Aglahad and the Dead City (In Tharbad: Volume Three)

23

The ramp twisted up through the Seventh Deep. Behind me, I could hear Aglahad's breathless sobs. But this was no time to grieve. An oppressive feeling took me, a sense that we were in the midst of a vast space. The sounds we made were muted. The ramp was surrounded by immense square columns, many yards wide and towering up to the unseen ceiling. We ran upwards, round and round without rest.

"This must be higher than all the other Deeps put together," Lofar puffed.

"And still no sign of the top," I said.

"Might we rest for a moment?" Aglahad cried. He was lagging behind and we stopped and waited for him. I looked over a wide balustrade into utter blackness. The Dwarf rested his forehead against the stone. He held the lamp crystal limply at his hip. Aglahad staggered up towards us, his hand covering his face. He took his glove off and wiped an eye with the ball of his thumb.

"We could do nothing for her, Aglahad," Lofar said softly after he'd caught most of his breath. He was now standing upright and tucking his axe into his belt.

I looked at the boy but he couldn't look at us. He merely nodded and gazed out into the darkness.

"Come," I said at last. "It cannot be much further to the top."

We set off at a stride. The oppressive feeling altered somewhat, as though the noise of our passing were echoing back to us from above. Aglahad paused and craned his neck up.

"The ceiling."

Sure enough, the immense columns met the cavern roof and now we were climbing up through the living rock. Our footsteps echoed all around us as we went.

The ramp at last issued onto a wide square. Behind us, the large housing of the ramp-well stood as stout and sturdy as a strongbox. Beyond lay the ruined houses we had seen when we first stood at the parapet on the concourse. From our new vantage point, the cavern seemed much bigger. The blue-green light from the glow-moss defined the immense space above and around us, and it felt as though the very mountain was pressing down on us. Alarmingly, blue lamplight pulsed in some of the windows far above.

"We must keep moving," Aglahad said. "Where now, Siri?"

"Westward," I said. Lofar was already holding up his north-shard. He pointed beyond the ramp-head towards the wall of the cavern.

We found a road that led along the river, where the houses were not as close together. As we ran, more of the earwig things scurried out from behind houses and from black doorways. They seemed curious about and terrified of Aglahad's light in equal measure. They did not come within a half-dozen yards of the road and we remained untroubled until we found the western wall.

Here, far beneath the point where we had first looked out upon the cavern, the river ran under a twisted bronze grille. We ran towards one of two archways on either side of the river and up another ramp that curved gently round and up to the left. We passed a landing that led off to unknown halls and chambers as we followed the ramp up to the Fourth Deep.

"Hold," I hissed as we ran onto the next landing. The map shows the Hall of Lords here, to the north."

"Where all the lights are being lit," Aglahad said.

Lofar pulled his axe from his belt. "Then we'd better be ready. Here," he said, thrusting the lamp-shard at me. "I think this might be a better weapon than your knife against these abominations."

I took the crystal gratefully and drew my knife anyway. Leading the way, I walked along a concourse overlooking the cavern, passing small halls and chambers and stores. The concourse dog-legged to the right and ended in a high archway. There was a pale light beyond.