by HP Mallory
Search, Lily, I reminded myself.
Still without a clue as to what I was looking for, all I had to go on was Alaire’s insistence that whatever the object was, it was hugely important to him. Thus, it was crucial that I find it.
I wheeled around, hoping to take further stock of my surroundings, but all I could see were the silhouettes of skeletal trees stuck awkwardly in the swamp water. I was standing on a sliver of land that overlooked the eerie swamp, and I was completely alone. Well, alone except for the indigenous creatures that regularly patrolled the swamp, ducking in and around the trees as they watched me.
I don’t understand what I’m looking for! I railed in angry frustration.
What you seek lies beneath the water, a voice suddenly whispered in my ears. The close proximity of the voice startled me and I wasn’t sure if I’d actually heard it or if it were only a figment in my addled brain.
I glanced down at the murky water in front of me and my heart sunk. The idea of traipsing through the icy water, looking for God-only-knew-what, wasn’t an activity that interested me in the least. I took a few steps forward, vainly hoping that whatever Alaire wanted me to retrieve would suddenly walk right out of the water, onto the riverbank and offer itself to me. But, of course, that was just wishful thinking… on steroids.
As I continued to study the water, I noticed a ripple appearing from the middle of the swamp when something swam beneath it.
There’s no way I’m going in there, I told myself and the voice, if it were listening. I even shook my head for added emphasis.
You made the agreement with Alaire. You are bound, the voice replied, only this time sounding more perturbed.
Recognizing the truth in the words, I took another step forward. Now I was maybe three inches from the water line. I remembered my sword, which I held in my hand, and reached forward to touch the surface of the water with the tip of the blade. The sword immediately jolted me with a shock that went straight through my hand and up my arm. I wasn’t sure if it jumped from my grasp, or if I dropped it. But when it fell onto the wet dirt, I reached down to pick it up. As soon as I made contact with it, I was instantly overwhelmed by feelings of dread and misgiving.
Of course, the sword couldn’t tell me what was happening, but I knew the feelings that were currently overpowering me had to have been coming from my sword. I clenched my eyes shut and tried to banish the sensations by using my will power, but, if anything, they only increased.
You must not go into the water, I firmly told myself. You can’t go after whatever Alaire wants you to retrieve for him.
Why?
It’s a trap, I answered myself.
Even though the words were mine, I had no doubt that the message came directly from my sword. It had served me well as a warning device in the past.
When I glanced back at the swamp, I noticed the ripples in the middle of the water seemed to be growing stronger. Whatever was down there was definitely coming closer. Still facing the water, I started to back up to make a hasty retreat. The thing in the swamp continued to approach the bank, its ripples now radiating out in a ring pattern. Taking another two steps back, I kept my eyes trained on the water and whatever lay underneath it.
You have failed me, my dear.
I gasped when I heard and recognized Alaire’s voice. His hands tightly restrained my upper arms and prevented me from turning around to face him. He pulled me up hard against his chest before he started walking forward, pushing me toward the water, and whatever lurked beneath its surface.
I tried to stop him and strained to break free from his manacle-like grip, but my efforts were to no avail. He continued to push me forward, inching me ever closer to the mysterious abomination living in the swamp.
Alaire, stop! Please! I begged him.
But my entreaties fell on deaf ears. He continued to force me forward until my toes were merely inches from the water. I saw the water’s surface parting before a gigantic fin appeared to slice it. It was the color of soot and looked like the texture of leather.
The beast has not supped in too long a while, Alaire announced at the same moment that he shoved me forward, right into the abysmal swamp.
I awoke with a start.
Taking a second or two, I tried to ignore the remnants of the dream, although I was nearly suffocating from the lingering sensation of sheer dread.
It was just a dream, Lily, I told myself. None of it was real, so stop thinking about it!
Once I believed the truth in my own words, I felt better. Taking a deep breath, I glanced to my right, only then noticing that Bill was passed out beside me. He was lying on his back with his arms and legs spread out beside him.
“’Twas it ah bad dream, lass?” Tallis asked. I looked over and found him in the same position he was when I nodded off—sitting right beside me with both of his legs extended out in front of him.
I nodded and pulled myself up into a sitting position, feeling somewhat grateful I now had the strength to accomplish such a simple feat. The stagnant cloud that was invading my head shrunk to a mere ghost of its former self. My thoughts were much clearer now, and seemed to be my own. Well, as far as I could tell anyway. “Yeah, you could say that,” I answered with a deep sigh.
“The best thing aboot nightmares is wakin’ oop froom ’em,” Tallis quipped before offering me an understanding smile.
I didn’t reply, as my attention was wholly fastened on Bill. He was snoring so loud, I feared we would be discovered by whatever creatures happened to be out and about in this part of the Underground City.
“How are ye, lass?” Tallis asked, sounding genuinely concerned. He seemed almost oblivious to Bill’s conspicuous snoring, so I decided not to be concerned about it.
“I’m feeling better,” I answered with a quick nod as I further considered it. “There’s still a bit of residual fogginess in my head, but at least now I can pronounce and understand real words.”
“Whit ye survived was nae small feat,” he stated. “The Kremelions attack by way o’ gettin’ intae yer mind. An’ when they get ahold o’ that, they can drive ye tae madness.”
“I think they did drive me to madness,” I said as I remembered some of the particulars. If Tallis and Bill hadn’t found me, who knew what would have happened? Actually, I had a fairly good idea … I’d be pushing up daisies or lilies right about now …
“Nae, had they taken hold o’ ye completely, ye wouldnae hae bin able tae come back. Yer mind woulda been scrambled eternally,” Tallis argued.
“Well, good thing for me that you came along when you did!” I exclaimed. I inhaled deeply because I was suddenly very light-headed. Those dastardly Kremelions had done a number on me, and that was putting it lightly.
“Ye fought ’em, Besom,” Tallis argued as he shook his head. “Aye, our timin’ couldnae hae been mooch longer, boot ye were the one who managed ta keep ’em at bay.” He looked at me for a few seconds. “Ye are stronger than ye know or admit.”
“I don’t feel very strong now,” I said, not meaning to sound so disheartened, but there it was.
“Ye will regain yer strength in ah short time, lass,” Tallis said with a firm nod.
I didn’t respond, but rubbed the back of my neck when I heard movement from beside me. Bill was now awake and sitting up. He yawned a few times, idly scratching his head before his eyes found mine.
“Bleahhh! Tastes like someone took ah big ol’ shit right in my mouth,” he moaned while making a sour face.
“Well, luckily for Tallis and me, we won’t get close enough to decide if your breath smells the same way too,” I snipped, rather snidely.
Bill frowned and then yawned again, glancing at Tallis for a few seconds before his attention returned to me. “So, little nerdlet, you wanna start tellin’ us about where the hell you disappeared to when we was back up here on the tracks earlier? You were like, here one second, and gone the next,” he said as he studied me suspiciously. “It seemed like the freakin’ air jus
t swallowed you up whole!”
I instantly remembered the yak-man. “I don’t know what actually took me,” I answered with a shrug, “but it looked like a half-man, half-very-hairy-beast.”
“’Twas ah Mantreon,” Tallis interjected with a quick nod. As he shot up onto his feet, he seemed surprisingly fluid and agile, considering how large he was. “Lass, are ye ready tae move?” he asked as he eyed me.
“Yes, I think so,” I answered. Getting onto my feet, I stood still for a few seconds to determine if I felt well enough. Tallis watched me pointedly so I nodded to let him know I was fine.
With a quick smile, he started forward. “Mantreons are ah primitive species o’ demons,” he said, continuing his discussion about the yak-man.
“Well, whatever it was, it was really horny,” I replied, remembering the particulars and shuddering in spite of myself. I fell in line right behind Tallis, considerably grateful to be feeling better. I had to commend Tallis and his Druid concoctions …
“Please tell me you weren’t off havin’ fugly animal sex with a hairy beast?” Bill asked before he immediately started to laugh in a high-pitched guffaw. The sound was so obnoxious, I wanted to cover my offended ears. But Bill was having a field day with it, and even slapped his stomach a few times to emphasize his obvious hilarity and amusement.
Hilarity which was lost on me.
“No, Bill, I wasn’t,” I replied, turning to face him with an annoyed frown. “I had to protect myself against the monster, which wasn’t very easy; thank you very much!”
“Aye,” Tallis nodded without sounding surprised. “Ye are in heat, lass. The creature could smell it oan ye.”
“What?” I demanded, my mouth dropping. I even dared to wonder how many more surprises my weary body could handle before my heart would just give out.
“In heat?” Bill laughed again as he came up behind me. “Like a dog?”
I wanted to slap him.
Tallis, thankfully, didn’t seem to think it was very funny. He didn’t laugh, or snicker, or do anything else. “Aye, ’tis ah scent yer body is givin’ off. The Mantreon picked oop oan it an’ wanted tae mate with ye.”
“And how do you know that?” I inquired, embarrassment and mortification reaching all the way down to my toes.
“Ah can smell it comin’ from ye too,” Tallis answered, not bothering to turn around to face me. Instead, continuing forward, he appeared to be following the train tracks again. I only hoped that the remaining distance to Dis wouldn’t be very long.
“You can smell it on me?” I repeated, shaking my head with exasperation as I caught up with him. “Smell it? You mean, like an animal?” I asked for further verification.
“Aye. Jist so.”
“Well, I can’t smell any o’ dat shit,” Bill announced from behind me.
“Thank God for that,” I grumbled. I could only shake my head when I wondered how much more indignity I’d have to suffer regarding this subject.
“So, Conan, are like all the creatures of the Underground gonna git the hots fer nips now, and wanna hump ’er? Or what?” Bill asked.
“Oonly the ones that can smell her pheromones,” Tallis answered without showing much concern or even interest.
“Which ones are those?” I asked, unable to mask the worry from my voice. Encountering phantom creatures that wanted to kill me was bad enough; and now, I had to add this to the mix? Why was it that bad luck only seemed to get you when you were already down?
“The more primitive creatures will smell ye,” Tallis explained. “Mantreons are more beast than man,” he explained, “they arenae as evolved as oother creatures. They still rely on their animal instincts. The more evolved ah creature, the less in tooch it becoomes to its baser needs.”
“So how were you able to detect it?” I asked as I threw my hands on my hips and tried to ignore my unparalleled embarrassment.
Tallis shrugged as he glanced at me with a boyish smile that illuminated his entire face. “Mayhap Ah, too, am more animal than man.”
I couldn’t argue with that. It seemed to me that, in general, Tallis had more in common with feral animals than he did with humans. He wasn’t exactly what one would call “civilized.”
“Dude, that is the reason I call you the Yeti,” Bill retorted with a shrug.
Tallis didn’t bother responding to Bill’s comment, which was probably just as well. For my part, I still couldn’t quite get past how Tallis could smell I was “in heat” as he called it. I wasn’t even sure what that meant … Was I ovulating? Who knew? Regardless, it didn’t fail to embarrass me, so I preferred not to question him any further about it.
“Ah didnae mean tae oopset ye, lass,” Tallis apologized in a soft tone. He stopped to allow me to catch up with him and we both glanced behind to make sure Bill was still following us.
“I’m not upset,” I argued with a sigh. I wasn’t sure how I felt about anything anymore. Was I upset? Or just completely drained and exhausted? It seemed I was on perpetual overload ever since we’d arrived in the Underground City. Well, truthfully speaking, I felt like I’d been on overload since I’d mistakenly died and Bill appeared on my doorstep to escort me into this new lifestyle.
“Are ye feelin’ well?” Tallis asked as he raised one eyebrow.
“Yes, I’m feeling much better, although I am still tired.” I sighed again and added, “I feel like I could probably sleep for a whole week.”
“Ye probably should, lass,” he answered. “This trip has definitely taken ah toll oan yer body.”
I nodded. “Well, at least it’s not raining anymore, right?” I asked cheerily. It definitely seemed as if the rain had stopped for good; but it wasn’t easy to walk in freezing, soaking-wet clothes, never mind the puddles in my shoes.
Tallis nodded, but I could tell there was more on his mind. “Did the Mantreon hurt ye, lass?” he asked me at last.
It took me a second to realize what he was getting at. Once I did, a pall of shame overcame me; he was basically asking if I’d been raped by the man-beast. “No, it didn’t,” I answered firmly. “I decked him over the head with a femur I picked up from a pile of what was once his dinner.”
Tallis smiled and released a long sigh that I hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Ah’m sorry Ah wasnae there fer ye, lass,” he said in a soft, deep voice. “’Twas not fer want o’ tryin’.”
“It’s not your fault, Tallis,” I replied right away with an encouraging smile.
He just nodded before facing forward again. “Ah need tae bleed mahself soon,” he announced.
“Bleed yourself?” I repeated before realizing exactly what he was talking about. “Has Donnchadh become too difficult to contain?”
“Och aye,” he answered with a brief nod. “The longer Ah wait, the stronger his power grows. An’ Ah am havin’ ah tough time restrainin’ him as ’tis.”
I swallowed hard. I was already familiar with what it meant to have Donnchadh control his body. It was a situation to be avoided at all costs. “How much farther is it to Dis?” I asked, my voice unable to conceal my worry.
Tallis glanced down the hillside and stopped walking. Upon studying the layout of the land for a few seconds, he returned his gaze to me, saying, “We hae arrived.”
“After his head he with a sigh had shaken...”
- Dante’s Inferno
NINETEEN
“If the Kremelions are the official guardians of the City of Dis, do we have to encounter them again?” I asked, my voice belying my anxiety and dismay.
“Nae,” Tallis answered with a firm shake of his head as he glanced down at me quickly. “We hae bypassed ’em.”
“Bypassed them? How?” I inquired, shaking my head with consternation. I didn’t understand how that could be, not if they surrounded the City of Dis, or so I thought … “Didn’t you say they were supposed to keep outsiders … out?”
“Aye, an’ they do,” Tallis affirmed with a quick nod. My expression said I didn’t understand,
which caused him to frown before he launched into another explanation. “The Kremelions exist oonly in the lands in front o’ the City o’ Dis.”
“Oh,” I answered, confused by what Tallis was saying…and annoyed by it. Tallis was always so short, so matter of fact and he never explained anything… He just simply said what he was going to say and expected me to accept it. But after going through what I had, I wanted…no, needed to know more.
“Tallis,” I started. “I want you to tell me more about the Kremelions.”
“Whit would ye like tae know aboot them?”
“Whatever you can tell me.”
Tallis, probably sensing my growing frustration, looked back at me for a brief second. I locked eyes with him, trying to get the point across that I was unwavering in my request to know more. He took a deep breath before he began to speak.
“The answer tae yer question is ah sad one an’ one that stretches tae an age long since past. The City o’ Dis wasnae always as ye shall see…travelers, traders an’ Soul Retrievers alike were once allowed intae the city tae condooct their business.”
“Travelers and traders?” I asked, sounding perplexed.
“Aye,” Tallis replied with a quick nod. “The City o’ Dis has always been located within the realms of the Oonderground boot, like any other city, it required merchants an’ commerce tae foonction an’ flourish.”
“But why would it need trade?” I asked.
Tallis shrugged. “Tae enjoy common conveniences,” he answered. “Not everyone in the Oonderground is damned,” he continued as he nodded at me and then Bill as if to say we were cases in point.
“Okay, go on.”
“The imprisonment o’ souls o’ the damned has always been what the City o’ Dis was known fer an’ yit, once oopon ah time, there were those who wanted tae make it….more.” Tallis paused. Even though he was now facing away from me and I couldn’t see his eyes, his demeanor seemed brooding and…heavy. “That was afore Alaire became Master o’ the Oonderground. His rise tae power was quick, fast an’ merciless. His vision o’ whit the city an’ all o’ its territories was couldnae have bin more different tae that o’ the previous master. Among all the things Alaire did, the Kremelions are one o’ the biggest displays o’ his sadistic nature.” He took a deep breath and then grew quiet.
