Excavations and Enlightenment (A sequel to "Caveats and Cliches")

Chapter 11: Leave No Stone Unturned

In front of us is what looks like an entire city built into the cliff wall. It's abandoned and dilapidated, but the amazing architectural feat is still discernible. The structures are far reaching, on multiple shelves carved out of the rock itself. The formation terminates just short of the end of the valley where the river issues from the rock. On the other side of the stream, we find what we are looking for. The remains of a temple of some kind are still visible there. Even more telling is the obvious excavation work that has recently been done around the edifice. It looks as if an avalanche had at some point buried a large portion of the structure, but someone -presumably Pema and her team- had dug away most of the earth and stone; depositing them in neat piles off to the side. The interior still seemed partially filled, as if the excavators had only gotten as far as the exterior before discontinuing. Easton rubs his hands together and cackles with delight.

"Yes!! We made it! We just have to dig it up!"

He slaps me hard on the back.

"Come on, bro! Let's get back to camp!"

It's already early evening, so we have to spend a night in the abandoned city. It's not a problem, Sarah packed bed rolls and supplies for us just in case. We take shelter inside one of the buildings a story or so up from the ground where the structure is a little more stable, and spend the twilight reminiscing about antics and adventures we shared in the past. I wake at dawn to the sound of Easton packing up. He tosses me one of those nutritional bars and tells me to get moving. We make good time on our way back, keeping a steady pace and making note of landmarks along the way. By mid afternoon we are back at base camp, being greeted joyfully by our hardy crew. Sarah beams and hugs me tightly. Though she doesn't say it; I get the feeling she was worried about me. I can't pass up the opportunity to needle her about it.

"You weren't concerned about me, were you, Love?"

Sarah smiles naughtily. "No, dear, although I was a bit anxious about how I would get us all back to the Underground if you and your crystal were eaten by wolves."

Nice try, my dear.

"Really? And what is this?"

I slip the crystal in question from the inside pocket of Sarah's jacket and hold it up.

She closes her eyes and smiles ruefully.

"You knew?"

"Of course." I say, idly rocking it back and forth on the back of my hand.

"I felt you lift it yesterday when we were saying goodbye."

Sarah tilts her head and regards me thoughtfully.

"I'm going to catch you off guard one day, Jareth."

She promises, and then skips away to where Easton is being overrun by goblins. I watch Sarah herd the crew away from my brother and call to Toby. If anyone can get the best of me, it will be her.

I'm looking forward to it, My Dear.

The remainder of the day is spent discussing our trip and how best to go about moving camp. Since the river bank is fairly flat, we decide we will load all our supplies, and all the goblins into the wagons. The tendril jacks have had a day of rest and should be able to shoulder the load without a problem. Easton and I are concerned about getting the carts past some of the rockier areas, but we don't have many options. If we have to abandon the wagons halfway, so be it.

Sarah, Toby, Easton and I are awake before sunrise. We let the goblins rest as long as possible, then get everyone to work. As soon as we are loaded, our caravan takes off at a good clip. The trek goes smoothly enough; we are able to skirt around most obstacles in our path. On coming to the unavoidable stretch of fallen boulders, Toby convinces the three of us to unload the wagons and heave them overhead to be carried "canoe style". For the most part, the goblins are small enough to move between the stones, so they convey the tools and equipment past the blockade. We use this technique two more times along the route, and though it slows us down a bit, we reach the abandoned city before nightfall, wagons and all.

It takes awhile getting organized in the morning. The goblins, completely enamored of the abandoned city, had done an unorganized take over, and were now playing an elaborate game of hide and seek. I watch from the courtyard as Easton, Toby and Sarah make an effort to round up the rowdy little imps. They squawk with laughter and disappear from sight the second someone gets close. Sarah figures it out first and joins me by the fire. Toby and Easton continue their pursuit until I sound a sharp blast with a small whistle. Everyone stops midstep and turns their attention to me. Without raising my voice, I command them to join us. In less than a minute, the full crew is assembled and standing at attention. Easton and Toby look amazed.

Good. They need to be reminded of my station.

I lay down instructions for the crew, which are fairly simple; dig all the dirt out of the temple. As soon as they are dismissed, the goblins go to work. Sarah joins them, and Toby and Easton consult for a moment, then carry the empty wagons to temple entrance. Another hour of trying different strategies and the whole operation begins to run smoothly. The goblins are broken into teams and each of us oversees a different operation. Easton works with a pair of goblins at the entrance of the temple digging out the structure. The dirt they remove is shoveled by Sarah and her team into a wagon. Once the wagon is full, it is pulled to an out of the way area where Toby and his group unload it. I oversee the camp. Since we will likely be here for awhile, I explore the ruins and see what we can make use of. I find several rooms on the shelf where Easton and I slept that have stayed mostly intact. One, near the end where the river issues from the rock, is extensive and has little damage. It was carved into overlapping arches that have held throughout the centuries. A set of low steps leads out of the room to a balcony of sorts overlooking the river and the temple. It is a room fit for a king, and I claim it as such. I get the junk ladies and camp goblins to clean up the rooms that are useable and hang some of the tent cloths up as dividers to give everyone a modicum of privacy. I'm looking forward to a quiet evening with just Sarah and I.

When night begins to fall, I cross the stream to survey the work that's been done. Nearly all of the dirt around the temple entrance has been cleared, and Easton and his goblins are to the more tedious job of removing it from within. Progress is much slower, and Sarah and her crew are mostly leaning on their shovels.

"How's it going?"

Sarah smiles and wipes a grimy hand across her sweaty forehead, leaving a trail dirt.

"Not bad, really...you would have thought that this dirt would be more compact, but it's like it's just been dug up. It's been pretty easy to move."

"Perhaps the mudslide was recent?" I say.

Sarah shakes her head and gestures to the area above the temple. It's all hard stone and there are vines and even small trees clinging to the crevices. It doesn't look as if there has been a disturbance for some time. Easton comes plodding out of the temple doorway carrying a bucket of earth. He's filthy and looks exhausted, but turns to reenter the temple. I give another short whistle.

"That's enough for today. Store your tools and come back to camp."

Easton looks back inside the temple, but is too exhausted to argue. I cross the stream, then glance back to make sure my orders are promptly being carried out. Everyone is happy to be done for the day, and they eagerly put away their shovels and plunge into the river. Instead of crossing, most of them stay there, splashing and giggling in the cool water. Sarah does the same, wading into the deepest part and trying to wash up. Toby tackles her from behind and dunks her completely under water. She comes up shrieking and calls to me for help as they shove and splash each other. I let myself get pulled into the chaos. Easton, buoyed by the refreshing water and promise of fun, leaps in to assist Toby. We spend a good hour grappling like children, and it takes another 10 minutes after that to convince the goblins to get out and come to dinner. As soon as we are done eating, I pull Sarah away to show her our room. I have designs on an enchanting evening alone.

Our romantic evening ends up being anything but. Shortly after dinner, what had been a shadow on the horizon turns into a fast moving storm. The valley floor becomes a frightening cacophony as the squall rages around us. The goblins, squealing in terror, converge on our room en masse. Even Toby and Easton end up sneaking in at some point. The thunder and lightning keep us all awake until late into the night, when we finally fall asleep in one big heap. Hardly what I had in mind.