Empress of the Underworld (7 page)

Suddenly Abbey became upset. Quickly she dressed in her riding outfit. She longed to be alone, and there was one place she had found to be quite solitary.

Abbey saw as she passed through her outer chamber that Luna was asleep, and she did not awaken her. Outside, she looked to see if there were any guards, but there were none—or they were making their rounds in another part of the palace.

She made her way quickly down silent halls that glowed with the same eerie green glint that she had come to dislike. After making several turns, she came to a door, and when she opened it she found herself outside the palace proper. Here there were no jewels, no diamonds, and the light was not so bright. She walked for a time along the walls, and her feeling of loneliness became stronger.

“I'd give anything if I could see Josh. Or Sarah. Or see Reb throw his rope over an animal's head. And how I miss Wash and Dave. I wish they'd come. I wish—”

A figure suddenly stepped from an entranceway, and Abbey cried out in fear.

The figure halted, and a gravelly voice said, “It's only me, ma'am.”

The figure came closer, and Abbey saw that the man was carrying a large bag on his back. At first she had thought he was hunchbacked. She breathed with relief and said, “You frightened me!”

“I didn't mean to do that, ma'am. Just old Bono on my way down.”

“You're going down?”

“Down to the deep mines, I am.” He was an older man with white hair and a wrinkled face, but he had a pair of blue eyes that were alert. He wore rags and was dirty from head to foot. “Didn't mean to disturb you, ma'am,” he said and moved to go on.

“Wait! I'd like to go with you.”

“Oh, that wouldn't be possible!” The old man seemed to be shocked. “None of the nobility ever go to the deep mines.”

“I'd like to see them,” Abbey insisted.

Bono shook his head. He pulled off his ragged cap and vigorously scratched his thatch of dusty white hair. “Well, ma'am, I can't say no. We slaves have to do what we're told. But you might get me in trouble.”

“I won't tell. Just let me go.”

Bono shrugged and said, “Well, I'm going, if you want to follow. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone how you found your way there.”

“I won't tell.”

Thus Abbey began a strange journey.

Bono trudged ahead, stooped over, bearing his heavy bag. She could hear his wheezing as they moved steadily downhill.

The incline grew steeper and steeper, until finally it was difficult to keep her balance. They passed by several levels that led off from the descending stairway, but Bono did not say a word. Was the air growing thinner? It grew harder for her to breathe, and she wanted to turn back. It was darker too. Now only flickering lanterns hanging from steel pegs gave any light at all.

Finally Bono turned to her and said, “Better not go any deeper, ma'am.”

“Is this the deep mine?”

“It's the first of it, ma'am. It'd hardly be safe to go farther. It's hard to breathe here, ain't it now?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I'll be going, but you'd best stay here. It wouldn't be safe.”

Bono left and, for one moment, Abbey was ready to turn and climb back up to the palace. Still, curiosity overcame her, and she approached the doorway that was chiseled into the solid rock. She moved cautiously, for here the floor was treacherous with loose stones and dirt. This was no elaborately carved passage but literally a rough tunnel like one dug by a huge mole.

Ahead she saw a light and heard voices. Carefully and silently she crept ahead. When she got close enough, she was shocked to see two women digging with pickaxes, while two children loaded rocks into a small wagon.

By the wavering light she could see that the women were past middle age. Their hands were splayed as they held the axes, and it appeared to take all their strength to break off even a tiny fragment of rock. The children were pale-faced and listless. They looked starved, like their mothers.

Why, they look like refugees from old Nazi prisons that I've seen in history books
, Abbey thought with shock. As
she listened, the workers said little. When they did speak, there was no hope in their voices at all.

“My-Ling died this morning,” one woman said. She spoke slowly, as if every word was a burden.

The other woman waited for a time. She lifted her pick, struck the tunnel wall, and loosed a fragment no bigger than a marble. Then she leaned against the wall, breathing hard. “She's better off, poor soul. I wish I was with her.”

One of the children, a little girl, reached up and took her mother's ragged garment in her hand. “We'll be with her soon, won't we, Mother?”

The worn woman turned her face to the child, and Abbey had never seen such a hopeless expression in her whole life. The woman's eyes and cheeks were sunken. When she spoke, her voice was a mere whisper. “Yes, soon. And that will be good.”

Abbey made her way quietly back up to the entrance to the deep mines. She felt stricken. Never had she seen such hopelessness, and something close to hatred rose in her to think that women and children would be treated like this.

“Worse than animals,” she fumed as she moved up the passage. She saw no one on the way, and by the time she got back to her room she was very disturbed. Entering, she was suddenly shocked, for there stood the empress!

Empress Fareena smiled. “I've been waiting for you. Been out for a little walk?”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”

“A little late for an excursion, isn't it, my dear?”

“I couldn't sleep.”

The empress's eyes glittered. “Come. Sit down. We must talk.”

Against her will, Abbey sat.

The empress sat across from her, as was her custom. “Something troubling you, my dear?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I suppose I shouldn't have done it, but I wandered down into the lower parts.”

“To the deep mines?”

“Not all the way, Your Majesty. But deep enough. Oh, what I saw was awful!”

“Oh, my dear, I suppose you saw some of the slaves. It is sad, isn't it?”

“Why do women and children have to be chained and made to work in that awful place?”

“No one hates the thought of that worse than I, my dear. But you must understand that the forces against us are powerful. We must not give in one inch.”

“But children? How could they—”

“I know how it looks.” The empress held up a hand and shook her head sadly. “Let me explain to you.”

The empress began speaking about how difficult it was to be an empress. And how evil was coming into the Kingdom of the Underworld and how cruel things must sometimes be done.

“We must be cruel to be kind,” she said. “One day the Underlings will see truth, and then, of course, we will bring them out into freedom. But right now they do not see the truth.” The voice grew softer, and Abbey once again found herself looking at the writhing snake on the green stone, which the empress moved back and forth.

The woman spoke softly until Abbey almost felt herself being—
invaded.
Abbey was a very private person. She valued her freedom and independence, and this frightened her. She tried to cry out, but she could not.

“Now it is time for you to know the truth. You have served Goél, have you not?”

“Yes, yes.”

“And I know you did it with a good heart, but the truth we have tried to bring to you and must now give you is that Goél is not what you think. He is the enemy of freedom, the enemy of peace. It is he that keeps the slaves in chains in the deep mines. All the troubles in Nuworld come from Goél.”

“No, no, that can't be!” Abbey gasped.

The incense grew stronger, and the sense of being controlled grew more powerful.

“Ah, you have been deceived. But you must not fear. You love your friends—these other Sleepers?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Then you must save them from Goél as we have saved you and given you the truth. You must do the same for them.”

Abbey never remembered clearly what happened. Over and over again she heard the words “You must save your friends. You must tell them the truth. Goél is leading them into disaster. Only I can help, the Empress of the Underworld.” Finally Abbey felt totally helpless. “How can I help them?” she whispered.

“Ah, I'm glad to hear you have such feelings. You must write them a message. ‘Come and save me, for I'm in danger.' And you must ask them to come at once.”

“‘Come at once,'” Abbey repeated.

“Here is paper and a pen. Write them and beg them to come and save you.”

The incense grew even more dense. Abbey's mind seemed to be paralyzed. All she could hear was the voice of the Empress of the Underworld, and she wrote the letter slowly, begging the other Sleepers to come and save her.

“There. Now lie down and sleep. You have found the truth.” She helped the girl to the bed, smiled down at her, and whispered, “We have you now, Miss Abigail.”

The empress picked up the message. Then she turned and left the room.

Fareena went at once down the hall to where Lothar was waiting for her.

“The Dark Lord—he is here,” he said in a voice not steady.

The empress smiled. “Do not be afraid. The girl has given in. Come.”

The two proceeded down another hall. The empress pressed a button. A secret door opened, and they found themselves in a large room where a cloaked figure stood in the semidarkness. Only the light from a single candle illuminated the room faintly.

“Have you accomplished the task I gave you?” The voice was harsh and rang with power.

Empress Fareena blinked, but she smiled. “Yes, O Master of Darkness. The girl has sent for her friends. They will come, and once they pass through the doors of the Underworld, we will have them.”

Lothar nodded. “Yes, Sire, no one escapes from our kingdom.”

The Dark Lord's eyes were reddish under the cowl that he wore. “See that you do not fail.” His lips turned up in a cruel smile. “If you do, we will have to take stern measures, even with you, Empress Fareena, and you, Prince Lothar.”

His threat hung in the air, and as the two bowed out, both of them—stout as they were—knew fear at the very center of their bones.

7

Josh's Dream

T
he party that filed out of the heavy forest was ragged and worn. Looking back, Zohar paused and said to Josh, walking behind him, “Was hard mission.” He grunted. “We lose three good men.”

There were circles under Josh's eyes, and he'd lost weight. The mission had been terribly difficult. All of them were drained. And now as he looked at the thatch-roofed house, he expelled a deep breath. “I'm glad to be here again.”

Tam and Mat, the Gemini twins, were right behind him. “Now we'll get something to eat,” Tam said cheerfully. He poked a hole through his leather jerkin, adding, “And I can do a little patchwork so I can be handsome again.”

“You never were handsome.” Mat scowled. “And we're not going to get anything good to eat. It's been the worst mission I was ever on!”

Dave came up. He too was worn down, and he looked at Mat with disgust. “You say that after every mission.”

Josh said, “We'll get cleaned up and have a meal, and then we'll feel better.” He slapped each friend on the back and encouraged them all. “You did fine, Reb. Couldn't have done it without you. Wash, you all right? Sure you are!”

He gave Sarah a close look and shook his head. “I know you're tired, but we can rest awhile now.” He fell in step beside her and noted that her legs seemed to be trembling. He wanted to help her but knew she would
resent any offer. “It's been hard on all of us,” he said, then added, “You did fine, Sarah.”

“So did you, Josh.” Sarah's face was drawn with fatigue, but she found a smile. She poked her finger through a rent in his shirt and said, “I'll have to get my needle and thread out again.”

They entered the compound, and the families came running out to meet the warriors. For a while there was excitement, and then the women began preparing a meal.

Dave was looking around. “I don't see Abbey,” he said. “I thought she'd be out to meet us.”

“So did I.” Josh frowned. “Sarah, do you feel like climbing up and seeing if she's still asleep?”

“In the middle of the morning?” Sarah shook her head. “I doubt it.”

At that moment, Zohar came stalking toward them. He had a piece of paper in his hand and thrust it at Josh. “For you,” he grunted, then walked off.

“This is Abbey's writing,” Josh said. He opened the paper and read the message aloud.

I wish you were here; but since you were gone, I had to make a decision. I have gone to the Kingdom of the Underworld with Prince Lothar. They are in need of our help. As soon as I get there, I will send word with a map so you can follow.