by Ben Hale
Without the sun there was no dawn, but the dwarves seemed to have an internal clock that roused them. Jack groaned when they woke him and reluctantly climbed from the comfortable sleep.
They broke camp and gathered their gear before returning to the road where it continued onto a bridge. The span crossed the lake to a tunnel on the opposite side of the cavern. Huge and arching, the bridge appeared dark elf rather than dwarven, its great buttresses reinforced with shimmering purple magic.
When they reached the edge of the bridge Ursana poked Gordon in the side and then skipped away. Laughing at Gordon’s protest, she ran ahead, pausing at the center of the bridge to look down into the deceptively quiet waters below. Jack smiled, grateful she had managed to keep a measure of hope in their occupation. He only had to look at Gordon to see why. Ursana shifted to the side, peering over the edge.
A tremor shook the stone. Jack came to an abrupt halt when it seeped through is boots and vibrated his feet. Lorelia and Beauty sensed it as well and exchanged a curious look. Then Ursana’s cry shattered the calm, and Jack snapped to look at her.
A crack appeared in the stone, dropping her into the gap. She caught an edge but the whole bridge shuddered, sending cracks all the way to the ends. With a grunt she levered herself up, bringing her terrified expression into view. Jack surged forward with Gordon three steps ahead. Abruptly the bridge shuddered again . . .
And crumbled.
Chapter 21: Gorthon
Ursana screamed as the bridge disintegrated, leaving her to plummet into the lake. Lorelia and Beauty launched their shadowhooks, just managing to catch a protrusion from the ceiling. The dwarves were not as quick, and even as they retreated toward the ledge the bridge collapsed beneath their boots.
Jack aimed his hand toward the ceiling but hesitated, his gaze drawn to his friends falling into the waters below. Growling in irritation, he took two steps and dove over the edge, aiming for a spot close to Gordon and Ursana.
Chunks of the broken bridge rained down with him but he scanned the water, searching for any hint of a gorthon. He glimpsed movement on the far side of the lake an instant before he plunged into the frigid waters. Fighting the chill, he pushed his way to the surface as the remains of the bridge sank around him, the purple magic that had supported the struts flickering in the water before going dark.
“How could this happen?” Gordon growled, his voice distorted from the cold.
“This is Gallow’s work,” Jack said. “He knew what route we were taking and sought to stop us.”
Ursana cursed and spun about, searching the water. “We’re too far for a shadowhook.”
Jack watched a ripple in the water and squinted into the depths. Disturbed by the bridge’s fall, the deep hawks swirled above, shrieking their anger. Jack kept his focus on the water.
“Blasted cold,” Roarthin growled, struggling to light a fire in his hand.
“Are you mad?” Lorelia shouted, her voice echoing throughout the cavern. “Gorthons follow movement and heat.”
Roarthin extinguished the flame and tried to stay afloat without moving, but he continued to mutter under his breath. Across the gap Thalidon exchanged a look with Jack and shook his head, his features tight with worry. Then a rumble echoed throughout the cavern, the sound dark and menacing.
“Roarthin, on your right!” Beauty cried.
Her urgent warning caused the dwarf to turn—and the gorthon exploded from the water. Roarthin cried out and instinctively cast a wall of fire between them. The great creature veered away from the flames and dove again, but not before Jack got a full look at the beast.
It resembled a giant fish but the jaws spanned a third of its body, and extended all the way to the fins. Teeth like giant needles were layered several rows deep. The scales were black and tinged orange, making it resemble smoke rising above embers. Larger than a full wagon, the powerful beast could devour a horse in a single bite.
Ursana cried out at the gorthon’s appearance but managed to control her fear. “If we move it comes for us,” she hissed, struggling to stay afloat with her gear and clothing.
“Then how do you suppose we escape?” Gordon growled. “We’re hundreds of feet from the tunnel.” He used his chin to point at the broken bridge extending from the exit corridor.
A current of water shifted and the dorsal fin briefly lifted out of the water. Then Jack spotted a flicker of movement beyond the gorthon, drawing his gaze to a cave at the side of the lake. He peered into the darkened alcove until his eyes adjusted. He sucked in his breath as he realized it was not a cave, but a corridor. And another gorthon was coming from it.
“We need to move,” Jack said.
“How?” Gordon hissed, and then followed Jack’s gaze to see the second gorthon fin. He cursed under his breath, drawing it out to punctuate every syllable.
The dwarves echoed the sentiment. Then Lorelia began to shout from above. Ripping pieces of rock from the ceiling with their weapons, they sent chunks of stone splashing into the lake. The second gorthon swam to where a rock at fallen, its fin slipping beneath the water. A moment later it appeared, aiming for Gordon. Jack growled and fumbled a hand into one of his pouches, activating his speedstone. The magic flooded his frame and he struck out, swimming for the edge of the lake. The gorthon veered away from Gordon and accelerated toward him.
“What are you doing?” Ursana hissed as he sped past her.
“Becoming bait!” he shouted, drawing the attention of the second beast. “Now go!”
Thalidon and Roarthin didn’t argue, and began to swim toward the back of the cavern. Ursana hesitated, but Gordon pushed her toward the nearest wall of stone. Then he struck out after her.
“Go!” he shouted.
“What about Jack?” she asked, looking back at him.
“He can take care of himself,” Gordon replied. “Now swim!”
As they swam for the edge of the lake Jack led the beasts in the opposite direction. He spotted an island of rock and veered toward it. He heard the rush of water as the lead gorthon surged into his wake.
“You aren’t going to make it Jack!” Beauty shouted.
The gorthon lunged for him, coming half out of the water, its jaws reaching for his legs. Jack twisted and dove but the lower jaw scraped across his shoulder, and several of the teeth sliced through his tunic. He bounced along the fish’s scales before he managed to come to the surface. Then he saw the second gorthon open its jaws just feet from him.
“Jack!”
A crossbow bolt streaked from the ceiling and sank into the gorthon’s flank. Another joined the first, disappearing into the beast’s scales. The injuries were minor but the fish instinctively dove, creating a wave that sent Jack rolling away. Fluorescent blood stained the water, illuminating the area as the great fish circled for another strike.
Realizing how close he was to the island, Jack aimed his shadowhook and fired it into the stone. It yanked him out of the water, and his body skipped across the surface until he slammed into the stone. Grunting from the impact, he scrambled to right himself and climbed to the top.
As he pulled his feet from the water a gorthon snapped its jaws on his boot. Jack grabbed a crack in the stone but the beast was far stronger, and yanked him back into the water. As Jack dropped into the lake the fish released his boot and came for him. Jack drew his dagger and slashed it across the gorthon’s nose. The blade cut deep and the gorthon spun away.
“Fish are meant to be eaten,” Jack growled, and climbed out of the water, stumbling to the relative safety of the tiny island.
At a foot above the surface the island afforded little protection against the gorthons, but it got him out of the water. Undeterred by their injuries, the two beasts began to circle, occasionally darting close to test his reaction.
Jack kept one eye on them but looked about. The dwarves had reached the cliff and were halfway up to the ledge they had camped on. Ursana and Gordon had reached the wall of rock that led to the exit corrido
r and were climbing from the water. Still on the ceiling, Lorelia and Beauty were working their way toward the exit corridor.
“You can’t stay there very long!” Lorelia called down to Jack.
Jack grunted in irritation when he realized his position was too far for anyone to assist. At two hundred feet away the nearest wall was far beyond the reach of his shadowhook, and the ceiling was even higher.
“I’ll have to make my own exit,” Jack called up to her. “Get to the tunnel.”
“We’re not leaving you behind,” Beauty called.
“You’re not,” he said, irritated by their stubbornness. “At the tunnel you can use your crossbows to keep them off me.”
She scowled at him but used her shadowhook to swing to another section of the ceiling. Snagging another grip, she hung five hundred feet above the lake and then cast it again. Lorelia followed her example, and together they made their way across the cavern ceiling. Deep hawks scattered at their approach, shrieking their indignation at being disturbed. Some aimed at them, scratching them with their claws.
“Blasted birds,” Lorelia said, killing one with a shot from her hand crossbow.
Jack returned his attention on the water but the fins were gone. He tensed, swiveling in an attempt to search the area around him. Then a gorthon burst into view on his right. It launched itself out of the water and twisted, its jaws seeking to bite his body from his legs. On instinct Jack dropped to the stone, the beast’s scales sliding across his chest before it plunged into the lake.
Jack rose to his feet and drew his dagger. It was woefully inadequate against such a creature, but he imagined the giant fish roasting on a bonfire. He smiled savagely and twirled the dagger in his hand.
“I like my fish salted with a touch of lemon,” he growled.
In the corridor above, Ursana knelt and yanked the chord back on her crossbow. Evidently overhearing Jack’s comment, she laughed as she put a bolt into the mechanism.
“You want to eat it?”
“I promise I’ll share!”
Gordon laughed and aimed his hand crossbow down at Jack. A swirl of motion was Jack’s only warning and he rolled off the rock. The second gorthon snapped its jaws and squirmed its way over the island, missing Jack by inches. Its chosen path slowed its momentum, and Ursana sent a bolt into its skull.
It flailed, nearly knocking Jack off as it tumbled into the water. Fluorescent blood spattered across Jack as the creature dived deep before floating to the surface on its side. The other gorthon appeared in front of Jack and charged him. His reflexes saved his life, and he leapt up and back. The beast smashed into the stone hard enough to dislodge teeth, and gave Jack the chance to swipe his dagger across its skull. This time the blow went deep enough to kill it, and the great fish went limp.
“Jack!”
The warning in Beauty’s voice caused him to turn—and see more fins knifing through the water toward him, drawn by the scent of blood. Instinctively Jack realized there were too many to kill, so he sheathed his dagger and aimed his shadowhook.
“What are you doing?” Thalidon growled.
“Catching a ride,” Jack said.
He aimed for the lead fish and waited for it to jump from the water. When it leapt Jack dodged and fired his shadowhook through the creature’s mouth. He then leapt to the creature’s back and caught the shadowhook thread on the opposite side. He wrapped it around his arm as the beast plunged into the lake.
It dove and twisted, bucking to dislodge the makeshift bit. Shockingly fast, the fish swerved and banked upward, exploding into view and soaring a dozen feet off the lake’s surface. Riding the great beast like a horse, Jack’s booming laugh echoed off the walls of the cavern.
He sucked in his breath as they dove again, and the water blasted into his form. His smile never left his face as the gorthon heaved and jumped, fighting to dislodge its prey from its back. Then it jumped too close to the cavern wall. Seeing his opportunity, Jack extinguished the shadowhook and his makeshift reins evaporated. Then he rolled off the gorthon’s back and cast his shadowhook at the wall, lifting himself to safety.
He climbed to the exit corridor, reaching it at the same time the dwarves did. They climbed off the stone ledge they’d used to get there and stepped onto the end of the broken bridge. Roarthin came to Jack’s side.
“What kind of madman rides a gorthon?”
Jack grinned at the grudging awe in his voice. “One who likes the fish to know their place.”
The ensuing laughter was cut short when a dark elf stepped from the tunnel. “I couldn’t agree more,” he said to the stunned thieves.
Chapter 22: Riskellion
The dark elf was tall, lean, and muscular. Like the rest of his race his skin was grey, his hair the color of wet ash. His eyes glittered like orbs of obsidian. His features were sharp and angular, and attractive enough that Ursana turned pink when his gaze slid across her. He ran a hand through his shoulder length hair and smiled at Lorelia.
“What brings you to the Deep, good maidens?”
“And who are you?” Lorelia asked.
“Captain Riskellion,” he said with a smirk.
He made a motion and a trio of dark elves appeared. The elves stepped to the edge and aimed odd shields down at the frenzied gorthon, placing arrows into the holes at the center. Threads of light reached out to catch the arrows, glowing to life and brightening with power. They took aim and began to fire, sinking arrows deep into the giant fish.
“You have my gratitude for bringing a pack together,” Riskellion said.
“You’re hunters,” Ursana said.
The dark elf turned to her. “Gorthon meat is a delicacy, and this lake is one of the best places to find them. Unfortunately, they’re notorious for slipping out the side tunnels into reservoirs we cannot reach.” His gaze moved past her and he smiled. “The queen is going to make you pay for the bridge.”
“We didn’t destroy it,” Beauty said, and folded her arms. “It crumbled beneath us.”
One of the other dark elves sniffed. “Perhaps your dwarven companions eat too much.”
Thalidon and Roarthin growled in unison, and Roarthin stabbed a finger at the dark elves. “At least we could build a proper bridge.”
“Enough,” Lorelia said. “Someone damaged the supports so it would fall the next time someone crossed.”
“Then we are fortunate it was you rather than us,” Riskellion said, and then grinned. “Or perhaps it was meant for you.”
“Why would you say that?” Gordon asked.
The dark elf stepped past him and examined the broken edge of the bridge. “Because this span was built less than a decade ago, yet it disintegrated like mallorian cheese.”
“We’re just simple travelers seeking to visit Elsurund,” Jack said smoothly.
Riskellion laughed. “Travelers you may be, but simple you are not.” He raised a hand to forestall Lorelia’s protest. “But I care little for your purpose in visiting our realm. Join us on the return journey and you can enjoy fresh gorthon for dinner.”
“We’ll take it,” Beauty said with a smile that was just a hair too warm for Jack’s liking.
“We got four before they scattered,” another dark elf said. “And it appears they killed two.”
Riskellion’s smile widened and his eyes sparkled. “How very simple of them. Load them into the carts and thank Ero that this time you didn’t have to be the bait.”
“What do you mean?” Gordon asked.
“The gorthon are devious,” one of the hunters said. “And they won’t surface except to hunt. To gather a pack one of us jumps in and splashes about.”
“A dangerous occupation,” Thalidon said with a grunt.
“Yet oh so profitable,” Riskellion said with a smile. “This way. You can dry off and change at our camp.”
The other hunters cast shimmering nets and began to hoist their giant catch from the lake, and Riskellion led the group of thieves down the tunnel. From there the
y followed the road until they reached another open cavern containing a gurgling brook.
A fire burned in a natural bowl, the enchanted flames casting shifting patterns of light upon the cave wall. Beyond the fire a cart sat on the underground road. A large lizard lay in front of it, a yoke holding it in place like an ox.
“Watch out for the jelraw,” Riskellion said. “They may be fast but they tend to bite.”
The giant lizard swiveled its head to look at them, its tongue flicking out to taste the air. Riskellion patted it on the flank and then stepped to the cart, pulling a hooked spear into view. Then he tossed it to one of the hunters attempting to drag a gorthon toward the cart. Even with the enchanted nets the hunters struggled to load the fish. Riskellion stepped to it and with deft motions removed a large strip of flesh.
“Some like it raw,” he said, “but I prefer it seared over an open flame.”
He retrieved a large pan from the cart and laid it above the fire. Then he poured a vial of oil into it. When it began to bubble he dropped the fish into it. The fluorescent flesh turned the color of gold as the heat seared it, wafting a delicious scent of spice into the air.
Riskellion reclined against a rock and placed his hands behind his head. “So,” he drawled. “What’s your purpose in Elsurund?”
“Purchasing,” Lorelia said. “We represent a handful of wealthy benefactors with empty walls, and they want exotic items to fill them.”
A ghost of a smile crossed his features, making it clear he didn’t believe her. “It is uncommon for a group of such diversity—and beauty—to travel to our lands.”
Beauty flushed and gestured to the group. “Friendship is not bound by race. You should know that better than most.”
Jack glanced at her, his jaw tightening. Then he noticed Lorelia and Ursana had similar responses. Ursana seemed to have suddenly lost her ability to speak, while Lorelia kept glancing at the dark elf, her eyes bright. Evidently aware of the effect he had on the women, Riskellion’s eyes sparkled with humor.