Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 29

morrow we must try to get to Tamarlan. Tamarlan is
nervous, but safe. Let us rest now. I for one am exhausted. Let’s snuff the torches; we will have need of
them tomorrow.”

apparent to them all. They caught only the briefest of
glimpses of the dwarven halls in the flickering light of
their torches. The top levels were obviously the living
levels, full of accommodation and social rooms. As
they descended lower, by vast staircases hewn from
the rock, the halls became cavernous. The meagre light
from their torches was quickly absorbed by the total
blackness. Just occasionally, their lights would reflect
off jewelled walls or golden outcrops and they would
get a glimpse of the hidden majesty of the caverns.

“With your leave, my Sage, Aglaral and I will take
turns to keep watch. We will keep one torch alight.”
Gamying cast a furtive glance at Kris as he spoke.
“As you wish, Gamying. I’m afraid I am too tired
to take my turn. Make sure you both get some rest.”
Manfred rolled onto his bunk, pulled a blanket over
himself, and was snoring within a few moments. Kris
pulled a blanket over his head to hide from Gamying’s
accusing eyes. Aglaral snuffed out all but one of the
torches. The delve settled into quiet darkness, broken
only by the ripples of light from the flickering torch
and the burbles of Manfred’s snores that seemed to
resonate with the flickers.

At one of these glimpses, Aglaral gasped aloud. “It
must be a wondrous sight to see these caverns fully
illuminated.”

Gamying woke them a few hours later. It was still several hours before dawn outside. Aglaral was absent.
They quickly attended to their morning ablutions and
broke their fasts on the remains of the previous night’s
provisions. Aglaral returned, laden with new torches,
filled water bottles and more provisions. Gamying
took charge.
“Listen carefully. We are going to descend deep into
the delve. There is a secret back door that will take us
out onto the Tamarlan Road. We will avoid the Suicide
Pass by taking this route. We must leave now if we are
to make Tamarlan before nightfall. There will be new
torches positioned at intervals along the way. Always
carry two torches, one lit and another new one, which
you must light before the first one expires. Do not
discard your used torch. As soon as you reach a torch
station, take a new torch and leave your used one
there. Take up your packs. I’m sorry Manfred; there
will be many stairs to descend.” Just my luck. I was
hoping for a long lie in and breakfast in bed.
Gamying led them through the delve with confident
certainty. It took them several hours, with frequent
brief rest stops. In the course of their journey, they
descended through so many levels that Manfred lost
count. The immense size of Dwarvenhome became

Gamying stopped for a moment. “It is one of the
Seven Wonders of the World – Melasurej, the Great
Lighthouse at Rhakotis, the Jewelled Caverns of
Devil’s Mouth, the One Tree and Hanging Gardens
at Elvenhome, the Old Theatre at Tamarlan, the Coliseum at Kartage, and the Lost Tower. I have been
fortunate enough to see five of them. I hope one day
to visit Eden and to be allowed to see the Hanging
Gardens. No human in living history has seen the Lost
Tower nor knows its location. I would wager that none
of them, even Melasurej itself, could hold a candle to
these caverns. They are fully lit only on dwarven feast
days. They are a sight to behold.”
As they descended further, the levels became less
cavernous and more like a mining venture with small
tunnels and workings. There were piles of rocks awaiting sorting and ot