The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 86 Underground

"So can I see where will we get married?" Katka asked impatiently

"Well I have been thinking about that." Samuel said.

Luckily Samuel had prepared for this and had made good use of Count Mikula's Dudat, while Katka had been sewing yet more clothes. He had found plans of the mine from a time before the military presence, though of course none of the secret military chambers were recorded there, he had found what would be the perfect venue for their wedding.

"Come and follow me. I think that we have time." Samuel said, "I will show you something that will astound you. Let's put on the safety hats."

"Why?" Katka asked.

"We are going down the mine." Samuel said simply.

"Have you lost your mind?" Katka thought but limited herself to. "I don't want to get married down mine!"

"You haven't seen it yet" Samuel said confidently. He had seen pictures of it and even if it had deteriorated a little then the space itself was still bound to impress her.

Katka was inspired by Samuel's arrogant self confidence but she was still dubious about the outcome. "What kind of wedding venue could mine possibly have?" She thought, imagining some large dark cavern with water dripping down the walls. She had still not pushed the notion that Samuel was a druid out of her mind.

"It had better not be some grotty druid grotto!" Katka said.

"Wait and see and be amazed!" Samuel said theatrically, as if announcing a daring feat at a circus.

Katka raised her eyes to heaven but followed him anyway.

Samuel had ordered Pawel to operate the open cage lift and Pawel had grumpily agreed to let them down to the lower level. He opened the gate and let them in.

"Spare a thought for your wounded comrade because I will be stuck here at controls until you two love birds want to come back up Lord Admiral sir!" Pawel complained.

"We'll be as quick as we can." Samuel promised. "As a reward you can have some sausages that Spencer Butler brought from the hotel."

"Can Michal have some sausages too Lord Admiral sir?" Pawel asked.

"Of course!" Samuel replied. "And Basil too

"That's more like it!" Pawel replied, "Thank you Lord Admiral sir!"

Pawel slammed the gate, pushed the button and the mechanism screeched and scraped as the cage reluctantly began to descend into the bowels of the earth, slowly at first, but accelerating until the shaft lining became a passing blur, only illuminated by the meagre light from a single lamp at the centre of the grid on the cage's roof. Katka held on to Samuel for stability, as they plummet downwards into the gloom and just when she felt that they would go down forever, a bell sounded and there was further sibilant screeching from above as Pawel engaged the retarders and the cage decelerated sharply just metres before they reached the bottom.

Feeling a little woozy, as gravity took hold once more, they opened the gate and stepped into the blackness. Katka wound the handle of her generator furiously to get her headlight to work, but located the light switch quickly. The lighting wasn't as bright as it was above, but it was still more than adequate to see where they were going. In fact, apart from the occasional drip of water, it was drier than outside and it seemed to be a stable, if slightly chill temperature. As they ventured further down the passage however gradually the air became warmer again. They had already walked nearly a kilometre with the main passage steadily inclining inexorably downward and they had further to go.