Contents and chapter links
Previous chapter
[size=150]Chapter 24: Fazed[/size]
___A hideous sliding grinding sang above the four men round the well.
___“Uh…” Dagon blinked, near the open door. “Did I do that?”
___Between the ticking moments, Seifas tried to figure whether he could drive his aasagai into the rope, so that the indestructible shaft might bear the weight of his falling friends…was Portunista a friend—?
___But someone thought more quickly than even a juacuar.
___With a grunted snarl, Othon seized the diving rope, bracing himself at the edge of the hole. Shards of thread spit from his hands: the rope smoked to a halt! Seifas winced reflexively—but then saw Othon wore his battle gauntlets.
___“Wrong lever.” The giantish man was eyeing Dagon balefully.
___“Sorry,” the Krygian shrugged again. Then his eyes rolled upward toward the ceiling, as an ominous rumbling drifted down from overhead. The thin pull-cord, having been wrapped around a special gear or wheel, serenely sailed past Othon’s staring eyes, into the void.
___“That,” Pooralay mused, “does not bode well…”
___Seifas dashed across the room in leaps; Dagon dove aside as Seifas lunged to stab the knot which was caught in the hole above. Even its sharp tip did not go far into the sturdy knot, but Seifas pulled down anyway, leveraging the rope.
___“Pull!” he ordered Dagon; who regained his feet as Gaekwar slid into place. Once they had gotten their grips on the knot, the juacuar yanked out the aasagai and added his own hands. The three men heaved their bodies down, against increasing pressure from above.
___“Something’s trying to come apart!” The ‘cowherd’ Gaekwar shook his face to fling the sweat away. “We’ve got to pull the tension tight again!”
___The toil became more difficult; but as they worked the rope into its first position, feeding it into the wooden brace, the troubling sounds receded in intensity above.
___“‘Bout anoth’r han’width…” Pooralay told them, standing watch on the brace. Then he pulled the lever down in place, its opposite end impressing the rope above the knot—the knot pressed up in return, increasing the lateral pressure of the lever.
___A few more burps and bumps—and then the series of events above them stopped, although the rumbles from below continued on as usual.
___“We were told, NOT to touch that lever!” Seifas reminded the panting Dagon.
___“Sorry!” Dagon repeated. “Why does he even have this lever?”
___“Who knows,” the ‘cowherd’ said, wiping away the stringy hair now plastered to his brow.
___“Who cares?!” Othon added in his strain. He still was holding his rope in place, and tendons stood out redly on his neck.
___Now recalling their dangling companions, three men rushed to Othon’s aid. But Dagon took his time, ambling over. “C’mon,” he said, “it’s only Jian and Portunista and a plank and rope. It must be easier than pulling trees!”
___“Bad angle,” grumbled the proud Manavilon.
___“Sorry, guys, my arms ain’t long ‘nough t’ really help,” the thug apologized; the other two each grabbed a section under Othon’s hands. “Hm,” he added. “I s’pose this rope ain’t that rope. Oth’rwise,” he pondered while the others raised the plank, “this woulda gone back up when that went down. B’sides, th’ knothole stopped that rope, but this’n kept on goin’. Somethin’ up there mus’ be addin’ friction, too; oth’rwise th’ rest o’ th’rope woulda fallen with th’ cord…” He looked into the pit. “Guess they mus’ be on there still.”
___“Why d’y’say?” gritted Dagon, who had, under glares, joined in the hauling.
___“I doubt y’d be sweatin’ that much, pullin’ up an empty plank with three more men t’ help, doll-boy! O’ course,” allowed Poo grudgingly, “they might be dead weight, too.” He knelt and shouted into the hole: “Ever’one all right down there?!”
___“We’re just fine, thanks!” came a glad shout in reply.
___“Nothin’ fazes that boy…” Pooralay grinned.
___Soon they pulled the couple from the well. Othon, with assistance from the others, lifted the plank until the sitters’ feet were clear, then twisted around to gently set them down.
___“Thanks, Othon!” Jian reached up from where he sat to clasp a massive forearm. Othon knelt to sit and rest. Portunista, on the other hand, had leapt—or rather stumbled—from the plank, as soon as her feet were over the floor.
___“Fazed,” the ‘cowherd’ mumbled beneath his breath to Pooralay, who nodded “mm-hm” in agreement. The maga’s short dark hair had lengthened a little during previous weeks, and normally flared, up and out, in careful wavy swoops. Now, bits and pieces straggled everywhere; and she seemed unable to blink while gulping air.
___“What!” she snarled, seeing their look. She tried to squint her eyes in a glare, which didn’t quite work.
___“Nothin’,” Poo and Gaekwar said in unison. Gaekwar wandered quickly to the door; the sun now touched the treetops edging the dell. The thug meandered over to Jian—who lay on his stomach, looking back in the hole.
___“So,” said Pooralay, casually, “what were y’ doin’ down there?”
___Jian opened his mouth, but—
___“I will tell you what we saw,” announced the maga, glaring more successfully at Jian.
___Portunista gave the squad a brief account of their discoveries in the pit—no need for too much detail over certain points, she thought.
___When she reached their fall, Seifas told her what had happened. Portunista turned her glare on Dagon; although curiosity now was blunting her anger.
___“Why,” she muttered to herself, “does he even have that lever?”
___“Well,” continued Jian, seeing Portunista deep in thought, “we fell a ways before you caught us. Right for the throat of the hole…wsshh!! Except,” he shrugged, “we couldn’t see the hole anymore, because the wisps had doused again. But,” he hurried on, with a cautious glance toward Portunista, “once you caught us, Othon, and the…mm…excitement had lessened, Portunista whistled up another light. Now, here’s the interesting part—”
___“The throat of the well was encircled with sigils,” the maga absently interrupted.
___“Down to the water’s edge,” Jian nodded. “I mean right to the edge. Where the river rushed beneath it, the throat was smooth as if it had been razor-cut…ow,” he coughed, “bad analogy. Still, it was completely strange.”
___“So, were the sigils doing anything?” Gaekwar asked.
___“They were indeed,” Jian nodded. “Portunista can explain it better, though.”
___“Hm? Oh.” The maga turned to face them; then sat down on the floor. Her knees felt wobbly, she decided…”I tried an Yrthescrution once I got my bearings. Sometimes it can help me understand a sigil when I’m in proximity. But I’ve never seen these kinds before.”
___“So, you don’t know what they did,” pronounced the Krygian.
___“Oh, I think I do,” she snap-returned. “A scrution always has at least a little overflowing of perception. Like when you’re focused on a blade, you still see other things. But I didn’t realize what I was seeing, till Jian said something about the bucket being in the water.”
___“The plank was used for a waterwell, I guess?” Jian shrugged.
___“But I wasn’t sensing where the water should have been,” continued Portunista. “The scrution told me that the throat continued past the sigils—not into a rushing river!”
___“How far past?” Gaekwar asked.
___“Another hundred paces, easily. Then I found the water. I could feel its flow, against the throat of the well…but not remotely as quickly!”
___Jian dipped his hand into the pail, placed behind the plank; splashed around; and then drew out his hand with a flourishing spray.
___“That river was there! And it was flowing fast.”
___“Superspace,” Othon murmured.