“It worked,” Hakeem shouted. “It’s collapsing.”
Baleron climbed aboard, keeping at the railing as the rest of his friends climbed up the side of the ship. Odhran stopped halfway up, holding onto the ladder with his legs as he fired a few arrows into the approaching horde.
“Come on!” Baleron shouted. “There’s no time. We have to go!”
“It’s coming down,” Neko said, laughing. “Pull up the anchor. We sail!”
The ship lurched forward when the anchor was dragged up. The bridge twisted and cracked as it lost all support. Pieces of it fell into the water, only to be swept away in the current. The larger posts sank to the bottom, and the walkway on top split and cracked just as more troglodytes emerged from the dark tunnel. They too fell into the water, but Baleron suspected they could swim, given their nature.
“She’ll smash through, no problem,” Hakeem said.
Finn fired more arrows into the horde as it gathered at the shore. The creatures threw spears and fired bows, but their aim was not as good as one would expect. The arrows bounced off the side of the ship harmlessly, and the spears simply stuck there for a moment before falling off into the water.
“They must not have much experience in battle,” Alric said. “They can’t even throw worth a—“
“Maybe they get a lot of visitors down here,” Baleron suggested. “They may very well have never encountered enemies before.”
“Hakeem, Finn,” Neko said. “Stop killing them. They’re harmless from the looks of it.”
“Look,” Ivar said, leaning over the railing and pointing to a broken post.
Baleron looked over the side of the ship, seeing what the Northman had seen. A smaller troglodyte was holding onto the post, calling out for help, it seemed. Baleron couldn’t tell whether it was a female or an infant, but the sound of its cries tore at his heart.
“Help it,” Freyja said. “It’s just a baby.”
As they passed slowly by the foundation of the bridge, they could see some of the warriors attempting to lower one of their own down to save the drowning creature. Though the effort was noble, there was no way they could lower him—or her—down low enough without letting go.
Ivar threw his leg over the railing and dropped over the edge, holding onto the railing with one strong hand and reaching out with the other. Hakeem signaled for the other two men to turn the sail slightly to slow the ship, and he steered the ship closer to the rocks. Much to Baleron’s surprise, the troglodytes had ceased their attacks, and the entire horde was gathered to help rescue their fallen kin.
“Just a bit more,” Ivar said. “I can reach him.”
The troglodytes on the rocks began to howl and scoff, making sounds of turmoil and fear. Perhaps they thought Ivar was going to kill the poor creature, or maybe they were cheering him on. There was no way of telling.
“Do it!” Alric said, reaching down to help pull Ivar up once he grasped the creature.
The tiny thing, seemingly unafraid of the Northman, reached out just as he did. They clasped hands, and Ivar pulled the small creature up. Alric grasped his shoulder harness, and the others helped pull him up and over the railing. The troglodytes looked on, open mouthed, probably wondering what the men would do next.
Other creatures were climbing out of the water and up the short ridge to safety. Slightly ahead of the ship, a larger creature dressed in strange decorations stood at the edge, holding out his more powerful arms. Ivar looked at Baleron, still holding the small, whimpering creature.
“Give him back,” Baleron said, nodding.
Ivar held the thing out, waiting until they passed directly by the larger one—presumably their chief. Just as they passed by, he tossed the creature to the chieftain, who caught it and handed it to another. Then, the entire horde silently watched the ship pass as it sailed into the shadows.
“Well,” Ivar said. “That was strange.”
The ship sailed on trouble-free for the next few hours. The corridor was beginning to widen, the crew noticed, and it seemed like the cavern’s roof was getting higher and higher. Where exactly they were in relation to the land above was anyone’s guess. Sunlight was pouring through large gaps above, and none of them could think of anywhere on the island where massive holes in the ground could possibly exist.
The most troubling thing, however, was which way the corridor would continue. Once past the restrictive walls that surrounded them before, the waters ahead appeared open, with the opposite end hidden in shadow and mist. They had entered a large chamber, it seemed, and the way out was unknown. All they could see were stalagmites and stalactites that hung from the high roof and protruded from the water.
“It’s like a whole world in here,” Freyja said, looking around in wonder.
“That’s not sunlight either,” Neko said. “The color isn’t right.”
Baleron stared up at the holes that the presumed sunlight poured through. Neko was right. The light had a slight green cast, and the sky was not visible. There was no blue, and no fluffy white that indicated clouds.
“What is it then?” Ivar asked.
“Some kind of lifeform I would imagine,” Hakeem said. “Cave creatures that give off light. Moss or something.”
“It’s acting like a sun down here,” Alric said. “Look at the water.”
There were several objects floating in the water, mostly around the stony outcroppings that poked above its surface. As Baleron looked closer, he was amazed to see that they were plants of some kind. Each object was a floating raft of four giant leaves, with a small white flower in the center. Small frogs sat upon the leaves, much like lily pads on a surface pond.
“This is fascinating,” Odhran said. “I wonder if there are friendly creatures down here.”
“Like underground lasses with green skin and big—“
“Look!” Freyja called out, pointing to the right of the ship.
A portion of the surface began to roil, as if a large fish had surfaced briefly and disappeared. Everyone froze, anticipating the reappearance of whatever it was. But nothing appeared, and the water eventually settled back down into gentle ripples.
“What was that, I wonder,” Neko said, leaning on the railing.
“There is no wind in here,” Hakeem said. “The sail is empty. We’re not moving.”
“Wonderful,” Neko said sarcastically. “We might have to row our way through. Which direction we go in… I’m not sure.”
The ship suddenly lurched as the hull hit something beneath the surface. Baleron thought perhaps they had hit a submerged rock, but when the impact happened again, he realized something was purposely feeling its way along the bottom of the ship.
“Whatever made that wake is beneath us,” he said.
He looked over at Hakeem, who had frozen in place, and whose eyes were darting around. The man’s brow furrowed with worry, and Baleron could hear Neko grunt.
“What kind of fish could grow that large in here?” Ivar asked no one in particular.
The ship was nudged again, this time much harder and with more purpose. The crew was nearly knocked from their feet, and Neko crouched, his eyes darting around nervously.
“Have you ever dealt with anything like this out in the sea?” Baleron asked.
Neko turned his eyes toward him, silently nodding. “Yes,” he said. “And it was never good.”
Baleron looked at Hakeem in question. The man raised one eyebrow, mouthing a single word that sent chills up Baleron’s spine.
Kraken.
“What did he say?” Ivar asked, also crouched near the railing, his hands slowly pulling out his axes.
There was a sudden splash, and two giant tentacles were thrown up through the surface of the water. They flopped onto the railing, gripping it with large, hooked, sucker pads. Freyja’s bow was out immediately, and Ivar leaped up, chopping with both axes. The sucker pad shouldered the blow well, and the axes left only small cuts that bled green.
Neko and Baleron both
drew their blades, and the ranger looked at Neko for what to do next.
“Watch around you,” Neko said. “The thing has many more tentacles, but those are the big ones. They’ll snatch you right off the deck.”
Alric and Finn hacked away at the other sucker pad on the opposite side of the ship. The tentacles let loose and swirled around in the air, swiping at the two men as they ducked and dodged. Several arrows impacted the tentacle, driving all the way through but evidently not doing much damage.
Another, smaller tentacles flopped over the side, gripping the railing. The ship was at a full stop, and Baleron could tell just by its angle that the creature had it fully within its grasp.
Hakeem and the other two crew members went for the smaller tentacle, slashing at it with their blades. Baleron charged ahead to the stern just as another one gripped the railing there. He hacked at it with his blade, doing little damage, but loosening the creature’s grip. Neko swiped at another tentacle that spun in the air above him.
“Watch your backs!” he shouted.
Suddenly there was a scream from the aft of the ship. One of Neko’s crewmen was snatched up, the tentacle digging into his flesh as it attempted to drag him overboard. Hakeem shouted in rage, hacking at the slimy thing with all the fury he could muster. But it was no use, the crewman was pulled over the side and under the surface of the dark water.
“Achmed!” Hakeem shouted in rage.
Neko and Baleron ran to the aft, each of them standing in front of Hakeem as the man fell away in grief.
“Watch out!” Neko shouted.
The damaged tentacle came back over, swiping at the other crewman, Neko pushed him out of the way, slashing at the appendage and severing its sucker pad. Green slime shot out of the end as it flopped its way over the side. The ship was lurched again, this time tipping over at a sharp angle. The entire crew slid to the side, desperately grabbing onto anything they could find.
“Hold on!” Neko shouted. “It’s surfacing!”
Baleron looked around at his friends. Everyone was there, holding on for dear life as the ship was tilted to the point where water began to rush onto the deck. Freyja was holding onto the risen railing with her feet, her bow pulled back in anticipation of the creature’s appearance. Baleron felt a sudden sense of pride in her actions. She was a brave girl, he thought.
“Baleron,” Neko shouted, snapping him out of his trance.
Below, the water roiled and thrashed as a large, black thing began to surface. Baleron could see a giant beak begin to poke through the surface, surrounded by many tentacles that whirled and spun menacingly. Baleron’s heart raced. He had never seen anything like it.
The beak began to open slowly, ready to devour anything that fell into it. Two large eyes appeared on either side of the creature’s bulk, unblinking and lifeless it seemed. Freyja’s bow made short work of them. An arrow streaked in, embedding itself in the right orb. The eyelid slammed shut, and a hellish howl came from the creature’s beak.
The ship was raised from the water, tipping over even farther as the creature’s tentacles began to wrap themselves around it. The sound of wood splintering echoed in the cavern, and Baleron felt that the end was near. The ship would be crushed, and all of them drowned or devoured by the hellish creature.
But the thing’s other eye was put out by Freyja’s arrows, and suddenly the ship was released. The crew was lurched hard, all of them falling to their feet and sliding toward the railing as it bobbed up and down with the waves. To Baleron’s horror, Odhran was flipped over and thrown overboard.
“Odhran!” Freyja shouted.
Despite the lurching deck, the crew rushed to the railing. Freyja’s bow was ready, and the others were ready to dive overboard. But Baleron held out his hand to stop them.
“Wait,” he said.
As they watched, the roiling water began to calm, and a cloud of dark fluid began to spread its way upward. A tentacle floated to the surface, lifeless and twitching. A ways away, the bulk of the creature’s body broke through the surface, moving only slightly in the final throes of death.
“What’s happening?” Ivar asked.
“It’s dead,” Neko said. “Freyja’s arrows must have hit home.”
“No, look!” she said, smiling and pointing to the right of the creature’s body.
Odhran broke through the surface, spitting and coughing, but alive. He began swimming toward the ship, weary and bloodied. Everyone reached down to pull him aboard, and he collapsed onto the deck.
“Odhran,” Baleron said. “Are you alright?”
After a few coughs, Odhran sat up, nodding. “I killed it,” he said. “I drove my sword right through its head. I lost it though. The sword is gone.”
“No it isn’t,” Ivar said, pointing at Odhran’s scabbard.
The young ranger looked down, gripping the pommel of the Alvar blade and looking around in surprise.
“It’s an Alvar blade,” Alric said. “It always comes back to its owner.”
As the knights helped Odhran to his feet, Baleron looked around for Neko. He was consoling Hakeem, who was sitting against the railing with his head in his hands. Baleron could hear the man’s sobs, and his heart ached as he realized that the other crewman had also vanished.
He wandered over to the two men, putting his hand on Neko’s shoulder. Neko turned to him sadly, shaking his head slowly and in sorrow.
“Achmed and Yusef were his sons,” Neko said.
Baleron sighed. “I’m sorry, Hakeem,” he said. “They were good men.”
Hakeem nodded in thanks, and Neko turned away.
“Let us leave the man to grieve,” he said. “We have to figure out a way to get out of this cavern before the ship falls apart.”
Chapter Twenty Two
Spread out,” Igrid said, glaring at the horrifying skeletal forms before her.
As her sisters slowly moved away, the largest of the Draugr glanced at each of them in turn, commanding his own minions to do the same with a wave of his hand. He then met Igrid’s gaze with his red, glowing eyes that shone brightly beneath his decayed brow. His armor was elaborate, carved with ancient runes and trimmed in silver, tarnished yet still elegant in a morbid way. The skirt that hung below his thick belt reached the floor, and was split down the middle to reveal armored boots that were spiked and bladed.
But it was his voice that was the most horrifying thing of all.
“You,” he whispered in a harsh, rough monotone. “You are a daughter of the north. My kin. My progeny.”
Igrid cocked her head. “I am no progeny of yours,” she hissed. “Your kind have turned away from the Firstborn and gave your allegiance to dark gods of the Earth.”
“It was we who helped your people rise above the grunting, foraging animals you once were. We brought you from savage to noble, and for that we are your masters. Now, you stand against me and my knights, a mere human. You cannot possibly defeat us in our own temple.”
“This temple belongs to Gaia,” Igrid said. “You built it for that purpose, and for that purpose it will return.”
There was a faint cackling as the Draugr and his minions mockingly dismissed her claim. As the leader stepped forward, dark mist began to form along the floor, spreading amongst the other Draugr and swirling around them like a hellish fog. Igrid glanced at Morrigan and Rian, whose brows were clenched, but appearing ready. The other four stood fast, their blades ready and willing. Igrid gritted her teeth and held out her own blade in challenge.
“If you, whoever you are, believe you can best us, then have at it. We are here to cleanse this temple, my sisters and I.”
“Ah yes,” the Draugr said, cackling. “Servants of Gaia. Her new priestesses, tasked with cleansing the presence of all Earth gods from the island. This is my kingdom. It has ever been, and shall ever be mine. Bow before me, King Mentach, Lord of the Firbolga, and I will let you leave unharmed.”
Igrid laughed. “In the name of Gaia, I will destroy you and driv
e your dark souls from this sacred place.”
There was a low growl that echoed through the chamber, and the king’s eyes grew brighter. He lowered his head and glared—as well as a skeletal form could—and pointed his sword at Igrid. Though fearful, she maintained her fierce glare, even smiling crookedly as her heart began to race in anticipation.
“So be it,” Mentach said.
The Draugr floated forward with blinding speed, each of them slashing at his target with blades of shadow. Mentach’s blade was the quickest, nearly beheading Igrid with its fierce strike. She ducked out of the way just in time, spinning behind the Draugr as he floated by and turned to face her again.
“You are quick for a human,” he cackled. “But I’m afraid it will take much more than speed to save you.”
He shot forward again, delivering multiple diagonal strikes with his blade. Igrid blocked them as she backed away, finishing with a strike of her own. Her blade missed the king’s gut by nothing more than a hair’s width, and he floated back, cackling. Igrid took a defensive stance, smiling as she heard the sounds of her sisters engaged in their own battles.
As the king charged again, Igrid spun out of the way, backslashing with her blade furiously. But as she swung, an involuntary thought entered her mind, and a raging wind blew from her position, knocking the king back as he attempted to counter. Igrid’s eyes went wide as she beheld the raw power of the wind. She looked down at the palm of her hand, seeing ghostly whirlwinds swirling around it tightly, like a pair of ethereal gloves.
Mentach charged once more, his blade poised for a thrust. Igrid knocked the blade to the side, letting the Draugr impact the palm of her hand. With all of her might and will, she forced her rage through her hand, and it erupted in an explosion of tornado-like wind. Mentach was thrown to the ground, and Igrid’s wind swirled around the whole chamber. The dark mist that the Draugr had ridden began to dissipate, and they were forced to set foot upon the stone floor.
“Impressive,” Mentach whispered as he regained his footing. “Very impressive, daughter of the north.”
Morrigan and the others took defensive stances as the Draugr regrouped. Igrid felt the power of her sisters surrounding them and growing stronger as they realized their abilities were effective against the undead. Trista stepped forward, holding out her hand and closing her eyes. A ball of intense light appeared in her fist, and with a shout she threw it toward the Draugr.
Sisters of the Blade Page 24
