It seemed like hours before he hit the cold, damp, unearthly darkness bellow. Thankfully, he landed in a group of moss-covered rocks. He was sure he would have more than a few bruises, but from what he heard, he had fared better than Ilvnag. "Ohhhhh."

"Everyone freeze!" Castor commanded. "Can any of you make some light?" He heard three mutters and tiny balls of light cut through the haze. The three spheres grew until they were about six inches in diameter. They each floated over their caster's head. "Good."

With the path now lit, Castor could see the surroundings, though it wasn't much. Damp rocks piled atop each-other in seemingly random stacks. Shallow crevices ran through the walls, but nothing stood out. Except for one thing.... He could not quiet place it. There it was again! A dripping. Water! If there was water coming in somewhere, that meant they might be able to get through that somewhere. Then a thought hit him: they were underground; of course there would be water. But wait, they were at the base of a mountain, which would only be about ground-level.

"Do you see anything?" L'arch whispered.

"I'm not sure. Look for a source of water."

"Water? Why? Are you thirsty?" Theuses asked, a hit of thorny sarcasm in his voice.

Castor shook his head, even though he knew they could not see him. "It could be our way out. Now start looking."

As his eyes adjusted he began to examine the walls. He felt several unidentifiable creatures scurry across his hands, but nothing significant. The rocks were ruff and worn with hundreds of shelves extending only several inches into the stone. He felt no signs of tools, which lead him to believe the cavern was natural. He could not see very high, but he had a feeling it went up for miles.

After several minutes of useless searching he asked what the others had found.

"Nothing," Theuses said. "All that's here are a bunch of rats and snakes."

"Same," Ilvnag said.

"Same," L'arch said. "I'm going to sit down, my legs are killing me." Suddenly a splash echoed through the room. "Aaaa!" Castor could here blades being drawn and he quickly drew is own. Theuses's voice cut the darkness.

"L'arch! L'arch, are you okay?"

After some sputtering they got a reply. "Fine. Just peachy. This water feels like it's ice."

Castor's hopes sailed. "You found water?"

"Fell in it more like, but yeah. Over here."

They all directed their lights to the area where she was standing. Next to her, a small river of running water ran through the rocks. It continued out a small ally in the stone wall.

L'arch shivered franticly. Theuses unbuckled his cape and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Here." She nodded her thanks.

"These walls are man-made." Castor said as he inspected them. "The rest of the cavern is natural. This must have been where Bantu was trying to get Tarnagh out."

"That doesn't make any sense. If this was the way out, then why didn't he just slip out through there?" Ilvnag asked.

"It's the binding." Theuses explained. "The spells were designed to hold him in this pit, not secure all the entrances in a barrier. The Empire just had to form a breach in the magic for the entire spell to fall apart. That then allowed Tarnagh to escape from any exit from the pit."

"Wait," Castor stopped him, "if all it takes is mining through a mountain, then why didn't people do it before?"

"Because it isn't that easy. The spell holds down any potential exits with its magic. The spell would literally sense the possibility of an opening and then start to seal it. That's why it took so long. The spell burned its energy out trying to counter the force moving into the chamber. When its strength was extinguished, all openings were re-opened."

Castor nodded his understanding. "So there is a better than likely chance this leads out?"

"Yes, but there is also a better then likely chance the Empire knows about it, considering they made it."

Castor shrugged. "Well, let's hope they don't think of it until we are at their defenses."

~ ~ ~

Tarris came and gave the final report to Bantu before the pass was to be armed. A group of a hundred Urki guarded the dark, stone walls. The dam stood high behind a huge shelf of rock and ant-siege weapons were stationed along the ledges. There was but one thing required to be sure the enemy's will was broken.

"We have found some sir. Trolls. My men are arming them as we speak. By the time the army comes, the trolls will be things of legend against his forces."

Bantu smiled for the hundredth time. The defenses were excellent and there was no way they were getting through. Still, a nagging doubt hung in his mind. If he failed and lived it could easily be a fate worse than death. The thought made his expression waver. Tarris caught it.

"My lord, are you all right?"

He swallowed slowly. "I am fine. Secure the pass and have the troops ready to deploy on a moment's notice."

Tarris bowed and left.

"And pray they are up to the task." Bantu whispered.

~ ~ ~

The path was hardly that: a path. The ground was thick with slime, which set Castor spinning into the frigid water more than once. The stones were sharp and chiseled crudely, leaving ragged edges. There was room for only one person at a time, so they went slowly in a single-file line. Every time Castor heard a rat squeak or a rock slide he itched to draw his sword. Every time he was forced to remember that it was nothing dangerous. But down there it seemed everything had a potential to be dangerous.

After over an hour or so of walking they began to see light. The path curved gently upward. Just get them to the edge but not so bad you felt it. The exit of the cave was nothing special. It was small hole with marks of tools all around. Larger pieces of stone were found also, as if they had begun with an ax and finished with a chisel. The ground around the entrance was rocky and most of the grass had been worn away by many pairs of feet.

"Well it looks like your theory about the Empire is right. It looks like they've had a small army stationed there."

"Now that we're out, where do we go? There's no way we'll be able to go back to Argonil."

"We will need horses too. The army is about a day away by horseback and another day or two to the pass. Hopefully we will have another day to scout out the pass and find any possible weakness in their defenses." Castor mused.

L'arch stepped forward and smiled nervously. "I think I can handle the horses."

"Really? How?" Ilvnag asked, skeptically.

"I have a gift for nature magic. Sometimes I can summon certain animals. I've never tried it with something as big as a horse, but I think I can pull it off."

Theuses gave her a worried look. "Are you sure? You know it's dangerous to cast a bigger spell than you've ever tried."

L'arch waved her hand dismissively, but Castor could see her worry. "You don't need to give me the lecture; I know the danger of over-casting magic." Before Theuses could stop her, she raised her hand and began chanting. Castor could literally feel the magic in the air. A smell like fresh cut grass wisped through the air. After several minutes L'arch stopped before wavering and falling to the ground.

Within seconds Theuses was by her. "L'arch! L'arch, are you okay?"

She breathed slowly. "I'm... I'm fine. I just need a second to breath; and some water."

Theuses nodded and grabbed his water canteen. "Here, have some of mine." A sudden noise grabbed their attention. A rhythmic drumming hummed across the ground. Castor turned quickly.

"More soldiers?" A few more seconds answered his question. Four stallions; two white, one brown, and one black, appeared over the rocks. A grin broke out over Theuses's face.

"You did it! It worked."

L'arch smiled. "Of course it did. After all, I cast it."

The ground fell away mile after mile. The horses were strong and powerful with amazing endurance. They rode them all day with rests only every few hours.

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