Monster Girl Islands 5

by Logan Jacobs

  It was the first time I’d heard the woman make a noise that sounded happy at all, and I turned to look at her in shock.

  “You are making good on your promise to help us, Ben,” Nadir added. “I appreciate that. We will go now.”

  She didn’t even pause to let the kind moment linger in the air, and just started to march on through the forest.

  “Let the treasure hunt begin,” I muttered to my women before we quickly followed after Nadir.

  Chapter Eight

  Nadir paused after about two steps, though, and turned back toward us.

  “The tunnels here are wide enough for the creature,” she explained as she nodded toward George. “I would prefer to travel below ground, where it is safer.”

  “You count that giant mole thing as being safer?” I asked in disbelief, but Nadir nodded seriously.

  “It is far safer than the other creatures that lurk among the trees,” she murmured. “Do not let the beauty of this place fool you, Ben. The orcs are not the only things to fear here.”

  “Alright,” I muttered. “If George can fit in these tunnels, then let’s use them.”

  I can travel above ground, dear one, George said. I will smell you through the dirt and use that to follow your trail.

  “No way.” I shook my head. “If this place is as dangerous as she says, there’s no way I’m letting you stay up here all by yourself. And Nadir doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman to be afraid for no apparent reasons.”

  She does not strike me as such, either, George replied.

  “Come this way,” Nadir called out impatiently. “I want to get my treasure back soon. I cannot wait to show it to you, Ben. If you believe my little rock was beautiful, this will shock you even more.”

  I hoped I’d be shocked and excited by how useful this treasure was, too, but I didn’t let myself think about that. Even if it was useful, there was no way I’d be able to take it from Nadir and her women. Whatever it was, the treasure was clearly important to them, and I wanted them to have things that made them happy.

  Besides, I was more interested in the potential dragon.

  Nadir led us over to a tree stump that had clearly been there for a very long time. There were about a thousand rings in it, but she didn’t pause to look at the stump before she kicked the bottom of her foot against it.

  Immediately, the stump tipped over, away from her, and revealed an entrance into the tunnels.

  “That’s a clever hiding spot.” I grinned.

  “This was my idea,” the black-haired woman replied as she lifted her chin proudly. “I do not believe the orcs are smart enough to figure this one out.”

  Nadir hopped down into the tunnel, and I stepped aside to let the women follow.

  Then George walked up to the edge and peered down into the blackness, but from what I could see, these tunnels were much better suited to George than the others we’d traveled in.

  “Is it big enough?” I asked him worriedly. The last thing I wanted was for George to get stuck. Or worse, to decide the tunnel was too small and that he wanted to walk through the forest alone.

  Yes, dear one, he replied. I am merely a little wary to be going underground. It will be a strange experience for me.

  “I was in the tunnels last night, and they’re very well built,” I reassured him. “You don’t need to worry about them collapsing in on you.”

  Even though he hadn’t said it, I knew that was the exact worry going through George’s mind. We were bonded, after all, so I knew him better than anyone else.

  George nodded once and gave me one last look for reassurance before he slid down into the tunnels. As soon as his bright blue tail disappeared, I glanced around just in case there was an enemy in the brush somewhere. Satisfied the island was still blissfully orc free, I lowered myself down into the tunnel, and then replaced the tree stump over the top to shield us from view.

  Once again, the tunnel was lit by the vines of the willows with the fireflies on them. There were a few dead bugs on the right side, so some of the lights were out, but other than that, the entire tunnel was lit up.

  “Follow me,” Nadir said, even though there was only one way to go.

  We trailed down the tunnel behind her, and I kept my ears peeled for any sign that one of those moles was about to dig its way into the tunnel and attempt to make a tasty, midday snack out of us. With George there, though, I felt confident any rodent that made a move on us would very quickly become water dragon food.

  Luckily, no moles burst in on us and ruined all of the fun. I did occasionally hear the loud stomp of some animals above us, but I couldn’t quite place them. Sometimes, they sounded like the wildabear we’d encountered on our walk the day before, and at other times, it sounded like a completely different animal altogether.

  One thing was for sure, though, from the sound of all of those footsteps. Nadir had not been kidding when she’d said the forest was filled with terrifying creatures. I was very glad George was down in the tunnels with us, and not out where he could run into those monsters. He was big, sure, but for all we knew, they could be bigger.

  About two hours into our walk, we came to a dead end. The tunnel just completely stopped and didn’t branch out in any other directions. It was like one of those streets with the signs that say “no outlet,” only we were underground.

  “The tunnels end here,” Nadir announced. “My ancestors did not want to build any farther. We must come out earth side and continue the trek that way.”

  “Uh, why did your ancestors not want to continue?” Jemma asked hesitantly.

  Nadir turned around, and though the light from the vines had dimmed considerably, I could still see the nervousness in her eyes.

  “This part of the island is unexplored,” she explained. “I watched the beast cart our treasure off across the ravine, but none of my people have ever been to the other side. When building the tunnels, they did not want to go anywhere we had not been to before.”

  “They didn’t quite get the explorer gene, huh?” I joked.

  Nadir gave me a blank look, but nodded all the same.

  “Sure.” She shrugged. “We must exit the tunnel, cross the ravine, and continue on our journey above the ground.”

  Nadir tilted her head up and pushed against the ceiling of the tunnel right above her, where I assumed there must have been an exit I couldn’t see.

  Sure enough, light spilled down through the tunnel and lit up about five feet of space around her, and she grabbed onto the earth above her and pulled herself out of the tunnel. Jemma, Mira, and Sela followed, and then George hopped up and placed his two front legs outside the tunnel to pull himself up and out. Finally, I stood underneath the opening, bent my legs, and launched myself up and out of the tunnel.

  My eyes were assaulted by the bright light of the sun, and it took a moment for them to adjust. When I’d finally blinked the burned image of the sun away from the back of my eyelids, I saw we’d come out of the tunnels just before the cliff face of the ravine, not too far from where we had explored two days before.

  “Perfect,” Nadir sighed as she looked out across the ravine. “The beast is that way.”

  She pointed across the gap, complete with its nearly hundred-foot drop, as if it was nothing more than a crack in the sidewalk, and her eyes were completely focused on the other side.

  “How do we get across?” Jemma piped up, ever the voice of reason. “I do not suppose your people happened to build a bridge at any point?”

  “No.” Nadir shook her head. “I hoped Ben might know what to do about this. He has known what to do so far.”

  “Give me a second,” I said. “We’ll figure this out.”

  I stared out across the ravine and tried to think of options. The stream was fairly fast moving below us, though it probably wasn’t very deep, but I knew the drop would be a killer for all of us, George included.

  Finally, an idea started to form in my mind.

  I turned and glanced ba
ck at the enormous red barked trees that stood behind us, and they were so high I had to crane my neck all the way back to see their tops. They seemed to blend into the skyline from where I stood, and one of those trees would be long enough to bridge the gap between our side of the ravine and the other.

  “Mira, come help me with this tree,” I told her. “We’re going to cut it at the base, as close to the roots as we can possibly get. And then we’ll lay it across the ravine like a bridge.”

  “Good thinking.” The jade-haired warrior grinned at me.

  “I knew you would have an idea.” Nadir nodded approvingly. “We never would have thought to do such a thing.”

  “Where I come from, we have these things called bridges.” I shrugged. “They help us cross over things, like ravines, or rivers, or even mountains. It’s not completely my original idea.”

  “Still, you thought of this tool first!” Jemma grinned.

  Mira and I used our sea glass swords and chopped the tree right at its base, just above the roots.

  “George, can you help us with this?” I asked. “Maybe use your teeth to cut through it?”

  Let me try, the water dragon replied.

  He used his sharp, foot long fangs to start gnawing at the base of the tree, like a dog with a bone. Mira and I helped with our swords from the other side, and once the trunk was mostly sawed through, George reared up, set his front paws against the bark, and used his weight to shove the tree over.

  It creaked and groaned as it swayed above us, and finally, with a giant crack, the tree fell over across the ravine, and the other end slammed into the ground on the other side of the gap with a clap like thunder.

  “Perfect,” I panted as I wiped the sweat from my brow. “Who’s ready to see what’s on the other side?”

  “I go where you go, my king.” Mira nodded and sheathed her sword.

  “Then follow me.” I grinned before I marked up to the felled tree and began to climb up its bark.

  The tree was strong and sturdy, if a little uneven, but it did its job to get us across to the other side where the land was not much more than fields of brown grass and the occasional bright weed.

  “This is not what I had expected,” Nadir murmured as she knelt down to touch the ground with her fingertips. It was much drier and harder than the ground on the other side, since it lacked all of the plant life to make it moist and soft.

  “Where did you see the dragon go?” I asked her.

  “This way.” Nadir nodded toward the west, in the direction of the low hanging sun. “We watched it send up a stream of fire the night it took our treasure, happily basking in the fact that it was a thief.”

  The woman’s voice turned into a low, mean growl as she, no doubt, imagined what it would be like to murder this thieving monster.

  I, on the other hand, wanted to avoid that if at all possible.

  Nadir started out in the direction she’d indicated, across the rolling plains, where we no longer had the cover of the tunnels or trees to make us feel safer.

  “Well, let’s go,” I murmured as I took the first tentative step forward.

  Just five minutes in, the brown grass grew so tall it rose above our heads, and it felt as if we were walking through a wheat field. The moment the tall growth blocked out the sun, though, Nadir tensed up, and the nervous energy I got from her set my teeth on edge.

  “Is everything alright?” I asked her quietly.

  “I do not like this lack of vision,” she hissed and indicated the tall grass around us. “Any manner of beasts could be hiding in here.”

  “Just be ready for anything.” I nodded.

  Mira, Sela, and I drew our swords and had them ready, while Jemma nocked an arrow into her bow. George was alert and turned his head in every direction nearly constantly, and I knew that even with my dragon hearing, George’s ears would pick things up well before mine did.

  Just as I had this thought, George suddenly froze, and the sudden movement caused the rest of us to freeze, even Nadir.

  I hear something, Draco Rex, George said nervously.

  “Get ready, everyone,” I muttered.

  We circled together, with our backs to each other, and raised our weapons high in anticipation, even though the tall, wavy grass blocked everything from our sight. Then Nadir crouched down, nearly on all fours, with her teeth bared and a guttural growl in her throat.

  I still heard nothing, but George’s tense energy hadn’t lessened even in the slightest bit, which meant I stayed on high alert. The stupid grass made it impossible to see anything, and the scratchy sound of it as the blades wavered against each other grated on my eardrums as I strained to hear something.

  Just when I thought we were about to be attacked by a silent and invisible monster, the thumping of a massive, running creature came through the tall grass.

  I recognized that sound.

  A wildabear.

  Immediately, I pressed my finger to my lips and indicated everyone needed to be quiet, even though there was no worry of anyone making a peep. They’d all heard that thumping sound, too, and we all knew what it meant.

  Today was not the day to be eaten by a massive, blind bear.

  The wildabear pounded toward us, but with the lack of vision and all of the grass, it was nearly impossible to tell where the hell the creature was, and my heart started to thud in my chest as I closed my eyes and strained my ears to listen.

  It sounded like it came from the left one second, and then behind me the next, and then in front of us, so I couldn’t even tell if there was only one beast, or more than one.

  I sure as hell hoped it was only one. The last thing we needed was an assault of massive bears when we just wanted to get to the freaking dragon.

  I strained and struggled to listen and to glean as much information as possible, but it was no use. I was just about to give up when, like the sudden eye of a hurricane, where everything grows silent and still and it seems as if the storm is about to pass, the thunderous footsteps ceased.

  Nobody moved. We didn’t trust that the creature hadn’t paused to try and get us to out ourselves. I didn’t even so much as breathe as we stood there and waited for its footsteps to start up again, or for it to barrel forward and out of the brush with its fangs bared, ready to tear us all to bits.

  The seconds ticked by and still, silence. Nothing moved. Not even a bug danced through the air in front of us, but the lack of sight made me doubt my instincts. I wanted to believe it was gone, that we’d escaped the danger for now, but I didn’t trust that. It was as if the giant grass acted as an illusion, turned everything upside down, and made us doubt ourselves.

  Finally, though, after a long period of time had passed and my breathing and heart rate had returned to normal, I started to believe we’d escaped.

  “Do you think it’s gone?” Jemma murmured quietly. She was the first of us to speak, but her voice was so low it was nothing more than the whisper of the wind. I wasn’t even sure anyone but me could have heard her.

  I glanced around one last time and started to nod.

  But then, like a jump scare in the most terrifying horror movie of all time, the wildabear’s head popped through the grass right in front of my face, and it let out the biggest, most spit filled bellow of all time. Specks of saliva landed on my cheeks and Jemma screamed in terror as all of us fell backward to avoid those massive, terrifying fangs.

  The milky white eyes were focused on shapeless nothings in the distance, and yet the bear still managed to turn its head and appear to look directly at me as it lumbered forward.

  Well. Shit.

  I swung my sword up and made a wild attempt to slice open its face as I crawled backward on the ground. Mira and Sela were the first to get up, since the beast seemed to have decided to avoid them for the moment, and both women came up behind its flanks with their weapons and tried to stab it. In the same moment, Jemma let an arrow fly straight for the wildabear’s side, where the projectile would pierce through its
stomach, or its spleen, or some other equally important organ.

  I took a sharp inhale as I readied myself to roll out of the way of what I expected would be a massive dead body, but then all three weapons clanged off its hairy back like it was wearing the toughest armor in the entire damn world.

  “What in the name of the gods?” Mira hollered out as her sword bounced backwards with so much force it took her down to the ground.

  I didn’t have too much time to concentrate on the fact an armored beast had attacked us and we had no idea how to kill it, because its massive fangs came toward me in a mad grab for my body. The beast’s hearing was clearly extremely good, because the teeth nearly clashed around where my stomach had just been.

  I rolled to the side to avoid it and expected the monster to drive its snout right into the hard ground, but it quickly recalculated my whereabouts and swiveled its head straight toward me.

  I didn’t even have time to try and swipe it with my sword, though I doubted that would be of any use. Instead, I rolled forward and underneath its massive paws, in a move it hadn’t anticipated.

  In the same instance, George charged forward with his own teeth bared and his mouth agape. The water dragon was a match for the beast in size, but his scales weren’t nearly as tough as the monster’s hide. My heart slammed against my ribs as I watched my dear friend pounce onto the bear’s back and attempt to rip out his throat, or at the very least cause some serious damage.

  But the bear didn’t even let him.

  It rose up on its hind legs with a massive roar and shook George off him so hard the water dragon was flung about twenty feet and landed somewhere in the tall grass where I could no longer see him.

  “George!” I cried out in a panic.

  I am alright, dear one, he responded.

  Now that I knew he was fine, I whipped back around to the wildabear, which had come back down to all fours and pawed at the dirt like an angry mountain lion.

  “We need to distract it,” I told the women. “Spread out and make it confused.”

  They didn’t even question me. Even Nadir just nodded, and the five of us spread out into the tall grass. I knocked it down with my sword as I went, until we had managed to clear a rather large circle. Then we stood along the circumference of it, with the heaving beast in the middle.