Suddenly, the rock began to move. It shivered under their palms and trembled with the anticipation of movement.
"Push!" commanded Hornsbuck, straining against the rock, his face suffused with dark blood and his neck corded with effort. Mika obeyed, pushing harder now that it seemed that something was actually happening.
There was a loud rumbling groan, and the boulder rolled to one side, exposing a yawning black cavity at their feet that Mika barely avoided falling into.
He stared into the dark hole with disbelief. He looked up at Hornsbuck who grinned at him broadly. "What is this? Where does it go and how does it come to be here?" Mika stammered. "And how did you come to know of it?"
"Hah!" exclaimed Hornsbuck, slapping his hands on his thighs. "That is for me to know. There are still a few things left in the world that you have not discovered.
"Hornsbuck has had more than a few adventures in his day," he said, green eyes glittering. "I am not just some dusty old nomad who knows nought but wolves and killing. Dainty manners ain't everything. I, too, have my secrets, and they may save your life yet, young pup, so save your laughter and sneers for someone other than I."
Mika felt the blood rush to his face and he sneaked a look at Tam who also appeared somewhat chastened.
"My apologies, Hornsbuck. I did not mean to give offense. I'm sure Tamlur and I can learn much from you and RedTail."
Their eyes met and held, then Hornsbuck turned away. "Too much talking," he said gruffly. "You've even got me doing it. Let's go." Sweeping the area with one last look, he grabbed the reins and dragged the roan into the dark hole.
The roan was not pleased at the prospect and attempted to rear, his nostrils filled with the scent of damp earth. But Hornsbuck allowed no such opportunity, holding the reins tight in his huge fist right below the horse's muzzle. He had no choice but to follow where he was led.
Mika was more than a little reluctant himself, having never liked close, dark places. But he followed hard on the heels of the roan with Tam close behind.
The earth sloped gently for the first few feet, and as his head dipped below the surface of the ground, Mika felt a hand grip his arm and pull him aside.
Hornsbuck pulled two of the pitch-stained limbs from the roan's back and, striking his flint, lit them. They burst into flame immediately and began to burn with a bright flame, trailing tails of dark smoke.
Hornsbuck handed both limbs to Mika and then reached up and started pulling on what appeared to be the roots of bushes, that dangled from the earthen ceiling. There was a low, rending groan, and the boulder began to move. Mika's chest grew tight and a feeling of panic came over him as the boulder rolled back into place, blotting out the blue sky above. It settled into place with a solid, final-sounding thump. Mika wondered with a panic if it would ever move again.
"Don't mind," Hornsbuck said roughly, clamping a callused hand on Mika's shoulder, "it ain't so bad, after a bit. You'll get used to it. Come on, we'd best get going. Keep your mind busy so you don't have time to think."
Mika was not too sure about Hornsbuck's logic, but he agreed in principle, so he handed one torch back to the older man and then followed behind the roan, concentrating on his immediate surroundings rather than the thought of where he was.
Their heads and shoulders brushed occasionally against the earth walls and ceiling. Roots poked through the ceiling, flaring briefly as they were touched by the torches. The roan filled the narrow corridor completely and scraped dirt from the walls which fell in Mika's path.
Quite soon, however, the path dropped abruptly in a series of gigantic steps. It gradually widened until it was broad enough for both he and Hornsbuck to walk comfortably abreast, the wolves in the lead and the horse bringing up the rear.
The ceiling rose higher and higher until it was more than three man-heights above their heads, and Mika's feeling of oppression lifted somewhat.
He looked about him curiously, noting the smooth blocks of stone underfoot that had obviously been worked by man or dwarf. Metal torch brackets were fixed to the walls at regular intervals, although the wooden stubs that filled them were draped with cobwebs, sad testament to the passage of long dark years since they had last known the heat of fire.
"What is this place?" Mika asked in a whisper that rustled about them in ghostly echoes.
"Don't know for certain," rumbled Hornsbuck. "I think it was a mine of some sort, although it seems too fancy for that. There's all kinds of other passages coming in here and there. You've got to be careful not to stray."
"Why? What's down the side passages? Where do they go?" asked Mika, his voice filled with concern.
"Don't know," said Hornsbuck with a shrug. "Main path takes me where I want to go, so I never tried exploring. I figured it was safer sticking to the main trail."
"Where does the main trail go?" persisted Mika.
"Straight into Eru-Tovar," said Hornsbuck with a broad grin, looking at Mika, anticipating his surprise. He was not disappointed.
"Eru-Tovar?" questioned Mika, his eyes wide with surprise. "\bu mean this tunnel goes straight into the city itself?"
"That's right," nodded Hornsbuck. "Ends up right under an old abandoned temple. Discovered it one night when I was looking for a place to go with a friend. Quiet like, if you get my meaning."
"I know," said Mika with a smile, although it was hard to imagine Hornsbuck snuggling up to any woman. Still, the man did have his positive qualities, and once again he had surprised Mika with his ingenuity.
The passage of time was strange and different without the light of day. Mika grew disoriented and he could not tell if he was hungry or tired or how long they had been traveling by the time Hornsbuck called the first halt.
The ceiling and walls had turned from dirt to stone some time ago and now rose in vaulted arches above their heads. The walls were regularly spaced with rounded pillars of stone that flowed into the ceiling, more ornamental than functional. The passage had taken a sharp turn to the right when Mika became aware of a sound, more felt than heard, that reverberated through the tunnel.
A current of cold damp air struck them full in the face as they intersected a new passage. The sound was louder now.
Hornsbuck hesitated for a moment, then turned to enter the new tunnel which was lower still than the corridor they traveled. It was reached by means of a narrow ramp. As they descended, the cold rush of wind grew stronger and their torches flickered wildly and threatened to extinguish. However, once they reached the floor of the new corridor, the draft gentled and the flames steadied.
Now Mika could see the cause of the noise and the damp draft, for on the far left edge of the passageway, which now yawned wide enough for twenty men to walk abreast, there ran a fast-flowing torrent of water that rushed by at a pace more rapid than a man could walk. It flowed in the same direction as they traveled.
Mika approached the water cautiously. It was black and oily in appearance and barely reflected the light of his torch. Mika shuddered, not anxious to draw closer nor tempted to slake his thirst from such a concourse. It looked as though it could suck a man under.
"Nasty, eh?" said Homsbuck. "Don't like the looks of it myself. That's why I filled my waterskins from the stream before we left. Don't want to wet my gullet from the likes of that. Don't trust water at the best of times, and this," he said, nodding his shaggy head toward the black water, "ain't exactly the best of places."
Mika nodded his total agreement.
They halted briefly beside the rushing water and built a small fire against the far wall, roasting chunks of meat on the ends of their knives. They sliced off generous portions of raw meat for the wolves and then fed and watered the roan.