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Dlands 37- Demons of Eden
backed away, murmuring, "No, thank you, sir, indeed."
"A dead end," Ryan said grimly. "We'll have to make our stand here."
As Doc backed away, something brushed the top of his head, hanging from above. "Look
at this."
It was a length of frayed rope, and they craned their necks to look up to see what it was
anchored to. The end of the rope was lost in shadows.
Ryan reached up and tugged gingerly on the length of hemp. Nothing happened, so he
pulled harder. His effort was rewarded by a loud creaking sound. He pulled hand over
hand, and a long, flat slab descended from the rocky ceiling.
The slab was made of rough-hewn, splintering timber and lashed together with rope. It
was a bridge, affixed to the tunnel roof by a pulley system of some kind. Creaking, the
bridge lowered until its outermost edge rested on the tunnel's lip, spanning the chasm.
"Who wants to take the first step?" Ryan asked.
Before anyone could reply, Sisoka stepped cautiously on the bridge. Though the timbers
squeaked, it appeared secure and solid enough. She walked quickly across and was
swallowed up by the mist. She called to them that everything was fine. Unhesitatingly,
Blood-sniffer trotted across.
One at a time, as if they were walking on eggshells, everyone softfooted across the
bridge. Ryan went last, guarding their rear. When the others had safely crossed, he
followed. He was the heaviest of his companions, and the timbers didn't simply squeak
beneath his weight; they groaned and a couple of them trembled. He tiptoed the
remaining yards to the far side of the chasm.
When he joined his friends, J.B. said, "No rope on this side. We can't raise the bridge to
keep Joe from crossing."
"He has no choice if he wants us," Ryan replied. "We can just stay here and pick him and
his warriors off as they come across."
"No!" Sisoka blurted. "You cannot kill in the heart of the Grandmother, not in the Cavern
of Creation."
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Dlands 37- Demons of Eden
"If we don't," Ryan said, "we'll all die."
"No," she repeated stubbornly. "Find another way."
"There's another way," Mildred said. "Jak, since you're the lightweight among us, you can
ease out on the bridge and cut the ropes supporting the timbers. It won't be able to support
another crossing."
"That tactic will leave us stranded here," Doc objected, "perhaps to wander the
subterranean rings of Hades for all eternity, like Virgil."
Ryan turned to Jak. "Do it."
Jak nodded and crept back out across the bridge. His motions were a little stiff due to his
wound, but they heard the faint snicking of razor steel cutting into hemp and the squeak
of timbers. After a moment he returned, backing up on hands and knees.
"Done," he whispered. "Heard voices from entrance."
The seven people and the wolf walked quietly away from the chasm. After a few minutes
they heard a far-off noise, a distant rumble as if a great-wheeled machine were
approaching. Then there was a crash and splintering of wood, a noise that swiftly faded
except for a brief echo. A faint scream trailed behind the splitting roar.
Chapter Thirty-One
Their path took them along the edge of a jagged rock wall on their right, but on their left
was an unplumbed darkness dropping to inconceivable depths.
J.B. peered into the abyss, muttering, "Kind of makes you want to spit, doesn't it?" Then
he stiffened. "I can see some kind of light down there."
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Dlands 37- Demons of Eden
Ryan and others moved cautiously to the edge and gazed into the dark void. A faint
greenish glow filtered from far beneath, flickering in a rapid, almost hypnotic rhythm.
"That must be the source of the light," Mildred said.
"Light in here is blue," Jak argued. "That green."
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