What Lurks Below

by Michael Soldat

  “Get back in there! I’ll kill you all myself for what you did to Robert! If he dies, I’ll make you all wish you never saw me!” she shouted, pointing her sword at them.

  Lara continued to yell while the gray creatures hissed, but eventually they backed down. Sunlight seemed to have the same effect on them that it did the grog, in that it blinded or hurt them. Once the grays retreated far enough for Lara to no longer see them, she got on her horse.

  “What are you all waiting for, me?! Go! Go! Robert needs help!”

  The soldiers began their ride home.

  3

  During the right back to Thogt, Lara barely looked anywhere straight ahead. Even checking to make sure Robert lay securely on his horse brought up horrible feelings of what could be. Dozens of ways to break the news to Felas ran through her panicked mind. Though it was clear she couldn't have done anything to prevent this, Lara raked over in her mind to find something, anything, that would have kept Robert from getting hurt. Externally, she maintained a thousand yard stare. In her mind, Lara panicked as she imagined the king stripping her new title away no matter how the discussion went. She imagined herself lucky if she wasn't sent straight to a dungeon. What her crime was, she couldn’t tell. But, some irrational part of her brain told Lara that she would be blamed for what happened here.

  “Lara? Lara!” Nami yelled.

  “What? Sorry, I was thinking.”

  “I figured. Beating yourself up about it yet?”

  Lara stared at Nami.

  “Yup, I knew it. Listen, we don’t even know what happened here. There’s no way it was your fault. You did the best you could fighting that thing. We all saw it, and Felas will believe us.”

  “I just should have lunged-”

  “No! Lara, you did the best you could. You always have.”

  “Lara!” Robert howled.

  She and Nami rode so they were on either side of the unit’s commander.

  “What is it? Are you OK?” Lara asked.

  “Tell…” Robert started before wheezing a moment. “Tell Cecile... I love her.”

  “Robert, no! You’re going to be fine. We’re taking you straight to the doctor. Stay with me!”

  As Lara finished her sentence, Robert’s eyes closed again. She urged everyone to push their horses as hard as they could go as the terrain evened out. Above the riders, the sun shone bright on their heads. Lara felt a bit safer knowing that grog avoided the light with a passion. But, she also worried that Robert would dehydrate. All the more reason to get him home.

  After what seemed an eternity, Thogt’s wall came into view. Lara bade everyone else to hold their pace as she raced even quicker towards the city. Getting soldiers to help clear the way to the keep would get Robert to a doctor quicker. The young man attending the gate wasted no time assigning his guards to help. With soldiers keeping people off to the sides of the streets, Lara and the others made good time getting back to the keep. Along the way, a wave of applause came as the townsfolk saw them return. As they passed and saw Robert face down on his horse, the applause turned to silence, broken up only by sobbing. Several merchants yelled questions, but Lara and Nami offered grim faces instead of answers.

  At the castle, stewards immediately grabbed Robert off the horse to deliver him to the doctor's. Lara and the others left their horses outside and slumped down in the entranceway.

  “He’ll be fine. We’ve got the best doctors around,” Lara said between heavy breaths.

  “You don’t believe that, do you?”

  “Nami, I have to. While he’s recovering in bed, I’ve got to take charge and show Felas I can do this job. Every fiber in my body says that this is scary and I should run home, but I can’t. I have to believe he’ll be OK and that I can get us through this.”

  “Lara? Is that you?” a steward asked. “The king would like to see you right now, please!”

  She took another deep breath before getting up. Walking to the king’s chamber now felt far less pleasant than the trip a day prior. At the door, Lara stared ahead, afraid to look at either of the guards as the steward explained himself. Robert had been in this very position many times, surely she would be fine. Once the door opened, the steward stepped aside, and Lara walked in.

  “Lara! You’re back! I’m glad you’re OK,” Felas said, hands in the air.

  “I… uh, thank you, sir, but-”

  “No ‘sir’, there’s no council here, no formality. I heard about Robert. The doctors were told to work their hardest to figure out what happened. He's a tough old coot, and it'll take more than some underground lunatic to put him down, I think. The best scholars we have are working on finding out how this happened. They know the most about the mountain dwellers besides you or Robert.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. He didn’t seem to be bleeding or wounded or anything, so, naturally, we’re all very-”

  “What? He didn’t get cut up or anything?”

  “No, he didn’t. We found the grog queen, and-”

  “You found it!”

  “Sir! Please, let me speak!”

  For a moment, Felas’ eyes went wide. Lara wondered if she would be sent to a dungeon soon.

  “Yes, sorry. I apologize, I’m very worried, as I’m sure you are as well. Danae tells me I interrupt too much, so please, don’t take this the wrong way. Continue.”

  Lara took another deep breath, then told the story as best she could. Felas didn’t take his eyes off her the entire time. His stare lost some of its intensity when she got to the part where the gray creature did something to Robert. What it was, she explained, she did not know, but it harmed him somehow. Lara apologized profusely for a moment until Felas held up his hand.

  "This was not your fault,” Felas said. “But, it does not bode well. If this creature is as you say it is, we have a very large dilemma on our hands. Grog trying to pick merchants off at night is bad enough, but they at least have to get close. The gray creature, you say, was not close to Robert?”

  “Not at all. A bit longer than a good leap, I'd say.”

  Felas sighed.

  “I can’t believe this. Robert has to be fine. He has to be! Some beast in a cave can’t do this to him.”

  “What do you want me to do? If this got loose near the city, it could do much worse than any grog.”

  Felas paused a moment.

  “I don’t know, honestly. If it could hurt someone with a glance, then...”

  “I know, it’s ridiculous. But think, if it did that to Robert-”

  “I have to see him. I have to make sure he knows I’m doing everything I can. Robert has saved this city more grief than I can recount.”

  “Felas! I understand, but think of how Robert would act! This thing is a threat, and it might come back. What should we do about that?” Lara said, holding back a nervous tremble in her hands.

  “Well, he'd say we need to stop it, I imagine. And, he's always right about this sort of thing. What do you propose?”

  “To me, it seems like the only option is to hunt that monster down.”

  “Now? Right now? Listen, I don’t want to send you right back into danger, knowing full well what you came from. I like you Lara. You’ve always been helpful in Robert’s work. I think that is evident from the fact that he’s essentially treated you like the daughter he never had. He cares about you, and he’s told me plenty of stories.

  But, the bottom line here is, Robert is wounded. This thing is a threat to Thogt, especially since you seem to have murdered its pet. Don't think that I disagree at all with that action, though. We must deal with the gray creature somehow, but it is incredibly dangerous. Even though Robert would probably have me send you all back right away, I believe we need to approach this problem a bit more carefully. Our doctors will take care of Robert. At this point, he probably couldn’t care less if he ever saw that thing again as long as he survives.

  But, I need you alive, Lara,” Felas said, finally putting his hand on her shoulder. “Thogt needs you,
like they've needed Robert in the past. If grog can kill an armed and skilled traveler, imagine what that thing could do. With you at the helm, hopefully the army could take it down before it hurts too many people.”

  “We can’t take the risk of letting it run free. You don’t understand, we don't know what else is up there! If I go up there, take a few people, I can make sure it doesn’t come back to hurt us. There were at least three of them howling at us from the cave. I stood between them and the others, so whatever it did to hurt Robert must not have affected me. Let me do this. I’ll need to take some things from the armory, as well as gather soldiers again, but I can finish the job.”

  Felas sighed, then smiled.

  “I see Robert’s drive for the job has rubbed off on you. I cannot persuade you otherwise, I imagine. In that case, I’ll have to trust your instinct as I would Robert’s. I will send word immediately that you have free reign over whatever supplies you need. Within reason, of course. I know the whole army won’t fit in that mountain, and I doubt you could get them all to go. We do need to keep our guard up in Thogt, in case these things decide to leave whatever dank hole they live in.”

  “I won’t need too much, but I will need a few people in particular. Let me get back to the office and start working on a plan. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  “You’re sure about this?”

  Lara nodded.

  “Well, thank you, then, and good luck. Please, show me that Robert has trained you well.”

  Lara managed a half smile, then turned away from the king and walked out the door. If she was going to figure something out, she would need another set of eyes.

  -----

  “Listen up!”

  Every tired soldier sitting in the entrance of the castle looked at Lara. Some of the townsfolk walking the ring road around the keep stopped to listen as well.

  “First off, Robert should be OK. Felas is more worried than we are, and you know that if he gets worried, things happen. That said, we have a problem.”

  Most of the soldiers stared through her, tired. Several merchants appeared as if they'd faint. A crowd formed as word passed on that Lara mentioned Robert. Nami stood up.

  “Yeah? A bigger one than Robert being out cold?” she said.

  “You know it’s worse. You saw the beast.”

  The soldiers began looking around at each other. The crowd beyond them was now focused on Lara.

  “Are you talking about the gray thing?”

  Lara nodded. Gasps erupted.

  “I need you all back by tomorrow, if possible. It is unfortunate that I have to ask you all to go back to the mountains so soon, but we need to find whatever that was. When we do, we need to either contain it or kill it.”

  “You got a plan for this?” Nami asked.

  “No, I do not. That’s why I’m going to barricade myself in the office and figure something out by the time we leave. This is important, but I also want everyone else to get home safe. Hence, I need a plan.”

  “What’s in it for us? Don’t get me wrong, I love my city, but why not let it come find the pointy end of the army’s swords?” a soldier asked.

  “Would you let a criminal escape only to return with the whole gang?”

  The soldier paused, then nodded in understanding.

  “Don’t misunderstand me,” Lara continued. “You will all be paid well. Better than any trip you’ve been on before. And as always, I’ll do my best to get you all home safe. I don’t know why, but the grays backed down from me. Still, I can’t do this alone. Grog don’t flee like the grays do. Please, come back tomorrow. Help me keep Thogt safe.

  But, most importantly, don't let the damned thing that got Robert get away!”

  The soldiers smiled while a few cheers erupted from the crowd. Lara dismissed her raiding party and headed back to the office. She sat and began rifling through the books and papers on his desk, looking for anything that could tell her about the mountain’s layout. Lara knew the tunnels that led them to the queen, for the most part. But, anything Robert had about the inner depths would help a great deal.

  Lara tore through book after book, but it did nothing to bolster what knowledge she had. It seemed that if Robert knew anything about the deeper recesses of the mountain, he didn't see fit to write it down. An hour passed, and she did not look up from her studies until someone knocked at the door.

  “Uh, hello?”

  “Hey, you alright in here?” Nami said, poking her head in.

  “Oh, Nami! As well as I can be, I guess. I’m trying not to think about Robert right now. There’s nothing I can do about it, so what’s the point? The doctors are doing their best for him. Whatever that thing was, though, I have to find it. Not just for Robert, but it’s a start," Lara said, finishing the page she was on before looking up.

  "You’re in tomorrow, right?”

  “Naturally. Why wouldn’t I be?” Nami said, sitting down. “Any ideas, yet?”

  “Nope. Nothing here goes into the darker parts of the mountain. Everything we’ve been to is well documented, but that doesn’t help. We're going to have to wing this.”

  “You want some help? I do love making it up as I go.”

  “Hah,” Lara said, smiling. “I mean, another set of eyes wouldn’t hurt.”

  Together, they poured over the rest of the books on Robert’s desk before checking the papers on two other tables nearby. Robert’s work was extensive, but organized poorly. When night fell, they had several piles each with their own classification. Dust flew everywhere. Robert may have become a great leader in his time, but Lara would make sure to mention when he recovered that he could use some help with cleaning.

  “Well, it looks better than when we started,” Nami said.

  Lara sighed. Nami was right, but they were no closer to any leads on what the deeper interior of the mountain looked like.

  “Alright, I need to present something to the king in the morning, and this isn’t getting us anywhere. Can you do me a favor, please? Make a list of all the things we’d need to stay in the mountain for a night. Assume ten people, though once the others hear about this, it might only be you and me. I’m going to go check on Robert.”

  Nami nodded. Lara walked out the door and down to the infirmary, barely noticing her favorite tapestries on the path past Felas’ council chamber. Without Robert walking next to her, they didn’t seem to matter as much. In the opposite wing of the castle, Lara felt more at home among the same plain stone walls that adorned the doctor's office. She walked up to the wooden infirmary door and knocked.

  “Hello? I’m busy, can it-”

  “It’s me, doc. I’m here to see Robert.”

  “Lara! I am so glad to see you. Cecile is here, and I don’t know what to say to her. Robert is as stable as I can get him. Could you talk to her, please? I need time to look over my notes, because everything I've tried so far has failed.”

  Lara walked by the doctor, a young man in his thirties. He recently joined the castle’s staff after riding up from the south. Already, he proved adept at curing the cuts and scratches Lara and her crew acquired in the line of duty. The infirmary managed thirty beds, most of which were empty at the moment.

  “That’s reassuring.”

  The doctor shrugged after he caught up.

  “Did you think I could fix everything? I’m a good doctor, but I’m not perfect.”

  “You’re right, but this can’t be the one that beats you. It can’t be the one that beats Robert.”

  Lara patted him on the shoulder, then walked towards Robert’s bed. Her mentor lay against the back wall near a window. Sitting at his bedside, Cecile sobbed over her husband’s unconscious body.

  “Hi, Cecile. How’s he doing?”

  “Oh, hello Lara. Robert… he’s breathing. Hasn’t said a word since I sat down, though. I tell him I love him. I know he can hear me.”

  “I’m sorry. We brought him back as fast as we could. The doc will do everything he can.”
>
  “I know, I know. But, I want to know what did this to him. We’ve been talking about his retirement for a few years now. After this, when he makes it…” Cecile said, holding back tears. “We’re going to move south, I think. He wants to start farming and spend more time with me.”

  “It’ll be great, I bet. He said on the way back to tell you he loved you. I bet he’ll be able to say that himself in a few days once the doctor takes care of everything.”

  Cecile managed half a smile.

  “I hope so. What happened, though? Did a bandit get the drop on him? Was it a murderer?”

  “Cecile, I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told you.”

  “Try me. Robert has always been honest with his work. I even wanted to join up, but he had been working in the mountains. He begged me not to join the army, and that’s far safer than anything he’s ever done. That said, he won't get too specific, but I get an idea of what happens. I know you’re not him and you don’t owe me the courtesy. But, I still hope you’ll tell me what hurt my husband.”

  Lara stood frozen for a moment, sighed, and gave Cecile an account of the creature they fought. Cecile’s face burst into surprise, then hardened into a glare.

  “Let me at it.”

  “What?”

  “I'll kill it, Lara. Robert never told me about these. But, he can’t stop me, and I’ve been practicing for years. If that beast thinks it can get away with hurting him like this, I’ll put a blade right through its gray ribs.”

  “Cecile?! I appreciate your enthusiasm, but there are so many reasons why that’s a bad idea. For starters, Robert needs you here. We’ll take care of the creature, tomorrow in fact.”

  “D’you think I can’t handle it? Trust me, Lara. Robert taught me just like he did you. I’m ready, I’m willing, and you won’t have to pay me. That lets one of those other poor soldiers stay out of danger this time.

  Besides, if he doesn't wake up... I-”

  “I have to go, and you need to not think about that. Robert will be fine, but I can’t talk about the rest of this right now. Sorry, Cecile.”