The Sea Below

by William Meikle

  Young Ed seemed to be more interested in the walls than the bones.

  "There are no carvings here," he said, appearing to be disappointed.

  "Aye, and no food either," Danny replied. "But a settlement like this must have got water from somewhere. I suggest we find it. Then I'd like to start back; we've come far enough for a first day's exploration."

  Elsa proved her worth once again by being the member of the small expedition most capable of sniffing out water. On Stefan's urging she led them to the edge of the settlement farthest from the forested area and started pawing at the ground. Ten seconds of moving away tumbled pebbles uncovered an ancient well dug deep into the ground, the walls formed with the same stone as the brochs, fortified by what looked to be a rough muddy clay. Danny dropped a pebble down the hole. The splash came back almost immediately; there was water no more than six feet below them. With Stefan holding his legs, Danny went over the edge and down carrying an empty canteen. He was easily able to reach downward and fill the container before allowing himself to be dragged ungainly back up to the others.

  He sniffed at the water first, then let Elsa do the same to some of it in the palm of his hand. She sniffed twice, then lapped it up with her tongue, her tail wagging at the same time.

  "I'll take that as a yes then," Danny said.

  He looked down at the well.

  "Mark the spot," he said. "We'll come back and rig up a winch and pulley system; I've got rope in my pack back at the shore that'll do just fine. One of our pans can be a makeshift bucket, and if we can find any of yon deer, Stefan's needlework can knock us up some skin canteens."

  Finding the water had lifted Danny's spirits considerably. It felt like a victory over adversity, and one of those, however small, was always welcome. He expected Ed to want to stay in this area and was waiting for a request to make this their new base of operations, so was surprised when Ed agreed immediately on heading back to the broch on the shore. Something about the wall carvings there had the lad intrigued, that's for sure, but Danny's attention was more focused on fresh meat for their supper, so was happy to see three sheep-sized deer burst out of the forest ahead of them as they retraced their steps.

  Stefan, seasoned huntsman as well as shepherd, had his rifle up and aimed with practised ease. His shot downed the rearmost of the deer, but as the echo rang around them it was answered by a deep roaring bellow from within the foliage.

  "That's no monkey," Stefan said.

  "Something a tad bigger I imagine," Danny replied and was proved right when a beast emerged from the forest. If he wasn't mistaken, it was from the same lineage as the skull they'd seen on the wall of the broch. And he'd been right about it being a predator. In form it resembled a big cat such as Danny had encountered in Africa, but this thing was twice as big again, and following the way of things in these caverns, had three pairs of legs on which it moved as fluidly as a dancer. The tail added more to its already considerable length, a whip of muscle that looked to be a dangerous weapon in its own right, but it was the head end that had Danny's full attention. The head was almost leonine, with a shaggy mane at the neck. But the mouth reminded Danny more of wolf, being long snouted, lips drawn back showing six-inch long canines. The eyes looked to be almost wholly black, and they stared directly at the three men as the beast stepped forward to stand over the downed deer.

  "The bloody thing's trying to steal our supper," Danny said. Elsa growled deep in her throat, and might have bounded forward had Stefan not held her back. Danny went to reach for his pistol, and Stefan was now raising his rifle again, but the beast was too quick for either of them. It grabbed the deer up in its jaws, turned in almost the same movement and bounded back into the foliage. The last thing they saw was its rear end, the tail whipping almost disdainfully as it took its leave.

  Danny looked around in vain for the other two deer, but they had taken advantage of the situation and gone to ground somewhere further down the trail. They'd have to be lucky to see them again.

  "Damn and blast it," Danny said. "Let's head back. And keep an eye out; yon beastie might fancy more than a light supper."

  -Ed-

  Ed knew he should be keeping a lookout for the return of the cat-thing but between them Danny and Stefan had that covered and even Elsa appeared to be on full alert. Ed only had half an eye on the landscape, giving his imagination free rein as he considered the implications of finding evidence of non-human intelligence here in the deep places.

  Once again he was dreaming of fame, but this time in terms of the scientific discovery, and the amazed wonder the finding would bring to the intellectual communities in the great cities. Such fame would be a long journey from their current position, trapped on an island in an underground sea with no known escape route. But the mere fact of the discovery had given Ed purpose, a desire to climb up out to the world above and show to them the secrets he'd uncovered.

  "It will make Tommy's loss, if not bearable, at least more palatable," he muttered to himself, and shrugged off Danny's questioning look.

  The journey back to the broch took less time than the outward walk now that they knew the way. Danny and Stefan seemed to relax more as they crossed the barren plain and Ed surmised that they were happier now that they would see an attack coming from distance rather than worrying about some big thing with teeth leaping out of the foliage. For Ed's part he was keen to hurry onward, eager to return to his inscription of the ranks of stick figures. If he could tie them in with the broch-builders, perhaps derive their meaning, it would be another notch in his belt on the way to having enough information to persuade modern science of the merits of his find. He was so intent on getting back to shore that he almost tumbled on the rocks when Danny tugged at his shoulder.

  "Not so fast, lad. Something's amiss."

  They stood on the small hill overlooking the promontory on which the broch sat. At first glance Ed couldn't see what had Danny so skittish; the wooden door was still in place in the doorway and the broch sat as quiet and dead as it had on their departure. Then he saw their canoe, floating offshore some two hundred yards away and getting further with every second. Again, Ed made to move forward but Danny pulled him back.

  "If you think I'm letting you go into the water after it, you've got another thing coming, lad. Be still now. I'm telling you, there's something amiss."

  Ed still couldn't discern what had Danny spooked but Elsa had also taken note of something; she growled deep in her throat, her gaze fixed on the doorway to the broch.

  "Stay here and cover me," Danny said and strode quickly down the hill with Elsa at his heel. Stefan took out his rifle and aimed directly at the doorway. Ed unholstered his pistol and held it dangling at his thigh, trying to ignore the trembling that had suddenly risen in his fingers.

  He saw Danny take his pistol in one hand and saber in the other as he approached the door. Then things happened fast. Elsa barked and launched herself full on at the door which slammed open under her attack. Ed expected something to come barreling out of the doorway in response but instead something--two things--rose up out of the open roof above the broch.

  Two of the great bat-things flapped in a panicked motion, trying to gain height. Stefan didn't hesitate; he took aim and fired in one smooth motion. He hit his target; one of the bats fell back inside the broch. Danny stepped inside out of their view and they heard two more shots in quick order. Ed raised his pistol and took a shot at the second bat but it was already wheeling away. Stefan too had a pot at it, but it had risen out of range.

  Elsa barked excitedly in the broch and they heard Danny's reply clear enough.

  "Back off, lass. It's dead."

  Stefan set off down the slope, Ed following at his heels. They arrived at the broch to find Danny holding Elsa off the body of the bat. Inside the broch their packs had been torn asunder, the contents strewn hither and thither. Nothing appeared to be badly damaged including, Ed was pleased to note, his notebook, but most of their perishable food rations were
gone, obviously eaten by the bats.

  Danny kicked hard at the dead beast. The body was almost man-sized, the wings each more than six feet long and almost as deep in breadth.

  "What do you think, lads? Supper?"

  Initially Ed was aghast at the idea.

  "We can't eat that."

  "Why not?" Stefan said. "To my eyes it's just a big flying rabbit. And speaking of wings…" The shepherd stepped forward to examine the beast, spreading one of the wings out and feeling at the leathery skin there. "I can do something with this… all of this. Leave it to me."

  It was only then that Ed remembered the canoe. He ran out onto the shore; their vessel was now four hundred yards distant and still receding. He felt Danny's hand on his shoulder.

  "It's too far, lad. You'd never reach it."

  "I'm willing to try."

  "I'm not willing to let you. Leave it. We must find another route."

  He watched the canoe for another minute then turned away. Stefan was sitting outside the broch, large knife in hand, having dragged the bat out into the open. Ed didn't look too closely at what he was doing to the beast. Instead, he headed back into the broch. While he tidied up the contents of the packs as best he could, Danny got a fire going and soon the smell of brewing coffee filled the broch. By the time Ed and Danny had finished a smoke Stefan returned with the carcass of the bat. He quickly set up a larger version of a spit and soon the smell of cooking meat joined that of the coffee.

  "I left the skin and wings drying outside. If either of you gentlemen need to relieve yourself, feel free to do so on the wings; it will cure the leather nicely. Elsa has already made a start on that."

  Then there was little to do but to watch the meat cook. They talked about the events of the day, none of them able to answer Ed's questions about the origins of the broch builders. All the while Danny stood in the doorway at guard, every so often taking his gaze from the landscape to look upward.

  "Remember, lads," the old soldier said. "Guard now includes up as well as out, but mayhap if we keep a fire burning, that will suffice."

  Despite himself, Ed started to salivate at the prospect of the cooked meat. If it had not smelled quite so appetizing his feelings might have been different, but when Stefan announced that a haunch was done enough and cut them each a chunk, Ed wolfed it down with gusto; it did indeed taste similar to the rabbits, although there was a gamier, almost musky tang to it that reminded Ed more of goat.

  While they ate, they made plans for the next day.

  "With the canoe gone our options are limited," Danny said.

  "We could build another," Stefan said.

  "Aye, we could at that, if we find any trees big enough. We could go back along shore to the forested area, but that brings us in contact with yon baboons again, and that didn't go well for us afore. The alternative is back to where we were earlier, the forest on the slope; that more than likely brings us up against yon big cat. So we're stuck, between a rock and a hard place so to speak."

  "I think we need to explore more," Ed said. "Over to the right there, where it's darker, it looks like the roof comes down close to the land again. It's probably our best chance for a way back upward."

  "Aye," Danny replied. "I've been thinking the same. But the good water is over at yon volcano, so if we go, we'll go that way and take our chances with the cat… between us we've got enough firepower to hold it off."

  "And by tomorrow we shall have waterskins to carry it in," Stefan said, "Then we shall not be so limited by having to stay close to it."

  "We have a plan then," Danny said. "But for now we have meat, water, smokes, drink and good company. For a few hours at least I suggest we rest and make ourselves as content as we are able."

  That got no disagreement from any of them; indeed Elsa, having polished off a large chunk of meat, was already asleep and farting by the fire. Ed volunteered for first watch; his mind was still too full of the marching stick figures to allow him to nod off. That too got no disagreement and soon both Danny and Stefan had joined Elsa asleep by the fire, although, thankfully, neither had yet joined in with the farting.

  Ed stood at the doorway looking out, smoking a succession of cheroots. He knew from his pocket watch that it was seven o' clock and almost night somewhere high above them, but out beyond the broch it was still the same eternal twilight. More of the bats wheeled high above, over to his left and thankfully were paying no attention to the men in the broch. For the first hour of his watch, Ed worried that the smell of cooking meat might draw a predator, but all remained quiet and still, and his mind soon turned again to the stick figures.

  It was a mystery that would consume him until he solved it, but any solution seemed to be a long way off. Why were there figures here but not in any of the brochs on the slopes of the volcano? And what did they signify?

  Perhaps the answer lies in those black shadows to the right?

  He looked forward to the morrow, and the possibility of answers.

  -Danny-

  Danny woke, hand reaching for a pistol, when Stefan shook him by the shoulder.

  "There's coffee and cold meat to break your fast. All is quiet."

  The shepherd showed Danny the results of his handiwork during his watch; he'd stitched up three waterskins from the leathery bat's wings, each capable of holding a full gallon, with drawstrings to keep them closed and straps to allow them to be carried over their shoulder.

  "You'd make someone a fine wife, my friend," Danny said, and the shepherd suddenly looked sad so that Danny immediately regretted his flippancy. Seeing his discomfort, Stefan spoke again.

  "It was a fine wife that showed me how," he said. "But that is a sad story to be told when we have more liquor and fewer troubles. I promise you shall have the tale, but not today."

  Stefan lay down for more sleep, Ed was deep in slumber, but Elsa was now awake, and Danny was happy of her company in the doorway as he had a coffee and a first smoke of this new day. He looked over to the right and the darker shadows; it looked to be a longish trek, more so given the need to fill the waterskins. But Danny was determined to make the effort; the old soldier in him needed action, not sitting like an old maid around a fire, no matter how comfortable.

  His watch proved to be uneventful, and he had a second breakfast with the others once all three were awake.

  "Only one question," Ed said. "Do we break camp from here and take our packs with us?"

  "I want to," Danny admitted. "But I also realise this is the best, most defensible position we have found. I do not wish to make this decision for you."

  "I trust your judgement," Ed said baldly, and Stefan nodded in agreement.

  "All for one and one for all," the shepherd added. "We came to explore. Let us then be true explorers."

  When they set out ten minutes later all they left behind was a cooling firepit and a small heap of bones. The remaining meat had been wrapped in some of the kelp-like weed from the shore and distributed among them. In truth, Danny's pack felt lighter than before, for he had already made inroads into his liquor and smokes supply, the meat was the only food he carried, and he'd used some, admittedly only a small amount, of his ammo. They knew the trail, the walking wasn't arduous, and there was no sign of trouble from any of the wildlife as they made their way quickly to the slopes of the volcano.

  Stefan's makeshift waterskins proved to be more than adequate to the task expected of them, and all three men took turns filling up at the well. Danny winced at the extra weight when he slung his across his back to join the pack already there.

  "It's going to make for harder walking, but it can't be helped," he said.

  "We could leave the packs here and just take the water?" Ed said. "Establish a base in one of these brochs?"

  "Perhaps later, lad," Danny replied. "We have no guarantee that we'll be back this way; best to see what lies ahead in yon shadows before we make any long-term plans. Besides, yon bats have already shown us that they're no respecters of property."
<
br />   Besides, Danny's guts were roiling, his old soldier senses tingling. He was pretty sure the big cat wasn't too far away, perhaps even watching them now, waiting for an opportune moment. He needed to be moving; he'd feel less of a target that way.

  He was proven right about the beast as they turned to walk away from the well. Danny looked back to check their rear and saw the big cat standing on the edge of the forested area some twenty paces away, its gaze fixed on him, almost eye level to eye level given its height. Danny had never looked into eyes so full of cold fury and it was only with an effort that he made himself reach, very slowly, for his pistol. He knew that if the beast chose that moment to attack, he was likely going to be dead in short order but he could at least give the others time to have their own weapons to hand.

  The beast's gaze flicked from Danny's eyes to his right hand and just as the pistol came out of the holster the cat let out a snuffle and backed away to be lost in the foliage a second later.

  "Bloody thing learned far too fast for my liking," Danny muttered. He turned; Stefan was raising his rifle while young Ed just stood gawping.

  "If yon beastie wanted to attack us, you'd be dead now," Danny said none too calmly. "Keep your wits about you, lad; it's all you've got going for you."

  Without another glance back Danny set off, his gaze set on the shadowed lands.

  The trek proved longer than they could have wished, a combination of the extra weight they now carried and a trick of perspective making the shadows appear closer than actuality. They had been walking for almost three hours, and the dark lands seemed as far away as before. Danny's mood was not improved when Stefan spoke at his back.