Lost in Iridur's Catacombs

Together, they hurried toward the end of the hall where several smaller, darker tunnels opened up.

"The catacombs," Faras said, entering the first one. "This is where they bury the common folk."

The pitch-black passage loomed with dread as Faras lit up his wand. In the dim green light, they saw rectangular stones covering the walls, in stacks of four, endless rows of them, with names and dates engraved on each.

"Are these..." Anya began, then swallowed. "These are graves?"

"Yeah," Eden replied. "For those who can't afford anything else. They just dig a hole straight into the wall, stuff the body and some relics in, and seal it with a marker."

Anya glanced back toward the halls. "We should keep going."

"Hold on," Eden said, studying the engravings. "What's with these dates? 78 D. Vokon and 122 D. Brarrus."

"Those are from before the empire," Faras explained. "They're based on the year of the reign of the local monarch. For example, that dwarf there died in the one-hundred-twenty-second year of Duke Brarrus's rule. The old system was very confusing because each kingdom had its own calendar. To understand what happened when, you had to know everything about each kingdom, about each monarch there, when they lived, and how long they ruled, the territory they controlled, and so on. Emperor Casovan simplified it all with his standardized calendar." He glanced around the cave. "This is the only place still using the old dates."

Eden nodded, recalling one of Master Halin's many lessons: only stone endures. With a twinge of sorrow, he pushed the old mentor out of his mind and continued along the dark tunnel.

Using the wand, they continued into the catacombs. Eden tried to lead them, but the deeper they went, the less sense the tunnels made. Passages suddenly went uphill at strange inclines, took unexpected turns, and forked off at peculiar angles. Spiral staircases appeared out of nowhere.

Eden was thoroughly lost. None of his studies had prepared him for this kind of arbitrary layout. No mapper had designed this. There was no grand plan to follow.

"There might be an exit in that direction." He pointed toward another fork, trying to sound confident. "We ought to be close to the far side of the maze."

They headed down the path. A few moments later, they stared at a naked wall.

"I guess not," Faras quipped.

Frustrated, Eden shook his head. "It makes no sense."

Anya fidgeted, her gaze drifting over the crumbling grave markers. "What about your compass?" she asked.

"Won't work. I tried." Delicately, Eden retrieved the brass object from its box and held it up for her to see. The needle spun in erratic circles, never settling down.

"Why is it doing that?"

"I think it's the metal," Eden said. "From all the artifacts the dead are buried with. Iron hammers and such. They're messing with it."

"Not very useful, is it?" Faras teased. "You know, for a certified mapper, you're not very good with directions."

"Quiet, Faras," Anya snapped. "You're not helping." She gave Eden an encouraging smile. "C'mon, Eden. You can do it. Get us out of here."

Eden straightened up. "All right, yes, let's do it."

He turned and marched back up the tunnel, Faras with his green light close behind, Anya bringing up the rear. They were near the edge of the catacombs, Eden was sure. There had to be an exit somewhere nearby.

At the next intersection, he took a right, trying to stick to the wall, and stopped abruptly. A flooded staircase cut off the path, its steps submerged below the glassy black surface.

Faras laughed, and Anya answered with a hard kick to the elf's shin.

They followed tunnel after tunnel, only to find dead end after dead end. It was maddening. More than once, Eden thought he heard faint voices.

After another turn, a bright lantern appeared in the distance.

Eden swore.

"We went in a circle," he said, nodding at a carving on the wall: crossed axes on top of a round shield. "That's the Cemetery of Heroes, where fallen soldiers are buried. We're back at the beginning. The main hall is right over there." He pointed to their left.

"To be honest, I'm just glad we're out of the maze," Anya said.

As they walked into the military burial grounds, Eden discovered to his relief that the cemetery followed standard mapping layouts, with the occasional lantern placed here and there. He would be able to navigate it more easily.