The Travelers, part 15

Everyone else seemed to be tongue-tied; Taylor looked at everyone in frustration and said, "So what are we supposed to do? Sit in here and die? Wouldn't it make more sense to just use the krecken and take our chances? At least we'll know we tried. I feel like a loser sitting here when we could be trying to do something."
Rita, Falcon, and Frank continued looking glum. Thoren turned and looked at her, a sudden glimmer in his bright green eyes.
"She's right," He said. "I'd rather risk getting caught or injured trying to break out of here, then sit in here and rot. Anyway, there's no one in the other room right now. Maybe no one will hear the explosion..." He looked around at his companions' doubtful faces. "Okay, that's a long shot. They might here it...but they might just think it's the miners collecting krecken. I just remembered. If my memory serves me correctly, there should be a mining operation going on roughly three hundred meters that way." He turned and pointed into the darkness, towards the far wall. "They sometimes use other types of explosives to remove the krecken from the cave wall."
As if in answer, a muffled boom sounded from the direction in which Thoren had pointed. He grinned at them. "See?"
Rita smiled back. "Well, shall we?"
Falcon suddenly looked hopeful, even relieved. "I suppose. What do you humans say?"
Frank and Taylor looked at each other, and then at their companions. "Let's try it." Taylor said.
Frank shrugged. "I think it's certainly worth a try."
"Okay," Thoren agreed. "Falcon, Rita, do either of you have some flint and steel?  I had some before, but it seems to have gotten lost. I must have dropped it."
Rita pulled some out of her pocket and handed it to Thoren.
Taylor and Frank sat and watched helplessly as Thoren, Rita, and Falcon worked together silently and seemingly effortlessly. It struck Taylor how smoothly they moved, almost as if they were walking on air and not on uneven ground from which numerous boulders protruded.
After a few minutes, Thoren straightened up. "If we rub this flint and steel against the grain of the krecken, it will heat up. As the heat expands throughout the rock and becomes more intense, a crack will hopefully form across the rock and, in a matter of moments, explode."
"A matter of moments?" Frank said. "How long will that be?"
Falcon shrugged. "Usually about three and a half minutes."
Rita chuckled. "You and your math."
Thoren picked up the knife, flint, and the large piece of krecken they had managed to remove from the rock wall; the krecken was surprisingly soft. The bottom of it, where it had been attached to a larger piece of krecken, glittered with flecks of garnets. Thoren set the krecken down, and the garnets disappeared, and Taylor could just make out Thoren and the piece of rock, resting on a natural shelf towards the back of the cave.
"How'd you decide where to put the explosive?" Taylor asked.
"There's a little known access tunnel behind the rock back there. We're just guessing where exactly the tunnel is, but hopefully we're right."
She walked briskly over to the back wall and leaned down by it, knocking her knuckles against the rock about a half foot off the ground. As she knocked, she listened closely. "Should be right...I can hear the echoes beyond."
"Everyone, stay behind that big boulder." Thoren said.
"I think I'd better do this part," Rita said, "I have more experience with krecken than you do."
Thoren looked doubtful. "I know...but..."
"No arguing," Rita said, "get behind that boulder. I'll be fine."
Thoren nodded, and handed the flint and steel to her. "Stay safe."
"I will." Rita said.
From behind the large boulder, Taylor saw Rita begin to rub the flint and steel together and against the broken side of rock. She saw a spark and smelled an earthy, metallic, and vaguely sulfurous smell.
Thoren squeezed her hand. "Here it comes."
Frank leaned closer to Taylor and Falcon watched calmly. Rita's movements became faster. Then, suddenly, all sounds of the rubbing ceased, and Taylor saw a small curl of smoke. Rita bounded across the mostly dark cave and squatted next to Falcon. First, there was nothing but the smoke and the ever intensifying smell of the krecken and the smoke. They waited, breathlessly. Taylor found Frank's hand and squeezed it tightly. The minutes ticked by and Taylor's shoulders had relaxed when there was a sudden flash of brightness and then, a second later, a huge THUM! as the krecken exploded into a million tiny, sharp fragments. For a moment, all Taylor could see was the bright orange flames and all she could hear was her own coughing from all the smoke and debris in the air. Then, as the smoke cleared, she saw Rita had crept up to the back of the cave and was inspecting the hole that had appeared. Her torch revealed a long, straight tunnel on the other side.
The Travelers, Copyright 2012-2013, by Katy Allie. All rights reserved.