Sparhawk tucked the flower gem inside his tunic and bent to pick up the spear of King Aldreas. His chain-mail shirt smelled very foul to him just now, and his skin cringed away from its touch. He wished that he could rid himself of it.
Kurik stooped and lifted the iron-bound stone club the hideously malformed Troll-Dwarf had wielded against them before his fatal plunge into the chasm. He hefted the brutal weapon a couple of times and then indifferently tossed it into the abyss after its owner.
Sephrenia lifted the glowing sword over her head, and the three of them crossed the gem-littered floor of Ghwerigs treasure cave towards the entrance of the spiralling gallery that led to the surface.
Do you think well ever see her again? Kurik asked wistfully as they entered the gallery.
Aphrael? Its hard to say. Shes always been a little unpredictable. Sephrenias voice was subdued.
They climbed in silence for a time, following the spiral of the gallery steadily to the left. Sparhawk felt a strange emptiness as they climbed. They had been four when they had descended; now they were only three. The Child-Goddess, however, had not been left behind, for they all carried her in their hearts. There was something else bothering him, though. Is there any way we can seal up this cave once we get outside? he asked his tutor.
Sephrenia looked at him, her eyes intent. We can if you wish, dear one, but why do you want to?
Its a little hard to put into words.
Weve got what we came for, Sparhawk. Why should you care if some swineherd stumbles across the cave now?
Im not entirely sure. He frowned, trying to pinpoint it. If some Thalesian peasant comes in here, hell eventually find Ghwerigs treasure-hoard, wont he?
If he looks long enough, yes.
And after that it wont be long before the caves swarming with other Thalesians.
Why should that bother you? Do you want Ghwerigs treasure for yourself?
Hardly. Martels the greedy one, not me.
Then why are you so concerned? What does it matter if the Thalesians start wandering around in here?
This is a very special place, Sephrenia.
In what way?
Its holy, he replied shortly. Her probing had begun to irritate him. A Goddess revealed herself to us here. I dont want the cave profaned by a crowd of drunken, greedy treasure-hunters. Id feel the same way if someone profaned an Elene Church.
Dear Sparhawk, she said, impulsively embracing him. Did it really cost you all that much to admit Aphraels divinity?
Your Goddess was very convincing, Sephrenia, he replied wryly. Shed have shaken the certainty of the Hierocracy of the Elene Church itself. Can we do it? Seal the cave, I mean?
She started to say something, then stopped, frowning. Wait here, she told them. She leaned Sir Gareds sword point up against the wall of the gallery and walked back down the passage a little way, and then stopped again at the very edge of the light from the glowing sword-tip where she stood deep in thought. After a time, she returned.
Im going to ask you to do something dangerous, Sparhawk, she said gravely. I think youll be safe though. The memory of Aphrael is still strong in your mind, and that should protect you.
What do you want me to do?
Were going to use Bhelliom to seal the cave. There are other ways we could do it, but we have to be sure that the jewel will accept your authority. I think it will, but lets make certain. Youre going to have to be strong, Sparhawk. Bhelliom wont want to do what you ask, so youll have to compel it.
Ive dealt with stubborn things before, he shrugged.
Dont make light of this, Sparhawk. Its something far more elemental than anything Ive ever done before. Lets move on.
They continued upward along the spiralling passageway with the muted roar of the waterfall in Ghwerigs treasure-cave growing fainter and fainter. Then, just as they moved beyond the range of hearing, the sound seemed to change, fragmenting its one endless note into many, becoming a complex chord rather than a single tone some trick perhaps of the shifting echoes in the cave. With the change of that sound, Sparhawks mood also changed. Before, there had been a kind of weary satisfaction at having finally achieved a long-sought goal coupled with the sense of awe at the revelation of the Child-Goddess. Now, however, the dark, musty cave seemed somehow ominous, threatening. Sparhawk felt something he had not felt since early childhood. He was suddenly afraid of the dark. Things seemed to lurk in the shadows beyond the circle of light from the glowing sword-tip, faceless things filled with a cruel malevolence. He nervously looked back over his shoulder. Far back, beyond the light, something seemed to move. It was brief, no more than a flicker of a deeper, more intense darkness. He discovered that when he tried to look directly at it, he could no longer see it, but when he looked off to one side, it was there vague, unformed and hovering on the very edge of his vision. It filled him with an unnamed dread. Foolishness, he muttered, and moved on, eager to reach the light above them.
It was mid-afternoon when they reached the surface, and the sun seemed very bright after the dark cave. Sparhawk drew in a deep breath and reached inside his tunic.
Not yet, Sparhawk, Sephrenia advised. We want to collapse the ceiling of the cave, but we dont want to bring that overhanging cliff down on our heads at the same time. Well go back down to where the horses are and do it from there.
Youll have to teach me the spell, he said as the three of them crossed the bramble-choked basin in front of the cave mouth.
There isnt any spell. You have the jewel and the rings. All you have to do is give the command. Ill show you how when we get down.
They clambered down the rocky ravine to the grassy plateau and their previous nights encampment. It was nearly sunset when they reached the pair of tents and the picketed horses. Faran laid his ears back and bared his teeth as Sparhawk approached him.
Whats your problem? Sparhawk asked his evil-tempered warhorse.
He senses Bhelliom, Sephrenia explained. He doesnt like it. Stay away from him for a while. She looked critically up the gap from which they had just emerged. Its safe enough here, she decided. Take out Bhelliom and hold it in both hands so that the rings are touching it.
Do I have to face the cave?
No. Bhelliom will know what youre telling it to do. Now, remember the inside of the cave the look of it, the feel, and even the smell. Then imagine the roof collapsing. The rocks will tumble down and bounce and roll and pile up on top of each other. Therell be a lot of noise. A great cloud of dust and a strong wind will come rushing out of the cave mouth. The ridge-line above the cave will sag as the roof of the cavern collapses, and therell probably be avalanches. Dont let any of that distract you. Keep the images firmly in your mind.
Its a bit more complicated than an ordinary spell, isnt it?
Yes. This is not, strictly speaking, a spell, though. Youll be unleashing elemental magic. Concentrate, Sparhawk. The more detailed you make the image, the more powerfully Bhelliom will respond. When youve got it firmly in your mind, tell the jewel to make it happen.