Page 48 of Tattered Huntress
I trusted Humphrey; if he said it was a dead end then I believed it was a dead end.
My palms itched and I desperately wanted to get out of the cave into the daylight and the open air. Even here in this large cavern, my claustrophobia was getting the better of me. But Boonder seemed keen on having company and I didn’t suppose it would take long to explore the tunnel. It beat waiting for my turn to squeeze into the tiny space that led back to the exit, so I nodded.
As far as this section of the treasure hunt was concerned, I would have to admit failure – but there was still one part of the key to find. The third part would be mine, come hell or high water. In the meantime, although there was nothing to gain by joining Boonder, there was nothing to lose either.
Chapter
Eighteen
With Hester perched on my right shoulder and Otis on my left, I followed Boonder into the tunnel. It was big and airy enough to keep the worst of my fears at bay, and we were able to walk side by side. His eyes flitted from left to right as if he were looking for something specific, while I sniffed the air. I decided that it didn’t matter if I used my torch now instead of a magic flame; I wouldn’t be down here for much longer.
‘I’m sorry that I’ve not spoken to you properly before now,’ Boonder told me. ‘To be honest, I was bit wary of you. Lots of people seem to think that treasure hunting is easy – they give it a try and get themselves and others killed in the process. It’s usually wise to avoid beginners. And,’ he added, ‘there was that business with John Thurgood’s team.’
‘I tried to help them,’ I said quietly. ‘I didn’t deliberately lead them into danger.’
‘I know. Hugo made sure we all knew.’
Oh. ‘Did he tell everyone I’m a junkie too?’ I managed to keep most of the bitterness out of my voice. My feelingstowards Hugo were becoming increasingly complicated; it was far easier when I’d simply hated him.
‘I heard something about that, but not from Hugo.’ He scratched his neck awkwardly. ‘I guess word kinda got around.’
My lip curled. Yeah. I guessed it did.
‘I get it, though.’ His tone was earnest. ‘I had a good friend who was a spider’s silk addict. He was a nice guy who never did anyone any harm.’
‘Was?’ I asked.
Boonder was silent for a second. ‘He – uh – died a couple of years ago.’ I didn’t need to ask what had killed him.
I resisted my knee-jerk reaction to dig into my bag for another pill. I’d taken one before I’d left my tent that morning and I’d only brought a couple with me in case I got stuck down here. I didn’t need more drugs, not right now. I drew in a deep breath. There was plenty of time before I’d need to dose myself again.
‘How did you get into treasure hunting?’ I asked to change the subject. ‘You’re the only sorcerer here. Do the two things go hand in hand?’
He chuckled. ‘Not often. Actually, it’s not the treasure that lures me in, it’s the history.’ He waved a hand around. ‘I mean, look at this place. Look atus. Eight teams of experienced hunters with all that the twenty-first century has to offer and we’re finding it hard to follow in the footsteps of men from three hundred years ago who had almost no resources. Sometimes I think we rely too much on technology and not enough on our inner capabilities.’
I tried not to look too surprised at his wise words. Until we’d entered the cave, Boonder had struck me as a grumpy loner. It was far too easy to pre-judge others. I hated the way Hugo had done it to me – but perhaps I was guilty of it, too. ‘Ilike the history, too,’ I said quietly. We exchanged mutually approving glances.
Boonder’s steps slowed. ‘Look. There’s something over there. Can you shine your torch that way?’
I pointed it towards the right-hand wall and drew in a breath sharply. Etched into the cave wall was some sort of crude design; if I squinted, it looked like an old rune. It was quite close to the ground so it would have been easy to miss; I’d certainly have walked straight past it but for Boonder’s sharp eyes, It wasn’t a surprise that Humphrey, Eleanor and the others hadn’t seen it.
A sudden surge of renewed optimism flooded my body. Maybe the game wasn’t over yet after all. ‘You’re the sorcerer,’ I breathed. ‘What is it? What does it say?’ More to the point, what did the runedo?
Boonder crouched down beside it, brushing away a few clinging cobwebs. ‘I wouldn’t get too excited. There’s no magic attached to it – it won’t open a secret passageway like the last one did.’
My shoulders sagged. ‘If it’s not magical then what’s the point of it?’
He reached into his back pocket and took out the book he’d been reading earlier. He flipped through the pages while I held the torch over him. ‘Is that a runic dictionary?’ I asked.
‘Yeah.’ He chewed his bottom lip. ‘I might not have totally mastered them, but I know a lot of modern runes. What I don’t know are the more traditional ones. I brought this along because I thought I might need it, given the age of the treasure we’re looking for.’
He turned another page and his back stiffened. ‘It looks like I was right.’ He sounded grim. ‘We should get out of here.’
On my shoulder, Otis quivered. ‘Why? What’s wrong?’
‘It’s not a magical rune.’ Boonder stood up. ‘It’s a warning. It says “Beware”.’
I met his eyes through the gloom. ‘Beware of what?’
