Chapter 6

Aston woke up and looked around only moving his eyes at first. He had been careless about his fire and it had gone out sometime during the night, leaving his camp in total darkness. Without a fire, night hunters would be emboldened to attack him and his horses. Something had stirred and the horses had reacted by snorting, shuffling around, acting disturbed by something they felt was a threat to them. It was still pitch black so whatever it was had to be a night hunter. If it was large enough to want to try for a horse, he was going to be screwed by the loss. He quietly slid out of his small tent, making as little noise as possible. He felt upwards and found the back edge of the wagon. Moving to the right, he found the stand that held a lantern. He lifted it down and opened the glass by touch. He felt the wick to make sure it was high enough to catch the spark he would make to light it. He felt for the small pouch that always rode on his left hip, it wasn’t there. He needed the flint and steel that was in it. He thought about it and decided it had come loose while he slept and was in the sleeping roll.

Not having any choice, he squatted down and reached back to hopefully find the pouch near the front. He pulled the blanket out further until he found what he was looking for. He had set the lantern down and it took a few seconds of moving his hands in the darkness to find it again. While he was doing this, the horses were becoming more agitated. He carefully withdrew the flint stick and the steel rod from the bag. He placed his hands in what he hoped was the correct spot, squinted his eyes to protect them when the spark flashed and struck the steel to the flint at a sharp angle. As he hoped, a fat spark flared and he saw he was off-center from the wick. He adjusted his hands and struck again. This time it wasn’t as bright, but the spark landed on the oil-soaked fabric. The lamp oil caught quickly and he was able to adjust the flame so it was bright, but not making much smoke. He stood up and set the lamp back on the post that it was normally mounted on and started looking around.

In the darkness, he could see eyes glowing back at him from the light provided by the lone lamp. He released the whip from his side and held it, ready to strike should he need to. Now out of the darkness, he heard a growl of an angry wolf. He had spoiled their hunt and they were not happy about it. One set of eyes move closer to the lamplight towards him now rather than the horses. The rest started to spread out, eyes flickering in and out of sight as they moved.

Aston figured it was the Alpha male that was closing in on him, so he had to deal with the meanest and toughest of the pack first. As he watched, a dark shadow moved into the faint lantern light. The growl got lower in tone and louder at the same time, it was ready to strike. Aston had uncoiled the whip by now and was ready to strike. He knew he couldn’t kill it with the whip, but could hurt it enough to want to leave. When it entered the max range of the whip, Aston drew his arm back and spun the whip up over his head. This move only took a few seconds, seconds that were almost too long. The wolf started its attack at the same time. Aston brought the whip around as hard and fast as he could, hoping to catch the wolf in mid-leap. He felt the impact of the whip and heard the wolf let out a howl of pain and fear. This caused the rest of the pack to freeze in place.

Aston drew the whip back, spun it up again, and lashed out at the Alpha male a second time. He didn’t know he had caught it across the face, smashing one eye to paste. The wolf was rubbing the pain in the dirt, trying to make it stop hurting. The second hit was across its rear, just under the tail as it was rolling right at that instant. This elicited a loud yip and even more scrabbling in the dirt. The male was able to make it to its feet and dashed off into the dark, making no effort to sneak away. The rest of the pack had watched this, and as Aston glanced around, the eyes winked out until only one set remained. He heard an angry growl then they vanished as well. After a few minutes, the horses settle down now that the threat was gone.

Aston took the time to restart the cooking fire and made sure it would last the night. He could hear howling in the distance and at one point, a loud yipping sound like a dog had just been burned and was running away. He thought it might be the leader of the pack getting cast out because of his injuries and loss in the fight. He gathered his horses and lashed them to the wagon, then put on their feed bags hoping that would help keep them calm for the rest of the night. This seemed to work and they settled down to chew the grain and sleep a bit more.

This taken care of, he returned to his small tent and made ready to turn back in. He paused to ensure his flint and steel were properly secure this time and his whip at his side. Once settled, he just lay there, listening, and thinking about events. The explosion of the coal bin had ruined his plans to stay a week more and collect a few more coins. The thieves at the village a few days back had upset him. The town was held hostage and nobody was willing to work to free them. He knew he wasn’t the one to do that. He wasn’t a fighter. He was an expert in equine husbandry. He could defend himself at need, but when it came to a real fight, he would let the professionals handle that. The howling remained far off and gradually faded away, but sleep still eluded him. He thought about the girl at the barbershop. She was good looking, skilled at shaving and hair care, and very skilled at making sure a man was well cared for and relaxed when he left. He had tipped her well each time he had gone for a shave. He had met very few women that could take him as far down as she did. Was it natural talent, or just lots of practice, most likely lots of practice he decided.

He had visited the house one time but didn’t go back for a second visit. The woman was in a hurry and was less than polite when he wasn’t fast enough for her. “Hurry up and get finished will you,” she had said after about two minutes, “I have others waiting for me tonight.” He finished and left, but did not leave a tip. He got enough verbal abuse during the day, he didn’t need any from a paid whore late at night.

He didn’t even notice that sleep had finally come until he opened his eyes to a bit of light around him. He had slept longer than he wanted to so he had to hurry to get the horses back in harness and back on the road. He took care of his morning business and ate the leftovers from the night before. The horses were ready to go and the lead stallion, Frayn, had the mares in order, ready to be hooked up by the time he was ready to begin. Smart horses were one of the blessings of the gods he was certain. The sun was an hour above the horizon by the time he was back to the road and driving along. He continued south as much as the roads and paths allowed throughout the day. He didn’t see a single farm or sign of a village at any time. The forest was dense, and the light was dim because of the thick canopy. He could see many of the trees were very old and had grown to massive proportions. He spotted a few giants that a two dozen men would be needed to reach completely around them.

‘This area hasn’t been logged in many generations,’ he thought. ‘I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.’ He could just make out the sun that was now well-passed mid-day by several hours. So he knew he was still headed generally south. He could also tell he was headed downhill. A small stream appeared and ran beside the path, which was now becoming quite overgrown from lack of use. He noted something odd about the path that made him stop, set the brake to keep the wagon from rolling, and climbed down. He made sure he had his whip handy in case of an attack. He walked ahead of the horses and stooped down to the dirt. Only, it wasn’t dirt, nor stone of any sort that he knew. It was a dark grey, fairly solid with small amounts of gravel in it. He dug into it a bit more and found what looked like a rusted iron bar embedded in the material. He checked further along and saw it continued on. Checking to each side, he could see it was a wide road at one time. The sides lifted a bit and there was more of the grey stone surface beneath the leaves and plant growth.

A little further from what he now could see was a roadway in some distant past, he could just make out what might have been a foundation of a building. It was large and he could make out the general shape, a giant rectangle. One spot would have been a doorway if he guessed correctly and a step led up to where the wall might have been at one time. He could see rotted sheets of material that crumbled to dust as he touched them. The size and shape resembled shingles for a rooftop. He didn’t see any items he could readily identify beyond that though. He returned to his wagon, gave the horses a quick check, and made sure the tack was holding firm and climbed back to the driver’s bench. He released the brake and snapped the reins lightly and the horses started off at a slow walk over the uneven surface.

Aston had to wonder, how old was this forest, and the roadway. It was so old the forest had almost completely reclaimed it. This was the only thing he was certain of as he looked around as he drove. He drove along the old roadbed for several hours, pausing occasionally to look at the ruins of old buildings and water the horses. It was when he saw a foundation with metal sticking up that he stopped and dismounted to take a look. He could see that the floor had collapsed in several places to a chamber below ground. This made him aware of the danger of any openings at the surface. He wouldn’t have anybody to dig him out should he become trapped below ground here. He looked the rusted metal beam over as well as he could in the dimming light. The thick overhead canopy and the valley walls had night coming on sooner than he expected. He could see heavy rust on the nearest rod, giving it a rough and rotted appearance. He tapped it with a stick he had picked up and several thick layers of old surface rust fell away as a powder that stank of age. He could see the bare metal under the additional rusted layers that had separated slightly from the surface.

He tapped it again and more of the rust crumbled and fell away. The rust was so old, any that didn’t crumble shattered to a course, red dust on the ground. He tapped it a third time and jumped back when he heard the snapping of a piece of metal near his feet. He watched as the rod rapidly sank down below ground and the entire foundation floor that was still visible collapsed into the chamber below. He heard splashing and crashing as the building material fell into the accumulated water below. Aston backed away further in case the area around the foundation was in as bad of shape as the old building.

After a few minutes, the noises stopped and he heard only the sounds of the forest around him. ‘I need to find a safe place to camp,’ he thought. ‘This place is so old even any ghost must have given up haunting it by now.’ He chuckled at that and went back to the wagon. He drove for another hour and finally settled on a spot that had been an intersection of two roads. It was clear of any trees so he was able to make camp for the night without much trouble. “Water might be an issue in a few more days,” he said to the horses. They just looked at him and the lead stallion snorted at him. He made sure they were fed and watered from the barrel and checked their hooves for any damage. Not finding any, he finished setting up and got a fire going to cook some of the travel food for his evening meal. He didn’t have any problem finding good firewood, the roadway was littered with old branches that had fallen over the years. Much of it was dry from age and usable for the fire. He decided in the morning he would gather a few days worth of good firewood to take with him. It would save time setting up camp further down the road.

As the darkness closed in, he listened to the sounds of this forest. The breeze in the high canopy made a steady background rustling and he could hear the occasional howl of a distant wolf or the call of a cat. None came close so he soon relaxed and he slept. He did wake several times during the night, listening for anything that was not right. The only thing that changed was the lessening of the breeze above. The horses remained quiet as nothing disturbed them either.

Morning came and Aston had his camp broken down and ready to roll just as the sun should have crested the horizon. The deep valley though kept it dark for longer than he was used too. Once he had everything packed, he spent a few minutes gathering firewood the take along. When he thought he had enough for a few days, he hooked the horses up to the wagon and was soon on his way once more. The old road continued south in a near straight line on a slight downwards slope.

He could tell when he reached the bottom of the valley finally. There was a wide river running through it. It was flowing fast and he could tell it was deep from the way the surface remained smooth. He could see trees in the water, the occasional animal corpse flowing downstream and small bits of jetsam and flotsam that was common in all rivers. Now he had a new problem. The roadway ended at the edge of the river bank. He spotted what might have been bridge pilings at one time several yards out into the river. The bridge though was long gone. He saw that a wide footpath heading east following the river downstream. It was just barely wide enough for him to drive the wagon down it. The path turned away from the river, headed uphill slightly, and soon came to another of the old roadways. This section was in better shape than the first one he had found. Sections along this stretch were still somewhat intact.

At mid-day, he paused to feed the horses and eat some food. He had only eaten a bapple when he started out and was hungry now. ( NOTE: A Bapple is a large fruit from a seasonal tree. The fruit generally ran three to four inches across and are an orange-red color when ripe. The meat is firm but sweet with very high water content. The skin is thin and is eaten with the fruit. Inside are four to six seeds depending on the breed of fruit. The seeds are not eaten as they are not digestible. If swallowed, they can catch in the intestinal tracks and cause infections and swelling. Think Diverticulitis on steroids.)

Aston studied the surroundings as he ate. One of the small hillocks just off the road seemed odd. The sides were evenly sloped and the front was flat. When he walked over to one to get a closer look, he could see the hill was hollow. Aston went back and retrieved one of the lanterns and lit it. Now he could see inside the chamber. The floor was covered in dead leaves and sticks. He didn’t see any bones though. That made him wonder what could keep animals from using such a good cave to live in. He held the lantern low to the floor to look for any openings. It was well that he did. Ten feet back, he found a round hole in the floor. He spotted rust stains where metal mounts used to be for a stairway going down as far as the light reached. The stairs, if they had been stairs had rusted away and fallen down the shaft. He could smell something now coming up from the shaft. It was a gas smell that reminded him of rotting flesh. He knew from experience that gas like that could kill easily. He backed out of the cave, out into the daylight and fresh air. He didn’t notice that he had disturbed the dirt on the floor enough that some had slipped over the side to fall in to the still water below as he moved away. The dirt broke the surface tension and poisonous gas began to roil upwards from the water.

By the time he had returned to the wagon setting the lantern on the driver’s bench, but not extinguishing it, a cloud of gas had issued forth from the opening and was spreading around the hillock. The breeze was slowly pushing it mostly away from the road into the deeper forest ruins. The gas of the cloud proved toxic when a bird flew into it. In seconds, it fell out of the air and flopped around for a minute before dying. Aston jumped up to the seat and spurred the horses into a fast trot to get away from the toxic cloud. He didn’t understand that gasses of this sort tended to be heavier than air, so they sank. He had just made it away from the immediate danger zone when the still lit lantern he had set on the bench next to him bounced and tumbled over the side to crash to the ground. The oil spilled out and the burning wick caused it to go up in a small burst of flame. The gas reached the burning puddle a minute later and ignited. The flaming gas ball raced back to the opening where it hit the denser gas still in the shaft. The resulting fireball lit the area several times brighter than the midday sun. The heat flash set dozens of giant trees around the building on fire. The horses didn’t wait for a command, they took to a full gallop and wouldn’t stop.

Below, in the shaft, something far worse was happening now. There were three dozen of these vertical shafts in the surrounding forest. All had connecting airshafts running between them. The flaming gas blasted from one shaft to the next, disturbing the surface tension of the resting water. The water was supersaturated with explosive gasses from the ages of rotting plants and debris that had blown into the chambers and fallen into the water lightly enough to not disturb the surface. The slightest disturbance was enough to free the gas and cause the water to drop, pushing the gas up and out. The heat of the flaming gas jumped from place to place, causing one fireball after another to explode out across the forest.

Aston was holding on for dear life to the reins. The first blast panicked the horses and they ran and nothing Aston could do would stop them. It was well he couldn’t, part of the road behind him had started collapsing into a deep pit as whatever it was below ground caved in from the shock-waves. He held on and after five minutes, the horses slowed as their energy flagged. A few more minutes and he had them down to a slow walk. He looked back and saw that part of the forest was burning. He didn’t know what he could do to put it all out though. He knew this was his doing, even if it was an accident. His worries ceased when something began to happen that made him snap the reins to get the wagon moving faster again. Giant tree’s on the slopes had begun to topple over and vanish into the ground. It was as if the land was opening up and swallowing the burning forest whole.