Free Golem in the Gears by Piers Anthony

act as liaison between the two parties. Since the three of them were of small size, it was easier for them to explore without disturbing anything.
    There was a little fungus glow on the walls. Puck and Snortimer didn't need it, but that wan light helped Grundy
    a great deal.
    The tunnel wound along like a worm, remaining approximately level, which meant that the surface of the ground was not too far above. But their hope of main- taining voice contact was vain; nothing could be heard. Puck could have returned to inform his parents where Grundy was, but that would have meant a long trot, and he might have trouble finding Grundy when he came back. Nothing was working out quite as planned.
    They came to a fork in the tunnel. Grundy took the one to the right, as it was slightly larger and cleaner. But soon there was another fork, and another. In fact, a lab- yrinth was developing! Grundy was worried about getting lost, but Snortimer assured him that he could retrace his
    course anytime.
    Then there was a rumble, and suddenly part of the tunnel collapsed behind them. Snortimer leaped forward, avoiding the stones and sliding dirt, and Puck practically sailed ahead. Apparently their passage had shaken the old structure enough to start the shakedown.
    They were unharmed—but now their return route was
    blocked. Snortimer might be good at retracing his route, but he could no longer do that. They could be in trouble.
    Grundy urged his steed on, trusting that he would be able to find a way back around the blocked passage. They had passed so many intersections that there had to be a connection. Meanwhile, he wanted to finish the job he had come to do and get out of here before anything else happened.
    The labyrinth of passages began to assume a form. This seemed to be a series of concentric circles, with the inner circles larger than the outer ones, as if closer to the center of things. Whatever there was that was worth finding, would surely be found in that center!
    There was another shudder, and they heard more stones falling, to the side. This time it couldn't be the fault of the three of them; they had been stepping very lightly. Was something else causing it?
    They went on, more nervously. Grundy had never been bothered by tunnels or tight squeezes; his size and agility had always enabled him to get clear. Now he was begin- ning to be bothered. It was obvious that neither Snortimer nor Puck felt any more at ease than he did.
    The going got easier as the tunnels became larger. These ones were in better repair; their walls were turning smooth, and their floors were firmer. The fungus glow brightened. Snortimer began to grow nervous, not liking the light, but did not actually balk. Probably this glow would seem like deepest darkness in daylight, so the monster was able to tolerate it.
    Finally the tunnels became so large and so close together that the spaces between them were more like walls. Then the walls disappeared, and what remained was a fair-sized chamber: the center of the labyrinth.
    In the very center of that chamber was a small, ornate
    chest. Could it be a treasure?
    Excited, now, Grundy went to it. But what might be small to a man was large for him; he was unable to lift
    its heavy lid.
    "Let me do it," Snortimer said. He reached forth with
    a huge hairy hand and grasped the lid, hauling it off.
    Grundy grasped the edge, hauled himself up, and peered into the open chest. He saw gleams of reflected light, such as might come from jewels or glossy metal, but couldn't quite make out what the objects were.
    Snortimer reached in and drew out a handful. They seemed to be objects made of metal—curving spikes, hollow inside. Grundy took one, and found it heavy. It was about a third his own length, shaped like a very long, thin drinking hom, all of bright metal.
    "Jewelry?" he asked. Neither Snortimer nor Puck could answer; they had never seen anything quite like this.
    "Well, let's take one out with us," Grundy decided. "Maybe