I let her walk in silence for another hour before we came to a deep stream that cut across the path. Here we refilled our water skins, drank until our stomachs were full, and then ate the last of our rations from Relyara. The salted meat and dried fruit had lasted us for many more months than I expected, but we had been lucky with hunting. Perhaps fortune wasn’t entirely to blame. Vaiarathe had become a skilled hunter over the years and the last boar I watched her hunt was killed with a single throw of the spear I lent her. We had feasted that night and done our best to smoke more of the meat for a few days before we continued on our journey.
“May I see the map?” she asked after we finished eating. I was packing up the remainder of my supplies and debating the strategy of following the stream upward to thwart our trackers. I left little evidence of my passing but I knew the O’Baarni were only sending their best trackers after me. They did not seem to have sensitive noses, so I often bought us time by taking rivers, climbing trees, or pushing through storms.
“Here.” I unfolded the thick parchment that Relyara gave us and handed it to Vaiarathe.
“I wonder if this creek leads to the entrance. Look at the lines.” She pointed to the detailed drawing that Relyara’s scouts provided. “If the water continues to cut into the mountain it may be right at the entrance. See how the trail bends around?” I nodded at her observations of the map and studied our surroundings.
“Even if I am wrong, we will probably only be a few hundred feet away. If we stay in the water then we will be harder to track,” she continued and I could tell that she was seeking my approval
“I agree with your assessment. Good job, Daughter.” She tried to hide her smile. “I will let you lead us then. Are you up for the task?”
“Yes, Mother!” She hastily folded up the map and handed it back to me. I put the paper back in its correct place and then finished strapping everything else into the sack.
“Take the spear as a walking stick.” I handed her the weapon and looked for an appropriate length of wood that I could use. After a few feet of wading through the stream behind Vaiarathe I found a thick piece of jungle driftwood.
“Do you think that there are sharks in the water?” she whispered over her shoulder after we hit a deep part of the river that brought the water up to her chest.
“Maybe just small ones. I would be more worried about water vipers.”
“I am not concerned. I just want to see a shark. Siltia and Wenrathe had a drawing in one of their books.” Nyarathe’s children had spent many precious days with Vaiarathe. They had grown close and their friendship, as well as being reunited with my sister again, made our departure difficult.
“Careful of the water ahead. It is moving quicker and appears to be deeper,” I cautioned.
“I am fine, Mother.” She blew a stream of water out of her mouth with a playful smile. The air was hot and humid but the chill water was melted snow from the top of the mountain range. We tried to keep as dry as possible when we traveled to preserve our clothes, but the refreshing dip felt wonderful.
Vaiarathe was swimming now but the water only came up to my neck. A waterfall cascaded into the river ahead and before I could advise my daughter on the correct method of climbing the boulders that made up the waterfall she sprung from the current, landing lightly on the top of the falls. The leap was over thirty feet and I closed my open mouth before she could turn back and smile at me in triumph. I may have been able to make that kind of a leap if I had started on solid ground, but she had been floating moments before attempting the jump. It was as if the water itself flung her gently from its embrace.
She sat down on the edge of the falls and waited for me to climb the face. The sides of the creek were cut like a gorge now and though the sky above us was open, I didn’t believe there would be much of a risk of the dragon finding us unless she swooped directly overhead. That only left me the O’Baarni to worry about until we reached the Radicle.
“Do you hear anything?” I asked her when I reached the top of the falls.
“Just the creatures of the jungle.” She shrugged her shoulders and I adjusted the lay of her hood on her auburn hair. Her movement reminded me of Kaiyer and for a few brief seconds I allowed myself to hope that the girl was right in her predictions that her father was still alive.
“Would you call this a pool, a pond, or a lake?” She gestured behind her to the standing body of water that dammed up before the falls.
“A big pool or a small pond. Lakes are much larger,” I confirmed.
“We should walk around it.”
“We’ll have to swim. There are no trails to the sides.” The pool was cut like a deep bowl into the stone basin of the jungle floor.
“I will go first.” Vaiarathe jumped into the water with the spear in her hand. I followed after her and focused on the mouth of the small river that fed the pool about two hundred yards in the distance.
The pond was surprisingly deep, but the water was clear and I could see ten feet through the blue depths. This place was peaceful and if our situation were different I would have enjoyed camping here for a few weeks. With a supply of fresh water, the jungle fruits, and the plentiful amount of small game here we could have lived quite happily. I had considered someplace cooler for our new homestead on whatever world we would inhabit, but perhaps a tropical setting such as this jungle would be more fun.
Something moved under the current of the pool beneath Vaiarathe. It was large, long and swam in a sideways motion like a snake. My daughter was focused on the end of the pool and while she swam with long, powerful strokes that quickly carried her skipping across the surface of the water, the large creature under her was faster and I could see it twist toward her.
“Beneath you!” I screamed out a warning, but the girl choked and then disappeared under the water before she heard me.
I called her name and then dove under the water with a curse. I didn’t know what the creature was, but I guessed it was much too large for my daughter to wrestle with while underwater. If the thing had teeth, it was possible that it bit her and was dragging her deep into the depths of the pool.
I could see nothing through the blood. I kicked hard and swam to her. My mind spun with terror. She was dead, or soon would be. There was too much blood.
The creature struggled beneath me. It was a water viper, they normally grew to four feet in length, but this one was easily twenty and the reptile’s body was as thick as my own chest. The bottom half of its tail coiled around my daughter’s small torso and its maw was positioned only a few feet over the top of her head. My spear was trapped between her hip and the monster, so Vaiarathe could not bring the weapon into play. The only thing preventing the creature from ripping her beautiful head from her shoulders was her one tiny arm pushing its nose away.
I had a short bow latched to my pack, but it would be useless under the water. I did have a long dagger at my hip, so I pulled it free and drove it into the scales where it wrapped around the girl. The blade punched deep and I was able to yank it vertically to ensure the deepest of cuts. Most animals gave up as soon as they encountered any sort of resistance from their prey, but this monster only seemed to tighten its constriction around Vaiarathe in response to my attack.
I cut again and again with the blade but the fucking beast wouldn’t let go of her. It spun in the water and I lost my hold on the dagger buried in its flesh. The water was so thick and red now that I couldn’t see anything in front of me and my panicked attempts to keep up with the twisting pair grew even more frantic. I was lost and floating down in an endless sea of crimson. The twists and thrashing of the water stopped suddenly and I couldn’t figure out where they were in the opaque depths. I was running out of air. Vaiarathe had smaller lungs and had likely taken a shallower breath. If she was not bleeding out she was drowning.
I almost screamed into the water. The Dead Gods were cruel to take her from me when we were so close to our freedom. I had protected her from O’Baarni killers, the unyielding hate of the
environment, and the most diabolical creature in all of creation. Yet this was how she would pass from this world. I should have taken the lead. It should have been me locked in the deathly coil of the monster while she swam to freedom.
A hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me. I saw my daughter’s smiling face underwater. I almost gasped with relief. We surfaced from the bloody pool with a symphonic pair of relieved sighs.
“Are you okay?” The water was a muddy red and I could not see any part of her body that was submerged.
“I tried to tell him that we weren’t food, but he didn’t listen!” She was gasping for breath and I wrapped my arms around her while we treaded water.
“Are you injured?” I realized my voice was halfway between a panicked scream and an insane screech so I forced myself to relax. If the girl was talking and treading water she was probably going to be fine.
Unless the viper got its poison into her.
“He bit me to pull me down, but I’m okay now.” She pushed away from me and kicked toward our previous destination. I noticed she held something long and ivory in her left hand, but I couldn’t clearly see what it was until we escaped the dizzying scent of the coppery blood.
“Is that the monster’s fang?” It was curved and more than three feet in length.
“He wouldn’t let go, Mother.” She sighed and wiped some bloody snot from her nose. I couldn’t tell visually if the blood came from her or was just left over from the serpent, but a quick flick of my tongue confirmed it was the creature’s.
“You ripped its fang out?” She sat on the smooth rocky shore of the stream and I moved my hands over her legs. I found the place where the monster bit her, but the ripped deerskin pants were the only proof of the assault. Her white skin underneath was perfectly healed. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly for a few seconds. She pushed away, irritated and too excited to stay still in my arms.
“Yes but he still wouldn’t let go so I had to stab him in the eye.” She held it up in her small hand to show me the fang and I realized that a part of it was broken off at the tip. “The poor thing is dead now. We should have climbed the side walls of the pool.”
“I am just relieved you are okay. Did you feel poisoned?” Viper venom from a normal sized snake would be enough to render one of my kind unconscious for a day, but it would not have the same potency in my own body. However, I understood very little of Vaiarathe’s powers and the giant monster might have delivered its toxin in a dose too large for her small body to handle.
“I need to drink a few skins of water, but other than that I feel fine. Just thirsty.” The disappointment on her face from the death of the monster was replaced by a smile when I voiced my concern. I passed her my water skin and she drank it all before we filled it up again.
“I lost the spear in the water.” She frowned after she returned the skin.
“No matter. We’ll craft a new one once we reach our destination. There is a branch behind you that looks to be the correct size.”
“We are almost there, Mother. I can feel the presence of the Radicle.” She pointed up ahead and sprang to her feet like a playful kitten. Then she grabbed the new walking stick and waded into the moving water.
“I will lead for now.” I took the point position and guided us through the currents and cuts of the deep stream for another two hours.
“Mother, look,” Vaiarathe said from behind me and I glanced back at her and then followed her finger to a cave in the side of the canyon. The cave reminded me of the one I had entered thirteen years ago to make the deal with Recatolusti’catri and her diabolical brood. It was carved like the jaw of some beast that lay in wait to devour any foolish enough to pass.
“There is the trail.” I saw the narrow path that descended the steep canyon face above the stream. The cave was forty feet above us but still ten feet below the trail. If a traveler did not know the opening was there, it would have been easy to miss.
“Let’s climb.” I checked the straps on my pack and then did the same for Vaiarathe. I let the girl ascend first in case her wet hands slipped on the rocks. I was used to worrying about her, but a few seconds of watching her climb made me feel foolish. She ascended like a squirrel up an oak tree and reached the mouth of the cave before I even got my boots out of the cool water.
“I feel good about this one. It is different.” She offered me her hand when I reached the top and I grasped it even though I did not need her assistance. It made her happy when she believed she helped me.
“What is different?”
“It tastes strong.” She licked her lips and I repeated her movement with my own tongue. I tasted the water, damp jungle air, dust from the cave, and the clay mixed with granite.
“I’ll choose to believe you.” I forced a smile to my lips. This was the last Radicle on the map Relyara and Nyarathe put together for me. I needed one of the small orbs that powered the temple but I had been unable to find one yet. I knew that the O'Baarni had captured a few in their looting of my race’s tribal lands, but I did not want to risk stealing one until I had exhausted all our other options.
This was our last hope and I prayed that my daughter was correct.
“I’ll make the light!” she whispered but could not hide the excitement in her voice. The flame appeared in her hand: a faint shade of white mixed with violet. We were still at the mouth of the cave, but the extra illumination allowed me to see that the path into the cave bent down at an angle that reminded me more of the dragon’s lair.
“How far do you feel it is?” I tried not to rely too much on the girl’s odd predictions since she could not explain to me how she made them. Yet she was often correct.
“It is far. Deep down in the heart. That is why there is still an Ovule.” I nodded and tried not to share her excitement. I could not stand being disappointed again.
“We ate the last of our rations.” I gritted my teeth and wondered how far of a descent this would be. I didn’t want to waste time gathering food or hunting when our goal was so close. Especially after she had pulled down my hood and alerted every nearby enemy of our presence. We had little time to spare.
“We should hunt and spend a night smoking what we catch. When we go through the Radicle to our new home we might need extra provisions.” She nodded her head and took steps back to the edge of the cave mouth.
“No, Vaiarathe. We don’t have time. Our water should last us a few days if we conserve it. We will fast until we reach the Radicle and then settle with what we can eat in the new world.”
“Ugh.” She sighed. “I was afraid you would say that.” She wiggled her lips and then spoke again. “You wouldn’t believe me if I said that we have enough time?”
“No.” I forced a smile to my mouth, but the word was firm enough to let her know that I wouldn’t tolerate any of the girl’s arguments.
She turned away from the ledge and walked deeper into the cave. Her boot steps were squishy from our swim and I almost changed my mind about my daughter’s recommendation. Dry clothes and a satchel full of smoked fish or monkey would make the last part of our long journey more enjoyable.
Vaiarathe led me down the deep cave for a few hundred yards before pulling the hood down from her head and shaking her wet hair loose. I followed her example and we both used magic to conjure small flames to our hands. Mine glowed a faint orange but Vaiarathe’s was white with a pulsing purple current at its base.
“The ground is smoother here. I’m going to take my clothes off so that they will dry.” She called over her shoulder while she tugged her pack straps loose.
“We are still close to the entrance. I’d prefer we keep them on in case they track us here.”
“They won’t, but even if they do we will hear them coming from far away. This place echoes.” She smiled at me while she pulled her clothes off and then draped them over her pack. Once she was naked she tied her boots to the latches of the leather kit and slung it back over her shoulders.
Then we co
ntinued onward.
After another hour I asked the girl to stop so that I could do the same with my clothes. What I wanted almost as much as an escape through the Radicle was a place to wash our garments with soap. Thoughts of laundry made my imagination wander to the idea of a bath and my mind floated away thinking about such a luxury. I had always wanted to take a bath with Kaiyer, but it would have been too dangerous to sneak him into my bedchambers. Now that the man was dead I would never have the chance, but even a bath alone with a tub full of soapy water seemed more than a divine experience.
Even if we did escape through this Radicle, there was no way to know what the next world would be like. I hoped we could find a relatively uninhabited planet, which would keep us safer, but also mean that it would take years to establish a home where I could enjoy any of the luxuries I had grown up with. I wondered if Vaiarathe was lucky in that she had never grown accustomed to comfort. She only knew this life and seemed content enough, though she enjoyed fantasizing about our new home as much as I did.
“Do you think this Radicle was built in the depths of this cave? Or did the earth just swallow it up one day?” Vaiarathe asked.
“I don’t know, Daughter. Does it even matter?” When she had first started talking a few months after she was born, the babe had bothered me with all sorts of useless questions, but as the years passed I learned to appreciate her ability to distract me from the drudgery of travel.
“Sure it does! I wonder who built these places and who used them. If what Nyarathe believes is correct, then the Dead Gods crafted them for the ancient humans, but why would this one be so far removed from the sunlight?”
“Maybe it was a strategic decision to make the place harder to find.”
“But Relyara said the Gods made these places well before the humans decided to attack. They wanted the humans to use them.”
“Perhaps during the war the earth was moved and swallowed up this place.” We both slid down a steep section of rock on our bare feet but easily regained our balance when it flattened out. I tasted the distant scent of water and felt some of my concerns relax. If there was a creek or river down here, we would not have to worry about drinking and there might be fish or crayfish to catch.
The Destroyer Book 4 Page 49