"Is this the beast they were talking about?" Nadia asked softly.
Markus looked pale beside her. "I sure hope so. I can't imagine anything being worse than this."
The giant crab raced toward them on its six massive legs, clicking its pincers madly.
Nadia's chest seized with panic. "What can we do?"
"I'll stand back and keep the light here for us," Klint said. "You guys do the tough job."
Nadia almost smiled despite the situation. Klint had a strange sense of humor.
"I know how to fight this thing," Berig said. "It's like the rock monster we faced on the Red Plateau. It's got a tough outer shell, but the underside looks soft."
"Of course," Markus said. "Let's pull some spikes of rock from the ground."
Nadia glanced down at the dark, damp stones. "Yes, that should work."
She, Markus, and Berig focused their magical energy on a spot beneath the crab as it came scuttling toward them. The power coursed through Nadia, and soon a giant spike of rock erupted from the stone floor. The rock was just long enough that it stabbed through the crab's stomach.
But it wasn't long enough to kill the beast.
It continued toward them, clicking its pincers more quickly than ever. She could have sworn she read anger in its monstrous expression. One of the pincers came swinging toward Berig. He ducked the blow and lifted his dagger to strike a blow. But the dagger bounced off the tough carapace.
The pincer came back for another shot at Berig, so sharp it would cut him in half if it grabbed him. He flung himself to the side moments before it would have caught him.
"I think I can get under it," he said, ducking another swipe. The beast had focused its attention entirely on him.
"No, Berig," Markus said. "Just keep it occupied. You're gonna survive anyway, right?"
Berig leapt to the side. "Thanks for giving me the easy job."
With the monster focusing its attention on them, Markus and Nadia approached from behind it. Klint remained to the side, shining his light upon the chamber. Travin had frozen for a few moments, but now he'd leapt into action beside Nadia and Markus.
The three of them raced at the creature from behind, ducking as its long stinger moved about. It hadn't appeared to notice them, focusing on Berig instead.
But how long would that last?
Markus reached the spot beneath the creature first, dodging its many legs as he tried to find a spot to strike it. Nadia darted in behind him. She thrust her sword toward its abdomen, but it moved away at the last moment. Her sword managed only a small slash against its soft skin.
One of the legs slammed into Nadia and sent her flying. She hit the ground hard and couldn't breathe for a few moments. One of the legs stepped on her. It was heavy, but not heavy enough to crush her. Instead, the creature stumbled over her. Unbalanced, it fell to the side.
This gave them the perfect opportunity. Nadia, Markus, and Travin all plunged their swords through its soft underbelly. It let out a terrible shriek, clicking its pincers with more fury than ever. But it couldn't right itself, couldn't stop them from killing it. Its green blood oozed from the wounds, covering the stone floor.
The crab twitched a few times, then fell still.
"Well, that was exciting," Markus said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "At least we handled that beast everyone was so scared of."
Klint moved closer, the light from his staff almost blinding. "I don't think sorcerers would hold much fear of a monster like this. No, I think there's something much worse than this."
Markus glared at him. "I'm trying to keep my hopes up."
"Well, I'm trying to be realistic," Klint said. "When it comes to danger, realism beats optimism any time. Figured you'd have learned that by now."
"I have. But that doesn't mean I can't hope."
Klint shrugged. "Do whatever you want, as long as you aren't an idiot about it."
Nadia still wasn't sure how she felt about Klint. The former smuggler had agreed to help them, but he didn't seem happy about it. Was Klint only helping them because he saw no other interesting options?
They left the body of the monster behind as they walked to the other side of the chamber, across damp gray stone. The air no longer smelled of sewage, but with the smell of mildew lingering, it still wasn't pleasant.
Far at the other side of the chamber, after walking for a few minutes, they found a narrower passage leading away. There was no way they could have run that far, eluding the monster, so it had been necessary to fight it.
They stepped into the passage, then followed its twists and turns as it descended slowly. How far below the surface were they now?
The passage led them into another open chamber. Tense silence hung in the air. By the light of Klint's staff, they scanned their surroundings, but the chamber appeared deserted. Still, Nadia felt tense as they crossed.
"What if there's no other exit?" she asked. "What if we're just going deeper and deeper until we run into a dead end? We can't turn back, not with the sorcerers waiting for us."
Travin sighed deeply. "I wish I could give you some kind of good news, but I'm not familiar with this area at all. As I said, we've always avoided it."
This open chamber turned from the stone of the sewers to more of a normal cave. Soon they crossed a field of stalagmites. From up ahead came the faint gurgling of an underground stream. The smell of the sewers had vanished entirely.
As they ventured farther into the cave chamber, Klint's light became unnecessary. Glowing mushrooms were perched along the walls, providing a brilliant glow that illuminated the entire chamber.
Klint let his light die, and they continued across the chamber. No sounds echoed in the open space. There were no signs of life at all.
Still, Nadia couldn't shake her fear. Though she wanted to remain positive, she had to agree with Klint's suspicions. The monster they'd faced had been fearsome, yes, but it had not been fearsome enough. There was something else deeper in this place, waiting for them.
With every step, Nadia's heart pounded more fiercely. She kept glancing from side to side, expecting to see a monster, but in the eerie blue light of the mushrooms, nothing threatened. Nothing stirred at all. The cool, damp air of the cave seemed suffocating.
Then she felt it: the beginning of another vision.
She walks through a narrow passage, the others at her side. Shortly, they emerge in another open chamber. In this chamber, they stand before the largest monster she's ever seen—larger even than the monster in Bradenton. It stands so tall its head is lost to sight. Wings sprout from its shoulders, each one stretching perhaps a hundred feet from side to side.
The monster lets out a mighty roar. Though its head is not visible, the flames spewing from its mouth are. They glow a bright orange as they shoot toward the party. Klint tries to raise a shield, but the flames are too powerful. In moments, they are engulfed.
Screams echo in the chamber as the flames confuse them.
And then they die.
Nadia's normal vision returned. She lay on the ground, trembling and disoriented, sweat drenching her clothes. When she tried to get to her feet, her arms and legs collapsed.
Markus knelt beside her. "You all right?"
"I just had another vision. I saw the monster, the one the sorcerers were talking about." Tears fell from her eyes. "It's going to kill us. There's no way around it. My visions have never been wrong before."
Markus placed his hand on her shoulder. "I refuse to believe that. Maybe you've never changed the outcome of a vision before, but that doesn't mean you can't start now. After all, I think these visions have something to do with the Webs of Fate. If I've learned anything from all these sorcerers, it's that the future is not set in stone."
Nadia pushed herself to her feet. "Perhaps you are right, but I still don't see how we can get past that monster. It breathed fire on us, and Klint couldn't do a thing to shield us."
"We'll have to think of something," Markus said.
"And where would we go?" Klint asked.
"I don't know, but I don't wanna face a monster that's gonna kill us."
"I still think your visions are more like warnings," Markus said. "You never get a vision of some normal, safe event. It's always somebody getting killed. And why would you get these visions if there wasn't any way to change them?"
Nadia took a deep breath. "Maybe you're right."
She had trouble believing that, though, and she wanted to turn back. There had to be another way. Surely the sorcerers couldn't wait for them forever. Then again, they could guard the exits from the sewers as long as they needed.
Nadia felt sick to her stomach. As much as she hated it, continuing forward was their only option. But how could they elude that monster?
"Let's keep going," she said, hoping she wasn't making the last mistake of her life.
Soon they reached a narrower passage. As they walked through it, it looked far too much like what she'd seen in her vision. When the passage came to an end, her heart climbed into her throat. In the chamber ahead, illuminated by the light of glowing mushrooms, the creature she'd seen in her vision waited for them.
It was just as big as she'd feared.
Chapter 24: Where the Tunnels Lead
Berig stood frozen, looking at the monster. He'd thought the monster in Bradenton was bad. It was nothing compared to what stood before them now. For the moment, the winged beast appeared to be asleep.
"What the hell are we gonna do?" Klint whispered.
Berig took a deep breath, steeling his determination. "Well, it can't kill all of us. Remember? I've gotta live long enough to go back in time."
"Then why would my vision show me what it did," Nadia asked.
"No idea," Berig said. "But I have to be the one to do this." His stomach fluttered. "I'll go across the chamber first, try to sneak past it. Not sure if it'll work, but we've gotta try something."
The others nodded their agreement, and Berig started across the chamber before he could have too many second thoughts. His legs felt as if they'd turned into wet noodles. With every step, he was sure he'd collapse. But he continued forward, resolved to help his friends.
Or die trying.
He still wasn't sure about the workings of time travel. Was there some way that he wouldn't survive long enough? The more he thought about things like that, the more his head hurt. He had to live in the moment and hope for the best.
That was what he'd always done.
He tiptoed across the chamber, his steps silent. The monster did not stir. Its great wings stretched from its sides, unmoving. Its breathing filled the chamber with a gentle, rhythmic sound that seemed at odds with the beast creating it.
Step by step, Berig approached the monster. He wasn't sure what he'd find on the other side, and he had no idea if the others could cross the chamber without waking the monster. Markus was especially noisy. He'd have made a terrible thief.
As Berig reached the monster, it let out a low groan. He tensed, watching for signs of movement, but it didn't stir again. Chest tight, he continued forward. On the other side of the giant beast, he found a barred door.
Stepping softly, he searched his surroundings for any way to open the door. But there were no chains or levers to pull. Nor was there any sign of a lock he could pick. He searched and searched but found nothing that could permit them entrance to the stone corridor beyond the bars. With chilling certainty, he realized what they had to do.
They had to defeat the monster.
He turned to deliver this news to the others, and that was when the monster awoke. It stirred groggily at first, flapping its large wings a few times, swiveling its head. Then it woke up fully and began stomping on the ground, shaking the entire chamber.
A great burst of fire shot from the beast's mouth. Berig froze. He didn't know what to do as the fire surged toward the party, but he couldn't let them die.
Fueled by adrenaline, he raced toward the monster and slashed at the back of its leg. His dagger scored a gash in the beast's leathery hide. It let out a horrible shriek, then turned to face him. Fire gathered in its maw, high above, then blasted toward Berig.
Instinctively, he leapt to the side. The flames passed within inches of him, the heat burning across his back. He hit the ground hard, rolled, then hopped to his feet. Facing the monster, he unleashed a barrage of sharp rocks, all of which collided with the monster's legs. Blood trickled from small wounds, but the injuries didn't deter the beast.
It stomped toward Berig, shaking the ground. Berig backed away, gripped by panic. One of the monster's wings came flapping toward him, too large to dodge. The wing caught him across the chest and he flew backward. In the air, he twisted so that he'd land on his knees instead of his head. He hit the ground hard and rolled a few feet, rubbing his skin raw.
Dazed, he clambered back to his feet. The monster continued toward him. From behind it came blasts of fire and surges of lightning. Good. The others were alive and fighting.
Or at least Klint was.
The monster stomped toward him, fire gathering in its maw once again. This time, he was backed into a corner with no escape. He leapt to the side but found only a rock wall.
No. He wasn't supposed to die. He had to go back in time and save himself.
He'd been foolish to think he could ever be a hero.
But then a stalagmite shot up from the ground, right below one of the monster's feet. The sharp rock stabbed it through the foot, and the beast shrieked again. Then it turned toward the rest of the party, ready to send fire their way.
Flames surged from its mouth, and Klint raised his staff, conjuring a shield.
But would it be enough?
Berig rushed toward the creature from behind, though he had no idea what he could do. One of its wings flapped down toward him, and he jumped, grabbing onto the ribbed surface. It was tough to cling to the wing, but he hung on with all the strength he had.
The wing jerked upward, and he nearly lost his grip. His heart pounded in his ears, and his palms felt sweaty as he tried to hold on. He climbed along the ribbing in the wing, finding a surprising number of handholds and footholds. Though he had no idea why he was doing this, he kept climbing. Maybe, if he got up higher, he could figure out what to do.
The dagger felt small and insignificant in his hands, but he did have Earth magic. Maybe he'd think of something. He had to protect the others.
Soon he reached the top of the wing. The monster's movements threatened to throw him off, but he hadn't lost his skills from his time as a thief. This was just like climbing a building—well, if buildings could move, breathe fire, and swallow him whole.
There was no difference, really.
He reached the monster's shoulder and continued climbing. It was so focused on the rest of the party that it didn't seem to notice him. Or maybe its leathery skin was just that thick. Regardless, he was in the best position to save everyone.
Why did it always seem to happen this way? Didn't everyone know Berig was no hero?
A shout came from below. A scream of pain. Berig didn't want to look, didn't want to see the others dying.
The monster's movements became more frantic than ever. It stomped all over the chamber, chasing the others. All kinds of magic flew through the air—a sign that at least Klint was still alive. Another shout came from below. It sounded like Markus.
"Berig, I can sense its heart!" Nadia shouted. "It's only a few feet below where you are."
Fire gathered in the monster's mouth again. It didn't seem as powerful as the first blast it had sent at Berig. Maybe it had to regain its magical energy before it could unleash another burst of fire. Berig prayed that Klint's shield would be strong enough. After all, Klint had expended a lot of magical energy recently.
The monster jerked suddenly, nearly sending Berig flying. The world spun around him. He'd never feared heights, but
he was so high now he could barely see the others below. They were dim shadows in the light of the glowing mushrooms.
Clinging to the monster's shoulder, Berig tried to drop low enough to get to the spot Nadia had indicated. He didn't know exactly where the monster's heart was, but at its size, it had to have a large heart. All he had to do was get close.
The monster's large ribs stuck out of its skin, giving Berig more places to hold onto. If this beast was anything like a person, the heart had to be somewhere here, among the ribs.
He clung to the monster with one hand and used the other in an attempt to plunge his dagger through the heart. But the monster shifted moments before Berig would have succeeded. With a flare of panic, he released the dagger and used both hands to cling to the beast's ribs.
Damn. What was he going to do now?
The monster moved more rapidly than ever, threatening to throw him off. His muscles ached from clinging so tightly to the monster, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could do this. He had magic on his side, but he was terrified to release his grip.
A lot of people accompanied magic with hand motions, but maybe that wasn't necessary. Maybe Berig could direct a spike of rock toward the heart without releasing his grip.
He prepared his magic, and that was when the monster finally noticed him. It opened its mouth, letting out a mighty roar, then twisted its body in savage motions. Berig's grip slipped, and he plummeted toward the ground. As he fell, he pointed a finger at the spot from which he'd just fallen, unleashing a few spikes of rock that soared directly toward its heart.
He didn't have time to see if he'd been successful. Instead, he turned around and watched the ground come closer. He prayed that the impact would kill him immediately. Surely he was falling from too high for Klint's wind to save him.
But then, as the monster twisted, one of its wings slammed against him. The impact sent him spinning through the air. He tried to grab onto something but couldn't find any purchase.
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 147
