by David Greer
Chapter 26
He didn't like the idea of splitting up. Especially in an unknown region. Nobody knew what kind of beasts laid in wait to attack in the twisting ravine. The geology gave any monster an advantage and it seemed all to easy to thin out a pack of travelers, or in this case hunters, by splitting the path. Leo really didn't like the idea of splitting up. He felt they should have stuck together.
The island hunter sturdily limped his way through the ravine following his muscular cousin. Given the amount of damage his leg took in the tunnel the previous day he was amazed he could even stand on it let alone walk. That balm Grimey gave him the previous night must have been something of a miracle. But the healing balm couldn't keep the soreness from growing after having walked all morning long. They moved slowly, which only gave Leo more time to dwell on how much he disliked splitting up.
“Just nod and go huh?” Leo said. Kane raised an eyebrow. “Didn't even try to talk him out of it. Why do you always have to be so silent?”
Kane tried to pay no mind to the words but he didn't like the implication or where Leo's words were leading.
“And then he just walked off. And we're now split up.” Leo wasn't done yet. “You didn't even try to go after him. My leg is injured, there was no way I could catch him. And you just let him go. Now who knows where he is? Who knows where we are? He could have been ambushed and dead because you let him go. That beard can't fight off everything.”
Kane stopped, turned, and squared off with Leo. The muscular islander was done listening to his younger cousin's whining. “Grimey can take care of himself. You, however, cannot.” Kane said no more, turned and continued through the ravine. Leo was stunned. Never before had Kane shown such silent animosity toward another person. A monster sure, but not a person. His eyes narrowed the way they do just before he pounces on a monster. Leo realized he may have crossed a line with his words and came back to his senses. He didn't understand why he had become so upset. He knew Grimey made a reasonable decision to split up and Grimey was indeed perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Still, Leo became very mad and just took it out on what was convenient. But why? The islander couldn't understand it and grew frustrated. Realizing his emotions were rising again, Leo checked himself.
“Hey Kane.” Leo said. The muscular islander turned with a look of caution. “I'm sorry. There's just something about this place. I didn't mean it.” Kane's face softened, he nodded and continued to lead the way.
It grew increasingly hot as the sun passed zenith, although the hunters wouldn't know this being in the shadow of the ravine. Heat waves radiated from the ground and a bead of sweat fell from Kane's face. The muscular hunter wore a constant face of irritation. He was hot, he was tired, he was being slowed by his injured cousin, and he had no idea how long they had been wandering nor how much longer they would be trapped in the confines of the ravine. How much quicker he could reach the end of that maze if he were on his own. The thought of leaving Leo behind did cross the large islander's mind but Kane's sense of duty and familial compassion kept him from acting on the impulse. He grew increasingly frustrated at the situation but he remained with Leo.
Maybe there was something about this place just as Leo said, Kane thought. The two had been in several uncomfortable situations in the past and never before had the thought of abandoning his cousin ever entered the muscular hunter's mind. Kane quickly checked his attitude and then checked on his cousin. Leo was clearly limping but also clearly determined to push on.
“Look. What's that?” Leo said. The two islanders came to a long straightaway. At the end of the pathway there was something in the distance distinctly redder than the surrounding sandstone. Leo's gaze traveled upward and he could see the colored rock belonged to a cone shaped mountain that loomed not too far ahead. “That's it. Iyre Mountain.”
Leo ignored the ache in his leg and quickly hobbled down the rocky hallway. Before he reached the end the island hunter sensed a change in the air. It was as though the pressure dropped making the air feel more still than it had before. It made a memory stir in his mind but before he could recall it the ground began to shake. The two islanders staggered and clung to the rock wall to maintain their balance. Then a powerful gust of hot air blasted through the ravine. The two islanders braced themselves against the force. That's when Leo remembered. It was just like the night of the rumble on his island home all those weeks ago. The two endured the rumble for only a moment and the air and ground became still once again. But their reprieve wouldn't last long. The ground began to rumble once more.
Both hunters lost their footing. Rock began to fall from the canyon walls. Kane was dusted with pebbles while a large rock crashed down, narrowly missing Leo's head. The two hunters scrambled to their feet and ran. Rocks peppered the hunters while they managed to dodge the larger stones.
The two made it out of the ravine and the ground continued to rumble violently beneath their feet. The sound of the shaking earth groaned, roared, and echoed all around them. They were forced to kneel to keep from falling over and were completely disoriented by the assaulting rumble. Leo gathered his wits enough to notice they had cleared the ravine and had come to the edge of a wide gulch and the red cone of Iyre Mountain loomed in front of them. Without having to worry about being pummeled by falling rocks, the two hunters stumbled against the shaking ground toward the base of the mountain.
A pathway laid before the islanders which led to the mountain. Leo's gaze followed the path, which also stretched up the mountain in a straight line. Unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, Leo thought he saw logs laid across the pathway at regular intervals all the way up the mountainside like a stairway to the summit. Towards the top of the rudimentary staircase a figure slowly advanced upward. Although the figure was a ways away, Leo could clearly see he had a full beard and an axe holstered across his back. Grimey was nearly at the top of Iyre Mountain.
The two island hunters stood tall once the ground stopped moving. They both watched Grimey's shape continue to the top of the mountain. Leo wanted a closer look. His eyes turned a radiant white as the islander focused his vision and he saw Grimey as though he were just a few feet in front of him. Sweat beaded off the bearded hunter's neck and soaked the back of his shirt. It was clearly a strenuous hike up the stairs. The bearded hunter was nearly at the top, which to Leo appeared to be the rim of a crater. When Grimey reached the summit he looked this way and that and then caught sight of something. The bearded hunter froze in his tracks then quickly crouched behind a rock. Carefully, he peeked over the rock. Something inside the crater held his gaze. What was he looking at? What happened next both surprised and alarmed Leo. And the ground began to shake more violently than it had before.
I hate it when my beard sweats! Grimey's beard dripped so much it formed a sweat-path on the ground. He had been hiking the makeshift stairway up the mountainside for over fifteen minutes taking large strides to reach each step. For an isolated mountain in a region where nobody ventured to, the stairway was very well built and rather sturdy. Not a single log was loose, the path was clearly laid out, and it was impossible to deviate off course since it was a straight line from the base of the mountain to the summit. It was almost too well laid out. The whole thing set a warning off in Grimey's head but he had come too far not to see what this mountain was all about so up he went. The air was hot, his lungs burned with each breath, and sweat poured out of him but Grimey was determined to reach the the summit. Then the ground began to shake.
The hunter leaned forward against the steps to steady himself. He was about twenty meters from the top. When the tremor subsided he continued. He only made it ten meters further when the ground began shaking again. It rumbled fiercely and loudly for a few minutes. Grimey was forced to kneel and keep a grip on the step in front of him. A low roar echoed from within the mountain. An odd sound but Grimey figured it was just the earth groaning through the rumble. Finally, after what felt like ages, the rumble quieted and the ground was
still once more. Grimey continued to the top of the stairway.
A crater. The summit of Iyre Mountain was a crater. A memory scratched at the back of Grimey's mind. He stood on the crater's rim. The center of it sank into the mountain. It was impossible to tell how far down it went through a screen of smoke which billowed from the crater's depths and at random spots around the rim. Intense heat smelt the hunter's face. Then it hit him. Grimey recalled stories of exploding mountains, all of which were cone-shaped and cratered at the top just like the mountain he stood on. Panic threatened to course through the hunter until something caught his eye. Movement from inside the crater. It was difficult to see through the smoke but there was definitely something moving down there. The bearded hunter ducked behind a nearby rock but kept an eye on the crater depths.
Through the misty smoke something was definitely moving, churning in the depths of the crater. A vibration emanated from within the mountain shaking small pebbles and dirt and a low deep groan reverberated in the ground. It stirred the air within the crater and the smoke momentarily cleared giving Grimey a clear view of what was inside. It was mostly rock but deep within there was a small opening that revealed what was down there. He knew what it was instantly. Like the glow from a hot iron on the hunter's forge, the depths of the crater glowed a bright red-orange. Molten rock churned within the mountain and a small crack at the bottom of the crater was its only window. The hot magma glowed brighter and brighter then it occurred to the hunter what was happening. It wasn't actually getting brighter but it was getting closer. The magma was rising.
The rim of the crater began to vibrate again and another low groan reverberated from the depths. Great, the hunter thought, all this way and that islander brought me to the top of a mountain about to explode. No monster, no myth, just a hot mountain ready to pop.
Grimey turned and was about to descend back down the stairs when suddenly the bottom of the crater burst open sending chunks of rock into the air and a deafening roar tore through the atmosphere. A massive winged beast had launched out of the crater and with one powerful beat of its wings propelled itself up to the edge of the crater and landed on the opposite side of where Grimey was.
Massive red claws dug into the earth as the beast crouched on powerful, muscular hind legs. Its smaller forelegs curled and flexed as though the beast was testing their movement before bringing them to rest on the ground. Its wings stretched wide and flapped sending waves of air rushing to the ground stirring up the dirt. The beast craned its long neck upward, opened is jaws reveling lethal fangs and teeth that were red like ruby, and its tongue flicked the air as its tail whipped back and forth. Its red scales gleamed in the sunlight as the beast stretched its entire body.
A dragon. A massive, crimson dragon. The beast must have been at least five meters high crouched and spanned at least eight meters in length. Grimey's jaw hung open as he stared awestruck. It's real, he thought. A dragon hadn't been seen in the world for centuries. They were thought to be extinct, eradicated, but there one stood before the bearded hunter. Glorious and terrible, the beast shook off centuries of slumber. But something wasn't quite right about it. Grimey noticed the beast appeared wounded. There was a large gash along the left side of its body. It didn't bleed, it wasn't festered, but there was a large cut in the dragon's side. Another open wound was on its right hind leg, which exposed white bone and another along the base of its tail. The dragon turned its head and Grimey saw that part of the right side of its face was missing. Instead of scales, the beast's exposed skull made up almost half of its face.
The wounds didn't seem to bother the beast at all as though they were normal and supposed to be there. No signs of rot or pus could be seen and the dragon didn't tend to them in the least. The dragon continued to stretch, take small steps one way then another, flex its wings then fold them against its body. Then it stopped and remained still. Its tongue flicked the air several times and its nostrils flared. Slowly, as if following a trail, the beast turned its head and fixed its gaze directly on Grimey. For the first time he noticed its eyes. Ruby red with a black slit at the center for a pupil. He had seen it before. It was the eye that invaded his dreams and at that moment two of them, one from the red scales of the dragon's face and the other embedded in the empty black socket of its skull, bore down on him and burned with rage. At that moment a sensation Grimey was unfamiliar with, a feeling he hadn't felt in years, coursed through his entire being: fear.
He was paralyzed. All the bearded hunter could do was stare wide-eyed. Even his mind was empty. The thought of drawing his axe or trying to throw a hatchet across the crater didn't even register. He was frozen, unable to comprehend anything but fear.
The dragon took flight, easily glided through the air, then stopped and hovered over the center of the crater. Its wings were spread wide catching the updraft and rising smoke from within the crater creating the illusion that the beast could actually stand in mid air. And those ruby eyes never strayed from the bearded hunter, who was still overwhelmed by the sight of the dragon.
The beast's upper lip curled revealing sharp fangs and teeth. They looked eager to taste a victim's flesh. A low growl reverberated from the dragon's throat sending waves of vibration through the air, into the ground, and into Grimey's bones. Something pecked at the back of Grimey's mind that these sensations were familiar. It was just like one of his dream. The vibrations in his body shook and rang against each other creating the sensation of sound from within his very bones. It formed a single word: Arkadius.
Grimey's fear amplified into absolute terror. But before he could comprehend the impact of what he just experienced something strange happened. The dragon's wounds began to bleed profusely and blood dripped in globs into the crater depths. The beast's neck recoiled and shot out as it opened its jaws. A giant glob of blood hurled through the air toward the bearded hunter. Grimey snapped out of his trance and ducked behind a rock. The red fluid splashed against the rock and sprayed the surrounding area. Several droplets landed next to Grimey. He watched them sizzle and steam on the dirt. The blood was hot. Grimey hovered his hand above the fluid and felt intense heat. The blood could burn through his skin with ease.
Another deafening roar ripped through the air followed by the sound of wings beating. Grimey had no doubt the dragon was coming his way. The hunter scrambled to move away, careful to avoid any drops of blood. The next moment the dragon's claws smashed the rock Grimey was just leaning against into pieces. By instinct the hunter turned and lobbed a hatchet. The dragon watched the blade harmlessly glance off its scales and land on the ground. It snarled as though amused at the feeble attack. When the beast turned back, the hunter was gone.
Grimey didn't bother to see where his blade landed, as soon as it left his hand he took off down the mountain. Fueled by adrenaline and terror the hunter had never felt his legs move so quickly or so agile as he dashed down Iyre Mountain's makeshift staircase. It took the hunter over twenty minutes to hike up Iyre Mountain and in less than one he was a third of the way down. Then the ground began to shake furiously. Grimey lost his balance and fell hard to the ground. He rolled down several steps before leaping back to his feet. He blocked out whatever pain the fall caused and continued to sprint down the mountain. But he didn't make it far with the ground rumbling before he stumbled again. Instinct told him not to bother regaining his balance, that would only slow him down, so instead he leaped forward and tumbled down more steps. Good thing too because hot red liquid splashed on the ground behind him and burned through the logs that made up the staircase.
Another roar filled the air but this time it came from higher up. The dragon had taken flight. The ground continued to shake and a low groan bellowed from within the mountain. Grimey continued to stumble, leap, roll, and mostly fall down the mountain. Getting off the mountain and away from the dragon was all that mattered. Leo and Kane met him at the bottom.
“It's real! Your great beast is real. It's a dragon!” Grimey shouted as he sprinted toward h
is friends.
“Yes we saw.” Leo shouted back. “It took flight, circling up -” Grimey didn't bother to slow down to listen. The bearded hunter dashed past the two others and kept going up the gulch toward the entrance to the ravine he came from. Leo and Kane got the hint and followed. Now was not the time for talking.
They were nearing the top of the gulch when a powerful tremor shook all three hunters just as the mountain exploded. A pressure wave sent them sailing several meters through the air to land hard on the ground. All sense of sound was stripped from them. Delirious, Grimey rolled onto his back. Pain was all he knew. The explosion rattled his bones, pounded his brain, stole his breath, and blurred his vision. Pure agony was all he knew.
Whether he laid there for seconds or minutes Grimey didn't know. Each breath felt like a fire ignited within his lungs. The lack of all sound was gradually replaced with a high pitched ring. Eventually his vision cleared and he saw the top third of Iyre Mountain was gone. A cloud of smoke rose out of the mountain and formed a distinctive dome shape. The sky had darkened and glowing rivers of magma flowed down the mountainside. Feeling returned to the hunter. It was raining but the raindrops were hard. Water was not falling from the sky. It was rock. Small pebbles and stones showered the gulch. Then a large boulder crashed down a few meters in front of Grimey. Then another off to the right. Survival instincts kicked into gear and Grimey forced himself to crawl. He had to move. They all had to move or they would be either crushed or swallowed by molten rock.
With a monumental effort Grimey staggered to his feet and limped over to Kane to help him up. The muscular islander was heavily dazed but managed to stand. The two reached Leo while rocks and dust continued to pepper them.
Leo was unconscious. “Wake up lad!” Grimey shouted and repeatedly slapped his face. The islander groaned. “Up! Up! We have to go!”
The rivers of magma reached the base of the mountain and began filling up the gulch. It wouldn't be long until the entire gulch became a lake of lava.
“We really need to go!” Grimey shouted. Leo woke and managed to sit up. But that was the extend of his movement. There was no time to wait any further. Grimey and Kane each took one of Leo's arms and hoisted him up. The two hunters half carried, half dragged Leo into the ravine. Leo's senses returned to him once they were within the canyon walls and he managed to move on his own. The ground had stopped shaking but stone continued to fall from the sky. The hunters were constantly pelted with rock but fortune kept the large boulders away from them.
The hunters navigated through the ravine back to the clearing where the entrance to the Tunnel of Lights was. At that moment the black tunnel was a welcome sight but when the hunters began to move toward the crack in the wall the dragon swooped down and landed in their way. Leo staggered back at the sight of it. The dragon towered over the hunters, its jaws could easily snap any of them up. The beast let loose a roar that shook the canyon walls. It stalked forward a few steps and pounced for the hunters, who all sprinted to get out of the way. Grimey dashed right, Kane and Leo dashed left. The dragon followed Grimey. It lunged for a bite and Grimey dove, narrowly escaping its razor-sharp teeth. As he came to his feet Grimey drew his axe and swung, striking the dragon's snout with the blunt side of the axe. The strike carried enough force to knock the dragon back. The bearded hunter kept his axe raised and faced the beast.
There was really no other choice as Grimey saw it. The hunter was trapped with nowhere to run. Fighting was the only option.
The dragon kept low on all fours and circled the bearded hunter. Its ruby eyes bored into its prey with burning fury. A low growl reverberated from the dragon's throat. As it began to bare its teeth an arrow glanced off the side of its face. Then another. Leo fired four arrows in rapid succession but none of them pierced the dragon's scales. The islander pulled his bow to a full draw and fired. This time the arrow punctured and lodged into a scale just below its jaw. The dragon merely dipped its head and plucked the arrow out with one of its forelegs. It seemed more irritated about the arrows than anything. Then Leo saw the gash it the beast's side and fired an arrow into it. The arrow lodged into the wound but it had no affect on the dragon.
Suddenly the dragon let loose a shrieking cry. Kane had thrown his spear with all his might and pierced the dragons hind left leg. The spear tip punctured through the scales and found its way into the soft flesh below.
The dragon craned its long neck, pulled out the spear with its jaws and bit down shattering it to pieces. The beast turned on Kane while whipping its tail at Grimey. The bearded hunter took the hit and was sent sprawling to the ground. His entire side would bruise from the blow. The dragon moved to the center of the clearing as it stalked Kane. It recoiled its neck and blood began to pour out of its wounds.
“Kane! Move!” Grimey shouted. The muscular islander dove and narrowly avoided the glob of blood that splashed onto the rock wall behind where he just stood.
Rock continued to shower from above and a large boulder struck the dragon's wing. The beast staggered briefly but shook off the hit. Then another boulder landed just next to the beast, causing it to recoil back. It was all the opportunity the hunters needed to flee.
“Quick, into the tunnel.” Leo shouted. The three hunters bolted into the tunnel with Kane aiding Leo, who was still limping on his wounded leg. Grimey was the last in the tunnel. He sensed the dragon's jaws snap behind him as he entered the crack in the wall. He narrowly avoided a fatal bite.
The three kept moving further into the black of the tunnel. The dragon let loose a roar which echoed and shook the walls around them. Next they heard the beat of its wings fade into the distance. Only the sound of the hunters heavy breathing remained. They collapsed onto the ground, safe in the darkness.
“I can't believe it lads.” Grimey said. “It's actually real.”
-** --*
