Hollow Road

by Dan Fitzgerald

  After a few hundred yards, the passage widened, and a deep pit yawned to their right. Luez held her torch to the edge for a moment.

  “This is the first of the old mine shafts,” she said. “There are a dozen or so, as well as a number of side passages that lead down and intersect with them at various points. We will go just past the third shaft, at which point we will break off from the main passage and descend toward the place where we encountered the mashtorul before.” Her calm demeanor was of slight comfort to Sinnie. Unlike Melka, whose face twitched and grimaced now and then, Luez’s face seemed carved of stone, as if she were immune to fear or any other emotion. Sinnie reached forward to squeeze Finn’s hand, and he gave her a weak smile over his shoulder.

  They passed a partial ceiling collapse before reaching the second mine shaft, which had several more moldering carts heaped next to it. After a few more minutes, the dogs froze, emitting a low whine. Melka grunted them into silence and said something in Maer.

  “Rats,” Luez explained. “This tells us we are getting closer. We might also see some large lizards, almost the size of the dogs, but they are shy and should pose no danger.”

  As they approached the third mine shaft, one of the dogs pulled on the leash, and Melka jerked it back. Sinnie couldn’t see much, but Carl turned and whispered over his shoulder.

  “Rock crawler, like what we saw in the mine above Brocland,” he said, gripping his sword tighter.

  The air wafting up from the third shaft had a different smell to it, more of a wet earth and mildew odor, a pungent whiff of life and decay. Several mice scurried along the edge of the tunnel and disappeared down the shaft. No more than fifty yards past the shaft Luez stopped by an opening in the same side of the wall as the shaft. Sinnie could see that the opening led to a passageway, narrower than the one they were in, so they would have to go one at a time.

  “With any luck, we won’t run across them in this passage,” Luez said in a low voice. “It leads down to a series of chambers, once used for smelting and the like, we think. That’s where they were before. It’s where the fungus seems to grow best.” Sinnie wondered what the talk of fungus was about, but she had no time to ask as Luez looked each member of the party in the eye. “Be ready,” she said. She put a hand on Melka’s shoulder and said something in Maer, then slipped past him. Melka gave a whispered whistle to the dogs, and they followed her. Carl fell in behind Melka, then Finn followed, and Sinnie brought up the rear, nocking an arrow but keeping her bow low as she slipped through the narrow entrance.

  The passageway was rough-hewn and uneven, with the ceiling so low in spots she had to duck. Water trickled down in more than a few places, creating a rivulet that ran along the center of the passage floor. Puffs of fungus bloomed in long streaks here and there along the damp walls. Now that the group was walking single file, the torchlight barely filtered back enough for her to avoid bumping her head. The tunnel meandered up and down, perhaps following what had been the easiest rock to break, or a seam of ore.

  After a while, they emerged into a large chamber, about fifty feet on each side, with a ceiling nearly twenty feet high. In the middle of the ceiling was a round hole, but their light was too weak to see what was beyond it. Piles of wood and stone debris littered the floor, and several large bowl-shaped indentations were set near the center of the room, filled with water. The rivulet from the passage entered a square-cut channel, which bisected the room, running between the indentations. The dogs’ noses were quivering, pointing toward the far end of the room, where Sinnie could barely make out an opening about the size of the one they had come through.

  Luez lit a second torch and handed it to Melka, who had to wrap the dogs’ leash around his left wrist to take the torch and still carry his spear in his right hand. Luez eyed Finn’s lantern and said “As soon as they appear.” Finn nodded.

  “Once we see the creatures,” she said, “I will drop my torch and try to slip off to the side unnoticed and attack from the rear. Melka and Carl will engage them up close, Sinnie with her arrows and Finn...well, you just do whatever it is you do,” she said with the hint of a smirk, which he returned in kind. “And if things go south, and I give the order to retreat, don’t wait for anyone or anything. They’re fast as lightning in short distances, but they can’t keep up a long run. My guess is, they won’t pursue us any farther than this chamber, so if you can get to that tunnel, you might be okay. Let’s just make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

  Without waiting for a reply, she turned and stalked through the room, making a gesture to Melka to give her a little space. She stared up at the hole in the ceiling, peered behind each pile of rubble as she passed, then gave the signal to Melka to move through, and they all followed in a slow line. Water dripped in maddeningly irregular intervals into the pools, and Sinnie could hear it flowing somewhere in the room, but she could not make out where. Luez disappeared into the entrance opposite where they had come in, and they all followed her into a larger passage, wide enough for two. They stayed in single file, which was fine with Sinnie, as it kept her the maximum possible distance away from whatever a mashtorul was. The hollow, sour feeling in her stomach told her she was about to find out.

  Chapter Thirty

  Finn heard a sound like an overweight pony galloping in leather boots. The dogs yelped as Melka jerked them to the side, dropped the leash, and charged, with Carl following close behind. Finn lit the lantern, then took a few steps forward to the edge of the chamber in time to see a huge greenish-gray shape crash into Melka, who gave a shout as he tumbled backward. Carl leaped to the side and swung his sword in a high arc, slicing down on the creature sprawled on the floor. Blood flew as the blade cut into the creature’s shoulder, and it opened its mouth as if in a scream or a howl, but no sound came out. The creature kicked at Carl with one of its stubby legs, smashing him back against the wall. As it scrambled back upright, Finn got a better look at it. It was the general height and shape of a man, but smushed down onto all fours, with shorter legs and longer arms, almost twice the thickness of a man’s. Its head was wide and somewhat flat, but its mouth was relatively small, and instead of teeth it had bony plates in the front, with a point down the middle, almost like a turtle. It let out another silent cry, which sent the dogs whimpering against the wall.

  Carl surged forward and the creature swatted him with a claw, which stuck in his shield, yanking his left arm awkwardly to the side. He let out a curt yell as he drove his sword up under the creature’s arm, and it dropped in a heavy heap on the floor.

  “One down.” Carl grimaced as he struggled to raise his shield back up. “Come on Melka, rise and shine!” Melka staggered to his feet, holding his head with one hand as he tried to steady himself with his spear. He grunted at Carl, smacked his own face a couple of times, then shook his head. Finn saw another creature bounding across the room, and quickly centered his energy to push out a force shield, though he wasn’t sure how much good it would do against such powerful blows.

  “Duck,” Sinnie said from behind him, and Finn ducked to his left as Sinnie fired an arrow straight into the creature, which was larger and darker than the first. The arrow struck it in the chest, but the creature seemed unaffected by the arrow as it galloped toward them across the chamber. It bounded over a pile of debris and landed right in front of Melka, who stumbled back, still trying to recover his balance. The creature opened its mouth in a silent howl, and one of Sinnie’s arrows glanced off the side of its head. It bellowed with a force Finn could feel in his bones, then lunged toward Melka, who had suddenly regained his footing, and jabbed at its long right arm with his spear, drawing blood as he did so. It took another arrow to the chest, which stuck in a bit farther than the first, but did little to slow it. It raised its left claw toward Melka, but had to use its arm to block Carl’s sword, which came crashing down on it, cutting deeply into the flesh. Its right arm swiped sideways at Carl, coming in just above his shield, which he was barely able to hold up, and slashed int
o his left shoulder, shredding the mail and sending blood flying in all directions. Carl fell to the ground with a groan, and Sinnie landed a shot in the creature’s neck, eliciting another silent scream.

  As Finn began concentrating his force into his right arm, he saw two more of the creatures rumbling toward them, a smaller one running in front of the largest of them all, which was dark gray, almost black in color. The huge creature reached out its impossibly long arm, snatched the smaller one by its underarm, and flung it backward, where it bounced and rolled to a stop. The larger creature, which was half again as tall as a man and more than twice as thick, continued its galloping gait, bearing down on them. Finn charged straight toward it, summoning the spark Ujenn had placed within his mind as easily as drawing a dagger, and his body surged with power. Carl and Melka were in a tough spot, and he had to do something fast. The creature lowered its head and plowed straight toward Finn just as he swung his fist upward at its head, his mind so focused he barely had time to wonder if the power blow he was preparing would stop him from getting flattened.

  Time seemed to slow as his fist connected with the creature’s face, which wrinkled and sank in behind the force of the strike. It felt like he was punching a rag doll as his blow lifted the creature’s head upward and spun its entire body into the air, its feet bouncing off Finn’s chest as it flipped and landed awkwardly on its neck. Finn tumbled backward but his force shield held, and though it knocked the wind out of him, he was able to roll out of the way and scramble to his feet a few seconds later. Luez had materialized as the huge creature lay stunned on the ground, and she drove her blade into the exposed armpit, all the way to the hilt. The creature writhed in agony, swinging its other arm in her direction, and though it struck her only a glancing blow, it sent her body crashing into a pile of rocks more than ten feet away, where she lay slumped and motionless.

  Melka jabbed at the one closest to him with his spear, which drew blood but seemed to not cut deeply, before the creature raked his chest and neck with its claws, and Melka fell backward, dropped his spear, and clutched his neck, which pumped blood at an alarming rate. Carl staggered to his feet, his shield almost dragging the ground, and squared off against the creature. Finn ran over just as the dogs were dragging Melka by his furs back away from the combat, as they apparently had been trained to do. Finn pulled out a strip of cloth he had stuffed in his belt for just such an occasion and pressed down hard on Melka’s neck. Blood quickly soaked the cloth and ran all around his hands, and Melka’s eyes grew wide. His head lifted ever so slightly, then fell back onto the floor and went limp as he blew out a long, ragged breath. The dogs immediately began to whimper and lick his face. Finn heard Carl give a long grunt behind him and looked up in time to see Carl’s sword stuck up under the creature’s ribs. Its face was contorted in pain, and it reared its one good arm rear back to swing at Carl, its claws still glistening with Melka’s blood. Carl tried to pull his sword out but to no avail; he was clearly at the end of his strength.

  Without a thought, Finn coiled his energy and sprang toward the mashtorul, knocking Carl down with his right leg as he crashed into the creature’s head with his torso. Its good arm flailed and clubbed at him, but the claws did not connect, and the creature sank to the ground, Carl’s Ka-lar blade sticking out at an odd angle. Finn pulled up to his hands and knees, his force shield having dropped with the last blow. His energy was sapped, and his vision faded in and out. He breathed heavily, looking over at Carl, who was moving, but slowly. Melka was dead, and Luez was dead or unconscious.

  He saw huge black feet, which had five clawed toes and were covered in coarse hair, step toward him, and he looked up to see the largest of the mashtorul standing above him, swaying slightly, the left side of its body covered in blood, which continued to flow down from the wound under its right arm. It reached up with its left arm and pulled out Luez’s blade, dropping it to the floor as it grimaced in obvious pain. Its right arm hung limp, but its left arm picked up a chunk of rock the size of Finn’s head and raised it up. Finn had nothing left, no strength to move out of the way, no energy to put up a force shell or anything else. He turned his head away so he wouldn’t see the blow, hoping death would come quickly.

  As he turned, he saw Sinnie, her bow drawn, her eye as focused as it had ever been. She held the arrow for what seemed like an eternity, then loosed it. Finn watched the bowstring snap straight and vibrate as Sinnie reached in slow motion for another arrow, then stepped forward, moving to the side of him, her face grim but calm. He heard a great thud and turned to see the huge black mashtorul lying motionless on its back, an arrow sticking straight out of its eye, sunk all the way to the fletching. Sinnie looked over at Finn, blinked, and nodded. She glanced at Melka, and Finn closed his eyes and shook his head.

  Sinnie knelt by Carl, who reached up and grabbed her shoulder. “The other,” he groaned. “The small one.” He pointed back where the mashtorul had come from.

  Sinnie nodded, glancing in that direction. “Are you...” Sinnie asked.

  Carl waved her off, pulling the jar of medic’s balm out of his pouch with his good arm. “Melka?” he managed through gritted teeth.

  Sinnie shook her head. “We’ll get it,” she said. “Finn, are you okay?”

  Finn sat back on his knees and deepened his breath. He pressed his hands together at the center of his chest and spread his knees wider, leveraging every remaining fiber of muscle to concentrate his energy into his core. He stood up, his mind suddenly clear, and he thought he might have enough juice for one more feat.

  “Let’s do it,” he said, picking up his staff. Sinnie nocked an arrow, holding her bow low, and crept toward the part of the room where the big black mashtorul had hurled the smaller one, for reasons Finn had yet to fathom. As they approached, Luez stirred from the pile of rubble where she had been thrown and managed to get to her feet. Her right arm hung limply from her shoulder, and her face showed a controlled agony.

  “Oh gods, you’re alive!” Sinnie loosened her bow’s tension and reached out a hand to Luez, who accepted the touch with reluctance.

  “My sword.” She took a few limping steps to pick it up with her left hand, wiping it on the dead mashtorul’s hairy feet and turning back toward Sinnie. “You lead.”

  Sinnie looked at Finn, then back to Luez, and nodded. “Okay. I saw the creature throw it over there. I think...I think maybe it’s a very young one, and the big one was keeping it out of the way.”

  “We’ll keep it out of the way for good,” Luez said, her face grim.

  Sinnie readied her bow and started to walk past the pile of rubble, but Finn stopped her.

  “Let me go first,” he said. “I can keep it busy while you find your shot. With Carl and Melka out of the picture, and Luez in...not the best of shape, it’s going to come down to you, so we can’t afford to have you hurt.”

  “He’s right,” Luez conceded. “I might still deal a killing blow if it’s prone, but in my condition, and with my left hand, I’d need a perfect shot to do any real damage. Finn should go first, and I will fall in behind, and you last. That is, if you agree,” Luez said to Sinnie.

  “Sure, whatever. Let’s just get this over with,” Sinnie replied, her eyes dark, and gestured to Finn to lead the way.

  Finn stood for a moment, centering himself and thinking through his options. His best bet would be to get the creature to the ground if he could, or if not, to press it against a wall so it would make a better target. He set the idea of a push in his mind, hoping that would make it easier to release on short notice, though that would leave him without the energy to put up a force shell, so he would be defenseless against the creature’s claws. He nodded to Sinnie and Luez, gripped his staff in one hand and the lantern in the other, and slow-walked farther into the room. When he looked back, Luez was nowhere to be seen, and he gave Sinnie a quizzical look. Sinnie’s eyes pointed to the far side of a rubble pile to their left, but Finn couldn’t see anything. He blinked, turned back aroun
d, and got ready. Luez seemed to work best from the shadows, and in her weakened state, that would be even more true.

  They passed between two piles of rocks, time-rotted wood, and corroded metal. He saw movement to his right, and quickly set down the lantern, grasping his staff with both hands. Inside one of the large bowl-shaped indentations in the floor was the smallest of the creatures, just a bit bigger than the mastiffs Melka had brought, but thicker in all directions. It sat on its knees in the water, its head pointed toward the ceiling, its mouth opening and closing in a silent wail. It looked in Finn’s direction and moved to all fours, backing up a bit, water sloshing around as it moved. Finn motioned for Sinnie to come up beside him, and he held out his staff sideways in front of him. The creature sat back down, making no sign of aggression. Its wide, black eyes blinked, wet and wild, as it turned its mouth up again like a wolf cub howling silently at an invisible moon.

  Sinnie pulled back her bow, aimed, and held her arrow pointed at the creature for a long moment. Finn winced as he heard the bow creak, waiting for the inevitable thunk. The bow creaked again as Sinnie lowered her bow.

  “I don’t know if I can,” she whispered. “It’s just...”

  “It’s not that much smaller than the first one,” Finn replied. “The one it took both Carl and Melka to bring down. And look at those claws.” The creature’s claws were as long as a person’s fingers, and he had seen the damage they could do.

  “Okay,” Sinnie said, taking a deep breath and raising her bow again. She pulled the arrow back, lined up her sights, held her aim for a moment.