Succession at Seventeen

Chapter 7

“Yeah...” Jeremy murmured a note of uncertainty in his voice.

Things slowly began to become easier to see and soon there was a pale light at the end of the tunnel. She picked up the pace, almost feeling claustrophobic after the length of the tunnel.

When they got to the light they looked up and around. At the end of the tunnel was a cavern that couldn't possibly exist. It towered above them what must have been miles. So high that clouds lazed among the stalactites, and the path that met the cave mouth was suspended a thousand feet over a lake with a few islands.

The cavern was filled with hundreds of small pools and lakes. About half of them were calm still cold-looking water fed from the drops falling from the ceiling while the others were filled with a duller liquid that snaked its way down around the great stone columns like vertical rivers and ran uniform over the flowstone at their bases. On the walls were many more caves and paths like the one they stood at all at seemingly random heights and arrangements.

And beyond all of this was the biggest lake Diana had ever seen. It was what she imagined the great lakes must look like, nothing but water and cold fog off into the horizon. Growing up out of the lake was a skeletal Hawthorn tree so titanic that its branches stirred the clouds on the ceiling.

“It's always overwhelming the first time.” Markus had appeared in the darkness behind them and Diana was a good four feet in the air by the time he had said always. When she landed facing him he was wearing a wolfish grin.

“Did you HAVE to scare the hell out of us like that?” She screeched.

“No.” He said as he walked up beside her. “But I wanted to.” His expression held not an ounce of guilt or remorse.

“He didn't get me.” Jeremy squeeked.

Right and the stinging little pinpricks on my TITS are from that near fatal heart attack.

“I love how you shriek. Lets the whole world know I'm back.” Markus snickered, ignoring Jeremy’s posturing.

“Where ARE we you asshole?” Diana asked, not caring that her voiced dripped every bit of venom she felt.

“Where I have been taking you for the last few days.” He said simply.

“We get that.” Jeremy said, “But what is it?”

“This...” He said swinging one arm out to encompass the cavern. “... is Daghda's Cauldron. And that...” He pointed at the great tree. “...is the Eildon Tree, Capital of Mag Mell.

Markus led the way down the path toward the ground without any further preamble. The path they began to follow toward the ground was the length of a football field and was, as far as she could tell, completely unsupported. It swayed gently in the breezes and crunched like loose gravel underfoot. Even though her mind rebelled at the thought it WAS loose gravel as far as she could tell. It was enough to scare both her and Jeremy who curled powerless around her neck. But Markus walked it with total confidence in every step. That, combined with the comforting feeling of warm fur on her chilly neck, gave her the courage to follow.

As soon as she could turn her attention away from her step she realized that it was getting warmer. Every foot closer to the ground became a noticeable warming of the air. It went from a chilly night in January to the mild gusts of midnight in July at the ground. She was even able to pull her arms out of her jacket to let it hang by her shoulders.

They walked for hours passing hundred of forks in the road.  Diana found herself growing both hungry and thirsty.  She didn’t have any food on her but the road came very close to many of the pools.  When one of the dull pools came right up to the roads edge she bent to cup some of the liquid in her hands.