The_ORDER_of_SHADDAI
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Seth rushed to stop him. “No! We must get away from it. The heat will draw them.�
“Draw what?� Levi asked as he began to back away from the torch.
“Kung lizards.�
Levi immediately pulled the cutlass from his belt. “You led us into a nest of Kung lizards? Are you insane?�
Ethan grabbed his weapon and backed away cautiously from the torch. “What’s a Kung lizard?�
“Warm blooded reptile twice the size of a horse, lad, and mean as they come,� Levi said. “I thought you said there was an escape route down here, Seth.�
“There is. The Kung lizards tunneled into the dungeon years ago, while I was a prisoner of Nichol’s father. They attacked the other prisoners and the guards, but I used their own tunnel to make it out to safety. We can use that same tunnel again.�
The chain began to move and rattle.
“Rommil’s men are coming down,� Ethan said, peering into the darkness, expecting the lizards.
“The lizards should be hibernating this time of year,� Seth explained.
“Yeah, but that torch and these soldiers will stir them up for sure,� Levi argued.
“Then let’s hurry and get out of here before they wake up,� Ethan said. “I’ll realm shift and find the tunnel.� A look of disappointment quickly settled on Ethan’s face.
“What’s wrong, lad?�
Ethan looked puzzled. “I’m not sure. For some reason, I can’t realm shift.�
“But why?� Levi asked.
The chain rattled again, and voices echoed from above.
“This way, gentlemen,� Seth said, leading the way into the darkness. “We don’t have time to solve puzzles right now.�
They readied their swords and followed the blind priest into the darkness away from the torch. Ethan heard hissing behind him and turned just before entering one of the corridors to a cellblock. A huge slender reptilian head appeared silhouetted by the torchlight.
Ethan froze and gripped his sword tighter in anticipation of an attack. The reptile turned its head toward him. A tingle shot up his spine. The beast stood only twenty feet from him. Then it turned back toward the torch and the dangling chain.
A soldier dressed in black and crimson armor slid down the chain into view then dropped to the ground. He looked up to his comrades. “I’ve reached the bottom!�
The huge Kung lizard lunged forward, snapping a whip-like tongue at the man. The sticky coating on its tongue seized the soldier, holding him fast, then quickly drew him into the beast’s jaws. The soldier screamed as the lizard crunched down upon his armor.
It pulled him away from the torchlight into the darkness. Ethan heard it tearing away the armor plating as it went for the soft flesh beneath. Ethan ran to catch up with the others, his stomach churning.
THE NEST
The sound of trickling water drew Ethan into an adjacent chamber. He barely dared to whisper for Levi and Seth. “Where are you?�
No one answered. Water continued its babbling just ahead. Ethan crept closer. His feet tapped into a ledge. He felt a cool rim of stone at waist height. Beyond, a pool of ice cold water sat in the chamber, apparently fed from somewhere above. “A Cistern,� he whispered. His eyes had adjusted better to the poor lighting by now. The tiniest fraction of sunlight filtered in from somewhere far above.
Ethan bent over to get himself a drink. He’d been parched for the longest time. Something hissed behind him. He turned in time to find one of the huge Kung lizards opening its jaws. Someone hit him. He flew backwards into the water.
He pushed through the surface of the water again to see the lizards tongue shoot out and grab Seth. The sticky saliva held him to the horrid appendage as it pulled him toward his death.
As the beast reeled him to its mouth, Seth brought one of his swords down across the bridge of its nose. With the other weapon, he slashed through the adhesive tongue. Seth fell loose as the Kung lizard lurched backward. It flailed its body in every direction from pain. Blood sprayed everywhere.
Seth ran at Ethan with the tip of the lizard’s tongue still dangling from his clothing. He leaped over the rim into the pool. “Stay down!�
“Are you kidding? We’ve got to get out of here.�
Seth gripped his arm and held him in the pool. “No!� he hissed. “The water hides your body heat from the lizards. That’s the way they track their prey.�
Ethan stayed put even though the water chilled him to the bone. The lizard groaned and croaked against the pain of its injuries.
“But won’t that thrashing about attract the others?� Ethan asked.
“Exactly the reason we don’t want to be walking around right now….Look.�
Ethan watched as another Kung lizard appeared, then several more. They briefly watched the wounded reptile rolling around on the ground. They sniffed the air—blood. Then they lunged at the poor beast and began gorging themselves.
Ethan suddenly realized the captain was missing. “Where’s Levi?�
“He’s down the corridor toward our exit. I left him safe in one of the cells slathered in cool mud from the floor.�
“Body heat?�
“Precisely.�
They remained in the pool as more giant lizards arrived in the chamber to feast.
“How many?� Seth asked.
“Do you really want to know?�
“I’m hoping the whole nest will come to feed. It will keep them busy. With a fresh kill before them, they’re less likely to pay any attention to us.�
Kung lizards of all sizes chirped and clicked to one another—mothers calling their young from the tunnels adjacent to the room. Then, unexpectedly, one of the large carnivores turned toward the cistern. Ethan tensed and grabbed Seth’s arm.
“What’s wrong, Ethan?� he whispered.
“One of them is coming over here.�
The pair backed up to the rear of the cistern. “Get below the surface,� Seth instructed.
They ducked down under the water. The cistern held a water depth of only four feet. Ethan opened his eyes, trying to see the lizard. He kept his blade pointed up toward the beast, just in case it spotted them.
The tip of the Kung lizard’s snout pushed through the surface of the water. The long tongue curled out, then pulled water like a scoop back into the reptiles mouth. It stood there drinking—the tongue loping through the water mere inches from Ethan and Seth.
Ethan noticed something clouding the water next to him. The lack of light made it incredibly difficult to see anything. Then he noticed the stump of lizard tongue still attached to Seth’s clothing. Blood from the severed appendage poured out into the water around them.
The lizard’s tongue picked up the scent in the water. It darted toward the source and found Seth hiding there beneath the surface of the water. Feeling the heat, the tongue attached and drew him out of the cistern by his leg.
Ethan shot out of the water after him. The tongue held Seth suspended upside down. He became disoriented—not quite sure which way was up. Ethan lunged at the beast. He leaped up with his sword and swiped the blade horizontally across the lizard’s throat. Blood poured out across the earthen floor. The beast released Seth. He tumbled back into the water, recovered and came up again with his blade ready.
“Ethan, what happened?�
“Let’s just say, we’re even. Now, let’s get out of here!�
Ethan helped him out of the cistern and Seth led him to the right corridor. “Bonifast is down this way.�
With another great reptile bleeding out on the chamber floor, they easily escaped the attention of the feeding frenzy. The Kung lizards remained in the chamber enjoying a sumptuous feast.
When Ethan and Seth reached the cell where Levi should have been waiting, they found shredded metal covered in blood. Ethan stared in disbelief while Seth felt the twisted edges of prison bars torn asunder.
“Tell me this wasn’t where you left him,� Ethan said.
Seth touched his fingers to the blood, then brought it to his nose. The pungent odor startled him, putting a smile on his face. “This isn’t the captain’s blood. The lizard that did this must have wounded itself on the torn metal.�
Just then, they heard a cry for help down the corridor. They ran toward the sound. Ethan noticed Seth breathing deliberately heavy breaths—using the echoes to guide his steps through the darkness.
Soon, they came to a wall. The stones had been thrust out into the corridor. “This must be where the lizards tunneled in. It smells awful.�
“I think the nest is here,� Seth said. “I’d imagine most of them are back there feeding near the cistern, but we’d better be careful.�
Another cry for help echoed from the hole in the wall.
“It’s definitely Levi,� Ethan said. “There’s at least one of them in there. We’re coming, Levi!�
Ethan ran through the hole in the wall with his sword pointed in front of him. Seth followed. The miniscule amount of light available in the dungeon became almost nothing inside the nest. Sounds of dirt shuffling around, heavy footfalls and the occasional ring of a sword hitting scaly flesh reverberated from multiple tunnels around them.
Ethan stopped at a junction. “Which way?�
Seth stepped up beside him and listened as the sounds came to them again. He darted to the left. “Come on.� Ethan hurried to keep up. Seth definitely had the advantage in this environment. As he ran, Ethan wondered why he still could not realm shift.
Seth stopped in front of him, causing Ethan to almost slam into his back. Seth listened again, then bolted to the right and down another earthen tunnel. They arrived inside a larger chamber with more tunnels leading away. Ethan began breathing through his mouth. “This place smells awful.�
Levi flew into the room from an overhead tunnel, then tumbled across a mound of dirt. A Kung Lizard followed on his heels. But when it entered the chamber and found three persons present, it stopped short, raised its head, and hissed menacingly. Ethan and Seth raised their weapons, ready to fight.
“Ugh! What in the world is this stuff!� Levi yelled from across the chamber.
The Kung whirled on him, searching for his prey again. Presently the lizard stood between Ethan, Seth and the captain. “Hey! Over here!� Ethan shouted as he tried to direct the lizard’s attention to him and Seth. The beast turned its head back to them. Apparently two tasty morsels were more interesting than one which had somehow landed in—
“Lizard Poo!� Levi exclaimed. “I’m ever falling into a pile of dung in this place!�
The Kung turned on him again.
“Captain, I would suggest you stay where you are and stop complaining to the lizard. It doesn’t like it,� Seth said.
But Levi grumbled still, trying unsuccessfully to extricate himself from the heap of lizard dung. The beast began to move toward him, though he was too busy to notice now. Ethan and Seth lunged for the lizard as it turned from them.
The Kung smashed them both with a swish of its great tail. They tumbled through the chamber, landing in a heap, their breath knock from them. Now, Levi noticed the big predator closing on him. He tried to locate his cutlass, but it had landed about ten feet away, barely visible in the darkness.
The Kung lizard hissed at Levi and sampled the air with its tongue. Time to eat.
Levi flailed his arms and legs, but the muck held him fast. The whip-like tongue lashed out and caught hold of Levi’s clothing. “Help me, lads! It’s got me!�
Ethan and Seth, hit with the tree like tail, had barely managed to recover enough to start breathing again. They groaned against the pain, trying to get to Levi before it was too late. The thick, sticky tongue pulled against the grip of the dung pile, trying to free the Kung’s meal.
Levi’s body shifted upward. “It’s pulling me out!� Then he realized the mound was shifting beneath him. A large nose poked through the muck between his feet as the tongue continued pulling. The dung heap exploded, sending Levi into the air free of the sticky tongue.
Something—a creature easily the size of a man—leaped from the pile of filth to attack the Kung lizard. The reptile reared back, then tried to lash at the new threat with its tail. The new creature, completely caked with dung, dodged the tail then slammed into the lizard. The beasts tumbled. The dung caked animal tore into the lizard’s neck with razor sharp teeth and claws. Blood flew everywhere.
The Kung lizard spasmed, then lay still with the dung-beast still crouching on its chest. Then it turned its attention on the humans. The beast stared at Ethan then leaped from the Kung lizard and began to come toward him. Ethan stood and prepared for a fight.
This beast may not have been as big as the Kung, but it had ferocity to make up for its smaller stature. The creature stopped short of Ethan and Seth, then shook its entire body. A wave rolled along its form, shaking lizard dung from a coat of thick brown fur.
The filth came free with surprising efficiency, leaving a sleek brown mammal standing on its haunches. “It’s a rat!� Ethan exclaimed.
Levi reacted first. He dove for his cutlass. “No, I’m not doing rats again.�
The brown rat watched him curiously as he picked up the weapon and began to approach. The animal turned back to Ethan watching him. Then it surprisingly bowed to him—at least that’s what it appeared to be doing.
“Stop, Levi,� Ethan said as he lowered his own sword. “Don’t hurt it.�
Levi stopped short, looking exasperated. “What do you mean, don’t hurt it? That thing’s liable to tear your throat out any moment!�
“No, I don’t think so,� Ethan said. He transfixed on the rat as it slowly stood again on its haunches. Ethan extended a hand toward the creature. “I don’t know why, but I feel like you mean us no harm.�
The rat stooped again, this time placing his muzzle under Ethan’s outstretched palm. The black eyes watched, but the rat made no move to harm the boy. Seth stood still, listening, sampling every vibration of the air with his finely honed senses. Levi held his weapon ready to strike should the beast make the slightest provocation.
Ethan laid his hand on the rat’s muzzle. The thick fur was surprisingly soft, though much of his coat still held the remnants of the dung heap. As he made contact with the creature, Ethan felt instantly at peace. He realized the feeling did not emanate from within, but rather from the rat. It meant only to help them.
Ethan spoke then, while his hand was still touching the rat. “Do you know who I am?�
Instantly Ethan felt the answer crossing the connection between them. Somehow, the rat understood him to be one sent from the Creator. “Can you help us to get out of this place to safety?� Ethan asked.
Ethan barely had time to discern a positive feeling before the rat pulled away and scurried toward one of the tunnels leading away from the central chamber. It stopped at the mouth of the tunnel, waiting. Ethan looked at Levi with a smile on his face.
“Now, wait a minute, Ethan. If you think I’m going to go traipsing off, following a giant rat through these tunnels your crazy.�
Seth had already stepped after the rat toward the tunnel. Ethan looked bac
k at Levi and hunched his shoulders. “Call me crazy, I suppose.� Then he followed after Seth.
The rat went into the tunnel with both following. Levi took another moment to consider the situation, until he heard hissing echo from the tunnels behind him. “Wait up, lads. If you’re going on some wild goose—er—rat chase, then I better make sure it don’t have you for dinner!�
CAPTURED
Gideon only vaguely remembered being dragged from beneath a heap of rubble, which had buried him shortly after the shelling began on Nichol’s castle. He heard men’s voices all around him. The sun beat down upon him. His body ached all over. The dry taste of dirt lay on his lips.
The men stopped dragging him by the shoulders. Gideon heard a deep laughter. He raised his head to find a large man standing before him in the armor of a Wraith General. He supposed the man must be General Rommil, but he didn’t feel like raising his head to look into his face.
“So, priest of Shaddai,� Rommil said, “are you the Deliverer of God we have been hearing about all these months?�
Gideon tasted dirt when he tried to speak. His tongue felt pasted to the roof of his mouth. The general grabbed his tattered shirt and picked him up off the ground with one hand. “No. You are not him are you?� Rommil listened, then spoke again. “So, you must be the one who trained the boy. Gideon?�
Gideon noticed, vaguely, that no one visible had spoken to the general, yet he seemed to be getting this information on the spot. He wondered from whom.
“Tell me where your companion is?�
Gideon managed to speak. “You pulled me from a pile of busted rock and you expect me to know where he is? Find him yourself.�
Rommil listened to an unseen voice again.
“Very well, priest of Shaddai,� Rommil said, “you will be my guest aboard The Razor, my fastest ship. It will take us to Mordred. Perhaps, he can persuade you to give him what he wants.�