They listened for a moment longer, before moving on. They went from room to room, eying the dark water as ripples on the surface hinted at something beneath.
“More flapping heads?” Quill asked.
No one ventured a guess, but they avoided the water nonetheless.
They took stairs down, and then up, and then down again, but they always found new rooms to search.
“This place is massive and like a maze,” Letty complained, kicking over another empty footlocker.
Minutes later, they found themselves staring at a dead end. Preparing to turn back and find another way, Staza gasped and grabbed Letty, pulling her away from a narrow pool. A tentacle floated from the water, holding a small leather pouch.
“Our money!” Letty cried, producing the blade and swiping for the tentacle.
She split the tentacle from its stump and, in so doing, cut the pouch, spilling the coins into the water.
“Damn!” Letty yelled, releasing the blade and lunging for the water. She was held back by the Caspians.
“Let it go,” Staza said.
“We don’t know what else is in there,” Quill added.
“That was a lot of money,” Blue whispered, and then endured the heavy glances of the Caspians.
Furious, Letty stomped all the way back to one of the larger side halls. They were more than surprised to see a few dozen flapping heads and a couple hundred slithers. The creatures sat still on the walls and even hung upside-down from the ceilings as if the act were simple; a few of these even held onto their attendant flapping heads. The swarm of little beasts edged closer, as if probing the humans.
Letty produced the blade, and the Caspians drew daggers they had lifted from an abandoned barracks minutes ago.
“What do you want?” Letty yelled. “We’ve already been robbed!”
The noise and show of strength gave the creatures pause. Though, slowly, they continued to come closer.
“I don’t think we can beat them, Letty,” Staza whispered.
Letty swung her sword wide, hoping to scatter the beasts. The air crackled with its energy, but the monsters only flinched, they did not retreat.
“I think you’re right,” Letty replied.
“Run?” Quill asked.
“Run.” Letty said, releasing the blade and turning.
They raced to the nearest stairwell and found themselves forced to go down.
“Shouldn’t we be going up? The way out was further up!” Quill yelled.
“I didn’t see another way!” Letty replied, as Blue held onto her blouse with all four limbs.
They turned a corner and Letty tumbled over a small, green bundle of spindly limbs.
“They’s attacking behind!” the creature yelled.
Letty kicked it away, and was surprised to see a hallway full of heavily armed goblins.
Letty rolled to her feet and produced the blade.
“They aints the flappers or the slitherers!”
Another goblin smacked the first. “They’s humans! And lookety that blade! It shineys like—”
A third goblin, taller, and covered in ramshackle armor, slapped the second goblin and approached Letty.
“The Teeth!” Blue warbled, astonished.
Teeth?
The goblins saw him, but didn’t recognize the white mouse.
“Forgives us, please. Not time, fighting flappers.”
“Right!” Letty said. “There are more coming from behind!”
The lead goblin, with three tin stripes and chevrons bolted to his pauldron, gestured to his warriors, who rushed up besides the Caspians and took defensive positions against the stairwell.
“Dey’s comin from both sides! We need Takka!”
The goblins groaned, while Takka cheered.
“Which flankey, Mastery Surgeon?” Takka asked, unraveling countless strings on his armor.
“Help humans!” The Mastery Surgeon demanded.
A moment later, the swarm of slithers poured out of the stairwell. They clung to the ceiling and then dropped onto the fighters.
Letty swung at them as they came down and the Caspians found their daggers next to useless against the lithe foes. They resorted to snatching them and throwing them at the wall or stomping on them. Letty cried out as one bit her ear, but Blue leaped into it, and the two fell, tumbling to the ground.
Takka, with his strings finally loosened. Rang up a cacophony of chiming. The slithers shrieked and exploded at the noise.
Letty watched in stunned silence as Takka cut a swathe through the mob of little beasts. Finally, a pair of flapping heads, also shrieking, but not disintegrating, dove onto Takka.
Staza grabbed one flapper by its wing and used it as a club to knock the second from the goblin’s face.
The rest of the flappers joined the fray.
Letty nearly lost her focus when she saw Takka swinging two of the heads, one from each hand, and spinning as he stumbled towards the now broken enemy.
“And don’t comes back!” Takka yelled, hurling the heads up the stairs.
Letty realized the goblins were still fighting behind her. She turned and saw a figure, seemingly made from jolting electricity, zapping the enemy heads.
Takka yelled and ran past Letty and the Caspians to join the battle on the other end of the hall. The goblins cringed and made way for the stumbling riot of noise.
Chimes ripped off Takka’s harness as he tumbled into the sea of slithers.
Between Takka, the goblin’s javelins, and the figure electrocuting the heads, the enemy on this front broke in moments.
The goblins had to carry Takka away from the carnage, an act they seemed familiar with, but Letty was more interested in the figure, which took the shape of an ychorite covered in orange feathers. He looked their way.
“Who are our friends, Clang?” the ychorite asked.
“It’s me, you idiots! Forget the paint!” Blue spat at them, having just recently re-assumed his perch on Letty’s shoulder.
A few goblins instinctively rolled their eyes at the sound of that voice.
“Blue!” the ychorite yelled.
“Damn right! I didn’t find the boy, but I found his friends. A far cry better than you, skulking around ryle holds. What are you doing here?”
“Blue, would you introduce us to Andy’s friends? I see one wields the Argument.”
Letty grimaced, and released her grip on the blade.
Blue nearly launched into another tirade, but glares from Letty and the Caspians stopped him cold. “Well—right. Ahem. These two are Caspians, Quill, and Staza, warriors both.”
“Indeed,” Martin said to Staza, “I didn’t get the idea to go after the heads until I saw her swinging one around.”
“Ahem,” Blue interrupted, “and this is Letty, one of three surfacers who have come to find Andy.”
Martin shared a glance with Clang. “Andy has quite the collection of allies. I propose that we pool our efforts. How does two hundred goblins and a spare ychorite sound? Could we be of some use?” Martin asked.
Letty cracked a smile. “Of course. It would be great to work together. What were you doing in the battle? You were almost invisible, and it looked like you were electrocuting those flapping things.”
Martin inclined his head politely. His feathers flickered, and a moment later he was invisible. He snapped a pair of phantom claws and jolts of light sparked there, illuminating the outline of his arm.
“Most of my kind never learn these tricks, the slaves that they are. Slavishness keeps one infantile, undeveloped even. Training takes time and costs etherium, two things Degoskan ychorites have little of. Most have no idea we can do this. The downside is that I must consume etherium at a far greater rate.”
“Interesting,” Quill replied. “What color etherium do you consume?”
“Gray, neutral, or the mix as it is known in some places. Fairly pricey, but managing a mercenary corps has its advantages.”
Clang grunted. “Havi
ng the Martin has its advantages.”
The goblins banged their weapons together in wordless approval.
A moment later, Letty noticed a few goblin ears perk up, then Blue’s did as well.
“What is it?” Letty asked.
Blue looked to Clang, who inclined his head towards one of the side passages. “Something down there calls.”
Clang clicked and gestured to his goblins, who moved without a word. Martin advanced towards the sound and disappeared as he went. A group of six goblins approached the humans, encircled them, and then motioned them to the rear of the battle group. They were next to a pair of stretcher goblins who had to carry Takka, while a medical goblin saw to his wounds, which didn’t look serious.
He’s stuck all over with those little tridents the slithers had, poor thing.
“He blasts the slithers with his chimes. It’s a new weapon, that harness. It’s quite effective, but not without its hazards,” Blue whispered into Letty’s ear.
Letty and the Caspians followed along.
“Very useful, these goblins, a real fighting force,” Blue continued.
They heard a moaning cry. “—I’m here—” its voice echoed through the halls.
They turned down a narrow stairwell and found themselves in a dungeon.
“Here!” Martin called, from far ahead.
Clicks fired back and forth and the goblins came out of their tense crouches. They were gestured forward. Letty and the Caspians pushed through the goblins and approached a cell that held an ychoron, who was trying to bargain with Martin.
“Listen, I’m not letting you out of here until you tell us why the palace was abandoned,” Martin insisted.
“I’m starving, please. I’ve been here for days,” the ychoron begged from his hands and knees, sounding parched and weak.
Martin sighed and nodded towards Clang. A moment later, a small bag appeared. Martin inspected its contents and tossed the bag into the cell.
“Mix?” the ychoron said, displeased at the contents.
“You’re lucky to get anything,” Martin sneered.
The ychoron plunged his hand into the bag and a crisp whining followed. It reminded Letty of the sound a certain type of candy made when wet. The sound droned out into the cells beyond for a few moments, and, as it did, the ychoron’s black feathers perked up and lightened to a deep blue.
“What’s your name?” Martin asked.
“Llanyly,” the ychoron replied. “And you?”
“Martin. Would you please tell us where everyone has gone?”
“Martin? This is no ychoron name.”
Martin took an annoyed breath and looked over to Clang. “It’s my own name, Llanyly. Of course, I am an ychorite.”
“I see,” Llanyly replied, embarrassed. “I didn’t realize.”
Something’s going on here. They both seem ashamed.
Letty saw that the Caspians had also noticed.
“Would you please tell us where everyone went?”
Llanyly’s feathers shuddered. “I am no traitor.”
Martin lunged forward and slammed the bars. “They left you to die!” and then to Clang, “Find the key! When I get inside, I’ll strangle this cowardly creature.”
Llanyly balked at the sudden fury.
“You have until they find that key to convince me that you aren’t a humiliation to our race. You must have done something to land yourself in here.”
Llanyly shook. “I spoke out—”
“Against what?”
“The Master. He was confused—and blasphemous—”
Martin shook his head while Clang and the goblins searched for the keys.
“Who was your Master?” Martin asked.
“Lord Zyzqe Ziesqe, The Just, Tamer of Nightmares, and Master of Zentule.”
The Just?
“What was his blasphemy?”
“He claimed that the Voice of the Dead God spoke again, through a boy.”
Letty’s eyes widened.
“Who was this boy?” She asked, pushing ahead of Martin.
“A surfacer, pulled in during action around the snake pit. I believe the name was Lysander.”
“That’s him!” Letty cried, looking back to her friends.
Quill and Staza both nodded.
“He was in these halls,” Martin continued.
Llanyly nodded.
“Now, as to your fate. You have already spoken out against your Master. Free thinking, loose talk, this punishment, these are all signs that you have the spirit of an ychorite,” Martin spoke, and Clang approached, handing him a ring of keys. “Thank you, Clang. Listen closely, Llanyly. Tell us where they went and all you know of your Master’s plans, and I will open this cage and embrace you as a brother. If you cannot do this, I will end the misery of a creature separated from its owner.”
Llanyly kept his eyes on the ground. He shook with fear and backed against the rear of his cell.
“Please—” he begged.
A voice, sharp and concise, echoed throughout the prison, “Well done, friends, but it is time to step aside.”
Letty drew the blade and turned. Something shaped like a human was standing among them. It had two long rents running down its face and under its scaled armor. On the left of the rents, its body was covered in black feathers, like a raven’s. On the right, it was covered in patchy, matted fur. In the center, however, it wore the scales of a massive snake. One eye was beady and black, also like a raven, and the other was green, speckled with flecks of copper.
The creature’s sudden appearance startled everyone, and several goblins stumbled over each other to get away, while others had to be restrained from throwing their javelins.
It held a hairy claw out for Martin to step aside. “Please, excuse my sudden interruption. You were doing very well, Martin, but Llanyly has shut himself up, and is resigned to execution now. If you had kept the chattering children away—” the creature paused and looked at Letty. Its eyes shone with surprise. The air between the creature and Letty’s blade sparked and hissed.
The room was silent.
“Well now. You aren’t Caspian. Would you loosen that weapon for a moment? We will both benefit from my speaking to Llanyly here.”
I’m not Caspian?
Letty stepped back and released the blade. She saw that Quill and Staza were also astonished at the statement.
The creature inclined his terrible head in thanks before turning to the caged ychoron.
“Now there, who do you expect I am?” the creature asked.
Llanyly shook his head.
“Who did your Master fear most?”
Llanyly balked. “I have never seen a beast such as yourself, but I suspect you are a servant of the Maelstrom, sent to find my Master.”
The creature sputtered a laugh.
“Even Puktifa didn’t quite understand who I was, but a mere servant hits the nail. Good. The moment Ziesqe dreaded has come, and he made it come. So, tell us, where did he go with his household? And, keep in mind, I already have a strong idea of the answer.”
Llanyly looked down into his opened palms. “They first mounted an expedition to Hyadoth. I was imprisoned shortly after. I suspect Ziesqe wanted me to let my guard down after he left. My infraction upset him. Sadly, I wasn’t executed, but left to rot and starve. The expedition did not return, or so the whispers told me. For a number of days, the footsteps echoing to my cell grew much louder, as if great activity was afoot, and then, nothing at all. I believe the Master has instituted his final plan. I expect you will find his forces hiding around the city of Degoskirke, and you might find him, and whatever allies he could intimidate into defying the Maelstrom, scheming to conquer the city from within—”
“He plans on conquering Degoskirke?” Letty gasped. “Would he have taken Lysander with him?”
The creature turned an intrigued eye to Letty.
Llanyly scowled. “The boy—he is the reason I’m here now.”
“Answer the
question,” the creature commanded.
“Yes. Whether Ziesqe believes the boy is the reincarnation of Caspian, or not, doesn’t matter. He will use him as a tool to cause chaos in the free city.”
The creature took in a deep breath. “Yes. But, what about you, Llanyly? You have betrayed your Master. You have aided our ancient enemy,” he gestured to Letty. “What punishment is fit for you?”
“No, he did the right thing. We’re letting him go.” Letty said, reaching for the keys.
Martin grabbed her by the hand, desperation bent his eyes and his face split with dread.
He’s terrified.
Letty looked to the creature, who smiled politely her way.
“Fair Seeress, only a third of myself has any experience with your kind, so please, forgive my crudeness. Would you indulge me? What would you do with this creature, Llanyly?”
Letty paused, struck by fear. The creature’s eyes were upon her.
“I—I would let him go.”
“Ah, piquant.” The creature turned a cruel eye to Llanyly. “He may walk these abandoned halls for the rest of his life, never brave enough to venture the Nightmare outside, but caught eternally in the memory of the purpose he had scorned. He will be a free soul, given reign to preside over this edifice of ambition, of dreams, ashamedly purposeless and ever without hope. You are cruel, dear Seeress. It is the perfect punishment.” The creature reached out and touched the cell door, which melted away into an inky cloud.
Llanyly heard the words, and despite the cell door disappearing, simply crumbled to his hands and knees in silence.
“You may call me Chimerax,” the creature said. “May that name be a signifier for as short a time as possible.”
Chimerax lunged for Letty at lightning speed. His hand grasped her throat and his eyes blazed with purple light. He stared heavily into her eyes.
The goblins attacked and even Staza delivered a biting stab, but every attack was deflected by the sudden shimmering of purple armor. Martin lunged and grasped Chimerax’s throat, only to be jolted on contact. The air cracked and Martin fell to the floor. Goblins rushed to pull his shivering body away.
Letty stood, terrified, as the beast’s whisper broke through her sudden fear and need to retreat.
“Caspian is trying to find a way into the boy, but he has also moved your arms. There he is now.”
The Immortal of Degoskirke Page 17