The Realms Thereunder

2

The canal that Daniel and Ecgbryt traveled along sloped down, down, and down, just as the banks beside them rose higher above their heads. The muddy, foul-smelling water rushed ahead of them, sloshing around their calves as it passed. So far the water hadn’t risen, just kept getting faster. It was slow going, since the brickwork underfoot was slippery with sludge. Daniel wondered if they were on the right track, but this felt right. He felt a tug inside of him, as if an invisible fishing line were pulling his rib cage forward.

Then they saw the lights. At first they became aware of a blue glow growing around them. As they walked they saw the edge of a wall ahead of them come into sharp relief by the dim blue light. As they got closer, Daniel was aware of a kind of sizzling sound, and when they rounded the corner of the illumined wall, they could see where the light was coming from; in two long rows on each side of the wall were odd-looking orbs stuck on the end of black poles about a foot in height. They gave off a gentle radiance.

Daniel stared into one of the orbs and could just make out the shape of a slowly moving flame, but nothing else.

“Enchantments,” Ecgbryt stated.

“I’ll say,” Daniel replied.

They walked cautiously between the strange lights, which made an odd buzzing sound, but no heat. The glow seemed to get in behind the eyeballs and sit in the back of the head. Daniel shuddered but kept going, trying to find comfort by telling himself they were probably on the right track if they were starting to see magic lights guiding them.

They turned another corner and were met with an incredibly strong wind blowing across them. It forced Daniel to blink several times to close his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw they were at the entrance to an enormous and magnificent cavern shaped like a pyramid. It looked almost half a mile to the other side. The stream they were following emptied into a pool of many levels- about a dozen concentric squares. They could see down almost to the bottom because the blue orbs of light were placed on each step, fizzing gently underwater and still giving off the radiant blue glow. On the ground around the square pool, tall buttresses and columns supported a roof that mirrored its depth and dimensions. Everything was covered in glazed tiles, mostly white but patterned with other colours.

At the far end of the pool, a large column rose like a lectern in a church. Unlike all the other surfaces they could see, this was pure blue stone that was tinged with ripples of white. Light from a hole in the ceiling fell upon its centre and upon a large, manyfaceted box made of crystal that threw the light in all directions.

“This must be it!” Daniel said in an excited whisper to Ecgbryt. “That must be the soul box!”

Then came a scraping sound from both sides of the room. Daniel turned in horror as he heard the distinct and familiar scrabbling sound, and the first of the yfelgopes came into view.

“Hurry, Daniel,” Ecgbryt cried. “We must run!”

They started around the pool at a sprint. Daniel’s hand found his sword as Ecgbryt unslung his shield and hefted his axe.