Morning dawned on Rina as she was replacing Elmer's bandage. They had camped just inside the mines. Enough so that the enemy could not find them and far enough out that they did not have to travel in pitch black. Rina had to admit the mines were safe, to a point. The real entrance was blocked by a cave-in. The entrance they had entered in was hidden. She couldn't tell something lay behind the bushes until Tristan pointed it out.
Unfortunately the mines were unstable, literally. The roof could cave in without warning and the path was unnerving. Riddled with pocks and lumps, the network of tunnels and channels were uneven and confusing, not to mention dark. Last night, Rina had been too tired to notice her haven but today, she was refreshed and worried.
Tristan and Phil, however, were not anxious. They simply lit some torches, mounted the herrks and continued down the main tunnel. For a while they proceeded with minimum mishap and Rina's anxiety began to fade. Then they entered a large chamber and it all came rushing back. The "chamber" was more Great Hall. Hundreds of feet high and thousands across, it looked like it could hold all of Keron's residents, not that there were many ever since Nargul took over and the economy collapsed. A slight hole at the very top of the chamber suggested that they were close to the surface and the ray of sunlight that ventured down the gap warned the travelers. The light revealed a dangerous path. Deep abysses and voids littered the ground, creating a narrow maze of paths. The soil in the chamber seemed to have changed. It had a sandier consistency and the dry dirt crumbled easily. Echoes echoed around the room and came back thunderously. The ground seemed to shake.
Rina had an unpleasant gut feeling coming from the chamber but, knowing that going back was out of the question, she pushed forward behind Phil and Tristan. For a while all seem to be going well. They, by backtracking several times, almost reached the end of the maze. Spontaneously, Tristan's herrk, who was leading the way, stopped. Tristan fell off its back and rolled neatly. He stopped at the lip of an abyss. Phil and Rina dismounted and came over.
"This is going to be trouble." Phil remarked.
"Definitely," said Tristan. He hauled himself off of the ground and checked his bandaged arm. "No damage there," he said, dusting himself off. "But how are we going to cross this?"
They surveyed the abyss. It was a wide crack that ran the length of the room. It was way too wide to vault across. Rina picked up a stone and dropped it experimentally down the crack. At first the wait seemed to be endless. Then they heard a noise deep down below. "We are not climbing down there." Rina add firmly. "But we can at least scout for a bridge to cross."
As they looked, the three herrks wandered over to the other side of the cavern. One neighed. All the heads turned to the bay herrk. It was standing at the edge of bridge about a meter wide. The top of the bridge was level with the floor and flat. The bottom was arched in a way that the two ends were thicker than the middle.
Gingerly, the herrk placed his front hoof onto the bridge, slowing adding weight. When it did not collapse, it shifted its other hoof onto the bridge. Everyone held their breath as the herrk slowly stepped onto the bridge. When on four hooves were planted firmly onto the dirt, the herrk tentatively took a step forward. As the bridge held its weight, the herrk continued on.
When the bay herrk ambled across, the other bay lurched on. As the second bay trotted confidently, Elmer began to step onto the bridge. Suddenly, the middle and thinnest section of the bridge crumbed and dropped into the abyss. The bay herrk paused by the missing section and cocked its head as if confused and unsure of what to do. Spontaneously, the two remaining links of the bridge disintegrated. For a split second, it seemed that the herrk would be lost, but it summoned all remaining strength and sprung from the falling rubble and skidded onto land on the other side.
Tristan, Rina, and Phil rushed over to the herrks. When they arrived, they saw the bay herrk picking itself off of the ground. The other bay nosed its friend. Rina sighed audibly in relief. She reached over and petted Elmer who had been forgotten in the pandemonium. He had been able to rush back over to solid ground. Assured that he was safe, Rina turned back to the group.
"At least some of the herrks managed to cross," she said, trying to look positive. "The bridge is gone. I wouldn't have risked crossing it anyway. The sand was too dry for it to be safe."
"We have no wood to build another bridge and there's no way to go but forward." Phil said.
"True, but we have Elmer." Said Tristan.
"Elm - " Rina began. Her facial expression changed. She grinned. "His levitation. But he doesn't know how to levitate with a rider, much less with packs." She frowned thoughtful.
"He's a smart herrk and I'm sure he'll rise to the challenge. We'll simply leave some packs behind and take only what is vital for our survival." Tristan said concisely.
"But I'm not sure - " Rina protested.
"Rina. We must take a chance. We have to get across or at least die trying."
Rina bit her lip and sighed. "Alright, I have nothing to lose." Shedding everything but a small bundle off of Elmer, she placed her hand on the saddle and tried to pull herself up, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Sighing dejectedly, she took several deep breaths. She made a face and, squeezing her eyes shut, mounted. Slowly, she rode over to edge and hesitated at the lip.
"I'll ride first, if you want." Phil offered. But Rina shook her head at him.
"This is his first try at such important magic and I want to be there for him every step of the way. He's nervous and an alien rider won't help. No, I'll ride him. He knows me best." Turning her attention back to Elmer, she stroked him soothingly. Elmer, who was slightly quaking, calmed under her gentle touch. "Come on, Elmer. Let's go, boy." She urged him forward. He reluctantly raised a glowing hoof and slowly placed it on thin air. As Rina crooned in his ear, he raised a second hoof and cautiously put it down. In this way, they slowly crossed the crack. When they reached the other side, Rina was overjoyed. She insisted on letting Elmer walk across the opening by himself. He rose splendidly to the challenge.
When Elmer finally bore Tristan across, Rina insisted on giving him a quick check up. She was convinced that Elmer had acquired a minute injury during the trip and demanded rest. Phil and Tristan gave into her demand when she pointed out that it had taken a lot of mental will power to cross the crack the first time.
An hour later, Rina announced that Elmer was now ready to continue the trip. Gathering what little possessions they retained, Phil and Tristan mounted their herrks that had crossed earlier. They made their way through the rest of the cave with a minimal amount of mishap. When Rina spotted light at the end of the tunnel, she rushed out, only to dig in her heels a minute later. The opening of the cave had led to the edge of a cliff. There was some 20 foot drop to the bottom.
"Again," Rina complained bitterly. "There is no way I'm going to let Elmer carry you down."
"There's no need." Tristan said, coming to stand beside her. "We can climb down by ourselves and the town's not far away. See that, the speck over there, that's the town."
"Where?" Rina craned her neck."
"That one?" Phil asked pointing.
Tristan nodded.
"That thing?" Rina said. "It's miles away."
"The road's easy and we have no fear of attack. We'll be there by nightfall." Tristan assured her.
Nightfall was already there when Phil, Rina, and Tristan arrived in the town. It was a small isolated town surrounded on many sides with whole mountain ranges. They were too tired to notice much about the town, but they spotted a remarkable amount of flowers, decorations, and streamers. Tristan led them up to an inn. He didn't enter the front door but went to the stables. After settling the herrks into empty stalls, he left Rina beside Elmer and went inside the inn with Phil.
Rina threw open the shutters. She was in the room where she had spent the night. It was a small but comfortable room. She was slightly aghast when she looked outside. Her window overlooked a street that was overrun with flowers. Flower wreaths hung on doors. Shops were adorned with flower chains and streamers. Stalls were beginning to be set up along the road. Rina was taken back by the surplus of flowers. She was about to yell out of the window but decided that asking someone downstairs would probably be a wiser move.
As she descended the stairs, she spotted Phil and Tristan sitting at a table in a corner. Someone with straw-colored hair sat with them. The stranger looked up, spotted her and beckoned. She walked over to the table.
"Keith!" she exclaimed when she peered at his face. She took a seat between him and Phil. "When did you get here?"
"Just a few days before you, Tristan, and Phil did" he answered. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," she said, reaching for some rolls that were on the table, "but I have a question. What's going on outside with all of the flowers?"
"Oh that. There's a festival today, Midsummer. Many of the near by towns will be joining us to celebrate. Speaking of which," Keith reached into the bag at his feet and withdrew several jiggling pouches. He placed them on the table. "I thought you need to have some fun before you go on to the base. It'll give the herrks a well-deserved day of rest."
"Thanks." They chorus.
"But there's a catch. A couple of nobles dropped by yesterday and asked if they could stay for the festival at this inn. Her ladyship wants to join you all on your fun today. I believe her name is Lady Vivian."
The color drained from Phil's face. "What? Oh no, not her. She's been after me ever since I met her." He looked up to see his worst nightmare entering the inn.