‘I don’t want you to go in there again,’ Zacharias said. ‘I’ve only just found you. Please don’t risk yourself.’
‘I think someone else might be in there. There was a second cave further back. I couldn’t live with myself if I knowingly abandoned someone to suffer the torment you had a taste of.’
‘Someone else is in there?’ Schubert repeated straightening up. ‘Are you sure?’
‘No I’m not sure. I was busy concentrating on shielding myself, flying just above the heads of a swarm, whilst freeing my paralysed man. Now I know he is safe and I’ve had a bit of a rest, I’ll be better able to check.’
‘Meg, I really don’t like this,’ Zacharias said, his fear for her bringing back the immediacy of his own experiences. She went to him and wrapped her arms around him. His strength and reactions were still shaky, not remotely back to normal. She gave him a quick kiss then was able to slip out of his embrace and was walking back before he could stop her. She made it back down the slope and warily approached the cave. It was now or never. She paused and her form became opaque and with no more ado, she ducked through the low entry and disappeared.
Megan was glad she’d sealed her shield outside, for the air inside the cave was still thickly acrid. Black charred and flaking corpses littered the cave floor, some still burning. Yet many more live ones scuttled around or over them. Some were chewing on the corpses of their fellows and the crunching sound was simply horrendous.
She floated on above their heads searching for the entrance to the second cave. Her senses failed her when dealing with rock, especially when overwhelmed with the dangerous living presences of the Scritchers all around her. Eventually she noticed movement where she’d thought was stone and moved closer. With a great many reservations she followed a Scritcher walking down a narrow tunnel. Fortunately the tunnel linking the two caverns was short and had enough headroom for her to float above the Scritcher guide. She came out into a much smaller cave. She gasped in horror and hastily floated up higher as some of the nearby Scritchers heard her and turned, their antennae waving. She was relieved they couldn’t smell her or they’d really be searching for her to chew on.
Someone lay in the middle of the room. Megan gulped, sensing the woman was still alive, but so too were the larvae burrowing in her flesh. Megan got closer and identified the queen close by. She’d been right, this was a separate hive. Killing the other queen would not have destroyed the whole hive while this other secondary queen lived and could take over the primary role.
Careful to work quietly and keep her own presence masked, Megan managed to encase the woman in a shield. Knowing she was now protected from further abuse and fire should Megan have to act quickly, Megan searched the rest of the chamber. Satisfied no one else lived in this appalling place, Megan turned her efforts to figuring out how to get the other person’s shield to float. Before, she’d simply got inside Zach’s shield, but this woman had larvae at an unknown stage of development. She had no wish to have one suddenly hatch and attack. It was safest all round to remain separate.
She landed beside the woman and a sharp pain ran up her leg. She was shielded so panicked for a moment that something had managed to get inside her shield. No, her leg was simply reminding her of the multitude of bites she’d sustained when dropping her shield earlier. Maybe she could retain part of her shield so her lower half was protected? It would take more strength but better to try it than be brought down by teeth. Marking the exact location of the single exit she considered each spell she would have to do in rapid succession.
‘Zach? I’ve found someone,’ Megan said reaching for his mind. Making contact successfully and knowing he was waiting for her bolstered her courage. ‘I’m going to try and send her out now.’ She levitated the stranger, encased in the shield, and sent her flying out the tunnel into the main cavern. She hoped the spell would seek out the exit from that too so she’d be safely outside very quickly, but as she’d never tried any of these spells before she had no idea whether it would work. But she hadn’t time to wonder; the queen had noticed her victim leave and was squawking, whilst running in pursuit towards the main cavern. Keeping the queen in sight Megan followed. She dropped her shield enough so her hands were out and noted the Scritchers turn, obviously smelling her. She turned in a circle, wizards’ fire flowing from her hands. She blasted the queen first, killing her before she could vanish into the tunnel to the main cavern. Then she rapidly incinerated everything living in that small cave. Heat and fumes billowed as fast as the flames. She ran down the tunnel struggling to breathe and terrified of becoming trapped. Once in the main cavern she slowed to check around her carefully. She couldn’t feel the woman’s presence inside so hoped she’d gone out.
Seemingly hundreds of Scritchers charged her then. She realised that reducing her shield to thigh height, so her hands were free, meant her scent was now out here in the cave. All she could do was cast about her with flame, killing as many as she could. They were evidently not deterred that their fellows were dying, burned alive. She coughed, struggling to breathe through the acrid smoke and managed to get a little closer to the cave mouth before she was blocked. Her eyes were stinging, her throat raw and her strength failing rapidly. She could see the mouth of the cave, or rather sense plant life, but couldn’t get there. If she rose above her attackers she’d be in the thickest smoke and the toxic fumes would probably kill her. A wall of burning corpses was building all around her, their heat and fumes blistering her skin above her shield. Their screams combined hideously with the sounds of their shells cracking as they burned alive. The increasing and overwhelming stench of burnt meat was indescribably vile.
Suddenly a Scritcher ran up the wall of burning bodies and launched itself at her. It latched its teeth on to the arm she hastily threw up and she screamed. She threw out a wave of flaming power all around her blasting everything away including the creature latched to her arm. But it was too much. Her strength deserted her and she passed out.
6
Megan woke hearing someone calling her name. She tried to sit up and groaned. Her head pounded, she was dizzy and everything around her was blisteringly hot and stinking. She hurt all over but tried to focus on her surroundings; this was a dangerous place to be. She tried to speak but nothing came out. She coughed painfully. Her throat was raw and her tongue dry and swollen. Abruptly she felt the beacon of a living presence approaching.
‘Zach,’ she croaked. If she had had the strength to call mentally she would have, but she was fresh out of power. She couldn’t even stand. She tried to call again and ended up coughing again. Finally she felt him turn towards her.
‘Megan,’ Zacharias cried turning towards the out of place sound of a cough. He lifted his torch up high again, the flickering light revealing more grisly horrors. He peered over a disgusting wall of burnt carcases and finally found her curled on the floor. She was completely surrounded by the corpses that had been hiding her. Gingerly he stepped over the still burning Scritchers and pulled her up, realised she couldn’t stand and swept her up in his arms. Clutching her small frame against his chest he carried her out of this hellhole as quickly as he possibly could.
Outside in the daylight, the extent of her injuries became more apparent. The exposed skin of her hands and even some of her face was red and blistered from the heat. Her arm was the most worrying. She had a deep gash on her forearm that had obviously bled profusely as had the many bites she bore on her legs. All these wounds were small but had been created by animal bites. To make matters worse she’d been lying in their den where decomposing remains lingered, in addition to their filth. The risk of infection was worryingly high and she was not immortal.
‘We must get somewhere we can treat her wounds,’ Zacharias said to the others. He still held her in his arms, albeit he now sat bent over her protectively. ‘We cannot lose her,’ he added unable to look at the woman Megan had risked all to rescue.
‘Rinse her wounds in the stream. The sooner they’re cl
ean the better and it’s the best we can do right now. My place is closest. We can look after them properly there,’ Schubert said quietly aware Zacharias was shaking. ‘It’s probably best not to go back to Longbottom for a while. That Mistry might look for us there when it discovers that its plans have been thwarted.’
‘Do you have room for them to recuperate?’ Zacharias asked.
‘I have space I can free up easily,’ Schubert assured. ‘Julius, help me get Yolanda up onto Megan’s horse,’ Schubert said whilst draping the saddle with a thick blanket. He turned and realised both men were looking at him.
‘You know her?’ Julius asked and Schubert nodded. ‘She’s one of us?’
‘Yes. It’s probably been sixty years since I saw her last,’ he added and knelt by her face. Her eyes tracked him but he couldn’t tell how aware she was. For the sake of her sanity, he desperately hoped the paralysis also clouded her mind to what was truly going on. ‘We’ll get those things out of you soon Yolanda,’ he promised. ‘You’re safe with us,’ he added pushing back her lank and filthy matted hair from her face. ‘We need to get away from this place quickly so we’ll have to tie you on a horse. I’m sorry for that but I’ve padded the saddle as best I can.’ Her eyelids lowered and rose in a slow blink and he glanced at Zacharias. ‘Do you think she heard me?’
‘I did, but then I wasn’t under very long.’
Schubert nodded noting Zacharias unconsciously clasped his little wizard closer. He’d have been lost like Yolanda if not for Megan’s courage. She was truly remarkable but it had taken a great deal out of her; she remained unconscious. Zacharias would need to hold her on the horse. He picked up Yolanda, trying not to wince at the stench surrounding her, or the frail lightness of her body or the obscenely moving lumps on her thigh. Julius helped him, and soon Yolanda was draped face down across the saddle and tied in place. They helped lift the equally limp Megan up to Zacharias and then they could leave.
A few hours later Megan woke. ‘Where are we going?’
‘To Schubert’s place. We thought that’d be safer than Julius’s house. How are you feeling? You gave me one hell of a scare.’ Zacharias reflexively clutched her close again and she felt how worried he was.
‘Sorry.’ She’d do it again for him; just as long as it wasn’t today. She turned her attention to the woman she’d rescued feeling a strange sensation. ‘We need to stop,’ Megan said. ‘I have a nasty feeling at least one of those larvae is calling. It’s probably almost ready to hatch. We need to get rid of it, now.’
‘Are you sure you’ve the strength?’ Zacharias asked anxiously.
‘Not for all of them. I will concentrate on the one that’s causing her such pain,’ Megan said shortly. ‘I need something to eat first if you have anything?’
Zacharias glanced at the others and while they got Yolanda down off the horse, Megan munched a big chunk of cheese.
‘Julius, you’d best take the horses further away until this is done,’ Megan suggested. ‘Zach, Schubert, have your swords at the ready. This one won’t be so helpless.’ While the men got their swords out Megan examined the woman.
‘How is Yolanda?’ Zacharias asked quietly when Megan had moved away from her.
‘You know her?’
‘I don’t, but Schubert does,’ Zacharias told her.
‘She’s in poor shape. I don’t know when she last had anything to eat or drink and it’s clear this isn’t the first hatching she’s undergone. I’ll know better once she’s free of the larvae. Physically, she could recover fully given enough time and care. I don’t know about her state of mind though. The mental scarring from this horrific experience could be bad.’ She glanced up and realised Schubert had followed them closely enough to have heard all of that. ‘She’s a close friend?’
‘We spent some years together in her youth.’
‘Good, she needs to see someone she recognises. Stay where she can see you Schubert, but be ready with your sword. Ready?’
‘Yes. Please just get it done. I can’t bear this,’ Schubert admitted.
Megan reached out her hands towards Yolanda and worked the revised spell to transport the larvae outside of its host. The creature suddenly appeared making an awful screeching sound then began running, not towards its previous host, but towards Schubert and the fresh strong immortal body so enticingly close.
Schubert stared at the monstrous thing for a moment in shocked horror as it materialised; that had been inside Yolanda! It had been about to chew its way out of her body! Without warning it launched itself at him. He kicked it but it had managed to graze his leg with its teeth. It came at him again even more eagerly; obviously his blood was what it wanted. Shaking off his paralysed revulsion he chopped at the Scritcher hatchling and winced at the screech of his blade sliding across its shell.
‘Get the head,’ Zacharias shouted at him and moments later the creature lay with its decapitated body twitching for a moment before it was finally still.
They all breathed a sigh of relief that it was dead and eyed Yolanda in dismay, realising again that that horrible thing had been eating her alive.
‘How many more of them?’ Schubert asked Megan.
‘Two. That was the biggest. I need to rest before I tackle them. See if you can get her to at least drink; she’s very dehydrated.’
‘Should we move on from here if that one might have been calling?’
‘How far are we from your house?’ Megan asked.
‘It’s a full day’s travel from here still. Why?’
‘If something has been summoned by its calls then I’d rather not lead them any closer to your home. I’d rather wait here just long enough to get rid of the other two so all the corpses will be together and not serve as directional markers any more than we can help. Fortunately, the others aren’t yet calling; well I don’t hear anything. Hopefully that means they’re not ready to hatch.’
‘Do you think they call so the parent can be close by?’ Schubert asked.
‘I would expect so. Perhaps that one had been calling for food and mistook you for its designated fresh meal.’
‘Thanks, you do know how to give us nightmares,’ Schubert said drily.
‘To defeat them it’s sensible to study them,’ she said with a shrug. ‘Maybe they also call to the queen so she can be on hand to re-paralyse the host,’ Megan mused quietly. ‘The larvae give out the paralytic but once they’ve hatched out the host could recover and escape. I wonder if that’s why they start with the legs, to hamper their host from running. Assuming they get past the rest of the swarm. The queen certainly defends the person she’s using from the rest of them. It’s gross, but I know some wasps do similar things too and probably other insects as well.’
‘Not to people,’ Schubert said.
‘True,’ Megan said easily. ‘I’m glad nothing else grows as big as these.’
‘That we know of,’ Schubert added darkly.
‘Do we have to talk about this?’ Julius said plaintively.
‘You have a gentle heart Julius,’ Megan smiled at him briefly but he had a point; this was their worst nightmare, shoved in their faces. Watching someone they knew suffering beyond their help was appalling.
‘Right, let’s get rid of another,’ she said standing up. ‘Julius stay back, they’ll smell the blood on you.’
Julius quickly and gladly moved out of range.
‘Both of you be ready. I may be able to get both out at once,’ Megan warned and reached with her meagre remaining power for the two parasites. These ones, being younger than the other were less developed or strong to fight her but were considerably more developed than the ones in Zacharias. She didn’t truly have the strength to spare, but Yolanda was in dire need and Zacharias and Schubert believed in her ability to save her. So she worked the spell, and the strain knocked her out again. She didn’t see Zacharias and Schubert terminate these hatchlings. Nor did she witness the paralysis slowly wear off from Yolanda’s body.
‘Schuber
t, is it really you?’ Yolanda asked, her voice slurred and raspy.
‘Certainly is, Yolanda,’ he said lightly. ‘Welcome back,’ he added. ‘Here, drink this. Megan said you’d be thirsty,’ Schubert said putting his arm around her shoulders to lift her into a sitting position.
‘Who is Megan?’ Yolanda asked after taking a long swallow of water. She watched the way the dark haired man held the small woman; there was more than impartial concern for her well-being in his body language.
‘She is Zacharias’s wizard,’ Schubert said.
‘She’s a wizard? Then she’s mortal,’ Yolanda commented knowing at a glance that all three men were her kind; immortal.
‘I’m Julius,’ he said coming forward for a proper introduction. ‘You obviously know Schubert and that’s Zacharias,’ Julius added. ‘We’re very pleased to meet you. Now, sorry to rush, but we probably ought to leave this place as soon as you feel up to riding.’
‘What of Megan, she’s still out cold isn’t she?’
‘Zacharias can support her as he did earlier,’ Julius said with a shrug. ‘Megan was worried we might be followed, that one of the creatures was calling. Hopefully now they’re all dead anything following can’t get a fix on our location, but we shouldn’t take the chance.’
Yolanda simply nodded and tried to get up but found she didn’t have the strength. The men helped her into the saddle and gave her a water bottle to continue sipping at and some jerky to chew on. She let Schubert lead her horse realising it was taking all her strength and determination to simply stay upright in the saddle. But little by little as the hours passed and the men passed her more food and water, the toxins diluted and her body began the healing process.
It was a slow journey to Schubert’s house with neither woman in any shape to take a faster pace than a walk. The men grimly pressed on steadily however, with very few breaks. It had been fully dark for some hours by the time they arrived. None of them had suggested stopping to travel on in the morning. Both women needed care, and their wounds cleansed properly, all best accomplished at their destination.
Surviving Prophesy: The Immortals Page 10
