Underground Passage

It took the rest of the day and much of the next one before the group was able to reach the tunnels. If they could have portaled to the location, the group would have been there in a fraction of that time. 

Staring a the entrance, Renat felt a small amount of trepidation. The earth was packed into a mound where a hole had been carved to lead to the world below. The grass had grown back and vines now tumbled from the height of the hill, making the entrance look like a giant maw of a ferocious toothy beast. 

The scientist dismounted and pulled his wife aside. "Are we sure about this?" he asked as quietly as he could. Renat did not want to sow discord among the men, but he felt it would be wrong not to share his reservations.

"You were the biggest proponent when we left the fairy encampment. What happened? Are you afraid to go underground?" Mairwen cocked her head curiously to one side

"Aren't you?" Renat shivered. 

The tunnels inside the walls of the palace were nothing compared to what they were about to enter. The closest either of them had come to something of this magnitude was their most recent exit through the man-made passage out of the city. But they had already been in darkness before they entered and did not really notice when the smooth stone changed to mud and dirt. 

Mairwen tucked her hair behind her ear and furrowed her brow. "I am not so worried about being underground, though that could easily change. I am concerned about the reception we will get from the gnomes. I know Lukoss holds us no ill will, but..." 

The princess felt guilty for her thoughts. Renat managed to finish them for her.

"It only takes one person going against the king's will to cause us a lot of trouble, especially underground." 

"Precisely. The terms of surrender were reasonable from our perspective, but that doesn't mean all of the gnomes would agree...." Mairwen was glad to have her concern out in the open. It felt more manageable now that someone else knew. 

Renat nodded. "How about this: you keep me from worrying about the ceiling falling in on us and I will keep an eye out for any sign of trouble. Then we can both put our minds at ease." 

"Sounds like a good plan." The princess took a deep breath. "We have to keep calm and stay stong." 

Renat schooled his face into submission. "Alright, do I look calm?"

"Very, actually," Mairwen was impressed. He had been practicing a neutral expression at court. It seemed to have paid off.

The scientist allowed a smile. "Good. Everything in me wants to run back to the university and never leave home again." 

"And yet you are here, my brave hero." Mairwen stared deeply into her husband's eyes. 

"Anything for you," he answered seriously. 

His thumb brushed across her cheek as his eyes flicked to her beautiful mouth. His head tilted down until their lips met.

Nearby someone cleared their throat. "As much as we are enjoying the show..." Alaron's words dripped with sarcasm. If there was one thing this man had never wanted to see, it was his sister being romantic. "We need to get on our way. Fate Hanna has just returned from a trip in the trees, so you two are the only ones we are waiting on." 

"We are ready," Renat answered as he reluctantly pulled away from his bride. 

With each person guiding their own steed, the humans headed into the darkness. 

The horses were surprisingly understanding about the change. Unlike those getting on the bridge, none seem to mind passing through the vines and leaving the sunlight behind. This serenity helped the humans remain calm as they continually headed deeper. 

Normally the caverns of the gnomes were lit with an unnatural green light. No one but the most ancient gnomes knew how the magic worked, but just now it was not working at all. In its place torches were lit and continuously monitored in the main tunnel which led to the underground city. 

After adjusting to the low light, Mairwen looked over to her husband and gave him an encouraging smile. The tunnel was wide enough for them to walk side by side with their horses behind them, but it soon opened up into a much wider path. 

The stone was roughly hewn but showed an extensive amount of planning. Mairwen remembered that they had only moved to this place a few years prior, and she was amazed at what the combination of hard work and magic could do. 

The process of splitting their earth and then quickly cementing it so that it did not return to its normal state was a time-honored tradition, and over the years, the gnomes had perfected it. Some places still looked incomplete, but the structure itself was very sound. 

"It is so quiet down here," Mairwen noted when she was able to come alongside Lukoss.

"It will not be forever. As we get closer to the main camp, you will hear the clamor of axes. Just because we cannot use our magic does not mean we have given up our calling." The king nodded determinedly. 

"Her Majesty will get the magic back soon, I hope," the princess tried to sound positive.

"Until she does, we will have to find a new way to live, and if she doesn't, we will have to learn to adapt." The gnome smacked his lips. He didn't like the idea, but nothing about being king had been easy for him thus far. 

"You are wise to look toward the future." As a scientist, it was a character trait that Renat heavily admired.

"Gnomes have always looked toward the future. But usually through the lens of past wrongs. Plotting how we can get our revenge on all of those who did things to gnomes we don't even remember. Letting the past go and creating a different future has been freeing, at least for me. I suppose I owe the humans for that," Lukoss's words were more a stream of thought than open praise.

Mairwen wondered if he regretted speaking so candidly. But he did not seem embarrassed nor did he take back what he said, merely moved on to the next topic.

"I will escort you all the way to the other side. It will take a week, probably more with the horses." 

"Is your kingdom really that large, Your Majesty?" Alaron overheard the last bit of the conversation when was finally able to join the other three.

Lukoss allowed a small grin. "We can dig almost anywhere. While the main part of my kingdom is concentrated, we have a spiderweb of tunnels reaching far and wide. I would take you even farther but there is no way the horses will fit through the passage beyond that point." 

They walked on for over an hour in the serene calm of the passage. The only noises were the footfalls of man and beast and the occasional drip of water from somewhere above. 

Then, without warning, the floor began to slope drastically and the walls widened to reveal the center of the gnomic world. 

Countless tunnels veered off from the main one leading to dwellings while the marketplace was a combination of constructed stalls, stone buildings, and open spaces for walking. If not for the lack of sun, it might have been mistaken for a human city.

Entering the massive cavern, the noise level increased dramatically. The expert engineering had bent the walls in such a way as to absorb most of the sound to keep it from flowing down the passages. But now, the conversations of the rocky creatures filled the air. 

Until they saw the humans. The more people and horses that came into the open space, the more gnomes noticed them and became silent and still.

"So much for a warm welcome..." Alaron muttered. He tensed, hoping there would not be a confrontation and that the creatures would let them pass peaceably. 

"I smell a rat," Lukoss clenched his fists and furrowed his brow. 

Mairwen shot her husband a frantic look. It seemed her fear of a traitor had not been unfounded. While the king had been gone, someone had rallied the gnomes against him and the humans as well. The next move would decide how everything happened from this point onward. 

But the action did not come from the crowd in the marketplace. Through one of the wider tunnels less than an arrow shot away, a rumbling exploded into a cascade of falling rocks shooting out into the marketplace. 

Out of the passage, an ugly creature burst forth baring two long sharp teeth. Its red eyes were trained for only one thing at that moment. 

Destruction.