by Jon F. Merz
“Where is Mithrus?” shouted the guard leader.
“Dead,” said Ran. “Your leader is dead. Let us go and we’ll spare your lives.”
The guard leader smirked. “We outnumber you ten to one.”
“Numbers don’t matter,” said Ran. Somewhere behind the group of guards the sounds of battle grew louder. The clangs of steel-on-steel rang out and echoed along the tunnels. “And it sounds like your enemies are getting closer. You don’t want to have to battle them behind you and us in front of you.”
“We can handle them,” said the guard leader. But then he turned as one of his men cried out. Ran saw a rush of figures pour into the corridor. They were smaller than the guards; much like Zal himself. And they were clothed only in some type of leather armor, brandishing shorter weapons better suited to fighting in the close confines of the tunnel networks they inhabited.
As soon as they saw the guards, they attacked. Screams and screeches broke out. Kuva stood his ground and cut down one of the guards who tried to flee.
Ran nudged him. “Let’s get out of here.”
They turned and ran down the corridor. At the branch, Ran paused and looked back. The sound of battle had died away, replaced by something far worse. As he watched, the smaller warriors that had just defeated Zal’s guards had put down their weapons and started feasting on the bodies of the slain. Their fingers poked and tore at scraps of flesh, plunging chunks of muscle and fat into their mouths. The stench and sound of bloody flesh being devoured made Ran’s stomach heave. He was momentarily thankful for the fact that his stomach had very little left in it.
“Ran!”
He blinked and turned, catching up with Kuva and Cassandra.
As they raced on, Cassandra caught up with him. “Why on earth did you stop?”
“Don’t ask,” said Ran. “Some things are too terrible to talk about.”
The tunnel sloped upward, and Kuva led them. A few stray guards came at them, but more often they avoided any sort of combat. Already more of the underworld inhabitants were streaming up into Zal’s domain, slaying anyone they found and feasting on their bodies. As they worked their way up toward the entrance to the catacombs, the sounds of horror grew louder. More of Zal’s hired army fell victim to the invaders. But Zal had apparently gone missing. Ran felt certain he was around somewhere, but there wasn’t time to settle up with him. The smaller invaders seemed ravenous and nearly unstoppable. Certainly Ran did not have the resources to do so. His best option was to get out of the catacombs and back into the outside world.
As Kuva led them up the tunnels, Ran kept glancing back over his shoulder. Part of him expected that the invaders would overcome all resistance and then set their sights on the fleeing trio. But every time he looked back, Ran only heard the terrible sounds of the feasting invaders. They never seemed interested in giving chase.
At least Ran hoped they weren’t interested.
But where was Zal?
Kuva’s arm shot into the air, and they all stopped short. Kuva must have spotted something ahead of them. Ran worked his way up to his friend and whispered in his ear. “What is it? Why have we stopped?”
Kuva shook his head. “Something’s not right. It’s too still up ahead. It feels . . . unnatural.”
“Unnatural.”
Kuva nodded. “I don’t like it.”
Ran glanced around them. In the middle of the sloping tunnel, they were exposed again. And this time, the rock walls seemed much smoother than farther down. There would be no places to hide up here. Any interaction with Zal’s men would no doubt result in combat. “We can’t stay here.”
Kuva’s eyes narrowed, and he scanned from one side to the other. Finally, he sighed. “Maybe I was wrong.”
“I doubt it,” said Ran. “But if there’s danger up ahead, it’s almost certainly not as bad as what waits behind us.”
Kuva eyed him. “What did you see back there?”
“The invaders,” said Ran. “They ate the men they killed. It was as if they hadn’t eaten in years, and they ate their fill in the most heinous of ways.”
Kuva spat on the ground. “Curse them all. Let’s move and get out of here.” He stood back up and pressed on.
Cassandra looked at Ran as she passed. “Everything all right, Ran?”
“Not until we’re out of this hellhole,” said Ran. “Which hopefully will not be much longer.”
“One would hope.”
Ran looked back at the way they’d come. He could still hear the sounds of battle, although there seemed to be far less of it now. One side had to be winning, and Ran doubted it was Zal’s mercenaries. The invaders had looked too powerful to thwart. He almost felt sorry for the men who were killed and eaten.
He ran to catch up with Kuva and Cassandra and was surprised when a sudden blow took him completely off his feet and sent him thundering into the wall of the tunnel. The air rushed out of his lungs, and he struggled to catch his breath. Numbly, he tried to bring his sword up, but that was batted out of his grasp.
“You bad man.”
Ran’s mind raced to fill in the blanks. Then the hairy paw lifted him up and slammed him back against the tunnel wall again. Ran struggled to keep from losing consciousness. “Bagyo?”
“You ruin everything, little man. Make Bagyo’s home go away.”
Ran shook his head, not only to deny the claim but to try to shake some sense back into himself. “Zal is the one you should blame. If he hadn’t brought you here—”
“Zal give me job. Make me happy. Then you come and everything go bad.”
Bagyo threw Ran again. Ran collapsed in a heap and wondered where Kuva and Cassandra were. He could certainly use some help in fending off Bagyo. The giant hairy beast loomed closer and plucked him off the floor of the tunnel before throwing him again. Ran tried to relax as he crashed into another wall. But he knew he was dangerously close to passing out. And if that happened, there was no guarantee he would ever wake up again.
Ran tried pawing about for his sword, but he had no clue where Bagyo had sent it flying. And before he could recover, Bagyo was back on him again, this time sending a thundering kick into Ran’s midsection. He rolled with it, trying to go with the force of the impact, but Bagyo nailed him in the ribs, and Ran knew some of them must have broken.
He winced and came up on his feet. The only way he was going to get out of this alive was if he figured out how to fight Bagyo off. But he needed a sword to do that.
“Ran!”
Kuva’s voice drew Bagyo’s attention barely in time to avoid the downward stroke of Kuva’s blade. Bagyo roared and batted him away. But Kuva was much bigger than Ran and Bagyo’s strength was much more even with Kuva. Kuva drew back and prepared to cut at the beast again. As Bagyo rushed in, Kuva sidestepped and brought the sword up in a tight arc that cut into Bagyo’s right arm.
Bagyo howled in pain and caught Kuva back across his face with a claw that drew streaks of blood and flesh from Kuva’s cheek. But the warrior refused to give way and thrust his sword deep into Bagyo’s side until the hilt was the only part still jutting out of him. Bagyo reared back, tearing the sword from Kuva’s grasp, and uttered a massive bellow before collapsing on his face and lying still.
Ran heard his breath coming in spurts.
Kuva retrieved his sword and then touched the flaps of flesh dangling from his face. “This will no doubt send the maidens of Gallina fleeing at the sight of me.”
“As opposed to that reeking breath of yours.”
“You’re one to talk. The stench of you carries through the tunnels like a plague.”
Ran grinned. “Nice to see you again.”
Kuva nodded. “Apologies, my friend. We ran into some more of Zal’s men farther up the way there. Took us a moment to sort them out.”
“Cassandra?”
“She’s fine,” said Kuva. “She was mopping up the last of them when I realized you weren’t with us and came back down. Judging by what I saw, my timing
was barely acceptable.”
Ran got up, wincing as he held his side. “Could have used your presence a little sooner than when you came, I’ll be honest. But better late than never.” He scanned the floor. “He batted my sword away. I need to find it before we continue.”
Kuva searched, and they found it within a few moments. Ran felt better having it in his hand, but the pain in his side from the broken ribs kept disturbing him. He had to find a way to shut the pain out or else it would interfere with his fighting ability.
“Stay behind me,” said Kuva as they moved back up the tunnel. “You’ll do neither of us any good if you have to fight. I’ve had broken ribs before. They’re no joy. I imagine sleeping will be delightful for you for some time to come.”
“I’d be happy just to put my head down upon a bed of hay,” said Ran. “It feels like forever since I slept.”
“You can sleep later,” grumbled Kuva. “Something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Zal yet.”
“You think he’s still around? Perhaps he was caught below and is being eaten even now.”
“Doubtful,” said Kuva. “Men like Zal are masters of opportunity. He probably had an escape route all mapped out just in case something happened. My guess is he’s farther up by the entrance.”
Ran frowned. The thought of more fighting pained him. But if that’s what it took to get out of here, then he would have to do it.
Kuva stopped then, and Ran nearly bumped into him.
“What is it?”
Kuva glanced around. “Where is she?”
Ran felt a pang in his stomach. “Cassandra?”
Kuva nodded. “I left her here. She was fine.”
Ran frowned. “She’s not here anymore.”
Kuva bent close to the ground and ran his fingers over the earth. After a moment, he stood back up. “She’s been taken.”
“By who?”
“I don’t know,” said Kuva. “But there was more than one of them. And my guess is they’re heading the same way we are. Up and out of this place.”
“Then lead on,” said Ran. “The sooner we track them down and free Cassandra, the sooner we can get out of here.”
Kuva shifted his belt and then set off up the tunnel. Ran looked around and then followed his friend.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
It didn’t take long for them to pick up the trail. Cassandra had very obviously dragged her feet as she was taken, and the tracks led them farther up the tunnel toward the catacombs’ entrance. While torches still lit their way in spots, the area was filled with shadows, forcing Kuva and Ran to slow down or else risk blundering into an ambush. Ran assumed the lead from his friend, and they continued. When the tunnel grew too dark to see, Ran bent and let his hand kiss the top of the ground, searching for Cassandra’s tracks. They stopped every ten meters to check and check again, but after several hundred meters, the tracks suddenly vanished.
“What’s the problem?” asked Kuva.
“Gone,” whispered Ran. “The tracks have vanished.”
Kuva turned and looked back at the way they’d come. “Is there a chance there’s a branching tunnel connected to this passage?”
“I didn’t sense any,” said Ran. “You?”
Kuva shook his head. “No, and I think we would have noticed a change in the air if there was.”
“Agreed, which leaves us with only one possibility.”
“That being?”
“They must have noticed what she was doing and picked her up.”
Kuva grunted. “Someone is going to be moving slower than the rest of them, then. That means we have a chance to catch up.”
Ran nodded. “We’ll still have to be careful.”
“If we’re too careful, they’ll get out of the catacombs and be gone before we can save her. I think, my friend, the time for being cautious is nearly at an end.”
As much as he hated the risk of running into an attack, Kuva was right and Ran knew it. They’d so far managed to avoid detection, but what good was that if they risked losing Cassandra once her kidnappers got outside of the catacombs? The risk was real, and the danger to Cassandra was as well. Ran knew that he stood at the brink of either making the right decision or one that had the potential to haunt him for the rest of his life.
“Let’s do it.”
Kuva stood and sniffed the air around them. “They’ll have a rear guard posted as they travel. If they’re smart.”
“We should assume they are.”
Kuva nodded. “I’ll take the lead. Once I engage with the rear guard, you get in there and grab the princess.”
Ran frowned. “Who told you she was a princess?”
“I’ve known plenty of women in my time, my friend,” laughed Kuva. “Cassandra is refined, even though she tries to hide it. Plus, judging by how she holds a blade, someone taught her some skills. And skills don’t come cheap. She was either the daughter of a wealthy merchant or part of the aristocracy. I guessed right, though, apparently.”
“If anyone finds out, she could be in danger.”
“I won’t tell a soul,” said Kuva. “How are your ribs?”
“Feels like someone is standing on them. It’s hard to breathe, but I’ll get through it.”
Kuva grunted again and then smiled in the dark. “I do so love the anticipation of battle. Where others get queasy, I enjoy the uncertainty of it. Life and death hover over you, waiting for the inevitable to happen. One outcome or another. At no other time is a man so acutely aware of his own power and frailty as he is just before he goes into battle.”
“Underneath that burly disguise beats the heart of a poet.” Ran clapped Kuva on the back. “Let’s go get her.”
Kuva dashed up the tunnel with Ran behind him. Their footfalls echoed as they raced on. The tunnel curved slightly and then widened out. The darkness dissipated, and Ran saw the huge door that had stood as entrance to the catacombs. At last they were back to where they’d started. Ran exhaled and then spotted six men. Two of them carried a struggling Cassandra. And one man led them all.
Iqban.
Kuva frowned. “I thought he’d left.”
“The weather was too terrible for him to do so, remember?”
“It feels like we’ve been underground for weeks,” said Kuva. “I don’t even know what day it is.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Ran. “All that matters is getting her back and then getting out of here.”
“Iqban!” roared Kuva.
The party of warriors stopped. Three men drew swords and rushed toward Kuva.
Kuva winked at Ran. “See you on the other side.”
“Fight well.”
And then Kuva stepped forward to meet the first attacker. The man rivaled Kuva’s size, but his sword skills lacked. As he tried to bring an overhead cut straight down upon Kuva’s head, the big man simply pivoted out of the way and backhanded a slash into the attacker’s throat. The movement severed the attacker’s head, which rolled into the feet of the second attacker, forcing him to leap over it as he charged forward. But Kuva was already going on the attack and stabbed the second man in the heart before yanking his blade free and meeting the side stroke of the third attacker with the flat of his blade.
Ran didn’t have time to watch any more of the action. Instead, he dashed forward and met one of the men who had been carrying Cassandra. Before the man could draw his sword, Ran threw the dagger that Yasseh had given him. It punched into the base of the would-be attacker’s throat, and he dropped.
Iqban gestured to the second man. “Get him! Quickly!”
The second man dropped Cassandra to the ground, and Iqban yanked her to her feet. Ran saw the second attacker rush toward him with his sword held up in front of him. Ran feinted to the left and then dropped to his right knee and cut up under the arc of the attacker’s strike, slashing deep into the man’s abdomen. Blood spilled forth, and Ran nearly gagged from the stench of entrails and the pain lancing out from his broken ribs. But he ke
pt moving as the attacker sank to his knees.
Behind him, he was aware that Kuva had polished off the third attacker.
Iqban, however, wasn’t done yet. As Ran and Kuva moved closer to him, Iqban drew a dagger and held it up next to Cassandra’s throat.
“Don’t move or else I will cut her throat.”
Ran shook his head. “And what good will that do? We’ll simply kill you then.”
“Or we might not,” said Kuva. “There are an awful lot of hungry cannibals streaming up from the depths of the earth behind us. Every one of Zal’s men that they’ve killed have been eaten.”
“You’re talking nonsense,” said Iqban.
“I wish we were,” said Ran. “The sights and sounds that we left below are too terrible to wash from my mind.”
“So, if you kill Cassandra, we’ll simply wound you and then leave you here. Can you imagine being eaten while you’re still alive? You’ll feel every bite they rip out of your body. You’ll beg for death. And you’ll die . . . slowly.”
Ran inched forward. Iqban’s eyes showed his uncertainty. He might have suspected they were lying, but he also knew that if killed Cassandra, they’d be on him instantly.
The knife came away from Cassandra’s throat. Iqban shoved her toward Ran and Kuva and then dashed down a side tunnel. Kuva started to run after him, but Ran called him back.
“Do you know where that tunnel goes?”
Kuva shook his head. “No.”
“Then it’s a safe bet that it might lead us deeper back into the catacombs. And we’re so close to escaping now, there’s no sense in chasing him. Iqban’s time is limited. He’ll either find a way out or else end up a meal for the invaders.”
Ran removed the gag from Cassandra’s mouth, and she breathed in a huge gulp of air. “Thank you. Again.”
Kuva shrugged. “Just another day’s work.”
Cassandra looked at Ran. “We need to get out of here as fast as we can. I don’t relish the thought of those invaders coming after us.”
“Neither do I,” said Ran. “I’m betting once we’re outside, we’ll be safer.” He looked at the door barring the exit. “The only question is: how do we get out of here?”