A/N: I am so sorry about the late update, and about not having a chapter Thursday. Things have been crazy here, and I only just got access to the internet yesterday. I figured instead of posting two shorter chapters, I'd just combine them into one longer one. Hopefully, I'll have another update for Thursday, but at this point I don't know. I'm having to say goodbye to some of my best friends this week for at least a year, maybe forever, so even if I am in a mood to write most of my time will be spent with them. Moving countries sucks. Anyway, enough about me. Our adventurers are just beginning to get themselves into a tricky situation, so read on! Cheers, and enjoy!
CHAPTER 10
THEY HAD ONLY travelled for two days when Killian announced that the horses and carriage could take them no farther. In their path stood a mountain.
His plan had been for them to walk a trail halfway up and around the mountain, then make their own way back down. He had ropes, should they become needed, but he'd prefer not to use them. Emma preferred to bypass the mountain altogether.
"Surely there's another way." She exclaimed, eyeing the small trail with distrust. "Even a goat would turn its nose up at that."
Grumpy smothered a laugh, and Killian glared. "By all means, Your Highness, you can search for another path. But I doubt that you'll find one."
The contrary lass spun on her heel and walked up to the cliffs, turned to the north and began searching. Killian chuckled softly to himself and began unharnessing the horses.
"You think she'll be alright?" Grumpy asked, concern etching his features.
"Aye, she'll be fine. I'm sure she'll get tired soon, and then-"
"Hey, guys!" Emma's shout cut Killian off. "I found something!"
Grumpy set off towards her voice, but Killian made sure the horses were happily grazing before he went to join them. Rounding the corner, he saw that Emma had found a tunnel entrance, cut into the mountain.
"What do you think?" She asked Grumpy.
"It's an old dust mine. 'Bout a decade before Regina's rule, this vein was discovered. They mined it dry in fourteen months. Quick work. Made a lot of dwarves famous."
"Do you think it's stable?" Killian wanted to know.
"Oh, sure." He kicked one of the beams to demonstrate his point. "These things are built to last. Dwarf craftsmanship."
Emma poked her head into the tunnel, peering around for a light. "Do you think it goes all the way through?"
"It should. They used the river on the other side of the mountain to transport the rubble away to the quarries. Actually, if that's what I think it is…" Grumpy took the flint from his pocket and struck it against the wall. The cave was filled with sudden light as a depression in the rock walls revealed itself to be full of a very flammable substance. Killian suspected it was an oil, but he wouldn't put it past the dwarves to use grease or something a little more magical.
"Ah, there we go. Much quicker than walking over the mountain." Grumpy walked over to a mining cart, brushing rock and dust off it. The cart was set on tracks that led into the heart of the mountain, and beyond.
"You want us to travel in that death contraption?" Killian hoped his friend was joking.
"Better than falling off a mountain." Emma put in, shrugging. "This way looks like more fun."
"You are both mad. But I can see I'm out voted." Killian sighed. "I'll grab our things."
There were three carts, joined together to form a train of sorts. Killian loaded the supplies into the rear cart, Emma and her belongings into the middle cart, and he and Grumpy clambered into the first. The dwarf claimed he knew how to steer the contraption, but Killian wanted to be there in case things went south. The pup rode with Emma.
"Ready?" Killian called from behind the train. He was tasked with getting the thing to start rolling. At that point, Grumpy said that gravity would take hold as they rolled over a drop and into the cave system proper.
"All set." Grumpy gave him a thumbs up, and Killian began to push.
The wheels had been kept in good shape, and rolled easily. Killian ran to catch his cart, but it was already over the cliff. He leaped into Emma's cart, and she grabbed at his arm to pull him in.
"Careful-" Her warning was cut off as they were pulled over the drop, and the princess screamed.
It was pitch black in the cave, and deafening as the carts rattled on their rails. For the first time Killian wondered what they'd do if a cave in had destroyed the tracks. Too late now.
Their tunnel suddenly vanished, and their tracks continued into a vast cavern. Machinery in various stages of disuse were attached to the cave walls up to the ceiling, and small walkways joined them. The cart rails ran through the middle of everything, directly underneath a series of vats on a conveyor belt.
"That's where the vein was." Grumpy called, pointing at a section of cave wall. Out of the tunnel the noise from the wheels was loud, but not overwhelming as it had been in a confined space. Killian turned to look, but they had already been plunged into another tunnel.
This one was shorter, and let them out into an even larger opening. A giant hole in the ceiling allowed some of the light in from outside. From that, Killian could see that this cavern was around a hundred meters tall, and twice as long. Something dark and glittering filled the bottom, which he guessed to be an underground water source.
This time the tracks kept to the edges, against the wall, roughly eighty meters from the water. Killian was admiring the bats on the ceiling when he heard Grumpy swear.
"Tracks are broke! We gotta stop!" He yelled back to them. Killian joined in with a few choice words of his own.
"Where are the brakes?" Emma asked, frantically looking around. They had less than a minute before they reached certain death.
"I don't know. I worked pickaxe duty!"
"Here!" Emma was halfway out of the cart, reaching down to grab a lever. "It's jammed."
"Let me try." Killian offered, hoisting Emma back into the cart. She gave a squeak of protest, but Killian was already yanking on the brake. He heaved, but the metal was too stiff and rusted to move.
"It's no use." Emma told him, pulling on his arm. They looked ahead.
The tracks fell at a steep angle, down to just above water level, then back up again on a similar angle. At the top of this slope, some form of rockslide had created a break in the tracks, at least five meters long. Too far for them to get across.
"We'll have to jump. No, pull one of the carts into the water." Killian called out, hoping Grumpy would hear them.
"Are you crazy? That water's moving way too fast, and we don't know where it's going! Do you even know if this thing will float?" Emma argued.
"Any other ideas? Believe you me, I'd love to hear them!"
She was silent.
"Right. I'll toss your things into the rear cart. You hop across, and gather everything together." He raised his voice so Grumpy could hear. "Get over here, mate! When we get to the bottom of the slope, we'll knock the cart into the water."
Emma stepped up onto the edge of their cart and leapt into a pile of supplies, followed by Grumpy. Together they began wrapping everything into the canvas of their hammocks. Killian tossed Emma's box of knives and small bag of possessions, then picked up Henry.
"You and me, mutt." He said. Henry licked his nose.
Killian stepped over the cart's side and stood carefully on the metal joining the two. It was a simple mechanism, two circles of steel joined by a large pin. Making sure he had a firm hold on the end cart, Killian pulled out the pin. The front two carts sped up a little, unburdened by all their extra weight. He clambered into the cart and passed Henry to Emma.
"On my mark, shove against the cave wall! That should tip us." He called again, waiting and watching the water come closer and closer. Just when they passed the lowest point, he yelled "Now!"
The rock bit into Killian's palms, the force of the blow sending him rocking backwards. That, more than their force on the rocks, sent the cart toppling into the raging current below.
Freezing cold water surrounded Killian's body with a splash as they hit the water. The cart, and the supplies tied to it, floated thanks to the thick wood of the cart walls. Emma and Henry, who had landed half on top of the cart, also floated. Grumpy, like all dwarves, was naturally buoyant.
Killian was not.
It had been easy for Jefferson to cause the cave-in. Almost as easy as it had been to shift the rocks that fell onto the tracks. Even if they did somehow make it back to the tunnel entrance, there would be no way to get out.
The queen didn't want them dead just yet, and that was good. Jefferson didn't feel like killing these four. The mutt was cute, as was the princess. She and the tall one made him laugh, and it seemed they amused the dwarf as well.
No, not yet. He'd convinced her of that much, though it had been a hard sell. But he had a plan, and if it worked, he'd have his daughter back. The queen would be too blinded by hatred to see what he was doing until it was too late. And then, he'd just have to make sure she didn't find him until Snow, Charming and Emma were reunited. Until his Grace was freed from the sleeping curse.
Until the true royals finally put an end to the Evil Queen's reign, and to her hold on him.