by Galen Wolf
The lilitu withdrew their appendages as if the field burned them. Then, realizing that their prey would not just sit still and be eaten, they came forward to restrain it. Torina rolled past the boulder and pulled herself back. She kicked with both feet at the lilitu to push them away from her. She felt a feeler wrap around one of her legs and snag her. With a shout or rage, she kicked wildly and felt the feeler snap off. She shot forward, aiming for the hole. She shoved her body towards it, grazing her shoulders. Jammed in the hole, she squeezed her way through, kicking back at the lilitu. Then she rolled free from the hole and stumbled into the bigger tunnel. The digestive enzymes from the feeler burning into her leg. She undid the fastener on her boot in a frenzy and threw it away. Then she stood and took in her surroundings. She was in a passage like those she had already seen. She bent and picked up a rock. She stood there, ready to kick and smash the lilitu if they followed. But they did not follow. They were frightened of the darkness that would soon flow through the Library.
Torina felt the healing field repairing the gastric burns to her right foot. It was painful so she diverted some analgesia from her suit reserves. It was also dark. She could use another of the chemical lights. She reached for her pack but then realized she'd left it in the lilitu's cave. She could go back in there, but she knew they would try to kill and eat her; or perhaps not even kill her before beginning their meal. She shuddered then turned and faced in the direction she thought was onwards. The darkness here was absolute. She saw nothing. She hobbled down the corridor, one hand in front of her face feeling her way. She realized how slim her chances of survival were, but she still hoped that Severan and Gaijann would find her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Black snakes
Morah heard them before she saw them. She was held aloft by her demon Belphegor and she turned her head to search for the origin of the sound. It was an odd hissing noise. She thought the Library was talking to itself at first, then she saw the dark shapes on the floor below. They were slithering through the quicksilver, huge things like pythons except they had no tails and no heads. They were black as pitch and so matte and dull that they absorbed light rather than gave it off. They crawled over one another in their eagerness to explore the tunnel. They were heading in the direction the Count had run off through the quicksilver. The mercury flinched away from the encroaching darkness and Morah saw it now ran backwards, draining away to whence it had come.
"The night has come," she said to the Belphegor, and the demon held her safe, feet above where the snakes slithered and poured over each other.
"Hurry after the Count."
The Belphegor's wings flapped and its speed increased. They began to out-pace the snakes. Ahead, the Count ran ever forward. She got close enough to hear his broken breathing above the flapping wings of her devil mount. Even in his exhaustion, Count Owain wouldn't stop.
Then Morah saw that the tunnel opened out into a large cave. The cave was lit by a strange pink light whose source she couldn't locate. The smooth walls and cube shape showed it was artificial. High level walkways entered from holes in the walls above. Rings of steps rose up from the cave's centre in concentric circles until they reached a dais upon which was a gelatinous thing - a lump of translucent matter much stained, misshapen and distorted and containing black seed-like organs. The lump dripped yellow and viscous goo down from its podium. There was a collecting pool around the base and the thing's secretions ran down into that. Morah watched the Count. Owain didn't hesitate at all; he ran up the stairs, but his fatigue was showing now and he stopped running to gasp for air a quarter of the way up the steps. The thing on the podium seemed to know he was there, because it quivered.
The black things, more worms than snakes now, poured into the room but instead of mounting the stairs in the centre they behaved like a liquid and spilled round the cave floor, falling over each other - until the cave was swimming in them. Owain stood, safe, above the pool of writhing creatures but Morah wondered how he was going to get back out. She looked back the way they had come to see the tunnel was chest deep in the dark worms. Her demon appeared tireless as it flapped its wings - keeping them both safe hanging in the air.
If Owain noticed Morah and her demon, he didn't seem to care they were there. He began to walk up the steps, his attention fixed on the jelly thing that throbbed and shivered on the podium.
She went closer.
She heard Owain talking to the misshapen thing. He muttered, "I am here as I promised."
"Ah," Morah said to no one in particular. She pointed, "This is the Library of Xaolin; this small, disgusting heap of jello. The rest of the Library is merely its exoskeleton. I guess the books and information are like the decorations some insects or carnivorous plants have to encourage prey to come into their lair." She said it to the Belphegor, but the Belphegor took no notice.
Owain was also having an apparently one sided conversation. "You promised to make me a God."
Morah sucked her teeth: The Count was predictably boring. Of course he wanted to be a God. She stifled a yawn.
Owain raised his voice. He seemed to be in a rage with the thing on the podium. She guessed it was speaking to him directly into his mind. Either that or he was insane. Or both.
Then Owain turned and shouted up to Morah. "I need to find my daughter."
Morah raised an eyebrow. "You've suddenly developed paternal feelings for your daughter who may well be dead by now? Interesting. Unexpected, but interesting. Maybe you have a loving side I didn't anticipate?"
Even from this distance, Morah saw his lip curl. "I don't appreciate your tone. My daughter is well; the Kissag will protect her." He was developing predictably god-like arrogance it seemed to talk to her that way, but Morah was enjoying this. She said, "But stupid Severan doesn't know the lizards are protecting your daughter. His gallant courage will make him charge them head first and my money is on her getting cut down in the crossfire."
The Count shouted, "I'm paying you to help me. I am very close to getting what I want."
Morah pointed to the black writing mass that covered the floor of the cave. "I trust you've noticed that the tunnels are full of these writhing creatures?"
He pointed to the high level walkways."Then you must go up and find Mehefin that way. The black tide hasn't yet got so high. You must fetch her back to me."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Demons
Severan limped along the dark corridor, supported by Mehefin. His visor was gone, but Gaijann's helmet still gave light and it was by this that they were able to make their way.
Gaijann turned. "You want a hand, buddy?"
Severan waved him away. "No, she's got me." But the giant broke down in a fit of coughing and bent double to let the remaining silver dribble from his mouth. Mehefin had her hand supportively on his back. Gaijann observed them for a while then said, "I'll go look ahead."
Not for the first time, he wished the neural net was working and he could contact Torina or Atorkh to get them to come back and help. As he went on alone, Gaijann became aware that the tunnel ahead was lit with a faint pink glow. He guessed they were coming to some significant junction and he halted. This place was full of tricks, who knew what would be there waiting for them? He switched off the light from his visor.
Mehefin and Severan were about thirty yards behind him. He glanced back and thought Severan was walking straighter now, more upright, but he still allowed Mehefin to keep her arm around his waist. Gaijann put up his hand to indicate for them to stop. He then signaled that he would scout ahead. Turning his stealth on, he went quietly forward. The pink glow was coming from a chamber ahead. He could see the tunnel extended into the chamber as a walkway and was high up above the ground. He crept closer. Even from the tunnel mouth, he could see the chamber was shaped like a hollow cube, the stone walls glittering and slick like they were made of obsidian. He took a step onto the walkway and halted. Looking down, far below he saw a podium raised up on the ground in the centre. Steps led down in concentric rings to
the ground. In the middle of the platform atop the stairs was a block of stone and on it, something that looked like a huge jellyfish. It shook and pulsed as if filled with some ghastly, inhuman life.
Something in his memory, conveyed to him when he had been part of the Library's mind, told him that this was the Room of Dissolution: the very heart of the Library.
As he watched, trying to understand the function of the room, he saw the Count come running in from one of the feeder corridors. The aristocrat was in a great hurry and, from the way he had to catch his breath on the steps, he'd been running hard for some time. Then Gaijann saw a great flood of black tube like creatures - leeches or blood-worms. They poured into the chamber from the four tunnels that converged there. Like a rising tide they swamped the cave and he saw how the Count climbed the steps to get out of their way. Gaijann watched with horrified suspicion as the Count got to the top of the platform and started speaking to the jellyfish creature.
And then, from the corner of his eye, he saw another shape enter. The creature flew in, just above the writhing worms. At first, he couldn't disentangle Morah from the demon Belphegor, but then his brain understood and saw that it was a woman riding the demon, not just some malformed thing. The assassin raised himself from where he watched, still in a crouch and turned and cautiously made his way back to Mehefin and Severan.
As he went back, his heart lifted - if Morah was there, then Torina and Atorkh must be just behind. Perhaps she was flying them in one by one and would soon send her demon back to fetch them. Gaijann switched off the stealth field and ran back to Severan and Mehefin.
When he got up to them, he told them what he'd seen.
"My father was there?"
Gaijann nodded. "And Morah."
"What about Torina?" Severan asked.
"I didn't see her, or Atorkh, but they were all together last time I saw them. They must be close." He turned to Severan. "Torina was pretty pissed at you. And I can't see your new friendship making her any less pissed."
Severan regarded the assassin with his sapphire blue human eye. "It would be good if you could be glad for me," he said simply.
Mehefin looked at the assassin impassively, with an air of resignation as if she was past hoping for anything good from Gaijann.
Gaijann glanced away from them. Without looking directly at the couple, he said, "Torina's a healer, and no matter what she thinks of you - a woman scorned and all - she will heal you. And you need it."
Mehefin looked like she understood for the first time. Or she pretended that it was the first time. She fixed her genetically modified rainbow eyes on Severan, and raised a perfect eyebrow. "Torina loves you?"
Gaijann snorted. Severan shrugged and looked uncomfortable. "She's just a kid. It's a crush, that's all."
Gaijann shook his head and walked away. He turned back to see Mehefin's hand locked in Severan's. The anguished look on her face was probably supposed to show she had a conscience, Gaijann thought. He shouted back, "Come on. Let's go and see our friends."
Severan and Mehefin walked slowly behind. He hurried ahead.
They were almost at the large cave when, with a flapping sound, and an exhalation of its stinking breath, the Belphegor came level with the walkway. It landed far more lightly than a thing of its bulk should manage, and it deposited Morah on the walkway. She dusted herself down.
Gaijann smiled broadly.
Morah said sardonically, "You look like you're pleased to see me."
Gaijann took in her black lips and sharp teeth, her white eyes with their red irises and her latex clad figure. He was still smiling. "I am. I forgive you."
"You forgive me?" she appeared genuinely puzzled.
He cocked his head. "For abandoning us."
Morah shrugged. "It was your choice to follow Severan out of some kind of boyish loyalty, I'm guessing. I chose not to wait for you. Anyway, your choice. Choices have consequences. None of my concern. For the record, I don't need your forgiveness."
"It's okay. Don't worry. I did rescue Severan and Mehefin." The couple were still behind out of sight.
Morah said, "Oh good. That saves me some work."
"Where's Torina anyway? Severan could use some healing."
"She's down there somewhere." Morah pointed with her elegant index finger down to where the dark snakes writhed.
Gaijann frowned. "With the Count? Then where's Atorkh?"
But Morah had seen Mehefin and Severan. She stepped forward. The Belphegor remained where it was like a bodyguard, its evil eyes fixed on Gaijann.
Gaijann felt the hair on his neck prickle — something was wrong. He switched on the stealth field and went to the edge of the walkway. There were no safety-rails, so any mis-step promised a hundred foot drop. Gaijann peered down, one hand on the thin metal strut that suspended the walkway from the ceiling. All he could see down there was the Count now staring up at them, standing beside the yellow thing on its podium. Gaijann heard the belching breath of the Belphegor nearby. It stood, its head turned, watching Gaijann, despite his stealth field.
"Morah," Severan said. "Glad to see you're okay."
She ignored the giant. Instead, she pointed at Mehefin. "Your father wants you."
Severan's face hardened. "Her father? He was happy to let her die, now he wants her?"
Morah looked bored. "He doesn't want you, or your little friend Gaijann." She stepped forward. "Come Mehefin. I'll take you down."
Mehefin took a pace forward hesitantly but Severan held her hand and stopped her. She looked pained. "He's my father, Severan. I must go to him."
"Then I'm coming with you." He nodded at Morah. "Can your beast fly both of us together?"
Morah looked at him with her red and white eyes. "I don't think you're getting this, Severan.".
"Can't it fly us? Yes or no?"
"I doubt it. You are rather bulky." Morah smiled as if she was enjoying some joke Severan hadn't figured out.
"So, get it to take me down first. Then Mehefin. Then Gaijann."
The witch stroked her cheek idly. "You're looking pale and ill, Severan. Why don't you wait up here?"
"Just do what I say."
Morah turned from him, as if finally bored. "Come on," she said to Mehefin. Mehefin pulled forward and Severan let her hand drop. Suspicion grew on his face.
Morah brought the palm of her hand to her mouth. She drew back her lip and then pierced the ball of her thumb with her stiletto incisors. Blood appeared. She offered it to some unseen thing, speaking guttural words. And then, with a stink like burning oil, a creature that looked like melted black rubber appeared. Morah turned to another direction, intoned more words of power and a thing with hundreds of eyes hanging in the air like a grey mist materialized. The rubber thing tumbled across the ground towards Severan. Mehefin instinctively jumped back and away and pressed herself against the tunnel wall.
The mist with eyes flew at Severan. He stumbled back but it wrapped itself around his mouth and head. He struggled against it. Morah went calmly to the Belphegor and beckoned Mehefin forwards past the beleaguered giant.
Behind them on the walkway, still invisible, Gaijann was watching everything. His unsheathed his vorpal blade and leaped at the Belphegor's back, but he forgot it could see through his stealth. It was ready for him and its foul hands batted him away, but not before his knife gouged a line in its hardened flesh.
Staggering from the demon's blow, Gaijann went backwards and almost over the edge of the walkway. Only his supreme agility allowed him to catch the support strut and use it to catapult himself round. With one foot he pushed off and jumped at the Belphegor again. It leapt up to meet him but Gaijann was supple and he somersaulted under the thing's feet and was up, stabbing it in the back even as it twisted round to claw at him. The knife went deep into its muscle and the thing roared.
In front of them, still in the tunnel, Severan was on his knees as the mist asphyxiated him. The rubber creature, more like a leech now, wrapped itself around his l
egs and wound its way up his body. Foul limbs or feeding funnels appeared from different parts of its shapeless body and tried to pierce Severan's armor. With the last of his breath, Severan reached down and grasped the thing with his cyborg hand. His frigid fingers grasped its viscous form, and where they dug into its body, ice formed and cracked, but still the thing moved. Soon the mist would choke him and his strength would be gone. Already the mist monster forced its way into his mouth and nose. Beneath its ethereal body, Severan's red eye opened. The mist had pressed his right human closed but the mechanical eye had no nerves and felt no pain. Instead, it superheated the mist. There was a smell of ozone, a buzzing noise and a hole appeared through the thing where the gas had been burned away. Oxygen seeped into Severan's lungs.
Mehefin had her hand to her mouth as she watched Severan's struggle."I think I'd better take you to your father," Morah said. When the aristocrat didn't move, Morah grabbed her roughly. "Now's not the time to develop finer feelings." The witch dragged Mehefin towards the walkway.
Then she stopped. "Well, I'll be damned," said the witch. For the first time Morah saw that the Belphegor was wounded. Green ichor ran from a wound in its back. Morah couldn't see Gaijann, but the Belphegor was snapping and grabbing at empty space. Its jaws clamped on nothing, and its claws raked at thin air as the assassin danced and rolled around it, jabbing it, raking it and where he could, stabbing deeper. Its paws struck at air as Gaijann rolled and twisted out if its reach. Each time he went past it, he stabbed it again.
The witch's face twisted in fury. "This is not cool." She stood where she was, keeping an iron grip on Mehefin's wrist.