“Precisely,” he says.
“Why do you need the boat?” he asks.
“I don’t plan to hide this in an easily accessible location,” he explains. “But rather somewhere that would make it very hard to get, even if someone should learn of its location.”
Illan nods as he glances around the room.
From the hallway at the top of the stairs, they hear Jorry and Uther coming back. They’re talking to one another and when they enter the room they both begin to descend the stairs at the same time.
Illan notices them and cries out, “One at a time!” but is too late.
The stairs give out with a loud crack and the top section upon where they’re stepping suddenly collapses and Uther falls forward, hitting the step just after the section that fell, and smashing though it with a grunt. They fall ten feet and land on the equipment James and Miko had left there from their earlier visit.
James and the others rush over and he asks, “You guys okay?” Pulling some of the broken stairway off of Jorry, they find them with only a few minor scrapes and cuts.
“Nothing broke,” Uther says as Illan helps him to his feet.
“Same here,” says Jorry.
Now that they’re all together, James lays out the plan to them. Taking a few of the items out of the backpacks, he explains how they’re to be used and so forth.
“Once we’re done, Jiron and I have something we need to do so won’t be coming back this way,” he explains. “You will need to return through here and take the horses and wagon back to The Ranch.” Pointing to the stashed equipment that now lies under the debris of the fallen stairs, he adds, “And take that equipment with you as well.”
“Where will you two be going?” Fifer asks.
“Saragon,” he tells them.
“Are you crazy?” Yern exclaims. “That place is in enemy hands. How are you going to get in there? And why?”
“As for how we’ll get in there,” he says, “there’s a way.” Pulling out the medallion, he holds it out to them and continues, “I still need to understand why this was given to me. The only place left for me to find out is in Saragon, it was the home of the last High Priest of Morcyth. Ollinearn, from the City of Light said that it’s possible he might’ve gone there before they disappeared. It’s all I have to go on.”
“You be careful,” Illan says.
“Oh, I plan to be, rest assured,” James tells him. “Now, to open the secret door.”
“Uther, on the wall along the stairs you’ll find a circle engraved into it,” he says. “Go up there and stand by until I tell you to press it. There are three triggers and they have to be pressed in the correct order.”
“Sure thing,” he says as he moves to climb the stairs, this time using great caution. He makes it almost up to where they end at the break before stopping and turning around. He gives them a thumb’s up indicating he’s found it and ready.
“Illan, if you will take this,” James says as he picks up the broken piece of the door jamb he used last time. Handing it to him, he points out the double circle on the ceiling. “After Uther presses the circle by the stairs, you press that double circle on the ceiling. Then I’ll step on the triple circle on the floor and the door should open.” Glancing around at everyone, he says, “Got it?”
When he gets a nod from Uther and Illan, he says, “Okay Uther, press your circle.”
Uther presses his circle and then nods to Illan. Illan then raises the broken door jamb and presses the double circle in the ceiling. Once he’s begun lowering the broken door jamb, James goes over and steps on the triple circle in the floor.
From where the secret door is located, they hear a soft grinding noise as the door slowly begins to open. To Jorry, James says, “Take that piece of wood you brought down here and lay it in the doorway to keep it open. You’ll need it open if you are to come back this way.”
Jorry picks up the wood and goes over to the door where he wedges it in to prevent the door from closing.
James waits a minute for the door to begin to close, but the piece of wood successfully keeps it open. “Good,” he says. “Through there is a narrow passage which should be wide enough to carry the boat through sideways. After that is a cavern with ample room.”
“Okay boys,” Illan tells the others, “You’ve got the boat.”
Yern, Fifer, Uther and Jorry all take a side and lift the boat off the ground. Jiron moves into the passage with James right behind. “There’s a bundle of old torches here,” he hollers back to Illan. “Grab a couple to use on your way back.”
“Good idea,” he says.
With a groan, the four guys flip the boat on its side as they move to the opening in the wall. It’s quite a tight fit, but they manage to maneuver the boat through the opening and shuffle with it down the passage. From the rear, light flares up indicating Illan has found the bundle of torches and has lit one.
When they at last exit the narrow passageway and are in the cavern, they flip the boat back upright again. Moving the boat through the stalagmites rising from the floor and the pools of water is much easier than it had been getting it through the narrow passage.
Jiron, who had been scouting ahead with one of James’ orbs of light, comes back. “There’s a broken down bridge ahead, spanning a very deep chasm,” he tells them.
“I know,” says James. “That’s the way we’ve got to go.”
“How in the world are we to get that boat across?” he asks.
“What do you mean?” interrupts Uther from where he’s carrying the boat. “What bridge?”
“You’ll see,” replies Jiron.
Shortly, the light from James’ orb illuminates the beginning of the rickety bridge hanging precariously across the chasm.
The guys carrying the boat stop and set it on the ground. “It’ll never hold us carrying the boat across,” states Fifer. “It’ll collapse!”
“I never said we’d be carrying it over,” he tells them.
“Then just how do you propose to get it over there? Magic?” asks Uther.
Shaking his head, he says, “No, I’ll need all I have for a little bit later on. Somewhere in one of the packs are three large eye rings. We need two of them now.” They rummage through the packs and produce the two eye rings.
James takes out the long rope from within his own backpack. After making sure it’s long enough, he hands one end of it to Fifer. Taking the other end, he gives it to Jiron and says, “Take this over to the other side.”
Nodding, he ties the rope around his waist before beginning to cross the bridge. As he makes his way over, James turns to Yern and says, “You take one of the eye rings and sledge hammer over across the bridge after he’s cleared the other side. Then you and Jiron need to hammer it into the stone securely.”
To Fifer he says, “Tie the other end of the rope to the forward section of the boat.”
He notices Illan already has a long piece of rope and is securing one end to the rear of the boat. “I think I see what you’re planning to do. You’ve been planning this long?” he asks.
“Ever since I found that,” he says, pointing to the box carrying the Fire. To Uther and Jorry he says, “Take the other eye ring and hammer it securely into the stone on this side.
“Okay,” Uther says as Jorry takes the eye ring and sledge hammer over to within three feet of the edge of the chasm. Soon, hammering can be heard coming from both sides as they put the eye rings into the stone.
Seeing that Fifer has the end of the rope secured to the bow of the boat, he tells him to cross over to the other side. By the time he arrives there, the hammering has stopped. “Now,” he hollers over to the other side, “slip the rope through the eye of the eye ring.” When they’ve accomplished that, he has them stand to one side as they grasp the rope. He sees that Illan already has the rope that’s tied to the rear of the boat threaded through the eye ring on this side.
With Jiron, Fifer and Yern on one side and Illan, Uther and Jorry on the other, he has them firmly grasp the rope and take in the slack. “Now, when I holler ‘GO!’ I want you on the far side to pull slowly and steady while those on this side maintain the tension on the rope as the boat goes over. Use the eye rings for leverage and it shouldn’t be too difficult. Everyone understands?”