Cavelost Read online

  Cavelost

  The journal of Rin Sylleth

  as transcribed by

  Courtney M. Privett

  Book One of The Bacra Chronicles

  Copyright © 2016 Courtney M. Privett

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law

  ISBN: 1537131354

  ISBN-13: 978-1537131351

  Other works by Courtney M. Privett

  Huron

  The Malora Octet

  Mayfly Requiem

  The Abyssal Night

  Shards of Chaos

  The Shattered Veil

  Shadows of Absolution

  Sand into Glass

  The Crystal Lattice

  Arrow of Entropy

  For Children

  Elora Goes to the Moons

  DEDICATION

  This book is for Lyra, the precocious four year old who insisted upon naming more characters than I care to admit. I will say it took me a few minutes to figure out the best way to spell “Daelis”.

  It is also in memory of my ephemeral cat muse, Reno, who died suddenly on October 21, 2016 as I was editing this story. I adopted him on Valentine's Day in 2015, and he sat by my side through the editing phases of The Crystal Lattice and Sand into Glass, and then the completion of three more novels following those. Farewell, my cat muse. You are dearly missed.

  Thank you to my alpha readers, who stayed with me as I fed them a single chapter at a time over the course of two months. Cavelost was originally an experimental blog project, but once I found my groove, I knew it was destined for something far bigger than the short story I originally conceived of. This sounds familiar. The same thing happened when my intended short story Echoes of Oblivion expanded into a trilogy, which expanded further into The Malora Octet. Cavelost is another beginning. I'm eager to find out where it leads.

  Day 1

  I have no idea where I am. A cave, that much is obvious, but where? And how? Why am I here? All I have are questions and a splitting headache. The last thing I remember is drinking a skunky pint in that tavern in Greeble. What was that place called? The Happy Minotaur. Not so happy, more like dank and hazy. I was drinking with those idiots who helped me dispatch that troll, and then...

  Nothing. It all faded to nothing and I woke up here, in this cave. Mold clings to glistening rocks and stalactites hang overhead like row upon row of chomping teeth.

  The only lights I have are the blue glow given off by an iron-framed dwarfstone lantern and the green phosphorescence of the mushrooms sprouting from the rocks. A slow, steady trickle streams down the stalactites, so I've got water. The contents of my rucksack are intact, so I've got some basic rations and tools. I hope I figure out how to get out of here quickly because I don't know if those green mushrooms are edible or deadly.

  I also don't know if I'm alone here. I'm certain I see eyes in the dark beyond the radius of my lantern, but then again, those could be more mushrooms. Too many noises bounce off these walls, so those little roars I hear could be either distant water or the rumbles of my own stomach.

  Ugh, my stomach. My head. My joints and everything else. Whatever I was drugged with isn't treating me well. My finger joints ache with a steady pulse so I'm going to put my journal away for now and go back to sleep. Maybe I'll wake up somewhere else. Maybe I won't wake up at all if whatever lurks in the damp and moldy darkness has a taste for me. I don't want to die in this abyss, but I'm not sure if I have any other choice.

  Day 1, again

  Why am I prefacing this with days? There is no night or day here. I don't know if I've been here for an hour or a week. I'm not hungry yet, so I'll go with an hour. Time is meaningless and trite.

  I slept for some period of time. Not long enough. Can't sleep deeply when I don't know where I am, but I'm tired. So, so tired. I've never been this tired in my life. I want to get up and survey my surroundings, maybe find a way out, but I know if I try my legs will buckle and I'll fall on my face. I need to be careful. If I get hurt, there won't be any hope left of escape.

  It's difficult to raise my arm and force my hand to write, but I'm going to. If I die down here, maybe someday explorers will find my body and read my words. They'll know I fought for every confused moment. They'll know I died alone and scared, but at least I won't be an anonymous corpse. My name is Rin Sylleth. I'm from Jadeshire. If you find my body, give the pendant I wear to someone in my family, whomever is still alive. If none are left alive, keep it for yourself and remember that I existed.

  My hands are going numb from both the fatigue and the damp cold. The dwarfstone gives off plenty of light and will glow for thousands of years before waning, but it radiates no warmth. I don't want to risk setting a fire. Fires in enclosed spaces are never a good idea. I've also heard about tar pits in caves, pools of dark liquid that burn explosively if sparked. I don't want to either ignite one or fall into one. Safe. Be safe, Rin. Watch your step and be safe.

  The glowing mushrooms are comforting. I don't know why. They pulse slowly, steadily. Or, maybe that is an artifact of my exhausted eyes. Damn whoever drugged me and left me to die in this gods-forsaken place. If I get out of here and find out who did this to me, I'm going to throw them in the pit and seal it.

  Rumbles shake the deep. Back to sleep. It's all I can do for now.

  Day 2

  I'm awake now, and I have had a little time to assess my situation. I'm on a wide ledge overlooking a large cave system. I'll have to climb down a slippery natural staircase to escape from my current locale, which won't be easy while carrying the lantern. I'm going to try it in a couple minutes. I need to take a deep breath and gather myself first.

  I've been thinking about what could have brought me to this place and nothing makes sense. I wasn't physically harmed. My weapon wasn't even taken from me. I found the sword earlier, sheathed and carefully arranged against a nearby wall. I guess I'm being given the chance to fight my way out. Why? Am I only a game piece to some unknown player?

  I don't have many enemies to choose from, and even fewer who could have abandoned me here. Most of my enemies are either dead or forgiven. The few outliers are barely worth mentioning. There is Terric, the unfortunate half-orc who still holds a grudge after I rejected some rather awkward romantic advances. Morna, the barkeep I owe a little money to after losing a bet. Lida, whose twin brother I killed in a fairly fought duel. They're gnats at my ear, not true enemies capable of leaving me to die in a pit. The person or persons who put me here either know their way around the cave system or are magic users proficient in teleportation. The latter makes my unknown foe more dangerous than the typical run-of-the-mill gnat. I've never met a teleporting mage, but I've heard they have to be incredibly magic-skilled to even attempt the task. I need to think some more on this during my descent and hopeful ascent. Who did I anger so much that I was sentenced to this?

  More noises in the dark, more echoes of growls or growls in the echoes. My shoulders are caught in a continuous shudder. I need to get out of here.

  The small amount of bread and nuts I rationed myself for breakfast is gone. It's time to leave the ledge.

  Day 2, part 2

  I don't like that I had to travel down to get off the ledge, but seeing as there was nowhere to ascend, down was my only choice. Hopefully I find a place to climb upward soon. Hopefully I'm retracing my captor's steps and not descending into an unforgiving doom.

  I don't know how long I climbed and crawled and walked over slippery rocks
to end up where I am now. Travel was agonizingly slow, so I don't think I'm far from where I started. Every pebble looked the same after a while, and every time I came to a split in the cave, I took the route with the larger opening and marked where I'd been with a coin. I'm covered in mud and my bruised knees are screaming, but at least now I'm somewhere remotely habitable. Habitable? Ha. This place is nothing but dismal.

  I'm next to a shallow, white-tinged pool. It seems to be a spring and not connected to any sort of underground river or stream that I could potentially follow to the surface. Strange animals swim beneath the surface and scuttle across the rocks. Fish, shrimp, salamanders—all are pale and blind. The light of my lantern is an incredible rarity here and there is no need for eyes in the permanent darkness.

  The air is heavy and smells of mildew and salt. And something else, something faint but harsh. Eggy and acrid. Sulfur, perhaps? Maybe the slight milkiness of the water is due to sulfur. I probably shouldn't drink it. I've hung my water pouch under a dripping stalactite and hopefully it will collect enough to satisfy my growing thirst. Hunger will become a different problem if I don't find my way out soon. I can spark a fire if I become desperate, but I have no fuel to burn and barely enough air to breathe. My only options for food beyond what's in my rucksack are the questionable mushrooms and the cave animals in this pool. It's unlikely that the creatures are poisonous, but I have no desire to eat them raw. I'm tempted to save the food in my pack and eat the troglobites now, but that feels like I'm resigning myself to an extended period in this cave system. I'd rather ration what I already have and hope that I'm not far from escape.

  I can't shake the feeling that something is watching me, maybe even following me. The blurred echoes offer no clues, and sometimes my own heartbeat thunders off the walls and lands in my ears like a rhythmic scream. My anxiety is most likely self-induced. Unless my captor is the phantom who is trailing me. Maybe he or she takes pleasure from my torture. I've remained calm so far, but it's only a matter of time before the facade crumbles and panic takes over.

  I shouldn't think about that. I need to placate my trembling mind. I've found a tranquil place to rest and I'll focus on that for this moment.

  Something growls nearby. My stomach, just my stomach, I'm certain it is only my hunger calling out in the dark. There are no monsters here, just echoes off rocks and tiny, harmless, blind animals thriving in a world without light. Calm now, thumping heart and quivering nerves, and let my body rest so I can resume the journey toward daylight.

  Day 2, part 3

  I ate a little more, but the growling continues. I don't think it's coming from me. Maybe the noises of the little cave salamanders and spiders are being amplified by the stone. Maybe not. I'm trying to let my body rest for the next leg of my escape, but my mind isn't having any of that.

  If you're reading this, I want you to know about the former owner of the body that I assume you found with this journal. I want you to know that I'm not a bad person. Like so many others, I've had some brief flirtations with the grayer areas of morality, like during the brief handful of years in my early twenties when I worked as a hired sword. Hey, don't judge me. It was good money and I was on my own with a couple kids to feed. I would have done anything for those two. Still would, even though they're nearly old enough to take care of themselves. Their names are Shan and Tessen Sylleth. They're seventeen and sixteen years old now. They're both boys. Good boys, never inclined to cause trouble. If they're still alive when you find me, tell them what happened. Tell them I'm sorry. I left them with my sister so I could secure enough money to give them a comfortable future and an inheritance, but I failed and now I'm here. I love them. I hope they know that. I hope they always remember that.

  I loved their younger brother, too. Alon. Sweet little thing with dark hair and bright, curious eyes. He would be nearly eight years old now, but he never made it past four. A chest infection left him gasping for breath, with blue lips and bloodshot eyes, and then it stole him from me forever. Alon's father left me soon after. He didn't want to be stuck helping raise my "other little bastards" while his own bastard child rotted in the ground. Good riddance to him. I only kept him around as long as I did because I was afraid of raising three boys on my own, but we were all better off without that filthy prick in our lives.

  I'm sorry, Ragan, I shouldn't scorn you like that. You are better than a snide insult, but the way we parted has left a bitter pit in my heart. I still taste it in the pause between each steady beat.

  I need to clear my head or memories of Alon are going to reduce me to a lake of tears.

  I guess I lied before when I said I didn't have any enemies. I'm sure I do. I've made mistakes and I've made enemies, but I still don't think any of those enemies could be malicious enough to leave me underground to die. What am I missing? What am I forgetting? There has to be something... anything... anyone. There has to be a reason why I'm here and not on my way home to my boys.

  The growling continues. It alternates between a low rumble and an outright snarl. I'll keep my sword close and my wits about me. I need to keep moving, but I don't know what I'll find in the passageways ahead. Daylight. Please, gods of all that is luminous, lead me on the path toward daylight and away from the hungry dark.

  My name is Rin Sylleth.

  I am from Jadeshire.

  I am thirty-four years old.

  I am going to die here.

  I don't want to.

  Day 3

  Oh gods! I saw eyes. Glistening eyes in the glittering dark. They were in the distance, across a deep chasm. I couldn't make out the shape of the beast or beasts, just three sets of opalescent eyes, each pair stacked above the other. Could it have been more mushrooms? I doubt it. I'm certain they moved, followed my route as I stepped along the ledge. Something else is down here, something bigger than a salamander, and far less blind.

  Must keep moving. Must not stop. Must find the way to the surface. Quickly.

  Day 3, part 2

  I found a bone nestled in the rocks. I think it's a thigh bone, but from a being much smaller than myself. Animal, hopefully, though it could be part of a halfing or a gnome... or a child. I'm hoping for animal, but I'm doubtful. Perhaps my captor had other victims before me, people who made it no further than I have reached now.

  I wonder about the owner of this bone. Was the person young or old, male or female? What was their profession? Did they have a family? Were they just as confused about their predicament as I am? Did they die here or fall from above? Where are the rest of the remains? Probably dragged off by the creatures I saw before I fell asleep. I had no intention of sleeping after seeing them, but weariness overtook me and I was given no choice.

  I think it is best to keep the dwarfstone lantern uncovered and brightly glowing, even when I sleep. The creatures down here aren't used to light so maybe they will shy from it. Even the big ones, the ones with six opalescent eyes, the ones who may send me to the same fate as the being who once walked on this petite thigh bone.

  Stay in the light, Rin. It's not much of a hope, but it's all you've got. Light and a sword and a distant hope of a less-than-distant escape. Keep moving and stay in the light.

  The growling has resumed. No time left to mourn the anonymous dead. Keep going upward, forward, outward. Away from here. Away from the creatures of the abyss.

  Day 3, part 3

  The air is too quiet, too still. I need the wind on my face. I need the lightness of a summer breeze, not the heavy dank of this place. Cave air sits in my lungs like a festering disease and leaves me breathless more often than I'd expect. I'm breathless right now. I'm suffocating. I'm drowning.

  I'm going to sit on this rock for a few minutes and pretend I can feel the wind. It whistles through the imaginary trees, carrying with it scents of redwood and brine, blooming flowers and smoldering hearths.

  Damn it, this isn't working. The air is silent. It is dead. Motionless death, stagnant decay. No wind, no light, no hope.

 
Stop pretending this is hopeless. It's not. It can't be.

  I want to go home. I need to go home.

  I refuse to die in this dreary abyss.

  Day 4

  I followed the sound of running water, hoping it would lead me out of the cave system. Instead, I found myself knee-deep in a sparkling pool.

  I'm in that pool now. Quartz crystals glitter on the arched ceiling and the water embracing me is tepid and glass-clear. I think I'll stay here for the rest of the day and give the water a chance to soothe my battered legs. In a little while, I'll finish scouting the perimeter and find the outlet stream. For now, I'm going to sit in the water and breathe deeply.

  I'm being reckless, but I don't care. I haven't seen a six-eyed creature since what I think was yesterday, and I need this moment to enjoy something beautiful. Beautiful is certainly what this pool is. It would be lost in secretive darkness if not for the light of my lantern. Quartz clusters the size of my hand are illuminated. They shine like captured starlight, a concept they wouldn't even be aware of if the rocks could think. I stuck a couple wand-length quartz rods in my rucksack. I'll give them to Shan when I see him again. He always loved collecting interesting stones, especially ones with the potential for enchantment.

  If I see him again...

  I mustn't think so morbidly. I'll see my sons again. All I have to do is find the pool's outlet and follow it to the surface. I'll return to Tessen and Shan. I'll give Shan his quartz. Sweet Shan, I'll see him again. I must remain certain of that.