Chapter 4: Down deeper

Christine felt herself being dragged down the passages, plunging deeper into earth. Her feet were starting to hurt. She knew she'd cut them on the rock quite a while ago but only now were they letting her feel the effects. Her cloth like shoes she had been wearing during 'Don Juan' had been worn out from all the walking she'd been doing in them. After a particularly rough patch of rock she winced in pain. She was determined not to slow Erik or be a burden to him.

Erik felt her wince. Something was wrong.

"Are you having second thoughts about leaving Raoul? Because now would be a good time to tell me." He growled stopping their flight.

Christine shook her head in answer in case her voice would reflect the pain. Erik continued but seemed more distant than before. He doubts me. She thought sadly.

After some time had passed, by this point she was gritting her teeth to try and ignore the pain, they arrived in a large cavern. There was no light at all, there hadn't been the whole way down but her eyes had adjusted to take in some light, what she now found herself in was pitch darkness. Erik's hand left her wrist and she panicked. "Erik!" A light came on as Erik lit a small lamp, he gave her a questioning look and she fell silent.

"We'll stay here until I prepare something else."

Christine gave a silent nod and glanced round the small area that was illuminated. It was clearly Erik's storage place because large crates took up the majority of the floor space. Erik went into one of the boxes and brought out several blankets. Christine took them from him.

"I'm sorry that there is no bed,"

Christine shrugged and tried to feign indifference. Placing the blankets on the rock floor she arranged them as best she could and lay down on them. "Night Erik," she whispered and closed her eyes.

Erik didn't reply, just stared at her still form, then turning he dimmed the light. He waited until he was sure she slept then padded off along the corridors.

When he returned Christine still slept soundly. He noticed that she was shivering slightly and went to get another blanket. Covering her up he spotted the state her feet were in. Recoiling in horror, he wondered why she hadn't said anything to him. Probably scared stiff of you, the voice in his mind whispered. Trying to block it out he slipped out the room again. He manoeuvred through the passageways until he came to Christine's dressing room. Entering a different way from the mirror he collected some warmer clothes and shoes, then seeing the open mirror he closed it before leaving. After returning he sat in a corner of the cavern. Not sleeping.

Christine awoke. She looked round for Erik but couldn't see him. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a shadow, silently it glided around the cave. The light brightened as Erik turned up the lamp. She didn't know why she worried so much about him being there. He usually was even if she couldn't see him.

"Before we go anywhere," he spoke deliberately, not looking at her, "we better take care of your feet."

Christine cringed in embarrassment. So he had noticed.

Erik took this cringe as fear.

"Don't worry Christine, I'm not going to hurt you," he bent over her feet and began to bandage them.

"I never doubted it," the answer surprised him, especially when he wasn't expecting one. He looked up her. She meant it; her eyes were sincere. He looked back at her feet then fetched her shoes.

Christine gasped when she saw them, "Erik where did you get these?"

"I got them from your dressing room while you slept."

"Thank you,"

"Come along. It isn't far now."

He led her through the only other corridor and soon they emerged in a huge room. Christine gaped. It was amazing. A huge organ, almost exactly like the one they had left in the old lair, stood in the corner. There were candles and lanterns in the walls and on the shelves. A couple of doorways led off. The main difference between this one and the last one was that there was no lake. Instead there was something like an underground spring in the corner, which was cleverly diverted into a natural hollow in the rock, creating a pool. Christine didn't doubt that there were secret passages that led away from here in case of an emergency. A large ornate mirror stood on the wall opposite one of the doorways; it was full length and trimmed with what looked like gold.

"Do you like it?" Christine jumped at Erik's voice.

"Very," she replied.

"Its one of my spares, I had it in case of an emergency."

Christine looked at him, but he was staring at the room, his eyes distant and sad.

"I would have brought you here last night but it wasn't ready. I had to make an extra room, I wasn't expecting you..." He trailed of and walked her to one of the passages, the one facing the mirror and drew back the curtain. Christine gasped at the beauty that she witnessed.

"I'll leave you to settle in," and with that he left the room.

Raoul cursed. Someone had closed the mirror. Dressed in warm clothes and with his pistol in his pocket he planned to get Christine back that day. Now he had to waste time trying to find the latch. Eventually he found it. Going back to the lake he poled across and found the passage. Getting some string out his pocket he tied it up in the old lair and unraveled it. Just like what's-his-face and the Minotor he thought with a chuckle. He was hunting a monster too. However the chuckle soon turned into a scowl as he came to a crossroad. Which way to go? He lifted his lantern and saw a dark spot on the rock. Blood. The trail of blood showed him exactly which way to go.