Bitesize 5.4

Bitesize 5.4

Ed's supposition turned out to be right. The entrance to the cave network was only a short distance around the mountain. A huge boulder that once blocked the entrance had been heaved aside, tearing a furrow through the earth. They hadn't thought to bring a torch and the only illumination they had was a mini LED torch on Ed's keyring. The darkness was no problem for Grace and so the other three huddled close as they entered. The cave entrance turned into a tunnel just wide enough to walk two abreast. The tunnel twisted and turned before branching off into two more tunnels. Ed realised the tracking device was all but useless now but with these tunnels laying unused for so long Crowley's party had left a distinctive trail in the soft dirt allowing Ed to easily see that they'd taken the right hand path.
And so they followed the trail. The tunnels were numerous and often split off into chambers before branching out into multiple tunnels again. Ed wondered if the Onigawa had carved these tunnels themselves or whether they'd just improved upon an already existing phenomena. The tunnels were all wide and tall enough to walk through and mostly free from debris. One chamber had a pile of rubble presumably where Leclair had cleared a path through a blocked tunnel. In the gloom Ed completely lost track of whether their path was leading them upwards or downwards in relation to the mountain. If it weren't for the trail he knew he'd never find his way back out of here unaided. As they walked the silent anticipation grew and grew. Surely now it would not be long before the final confrontation...

It was Grace that first noticed something amiss. She tapped Ed on the back with a claw and he stopped walking. He turned round, shining the torch on the others.
"What is it?" he whispered.
Grace sniffed the air. For a few minutes they all stood in silence, listening. There was a sound. A voice for sure, but indistinct and muffled. It's presence spoke volumes. Whatever Crowley and his minions were up to they were only a short distance ahead. Ed kept the torch as close to him as possible, lighting up only the floor immediately in front of him. Slowly and cautiously they shuffled along the next tunnel. Ed had one hand running along the wall to help guide him. With each step the voices became louder. Ed crept along inch by inch but with a final turn the tunnel abruptly ended. His finger left the button of the torch instinctively but he wasn't plunged into darkness as he expected. Ahead was the biggest chamber they'd seen so far. At its centre, being manhandled onto a wooden frame by what could only be Leclair, was the mirror. It was enormous. Ed estimated at least twelve feet tall and around four feet wide. To one side of the mirror stood Raddick. in his hand was a length of chain attached to handcuffs worn by Jean Fredericq. But there was no time to Ed to ponder the unusualness of that. His eyes were instantly drawn to the cloaked figure spreading candles around the room in some pre-planned pattern. There was no doubt it was Crowley. The candles would have pushed back the gloom of the chamber somewhat but Ed knew that they weren't being placed there to illuminate. The pattern was deliberate, ritual. And the light that flooded the chamber was far brighter than the candles could produce. It seemed to be emanating directly from Crowley himself. Every muscle in Ed's body told him to dive back into the tunnel and seek cover but he knew in his head it was pointless. They'd come here to confront Crowley and that time was now. As if to confirm this Crowley's voice boomed out, echoed by the natural resonance of the cavern.
"I've been expecting you. Come now, don't be shy."
His head whipped round and his hands flicked the cowl from his head, revealing his face. He was exactly as Ed remembered him from the mirrors. Old, mostly bald except for sparse clumps of grey hair and with eyes that seemed to burn in their sockets. Eyes that Ed couldn't look away from. Eyes that even now, against every instinct he found himself staring into. Against his will Ed took a tentative step forward. Then another. In his peripheral vision he saw the others watching him. Raddick, Leclair, Fredericq. Not moving, just bearing witness. He couldn't shift his gaze from Crowley but even so he was vaguely aware of Katia, a short distance behind him. He could hear her footsteps as she too stepped out of the tunnel toward Crowley...