The darkness went on forever, only a small ball of illumination around Eric’s hand with the light coming from it. They seemed to walk forever, taking Eric’s thoughts from him deeper into his consciousness. There, he remembered something.

And it was just as dark as the place his thoughts had retreated to.

A flash of Rose’s face shocked him, a memory that he didn’t know he had forgotten. It was engulfed in light, seeming to be etched with lines of energy, followed by the blood-curdling scream he remembered just before he transferred. 

The ring’s weight hung heavy in his tunic. 

A truth hung there with it.

Eric began to pant, stopping in the cave and slumping against the wall of stone. His vision blurred and unfocused. The ball of light in his hand wavered, sending only a faint dimness around Eric and Clanker. 

He had sweat through his underclothes, making him feel cold. Clanker had noticed and slowly walked up to Eric. 

“Hey,” Clanker said. “You ok? I sense a problem with your heart, well, actually all of you.” Eric didn’t hear him. A ringing had settled in his ears as he went to the ground, a bundle of cloth and sweat, breathing heavily.

In an attempt to put off the memory, Eric stumbled across a forgotten fond memory, that of Rose and himself wandering a similar cave. 

They had taken a Saturday to drive up a canyon near home to hike into a cave, explored by locals and said to have a beautiful underground waterfall. They had nearly gotten lost, but fortunately, a few other hikers were doing the same and knew the way well. 

Eric could remember the joy on Rose’s face as she saw the majestic, yet dark waterfall. It was dark, so a flashlight was the only source of light, but the cool temperature and light that filled the area created a moment in time for Eric, a fond memory of his time with his Rose. 

“Eric,” Clanker said, huddling down to where Eric hunched in a ball. “I don’t know what to do for you.” 

Eric barely heard him, shaking his head in response. 

“Seems you don’t either,” Clanker said. “Well, there is something I’ve been wanting to tell you.” 

Hearing Clanker a bit more, Eric forced himself to try and listen to the skeleton, his panic attack still going strong. 

“Because of you,” Clanker said, voice soft. “I get to live again.” 

A wave of peace settled down on Eric like a soft blanket already warmed for a cold and broken body. His breathing settled as he really heard Clanker that time, feeling the skeleton’s gratitude, genuine thankfulness, warm Eric’s soul. He turned and looked at his eerie, haunting eyes. 

Clanker laid a hand on Eric’s shoulders and nodded with his impossible smile. 

Eric put his own hand atop Clanker’s and smiled back up at the skeleton. He took the hand in his and let Clanker hoist Eric up to stand again. 

“I’m sorry, Clanker,” Eric said. “I don’t know how to deal with this pain deep inside me.” 

“I think if that was common knowledge there would be some very wealthy people in the world. Pain is a fickle thing, especially that of the heart and soul. Some things heal it, others aggravate, all while being inconsistent in their healing. But time seems to be the best ointment. Time may not heal the wound, but paired with truth, it will sure make one colorful scar.”

“Colorful?” 

“Oh,” Clanker said. “I suppose you wouldn’t understand that curse. Anyway, I think I hear something coming our way.”

Eric turned to look down the dark cave. He pulsed his light brighter, noticing small shapes approaching. 

In a sudden rush, a small group of more crag hounds attacked them. 

One rushed around and latched onto Clanker’s forearm, ripping it free, but Clanker had managed to get a hold of his separated arm and flung it about, trying to get the rabid dog off it. 

Eric summoned another blade of light, this time getting the edge right. He swung at a crag hound that came at him and it cleanly sliced a leg off the animal. It cried out in pain, rolling away as Eric dodged it in its lunge. There were two more coming at them, but they slowed with the cry of the second one Eric had sliced. 

In their hesitation, Eric let his sword dissipate, then held up his hand, palm out. He let light coalesce there, then in a flash, sent it out in a beam. He solidified it, much like he did against the king, but with less bravado. It slammed into one of the crag hounds, killing it. Eric then sent out another beam which clipped the last hound, but only enough to open its shoulder. It scampered away down a side tunnel that Eric had missed. 

The one with a sliced arm hobbled off after the other one, seeking easier prey. Clanker had dealt with his hound, a large gash in the skull of the beast lying on the ground. Clanker returned his forearm and then nodded.

The two walked on for a bit longer before seeing light up ahead of them. Eric tilts his head in confusion. 

“We’re nowhere near an exit, right?” 

Clanker only shrugs.

Eric could hear a faint whimpering as they drew closer to the light. It sounded much like a child. 

A large cavern opens up before them, torches lit along its edges. It’s a large cavern, plenty big enough to house a small desk with papers across it.

And a few cages as well.

Eric smelled the bodies first, then in horror, looked down into the cage’s depths. 

There were four cages and in them sat a child each, three seeming to be unconscious, but breathing. One held a little girl, whimpering and staring off at nothing. 

Eric rushed up to the cage she sat in and tried to get her to look at him. She backed away inside the cage, fear coming over her as she looked between Eric and Clanker, settling on the skeleton. 

“It’s alright,” Eric said. “We’re here to help you. How did you get here?”

The girl looked at him, then began to cry, tears freely flowing. She moved to the front of the cage and touched Eric’s arm.

“She seems unable to respond,” Clanker said, reaching into his infinite space suddenly and opening a jar of blood.

“Where did you get that?” Eric asked. 

“I filled one quickly from the crag hound. Not the best blood. Human holds more power, but all life on Auron has some power in their blood.” Clanker dipped a finger into the jar and then returned it to his space. He spoke a quick spell, then the blood glowed as it disappeared and flowed toward the child in a dark mist.

The child shied back, but the mist rushed forward and entered her mouth. A moment later, the child smiled. 

“It’s back!” She yelled. 

Eric realized what she was referring to, a seething anger coming upon him. 

“Someone took your tongue?” Eric asked. 

The child nodded, then tried to grab Eric’s arm. 

“Are you taking me home?”

The sound of boots on stone came from behind Eric and he stood, spinning to face the newcomers. Eric sighed in relief as he saw Bearick, Sophia, and Josiah enter the cave, bloodied and battered, but it seemed Bearick had most of the wounds.

“Eric!” Sophia yelled, then rushed forward and hugged him.

Eric was so stunned he just took it, staring at the other two as they entered the cavern. 

“Um…” Eric said. 

She immediately backed away, a soft blush across her dirty face. It was almost as beautiful a sight as Rose’s face.

Then she saw the cages. A hardness came over her.

“Is this what I think it is?” 

“Yeah,” Eric said. “And whoever did this took their tongues. This little girl was the only one conscious when we came in.” 

Bearick moved to the other three cages, inspecting the children in them. 

The commotion had begun to wake them somewhat, eyes looking around but without the light of childhood in them. Josiah walked up to one of them, a smile on his face. 

“This one is cousin,” he said, hunching down to lay a hand on the boy inside the cage. “My aunt will be overjoyed to see him. My uncle died two weeks ago trying to find him, thinking the crag hounds had taken him to the beyond.”

The boy looked up at Josiah, a faint hint of recognition coming into his eyes, but only faintly.

“How did these children get here?” Bearick asked. “And what is this place, anyway?” 

Eric turned to the girl and knelt again at her level.

“What happened to you?”

The girl looked around the cavern, a fear still residing behind her eyes. 

“A big scary man,” she eventually said. 

“A man, you say?” Clanker said. 

As if on cue, a thumping sounds down the other tunnel the rest of the party had entered the cavern in. Huge footfalls sound as if someone was dragging metal across the stone. 

A hulking mess of metal and flesh walked into the cave as if a beast made from the few remains of a monster of a man, welded together into the approximation of a man.

Or a golem.

Eric suddenly had a lump in his throat, a fear sitting firmly in his gut. 

Well, Eric thought. I guess we found the iron golem from the hunter’s posting.

Then, the iron golem burst forward, seeking to bury its metal fist into the flesh of those who had come to stop it from its mission.