Imber

by Tyffany Hackett

  Behind Meryn stood a creature, slightly more flesh than the other corpses and much taller. If a corpse could have a single-minded purpose, this one’s was Meryn. I swung hard but missed by inches. The creature tossed its head back, body shaking, and I was embarrassed to realize the corpse was laughing at me. Anger spiked through my veins, and I swung again. The creature swiped at me carelessly and launched me backward.

  Jyn was there then. He slammed his sword through the creature’s ribs. No, heart. This creature had a strange sort of organ system, though apparently not a functional one. I tried to stand, but my body trembled and my head roared in protest. All I could do was try to watch helplessly between the stars. Camion moved to help Jyn. The smaller corpses seemed to have been dispatched. Only the large being remained. That one watched Jyn flit around him as a human would a fly.

  Camion shoved his blade upward into the space between the creature’s jaw and spine. He twisted the blade in an attempt to wrench the skull free. Without Jyn’s speed, the creature caught him easily and flung him to one side. Camion didn’t move where he lay.

  Jyn began to land fresh strikes, content to distract the creature until Meryn could finish her spell. The corpse swiped at him idly, annoyed. A volley of flame shot toward the creature. The flesh that clung to the bones melted instantly. I started to crawl to Camion before the creature fell completely. My rising panic cleared my vision. He had to be alive. He had to be.

  I checked his pulse first. My hand went straight to his throat when I couldn’t find the heartbeat in his wrist, all the while praying to Nahara that there was one to find. I released a whoosh of air when the strong rhythm pulsed under my fingers and tugged up the side of his shirt to check his bandages. The linen seemed secure, but I couldn’t tell if he’d torn himself open.

  Meryn moved closer and I jerked Camion’s shirt back down. He groaned loudly as I did and rolled over onto his back as the torches around the room sprang back to life.

  “No one saw that, right?” he moaned.

  “Yeah, I think we might have.”

  Camion ran his hands over his face. His cheeks flushed slightly. Meryn checked his limbs over, noticeably passing over his torso. She shrugged. “You’ll probably be sore, but nothing seems broken. I assume you checked his side?”

  I nodded.

  “How about you? Anything broken?” Meryn sighed in relief when I shook my head, slumping to the floor. She leaned her back against me before she added, “I’m drained. We were lucky I was able to finish that spell.”

  “And that reanimated corpses are apparently easy to distract,” Jyn added. He sheathed his sword and slid mine to me. The metal scraped over the stone floor. “Princess, I don’t think you should be fighting.”

  “I almost killed one,” I protested.

  He shook his head. “I saw you trying to get up. You could barely stand. I’d wager you’re seeing stars right now.”

  I couldn’t deny him. My head was actively trying to split itself open through the wound at the back, but I shrugged my shoulders. “I can fight.”

  “You can’t. I will physically restrain you if I have to.”

  Camion climbed to his feet. He offered me his hand casually. I accepted, but only after I had plucked my sword from the floor. I smoothly slid the blade into the sheath at my side and turned a defiant stare on Jyn.

  “I’m fine. Really.”

  “No.”

  “At least let me use my bow.”

  Jyn stalked over, a predatory glint in his eyes that I didn’t like the look of. He smirked at me before he reached out to shove me lightly. The floor spun with the sudden shift, and I would have completely lost my balance if Camion hadn’t reached out to steady me.

  “Jyn, that doesn’t seem fair,” Meryn said quietly.

  He simply turned toward the far door, which had swung open when the torches reignited.

  “She’s making her condition worse. A headache and some dizziness will be the least of her concerns if she doesn’t go easy. Let’s move. We need to press on. If someone else has been here, time may be of the essence.”

  I glanced at Camion whose face seemed to be a war of emotions. When he met my eyes, his expression cleared and he mouthed, “He’s only trying to help.”

  I shrugged. Jyn might not be wrong, but I definitely didn’t want to be reminded. But then, I didn’t want to end up worse off for not listening to him either. Meryn reached for my hand when we moved to follow Jyn. She squeezed lightly before releasing to throw fresh orbs of light into the air.

  Then she cast a sidelong glance at Camion. “Wait, you carry blade oil right? With lavender?”

  “Always.”

  She held out a hand while he pried the bottle from his belt. The cork came loose easily, and Meryn paused to sniff at the light colored liquid.

  “This might work.” Meryn looked up at me. “Breathe this in for a few moments. The lavender should relieve a small degree of the head pain. Maybe at least clear your vision.”

  I nodded and did as she said. The scent was pleasant, but when I returned the bottle to Camion I didn’t believe her idea had helped. A few moments later, however, the clamp on my mind seemed to loosen. Only slightly, but I was able to tolerate what was left a bit easier.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Meryn nodded and stepped through the door in front of us. Camion gripped my arm for a moment, his look pointed. He nodded when I finally said, “The pain isn’t too much. I promise.”

  Jyn hadn’t gone far in our brief pause. I started to ask him why but noticed that his hesitation came in the form of an unstable rope bridge that crossed the gap to the next room.

  “My guess is the original crumbled,” Jyn said. He kicked a loose chunk of stone from the pile in front of him. “And someone did this to get across. The ties are precarious and I’d wager the other side isn’t extremely secure. If someone else was able to cross over, I’m willing to run over and make sure the other end is secure.”

  I glanced at the other two anxiously. “You’re right though, this doesn’t really look secure.”

  Jyn shrugged. “I’m light, and faster than the three of you. Plus, I checked this side. The ties should hold my weight. I’ll be fine.”

  He didn’t wait for a reply before he started forward, lithely bolting across the boards that shook precariously under his feet. He fidgeted with the rope on each side for several moments before he yelled, “Alright. You should be safe.”

  Meryn went first. I followed as soon as she reached the other side. My hands trembled on the ropes—the boards beneath my feet were uneven. When I glanced down to check my footing I froze.

  The room fell to black below. I couldn’t even see an outline of where the first bridge had fallen to. My heart leapt into my throat. I knew that I needed to move, but my foot wouldn’t make the motion.

  My body wouldn’t go.

  Chapter 32

  “Princess, come on. Don’t look down, look up at me. Focus on me.” Jyn’s tone was borderline frantic. “Princess, look up.”

  I could hear his voice and I knew there was logic to his words, but in the back of my mind lingered the unreasonable fear that if I looked up even for a second I would fall and that would be the end. The bridge trembled beneath me—or maybe I was the one shaking so violently. I wasn’t sure.

  “Natylia, focus. Come on. Jyn and I are waiting for you.”

  In my peripheral, I could see Meryn reach for me, careful to not step onto the boards. My hands shook harder, and I managed to move—taking a step back.

  Jyn took a step onto the bridge. The boards shook at the new motion. My fists clenched around the ropes. Two steps backward this time and Jyn froze. He lifted his hands and backed up. I took a deep breath. My eyes were still glued to the wood under my feet, but I noticed the small wave Jyn made toward Camion, who stepped onto the bridge behind me.

  “Come on, Tyli,” he murmured softly. “Let’s go.”

  My heart pounded in my ears and my head spun with t
he rush of blood. Camion’s added weight shifted the bridge just before the steady warmth of him pressed into my back. “I’ve got you, come on.”

  He looped an arm around my waist and gently pushed me forward. Even so, my feet wouldn’t go. My legs were stuck. “Camion, I can’t.” I choked on the words, my voice barely more than a whisper. “I can’t look up. I can’t move.”

  “So don’t look up,” he said softly, in my ear. “I’ll guide you. We have to move forward though. I’m really not sure this can hold us both for long.”

  I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat, and forced a step. I barely moved, not even managing a full stride, but Camion whispered, “Good, come on. I won’t let you fall.”

  Meryn and Jyn spoke soft words of encouragement, but my mind was focused on the astronomical effort behind lifting one leg and then the other. The bridge wasn’t even that long, maybe equal to the heights of Jyn and Camion combined. Jyn and Meryn grabbed my hands the second I was within reach and pulled me the last couple of steps.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

  I wasn’t convincing, even to myself. Camion had loosed his hold, but I shot him a look over my shoulder. He smiled.

  Jyn didn’t release his grip on my hand until we closed the door of the next room behind us. This one was completely empty, not a casket or niche in sight. Jyn prowled the outside edge with a motion to wait by the door.

  “I can’t even detect a trap. Why is there an empty room here? Every room has had some kind of purpose or trap this far.”

  Meryn reached into her hip satchel. She blew on the side of her fist and a puff of dust flew free. Bright sparkles shimmered in the air for a moment before settling on the ground.

  “Nothing,” she said, her brow pinched. “There’s not even a whisper of something having been set up in here before. I don’t understand.”

  Camion tugged a button from his pack and tossed the black disc into the center of the room. At first, the button simply sat there, glinting in the torchlight. He took a step forward, but I grabbed his arm. The floor had begun to shimmer and within the blink of an eye the button vanished.

  “Trick floor,” I murmured.

  “Well, I’m glad I didn’t step out onto that.” Jyn licked his lips and swallowed hard. I grabbed his hand and squeezed.

  “One behind the other to the door then,” said Meryn.

  Jyn stepped around her as she reached for my wrist. She tugged me along, and I knew she didn’t have a hold on me for my sake.

  Whatever entity had built this place must have decided to take pity on the people that traveled through—the next room didn’t have any traps, only a staircase that led down to another level. We took the opportunity to rest. Meryn passed me a chunk of a dry brown substance that almost looked like tree bark.

  “Butterbur root. As a warning this is a tad bitter and a bit . . . well, it kind of tastes like bitter dirt,” Meryn said. “But the powder should help with the inflammation from your wound and maybe clear up your vision a bit more.”

  She set to re-bandaging my head. The wound had stopped bleeding and was scabbed over, but she wanted to keep everything secure nonetheless. She applied a new poultice before moving to check over the men. The wave of gratitude that washed over me as she tended them was immense. We wouldn’t have gotten far without Meryn.

  ***

  The room immediately down the stairs was much like the one above—torches around the walls and literally nothing else. No niches, no traps. No trick floor that lay dormant in wait. This room had two exits, and I stepped to the one parallel the stairs, Camion close behind.

  I opened the door to a low hiss. A massive dark shape launched itself at me. Neither of us were fast enough and the creature latched sharp teeth around my arm. I gasped in pain and immediately made to pull my arm back before I realized what a mistake that might be. Camion had his blade free and thrust the end into one of the creature’s globe-like eyes. The move sprayed us both with rancid-smelling white liquid but the teeth released from my arm as the creature began to writhe in pain. Jyn moved me behind him carefully and stabbed until the animal fell still. The pale body was lumpy, a coil of rolls behind a giant, teeth-filled mouth.

  “Cavia,” Meryn said, with a gesture for me to hold out my arm. “Giant, maggot-like creatures. They generally live in colonies, I didn’t expect to see them here since we hadn’t seen any this far. Maybe those other people killed the rest.”

  I sat patiently while she cleaned my arm and ignored the few tears that escaped at the burn when she pressed the poultice on. The Cavia had latched onto my left arm, where the scab from the small cut had finally completely healed. Meryn wrapped the wounds tightly and sighed.

  “I think it only got the first two rows of teeth into you, and not very deeply. Thankfully.”

  Camion’s face was pale. He almost cowered from Jyn, though the Elf didn’t seem interested in blaming Camion. Jyn knelt beside me.

  “There might have been venom on that Cavia’s teeth. If there was, you might lose some sensation in that arm for a while. Let me know immediately if your arm goes numb, okay?” He looked up at Camion. “Good thinking, going for its eye. Definitely the fastest way to get them to release their hold.”

  I dried my face on my sleeve. My lips curved at the bewildered look on Camion’s face when Jyn clapped him on the shoulder. I would still be able to use the arm easily enough. The linen flexed with me and the poultice had significantly dulled the pain. I could still use my bow, at least. Through the door, behind the hulking Cavia body, a pile of rubble blocked us from the room beyond. The stones were littered with body parts, and weapons shimmered from under sprays of dried blood.

  “Well, I think we found some more of the people that disappeared,” Meryn said, nudging one of the swords with her toe.

  “I guess we weren’t going that way anyway,” I added.

  Jyn narrowed his eyes at me. “Let’s go, while you still have all of your limbs.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him, but we got up and followed him to the wooden door on the other side of the room. This one was dilapidated compared to the doors we’d passed thus far. While the door offered no resistance when I tugged on the handle, even Jyn recoiled at the rope bridge that awaited us on the other side.

  “Alright, same thing as before,” he said. He gave Camion a look.

  Camion stepped up beside me as Jyn went across the bridge, followed shortly by Meryn. I glanced up, met his eyes. “I can’t do this again.”

  “You can, and you will. Probably at least two more times before we leave here.” My stomach plummeted. “Come on. I’m not going to let you fall. Have a little faith.”

  I knew he was trying to make light of the situation, but I couldn’t stop the trembles that wracked my body. Still, I clamped my hand around his and stepped out onto the first board. The wood that made this bridge was older and flexed more under each step. My hold tightened on his hand with each tiny wobble and, if I’d have looked, I knew my knuckles were white with the effort.

  I shot a glance at Camion and, as I did, there was an angry snap from the board under my feet. He had an arm around my waist in an instant, pulling me up against him even as I heard the sharp intake of breath at the tug on his side. I threw my arms around his neck.

  “I have you. I have you.”

  But his soft murmurs didn’t comfort my terror, didn’t dull the instant drop I’d felt when the board snapped. My heart pounded against my ribs, my breath caught in my lungs.

  “Breathe Tyli, breathe.”

  Camion whispered soft words into my ear, all the while coaxing me backward. He was especially wary of the hole, and his arm tightened around me even as he leaned to step safely over. The bridge wobbled hard when we stepped off. I tightened my grip on him and buried my face in his chest.

  I couldn’t stop the tears—great, gasping sobs of terror that amplified the painful throb in my head. A heavy lump grew in my throat, daring me to swallow and aching painfully when I did. Footst
eps moved closer and a hand rested on my back—Jyn or Meryn, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t make out which of them muttered the soft words of thanks, but Camion nodded before the light pressure moved away.

  Part of me knew I was safe, that the ground beneath my feet was secure, but I couldn’t shake the drop, the split second where I wasn’t sure Camion had me.

  I had doubted, and he hadn’t failed me.

  But wasn’t that the way of my life. Over and over, I questioned the people around me, so trained to believe that no one could possibly want me—merely what I could give them. These three, though . . . these three had come with me on this fool expedition in these vast underground chambers and they were still here. None of them ever failed me, not once, and they were still fighting. Every time their loyalty or ability was tested, the challenge was met and passed with ease. As I fell apart at the seams over and over, they picked me up, kept us going, kept me on course. Every day, no matter the cost, because I meant so much to them. Deep down, I knew that my title had nothing to do with their loyalty. Any of them could have outright refused me. I’d told Jyn to stay behind. He knew that I would never really terminate his official position, nor Meryn’s, and still they followed. And Camion, he wasn’t even mine. Not technically, not yet.

  Wasn’t even mine.

  I let the words play over in my mind. The duality struck me. Those were confusing thoughts that I didn’t have the capacity for right now. I shoved them aside, like always. The emotions attached were too hard, the implications and possibilities harder. Keeping them at bay, that was easy. That I could do.

  I wiped at my eyes with one hand, my other still draped behind Camion’s neck. He pushed my braid gently over my shoulder. His fingers brushed over one of my hands. For a second, he lingered a tad too close, and I wondered at the emotions that flicked through his eyes. But he quirked a half smile and said, “Are you okay?”