CHAPTER SIXTEEN: THE SLEEP CAVE
JuJu led Fawkes around a bend in the tunnel. After four long strides, it opened into a large cavern where short snores echoed about. Many nisslings slept on grass pallets. JuJu stopped before entering and sniffed in front of where they stood. He turned to Fawkes and cocked his head.
Fawkes frowned and looked down to see what JuJu was pointing out. A rope was strung across the tunnel about two feet off the floor. Dried twigs covered a four-foot swathe that reached from wall to wall beneath the rope. Easy for a nissling to fly over but tricky for a human trying to be quiet.
Looking around the cavern again, Fawkes noticed crossbows against the walls. Each nissling slept with a four-foot spear cuddled like a toy or next to its pallet. He looked back at the rope and twigs.
If I accidentally wake them like the guards said not to do, will they be angry and attack with those very sharp-looking spears that are probably as poisoned as their little quarrels?
Fawkes waved for JuJu to go first. The huge dog jumped over and landed in the dirt. Not one paw touched the rope or twigs. And he missed landing on one of the nisslings sleeping very close to them. He looked back at Fawkes and waited.
Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Fawkes stepped high over the rope and stretched out his leg before letting his boot squish down on the dirt well clear of the twigs that would crunch if he stepped on them. With them being underground, the sound would echo. He was about to swing his leg over when one of the nearby nisslings rolled off its pallet. With a snore, it curled around his boot.
Oh,no! Fawkes clamped his mouth shut before the startled gasp he sucked in could rush back out with the curse word already on the tip of his tongue. What am I supposed to do now?
JuJu dropped his head and put a paw over his muzzle.
"That's not helping," Fawkes whispered. He took a breath then held it while he struggled to settle his nerves. Think! Damn it, how can I think when I'm still straddling this silly alarm?
Well, fix that, you fool! The thought may have been his but it echoed in his mind with Grandfather's voice.
Fawkes swung his other leg over until both feet were on the floor of the cavern.
The nissling hissed out a dreamy sigh and began to slowly gnaw on his captured boot without waking up.
"Oh, for — " Fawkes stared down at the nissling. A drop of sweat ran down his temple and he looked to JuJu.
"Find some leather," he whispered. The huge dog let out a long-suffering sigh then prowled away, sniffing. Another nissling let out a muffled snort and rolled off its pallet to hug its spear. With a couple of sleepily hissed yawns, that nissling settled into the dirt and started snoring again. A minute that felt like forever passed before he returned with a canvas sack that still had its leather straps.
Fawkes took the pack with trembling hands. He almost dropped it when the nissling gnawing on his boot bit down hard enough Fawkes could feel the points of its teeth as lumps. Despite this, he managed to roll it up. Slow and gentle, he wedged it between the nissling's jaws and his boot.
The nissling sighed again. It let go of his boot to curl around the rolled-up pack, still asleep.
Fawkes let out a breath in relief then hurriedly waved for the huge dog to lead on.
JuJu rolled his eyes then prowled through the rest of the sleeping nisslings. Fawkes followed closely, taking care to stay as far away as possible from the little sleepers.
