by Don P. Bick
Chapter 19
Late in the afternoon on the second day after leaving Pod, they were skirting around the southern edge of a large swamp. Their map was wrong. The swamp should have been farther to the east and more north. The smell was terrible and all of them were wearing a piece of cloth over their noses. Clouds of noxious gasses could be heard and seen escaping from the soupy mixture. A constant hissing whisper seemed to surround them. Dark clouds of smelly gases hung over the swamp and surrounding terrain, cutting off much of the light. Small islands of hard earth grew some of the strangest vegetation any of them had yet encountered. Overall the swamp was depressing. The companions were hurrying to get as far away from the depressing darkness and foul smell as quickly as they possibly could.
Each time they believed they had walked around the most southern part of the swamp, they changed direction back on course toward Nemaris, only to run right into the swamp again. Sometimes they would have to backtrack for an hour or more just to find another route around the slimy mud. So far they had been lucky on one count. Only one of the guards had stepped in a spot that appeared hard, but wasn't. Before he sank completely out of sight they were able to get a rope around him and drag him to safety.
They weren't going to make it out of the swamp by the time darkness set in. They had hoped to travel far enough to escape the foul smell but it was already beginning to turn into night. With night falling they were forced to scout around for a place to set up camp, while still trying to maintain what they thought was the direction toward Nemaris.
It was getting dark and still they had not found a place to camp. Soon it would become too dark to see and they were no closer to finding a suitable spot to stop. Their main consideration was to find some dry wood so they could start a fire. They had been unable to find any. As darkness descended they were left with no choice but to make do for the night without a fire.
As they went about setting up a makeshift camp they heard a humming sound coming from the swamp. They could come up with no explanation for it. It didn't sound like the gases escaping from the thick mud, although with the cooler temperatures in the evening the swamp noises might very well sound different than they did during the warmth of the day. The humming continued so they went back to setting up for the night, trying to put the noise out of their minds.
One of the guards tried to start a fire. The wood was too wet to ignite, so he gave up. At the same moment he stood up they all became aware that the humming noise had increased. It was deafening and seemed closer. They peered into the darkness but could see nothing. When they realized what was happening it was too late, they were unable to react fast enough to help. The guard that had tried to start a fire screamed a blood curdling scream. Something, some creature, was hovering over him. He collapsed on the soggy ground. The humming rose in pitch as the creature began to move away toward the swamp. The others quickly came to the aid of the fallen Martian. But there was nothing they could do, he was already dead. More than that, he was sucked dry of all bodily fluids. It had happened so fast none had gotten a good look at the creature, only the sensation that it was large and dark and moved quickly through the night.
They were barely able to see the beast as it sped away. They made out just enough to know they didn't want to see this thing or another like it for the rest of the night. Camran said it looked like a mosquito. Then he had to explain what a mosquito was since none of them had ever heard of anything like that before.
As the air around them began to crackle, they stepped away from the corpse. A Plutonian appeared, scooped up the body in his covered arms and was gone in the blink of an eye.
The attack had taken them all by surprise. So much so, none of them had time to react with one of their weapons. Hurriedly, they gathered together some wet branches from the immediate area and made a quick cover, erecting it between two small trees. The cover was similar to the bars in a cage. They hoped the design would keep the creatures from getting in underneath it, to where they retreated.
The hideous thing was too big to attack them easily when under the cover. It was probably strong and there was a chance the thing might be able to smash through their construction. The three remaining guards stood outside the cover with their swords drawn, in expectation of another attack.
They didn't have to wait long. The humming started again. This time there was more than one. The humming came from several different directions at the same time. Soon the buzzing-noise filled the night air. It sounded as though the sky was full of the mosquito like creatures. Perhaps it was.
Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness somewhat or perhaps the night wasn't quite as dark as it had been. In any event they were able to make out the outline of the hideous creatures as they came out of the swamp.
Two attacked the three Martian guards simultaneously. The beak-like extension of these insects closely resembled those of the mosquito; only they were more like a wedge. They were swords in themselves. Ve-Kim shuddered next to Camran at the sight of these blood sucking monsters. The Martians swung their swords in unison just as the two hovering insects dove. At the same time, Twil and Bran let loose arrows. One of the swords hit its mark. Both arrows did, but it was the same insect the arrows hit. One insect swerved away from a Martian sword while the wounded insect let out a terrifying screech and tried to fly away, but it fell flopping onto the ground. One of the Martian guards quickly put an end to it.
More of the insects had arrived in the meantime. Druc and Twil shot arrows out through the gaps in the overhead covering of branches. The insect's long extensions made it possible for them to reach through the layer of branches they had built. None of them had thought about how long those extensions would be; otherwise they would have built the covering higher. Unsure of what they were up against they had built it low to discourage the creatures from being able to come underneath.
One insect funnel shot through the covering narrowly missing Gena. Camran swung his sword and chopped part of that extension away. Blood flew everywhere, covering them all. They crouched lower under the layer of branches. Camran had become quite competent with the sword under Bran's tutelage. He felt much more confident of himself, as he began to use it against their attackers.
One of the guards cried out. He had been stuck in the upper arm. Fortunately, the guard standing next to him reacted quickly and dispatched the insect before he could inhale the fluid from the Martian's body. The insects were quick and strong. The one that had attacked the first guard sucked him dry so fast there was no time to react once the extension had entered his body. The extensions were so big and sharp they alone could kill, just as any sword.
Although outnumbered, the guards held their own against the overwhelming onslaught. They counted twelve of the diving insects. Two more stuck their extensions in through the top of the covering. Bran and Camran cut them off. They left with a torrent of screeching.
As fast as the attack started, it stopped. The humming insects retreated toward the swamp where they took up positions hovering nearby. The incessant humming noise grated on the nerves of them all.
During that long night they were attacked twice more. Several other insects joined in, replacing the ones that had fallen earlier. There always seemed to be a dozen or so when they attacked. The companions were worn out, not only from the lack of sleep but the nerve wracking and constant humming of the insects. However, no one else was seriously injured during either one of the attacks. Camran did receive a slight cut on his upper arm from an extension that had pierced through the covering. Fortunately, it wasn't very serious.
As the morning got brighter the humming gradually receded farther into the distance. Apparently, like mosquitoes on Earth, they were night creatures. Around the area they had defended during the night Camran counted eighteen dead insects. Many more were without the use of their extensions, thought Camran grimly. They had been cut off in the melee and without them would probably die in the near future, since they would be unable to use them to eat.
Quickly they gathered their things and left their meager shelter. They were exhausted and had even gone without eating the night before. Still they hurried through the brush and trees toward a safer place, away from the deadly swamp.
Several hours later they finally stopped to rest. They had traveled due south from where they had spent the long dreadful night. After resting and eating they decided they would continue traveling farther in the same direction for a while longer, before changing on a course back toward Nemaris.
They were starving. The food tasted good and the rest was sorely needed, they decided to walk for a couple more hours before stopping again for some sleep. They had no idea how far the range of those mosquito-like creatures were, and had no desire to find out.