The Tiger's Rage: The Stiger Chronicles by Marc Alan Edelheit

Author:Marc Alan Edelheit [Edelheit, Marc Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Stiger ducked his head, narrowly avoiding the low-hanging rock as he entered the dimly lit mouth of the cave. Here, the gnomes had performed a master class in camouflage and deception; the entrance was obscured behind thickets of wild and prickly shrubs and a well-crafted facade of a door.

This door was no ordinary one. Its surface had been meticulously fashioned to resemble the surrounding rocky terrain and it stood wide open. At a glance, an unsuspecting traveler who managed to make it through the wild shrubs would easily mistake the rock-faced door for just another piece of the hilly terrain. The door was hinged and counterbalanced. Stiger had only ever seen the dwarves do something similar, and this looked more detailed and advanced. To say he was impressed would be an understatement.

As he ventured farther into the cave’s embrace, keeping his head low, he was met by a group of ten gnomes, all armed to the teeth and looking deadly serious. Two even had bows, with arrows loosely nocked.

Their pupilless eyes, sharp and focused, eerily followed every move Stiger and his companions made. No words were exchanged, but the message was clear: They were in a place where security was paramount, and as the guardians of this sanctuary, they would not hesitate to protect it at all costs.

Tisana, acting as their guide, seemed unperturbed by the intense scrutiny. She moved with a familiarity that spoke of many visits to this hidden enclave. Her stride was confident, and her nod to one of the gnomes, a subtle gesture of acknowledgment, was returned with a barely perceptible tilt of the head.

“I believe they were expecting us,” Therik said to Stiger.

“They were,” Stiger said, eyeing the sentries warily as he passed them by. “They likely received advanced word of our coming.”

The deeper they went, the cooler the air within the cave turned. A sense of heaviness lingered about them, as if the weight of the entire world were being held over their heads. A few yards in, the moonlight died off and the soft glow from a partially hooded oil lantern cast wavering shadows on the walls and floor, revealing intricate patterns of volcanic rock and mineral. Stiger thought it like stepping into a different realm, one where light and darkness played a constant swirling dance.

The passageway grew narrower as it dropped downward at a gradual angle. The ceiling got lower as well, forcing Stiger, Therik, and their companions to stoop as they continued forward, descending. Their steps echoed softly, and every so often, a drip of water could be heard, adding to the cave’s ambiance of mystery and age.

As they passed another lantern, Stiger looked back on his wife, who was just behind him. Even in the dim lighting, he could see the pallor of her face. Her normally radiant complexion looked ashen, her elegant features tightened and strained in discomfort. The gentle curve of her pointed ears, a distinct feature of elves, twitched ever so slightly, a telltale sign of her unease.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.