Down the Stairs we go

A study in darkness

What’s going on here?  Balgair wondered as he felt for the next stair down. If anything, the already pitch-black space got even darker. Before, he could see a little light; now, he couldn’t even see two inches in front of his face. In fact, he couldn’t even see his hand on the wall. 

My lady of chains, I could use some light.  Nothing, not a peep, not even a trace of Ananke’s usual amusement at his situations.  Even the Clarion call is muted. Why?  He wondered as he felt the next step under his foot and carefully stepped down.

“Be careful, Captain. It wouldn’t be good to fall,” Brandyn commented from behind him. 

“If I move any slower, a slug could beat me,” Balgair retorted, wondering why he felt as if he and the tavern master were old friends.  Maybe it’s that we are in this situation together.  With his foot firmly on the step, he fell down the wall with his left hand and slowly took another step.  What I wouldn’t give for some light. 

“Arien, isn’t there something you can do?” He threw over his shoulder. 

The enchantress caught his pitch and grumbled, “I can’t even see my hand in front of my face, and the man wants light. As if I could wave my hands and command it.” 

“Well, don’t you?” Ben inquired suddenly. “Don’t you just normally wave your hand and say something like ‘Ignis?’” 

The enchantress’s voice got louder. “If I could see you, I’d show you waving. Of all the stupid things to say.” Her voice fell into near silence as she continued to gripe. “For your information, I have to have something to use as a light source before making it brighter. It could be a candle flickering, a light through the window, or even a torch, but I can’t create it if it doesn’t already exist, and the absence of light in this stairwell isn’t helping.” 

As Arien fell silent, Balgair couldn’t help but feel doubt creeping into his thoughts. The very air around him felt oppressive.  Would my bonds even miss me if I were to die?  The weight of his doubt caused him to freeze completely, and he stopped mid-step.

“Hey there,” Brandyn muttered, feeling the frozen soldier before him. “What gives, chain-maker?” He gave the mercenary a soft push and grabbed his shoulder as it almost sent him tumbling down the stairs. “Don’t you dare give up on us, Captain.” He growled as he pushed Balgair against the wall and felt his way up the man’s face. He leaned closer and said, “If you give up on me, I’ll throw you down the stairs. Shake it off, man.” 

For a moment, Balgair didn’t even breathe. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Balgair took a molasses-coated breath and shook his head. “I’d deserve it,” he admitted as he kicked himself out of his own head. “I was just thinking about how oppressive this felt.” He blew out his breath and drew in another one. “I started wondering if they’d even miss me.” If Brandyn could have seen Balgair’s eyes, he would have seen them wide in paralyzing fear. Then he would have seen them harden as steely determination replaced the fear. “Thank you for helping me, Brandyn.”

He heard the tavern master scoff. “As if you’re the first to feel fear,” Brandyn commented. “I don’t like the way this feels. It feels as if the whole world is holding its breath.” 

“Amen to that, Lieu,” Ben muttered from the back. “I have never seen it this dark, even outside at its darkest. This is unnatural.” There was a scratching sound. “Are you okay, Methak?” 

The ranger coughed, “Yeah, ’m fine.” He stated as if pulled out of a reverie. “Can we get this done?” He inquired. 

Balgair shuddered as if the darkness were pressing down on him, and it didn’t help when Rique quipped up. “This reminds me of that crypt in Rouls.” 

The thief-taker grunted in agreement and stumbled a half-step when Arien tried to curl herself around him. “Hush, thief. Ye’re scaring Arien.”

Why the ifrinn were they in a crypt?  Balgair wondered, his mind filling in what his eyes couldn’t see. When he heard a scratching sound, he closed his eyes and mentally reprimanded himself.  Great, now you’re hearing things and thinking they are undead corpses.  He slowly reached out with his foot, feeling for the next step down. He repeated the motion with his hand, feeling the cold bricks under his fingers. 

He was concentrating so hard not to fall that he missed it when Arien asked, “How much further to the bottom? This darkness isn’t natural, and it feels like it’s trying to drown me.” When Balgair didn’t respond, she asked, “Does that make sense?” 

Balgair nodded before remembering that nobody could see him. He cleared his throat, “Yes, it does. I was thinking it feels like the roof is trying to bury me.” He whispered, as if afraid of breaking the oppressive silence.  To ifrinn with this, he thought as he pulled out a rounded stone and let it drop. He listened as it plinked four times, then silence drowned the plinks out.  Four times it bounced. Does that mean we are almost to the bottom, or did it roll off the stairs and get lost in that pool of darkness? 

“Oy, what was that?” Farank called out, the thief-taker trying to figure out what he had heard. 

“Just a stone,” Balgair replied as he did the calculations. “I think we have four steps left. Then we’ll either be at the bottom.” I hope.  He mentally amended.  Please, my lady, let me be right.  He prayed as he took another step down. As before, the goddess of contracts didn’t answer, which unnerved Balgair. 

One more step down, a solid wooden plank underfoot, another search with his hand along the wall. He could swear he heard his heart beating as he shifted his weight, inched down with the other foot, and found solid footing. 

He started breathing heavily as he took the third step and started preparing himself for what lay below.  Please, please, please, let it be solid ground.  The mantra sounded in his head as he fell down the wall, searching for a corner. 

He paused on the last step, gathering his courage to continue.  Give me a solid enemy any day. This crap is for the dead, His mind interjected as he edged his foot down …. and found solid ground but no corner with his hand, and damned it all, it was still dark.