by Cheree Alsop
“Don’t ever say I didn’t bring you anywhere fun,” Rucko told them.
The key turned in the lock with a click that reverberated through the water. He pushed the gate and it swung inward without any resistance. Rucko entered and stepped to the side to wait for them to pass. As soon as they did so, he locked the gate and slipped the key back over his neck.
Liora peered down the tunnel before them. It appeared to lead to a black cave. She couldn’t see anything beyond that.
Rucko stooped to pick up something behind the gate. When he turned around, she saw small, fuzzy creatures with a multitude of legs in his hands.
“Gets a little dark down here,” Rucko said. He snapped one of the creatures in his two beefy hands. Immediately, the body started to glow. Rucko shoved two more of the creatures in the pocket inside his cloak.
Rucko held the glowing carcass over his head to illuminate their path through the muck.
“Not far now,” he said with a forced smile despite the catch in his voice. “Just a little bit more.”
He led the way to the end of the short tunnel, then stepped just inside the opening.
Liora peered into the darkness. She couldn’t tell how far it went on ahead of them. Rucko balled the carcass in one hand and chucked it. The three of them stared at the light that filled a cavern so deep the body couldn’t illuminate the other side. It drifted down and continued drifting, further and further until it was eventually consumed by darkness. Devren put a hand on Liora’s shoulder from behind her to keep her from swimming off the ledge by accident. The thought of the depths below sent a shiver down her spine.
Rucko pulled out another of the fuzzy creatures and snapped its spine. It began to glow. He pulled a rock from his other pocket and tied the small worm-like body to the rock. He shoved the rock forward through the water in an arching aim that sent the rock and glowing creature down the pit. The rock’s descent halted far below them. With the small illumination, Liora was able to spot a glow of red at the bottom of the deep cavern.
“Is that the gem?” she asked.
Devren leaned forward behind her to look at the object. He met Liora’s gaze, his own filled with worry and disapproval.
“That’s the gem,” Rucko replied. “Piece of cake, right? If you could just go get it for me, I would consider myself so grateful I might even offer you a Rielock escort for your trip back to the upper reaches of Ries.”
“Generous,” Liora replied. She kept her gaze on the gem. “So if you want it, why haven’t you just gone down there and picked it up?”
Rucko couldn’t even pretend to smile. He sucked in a breath through his gills and let out the bubbles.
“There’s the minor detail of the dorannon venda.”
“The creature of death,” Liora translated from Tanli to the common tongue for Devren’s sake. “Sounds pleasant.”
Devren grabbed her arm. Liora knew how upset he would be if she put herself in danger, but if she had any chance of getting them back up to Ries alive, she had to try all options.
“It’s rather large,” Rucko said in a tone that told her he was selling it far short. “It has a few teeth, and also appears to have a fondness for Creetian flesh. It may also be a they. It has yet to be confirmed.” He let out a breath. “I’ve lost so many family members sending them down to get it I nearly ran out of my entire following.”
“That’s a shame.”
Rucko gave a small smile at Liora’s sarcasm. “I’ve built it up again since, but have yet to find anyone able to bring me the gem.” He looked back into the depths. “It’s sure to satisfy my claim to the bone throne and the loyalty of the Rielocks. Trust me when I say that we are both better off with them under at least some semblance of control rather than harassing Ries on a continued basis.”
“I agree with that,” Liora replied.
She studied the depths below them, considering her options. If she gave Rucko the gem, they could go back safely. If she refused, he would either attempt to leave them in the cave, or they would be killed by the Creetians if they tried to leave without him. She could fight, but there was a chance neither she nor Devren would survive.
“I’ll do it.”
Rucko stared at her. “Seriously?”
Liora forced a nonchalant shrug. “How hard can it be?”
Devren grabbed her shoulder hard. He tried to pull her backward up the tunnel. She let him pull her up out of Rucko’s sight, then ducked under his arm and shoved him against the rotting tunnel wall.
“We don’t have a choice,” she said.
He nodded.
Liora shook her head. “Not if you don’t want to get killed.”
Devren’s eyes narrowed and he pointed at the cave behind them.
“It’s a risk I can take,” she replied.
He shook his head again, bubbles rising and his chest heaving.
“Devren, I have to try,” she said. “If it gets too dangerous, I’ll come back.”
Devren shook his head. She could tell how much he wanted to tell her not to make a stupid decision. She knew he wanted to try battling their way out, but Liora had seen the Creetians fight. She knew far better what they were up against. She would rather face whatever was in the pit.
“I’m doing it. Wait here and guard the gate in case Rucko decides to go back on his word.”
Before Devren could stop her, Liora swam back down the tunnel. She paused at the edge of the ledge. A moment later, Devren was at her side again. She thought he would try to dissuade her and her muscles tensed with the possibility of needing to remind him of the stubbornness of a Damaclan.
When she turned, Liora paused at the sight of Devren’s knives in his hand. He held them hilt out to her.
Liora let out a breath. “Thanks,” she said.
She accepted the knives and slid them behind her belt.
Devren pointed to the bottom of the pit.
“Seriously?” Liora replied with a touch of humor at his offer. “I think you’d end up being bait for whatever I find down there.”
Devren rolled his eyes.
Liora shook her head. “No, but thanks for the offer.” She looked at Rucko. “I need to do this alone.”
“Good luck,” Rucko said. He rubbed his thick hands together in anticipation.
Liora hoped it was in anticipation of holding the gem instead of the thought of her death.
She looked back once at Devren, then dove into the wide pit.
Chapter 4
Liora moved easily through the water. The density of her changed form made swimming feel as simple as walking. Her webbed hands pulled the water past her and each kick of her bare, webbed feet propelled her forward.
The black walls of the pit slid by and the red gem drew near. She peered through the murky water she passed. It was obvious by the chills that ran along her arms that something watched her from depths her eyes couldn’t penetrate. She figured that the sooner she had the gem in her possession, the quicker she could avoid whatever was in the pit and get back past the gate.
Liora was almost there. The gem was on a platform about as wide as she was tall and rested on a pile of plain stones each the size of a fist. She wondered who had put the gem there originally. The pit fell away on every side of the platform to depths Liora could only guess at. Cold currents rose, toying with her hair and brushing across her arms and legs.
Liora reached out a hand, her senses alert for any sign of attack. She was almost to the gem when her instincts tingled. She peered into the black water below the platform and her heart skipped a beat.
The darkness moved, undulating beneath her. The thick black water separated as the walls of the pit became instead the winding body of a snake-like creature so big Liora could barely comprehend what she was looking at. A huge scaled head lifted from further in the pit. The body separated, becoming three snakes instead of just one. The first head rose so that it was eye-level with the gem. The other two circled behind Liora, their fanged mouths open.
Liora pushed at them, sending out feelings of peace and calm. The snakes appeared taken by surprise. They drew closer, circling her. Their bodies rose, filling the space above Liora as well as below with their writhing, undulating forms, blocking out any possible light from above and trapping her and the platform in the middle. Only the glowing light of the fuzzy creature Rucko had broken and thrown next to the gem illuminated the darkness.
Liora didn’t know what to do. She was tempted to reach for her knives, but the enormity of the creatures around her made her doubt the blades would do anything to slow them. The faces stared at her, their slit eyes unblinking, reflecting the red glow of the gem.
The bodies closed in. Liora fought against a rise of claustrophobia. Devren and Rucko seemed so far away. Liora was alone, trapped. She knew if she made a move for the gem, it would be the last thing she ever did.
There was something about the gazes of the snakes that gave her the idea. Their eyes, while slit, did not have the same cast as an animal’s. There was high intelligence behind those eyes, thoughts, motives. They didn’t guard the gem for no reason. She had to find out why they kept it safe in order to know what her next course of action should be.
Liora gently pushed again. This time, she reached for their thoughts. The one who faced her loomed closer, staring at her, its partially-open mouth inches from her.
I have been sent for the gem so that I can take my friend home safely, she pushed toward it. Knowing that the snakes might not understand her language, she also sent images of Rucko and Devren, showing her wish to take Devren back up to safety far away from the Rielocks.
Images flooded Liora from all of the snakes. She spun in a circle, looking at each of them in turn. They showed her pictures that clashed together, filling her mind so quickly she couldn’t comprehend them. She put a hand to her forehead and lifted the other one. The images stopped bombarding her. Liora pointed to the closest snake. It lowered its head and pushed to her again while the other two waited.
Liora saw the three snakes travel down the pit below them. What she had thought might be the bottom turned into yet another looping tunnel. The snakes followed it down much further than Liora had guessed the water went. The tunnel opened up, and suddenly she was in a cave so large it looked as though it made up the entire center of the planet.
Snakes were everywhere. From them, she felt hope, dreams, the love of family, of adventure, of peace. Snakes undulated in and out from hundreds of tunnels, traveling the planet from the inside out. They had no boundaries with the ocean above. They were safe and they were happy.
In the middle of the cave, the glow of hundreds of gems in every color gave the core its energy. The snakes cared for the gems in a way Liora couldn’t understand. The creatures laid their eggs around the glowing rocks. Baby snakes hatched and grew, slithering through the gems, healthy, loved by their parents that brought them creatures and plants to eat.
A gem disappeared. Liora had no idea who or what had taken it, but the pile of gems felt different. The power of the gems began to fade. Their glow lessened, then vanished completely. The baby snakes were restless and eggs didn’t hatch. The snakes searched everywhere for the missing gem. They began dying off and their numbers decreased. By the time they found the gem, they had dwindled to only a few of their family left.
The snakes brought the gem back, but by that time, the damage had been done. The core no longer glowed and the empty gems remained in a colorless pile to be tended by the three remaining snakes who had survived.
The three snakes moved the final glowing gem to the middle of the pit. They guarded the pit because that was all they had left to do. It gave them purpose and the hope that perhaps in guarding the final gem, they would somehow, someday be able to have a family again full of love and life. They didn’t dare let anyone take it, and would guard it to the end of their days.
When the snake pulled back, Liora was confused as to what her action should be. It was obvious she couldn’t take the gem. The fact that the snakes relied upon it so heavily left her with little choice. She couldn’t remove the last vestige of their power.
That thought gave Liora an idea. It thrummed inside of her as she toyed with the possibility. She had no idea if it would actually work, but it was worth a try.
Liora pushed an image toward the snakes. The biggest snake reared back in surprise. Its yellow eyes watched her, questioning. The snake looked from her to the others. Their heads swayed from side to side as though they conversed without speaking. The hole around Liora closed in and she was afraid she would be crushed, her chance at freeing both she and Devren lost.
The snake lowered its head again so that it was level with her. It opened its mouth. Hollow fangs as long as Liora was tall pulled down from the roof of its mouth. Liora knew she wouldn’t be able to escape. With the press of the bodies, there was nowhere she could go. She reached for her knives, determined to at least give herself one last chance.
An image hit her with such force that she winced. She stared at the massive snake mouth above her, her sight warring between the image she had been shown and what waited in front of her. She reached out for the gem and held it carefully in one hand. With the other, she grabbed onto one of the snake’s fangs and stepped into its mouth. Before she could decide if she had just made the worst mistake of her life, the snakes unwound from each other and dove down into the pit at a speed that rocked Liora backwards and made her grip on the fang tighten.
The snakes wound through their network of tunnels without slowing. Liora lost track of how long it took. She hoped Rucko would give her the time she needed. If they thought she was dead, Devren might already be paying for her failure.
The snakes stopped as abruptly as they started. It took Liora a moment to realize they had reached the core. The head snake carried her carefully to the center where the pile of gems waited. Just like the memory, the gems looked as though they were colorless pieces of glass. Eggs still waited in an organized circle around them, their shells hard and yellowed with age. A fuzzy green film covered them.
Liora stepped carefully over the eggs. She knelt next to the pile and brought out the red gem. She set it on top of the pile, aware that the three snakes watched, their bodies motionless and attention on the red stone.
Liora didn’t know what she was expecting. She knew that the snakes had placed the gem with the others when they originally returned it, but nothing had happened. She closed her eyes, hoping for something to come to her.
Push.
Stop helping her, the angry voice growled.
Pain followed. It wasn’t pain to Liora directly, but pain that she felt as a whisper that warned her someone else suffered.
Stay out of my head, Liora replied.
She put her hand on the red stone. Gathering her strength, Liora pushed it down her arm into the gem. It pulsed beneath her fingers. She sent more strength, careful not to do so too quickly in case she overwhelmed it. The last thing she needed was to destroy the final gem that gave the snakes purpose for their lives.
The gem grew warm beneath her touch, its red glow illuminating those beneath. Liora felt the heads of the snakes draw closer. But only the red gem responded to her touch.
Liora pushed until she was exhausted. She tried sending energy into the gems individually, and also put as much as she dared into the red gem in the hopes that it would spread to the others, but nothing happened. Liora lost track of how much time passed, but still the gems remained colorless stones within the core.
On impulse, Liora held out a hand. If the gems and the snakes were linked, perhaps it was the energy of the snakes that would cause them to glow again.
The snake that had carried her leaned its snout forward. Liora rested her hand on the soft, scaled black skin between its slit nostrils. She closed her eyes, projecting peace to the snake even as she pulled. She felt the snake jerk in surprise, but it didn’t move out of her reach. Liora turned to the gems and placed her free hand on them. Gently, sh
e pulled the energy from the snake with her left hand and pushed it to the gems with her right.
It appeared her efforts were in vain. She pushed and pulled, counting the beats of her heart, wondering how long she dared draw from the snake before it became upset.
A light caught her eye. Her breath slowed. The gem beneath her fingers flickered green, the light wavering tenuously like a finger of flame deciding whether to catch to tinder or vanish at the smallest breath of air.
The snakes pressed up to the first, their eyes on the gem. Liora felt their energies surge together and flow up her arm. She almost pulled back in fear that the power would be too strong for the gem. Instead, it burst into brilliant green light, flooding the core along with the red.
Feelings of approval rushed to her from the snakes. They pushed and she pulled, sending the energy into the gems. Another ignited in a wash of orange, and a fourth in purple. As soon as Liora touched the next one, dark blue glowed from its core. Liora brushed her fingers along the pile and the rest ignited with a glow so bright she had to squint to ensure that she touched them all.
When Liora took her hand away, she stumbled backwards and nearly fell off the raised rocks on which she stood. A snake nose gently pushed her forward, righting her again with a bit too much strength.
Liora stumbled to one knee and her hand landed on one of the eggs. The shell bowed in beneath her weight. Something moved under her hand. Liora rose and stared at the eggs in surprise.
The yellow that colored the circle of eggs around the gems faded as she watched. Other eggs began to move. A snout pushed against the inside of the egg she had touched. The soft shell of the egg thinned until a tear appeared. The snout pushed harder, forcing its way through.
A tiny black snake slithered out. Other eggs tore and snakes wiggled through until there were dozens of them. The three huge creatures around Liora pressed their snouts into the circle, touching the baby snakes with great care.
Liora backed out of the way until she reached the edge of the rocks. She knew she needed to return to Rucko’s lair, but she couldn’t do so empty-handed.
