Mira stared down the sides of yet another dark cave tunnel and wondered if she had lost her mind. What had possessed her to agree to this mad venture? Helping gnolls and cooperating with orcs? Had someone told her a few months ago that she would agree to work with these other races, she would have called that person an idiot.

She wore a light brown leather jerkin over a cotton tunic and a set of leather bracers to protect her from scrapes and bruises, and durable trousers with reinforced stitching. A thick belt rode her waist, and from that hung her scabbard for her trusty short sword. She also had a dagger tucked into her boots, because you couldn’t be too careful.

The walls allowed them to pass single-file, but at certain junctures, they were forced to either kneel to enter a passageway or climb up a rock fall to slide over one.

They had been down here for hours, pushing forward, nailing iron rings to the cave walls, and running rope through them. Seraphina's homing stones were working like a charm and, when pointed in a certain direction, glowed bright white in the center; aimed at the heart of Everspring. She thought of that as north. A blue light indicated east or west, while red was south. Without these devices, she would never have come down here. None of them would have.

Behind her, Alic paused and blew out a breath. "How the bloody hell long have we been down here?"

He was dressed much like her. Light leather and comfortable trousers. This was supposed to be an exploratory mission in support of the gnolls, but they were both warriors, and none of their party were unarmed.

"Few hours? Few days? It's all running together," Bowen added.

“I’d say at least eight hours,” Mira said.

Behind him, Tobias grunted his ascent. The older warrior was covering their backs, for all the good it did them. They'd been at this for a few days, and the only threat they had encountered so far had been a very confused bat that had scared her to death, but had also beaten a hasty retreat.

"How far ahead are the gnolls?" Alic asked and waved his lantern around, casting shadows across the rock walls.

Mira turned and showed the lantern light on her companions. Alic blinked away the light. His face was streaked with sweat even though the temperature down here was moderate, like a late spring day—a day that lacked any character. It was dry as a bone in the depths.

While they all carried lanterns, hers was the largest and brightest, so she could scout the terrain ahead.

Hammering sounded.

"That way," Mira pointed.

She panned her lantern down and studied the rock floor. The gnolls' feet had left prints in the thin layer of dirt, which was fine and silty, and made a sweeping noise with each footstep. It was so quiet down here that it was downright eerie. It smelled—aged—for lack of a better term, and there was an undercurrent that reeked of dirt and mud, but mud that had long dried. Water dripped somewhere, but there was no way to tell from which direction as the sound echoed around them. The gnolls had warned them not to drink the water down here as it could make them sick, or worse.

They took turns bringing up the rear since they had to lug a pile of supplies behind them, fresh water being chief among those. So many water pouches were needed they had been fixed to a narrow wagon Alic had found in town. It had probably been used to get supplies through narrow corridors or slim doors. With a little woodwork and a surprising amount of ingenuity on the orcs’ part, it had been fitted with four small wheels. Two of them rotated on a greased rod driven into the base with the end hammered flat so it wouldn't fall out. It could get squeaky, especially around corners, but with the wheels, it was easy to pull behind them.

It was also laden with food, extra oil for the lanterns, and a few homing stones courtesy of Seraphina.

The issue with the cart was the lack of a brake. If they were going downward, one of them had to get in front and help steady and stop it, usually with rocks under the wheels as a makeshift brake. At least one of them had to be on the rope to help control the wagon. The goal was to find a place to leave it so they wouldn't have to lug it down here again, but they had burned through so much of their water that it probably wasn't feasible.

Mira had been surprised at how much water they had drunk on the way here. Cave diving was worse in this dry environment than marching over hard terrain.

She pressed ahead, with the others close behind.

Alic suggested, "Maybe we should strike a camp here if we find a large enough cave in the next hour."

"I don't think I want to camp in this… tomb. I'd rather sleep in my bed tonight if it's all the same."

"It will take hours to get back."

"Hours not spent poking around down here. We've gone in circles twice in the last hour."

Alic laughed. “I wouldn’t call it circles. We had to circle a couple of collapsed caverns, but we’ve been making progress.”

“But how much?” Tobias asked from the rear. “We should be under Everspring by now.”

Mira held up the lodestone gem. It glowed brightly when she swung it back around in front of her.

From ahead came the sound of more hammering as the gnolls drove more metal bands into the rocky walls.

"What about them? Do you think the gnolls will stay down here?"

Mira shrugged. "Don't know. They can move a lot faster than us, so getting back to the surface might only take them an hour."

Alic blew out an exhausted breath and said, "I need a break. Let's press on and hope we find a place to sit and stretch out our legs without standing on them. I could use some food."

"And drink some of our water. I don't suppose anyone thought to pack some ale or something stronger?" Tobias asked.

"No ale down here," Mira replied. "More reason to head back soon."

“This is our fourth day exploring. Do the gnolls even know what they’re looking for?”

Mira shrugged and pressed on, holding her lantern high as she led the group deeper into the caves. Behind her, Alic, Bowen, and Tobias followed, their footsteps echoing off the walls. The rope, their lifeline back to the surface, snaked around the space and out into the passageway.

As they entered a small cavern, Alic found a piece of wall and sat down, leaning back against it with a sigh of relief. Bringing up the rear, Tobias tugged the cart into the space and dropped the rope.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Let's take a break," Mira suggested, settling down on a relatively flat rock. The others followed suit, grateful for the respite.

Mira lifted her lantern and tightened the lens, focusing the light as she panned it around the little cavern. It was not much larger than a small room, and the ceiling was a man and a half above their heads.

As she swept the light across the walls, something caught her eye. She stood up, holding the lantern higher. "Hey, look at this," she called out, pointing to strange markings scratched into the wall above them.

Alic joined her, squinting at the peculiar etchings. "What do you think they are?" he asked, running his fingers over the rough surface.

"Could they be glyphs of some sort?" Mira mused, tilting her head to get a better look.

Bowen laughed wryly, his voice echoing in the confined space. "We found some lost city writing. Now, let's get out of here," he said.

Tobias pulled out a small leather-bound sketchbook from his pack as they studied the markings. He flipped it open to a blank page and began to carefully draw the strange symbols, his charcoal pencil scratching against the paper by the wan light of his lantern. Tobias had thought to bring a light he’d purchased in town that didn’t require fuel. It hung from his leather breastplate and provided a soft yellow light.

Mira glanced over at him, impressed by his work. "Have you ever seen anything like this before, Tobias?" she asked, moving closer to watch him work.

Tobias shook his head, his eyes never leaving the page. "Nothing like it," he replied, his hand moving swiftly as he captured the intricate details. "But I'm no scholar, so for all we know, these might be the markings of a large animal."

Mira nodded, considering his words. It was true; they had no way of knowing what the symbols meant or who had made them. But the fact that they were here, deep underground in a place that had been hidden for centuries, was, well, it was something. She wished she were more excited by the fact that a long lost city might exist down here. To Mira, it was a job. It was also a way to spend time with Alic.

"You're no scholar, but look at you go," Alic said. "I once wanted to take up drawing, but the sword called to me instead."

"What was the song? Was there a sword in the chorus? Did any of your farm animals join in?" Mira asked.

"Here, now," Alic protested, but his frown turned into a smile, which she returned. She wanted to leave this dank place and return to town. She’d been renting a room in the tenement house, but she was only there a few nights per week. Her bed wasn't very comfortable, but it was better than sleeping on cold rock.

"Well, whatever they are, they're definitely not natural," Alic said, stepping back to take in the full scope of the markings. "Someone, or something, made these."

If these were indeed glyphs from the lost city, they could be on the verge of a major discovery. But they needed to be careful. There was no telling what other secrets this ancient place held, or what dangers lurked. If any.

"Let's rest for a bit and then keep moving," she said, settling back on her rock seat. "We'll follow the rope and see where the gnolls lead us. But let's be cautious. We don't know what else we might find down here."

A small breeze seemed to pass through the room. Mira looked around, but the others didn't seem to notice. It might have been a trick of the close confines.

The others murmured their agreement, and soon the cavern was filled with the sounds of quiet conversation and the scratching of Tobias's pencil as he continued to document their discovery. They ate dried meat, some cheese, and buns that were sweet and laced with almond slivers and caraway seeds.

----------------------------------------

Mira's eyes opened to darkness. She had leaned her head back for a moment and drifted off. Next to her, Alic lay still. He was a quiet sleeper, something she hadn't expected when they had started their little fling. It wasn't so little anymore, now that they stayed the night together more often than not. Even if he had an ego the size of Crownforge's palace, he was a sweet man. He also wasn't an incompetent lover, which made it all the better because she especially liked it when he…

"Huh?" Mira leaned forward, blinking her eyes, and knocked over a metal and glass device next to her hand.

"Who goes there?" Tobias's voice came from somewhere near her to the right.

"Wait. The light went out. Give me a moment to light it."

"Who was on watch?" Alic asked.

Tobias’ light came to life near his shoulder. He shined it around.

"We didn't pick one because we only stopped to rest for a moment. How long have we been asleep?" Bowen asked.

"And why were we all asleep?" Mira asked as she pulled out her flint and striking rod. Her fingers fumbled around for the lantern and knocked it over, but she quickly caught it before it could roll away.

Mira fumbled with her pouch, her fingers searching for the lodestone gem. She pulled it out and held it up. It flared to life when pointed towards the center of town. The soft glow illuminated the cavern, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

With the gem's light and Tobias’ warming stone to guide her, Mira found the lantern and carefully opened it. She checked the wick, ensuring it was still soaked with oil, and then used her flint and striking rod to ignite it. The lantern's warm glow soon filled the space, chasing away the darkness.

As Mira stood up, another soft breeze brushed past her, sending a shiver down her spine. "Did anyone else feel that?" she asked, her voice echoing in the confined space.

Alic nodded, his brow furrowed. "It's strange to have a breeze down here," he said, sniffing the air. "And it smells odd, like rotten eggs."

Mira's suspicions grew, and she turned to the others. "We need to get up and move on," she advised, her tone urgent. "I'm worried there might be something down here that put us to sleep."

Alic agreed, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Everyone, on your feet," he said, his voice firm.

As Mira stood, a wave of exhaustion washed over her, tempting her to lie back down and surrender to sleep. She shook her head, fighting against the urge to close her eyes again.

"Grab the rope," Alic ordered, his voice sounding strained. “We need to push on." He turned to Bowen and said, "Get the cart and pull it. Give Tobias a break."

Bowen nodded, his movements sluggish as he made his way to the cart. He gripped the rope tightly, and pulled. The cart clattered toward them. Mira whipped her head around at the sound.

“Oh no,” Bowen groaned.

“Where are our supplies?” Mira asked, shining the light on the now empty cart. She quickly patted herself down and was relived to find she was still armed.

“This is not good. We need to head back now,” Alic said.

“Agreed,” Mira said.

“Want about the gnolls? What if they’ve also been ambushed and need our help?”

She quietly cursed, then touched her leather water bag. Some water sloshed in there, but not enough to comfortably spend the night here.

“Okay. Do you all have your own water bags?”

Tobias held his up, Bowen nodded with a grunt. Alic looked away.

“No?” she asked him.

“I drank it. I thought we had plenty, and I didn’t want to crawl over to the cart when we sat down.”

Mira sighed, nodded, and lifted the lantern. The rope stretched out before them, a lifeline in the darkness. Their footsteps echoed off the damp walls.

“We don’t have time for this,” Mira muttered. She cupped her hand to her face and called into the cave. “Hail the gnolls! Grix’gnash!“

Her voice echoed up and down the tunnel.

The breeze picked up again, carrying the faint sound of distant hammering. Mira quickened her pace, the lantern swinging in her hand. "We're getting closer," she said, excited. She hoped the gnolls hadn’t also been robbed in the dark.

“Hail the gnolls!” she shouted again. “Grix’gnash!”

As they rounded a bend in the tunnel, the hammering grew louder, echoing off the walls and mingling with the chattering of the dog-like humanoids. But the sound was strange here, and their voices echoed all around.

“We’re closer,” Mira assured the others, herself most of all.

A boom sounded, and the ground shifted as it rose and slammed them to the floor. Mira scrambled for purchase as her lantern was sent flying.

“Ow.” Tobias groaned.

“Where’s the light?”

The boom came again, as if a hammer the size of a building slammed into the earth.

Around them, the gnoll's yips and barking guttural language again echoed. It sounded like it was closer this time, but Mira couldn’t be sure. Her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton.

The next boom came, and this one lifted them from their prone position, tossed them into the air, and slammed them into the ground.