Who Lies in the End?

Ch 51: 24 "You don't... have to stay quiet."

art by: unknown

"Warry travelers will know that there are many dangers on the road. Bears, wolves, and monsters all roam about, making the road a treacherous place," the tour guide paused to create tension, "Amongst those threats are the witches: brewing potions in their shacks only to test them out on the unsuspecting villager.

"But did you know, this town used to be home to a coven of witches?" he glanced over the group of ten, watching their intrigued and patient faces, "Indeed, they have sense be run out, but these very walls used to house the horrors and spells of witchcraft."

Currently, the tour group stood in an old mining shack that was mostly used to house their tools at the end of the day. There was a smaller office that was set up to look as it would have been when the mine was operational but the main room was set up as some museum.

George quickly glazed over the iron plaques and glass displays, admiring the history as the guide rambled on about the town.

"Supposedly, when the coven would need to hide, they would retreat unground in the very mines that run under the savannah," the guide stepped back towards a door that read 'danger. No unauthorized personnel beyond this point', "Why don't we see if they are still there?" he smirked.

Some of the tour-goers shook their heads, nervous a the possibility of what lie before them, while others cheered in excitement. The reactions were exactly what the guide wanted and he happily opened the door for the group to enter. Everyone stepped into the doorway and flowed out into a dirt room. There was an elevator inside the room and nothing else.

They had to rely on the oil lamp the guide brought in order to see. As the guide began to load everyone on the elevator, George stepped back towards the door in the hopes to hear Dream. It would be hard for the outlaw to follow them into the mines without joining on the elevator.

One of the younger listeners was having a hard time getting onto the old elevator, giving George enough time to lean against the door and wait.

"Still not scared right?" Dream's voice whispered from the other room.

George smiled, "This metal death trap is certainly not up to code, but otherwise I'm not scared," he kept his tone hushed, so only Dream could hear.

"Not even about the witches? They can be quite terrifying."

"Powerful? Yes. Terrifying? No," George frowned as the youth was eased onto the elevator, "How are you going to follow?"

"Trust me. I have my ways."

The guide called to George, so he walked over, feeling only slightly better about Dream's situation. The ride was tense the entire time. The metal would groan and the cage would rattle through their descent, making George think they would crash at any moment. It didn't help that the rough jostling made the lanterns swing and sway, casting harsh shadows along the wall that looked like they could grab him at any second.

Needless to say, George was one of the first people off the elevator when the guide opened the door. The cave around them was dark, with the only light coming from the light the tour guide had. As he rattled on about the mines, he lit more lanterns handing them out to the listeners so they could see.

When George was handed his lantern, he walked to the edge of the space, towards a wooden fence, and rose up the light. It cast a yellow glow along the vast cavern, and George realized just how much he underestimate the size of it all. It was huge! Abandoned mine shafts wove in and out of the walls while a base of operations sat in the giant cavern. Minecarts and railways created an intricate system that George couldn't make heads or tails of. It all collected in the center before a single track led up to the loft where they were. Amongst the quiet of the underground, George could hear the echo of bats and a distant waterfall. The urge to explore the labyrinth of tunnels was loud in George's mind. He didn't even notice the retreating tour group.