by BJ Hanlon
The door slammed followed by a chattering cry of surprise followed by a crunch.
Edin pulled his father’s sword and was about to drop to serpent stance when he spotted one of their polearms. The blade at the end was as dark as eluvrian steel… though it had more of a sinister feeling. He spun the weapon in his hands. It was well balanced he thought. Maybe there was a counterweight in the shaft.
The door rattled as something slammed into it. Then again. Dust fell from the ceiling. The wood cracked.
Then it stopped. A moment later, large booms began to rise from beyond the door. The booms were perfectly spaced, footsteps, large ones, and he felt a hint of fear rising.
Edin pushed it down, swallowed and adjusted his sweaty grip on the weapons.
The steps stopped and a moment later the door cracked with a thunderous fist. It sheered in half with one end lodging into a dead dematian’s chest and another disappearing in one of the side chambers.
A fist pulled back; it was bigger than Edin’s head.
Then, they came in. One, or two at a time, they didn’t watch their feet as they flowed in. Then they began slipping on their dead comrades.
The world began to slow and his brain stopped working. His instincts took over and summoned the last of his strength. He felt the terrin speed rising through him.
Edin leapt forward to meet them. He slashed and cut with both weapons, he parried and dodged and reposted attacks. A few wore armor, most wore only the cloth over their groins but the eluvrian steel cut through it all very easily.
Edin ducked a projectile and brought the polearm down on one’s shoulder.
The blade sank to mid-chest. Edin had to kick the beast in the stomach to free his weapon then he took off hands, arms, legs and heads. Blood and body parts fluttered up through the air like feathers during a plucking.
The demons kept flooding in, past a pair of hairy legs.
Edin fought on, he was faster than them he felt the strength flowing through him as he cut and chopped. Fewer began to trickle in as the bodies piled up at the doorway.
Suddenly, the large fist was thrust through the door and nearly snatched Edin’s head. If it had, Edin was sure his brain would pop out like a slug being squeezed. Edin stabbed his sword up and into the forearm. It went all the way to the hilt and there was a pained roar. The arm was yanked backward as legs began stumbling.
He lost hold of his sword as the beast retreated.
The creature lost balance and for the briefest of moments he saw it. A giant humanoid creature flopped back and tumbled down the stairs with huge, crunching sounds.
Edin held the polearm and stepped forward, as the world began to return to normal. A moment later came a thunderous boom and it felt like the whole city would fall.
Then, there were no more sounds coming from below. At least fifty bodies were in this hallway. Edin moved forward slowly, he could barely get through the corpses without stumbling. He was tired and needed sleep but they were vulnerable. They needed something more secure.
He retrieved his father’s unconscious body and began through the sea of remains.
Edin stumbled sideways and dropped into his father’s room. He closed the door and shoved a chair under the handle. He grabbed dematian blades, six of them and stacked weapons on the chair precariously. If something tried to shake the door they’d fall.
Edin stumbled toward the wash basin and grabbed a rag. He quickly cleaned up the wounds on his father’s head and side. They weren’t deep, but they were long. A slash across his cheek had bled a lot and one seemed to have snapped his collar bone.
He poured water down the man’s throat before trying to prepare himself.
For however long he could, he used the healing spell. His hands grew warm as the rest of his body became cold. He was weak and felt dried up like a piece of jerky.
Sometime later, he collapsed on the hard ground next to the bed.
14
The old Highway
Edin slept long and deep. His mind didn’t work, his body didn’t work and he felt as if he were floating in some viscous liquid that kept his nose and mouth above the surface.
The was room was glowing with a slightly dimmer lava line. He was weak and still tired. The sleep, however long it had been, did little. He was starved and his mouth was parched.
Soft exhalation of breath came from above his head.
Edin scrambled to his knees and looked over Rihkar; he still was unconscious and he was pale. He took a bit of water from the wash basin and poured it on Rihkar’s lips. As he moved, he got the smell of the putrid odor coming from beyond the door. The odor of death.
Edin exited to the scene of slaughter. There were so many bodies and parts he couldn’t count. Blood pooled and congealed on the stone floor like miniature lakes.
Edin moved through slowly, he picked his way around the corpses and shoved others. As he stepped on one, it moved and Edin’s heart went into his throat.
There was a grunt of some sort and Edin screamed. He plunged the polearm blade into a corpse or two… maybe three, many times.
After a few moments, he stopped. He was winded and tired.
He spent a little time pushing the pile off to the side of the corridor so he could move. They’d rot soon and smell even worse. He had to get out of here before then.
Edin exited onto the stairs above the city. The old priest’s perch if Rihkar’s theory was correct.
It was quiet except for the crashing two opposing falls. The water to his left. On the other side, stood a wall of molten lava and fire. Lava lines flowed through the ceiling and around tall buildings.
There was no movement, nothing that would suggest that the dematians were around still.
Edin descended toward the pale, lanky body. It was humanoid but very un-dematian like. Rihkar’s sword was stuck in its forearm and it was crumbled on the ground. Edin guessed it was four yards tall, maybe more, but it was clearly dead.
Edin pulled the blade. It was nice, but a little long for him. Edin tilted his head looking at the monster. The face was bloody but it had a wide nose and tall forehead. It reminded Edin of a skinned rat. On its right hand, Edin saw only four fingers and no thumb.
He drove the sword back into the thing’s chest, wiped it off on its brown, animal hide jerkin and sheathed it.
Edin looked around for anything else. He needed to get out of here and find Arianne… but he couldn’t abandon Rihkar, even if his father had done that to him and his mother.
Edin knew of only one way the dematians could have got through.
The tunnel is clear.
He glanced back at the big thing. It was clear enough for that huge monstrosity to get in. Edin took a step and nearly fell down the stairs. He needed water. His body was breaking down and so was his mind.
Edin’s stomach growled as he caught sight of the monstrosity again. It reminded him of the rat and how it looked… how it tasted.
Edin realized he was wondering how that humanoid thing tasted and suddenly lost his appetite. He felt sick again but had nothing to get rid of. He somehow made it down to the streets and stumbled his way toward the water fountain.
Walking past the large cart, Edin ran a few fingers over it. He was thirsty and tired and wanted to sleep.
Edin pulled himself away from it and continued toward the water. He reached the fountain and tripped on his own feet. Edin tumbled over the small retaining wall and into freezing water. Edin’s eyes shot open and he had a clear view of the bottom and saw small lines swirling and darting through the rocky bottom of the fountain. Edin sucked in water, coughed and felt quite awake now.
That was a plus and Edin’s mind decided at that point to become aware of his surroundings. He squinted at what he saw. Those lines on the bottom weren’t lines. They were squirming and slithering snake-like creatures… and they were slowly turning toward him. A high-pitched cry rippled from their open mouths like rocks grinding together.
Then they shot forward wi
th speed, wriggling and writhing. Too many too count. Edin caught black eyes and long white teeth. They were predators and they were going to eat him.
It shocked him out of his own head. Edin scrambled up and pushed his head above water and turned back toward the retaining wall.
With arms flailing and legs kicking he swam the few feet he’d drifted and reached the lip. Edin began pulling himself up. His shoulders, his chest then… his stomach was on the wall when something strong snagged his pants. He felt a tug. Then another.
A pain bit into his foot and Edin screamed as more things tried pulling him back, and into the fountain. Why would the dwarves keep sea snakes in their fountains? Edin wondered.
Another powerful tug yanked him back in. But his hands held firm on the lip of the wall and Edin kicked and pulled. The pain grew in his foot and moved to his ankle.
He wouldn’t go under. Edin kicked again and his pants ripped. The release gave him just the opening he needed.
Edin was out and tumbled forward going head over heels. He landed hard on his back and felt a quick exhalation of air.
The snake released and he heard its body slap like a wet hand as it hit the floor. Edin scrambled up, putting his back against the wall and watched as the thing flopped around like a fish. A small puddle of blood was beginning to pour from wounds on his foot.
The snake was long and thin, with a yellow, bladelike spine at the top. Its eyes were black and it had large snapping fangs that looked sharp. Heck they felt sharp.
Edin noticed a huge chunk of his trousers was torn from the cuff. Edin pulled Rihkar’s blade and slashed the thing’s head off.
It wasn’t humanoid nor vermin. Though he hated snakes he’d heard of people eating them. After bandaging his foot and shoving it back into the boot, Edin cooked it and ate, ripping the meat off with his teeth like an animal… a beast. After he was full, the first time in weeks, Edin stumbled to the tunnel. It was lit now and there was a single lava line providing illumination. Near the left wall, the debris was gone. There was about three feet of room to get through. It’d be easy on his feet… if either could walk.
Back in Rihkar’s room, the man was still asleep and very pale. His breathing was soft and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead. They had to leave but he wasn’t going to be moving on his own. Pain swam in Edin’s foot but it was muted by the wrap. That would make walking difficult as well.
Edin bent down and shook his father’s left arm, his right was gone. No response. “Father… I have food.”
Again nothing. Edin poured water down his throat and sat down on the end of the bed. He dropped his head to his hands and tried to think of a way to carry Rihkar out of here. He remembered the wood stretcher Henny carried him with. It worked on the ice and grass. What about flat stone?
All he knew was he had to get out of here. And the only way was that tunnel. Edin lifted him again. His father was malnourished and was missing an arm so he didn’t weigh much.
What had the man been like when he was in good health? It took a long time, but eventually, he was able to get Rihkar down to the city streets and to a room near their little diner.
He grabbed the rest of their supplies, what little they had and brought those down too. Hopefully, he’d never have to go up there again.
Edin sat at the table ate a little more and looked out the open stone window in the direction of the tunnel. It was hidden behind a shorter building next to the cart.
Edin stared at it, his fingers began tapping the top of the table as he watched. It was four wheeled and looked heavy. Too heavy for him to pull and possibly too wide to get through the breach.
He needed to move Rihkar and move fast if he was going to save Arianne.
Edin went toward the tunnel and shuffled over stones to get through. The lava line at the top of the tunnel continued straight until it disappeared at a point in the distance. It was perfectly straight. And with the precision of the dwarves, Edin was certain it was level.
Edin kicked a small rock. It tapped its way into the tunnel, the sound echoing for a long time before finally fading.
It reminded him of a calm lake, a place where you could row from one end to the other with only your wake as any sign of life. But if it had wind there’d be ripples and a person could sail…
A memory tickled his mind… no two. The boats and the cart. He was nearly dead in Alestow when Arianne put him on that cart and they rode downhill toward the dock.
He had to move fast. He hadn’t dreamed of her in a day… was she dead? Edin swallowed. “No, she isn’t,” he whispered.
The flat and straight tunnel could prove very fast if he had a sail.
An idea came to him. He looked at the stones still blocking most of the path. The width would need to be another foot or two. Edin stared at some precariously wedged stones.
After taking out the chocks on the cart, he turned the cart around with the yoke and brought it in front of the arch. It was heavy but after a few quick tugs it began rolling.
Edin spent a long time pulling and pushing stones. He used the wind to blow holes in small areas and caused rockslides.
Hours later, with hands and arms covered in scratches, he was able to pull it through. He worked deep into the day… or maybe it was night. Edin lashed the bar that would’ve connected the front to the beasts of burden straight up with a lot of rope.
Edin searched the city, finding logs and a large embroidered sheet. On it was a golden axe surrounded by four different colored animals. A horse that was bright orange, a blue snake, a green rodent, and a red dragon. Maybe a wyrm.
He used the many tools he’d found, hammers and nails to build the frame for the mast. Edin attached the sheet to the top of the bar and tied rope through the bottom.
Spider could do better, he was certain, but it looked like it could hold. Possibly.
“I hope you work…” Edin whispered. He ate more of the now cold sea snake, filled Rihkar’s waterskins and drank as much as he could. There was little else he needed. He secured Rihkar beneath Edin’s mountain spirit cloak, his gear, what little there was, the two dematian weapons, and the rest of the meat. He thought about trying to get another of those snakes but decided against it. His foot still hurt from the bite.
Then as he looked down the tunnel, he felt a sense of fear, claustrophobia. He felt the need… an urge to get outside, to see the sky for possibly the last time.
Despite his better judgment, he went. The stairs were exhausting and he stopped at the lowest level and exited on the lower rampart.
It was cool outside and the moon was out. There was the feeling of snow in the air and the smell of salt. A calming feeling seemed to emanate from the ocean beyond the still smoldering tower.
Then something before it caught his eye. Something shining and as if it had been placed there by unknown hands. Squinting, he saw his sword. Edin had to blink to make sure it was real. Was it real? Edin barely noticed he was already running to it, the pain in his foot gone. After traversing the bridge and coming up the few steps he stood above it.
None of it was damaged from the lava…
He reached down to touch it and felt the cold steel of the weapon. Edin picked up the weapon and felt a warmth flowing through his body. It was as if a lava line had been lit in his veins.
What was happening?
Then a blackness fell over him. He heard and felt the stars in the sky, they made buzzing noises and burned with intensity.
A low murmur began tickling through his head.
The west rises in darkness
The land will cover of shade
They swarm like locusts of Alhar
And all will be unmade
The forests of Old
Will spread like weeds
Out come the fair
Like Water from Reeds
With rebirth comes destruction
The power of a rising tide
Those who have once before
Must again be allied
The Wind and Flame
Earth, Bolt, and Water
Ecta Mastrino must tame
From sand to sea
The fury and flight
The King will Rise
Burn Vestor's last might
Edin woke to a loud cawing of some birds. He opened his eyes and saw a pale blue morning sky. Squawks of seagulls, melded with waves crashing into the rocks.
Despite the cold wind tickling his body, Edin felt warm. He pulled himself up from the frosty stone and looked around. The flaming tower, the lava sprout had seemed to simply melt away… The world around was at peace.
Then Edin remembered Rihkar strapped to the cart down below. Had he woken yet? Would he be wondering where Edin was?
After a few moments of quiet, he trekked back inside. Rihkar was still on the cart, nothing changed.
Edin took a seat next to the mast. Ahead of him, the air felt stagnant and tasted stale. Edin put his hand on the mast, the tongue like yoke and let the wind rise up.
A creaking sound came from above and Edin glanced up. The sheet had billowed nearly full. The cart inched forward. One inch, then two… then a foot. The wood strained as the sail began to pull the cart.
Soon he moved ten yards, then twenty. It began picking up speed, rumbling and moving faster and faster. Edin kept the wind billowing the sail as he stared at the lava line still melding into the distance. It seemed to go on forever. Hopefully a hundred leagues at least…
Glancing back, he saw the light from the city disappearing and then wink out as if a candle had been doused with water. Up ahead, some lava lines disappeared into unknown offshoots of the tunnel. Edin glimpsed dwarven writing above the arches but kept going straight.
They were moving fast. Air breezed past his face and caused his eyes to water. There were symbols spaced on the walls about every three minutes. He began counting. For some reason, he guessed it to be some sort of marker. Of what he didn’t know.
He felt good though, they were flying through the cave with a guiding light. He almost laughed as he held onto the wood mast.