The Witch; Stronghold; Underworld

by Ky Tyrand

  They grew louder and more frequent. Rocks moving – crumbling and falling, bouncing their way into the unknown.

  Ki’ara and To’mas backed their way off the ledge, certain that it was going to shear off and drop into the dark depths.

  But the stone shelf held firm, while the noises continued to grow.

  It soon became evident that this was more than just the sounds of rocks and rubble. Ki’ara could swear she heard… breathing.

  17

  “Let her go,” repeated Petch, as he cautiously crept forward.

  Sylor spat and laughed. “Now, why would I do that?”

  “Because,” Petch calmly informed him, “I’m a better prize.”

  Je’nna nearly choked. What is he doing? “Get out of here, Petch,” she demanded. The boy had made it across the stepping stones, he could go back the other way…

  “And how is it that you are a better prize, cripple?”

  Je’nna didn’t understand how Petch could remain so calm. The only conclusion she came up with was that he didn’t have a clue what Sylor would do to him. That monster would happily tear the boy in half for no other reason than to hurt Ki’ara. There was nothing Petch could say that would make it any worse for himself. Unless…

  “I helped the Princess kill your brother.”

  Everything went silent as the other two processed what the boy had just told them.

  Je’nna had been mistaken about him not being able to make it worse for himself.

  The color drained from Sylor’s face as his expression darkened.

  “Don’t listen to him,” snapped Je’nna. “He’s lying. Petch, you don’t know what you’re doing. Just… run!” The girl became frantic, spitting words as fast as she could get them out. “He’s just a kid. Delusional. He was with me when Ki’ara killed your brother…”

  Sylor’s powerful grip pulled Je’nna from the wall, only to slam her back into it with enough force to silence her.

  “I was there,” insisted Petch. “Syjak was about to kill me… Instead, I watched him die.”

  “Don’t listen to him,” pleaded Je’nna. “He’s making it up to try and save me.”

  “The little Witch spoke of a friend she was protecting.” The grin returned to Sylor’s burned face. “Oh, my, you are a better prize.”

  “Let her go,” Petch repeated. “Take me, instead.”

  “Petch,” croaked Je’nna, “You don’t know what he’ll do…”

  “Yes,” said the boy, “I do.”

  “Well,” chuckled Sylor, “It’s settled, then.” He reached out a hand, waving Petch forward.

  “After you set her free.”

  “Now, why would I do that,” argued Sylor, “When I can have you both?”

  “Petch…” Je’nna cried, “Run. Please…”

  With his sword at the ready, Petch was still too far for Sylor to catch hold of. Or so he thought.

  But as Sylor stretched his fingers, brilliant orange whips of light thrashed out from above them, illuminating the hollow chamber with a warm glow.

  In the blink of an eye the tendrils of energy shot from the man’s outstretched hand and coiled around the boy in five luminous wraps, cinching him in a crushing bind. His throat made a squeaking whistle as glowing cords squeezed the air from his lungs, forcing him to drop his sword with a clang.

  Je’nna tried to make a move, kicking at Sylor’s armpit and chin – even throwing her foot over his head in another attempt at an armbar.

  But Sylor pressed her so tight to the wall that she couldn’t move her shoulders in the slightest. Without any leverage, nothing she tried had any effect on the man, other than to make him chuckle.

  He finally pulled the girl from the stone wall and tossed her toward Petch.

  Missing the boy as she flew by, Je’nna bounced off a wall, spun, and nearly slid into the other cavern and over the ledge. But snaking lines of energy – just like those that held Petch – spat out of Sylor’s free hand, coiling around her ribs and legs before she could even consider her options. Je’nna’s muscles tightened as the buzzing lashes cinched and squeezed the breath from her torso, while reeling her back into the tunnel.

  With Dark Matter causing her Mu’turi to fail, Je’nna’s armor did little to protect her from the crushing effects of these strange energized bands. The girl feared that any moment she may begin to hear the fiber shells crack under the intense pressure. Or worse – her bones.

  There was nothing she could do to avoid being hauled across the stone floor. Sylor grinned as the strands of orange light began retracting into the tops of his glove, dragging the girl along until she was next to Petch. And then, with a snap of the man’s wrist, Je’nna was standing.

  Finally giving way to the Dark Matter, Je’nna’s helmet popped open and disappeared into her harness.

  “Ah, there you are!” said Sylor, pleasantly.

  Doing her best to ignore the man, Je’nna glanced over at Petch. His eyes were wide; there was no doubt he was frightened. She fought the pressure of the binds enough to whisper, “I told you not to come back.”

  “I’m pretty sure you told me to go forward,” contended the boy, straining to speak. “And when I sat up, this way was forward.”

  Despite the circumstances, Je’nna offered a weak smile.

  “Well, isn’t this sweet,” interrupted Sylor, as he yanked them both nearer with the buzzing energy of their bonds. “I can tell how much you care about one another.” The glowing cables continued to drag the pair until they were close enough to smell Sylor’s breath. “What a captive audience we’ll have as we take turns working our magic.”

  The strands that tied the boy released, just long enough for Petch to take a breath as they snaked around the girl beside him. Once in their grasp, the binds retightened, snugging the two captives together, though not so much that they couldn’t breathe.

  Now that he held both hostages within a single web of energy, the glowing tendrils that had originally caught Je’nna whipped back into his glove, which he held up and examined approvingly.

  “Isn’t that something?” he said, wiggling his fingers as his eyes fell upon Je’nna. “I bet you’re surprised to see anything here at all.”

  The girl curled her lip. “Obviously I wasn’t thorough enough. I should have aimed higher.”

  “Up here?” The man nodded, tapping his temple. “That would have been wiser,” he agreed. His eyes went back to his hand, as he opened and closed his fist. “Just because I have it back, doesn’t mean I don’t intend to collect the debt you owe. An eye-for-an-eye, do you know that term?”

  “I know it,” hissed Je’nna, as her glare threatened to do what her blades could not.

  “It’s a shame you’ll never get to hold your precious pistols again.”

  Je’nna nearly threw up when the man winked at her.

  “Body’s full of extra parts that a person can live without. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you, boy?” he said to Petch, while tapping the child’s prosthetic feet with the toes of his black armored boot.

  Petch forced his head up to ask, “What is wrong with you?”

  “Wrong?” Sylor seemed taken aback by the question. “There’s nothing wrong with me, boy. I am nothing more than a debt collector. Damn good one, too. You see, I never forgive a debt. And I never forget.” The man leaned in and pointed to the burns on the side of his face. “This is what your little Witch friend did to me. I haven’t a clue how much of my body looks like this, but I know how much of hers, will. She also shattered my legs, you know. Both of them. These are all debts the little Princess will have to pay, long before she even begins to atone for killing my brother.”

  Sylor wagged his finger at Petch. “And don’t think I’m not aware that it was you who clubbed me from behind back in the castle.”

  Petch frowned and muttered, “Huh. That’s weird.”

  “What?” said Sylor. “What’s weird?”

  “Well, you’re just so big, and strong
, and mean…”

  “And…?” pressed the big, strong, mean man.

  “It’s just… it seems like you get beat up a lot.”

  Despite the gravity of the situation, Je’nna couldn’t stop herself from snickering. “It’s true,” she agreed. “And is it always by people so much smaller than you?”

  “Laugh it up, children,” said Sylor, as he reached down to Je’nna’s fading boot and slid a dagger from what remained of its sheath. “Your little Princess isn’t here to save you. I’d hate for her to miss too much of the fun, but perhaps we could get started without her.”

  Sylor twitched a finger, and one of the orange strands of light suddenly lengthened. With surprising dexterity, the energy fiber coiled around Petch’s wrist, pulling it to the front.

  The mocking was over. Eyes went wide as the dagger Sylor held moved slowly toward the boy’s hand, edging dangerously close. But Petch couldn’t pull away. With a whimper, he closed his eyes, expecting the blade to slice into his hand, or lop off his fingers. But at the last instant, Sylor spun the knife around, and it was the hilt that slapped into the boy’s palm.

  “You thought I was going to cut you, didn’t you boy?” Sylor chuckled to himself. “Do you think I could really be so cruel?”

  Petch let out a breath, forcing a weak smile while wondering what he should do with the dagger.

  The black armored man slapped Petch on the shoulder with his free hand, giving the boy a shake like they should be enjoying the joke together. “Now, why would I get my hands dirty when I’ve got you here to do it for me?” Sylor’s expression suddenly turned deadly serious.

  Without warning, the plasma tentacle holding Petch slithered around the boy’s hand three times before squeezing tight, locking the weapon into his fist. His eyes bulged the moment he realized the knife was not under his control.

  Sylor smirked when he saw the boy’s fear.

  Another finger movement brought an additional energy strand into play.

  This one caught Je’nna’s arm.

  So abrupt and unexpected, the lurch gave the girl enough of a start to force a squeak from her lungs as the forceful pull brought her arm forward. The strength of the cords was far too great to resist, leaving her at the mercy of the unusual luminous strands, and the sinister man who controlled them.

  With a curl of his index finger, Sylor jerked Je’nna’s wrist upward, before bringing it to an abrupt halt…

  Right next to Petch’s hand, and the dagger within it.

  18

  To’mas and Ki’ara had alerted something, and it was coming to investigate.

  The golden orb above To’mas blinked out an instant before he turned and pointed at Ki’ara’s Niksuru.

  Ki’ara retracted the Blue Energy, bringing on complete blackness.

  Without so much as a hint of light – not even a single star in a night’s sky – the eeriness was overwhelming. Especially with sounds of movement creeping up from below. Ki’ara couldn’t help but imagine a thousand spiders about to crawl over her.

  Unable to stand the blindness another moment, she closed her helmet and activated the Night Vision.

  As quiet as it was, the fwip-fwip-fwip of her helmet panels closing around her head was enough to garner a shushing from To’mas.

  “Don’t move,” To’mas whispered. “And don’t make a sound.” The man’s tone was serious, commanding compliance.

  Ki’ara didn’t argue.

  Something was beneath them, making its way up.

  The movement was marked only by sound in the beginning – shuffling; breathing; more rocks tumbling. But that soon changed as an outline lit up on the display within Ki’ara’s visor. Were it not for the hi-tech visual aid, the girl would have been hard pressed to spot what the scanners had detected. And, even knowing that it was there, the creature blended so well with the rocks that it was still only motion that gave it away.

  Her first thought was of a Gray Lurker, which were almost undetectable on a stone surface. But as she watched the body creep upward, Ki’ara knew it had to be something else. This thing was more human-like. Its movements reminded her of a monkey, but she didn’t think it had any hair. Though the way it blended into the rockface made it difficult to tell.

  The word that was printed beneath the creature’s outline on Ki’ara’s display was more alarming than helpful…

  ‘UNIDENTIFIED’

  …But not nearly as alarming as the number of outlines that began appearing on her screen.

  One turned to ten, as similar beings materialized from the dark depths of the chasm, quietly scaling their way up the steep rocky walls.

  Ten became twenty, as their numbers continued to grow, all clawing their way up surfaces that appeared far too smooth to climb.

  With her focus on the dozens of creatures climbing from below, Ki’ara was caught completely off-guard when a pair of large, beady eyes blinked open beside her.

  19

  When they realized what was about to happen, Je’nna and Petch locked eyes, sharing a moment of pure terror, before they both returned their focus to the razor-sharp blade.

  Their hearts were racing as the strands of light adjusted, drawing the steel edge to rest against Je’nna’s arm.

  “What’s the matter, children?” asked Sylor jovially. “Are we not still having fun?”

  “Don’t do this,” said Petch. “Please…”

  It was then that Sylor leaned in, whispering into Petch’s ear, “Don’t beg, boy. Not yet. It’s much too soon for that.”

  Petch could feel the tension of the bands increase, urging his arm downward. “Please,” he said again, more urgently. He could feel the pressure increasing with every moment. “Please, stop!” The boy’s body began to shake as the strain intensified. “Please…”

  “Don’t fight it, boy,” coaxed the man. There was no hiding the excitement in his eyes.

  The same couldn’t be said for Je’nna, and Petch was thankful that she was looking away. The boy used every bit of his strength to resist the pull of the energy bands.

  But he wasn’t strong enough.

  “NO!!!” he cried, as his trembling muscles finally gave way.

  Je’nna squeezed her eyes shut as the blade sliced across her arm.

  “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Petch repeated.

  The cut was fast, and immediately drew blood.

  It’s not so bad, Je’nna lied to herself. It’s not so bad. She could feel the blood running down her arm; dripping from her elbow.

  The girl clenched her jaw tight, refusing to scream. She didn’t dare look at the cut. In truth, her body was already in agony from the Dark Matter’s effects on her Mu’turi. The blade slicing her flesh didn’t really add all that much pain. But it meant that she couldn’t coax her Mu’turi to tourniquet her arm.

  When Je’nna felt the plasma strands tighten around her arm, and realized the dripping had already stopped, it occurred to her that Sylor had considered this. He was not about to let her bleed out.

  Not yet.

  20

  The sudden appearance not only made Ki’ara flinch, it sent a jolt of adrenaline through her so fast that she nearly screamed.

  With the activity of so many of these odd lifeforms throughout the cavern, neither she, nor the Battle Harness’s scanners, had picked up on the nearest of them. Undetected, this creature had made its way onto the ledge at the exact spot Ki’ara and To’mas had just backed away from.

  Close enough to reach out and touch.

  Through the green wash of her Night Vision, this underground being’s huge eyes – which were staring directly at her – reflected in an odd way that made them appear to glow.

  With such a large distraction, it was hard to notice the monster’s other features. Everything else seemed small by comparison. While bulging eyes took up most of its head, the animal’s nose and ears were barely more than slits in an otherwise boney face. In fact, its entire sinewy gray body seemed smaller than she’d first thought.
Perhaps because the figure was crouching, curled tight.

  Ki’ara spotted To’mas’s hand slowly raising, preparing to make a move. She wondered if he had any idea what this thing was. Whether it was wise to fight.

  Does he even know there are so many? Crimson eyes or not, what could he truly see in this blackness?

  Perhaps she and To’mas could sneak back the way they came. Maybe Siren’s weren’t so bad…

  As Ki’ara wondered who would act first – To’mas or this monster – a flash of orange light at the far side of the cavern caused the gray creature’s head to whip the other way.

  He wasn’t alone.

  Every one of the mysterious beings stopped in place and turned to the orange glow, which was flickering through the narrow gap in the far wall.

  There was a brief moment when everything was quiet, and nothing moved. Even their breathing had stopped.

  Another flash of orange put an end to the calm.

  At once, all the cave dwellers dashed for the warm glow, scurrying along the walls to be the first to reach narrow opening.

  Apart from loose rocks that crumbled down as the climbers scrambled by, these beings were much quieter than Ki’ara had first thought, making her wonder if the breathing she’d heard was in fact her own.

  The gray being that was beside To’mas and Ki’ara joined the others, following the path of ledges to the crowded exit, where a bottleneck corralled the strange monsters before they could filter through. The one that had been so close was the last in line and about to leave when it stopped and turned, looking back toward Ki’ara and To’mas with those wide, reflective eyes.

  It seemed to watch them for a moment, until the path ahead had cleared and it became his turn to go through.

  Wondering if the lone monster would alert the others, Ki’ara waited until it finally scurried off before she took another breath.

  “Pit Crawlers,” said To’mas, answering the girl’s unspoken question. “They prefer darkness when they sleep.”