After a time, the chamber floor became covered in silver dust, and they could make out boot prints in it. The tracks led them into a tunnel blocked by an iron door that was locked. The Knights studied the lock, and came to the conclusion that Lannon would have to use the Eye. But Timlin begged to be allowed to try picking it, and so he was given a set of tools.
"Give it a quick try," said Furlus. "But this lock is very stout."
"You can do this, Timlin," said Shennen. "If you stay focused and let nothing distract your mind, the lock will succumb to your will."
Timlin went to work, his tiny fingers moving skillfully, his face set in a determined look. Just when the others were beginning to grow impatient, a click arose. Timlin backed away, grinning. "I got it!" he said.
"Well done," said Shennen, patting him on the back. "Amazing, really. I myself would have struggled with it. Your Knightly essence must be very strong. And those tiny, quick fingers you have are a bonus."
The Squires were instructed to stand behind the four men, with Saranna and Darius guarding the rear. While Taris and Furlus readied their weapons, Caldrek yanked the door open-to reveal a short hallway that ended at another door. The floor of this hallway was strewn with loose boards and rusty spikes.
Caldrek and Taris started forward, but Furlus ordered them to stop. "Hold on, now. Don't be wandering off without knowing what you're getting into."
"What's wrong?" said Taris.
Furlus pointed to the debris in the passageway. "Doesn't that look a little out of place to you?"
"It looks like loose boards and spikes," said Taris. "There is a lot of debris down here. What's different about this?"
Caldrek shook his head. "Even I cannot glimpse what Furlus sees."
"I see it," said Shennen. "Those boards may have been put there deliberately. They look a bit too randomly placed. See how none of them overlap? This could be a trap of some sort."
Furlus held forth a lantern, studying the tunnel. "The walls and ceiling look okay. The trap, if it exists, must be under the boards themselves." He frowned. "I guess I'll go first. You others wait for me. I have a suspicion…"
The Olrog carefully stepped along the tunnel, avoiding the loose boards. When he drew close to two of them lying side by side, near the tunnel's end, he sat his lantern down and raised his axe. The others could hear his raspy breathing as he cautiously stepped towards the two planks.
Then the planks exploded into the air and a dark, serpent-like shape surged out of a hole in the stone floor. The others caught a glimpse of a humanoid head, its reddish mouth split wide to reveal dripping fangs. Yet the instant that head popped up from the hole, Furlus' swung his axe and severed it from its body. The head rolled away, while the body writhed about, oozing dark fluid, until it lay still.
Furlus tore off a piece off his clothing and cleaned his axe with it. "Alright," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "It's safe now."
Exchanging glances, the others started forward. When they reached the edge of the hole, they could see that the Pit Crawler had been chained down there, leaving just enough slack so it could rise up and bite anyone it smelled approaching its lair. Animal bones (and human ones) lay in the pit, gnawed clean of flesh-food to insure the creature's poison stayed potent.
"Whoever set these traps," said Furlus, "wields some kind of power over Goblins. Otherwise his own snares would doom him. And he must be thoroughly evil to use a Pit Crawler to do his dirty work."
"I think we'd already guessed he's evil," said Taris
Lannon glanced at the severed head. It bore a human expression, its eyes widened in shock. He turned away, wishing he hadn't looked.
They examined the door at the tunnel's end. It was made of iron, had a lock similar to the one Timlin had just picked, and runes were engraved in it. Taris studied the runes, while Furlus examined the lock.
"Writings of the Deep Shadow," Taris concluded.
"But what does it mean?" said Furlus.
Taris shook his head. "Only a sorcerer who gains his power from Tharnin could perhaps understand this."
With Shennen's encouragement, Timlin eagerly set to work and soon had the door unlocked. Taris pulled it open, and another hallway was revealed, ending this time in a lighted chamber up ahead.
They crept forward with extra caution, Taris and Furlus in the lead. Soon they emerged into a round chamber lit by Birlote torches. Another tunnel mouth stood on the opposite side of this room. Wooden tables and chairs stood in the chamber, and shelves lined the walls. Jugs and bottles, some broken and some intact, sat upon the shelves, along with other items such as candles, writing utensils, books, and so forth. Also, on one of the tables lay a Goblin Lord's corpse. It was chained down, and it had been sliced open to reveal the innards of its chest and stomach. Its eyes were open wide in death.
"Well, look at that!" said Furlus.
Taris examined the Goblin. "It looks like surgery of some sort was performed here. Do you see that cavity in the lower back? It appears the Goblin Lord's heart has been removed."
"Could this be where the Goblin Lords are created?" said Furlus.
"Not likely," said Taris. "This is a small room for such a grand accomplishment as creating Goblin Lords. This chamber probably served another purpose. But what is the meaning of this? Why is the heart missing? And look-there is fresh blood on the table, which means this was done recently."
"Perhaps this Goblin Lord was punished," said Furlus. "Look at the face and head-those black runes. This could easily be the one that escaped us earlier."
"Yes," said Taris. "I think it is. He must have been punished for his failure to destroy Lannon."
"He was simply spared my axe!" growled Furlus.
"I want to take a moment," said Taris, "to examine the contents of some of these jugs and bottles."
"We have no time for this, sorcerer," said Furlus. "While you poke your nose in those bottles, the assassin could be escaping us."
"Very well!" muttered Taris. "I'll check them later."
But Shennen ignored both of them, and uncorked a couple of the containers to sniff at them. He brought one to Taris, and let the Birlote sniff it.
Taris wrinkled his nose in disgust. "This is water tainted by the Deep Shadow. It is found in pools north of these mountains-in that place called the Desolation. It has been known to cause bizarre mutations among those who drink it. It can even mutate plants, from what I've learned, causing them to behave like animals."
"So what does this mean?" said Furlus.
"It could play a role in the creation of these Goblin Lords," said Taris. "But I suppose we are just grasping at straws here. We need to find the actual place where the Goblin Lords are created, before we can know what is really going on."
"Regardless," said Furlus, "one thing seems certain. These tunnels are soon to be used as an attack route. Otherwise, why would this be down here?"
"I agree that it is likely," said Taris.
"This is strong evidence," said Caldrek. "Shouldn't we send someone back to report it, while the rest of us search for the assassin?"
Taris was thoughtful for a moment. At last he said, "Who should be sent back? We have need of everyone, it seems. I suggest we go a bit farther and poke around a little more, before we have Cordus commit any Knights to these mines. This could be a mere diversion, while the true attack takes place above."
"Then let's get moving," said Furlus.
The company entered the tunnel, which led them a short distance before giving way to a round chasm spanned by a stone bridge. At its center, the bridge widened out briefly and displayed what appeared to be a pool of water. On the other side, another tunnel mouth could just barely be seen in the flickering light. The sound of rushing water came from the depths of the chasm below.