***
Achil stole along the tunnel, following the path that the Dragon had taken. He rushed out into the cavern and was confronted by the hot ravenous fuming golden river that ran at the heart of the mountain. He noticed immediately the unmistakable tracks on the ground, but now he had a problem, the tunnel leading out of the cavern which the Dragon had disappeared down, was on the other side.
Nishga removed her cloak. “Well what are you going to do now, you cannot jump the river, and you certainly cannot swim it. And you certainly cannot go around it.”
Achil rubbed his forehead this was certainly an unexpected situation. He noticed that there were many whips lying around, a reminder of a past that would not be forgotten. They were still intact being made of the same material as the armour, found earlier. He carefully tied them together to make a line; stabbed one end into the wall attached the other to an arrow and fired it across and into the wall on the other side.
Nishga watched aghast, “Surely you do not intend a crossing. Are you insane!?!”
“I think we’ve already covered that one,” said Achil resolutely, “and yes I intend a crossing.”
Achil threw across to the other side of the river what he could. He took hold of the taut line and began to cross, half way across his feet slid off. His hands were also losing their grip, as sweat accumulated round them.
With one desperate lunge forward Achil got a secure hold and began to move his hands once more. Lifting his feet, so that they cradled the line, gradually Achil made his way to the other side. At length he fell to the ground safe at last. Nishga being more lithe and carrying much less swung herself across with ease. Achil sheathed his sword and picking up his bow and shield, strode off purposefully down the tunnel, followed hurriedly by an anxious Nishga.
Along the way he crouched down to pick up some dirt.
“The Dragon passed this way,” said Achil. “It stopped a moment, and then moved on.”
Nishga knelt down looking at the markings herself. “How can you tell that?”
Achil smiled. “Look at the tracks, they have shifted, no doubt the creature paused for a reason, and look there. See how the strides have lengthened, and why, because it started to run. Perhaps it heard something up ahead that caught its attention. We must hurry.”