“So do we,” Thad said, “so do we.”
Tostig cleared his throat. “Okay, now we have the formalities out of the way, let’s get moving.”
Tostig led the three men up through the camp, toward the summit of the mountain. Bo stayed close to Kaiden. If the dog picked up any scent he would let Kaiden know.
No one spoke for some time. The deep snow was difficult to navigate and likely buried any trail the vyr had left. The men climbed slowly, creating a strange trail of their own. The trees were sparse here, pushing through the snow in small groups, occasionally in greater number. The jagged rocks were more common, dark and filled with ore. Kaiden thought he could see where Tostig was leading them. It was a large cropping of trees. They climbed the slope using switchbacks, crisscrossing up the icy face. Kaiden’s suspicions were confirmed when they stopped at the large copse of trees. The trees were tall for this elevation, with thick branches. It was a good place to hide, for an animal or a man.
“This is where we found Bryant,” Tostig said, “the first victim. I thought we could start from here. There are caves and rocks and other things nearby we can search for signs of the creature.”
“You have hunted this direction before I take it,” Kaiden observed.
“Yes, but it wouldn’t hurt to try again.”
“It’s as good a place as any to start,” Thad offered.
Kaiden noticed markings high in the trees. The markings resembled those of an icebear, but once again were much too high and too large.
“You found..., Bryant was his name?” Kaiden paused long enough to receive a nod from Tostig. “You found Bryant in the trees?”
“What was left of him, yes,” answered Tostig. “He was hanging near those old claw marks.”
“I’ve seen the same,” Kaiden acknowledged. “I don’t know if it hides the bodies up there to store for food later or as a warning sign.”
“Well whatever the reason I mean to kill it before it does it again,” Coen announced with a growl.
Kaiden was beginning to think Coen was a good man to have around.
Tostig pointed past the trees. “There are some caves up that way. When we were here before there were some old bones in them. We thought maybe it had a lair there or nearby.”
“Let’s go check.” Kaiden agreed it might be a good place to start. “Maybe Bo can pick up a scent there.” It wasn’t likely, but worth a shot. Hunting this thing, whatever it was, was proving difficult. It was an animal possessing the intelligence of man as well as supernatural powers, powers that until recently Kaiden believed existed only in tales.
Tostig led the way up the mountain, Kaiden and the others trailed behind, lumbering through the deep snow. The cave was thirty or forty spans above the trees, hidden well in the rocks.
They reached the mouth of the cave and Tostig stopped hesitant to go any further.
“This place has a bad feel to it,” he said. “The feeling’s worse now than a few weeks ago.”
Maybe there was more to this cleric thing than Kaiden thought. More than just an old religion. More than stories and superstition, but Kaiden wasn’t about to let his fears get the best of him. Adjusting the grip on his spear, Kaiden pushed past the others and into the mouth of the cave.
Kaiden needed to turn sideways to fit through the narrow entrance. If the creature was as big as Kaiden thought, it wasn’t likely to fit through the opening. Still Kaiden went inside, it wouldn’t hurt to at least look.
The cave opened into a large cavity, an oblong room with rough, dark rock walls. The ceiling was over twice as tall as Kaiden, the highest points hidden in shadow. The floor was uneven, littered with the bones and remains of small animals. This cave was likely the den of wolves or a large cat rather than some monstrous beast.
Kaiden’s eyes adjusted and he could see the far end of the cave. The corners remained hidden by shadows, but there wasn’t much else to see. If there was anything here Bo would have let him know, but the dog was calm.
Tostig and the others squeezed through the entrance. They paused to let their eyes adjust.
“Not much to see here,” Kaiden announced. He wondered why Tostig had even brought them to this place. Kaiden was ready to move on.
“Wait,” Tostig said. “Over in that corner.” He pointed to the far left side. “Near the top of the cave.”
Tostig picked up a rock from the rough cave floor, bounced it on his palm a few times then threw it up into the shadows. Kaiden never heard it land.
“What?” Kaiden was puzzled. He walked over to the corner peering up into the darkness. The wall was solid, but up above there was an opening. He could barely reach it with his hand. “How far does this go back?”
“Don’t know,” Tostig said. “There’s a short ledge, then it drops off. How far down it goes,” he shrugged, “your guess is as good as mine.”
“Did anyone go up there?”
“No,” Tostig shook his head in answer. “We did climb up and looked through. Wasn’t much to see. Just a big hole into nothing. We threw a few rocks through. Never heard them hit bottom.”
“Boost me up,” Kaiden requested.
With a little effort Kaiden was soon standing on the ledge. He stretched his arm and touched the ceiling. There wasn’t enough light to see how far the ledge extended.
“Do we have anything to use as a light. Torches maybe?”
“Yeah, just a moment.” Kaiden thought it was Thad’s voice, though he wasn’t sure. Sounds were echoing from deeper inside the cave.
Tostig handed up a torch a few moments later. “Here you go.”
Kaiden bent down, grabbed the light, and brought it forward so he could see. The torch illuminated the cave. Not cave, cavern. This thing went on forever. The ledge extended a few paces, then dropped off. The cavern stretched to the left and right farther than Kaiden could see. He crouched down, looked over the edge. There was no bottom in sight.
The torch flickered. A light breeze rose from the depths of the gaping cavern. He reached out with the torch trying to see a little further. He looked down. Another narrow ledge snaked along the length of the rock wall, following the side of the cavern and leading north. He wondered how far it went or where it led. Maybe to another cave. The ledge was close enough he could drop down to it. But was it solid enough to hold him?
A light from behind him shone over his shoulder and into the cavern. Kaiden turned to see Tostig climbing onto the ledge, a torch in his hand lighting his way.
“Can you see anything?” he asked.
“I think this cave connects to a series of caves that run through the mountain. Supposedly there’s a network of caves that lead all the way to the Rift.” Kaiden paused, wondering if this cavern really did connect to the Rift. It certainly appeared large enough. “This is the first time I’ve seen anything to support that claim.”
Tostig nodded. He looked around the same way Kaiden had, first left then right, eyes squinting to pierce further back into the blackness.
“Do you see that ledge down there?” Kaiden asked.
Tostig nodded again. “Where do you think it leads?”
“I don’t know. Maybe we can find out. There’s a slight breeze coming from that direction.” Kaiden pointed north down the path of the lower ledge. “Do you think you can pull me back up if I drop down?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look too far.”
Kaiden swung his legs over and lowered himself carefully to the ledge. His toes touched and he felt around with his feet, testing the ledge before he let all his weight rest on it. The rock beneath his feet felt pretty solid.
“It should hold me well enough,” he told Tostig and let go of the upper ledge. It wasn’t too far down, his head and shoulders were still well above the upper level. “It should be fairly easy to get back up.”
“Be careful,” Tostig warned.
Kaiden didn’t answer. He made his way slowly along the ledge, initially testing each step for firm footing before committing his whole w
eight to it. His torch lit a few spans ahead. He peered through the gloom, trying to make out what lay at the other end of this ledge. He could see another cave at the far end, or at least an opening of some kind. Who knew how far back it went? Just a little further and he would be able to see into the mouth of it.
“Kaiden, wait.” Tostig called after him. “Bo doesn’t like something.”
“What do you mean?” Kaiden didn’t like the sound of that.
“I don’t know. He has his hackles up. I think you should come back.”
“I’m almost there.”
“At least wait for someone to go with you.”
Kaiden stopped where he was. “Alright.”
He was starting to get a bad feeling. He hoped it was just Tostig rubbing off on him. Waiting gave him more time to look around. This place was enormous. He wondered again if it extended to the Rift.
Kaiden lifted his torch higher, attempting to see across the cavern. Maybe there was something on the other side. He thought he could actually see shapes, objects paler than the black stone. He strained his eyes against the darkness until something white caught his attention. He squinted, trying to focus in the limited light. Was that a skull?
Kaiden pulled the smoked cheese out of his pouch, and removed the waxed linen it was wrapped in. He carefully wrapped the linen around a rock, tying the ends together tightly so it wouldn’t come off.
By the time he finished Tostig was standing at his side.
“What are you doing?”
“Have you got some wine or something?” Kaiden asked.
Tostig looked at him curiously. “Strange time for a snack,” he grinned.
“Do you have any or not?” Kaiden asked.
“How about some apple brandy?”
“That should work. Is it strong?”
“It will burn if that’s what you are wondering.”
Kaiden nodded and Tostig gave him a drinking gourd.
Kaiden poured the beverage over the linen. He grabbed the rock in his right hand, lit the end of the linen with the torch and hurled the rock across the cavern as hard as he could. An arc of fire sailed across the darkness. The rock struck the opposite wall, echoing loudly. Kaiden almost wished he hadn’t thrown it.
“Great banshees,” Tostig whispered.
The rock tumbled down the length of the wall, illuminating portions in the seconds it took to fall. The wall was covered with bones. Icebears, snowleopards, other larger and unrecognizable animals. It was a graveyard. A crypt. There were men’s bones too. Armor and shields. Breastplates and swords. A skull so large it could only belong to something Kaiden had never believed in. A dragon.
There was movement at the edge of the falling light.
“What the devils was that?” The voice was unmistakably Coen’s. He was standing at the opening of the first cave, on the upper ledge, a torch in his outstretched hand. With his other hand he drew his sword. “Did you see that?” he shouted.
“I’m not sure,” Tostig called back. “What did you see?”
“There’s something over there,” Coen called. “The beast. It was watching the two of you.”
Kaiden’s heart stopped. Coen threw his torch across the cavern. The bone wall was illuminated once again. A collection of morbid trophies.
Kaiden’s eyes followed the arc of the torch. It tumbled end over end through the black of the cavern, the light flickering across the bones.
There it was. A demon with glowing eyes.
The torch flew across the creature’s view. A scream pierced the darkness. Fierce as a gutted snowcat, the sound of nightmares come to life. Kaiden thought he saw the thing smile. The torch fell into the abyss, the wall once again covered in darkness.
Kaiden stood frozen in place. Tostig made no move either. The two stood staring into blackness.
What was that thing?
Kaiden knew Tostig was asking himself the same question. The almost human features were covered in thick hair. Its massive manlike hands tipped with talons. It was obviously from the world of beasts, yet stood erect like a man. Kaiden’s momentary glimpse at the creature’s eyes felt like staring into his own grave.
Tostig finally spoke. “Let’s get back.”
“I don’t need any convincing,” Kaiden breathed.
They edged their way back, moving quickly, rushing back to Coen. The two men kept their backs against the wall, eyes vigilant for any movement in the darkness. Guttural, inhuman sounds threatened from the blackness. Tostig moved faster. Kaiden easily kept pace.
Kaiden could see the far end of the cavern was again lit with the glow of fire.
Coen and Thad shot burning arrows in the direction of the beast. The fire light revealed the thing was still there, but now it climbed the wall with animal speed. Again its shriek echoed through the cavern.
The hair on Kaiden’s neck stood straight. Tostig was almost sprinting, desperate to get out of the cave. Kaiden’s heart raced, but he moved slower, under control. He kept the beast in sight, not wanting to lose its position.
More arrows flew through the darkness, aimed higher than the first volley. Coen and Thad were trying to hit the beast. The vyr. That’s what it had to be. What else could it be?
Some of the arrows stuck in the far wall leaving an eery glow. A rush of wind howled up from the bottom of the cavern. The beast leaped through the air. Soren’s words echoed in Kaiden’s head, “It comes with the wind...it flies on the wind.”
Arrows shot through the air, missing their target. The vyr landed on the upper ledge, claws ripping and tearing. Coen screamed in pain. Tostig was there, sword in one hand torch in the other. He danced nimbly on the ledge. Thad shot another arrow. This one hit. The vyr grabbed for Coen, claws digging into rock, it began climbing the wall. It drug Coen with it. Tostig and Thad held onto Coen, pulling at him desperately. The beast lifted all three of them. Kaiden threw his spear. It struck deep into the creature’s thigh. The vyr let out a murderous cry. It dropped Coen and continued to scramble up the wall.
Kaiden watched the three men fall. He was too far away to do anything to help. Thad landed hard onto the upper ledge. Somehow his grip still held Coen. Tostig slammed down, the impact jolting him severely. He continued to fall, sliding fast down the rock wall. His left hand swung wildly catching hold of the lower ledge momentarily stopping his fall. His fingers began to slip.
Kaiden ran to his aid, no longer caring about the possibility of a fall. He reached out for Tostig, caught hold of his arm. There was no leverage, the ledge was too narrow. Tostig was slipping and he was pulling Kaiden over with him.
“Don’t let go,” Kaiden yelled. Kaiden pulled. It was no good. Tostig was losing precious inches. He was going to fall. They both were. Kaiden’s grip was failing.
Thad was there. He stretched down, grabbed desperately for Tostig. Thad held Tostig’s weight long enough for Kaiden to adjust his grip. The two struggled to pull Tostig up. The ledge was too narrow to get any leverage. Tostig’s other hand found the ledge. He struggled up, swung his leg over. With a final heave, they fell back against the wall, breathing heavily.
That was too close, Kaiden thought.
“Where is the beast?” Tostig asked, his head whipping around to search.
“I don’t know,” Thad answered.
Kaiden pointed to the opposite wall. “There!” he shouted.
The fire from the arrows burned in the wall of bones. The vyr stood on the massive skull Kaiden had seen earlier. It held Kaiden’s spear. Hate shone in the thing’s eyes. The beast drew back and hurled the spear. Kaiden leaped for his life. A stab of fire shot through his arm. The spear sliced through his bicep, smashing into the rock behind him. He gripped the spear haft, now embedded into the rock, and pulled, struggling to his feet.
Tostig and Thad scrambled to the upper ledge. Kaiden yanked the spear free and followed. Blood stained his clothing and caused his grip to slip. An immense effort kept him from falling. He fought onto the upper ledge, following o
n the heels of the other men.
The beast shrieked again. The wind echoed its cries. Kaiden swore he now knew what death sounded like.
He couldn’t move fast enough through the narrow passage. He dove forward, falling head first to the other side, jarring his bloodied arm. The others were there waiting for him. To his relief Bo was too.
Thad supported Coen, trying to help him to the cave mouth. Coen looked bad. He would need help, and soon if he was going to survive.
Another cry from the vyr sent them moving. The three men sprinted through the mouth of the cave dragging Coen with them. They hit the snow hard and began to slide. Kaiden tried to stop his skid, but he’d hit the slope too fast. He tumbled and spun. The snow scraped and cut his skin. He tried to slide instead of tumble with little success. His wounded arm burned. He tried to pull it close to his body, attempted to protect it from further injury.
Finally Kaiden’s slide slowed and he came to a stop at the crop of trees. It was a wonder he didn’t break any bones or gut himself on his spear. Where was his spear?
Kaiden stood and surveyed the situation. Tostig, Thad , and Coen came sliding past him. Bo followed close behind. The dog was the only one managing to keep his footing. Kaiden looked up the slope at the trail he and his companions had made in the snow. His spear was twenty paces up the mountain.
The wind howled out of the cave and down the slope, a ghostly sound as it rushing through the trees. “Not natural,” Kaiden muttered.
Kaiden took a few moments to find enough courage to retrieve his spear. He made a mad dash up the snow and back to the trees. He didn’t know why he bothered. The spearhead was probably ruined.
Kaiden ran his thumb across the edge. It was as sharp as ever. Even the tip retained its razor point. How could that be? That beast hurled the spear with such force it shattered rock. The spearhead looked like new. Kaiden shook his head. Von truly was becoming a master.
Haven Keep (Book 1) Page 22