Within the Ice

by LaPolla, C. J.

  The stone bridge had haunted Devyn since he laid eyes on it many days ago. And now it stood directly in his path with no other choice but to cross it. Both Askel and Gudlaug hesitated at the mouth of the bridge, they peered back at Devyn. Even in the darkness, he could see their eyes widen, he knew what that meant, the creatures were within sight behind them.

  The gore covered, wrinkled creature stomped madly through the train of light blue skinned monsters, it rampaged through their lines and crushed them under its powerful claws. Once it broke the line it leapt forward slamming into Eskor knocking him to the ground and continued in between Devyn and Eskor. Hermund barely made a sound as its claw ripped through his flesh and spattered Devyn and Dorm with his blood. Devyn turned in horror as all he held was the arm of Hermund, who was on the ground being devoured by the beast. The line of blue skinned creatures had fallen onto Eskor, Devyn was not about to leave him behind. Just as the line engulfed his legs, Devyn managed to pull him out of the horde and they scurried passed the gray skinned creature who was happily devouring the remains of Hermund. Dorm was standing staring horrified at the scene, Devyn punched his friend on the shoulder to break his stupor. Gudlaug and Askel turned and began to run as they saw the three of them start towards them. The gray skinned creature may have killed Hermund, but his death had slowed the blue creatures significantly.

  With the horror behind, but slowly encroaching on them, they had no choice but to pass the bridge. None of them seemed concerned about this, except Devyn. To them it was just another bridge, for reasons Devyn could not understand, it was a nightmare. Dorm, Eskor, and Devyn were only meters behind Askel and Gudlaug as they started across the bridge and for a moment all seemed right. On their third step Devyn noticed both men jerk queerly. Gudlaug was the first to fall to his knees, the green moss which covered the bridge was not moss at all. Askel soon fell to one knee, struggling to get to the other side of the bridge. The men began to scream as it became clear that the green moss was tiny writhing creatures. All of the green streaks through the ice were also the same as they saw them writhing and moving near the bridge. The three men stopped as they watched their comrades being enveloped in the tiny worm-like creatures.

  “We have to jump! We have to use them to jump over!” Devyn shouted.

  Dorm and Eskor looked at him with faces of disbelief.

  “It’s the only way!” Devyn continued and he pushed Dorm forward. “JUMP!”

  Dorm ran forward and jumped from Gudlaug to Askel and then finally with a mighty leap onto the ice on the other side of the bridge. Devyn pushed Eskor and for the first time he noticed that the man was limping slightly and there was a wet, dark patch on his leg. Eskor began his staggered run and jumped from Gudlaug and Askel successfully but on his third jump he stumbled and made it most of the way to the other side but fell short. Devyn did not hesitate he ran and jumped from the men who were being devoured by the worms and on his final leap grabbed Eskor who was just beginning to be covered. They tumbled hard into the cave beyond the stone bridge. Both Dorm and Devyn began to brush the worms from Eskor who churned his legs in a back pedaling motion.

  “Get’em off! Get’em off!” He screamed as he brushed at his legs frantically.

  Devyn noticed a few had begun to burrow into his flesh. He looked Eskor in the eyes and said. “This is going to hurt Eskor.” And he pulled the knife he had at his side. Eskor nodded his assent.

  Devyn tore the furs away from Eskor’s skin and watched as the worms could still be seen under the flesh. He slid his knife across his calf which made Eskor flex in pain while he stifled a yelp. Devyn reached into shallow cuts and pulled the worms out. For the first time he got a good look at them as they were between his fingers. They were a dull green color and looked segmented. Their mouths were a circular maw of tiny teeth. Maggots with teeth was the best he could describe them. Dorm danced around the room squashing them against the ice. Devyn tossed the two, which were writhing in his hands trying to bite him, over the edge of the bridge. He gazed out onto the bridge and could barely see where Gudlaug and Askel once lay. They were nothing more than slowly lowering rises in a roiling tumult of green worms. He couldn’t fight the tears which formed in his eyes at the terrors that he had witnessed in just the last few hours.

  The creatures stopped at the edge of the bridge chomping their jaws at the men. Even the gray creature stopped at the bridge staring at them hungrily. With organs and guts hanging from his jaws, the gray beast pushed many of the blue skinned creatures over the edge of the bridge into the deep chasm below as it paced back and forth. Its hungry, milky white eyes locked onto them like a predator impatiently waiting to devour its prey.

  “They won’t cross.” Devyn said. “The worms will devour them as well.”

  The creature roared wildly into the air and the three men held their chest from the pain that wracked them. The roar of the beast made it clear it was time to depart, they hoisted Eskor onto his feet making their way into the cave beyond. They ran on pure adrenaline and fear, disregarding all of the twists and turns they took. The men had been lost for so long that each passage was as good as the next and they raced between them for what felt like an hour. Devyn had long since lost track of time. The three men collapsed in a small cavern with three exits. It was the first area they could relax in without feeling cramped by the caves. The network of caves within this glacier amazed Devyn, unsure if these caves were natural or carved by these creatures over thousands of years.

  “What are these things?” Devyn finally broke the pattern of silence and heavy breathing.

  “Demons. It can be nothing else.” Eskor sat grasping at his leg as he spoke.

  Devyn was about to continue the conversation when he noticed blood dripping onto the ice off of Eskor’s leg. “You alright Eskor?” He asked with concern in his voice.

  “Don’t know. One of them got me back there. The pain is awful.” Eskor held his leg tightly.

  “Let’s take a look at it.” Devyn said as he moved towards him.

  Devyn sat on the ice next to Eskor and unwrapped the fur that covered his shins. The fur was sticky with thick blood and had an odd odor to it. Once all the furs were removed it was clear that one of those creatures had taken a bite out of his calf. The blood was still flowing freely and the skin just outside the wound was beginning to turn gray.

  “Dorm, bring that torch closer.” Devyn asked while waving his friend over.

  As Dorm approached the orange light shined on the leg, the severity of it all came into view. The wound was growing necrotic. An unwanted gasp escaped the lips of Eskor as his eyes took in the wound.

  “No. No. No.” Eskor squeezed his eyes shut with a tear dripping slowly down each cheek. “I’m becoming one of them aren’t I?”

  Dorm and Devyn locked eyes unsure how to answer him. Devyn turned his eyes back on Eskor. “I don’t know.” He put a firm grip on his shoulder and squeezed. “All we can do is keep moving.”

  Devyn used the torch light to view the wound a bit closer, he could clearly see the flesh growing gray and the veins around the wound becoming a deep purple. Devyn knew he was becoming one of those things. Just as his mind made that realization he noticed the blood pooling on the ground near his leg. It was forming small streams that weren’t flowing down towards the center of the cavern like they should have been but moved up being absorbed by the wall. Devyn followed the small trickles flowing from the pool of blood, shining the torch light onto the wall he examined where they were entering. Like the beating of a heart, the blood was being pulled into the wall in pulses. Nothing seemed odd about the wall but his sudden interest in the wall drew the attention of Eskor and Dorm.

  Dorm craned his neck to see through the flickering light of the torch. “What is it?”

  Eskor was much more panicked as he noticed exactly what had drawn Devyn’s interest. His eyes widened while holding a confused look on his face.

  “What is going on? Are they coming?” Asked a pain filled strained
voice of Eskor.

  Devyn pressed his ear close to the ice wall. A slight rumbling could be heard coming from within the ice, when he strained his eyes he could just make out the small tendrils of blood that were seeping deep into the cavern wall. Devyn backed his head away just in time as the wall exploded in sharp shards of ice and he was blasted back. Devyn slammed into the rock hard ice knocking the wind from his lungs. With his vision blurred from the pain, he watched as one of the wrinkled gray beasts burst from the wall sending shards of ice everywhere. Eskor screamed as he was knocked to the ground and when he attempted to rise the beast pushed him to the ground with his arm. The beast released a guttural, soul piercing roar at the two remaining men who were unable to move as they stared into its milky white, dead eyes. It was as if the beast was holding them without touching them. The monster turned its gaze away from them and glared down at a writhing Eskor. Its elongated head and long razer sharp teeth made short work of Eskor who pleaded and attempted to scramble away from the powerful being that held him. Devyn had regained some of his wits and he rose and ran towards Dorm. Eskor was still alive and screaming a blood filled gurgling scream as Devyn reached Dorm. He shook him vigorously to break him from the stupor the monster’s roar had put them in.

  “Wake up! Snap out of it Dorm!” Devyn shook him and yelled in his face.

  Dorm came to quickly but his eyes were still locked on where Eskor lay on his back as the creature seemed to be taking joy in torturing him. Devyn pulled him hard down one of the caves and they both began a quick run. Their only remaining torch was beginning to burn low but it still provided enough light for their escape. They ran until they were sure the creature that had slain Eskor was nowhere near them before they ceased their flight.

  They were both exhausted. Their energy had long been gone and the sheer will to survive was the only thing driving them forward. Their breath came in labored gasps and both of their legs clearly wobbled and shook.

  “What are we going to do, Devyn? I can deal with roaming armies and I can deal with wild beasts. But this is none of those things. I don’t know how much more I can take.” Dorm looked to his friend hoping for a reassuring answer but he clearly knew he would not get one.

  “I can’t say we will make it. Odds are not good. But we have to keep moving, we can’t just lay down and die.” Devyn replied.

  “I know I said I came here to die. I did not come here to die like this. I envy the men that fell in the mist or with the wave. At least they will have lived never knowing creatures like this existed.”

  “We have to keep going up. Getting out of these caves is our key to survival. And as long as there is one shred of hope that I will see Rana and the girls again I am going to keep going!” Devyn stated louder than he intended.

  Dorm smiled at Devyn. The first smile Devyn had seen in a long time. Since they had entered the canyon there had been so little good in the world and once they had entered the cave, nightmares were no longer reserved for one’s dreams. Nightmares have entered the waking world and even if Devyn and Dorm managed to escape this one, both of them knew they would never be the same. War, disease, and entire families freezing to death in the frigid north could not prepare any man for the horrors that both of them had witnessed in just a few hours. Devyn held out his hand to Dorm who clasped it tightly.

  “We keep going. No matter how much we want to give up.” Devyn said to Dorm with a serious look in his eyes.

  “We keep going.” Dorm parroted.

  “We keep moving towards the caves that are going up. It’s our best choice. Let’s go!”

  Devyn and Dorm released hands and began their trek into the first cave that looked like it was going upwards. With burning legs and empty stomachs they began their race through the winding caves. Constantly taking the direction that seemed to lead them closer the fresh air above. What I wouldn’t give to feel the constant howl of the wind on my face. Devyn thought to himself. The frigid air would be the greatest relief of all for they would know they would no longer be trapped in these caves. They had reached a point in the cave where the air seemed almost thick and it was harder to get a full breath. But regardless of every obstacle they now faced, and the fact that their entire crew, besides them, lay dead somewhere in this forsaken cave, the men strode on. Devyn had not heard any sign of any of those creatures for some time and they had consistently found cavern passages that were going, to the best of their knowledge, upwards.

  The two men entered a bright passage through a small corridor that opened up into a larger room, immediately Devyn’s warrior instincts warned him of the danger. His body reacted well before his brain could tell his voice to warn Dorm. He dropped his body at the knees and lowered his back towards the ground just in time to see the dark steel whistle past him just over his body. Devyn only managed to get the beginning “D” of Dorm’s name out when the blade caught him square in the neck and sent a spray of red and his head flying past Devyn, who fell and slid on the ground.

  “DORM!!!” Devyn screamed at the top of his lungs as he watched his friend’s body slowly slump to the ground. Dorm’s head continued to roll past Devyn, stopping only when it smacked against the wall on the far side of the room.

  Through this entire expedition Dorm continued to be his one connection back to the home he loved. Dorm stood as a reminder that there was a home to return to and now that hope lay dead at Devyn’s side. Dorm had Devyn’s back from the moment he stepped foot in Northspire so many years ago, when Devyn was nothing but a dumb kid with too much war experience and not enough humility. From the first moment someone threatened him in the tavern for being a sniveling whelp and Devyn had accepted the fact he was going to have to break the man’s jaw, Dorm was there. Now Devyn, for the first time in many years, was truly alone.

  He did not allow his grief to control him long, he let the pain of losing his friend slip from his mind and focused on avenging him. The pain of loss subsided and the instinct for survival took over. He rose quickly from the ground and drew his sword turning on his new opponent. This was not one of those creatures or the terrifying beast. This was a man and a man could be killed. If it was the last thing on Isiir that he could do, he would see this man dead for killing Dorm.

  Devyn’s eyes took in the man wearing tanned leather armor, wielding a blood soaked serrated blade. He ignored the eerie light which pervaded the room and the fact that his pursuers could appear at any moment. The only thing on his mind was killing this man that ended the life of his best friend.

  “This is the part where you tell me that I will die for this.” A wide grin slid across Eldgrim’s face and a low chuckle escaped his lips.

  Devyn didn’t say a word he simply raised his sword against his new opponent.

  Eldgrim approached, arrogantly twirling his sword in his hand. The blade held a wicked serrated edge along its curving steel. This was not a blade he was accustomed to fighting.

  “Very well, a man of few words. Your party has been quite an annoyance, stirring up all the citizens of the glacier. Especially the Maeliz, they are truly a pain as they can actually hurt me. But you, you cannot. So how about we stop this charade and you submit to me willingly?” He paused obviously waiting for Devyn to respond, Devyn refused to speak to this man. Taking his life was the only thing that mattered to him. When Devyn did not respond, he continued with a sigh. “Alas. Perhaps you’ll be faster than that friend of yours you cared about so dearly. I wonder if he even knew he died? If we must fight, you must know my name. Eldgrim, at your service.” He finished his statement with a deep bow.

  Devyn could stand no more, he knew he was walking into the man’s trap but rage had taken over. He struck low at the man, who did not even bother to raise his sword and merely side stepped the attack. Devyn squared off against the man, he was happy he did not take advantage of his wild strike. Devyn Inhaled a deep calming breath, he could not allow the rage that boiled within him to overcome his training. If he were to lose this battle, he would lose it with
honor and not be stricken with the same shortcomings as Asvald, who only battled with rage.

  Another attack was met with nothing more than a smile and a dodge. When Devyn made a high attack, Eldgrim reached up and pushed Devyn away by the elbows. An attack low resulted in the man dancing away like he was at a ball. Devyn realized very quickly that this man was toying with him. Again, he forced himself to not be sucked into the ploy of getting angry. Deep within his mind he remembered another time someone had toyed with him in battle and the lessons it had taught him.

  Alviss squared off against Devyn in the shadow of an ancient forest. The sun still burned brightly high in the sky, the sunlight danced off their blades, which stood edge to edge. Devyn lunged in an attack and Alviss simply stepped away and slapped the flat end of his sword on his opponent’s rump. Devyn scowled and attacked again brutally. Alviss turned his shoulder away from the attack and planted his elbow into the side of Devyn’s bewildered head.

  “And now you’re dead because you let go of control. Anger serves no purpose for my teachings. There are many Thanes in the world who think aggression and anger are the only traits that make a warrior succeed. This is not true, practiced skill and deception are everything. If the opponent tries to make you angry, do not get pulled into his ploys, but use his attempts against him. Watch and learn.”