The Caverns of Kronos

Return to Kronosia - Part 4

     They arrived back at the gravity sphere a few hours later and stopped for a while to get used to their own weight again. They felt weak and shaky for a while, the muscles in their legs having grown lazy during their time in near weightlessness, but there hadn’t been enough time for their muscles or bones to actually weaken and after a few minutes they were walking around as easily and effortlessly as they had before. Diana and Lirenna untied their hair again to let it hang loose, and then they moved on, slowly and cautiously, aware that they might come across city soldiers at any time.

     Andricus took the lead from that point on, leading them down tunnels and up near vertical shafts until they came to a place where they could hear the sounds of people moving, working and talking just above them.

     “Can I say something before we go any further?” said the young Konnen, pausing for a moment. “This tunnel leads to a trapdoor in the floor of my grandparent’s home. It’s been a family secret for generations. If Lord Basil or any other family member should find out about it, they’d all be rounded up and put to death for treason. It’s the law, you see. Only the Nobles can come and go from the city at will. The rest of us need their permission, and even then have to be escorted by soldiers. If his Lordship still had his Ring of ESP, I wouldn’t even risk it.”

     “He won’t find out from us,” replied Diana. “I swear it.”

     “How come he didn’t just read your minds while he still had his ring?” asked Shaun.

     Andricus smiled. “There are nearly a thousand people in Konnen sector,” he said. “He can’t read everyone’s mind. Couldn’t, I mean. I was the biggest danger. I knew the risk when I was conscripted, but to refuse to join up would have brought suspicion on all the family. I tried to keep as far away from Lord Basil as possible, but I made the mistake of arguing with my Captain over some trivial matter and I was punished by being put on dungeon guard duty. Being right under the mansion, there was a real danger that I might meet Lord Basil in person and that he might read my mind. That’s why I volunteered to join the party looking for you. I just wanted to get away from him.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, Rakkus misinterpreted it and thought I just wanted to be close to him. I didn’t dare correct his misapprehension in case I gave away my real motives, so I had to, er...”

     “But you didn’t actually...” asked Matthew hesitantly.

     “No, but I might have had to if I hadn’t been able to think of a way of getting out of it. It was my own stupid fault for getting myself in that position in the first place, and I couldn’t let the rest of my family pay for my mistake. I’d endure almost anything rather than that.”

     The others found themselves warming to him as he said this. They all had loved ones they’d make great sacrifices for, and so had great sympathy for his predicament. He’s not a bad guy for a Konnen, thought Thomas with a smile. I could even find myself liking him if I’m not careful.

     They finally came to the end of the upward sloping tunnel and saw the underside of a large ceramic bowl, about two feet square, set into the ceiling above them. “Let’s hope they’re in,” said Andricus. “Otherwise we could be here for some time.”

     He knocked on the bowl with his knuckles, a coded series of long and short knocks. Nothing happened and he tried again. After the third time, however, there was a reply, two knocks in quick succession followed after a pause by a third, and Andricus replied with a different series of knocks. There was then the sound of something large and heavy being moved aside and the bowl was lifted, revealing a rectangular opening in the ceiling above them. Light from glowing globes of marble in the room above spilled down into the dark and dingy tunnel.