Bound to the Abyss

by James R. Vernon

  “Hear one word of what?” a new voice said, one that made Ean cringe. Just perfect, this is all I need. Turning his head slowly, his stomach still burning and his breath struggling to return, he saw the town’s golden boy.

  Bran was what you would expect a real Hero to look like. Tall, lean and muscular, Bran was considered handsome by most, with every feature of his face, from his short and shaggy brown hair to his chiseled chin, considered perfect by all of the girls in the village. A few years older than Ean, Bran had been training to be an expert with a blade since he was a young boy. He spent hours every day practicing with the sword he had received before his age was in double digits, making him more than proficient as well as keeping him in great shape. A few years ago, he had even been appointed as one of the protectors of the village. Unlike his brother, he wore a simple white shirt, opened in the front, and gray pants. His sword swung in its scabbard from its usual place on his belt.

  To say that Ean was jealous of the older boy would be an understatement. An excellent fighter, beloved by the village and adored by Jaslen, Bran had everything that Ean wanted and more. The worst part about it was that Ean couldn’t even despise him. Bran was a model of virtue, always doing what was right and standing up for the weak. Of course, that mostly meant standing up for Ean. Other than the last time, Bran often was there in time to keep Krane and his underlings from doing Ean much harm. Bran had even gone so far as to try and befriend Ean, but that simply couldn’t happen. As much as Ean wanted to have people he could trust and talk to, he just couldn’t see himself in the constant presence of someone that reminded him of all of the things he was not. Also, it was difficult to watch how close he and Jaslen were growing every day.

  Bran walked with a casual stride into the alley, his eyes moving between Jaslen and Krane, completely overlooking Ean for the moment. Stopping at Jaslen’s side, he gently placed a hand on her back, and then leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Ean knelt there, feeling like he had been punched again. Standing back up, Bran regarded his younger brother.

  “I’ve had it with you bullying the weaker boys of this village.” Ean cringed. If one more person called him weak, he would explode. Staring down his brother, Bran continued on. “From now on, every time I hear about you hurting someone else, I’m going to give you an even worse beating.”

  Sneering, Krane laughed in response. “You wouldn’t dare. Father wouldn’t allow...” Faster than Ean would have expected, Bran moved right up in Krane’s face, grabbing his shirt roughly with his left hand and holding his right fist in front of the now terrified boy’s face.

  “Father won’t do a thing, and you know it.” Bran’s face was red now with anger, a sight that Ean had never witnessed before. Apparently, Jaslen hadn’t either as she was looking at Bran with a look of both awe and adoration. Ean’s heart sunk even further.

  “Now,” Bran continued. “Have I made myself clear?”

  Krane glanced at Ean with hate-filled eyes, but then turned back to his brother. “Yes, fine, fine, I understand. Now let me go.” Seemingly satisfied, Bran gave his brother a not-so-gentle shove away from himself. The two brothers stared each other for a moment longer then Krane took off down another alley. Turning back around, Bran faced Ean and gave him a half-hearted smile.

  “Hopefully that will settle things between you and my brother now, Ean. If he gives you any more trouble, you just let me know. Here, let me help you both up.” Extending both of his hands in their direction, Bran moved over to their side.

  Jaslen took his hand immediately, while Ean moved a bit more reluctantly. “I could have handled that myself, you know,” Ean said as Bran pulled him to his feet, “I’m not as weak as everyone seems to think I am.”

  Bran frowned a bit at the response, but Jaslen simply laughed. “Oh, it’s true Bran. Ean is quite strong. Apparently, he fought with the beast and survived!” On her feet now, she wrapped an arm around Bran’s waist.

  At her comment, one of Bran’s eyebrows raised, and he regarded Ean skeptically. “That sounds a little hard to believe. Have you been telling my girl stories, Ean?”

  Brushing himself off, Ean shook his head. “I never said I fought the beast. All I said was that I had seen it up close and had been able to get away. Jaslen is the one that is over-exaggerating what really happened.”

  “Perhaps,” Jaslen responded, a faint smile still on her lips. “But Ean did say he could get us close enough to watch the Hero fight the beast. Isn’t that right, Ean?”

  Ean simply looked at her and scowled. He had said that the TWO of them could get close enough to watch. Ean hadn’t meant for it to be an opportunity for Bran and Jaslen to spend even more time together while he became the odd man out. They both were staring at Ean now, which made him realize he had no way out of it now.

  With a sigh, he finally nodded. “Yes, I can get us close if we cut around the bog. Like I told Jaslen, if anything goes wrong, we can escape into the bog. I know the more solid areas, and a creature as large as the beast would have a hard time following.”

  “Excellent! The Hero is set to go after the monster right after my father serves him dinner, so we can sneak down there now and find a good spot.” Bran was grinning as he spoke, his left hand moving involuntarily to the pommel of his sword. “Maybe I could even go and help if the Hero needs it!”

  “NO!” Ean and Jaslen yelled out in unison. They both looked at each other for a moment, and then Ean took the lead. “If we’re going to do this, you can only watch, I don’t want you running in and bringing the beast down on all of us.” Shooting another glance at Jaslen, he continued on. “Plus, you really wouldn’t want to put her in any extra danger, would you?”

  Bran’s frown and downturned eyes made it clear that Ean had hit a nerve. “You’re right, of course,” Bran said, running a hand through his hair, “I wasn’t really thinking. Best to just watch, and see what happens. At the very least, I’ll get to see how a Hero from outside the village handles a blade and how dangerous the creature really is.”

  Both Ean and Jaslen nodded, this time Jaslen being the first to speak. “That is a very wise decision, I think. If the creature is strong enough to kill this Hero, then I don’t feel that you would be able to aid him anyway.” She nodded matter-of-factly, then pulled him closer and placed a kiss on his cheek. Ean cringed. “Someday though, you could be one of these Heroes, and creatures like the one terrorizing our village will all run in fear.”

  The two stood there, staring longingly into each other’s eyes, while Ean stood forgotten next to them. Ean stomached the situation as long as he could, then let out a loud cough. “We should probably get going if we want to see the fight. If we get caught up in the crowd as the Hero leaves, we’ll never be able to sneak past everyone and get to the bog.” The other two nodded, but made no sign of moving. With a grunt, Ean turned around and started walking without them.

  “I’m not waiting for you!” he yelled over his shoulder as he marched back out onto the main street. Eventually the two caught up to him, and they walked back towards Ean’s house and the bog in silence.

  BY THE TIME JASLEN, Bran and Ean had made it to the edge of the bog, the sun touched the tips of the mountains to the west. They continued on in silence until they reached an area within view of the stone mine. Ean raised his hand to signal them to stop and then crouched down behind a large patch of reeds. The other two followed suit, and they all huddled together.

  “Alright, this should be a good spot,” Ean whispered. “We’re close enough to be able to see what’s happening, and far enough away to be able to escape through the bog if the creature manages to see us.”

  “Can’t we get a little closer?” Bran said, an eager look in his eyes as he scanned the area in front of the mine. “If the thing is as big as you say, it’s not going to be able to sneak up on us.” His one hand had drifted to his sword again, and he looked like a man ready to attack, not flee. Ean turned to Jaslen with a silent plea for help. Their eyes met in
mutual understanding.

  “Please, I’m not as fast of a runner as you and Ean,” she said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “And think of the Hero. If the creature sees us, there goes his chance to take it by surprise, making his job all the more difficult, not to mention dangerous.”

  Clever girl, Ean thought. For someone so head-over-heels over Bran, Jaslen had a good idea of how to steer him in the right direction.

  “You’re right, as always.” Bran flashed her a warm smile, and the two seemed to get lost in each other’s eyes. Ean felt the sudden urge to dunk both of their heads into the bog. As much as he adored Jaslen, Ean knew his chances with her were not existent as long as Bran was around. And the two were around each other all the time. Pushing his own frustration down deep inside, Ean turned his attention back to the mine.

  By the time the hero came into view, the sun was half hidden by the mountains with long shadows starting to stretch across the valley. A strong wind had started to blow down out of the mountains as well, which sucked the warmth right out of the area. The three observers huddled by the end of the bog, watching the Hero as he approached the entrance to the mine with large confident strides. He had both swords drawn, twirling one in each hand as he approached the entrance. He stopped a few short paces from the mine and yelled into the entrance, but the howl of the wind drowned out his words.

  But not even the wind could drown out the creature’s reply; a roar that echoed from deep in the mine shook the earth.

  “By the gods,” exclaimed Bran, “what was that?” His hand moved down to the pommel of his sword. A quick glance at Jaslen found that her expression mirrored Bran’s words. Her mouth hung wide open, and she clung to Bran’s left arm with an iron grip. The older boy looked like a man ready to charge.

  Ean placed a restraining hand on Bran’s sword arm, shaking his head. “Don’t even think about it.” He held tight until Bran’s arm relaxed and fell to his side. One crisis avoided, Ean turned his attention back to the mine.

  The Hero had moved back a bit, realizing that killing this beast wasn’t going to be an easy feat. He stood there, face locked in the direction of the mine, the wind blowing the grass at his feet. Another roar came from inside the mine. The three of them flinched. It was much closer this time. Ean almost jumped out of his skin when Jaslen grabbed his hand as well. It was a shock at first then gave him courage as he squeezed her hand back. And then the beast emerged.

  In the fading sunlight, the creature seemed larger and more terrifying than it had before. Ean’s first instinct was to run, but the pressure of Jaslen’s hand on his own rooted him to his spot.

  Twice the Hero’s height, the beast seemed to hold itself up in a more human fashion than Ean remembered. It was also wearing some kind of armor that seemed patched together, with the rest of its exposed body covered in red scales that shimmered and reflected the sunlight.

  It moved toward the Hero with slow and deliberate steps, its tail swaying hypnotically like a huge snake. Even though it was nowhere near the Hero yet, it reached out towards him as if it could snatch him up even from far away. The Hero was back peddling with slow, measured movements, but still appeared confident as he returned to swirling the swords in his hands. He moved with the grace of a dancer at the Harvest Festival, which Ean hadn’t expected from the robust man. The Hero might have a chance if he could out-maneuver the beast.

  The beast lunged for the Hero. The distance between them closed in an instant, its giant right claw sweeping towards the Hero’s armored body. The claw passed over the Hero’s head as he ducked and rolled to his right. Ean had underestimated the overweight man’s ability. A spark of hope flared up deep inside of Ean’s chest, and he found himself rooting for the man.

  Coming out of his roll and springing to his feet, the Hero slashed the creature with both of his swords in a cross pattern. The blades glanced along the scales of the creature’s left leg with a grating sound but didn’t seem to cause any damage. The beast didn’t even flinch. It swung its entire body to the right. Its tail aimed at the Hero’s chest. This time the Hero dodged just in time and leapt away.

  “The creature is fast for its size,” Bran said in a whisper, his eyes locked on the fight. “But the Hero seems to be handling himself well.”

  Ean turned and glared at him. “Quiet. Just watch and be ready to run.” He kept his gaze on him until Bran nodded again then turned his attention back to the battle.

  Instead of waiting to dodge whatever the creature threw at him, the Hero had taken up the tactic of staying on the move. He rolled and dodged when the creature was facing him. Darted in whenever he could to slash or stab at the large beast. Then retreated and watched for another opening. Unfortunately, none of his attacks seemed to be doing any damage to the creature. By the time the sun was just a slash of light peaking over the mountains, the Hero had returned to the defensive. Even from a distance, Ean could see the large man breathing heavily, his breath creating a mist in the cool dusk air. Turning to his companions, Ean nodded his head back the way they had come. “I think it might be a good idea to get out of here. It doesn’t look like our Hero is going to last much longer.”

  Bran ignored Ean and took a step towards the fight.

  “What are you doing?!” Ean whispered, rising as well. “You see how the Hero has failed to even hurt the beast. You can’t possibly think that you can do better than him or that your blade would have any better luck.” He grabbed a hold of Bran’s arm and tried to pull him back. Instead, Ean found himself pulled along as Bran took a few steps away from the bog.

  “You’re right. It’s clear I would have no chance against the beast.” Despite his words, Bran continued forward, dragging Ean behind him. “But maybe I can do something to distract it so that the Hero can get away.” Stopping suddenly, he turned his head to look Ean square in the eyes. “It’s the right thing to do, Ean. We can’t just stand here and watch the man die.”

  “Oh, I have no plan of watching the man die.” Ean let go of the larger boy’s arm. “I plan on getting out of here before he becomes dinner and we become desert.” The look Bran shot him was all Ean needed to understand what the boy was feeling. Taking a step back towards the group, Bran poked an accusatory finger into Ean’s face.

  “I cannot in good conscience walk away and let the man die.” Bran’s voice was rising now as his convictions overrode his common sense. “When even the smallest possibility exists that I could have done something to help him.”

  Ean knew Bran to be an honorable guy, but he didn’t know that he held his ideals higher than his own life. Ean hoped Jaslen could talk some sense into her boyfriend, but the look of horror on her face made him follow her gaze back to the right. The Hero was pinned to the ground by a giant clawed foot planted on his chest.

  The poor man was squirming beneath the beast, his arms and legs flailing about, both of his swords out of reach. The creature was looking at him like a dog slobbering over a bone, its tongue darting in and out between its teeth.

  “We have to do something,” Bran said, then started back towards the beast.

  Ean watched him take two steps, looked at the Hero still pinned to the ground, then let out a frustrated growl. “Fine, fine. Let’s all get killed saving a stranger. I hope it eats you first.” Ean hoped the anger in the voice masked his terror as he stomped off after Bran.

  They hadn’t even cleared the bog when Jaslen’s terrified pleas froze them both.

  “Please don’t leave me,” she said, her voice low and strained. “Don’t leave me alone.”

  Bran looked back, his face conflicted. Ean felt conflicted as well, although he doubted it was for the same reasons. Part of him wanted to continue on and try to be the hero in front of Jaslen and Bran. The other part wanted to run screaming back into the safety of the bog.

  A growl from the beast made them all turn their attention back to the area in front of the mine. The creature had reached down and plucked the Hero off the ground with one large clawe
d hand. The man looked like a doll in the hands of an adult. Still showing signs of life, the Hero beat at the creature’s hand with both fists, but his fate was already sealed. He let out one spine-shivering scream. Then the creature opened his mouth wide and bit down, its mouth covering half of the large man. When the creature pulled its head back, the hero’s top half was gone. Along with the chance for Bran and Ean to do something to help.

  As the creature chewed on the upper portion of the Hero, Jaslen made a retching noise as she lost her last meal. Despite their horror, Ean and Bran stared as the monster continued its meal. It chewed on what was left, pieces of bone and flesh hanging from its maw.

  Bran began mouthing something, probably a prayer, although he kept his eyes locked on the carnage.

  Ean only pulled his gaze away when a tug on his pant leg got his attention. Glancing down, he saw the telltale shimmer of his invisible imp. Ean turned to Bran, grabbing his arm.

  “We really need to get out of here.”

  As Jaslen finished getting sick, Bran reached down and picked her up in his arms. She buried her cheek in his shoulder and quietly sobbed.

  Ean watched them walk off for a moment before turning his attention back to the beast. The sun had taken refuge behind the mountain, as if it couldn’t bear to watch what was happening to the deceased Hero. All that was left of the day was a sick yellow glow over the horizon. Zin gave his pant leg another tug, but Ean remained transfixed by the sight of the creature feasting on the Hero’s torso. The sounds of bones breaking made him cringe, but he refused to look away. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt that it was important that he stayed until the end. Important that he watched what horrors this world could hold.