Legend of Alm -The Valor Saga Pt 1 - Falling Star

by Graham M. Irwin

  Anaxis slid through the dust trying to stop himself, to turn back to help his friend. Before he could make it the short distance to where Mills cowered, the jaela leapt forward, landing immediately before the two. It hissed again, blowing foul-smelling, humid air at the trespassers, and then the corners of its cracked mouth rose up in a smile.

  Anaxis reached into his bag and found a flare, which he cracked to activate. He hurled the burning rod at the jaela, hitting it between the eyes, but this did nothing to deter the animal. It opened its huge jaws and lunged forward, snapping them shut just inches from where Mills finally managed to get up and start running.

  Mills overtook Anaxis in his race toward the light at the end of the cave, and the jaela slinked along after them, exerting little energy as it moved. As he ran, Anaxis managed to remove the glow gun from his sack, and fire back two shots at the lumbering jaela. The luminous trajectories hit the jaela and stuck, but the beast didn’t care. The lights smoldered in its oily fur, seven spots of smoke and burning green luminance, but this only served to make the monster appear more ghastly, more other-worldly, and add to the horrible smell in the cave the odor of burning hair.

  Mills was the first to reach the intended end of the cave. He scrambled up the boulders toward the light, but soon realized that this wasn’t the exit to the cave at all. The hole was far too small for he or Anaxis to exit through. Anaxis soon realized this, too, and the two turned back to see the smoldering, smiling face of the jaela press closer and closer still.

  “What are we going to do?” Mills cried.

  “I don’t know!” Anaxis hollered back.

  The jaela licked its cracked lips with its grotesque tongue and moved in for the kill.

  Mills picked up the largest boulder he could and hurled it at the creature. It struck its nose, which caused the jaela to wince and growl but nothing more. The beast opened its jaws and settled over Anaxis, who, to Mills’ surprise, leapt right passed the rows of putrid teeth into beast’s mouth. The jaela slammed its jaws shut, missing Anaxis with its teeth, but seemingly devouring him whole.

  “No!” Mills cried. The surge of adrenalin pushed him to hurl many more large boulders at the jaela, who retreated to savor his morsel and regroup to get the second.

  While the creature purred and squared itself to pounce again, there came a muted explosion from within it. The eyes of the jaela lit up in confusion. Smoke started to pour out of its nostrils, and then it began to scrape at its snout with its broken claws. It snorted and sneezed, and shot Anaxis, covered in green phlegm, straight out of its mouth.

  As Anaxis slipped and slid in the phlegm trying to get up, the jaela whined and howled and spat, plumes of smoke continuing to bellow from inside its mouth.

  “Duck!” Anaxis managed to shout to Mills when he had cleared enough of the beast’s fluid from his face to be able to speak.

  “What?” Mills shouted back, shocked at what he was watching.

  “I said, duck!” Anaxis shouted again, as he crouched down on the ground with his hands over his head.

  Mills just managed to get behind a large rock when the head of the jaela suddenly exploded in a wash of mucous and flesh. There was a gaping hole now blown through the side of the creature’s face, but it still reared up, smacked its head on the cave ceiling, then staggered about for a short while, clawing and clutching at where the side of its face had just been, before growling one last, pained growl and falling to the floor, calling up huge plumes of dust from where it twitched and spasmed and then finally went still.

  The two trespassers to the jaela’s cave sat and stared for some time at the smoldering beast, to make sure it was dead, and then hollered and whooped when they realized they had won.

  “What happened?” Mills asked, running down the rocks to join Anaxis on the cave floor.

  “I blew it up!” Anaxis answered happily, still wiping yellow-green snot from off himself. “Stuck the explosive right into its jaw!”

  “I thought you were done for!” Mills said.

  “Well, see, I figured the teeth were the biggest problem,” Anaxis said. “Just had to get past them, that’s all.”

  “That was the best thing you’ve ever done, by far,” Mills said, reeling. “You look awful, though.”

  “Not as bad as the jaela,” Anaxis said.

  “Certainly not,” said Mills. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Right behind you,” said Anaxis. “I’ve had enough of these caves.”

  After a number of fake-outs and turn-arounds, Anaxis and Mills found their way out of the Jaela’s den. They left behind the light pouring into the den, too, and were again in darkness.

  “But the light made it seem like we were so close to the exit,” Mills said. “Are you sure we aren’t going backwards?”

  “No, this is where we want to be,” Anaxis answered. “The purple striations in the rocks… this must be the Squeeze.”

  “Alright, if you say so,” said Mills. “I’m not looking forward to this.”

  “Well, we’ll get it over with and then we’ll be out,” said Anaxis.

  “And what about the return trip?”

  “Let’s not think about that.”

  The space between the purple-and-green-streaked rocks grew tighter and tighter as the two sought their way through. Soon it grew so tight that they had to remove their packs, and pull them through after themselves when they made it past one particularly tight squeeze or another. The deeper they went, the more translucent creatures that never saw sunlight they found, long, spindly ones with many legs and squat, plump ones that seemed to pulse as they traced their gooey trails across the walls and floors.

  “I… I think I’m going to be sick,” Mills said.

  “Well then it’s a good thing you’re behind me, because I don’t want to crawl through that, too,” said Anaxis.

  The noise of the insects grew louder as they became more numerous and the space grew increasingly confined. Soon there was no room in which for Anaxis or Mills to stand up; they were only crawling or shuffling along on their stomachs, over both smooth and jagged rocks, through impossibly tiny crevices that they had to maneuver, sometimes up and over one passage and back down underneath or over it through another. Progress was slow, and claustrophobia high.

  “How long does this last?” Mills asked.

  “Until it’s over, I imagine,” answered Anaxis.

  “Great answer,” Mills said. “You sound like my dad.”

  Bazzeb webs full of dead and still-alive creatures were strung across much of a wetter section of the Squeeze through which the two had to wriggle. There was no room in the passage for a hands-first approach, and so it was head-on on through the sticky webs, which got caught along with the bazzeb’s prey around Anaxis and Mills’ heads. Sometimes they wouldn’t be able to see due to the blanket of web and decomposing insects being so thick around their heads. Other insects would invariably get caught in the sticky shrouds, leading to a thick mask of moving awfulness that could only be cleared away when the passage opened up wide enough, which wasn’t very often. Anaxis and Mills moved along as quickly as they could, saying nothing, hoping for the end around every turn.

  Water started to pour down around the rocks in drips and then a constant wash, as the Squeeze became wider and easier to traverse. Soon Anaxis and Mills could crouch, and then stand again, and then the darkness was blighted by shafts of bright sunlight pouring down from above.

  “Is it over?” Mills asked, the first time he had spoken anything other than curses in some time.

  “I really, really hope so,” Anaxis answered. “We probably can’t reach up to the surface here, but we’ve got to be near the end. There’s so much moss on the walls. And the insects are regaining color.”

  “Good for them. I won’t until this is over,” Mills said. “I’ve got nightmare fuel for weeks.”

  The cave opened up to the world again not very much further down the way, in a wide yawn that was half poured-over by a wat
erfall. There was a small pond on the other side of the exit, and a path around it comprised of large boulders and dirt. The two friends bounced over the cushy dirt to the other side of the pond and turned back to the cave, which looked oddly beautiful and inviting, belying what it contained.

  “Can we celebrate now?” asked Mills.

  “I think we can,” Anaxis answered. “Let’s find some dry ground and have something to eat, shall we?”

  “I probably won’t ever eat again,” Mills said. “But you go ahead.”

  “It’s alright, I’ll wait until you’re ready,” said Anaxis.

  The two followed their directions through a brief forest, then exited out onto a wide swath of plain.

  “Oh it’s so beautiful. It just goes on forever, doesn’t it?” Mills said, gazing at the horizon.

  “Feels like it. It is really good to be out here,” said Anaxis.

  Mills stretched and smiled. “It sure does,” he said. “Hey, can we stop for something to eat?”

  “You just said you weren’t hungry.”

  “I wasn’t, back then. But I am now.”

  “Of course,” Anaxis said with a sigh. “Let’s eat.”

  As they ate, the clouds passed over the green-brown grass of the plain, and the light wind made the blades dance slowly back and forth.

  “It moves like water,” Mills said with his mouth full. “I’ve never seen so much grass.”

  “Neither have I,” Anaxis said. “Look!”

  A pair of four-legged animals with large antlers protruding from the tops of their heads was making their way through the grass just a short distance from where Anaxis and Mills were sitting. The animals stopped and smelled in the direction of the two, and must have found their scent to be nothing to worry about, as they continued to chew here and there as they made slow progress across the plain before eventually stopping at the banks of a small pond to have a drink.

  “It’s so quiet,” Mills observed.

  “Except for you eating,” said Anaxis. “You about done yet?”

  “Good enough for now,” Mills said. “What’s the plan?”

  Anaxis had his map out, and was coordinating it to the features of the landscape.

  “Those are the Wicked Mountains, to the east there… And we came through the Hoppy Wood… We should keep on towards those hills, the Murryberry Hills, and after that we should reach the Outskirts.”

  “Alright,” Mills said. He stood up and burped. “Let’s not waste, let’s make haste!”

  The two strolled through the waist-high wheat as the clouds rolled overhead, casting huge shadows over the ground as they went. Orange birds with light-blue wings flittered around the waving grass, looking for the plump, purple bugs which hopped high and far to avoid their hungry beaks. After not too long, Anaxis and Mills reached the Murryberry Hills.

  “What do you think it’s going to look like?” Mills asked. “Gnirean? Or the Outskirts?”

  “I don’t know what to expect at all,” Anaxis said. “But I do think I’m allergic to this grass.”

  He stopped to examine the red splotches on the back of his legs.

  “Oh yeah, that looks bad. Don’t scratch,” said Mills.

  “Thanks, Mom,” Anaxis retorted, scratching anyways.

  “Ha,” Mills laughed sarcastically. “I wonder what my mom would say if she knew what I were up to. She always dreamt of leaving Talx. I’m a lot more like my dad. I wouldn’t be here if not for you.”

  “Well I’m glad I can shake you out of complacency,” Anaxis said.

  “We’ll see how you feel about that after we get into the city. When they start drinking our blood.”

  “If I’ve got any left,” Anaxis said, staring down at his bleeding leg.

  “I told you not to scratch,” Mills said, shaking his head. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Meh,” Anaxis grunted. “Come on. It should be just over this hill.”

  14

  The settlement on the other side of the hill wasn’t quite what Anaxis or Mills were expecting; it was rather simple, and rural, a number of thatched and stone buildings placed organically along the edge of a river and one main road. There was no high technology evident, none of the markings of the advanced society that Anaxis and Mills had expected. The village, as it could best be called, looked in fact much like a greener version Talx.

  “Did… we go over the right hill?” Mills asked.

  “There were none others we could have,” Anaxis answered. “It’s strange, though, isn’t it?”

  “Only because of how it isn’t,” Mills answered. “Not at all what I was expecting.”

  “Well, let’s go see what it looks like on closer inspection.”

  “And these are the Outskirts? How far are we from Gnirean?”

  “Guess so. Gnirean should just be across that lake,” Anaxis said of the body of water beyond the village into which the river poured. “Lake or ocean. I can’t tell from the map.”

  “I really hope they have beds we can sleep in,” said Mills.

  “Me, too.”

  The two walked down the gently sloping hill toward the bridge that spanned the wide river and led into the village. There was a woman fishing along the river banks, and she smiled and waved when she saw the newcomers approaching.

  “Hello!” the woman called.

  “Should we say hello back?” Mills whispered.

  “Usually.” answered Anaxis. He waved broadly and replied, “Hello!”

  As the two neared the fisher they saw that she had already filled two baskets full of plump, silvery fish.

  “Good day’s catch?” Anaxis asked.

  “Wonderful. It’s hatching season,” the woman answered. “Where are you two coming from?”

  “The south,” Anaxis answered.

  “I can see that. Those are desert clothes,” the woman said. “Where, exactly? Brall? Aloumer Point?”

  “Yes,” Anaxis answered.

  “Yes, what?” the woman asked with a laugh. “Which one?”

  “We are from Brall,” Mills answered.

  “I knew it. And how are the Marialls doing this year?” the fisher asked.

  “Great,” Anaxis answered, having no idea what she was referring to. He quickly continued, “Forgive us, but we have never visited here before. Is there an inn where we might be able to rest?”

  “What, have the two of you never been to Exile before?” the woman asked, pulling another large, silvery fish out of the slow-moving river.

  “Over-protective parents,” Mills answered quickly.

  “Huh,” the woman said, distracted by her struggle with the fish.

  “Yes. Should we leave you to your work?” Anaxis asked.

  “Actually,” the woman said, finally managing to wrangle the fish into one of her baskets. “You could help, if you don’t mind. It would pay in fish.”

  “What do you need?” Anaxis asked.

  “Can you help me carry the fish back to my shop?” the woman asked.

  “Oh, of course,” Anaxis answered.

  “It’s real close nearby,” the woman said.

  “That’s perfect,” said Anaxis.

  Mills followed him hesitantly over the rest of the bridge and picked up one of the baskets. Anaxis grabbed the other.

  “What are your names, strangers?” the woman asked.

  “I’m Baley, and this is Root,” Anaxis said.

  “Well, Baley, Root, it’s good to meet you. My name’s Helea,” said the fisher. She wound up her fishing reel, locked it, and gathered up the rest of her gear. “It must be real exciting to leave Brall for the first time.”

  “You have no idea,” Anaxis said. “Where are we going with these?”

  “Just up the hill, not too far,” Helea said. “Thanks again for the help. The stock is way up this year. I rarely fill one basket!”

  “That’s great,” Anaxiss said, following after her.

  “You don’t talk much, do you, Root?” Helea asked
Mills.

  “What? Oh, no. I guess I don’t,” he answered.

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Helea said. “Some people speak too much these days, anyways.”

  “Not me,” said Mills.

  “He’s more of a watcher,” Anaxis said. “Root the mute, they called him back home.”

  Mills shot Anaxis an incredulously look, which was answered with a sly smile.

  “Well that’s a mean name,” Helea said. “You can be whatever you want here in Exile, Root. Anyone can. It’s why we’re here. It’s the best place to call home.”

  “We can’t wait to see what the city has to offer,” Mills said.

  “Let’s start by getting you something to eat,” Helea said. “Have you ever tasted cott?”

  “I don’t think so,” Anaxis said.

  “No, I don’t imagine you would have. It’s an Exilean specialty! Well have some fish and cott, and then we’ll get you set up with a place to stay for the night. How’s that sound?”

  “Great,” Anaxis said.

  Mills nodded assent.

  “He agrees,” Anaxis said to Helea.

  “I saw him nod,” Helea said. “He doesn’t have to speak to communicate.”

  Mills smiled at Helea and stuck his tongue out at Anaxis.

  “It’s probably for the best he doesn’t talk anyways,” Anaxis said. “Now, I can’t wait for some dinner!”

  Helea’s shop was bright and clean inside, and its staff seemed overjoyed at the produce that Helea brought them.

  “A feast! We’ll have a feast!” one of them sang, dancing around the front counter with one of the fish held high in the air.

  “Nature has been very good to us!” Helea sang along, dancing with her own fish.

  “Not so good to the fish,” Anaxis said under his breath to Mills.

  “And who are these fine strangers you’ve brought along with this magnificent bounty?” another worker asked from a back counter where they mixed the contents of a silver bowl.

  “These are Root and Baley,” Helea said. “Visitors from Brall.”

  “It is good to have you here, visitors from Brall. My name is Trev. Are you going to be staying for the feast?” the worker asked.