Descent Into Darkness (Book 2)

by James R. Vernon

  "Hopefully it's a pack of Carnslugs, all fat and juicy from years of growth without anyone to eat them."

  "Or it could be a pack of those monsters."

  "Doubtful," Zin replied, walking over to the doors. "Just open it up."

  Ean walked up to the doors and placed his right palm on the smooth stone. Letting some of the energy he held flow into the door, Ean pictured what he figured was the symbol for 'open.' It was the same as the symbol for closed, two door-shaped runes spread apart instead of opened. There was also a circle around the 'open' rune that wasn't around the closed rune, but Ean dismissed that fact as the rune came to life on the door.

  With a groan the door began to open, the loud sound of stone scraping on stone filling the corridor. There was another sound too, one even louder than the opening door. At first, Ean thought it was the sound of running water, a loud sloshing sound that reminded him of heavy rain running down the side of Cleff's house. Peering in through the small opening the doors had made so far, Ean squinted his eyes to see with what little light his runes were providing.

  Movement. Lots and lots of movement.

  With a start, Ean reached out for the door, intent on closing it quickly.

  "No!" Zin yelled, a toothy grin spreading across his face. "No danger there. Just food."

  Ean frowned at him but stayed his hand. He didn't need to feel the eagerness of the hound coming through the bond to know that Yaeger was excited about what was on the other side of those doors as well. The hound's mouth was open wide, its tongue lolling out, even its short, stubby tail was wagging slightly. Clearly, it was anticipating catching something in there, and it wasn't dangerous. If both Zin and Yaeger thought it was safe, he trusted their judgment.

  When the door had opened up enough to let them through, Ean stared in wonder at what he found inside. The floors and walls were covered with small, red and gold creatures about the size of two fists placed together, looking more like blobs of color than an actual living thing. Two thin eyestalks were the only discernable feature on the creature, the stalks waving about as the Carnslugs moved slowly about the room. While Ean took in the sight, both the imp and hound pushed past him.

  Entering the room behind them, Ean noticed a pair of doors on the other side of the chamber settling into an open position as well. Had both pairs of doors in the previous chamber closed at the same time? In the commotion and danger, Ean couldn't remember. It would certainly have been helpful if they had closed, trapping those three flesh beasts inside.

  Both Zin and Yaeger were running around like children in a store full of sweets. Zin was herding packs of Carnslugs around before finally snatching one up and biting into its head while Yaeger was scooping them up into his mouth two at a time as he ran.

  Part of Ean wanted to rein them in and get moving, but a smile crept onto his face at the unexpected levity of his two companions. They still had a ways to go, Azalea was still missing, and those flesh monsters were still out there somewhere. But seeing both the hound and imp running around, having fun while they enjoyed their feast, helped Ean relax, if only for a brief moment. With the horrors they had seen and the trouble that they might still face in the near future, a small respite would be beneficial to all three of them.

  "Ean!" Zin waved him over with one hand, a Carnslug wiggling around in his other. "Come over and try one. I know you humans are peculiar in what you will and will not eat, but I promise Carnslugs are rather tasty, even raw." For emphasis he bit into the one he was holding, then began chewing away at it with a closed but wide smile on his face.

  "I don't think so," Ean replied, carefully stepping over and around the Carnslugs that littered the floor until he reached the imp's side. "I don't think I could just bite into something that looked so slimy, especially while it was still squirming around and looking back at me."

  The imp let out a 'harrumph' then finished chewing and swallowed what was in his mouth.

  "Oh, too fancy now, your majesty?" It had been a long time since the imp had spoken to him this sarcastically. It felt good to hear Zin being his old self. "Well, I'm sure I could help make it a bit more appetizing."

  Snatching up another slug, the imp held it up in front of Ean then stabbed a long nail right between the slug's eyestalks. The slug shuddered once and went limp. Zin offered up the dead slug to Ean, but seeing the look of disgust that crossed his face, the imp let out a laugh and sat down. Using a clawed finger he sliced into the back end of the slug, cutting off a bite-sized piece.

  "Here, you baby," the imp said, holding up the small piece of slug. "Try something new for once in your life, so I can laugh at you when you admit that it tastes good."

  "Fine, fine." Snatching up the piece of slug and expecting the worst, Ean popped it into his mouth. Trying not to let the slimy piece even touch his tongue, he chewed it as quickly as possible. Surprisingly, the little piece of slug, skin, slime and all did taste pretty good. It was better, in fact than the goat meat that he had often ate growing up in Rottwealth. Shaking his head in disbelief, he stared down at what was left of the slug. His stomach growled at the tease of nourishing food.

  Zin looked him over and began to laugh. "I told you they were good. Now, do I have to cut up the rest of this one for you, or can you manage getting your hands a little messy and just eat the rest of it on your own?"

  Taking up the challenge, Ean reached down and grabbed the slug. Holding it in his hands for a moment, he sighed once before sticking a large piece in his mouth and bit down into it. His teeth cut through the skin and meat of the slug easily, like it was a fresh loaf of bread, and he pulled back the rest of the slug while he began chewing what was in his mouth. Again, he was surprised at how tasty the slug actually was. If they had time to cook one he probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between it and a well-seasoned piece of chicken.

  "Mmmm," Ean said between chews. "You know, I hate to admit it, but you are right, Zin. These things are pretty tasty. I could probably live off of them for--"

  BOOOOOOM.

  A shockwave of sound reverberated throughout the entire room. The ground shook with the force of it, almost knocking Ean off his feet. The force of it also shook dozens of slugs from the walls and ceilings. They fell like a gold and red shower, hitting the ground and then continuing on like nothing had happened. A few bounced off Ean's back and shoulders harmlessly, dampening what was left of his shirt with their slime. It felt like small pillows filled with porridge were attacking him. Getting his bearings, Ean glanced down at the imp.

  "What in the Abyss was that?" He was not immediately reassured by the look of fear he found on Zin's face.

  "I'm... I'm not sure..." The imps eyes darted around, looking everywhere except at Ean.

  "Zin, if you have an id--"

  BOOOOOOOOM.

  This time Ean fell hard, landing on a pack of Carnslugs. They squeezed out from underneath him and continued on as before. Glancing over, he found Zin and Yaeger also off their feet. The hound looked more confused than anything, which was the exact emotion it was sending through their bond. Zin, on the other hand, looked like he had been told he only had moments left to live.

  "It can't still be alive..." the imp was muttering, "not after all these years..."

  "Zin..." Ean said, making his tone as serious as possible. "What are you talking about?" But the imp didn't seem to hear him.

  "Of course... the armor they wore... how could I be so stupid..."

  "Zin."

  "He couldn't possibly hold a grudge against me...we talked all the time...he had to know I couldn't do anything to set him free..."

  "Zin!" Reaching over, Ean not so gently smacked the imp in the face. The fact that he was able to do that without Zin dodging the blow told him how serious the situation was.

  "Ean, this could be really bad," the imp said, finally snapping out of his daze. "My old master kept something locked up, a creature of immense power and ruthless intellect. No one knows where they came from or how many of
them exist, but they have the ability to cause vast destruction and should be feared. All the creature was to my master, though, was a prize, a trophy he used to show off his power.

  "But if it's alive and free..." Zin began, then turned to Ean, his eyes going wide. "Ean, I wasn't paying attention," he glanced guiltily at the Carnslugs around him, "but the rune you used to open the door. It was exactly like the one you used to close it except the two runes that looked like doors were slightly open, right?"

  "Right, basically two open doors." Ean said, shrugging. "Oh, and they had a circle around them."

  "No, no, no, no, no..." Zin said, climbing to his feet. "You should have used a rune without a circle! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

  "Obviously not!" Ean yelled back, also getting up.

  "You've opened everything! Every door, every lock, everything!"

  "How was I supposed to know, it looked exactly like you said. I had no idea the extra circle wasn't supposed to be there! After all...wait you said everything is open now, right?"

  "Yes, everything," the imp replied with a sneer. "And if Lav'zernathar is free and roaming around down here, my suggestion would be that we get out of here as quickly as possible. At least until he has gone."

  As if to accentuate his point, another loud boom shook the room, almost taking them off their feet again. What kind of creature could shake an entire mountain?

  A low moan, followed by another one broke Ean out of his thoughts and returned his attention back to Zin.

  "Zin, if all of the doors are open, that means..."

  "That those things that used to be people are probably almost here..." Glancing at the doors ahead of them and the doors they had passed through to enter the room, the imp looked at a loss. "I don't know which way we should go..."

  "You have to be kidding me!" Ean said, starting to walk towards the doors leading away from the flesh creatures. "As horrible as you make that other creature out to be, we know we can't face one of those flesh beasts, let alone three. We have to take our chances and hope we simply won't run into this Laz...whatever".

  "It's Lav'zernathar, and that's just its name. I don't know what kind of a creature it is, it wouldn't tell me...Maybe we could try sneaking past those flesh beasts..."

  "Down a hallway without any other turnoffs? Zin, there is no way. Come on, maybe once we get to the kitchen and dining hall, we can double back past them, but there is no way I'm going back that way."

  More moans came out of the doorway leading to the other hatchery. Yaeger crouched slightly, growling in the direction the moans were coming from. That seemed to get Zin moving. With a whimper, he joined Ean's side and they began moving quickly to the opposite edge of the room. Yaeger joined soon after, easily catching up as they reached the opposite doors.

  Reaching his hand toward the doors, Ean was about to make them close when Zin grabbed at the bottom of his pants.

  "What are you doing? We can't close the door! If Lav is this way, we'll have to run back and fast."

  "Zin, you keep forgetting those monsters behind us. If we don't close the door, they will just keep following us until they catch us. You don't even know where this other creature is or if it even has a grudge against you".

  "You just don't get it," Zin said, the frustration clear in his voice. "First off, this thing was locked up for hundreds of years. Hundreds! I can only imagine how big of a grudge it is holding. Plus at his core, Lav' is--"

  "What am I, imp?" A voice boomed from down the hall. The sound carried like a dozen men and reminded Ean of the noise that had shaken the entire room.

  "Oh no..." Zin whispered, slowly backing away from the door.

  Ean glanced at the imp and saw a look of utter terror dominate his features, his mouth clamped shut and his eyes wide. Just from his expression alone, Ean tensed, taking in as much energy from the Abyss as he could hold. His runes flared to life, the light stronger than he had ever seen before. It illuminated the corridor ahead, revealing the faint outline of something walking towards them. Something that looked human...

  "Go on, imp," the voice said, loud enough to ring in Ean's ears. "Tell your master what I am. Tell him the horrible things I am capable of doing to you both."

  Stepping into the light was a man taller than Ean by almost two heads and twice as broad. He wore an intricate suit of armor similar to what he had seen the Living Dead wear, except this one only covered the man's torso and had crisscrossing etched into it that Ean had never seen before. In stark contrast to his crimson armor, his pants were a dark grey, the same kind of pants Ean would see the average farmer wear out in the fields. Rings adorned the man's fingers, green and blue and red gems gleaming from each, reflecting back Ean's light in strange colors.

  The man's face was the most striking, wearing a smile that held little warmth framed by a tightly trimmed red beard. His nose was pointed like a beak, slightly hooked and sticking out in front of a pair of deep-set eyes. Shaggy dark red eyebrows topped those eyes, the same color as the man's hair, which was wavy and reached down just above his shoulders. Those eyes, though...they flared red from inside the deep recession of his eye sockets, slitted and certainly not human.

  "Lav', you have to understand--" Zin started, but was quickly cut off by the man's raised hand.

  "I allowed you to butcher my name while I was held captive, imp," the man growled, "because I wanted you comfortable around me. I hoped to learn as much as I could about your master and possibly even get you to somehow set me free. Now, I no longer need that information or your help. You will address me by my full name, or I will strike you down before you can even blink. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Yes of course, Lav'zernathar. I'm sorry, it will not happen again." The imp actually bowed as he said it. "If I may just say..."

  "No, I don't want to hear your voice at the moment. You can speak if I decide to ask you a question." Turning to Ean, those glowing red eyes looked him up and down before the man started to walk towards him. "You. You are not this creature's first master. Because of that, I won't kill you yet. You do however wear many of the same or similar markings. How did you come to wear those on your skin? Explain yourself. Now."

  Ean's mind raced. The weight of that stare was like a dozen hammer blows. By the time the man was only a few paces away, Ean had barely been able to open his mouth, which now hung slightly open. If he hadn't been so intimidated, Ean certainly would have been embarrassed.

  "I...uh..." he tried to get out.

  "The truth!" Zin hissed at him. "Just tell him the truth, all of it."

  That heavy stare shot to Zin for a moment, making the imp cower, before returning to Ean.

  Steeling himself, Ean did exactly as Zin had said. He told the truth. He began with finding the book that had started this all, summoning Zin, the years of practice and failures in trying to use and understand the book. He talked about the threat to his village, leaving with his friends, how quickly they found out about his secret. He glossed over his time in Rensen, fleeing and being lost in Rensen woods, only spending a brief time on how he pushed Bran and Jaslen away and Azalea joining him. That part was more painful than he realized as he recounted it. Ean talked about meeting with Kaz'ren, being directed here, the caravan and the missing men. Finally, he ended with the battle in the village below, the flight into the mines and Zin's old home, and the battle and separation from Azalea.

  The entire time Lav'zernathar kept that heavy gaze on Ean. Even when Ean finally finished talking, the man-creature just stared at him for a time. Ean felt like he was being judged, and that a poor judgment would lead to a quick death. If only Ean knew what the man...what the creature wanted. Ean risked a glance at Zin, but the imp was staring at Lav, the imp's body hunched over. The imp wouldn't be any help at the moment. When Ean returned his gaze to the man in front of him, their eyes met for a moment, and before Ean even knew what was happening, he was being lifted into the air by a large, gauntleted hand wrapped around his throat.

  Lav br
ought them face-to-face, those red eyes like drills into his soul, probing. The pressure on his throat increased, making him grab the gauntleted arm with both hands. Behind him he heard his hound start to growl, but he sent reassurance through their bond. If the hound attacked, things would definitely get worse, and by the way Zin was behaving, Ean doubted the hound could help him anyway.

  Again the grip tightened, making it almost impossible to breathe now. Well, just because he didn't want the hound to attack didn't mean that he was just going to let this Lav' creature crush the life out of him. With no other option, Ean let all of the energy surge out of him through his right hand and into the gauntlet that held him. For a moment, it felt like all of that energy hit a wall...

  Then an explosion of force launched him backwards through the air, over both Zin and Yaeger's head. When he landed, he hit the stone ground hard, rolling a few times, the wind knocked clean from his body. Not knowing what happened, nor caring at this moment, Ean sucked in a large breath of air. Then another. On his fifth, he felt strong enough to push himself to his knees.

  Lav'zernathar was there waiting for him.

  Grabbing Ean by what was left of his shirt this time, Lav held Ean out in front of him. Lav was smiling slightly, although those slitted red eyes were still as intense as ever.

  "You have some fight in you. This could be both good and bad for me. For the moment, though, you are less of a threat than the company you keep. Maybe in the future you will prove to be as ruthless and ambitious as your imp's old master. If that is so, know that if you come for me and try to make me some 'prize' as he did, I will destroy you to your very core. Understand?"

  Ean nodded quickly.

  "Good, I'm glad we have an understanding. Now," he said, looking past Ean, "do those things belong to you as well?"

  Turning as best as he could while still in Lav's grip, Ean's eyes went wide as he saw three of the flesh monsters emerge from the opposite door. "No, no, they've been trying to kill us."

  "Really?" Lav said, laughing. "So young and already you have enemies? Maybe you are more dangerous than I thought."