Magic Of Light

Lost in the Night

Tiiv came to, shivering. It took a few moments to clear his mind and realise that he was lying on his stomach. His head pressed in the mud sideways, and his body was still in the water. He could smell the distinctive odour of mud and rotting vegetation, and he heard the soft splashes of water meeting the bank. He coughed, spitting out water.

He lifted his head, and a sharp pain shot through the back of his head. He felt around his nape and found warm liquid. Slowly, the memories came back and he remembered something hittting him hard. Most probably the trunk he had tried to climb. Fortunately the bleeding wasn't that bad.

He clambered out of the water and sat on the ground, still shivering. The crescent Golatran gave only a small light. It was over midnight, the moon was already growing. How long was he out?

On the opposite side the town wall loomed over the river. Tiiv could see a few torches, but it seemed that the guards gave up chasing him.

The robbery. The chase. He should be moving. The guards may be satisfied that the night river swallowed the strange stalker who managed to slip through, but Lord Condredar wouldn't give up. Tiiv had to disappear.

From here he could see the half of the bridge up-river, the curve of the town wall hid its other half and the gate. The water brought disturbing noises: shouting and grinding of gears. They were opening the gate. Then he heard something even more disturbing. Dogs barked.

He stood on unsteady legs, and stumbled a few times before finding his balance. It would take a while for the dogs to pick up the scent, but he didn't have much time. He could go back to the water and come out further down, but the memory of almost drowning was too vivid to try it again just yet. Maybe he could hide in the caves.

The dark shape of the Broken Hill rose before him. A few years ago he and other lads had great time wondering in the caves, shouting to listen to their echoes and laugh, and knocking on the cone-shaped stones. He found it strange how they came from the ceiling and also from the ground, often meeting in the middle. Some said that though very slowly, but they grew with time. Tiiv found it hard to believe. How could stone grow? There were several well-known caves, but Tiiv and a few brave mates discovered hidden paths and places that most probably nobody had seen before. There were wells and rivulets, he could use them to lose the dogs. It would take days for the chasers to find his track again, he could gain enough time to get rid of them completely.

He hurried up on the side of the hill. Being in motion helped to warm up a little bit, but the run and the fight with the river took their toll. His muscles cried for rest. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

He roughly knew where he was. He got around some thorny bushes and climbed on the slope bypassing beeches, mostly relying on touch, because there was hardly any light seeping through the canopy. After a while the hillside got steeper and the vegetation thinner. White rocks protruded from the ground like bones in an open wound. They were soft, easy to work with, but they didn't last as long as the hard grey rocks. Now they helped Tiiv to see his surrounding better.

Tiiv struggled with every step, often getting on all fours. He wasn't cold anymore but he was sweating and breathing hard. His muscles ached, begging to stop and just give it some rest. That was the last thing he could afford.

After an agonizing climb he arrived to a slight slope almost at the top. There weren't any trees there, only thin grass and some persistent wild plants. Tiiv looked back towards the town. In the moonlight he could see the wall and some rooftops in the moonlight, but the road was hidden behind the trees. However, time after time he saw a quick glimpse of torches moving on the river bank. Soon they would find the place where he got out of the water. In spite of the urge to just lay down, he went forward.

When he arrived at the Giant's mouth, a cavity three stone-throw long, he hesitated. He could go through it or go around its edge. He thought about the steep slope to descend, then climb on the other side, the path obstructed with big rocks, and he knew he couldn't make it this tired. Going around was longer, but much easier.

The entrance to the cave he was looking for was just on the opposite side, over the cavity, somewhat further down the hillside. He was so tired that it took incredible effort to take one step after the other. He stumbled and landed on his butt. He closed his eyes. He just wanted to rest for a moment to gather his strength.

That was when the stone he was sitting on came loose. Tiiv felt losing his balance and falling back. He started to slid down into the cavity. He tried to grab something, but his fingers found only dry grass, which came out from the thin ground. Tiiv rolled down the slope. He put his arms above his head to protect it, not with much luck. He hit his leg hard and cried out because of the pain.

He came to a stop hitting a rock with his shoulder. He moaned and stayed lying on the ground. His escape definitely didn't go as he planned. He tried to take stock of the injuries he just suffered, when the ground gave away below him. He fell into darkness.

He cried out in panic, and wriggled his arms and legs to get hold of anything solid, but the dirt and small rocks were falling with him. It didn't take long, though, he hit the surface of water with a loud splash.

He went under. He wasn't prepared for this and he couldn't stop himself to try to take a breath. Water filled his lungs and his panic rose even higher. He coughed and took in another breath of water. He couldn't think. He fought for his life. He broke the surface coughing and gasping for air, then coughing again. He could manage to keep his head above water, and finally he was breathing again.

He was in complete darkness, which didn't help much to calm down. He had to get out of the water. But which way he should go? How big this underground lake could be? His heart drumming from the effort and fear he picked a direction and swam. To his relieve he hit the shore after a few strokes.

He climbed out of the water on all fours, his arms and legs shaking, and he threw up the water he swallowed. He crawled further away the water, he had enough of swimming for a long time. His hand bumped into stone, probably the wall of the cave. He sat down with his back to the wall, breathing hard.

After a while he looked around. He didn't see a thing. He looked up. He should see the hole he made when falling down, but he couldn't find any light. A big rock must have rolled into the hole, closing it. Great. He was in pitch darkness, trapped under the ground. And dead tired.

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