Feel the Burn

by MacDonald, Nicole

  ‘Let’s see if this old man can get you high enough.’

  At the same time he heaved I pushed off and reached, hands easily grabbing the top of the ledge. With a quick scramble and a yell from Ignatius when I let loose a shower of stones, I bolted back the way we’d come, calling to Kass and Sian in my mind.

  Guys! We need Sito and the griff’s, you should see what Loushka and Tomiar are up against, it just killed a Nyjen!

  I flashed them an image of what I’d glimpsed before fleeing this way—the huge dark body struggling to stay in the water while the two griffons fought to drag it out.

  *~*~*

  Chapter Sixteen

  What is that? Sian thought to Kassie while showing Sito the image. The knowledge that one of their team had been killed, horrified her. The dragon stopped in his tracks at the image.

  ‘Food?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Sian thought, mind spinning at the sudden events. ‘Is it food?’

  ‘Show me again.’

  She replayed the image of the bizarre kraken-like creature. Sito let loose a bellow of excitement making all those close leap back.

  ‘Sian!’ Daron yelled. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘FOOD!’ Sito’s excited thought flashed through everyone’s mind then he charged. Sian clung tight to his leg.

  ‘Sito! Slow down, take it easy!’

  ‘Food! Food! Food!’

  Wrapping her hands and energy around Sito’s foreleg, Sian pressed her head to the armor and hoped they’d get there in time.

  Goblins, centaurs, and the shocked, angry looking Nyjens all pressed against the sides of the tunnel to avoid the dragon’s hasty exit. Daron coughed at the dust kicked up by the apparently ravenous dragon while finding out what had the Nyjens riled up. Rumal appeared a moment later, a hand pressed to his face in a bid to keep the dust out.

  ‘What’s going on?’ he croaked.

  ‘Something’s killed a Nyjen. Sito thinks its edible,’ Daron explained and then he nodded at the bewildered looking men around them. ‘Stay back until we’re ahead of you, the griffons want to back Sito up.’

  ‘And dinner would be great,’ Nesha thought.

  ‘For sure. But wait to show respect to the fallen first.’ Daron thought and he swung up into the saddle.

  ‘I hope Sian’s hanging on tight.’

  Kassie provided the light while they raced down the tunnel, sending little dancing spheres of gold energy pinging off the walls ahead of them. Daron twisted back and saw that Kerak and Phroma jammed along the tunnel behind Nesha. From her seat on Kerak’s saddle, Kassie glowed as she sent more light spheres out.

  ‘Hold on,’ Nesha thought. ‘Almost there.’

  Daron squeezed the saddle tight with his thighs while Nesha climbed and leaped but kept his hands as free as possible. Blobs of luminescent algae started to appear on the walls, floor, and ceiling, glowing an eerie blue.

  ‘Must be close,’ Daron thought to Nesha as they climbed a rise. The griffon stopped suddenly and Daron grabbed at the saddle with a hand.

  ‘Hell! Is that a dynahck?’

  Loi focused her energy on the chamber, working at preventing a cave in while the griffons fought the freaky looking creature from the lake. She tried not to notice the body lying near the water.

  When they first entered the cave no one had noticed anything until a centaur went to check the water quality. A massive tentacle had shot out, snatching the soldier around the middle. Everyone leapt into action, hacking at the sinewy limb and the water erupted when the creature objected to their efforts. Tomiar hadn’t hesitated, clamping down on a tentacle and tried to drag the shrieking creature out. It looked like a mutant octopus or squid with nine tentacles but five of them had heads with gummy blind eyes and toothy jaws that screamed and bit at all those within reach. Several of those fighting it had received nasty bites but there hadn’t been a chance to heal them yet. Tomiar darted around the nasty creature like a lioness attacking prey. The creature originally tried to hide back in the lake but the griffon wouldn’t let it, sloshing into the water, roaring at it and when that didn’t work she snapped at the tentacles. Then the creature erupted out the water again, trying to catch the wily griffon.

  Now, with Loushka helping, they’d dragged the thing full out of the water but they couldn’t get close enough to kill it, the tentacles beating them back. The soldiers and allies in the cave took turns distracting the heads and dashing in to land a blow but the death of the Nyjen showed it to be a dangerous game. Loi’s energy reacted to her tension and crackled around the space of the cave as she wished she could help. Frantic shouting made her stomach plummet when she saw not one but two soldiers in the grips of tentacles. Men threw weapons and rocks from all sides, trying to get the thing to release the soldiers. The two soldiers fought against the tight grip that held them, the centaur swinging his axe around and into the tentacle, but the other man, a general guard soldier, was fast losing his battle. Loi whimpered, her fingers curling into claws and she desperately willed the others here. The man’s gestures grew weak when a strange rumble echoed from the tunnel. Loi twisted to look at Sabyn who stood protectively in front of her, his weapons ready and face grim.

  Sito burst into the chamber and anyone who wasn’t already against the walls now flattened themselves out of the way. The dragon glowed blue and Loi spotted Sian clinging to his foreleg.

  ‘Sian!’ Loi yelped, pointing.

  Sabyn muttered something then pushed off, sprinting across the chamber while Sito snarled at the creature. The tentacles dropped the two soldiers and Sito drew up to full height, the armor plating bristling when he snarled again and readied to attack. Loi frantically thickened her shield against his strength. It went dark all of a sudden when Sabyn snatched Sian from her perch on Sito’s leg and Loi could see only a vague outline of the dragon as he lunged. Men shouted and Loi mentally crossed her fingers, hoping they’d extracted the two from beneath it. She heard a thud when Sabyn and Sian hit the wall beside her and a flurry of gold dancing lights burst into the chamber as Nesha, Kerak, and Phroma hurtled in. Kassie executed a hasty exit off Kerak, racing to where Cat and Ignatius huddled on the other side.

  Daron hung on tight and let loose a yell when Sito grabbed the dynahck by its torso, where the tentacles couldn’t reach, right behind the gnashing circular jaws. All those who’d followed the griffons hung back out of the way, but armed and ready if necessary. The thrashing tentacles grabbed at everything, trying to get loose from the dragon’s snarling jaws and Daron urged Nesha forward. The griffon sprang at one of the headed tentacles but it reacted far quicker than either of them expected. It lurched back from the griffon’s attack then launched forward and wrapped around Nesha’s middle, pinning Daron in the saddle. The blind eyes appeared useless but its other senses weren’t. Nesha’s armor prevented the jaws from getting a hold on the griffon but Daron, his legs crushed beneath the creature’s constricting grip, wasn’t in a great position. Nesha roared and shook, clawing at the writhing length but Daron had its full attention. The head, dominated by long jaws, seemed to float on the long neck only meters from his face. The toothy jaw mouthed the air before him and the rheumy eyes appeared to stare straight at him. Slowly and calmly Daron slid a hand down his leg while keeping his other arm ready. Like all the men in the guard he kept a long dagger sheathed to his calf. Unfortunately his hand hit the slimy cold coil and the creature reacted in an instant, lunging for Daron’s head, its fanged jaws wide.

  ‘Shit!’ Daron threw his arm up and the jaws snapped shut around it. Only the chainmail stood between the ragged teeth and his flesh. He shoved at the slippery coil with his free hand and forced his arm harder into the working jaws, jamming them. Squeezing his fingers beneath the clammy tentacle over his legs, the thick skin rasping against the mail that covered his hand, he felt the reassuringly solid pommel of the dagger. In a quick move he wrenched it free and slammed the blade through the head gnawing his arm. The dynahck screamed, struggling in
Sito’s jaws and Daron shoved the limp tentacle off. Backing off, Nesha and the other griffons gave Sito room. The dragon dragged the shrieking creature fully out of the lake and shook it hard. Blood and muck splattered all those in the cavern and Sito’s loud growls filled their ears. The dragon threw the dying creature to the ground and pounced on it when it protested with a wheeze of a shriek, shaking it again and again till this time it lay limp and dead when he dropped it.

  ‘Wow,’ said Kassie from beside Ignatius and me, breaking the silence. I nodded then grimaced and wiped the splattered blood from my face.

  ‘Ewww.’

  No one moved at first, the silence feeling shockingly loud after all the commotion and I couldn’t help looking at the body of the Nyjen, lying against a wall. Then the other Nyjens moved to the body and everyone else politely ignored them while we moved through to the next chamber at Loi’s suggestion. Sito and the griffons stayed behind to dine on the creature’s remains and I felt Sian’s energy ring out when she healed Daron’s arm. Reminded of that, I joined Leseach on her rounds to see who else needed healing. The men around me still appeared tense and when Ignatius appeared at my side I softly asked, ‘Is there still a threat?’

  The soldiers and allies all cast suspicious looks into the alcoves and entrances while we walked to the next cave.

  ‘If a dynahck can survive in that lake then other creatures live here too,’ Ignatius explained while keeping a hold of my elbow as we walked. ‘Dynahcks can go a long time without food, but not that long.’

  I resisted a shudder at that thought and flared both hands brighter while ignoring Ignatius.

  ‘Afraid of the dark, little girl,’ he teased.

  ‘Shudup.’

  Seeing so little evidence of life and then finding that monster did creep me out and I peered at the alcoves, half imagining shapes in the dark. The patches of glowing vegetation added to the eerie feeling, casting a ghoulish light over those passing by. I slipped on the wet rocks as we stepped into the cave. Ignatius made a grab at me but missed and we crashed down together.

  ‘Ouch!’

  ‘Sorry!’

  My hip took the brunt of the fall but the chainmail absorbed most the impact and I lay squashed beneath Ignatius who pushed up, apologizing. I couldn’t help giggling when he helped me to my feet and I spotted the dirt smeared down his nose, forehead and cheekbones.

  ‘Face plant huh? Need a walking stick, old man?’

  I laughed at the narrowed look he shot me while brushing himself off and I reached out to brush it off his face but only succeeded in making it worse.

  ‘Oops.’

  Ignatius scowled at the Princess when she doubled in laughter. He tried to wipe the muck off his face but the mud didn’t want to budge and Gredel, who headed with Rashid to the previous cave, grinned at him.

  ‘You’ll have better luck washing it off,’ Gredel suggested and indicated the water behind him. Catherine darted off to where the other girls stood gathered at the waters edge, while Ignatius hollered after her, ‘You be careful!’

  ‘Will do, old man,’ she called back.

  Gredel gave him a curious look and Ignatius shrugged then asked, ‘Are you going to the Nyjens?’

  Rashid nodded. ‘Yes, they intend to dispose of the body out there so we will join the In’yath and provide an appropriate offering. Make sure to tell the girls not to talk about it.’

  Ignatius nodded and walked after Catherine.

  Occasional deep recesses pitted the walls of this cave and blue goop clung in clumps everywhere, glowing the same blue as the water. I spied some of the flitting insects that the fae usually gobbled up quick. I got distracted when I tried to follow one. It moved sporadically through the air as though on strings, jerking up then back down, causing tiny showers of light. Kassie had the same idea and caught one in an air bubble, bringing it down between her hands. I moved next to her.

  ‘Oooo.’

  The pale, nearly transparent body, hunched around like a prawn, looked like a type of fae. Long thin white hairs bristled out all around it, the hairs each tipped with a glowing dot. The strange fae jerked in the air bubble and a few of those glowing dots fell off the hairs and stuck to Kassie’s palms, glowing still.

  ‘What is it?’ Sian asked beside me. Her breath jostled the air bubble and a couple more lights fell to Kassie’s hands.

  ‘Not sure,’ I murmured while peering closer at the fae. It didn’t seem disturbed and I only then noticed the wings, transparent like the rest of it, when one of the glowing dots stuck to the edge of a wing and gave it away. It fluttered at hummingbird speed and while I watched, a sheen appeared over the creature’s skin for an instant, then a glowing dot developed at the base of one of the hairs and started moving along it.

  ‘It’s some sort of secretion.’

  The little dot of luminescence kept moving along the hair until it reached the end, where it gathered, a tiny glowing orb.

  ‘Can I eat it?’

  The tiny voice spoke from my shoulder and I glanced to see Leynorah perched there, her enormous eyes fixed on the glowing fae. Beyond Leynorah I spotted Ignatius walking our way with a serious expression. Sian saw him too and we exchanged a glance.

  ‘Please?’ Leynorah’s wistful tone made me look at her in amusement.

  ‘Didn’t you eat enough with the griffons?’

  ‘But eshries are yum! All sweet’n’sticky.’ Leynorah flicked her tongue over her teeth, making the tiny fangs wink in the light that Kassie’s energy put out.

  ‘Please?’

  At the same time Ignatius cleared his throat in a purposeful manner and Kassie sighed.

  ‘Fine,’ she muttered, releasing the bubble and we turned to Ignatius while Leynorah gave an excited squeal that sounded just like a high whistle before she lunged at the fae.

  ‘Just to let you know, when the Nyjens return don’t speak a word of their loss, okay?’ Ignatius stared at us, waiting for our nods before continuing. ‘It’s against their customs to mourn until they set foot on their realm. Not a word or sympathetic look.’

  After that cheery conversation, Sian decided to go exploring. It felt peculiar to pretend something awful hadn’t happened but she understood it too and the cave proved a good distraction. The blue stuff that clung everywhere felt like gungy moss, slimy with an underlying coarseness. Sian prodded it again then pulled back, staring at her fingers now covered in the glowing blue substance.

  ‘Weird,’ she muttered and looked around for the others. Kassie helped Rumal with setting up and Daron spoke with a group of goblins. Cat and Loi helped Leseach with something.

  Sian resisted the urge to go help set up camp. We have plenty of time for that, she thought. Her internal clock suggested at least two hours before time to bunk down. When she turned her attention back to the cave a faint breeze caught her attention and the wall beneath her fingers vanished into a small alcove. Sian crouched in front of the low entrance then made a quick glance to see if anyone watched. No one did and she crawled into the small opening. It widened quickly and she knelt, sitting on her heels and created an energy ball for light. The cavity was large enough for her to stand, the ceiling still another meter or so above and Sian looked up when the light from her energy reflected off something—a brief slash of diagonal light. Reaching, she touched what felt like a sticky piece of taut string. It pinged when she pulled back then began glowing, a beautiful gold shimmer swelling out from her touch, lighting the length of string. On the ceiling of the small cave lights started to appear, egg-shapes about the size of Daron’s hand in a variety of colors; blue, green, violet, and pink.

  Sian sucked a breath in when more and more lights lit up, creating a stunning display and revealing the mass of strings just above her head.

  Good thing I’m short, she thought, staring up at the lattice of them, looking like an elaborate laser light display. That lovely gold color continued up the strings toward the egg shapes. While she watched it move, a sound caught her attention
. An unusual noise with a crisp edge, it reminded her of crickets in summer. One of the golden lights reached the ceiling and stayed there while the light trail along the string it had followed faded. One of the egg shapes started to move. It shifted steadily past the others until it reached the now invisible string and latched on, then started to slide down the string which angled across the room and drew near Sian’s face. She squinted as it got closer, trying to make out the queer shape. The large central oval had long finger-like portions tucked around it. The crisp vibrating noise grew louder and Sian’s skin prickled while she stared at the shape with apprehension, wondering why it looked familiar. Her heart thudded and ears got hot when the glowing oval shape started to unravel, the finger-like portions pulling back, revealing a segmented abdomen.

  The cool clinical part of her mind counted eight legs and observed the fangs when the arachnid of some kind reared up with a hiss, its color flicking to pulsing red. The spider leaped off the string and latched onto her arm.

  Daron heard the strange choked scream and moved without thinking. Snatching an axe from the ground he bolted toward the sound while the other three girls flared bright. Sian shoved out through a tiny entrance in the wall, screaming and shaking. Daron stopped short, gaping, his brain not making sense of the angry red creatures swarming over her. She wheeled and leaped about, trying to dislodge the things and one leaped off her, landing on his arm. The spider bit into the chainmail, unable to reach him and stuck to his arm. Using the back of the axe he scraped it off, flicking it to the ground and slammed his boot down, crushing it. A sharp whistle pierced the air and a flurry of small red and black bodies flashed past Daron.