits up during the long walk to the lower levels, especially if we become lost.”

Another tremor went through the rock along with a sinking feeling in Corvan’s stomach. They hadn’t even started and Tsarek was already talking about getting lost.

“The first door is open.” Tsarek tugged on Corvan’s sleeve. “I am not sure how long we have to get through.” The lizard scurried from the room with Corvan stumbling along trying to avoid the end of his sticks and bundle.

Tsarek was quickly lost to sight in the dark tunnel. “Wait for me!” Corvan called. “I can’t see anything.”

“Right in front of you, sir. No time to stop. Follow my voice; the entry is not far but watch out for the stones on the floor.”

Watch? In complete darkness? Most likely the lizard could see in the dark.

The lizard cried out in pain then his voice came from up ahead. “Look out for the big stone in the middle of the path,”

Nope, the lizard couldn’t see in the dark either. Corvan shuffled his feet along the floor to avoid stubbing his toes or twisting his ankle.

An abrupt shift in air pressure caused Corvan’s ears to pop. A moist breeze blew past, heavy with the sulfuric odor of burnt matches.

“It’s opening!” the lizard shouted. Corvan rushed along, bumped off the wall at a sharp corner before the end of Tsarek’s sticks hit him in the shoulder. The lizard was standing at the end of a roughly hewn tunnel and the source of the sour wind was before them: a hole in the wall about a foot off the ground and three feet in diameter.

“The other entries all open at the same time, and the air from inside the Cor pushes toward the surface,” Tsarek said in a reverential tone. “I haven’t come this way for a very long time. The smell of my home would give me great longing but also terrible fear that the black band would call me to report.”

The rock around the edges began to ripple like molten blue glass. Wisps of smoke trailed from its edges as it openeda bit wider. Corvan leaned forward and looked through, but there was only a black void on the other side.

“We will need some light,” Tsarek said, fumbling with his bundle of sticks. Presently a brilliant glow fluttered in the breeze of the portal opening. Corvan stepped forwards.

“Do not touch it, sir. We must wait until it is fully formed, or it will close quickly and cut whatever is partway inside to pieces.” The lizard shuddered. “It is not a pretty sight.”

“How will Kate know not to touch them?”

“I think she will be moving forward quickly, as the black band calls her on. I believe the next portal leading on to the next cavern of the labyrinth will be fully formed by the time she gets to it so if she steps through, she will not be harmed. See, this one is ready. We can go inside now.”

The ring of blue glass had turned a creamy tan color. The smoke and the smell of sulphur vanished on the breeze.

“You can touch the sides now.” Tsarek’s claws clicked on the glossing ring, then he picked up this bundle of sticks with its attached sack and tossed it inside. “It will be easier if you throw your large pack in first. I’ll hold the light for you.”

Corvan tossed the heavy pack over the rim, put one foot over the threshold, then stood straddling the gap in the wall. He gingerly touched the glossy edge. It pulsed warmly against his fingers and the blue light returned, rippling out from around each fingertip.

Tsarek shouted and shoved him through the hole to land in a heap on the other side. The opening snapped shut and the darkness returned, as if someone had switched off the lights. The smell of burning matches once again infused the still air.

Corvan heard the lizard grunt. “Sir, I need your help, please. You will find more fire sticks attached to my bundle on the floor. The one in my claws is no longer useful.”

Fumbling around the floor, Corvan located the sticks, untied them, then exposed the capped end on one. White light flared to reveal Tsarek hanging from the end of a stick that stuck straight out of a solid cave wall. He looked so funny with his short, thick legs dangling in midair that Corvan had to choke back a laugh. “Was the portal supposed to close that fast?” Corvan asked.

Tsarek shook his head and that made him bounce on the end of the stick like a jackfish on a willow pole. “It hasn’t in the past. Kate must have found the next portal very quickly. There is no other way to explain it.” The lizard shrugged, bobbing up and down. “Could you help me down, sir?”

“It’s not far. Just let go.”

“I would, sir, but when I get frightened my claws lock up on me.” Tsarek ducked his head and dropped his gaze to the ground. “You will need to rub the small spines on my neck and back for me to relax enough to let go.”

Corvan stepped closer. “These little spikes?” He ran his hand up the lizard’s prickly spine.

“The other way, please. That way only makes me more tense.”

Corvan ran his hand downward as if he were petting a cat.

“That’s better,” Tsarek said as he dropped from the pole, the stick twanging above him. Muttering a stiff “thank you, sir,” the lizard scurried over to his belongings and tied everything back together.

“Will the next door be nearby?” Corvan asked.

“Not usually. The portals move each time they open and close. That is why we will need the hammer to guide us on from here. It will be many hours until the next time they open. We should move farther into the main cavern and find a comfortable spot to sort through your belongings. Your bag barely fit through this one and its likely one of the largest of the portals.”

Corvan hoisted his pack into position, then grabbed the stick in the wall. “I suppose we should break this off in case we need it later.” He pulled down and the stick shuddered in his hand. A dull boom thumped through the walls of the cavern.

“Oh, my, so fortunate it did not break off on this side,” Tsarek exclaimed. “To break a fire stick is to release its energy at one time. Very dangerous. It is fortunate that the Cor shield is unbreakable.”

“Sorry. I didn’t know.”

“No harm done, sir. It is good that we are not deep enough for buraks. A vibration like that one in their area would have them eating us before we could call out for help. One bite and you die even faster than my claws!”

Corvan didn’t recall the lizard mentioning man-eating creatures lurking below. He peered over his shoulder into the darkness. Was a burak the monster from his recurring nightmare? A shiver ran through his body. Did his grandfather’s stories mean he would need to use the special rope to escape from a burak to get out of the labyrinth? He looked to Tsarek, and the lizard smiled at him.

“Not to worry, sir. The buraks cannot enter the labyrinth. They are much farther down and closer to the Cor. It may be best to move away from here in case that fire stick breaks on this side. Sometimes, when they get as old as these ones, they can shatter on their own. Very messy if you happen to be holding one.”

Corvan thrust the glowing fire stick at Tsarek.

Tsarek took from him, his short legs churning as he moved off with Corvan following closely. If Tsarek was wrong about the buraks, he didn’t want to meet one alone in the dark.

The low passage opened into a cavernous room with a low ceiling. The sound of water echoed in the far corner, and Corvan’s parched throat reminded him he’d had nothing to drink since leaving home.

Tsarek ran to the pool, stuck his torch into a crack in the floor, the crouched down to lap up the water like a scaley dog.

The pool was a good twenty yards across to where the water tumbling in from a fissure in the wall. No water ran out of the pool, so the drain had to be somewhere below the surface.

Corvan stretched out on the ground and sucked up the water. It was cool and refreshing but tasted somewhat of fish. He glanced to one side. Tsarek had waded into the pool next to him and was washing his scales. “Do you mind?” Corvan said. “I was still drinking,”

“No problem, sir,” Tsarek chirped brightly in response. “You do not bother me. Please continue.”

Corvan shook his head, got to his feet, and waded in until the water was below his knees.He should have taken off his running shoes first. They would take a long time to dry in the damp air. He stooped over, and splashed water onto his dirty face.

The water was cool, but Tsarek didn’t seem to mind. Was he actually cold blooded like most lizards? His energetic splashes were sending ripples dancing across the pool in all directions. The small waves bounced off the rock wall on the far side and crisscrossed on their way back like thin snakes swimming just below the surface. The ripples were moving toward Tsarek, then suddenly changed direction to undulate directly toward Corvan.

He pointed at them. “Hey, Tsarek, why are the ripples—”

In that moment he was yanked underwater by his legs. Corvan grabbed at a thin rope wrapped around his ankles, but more ropes whipped around him to bind his arms and legs together. Panic raged through him as he was dragged like a hogtied calf deep into the dark water.

A bright light bubbled past, and he caught a glimpse of a fire stick held out in Tsarek’s claws. The water foamed angrily around Corvan. His ears thundered in pain as the light faded to a narrow point.

The ropes pulled him along even faster and his lungs screamed for fresh air. His head throbbed. Sparks swam before his eyes. He tried to hang on, but before he could stop himself, his lips parted, and water swept into his lungs.

An unexpected sense of calm settled over him. His body relaxed, his arms drifting limply past his face.

He was about to die, and Kate would be lost in tunnels of the Cor.