by Clayton Wood
“She's a friend,” Kyle corrected, blushing furiously. “A student.”
“We can't trust her,” Kalibar warned. “She may give us away.”
“No!” Kyle exclaimed. Darius shot him a warning look, and he lowered his voice. “They kidnapped her, just like us.”
“Kyle...” Kalibar began.
“She comes with us,” Darius interjected. Kalibar's eyebrows furrowed.
“One traitor vouching for another,” he mused. “How comforting.”
“Then stay here,” Darius retorted. Kalibar put up one hand.
“No need to be hasty,” he countered. “I'll go. But why help us now?”
“It's my job.”
“Is it now,” Kalibar muttered. He broke out into a fit of coughing then, taking a few moments to recover. “Kyle told me about...”
“Don't believe everything you hear,” Darius interrupted. He grabbed Kalibar, wrapping one of the older man's arms around his shoulders, and pulled him toward the open cell door.
“What's the plan?” Kalibar asked.
“Follow me,” Darius answered.
They made their way past the dead guard laying on the desk, with Darius leading the way. Kyle stole a glance at Kalibar's empty eye sockets, then looked away. An immediate, overwhelming guilt came over him, and he stopped walking, slumping against the wall of the tunnel. Darius stopped, glancing back at Kyle, then disengaged from Kalibar, propping the former Grand Weaver up against the wall. He reached down to the end of his red cloak, and used a small knife to cut a strip from it. He wrapped this around Kalibar's eye sockets, tying it in the back...then walked up to Kyle.
“Hey,” Darius said, grabbing Kyle by the shoulder roughly. The bodyguard stared at Kyle for a long moment, pinning him there with his blue eyes. “It's not your fault, kid.”
Kyle tried unsuccessfully to break free from Darius's grasp, moisture welling up in his eyes. He turned away from the bodyguard, wiping his face with his sleeve.
“What's wrong?” Kalibar asked. Kyle shook his head silently. Kalibar frowned, reaching blindly outward, until his hand touched Kyle's shoulder. He knelt down before Kyle, gently squeezing Kyle's shoulder. He pointing to his eye sockets, covered as they were underneath his makeshift bandana.
“Darius is right, Kyle,” the old man stated firmly. “This,” he said, tapping his temple with one hand, “...is not your fault.”
Kyle shook his head emphatically.
“It is my fault,” he retorted bitterly. “The Dead Man...”
“The Dead Man was manipulating you,” Kalibar interrupted. He put a hand under Kyle's chin, lifting it slightly. “It was his plan all along to take my eyes,” he added. “...for the same reason I was going to blind the Weavers that attacked my carriage; I was too dangerous otherwise.” Kalibar sighed. “In one act, he neutralized me, gave his people the revenge they craved, and ensured your obedience through guilt and fear.”
“Really?” Kyle asked, daring to hope. He felt a small hand on his other shoulder, and turned around. Ariana stared at him silently, then glanced at Darius, who nodded. She turned back to Kyle.
“I told you they feed on sorry here,” she whispered.
Kyle wiped the moisture from his eyes, then smiled weakly, facing Kalibar.
“Thank you,” he whispered. Kalibar smiled.
“You're welcome.”
“We need to get going,” Darius interjected, placing one gauntleted hand on Kalibar's shoulder. Kalibar turned toward the bodyguard.
“The plan,” he stated. “What is it?”
“There's a natural series of caves that will take us to the surface,” Darius answered. “These tunnels should connect to the caves.” Kalibar frowned.
“How do you know this?” he asked.
“My guards liked to talk,” Darius replied. He gestured for everyone to follow him, leading Kalibar by one arm down the narrow tunnel. At first Kalibar walked slowly, feeling his way tentatively with every step. After a few minutes, however, he seemed to gain confidence, taking longer strides.
The bodyguard took them a different route down the tunnels then they had come. These had fewer lanterns on their walls, but Kyle supposed that was a good thing; the more well-lit tunnels probably saw more traffic...and that was exactly what they were trying to avoid. Kyle heard a muted clattering coming from behind them, and glanced back as they walked.
“Did you hear...” he began. Darius shot him a glare, putting a finger to his lips. Kyle's mouth snapped shut, and he followed the bodyguard silently, glancing back every once and a while. Then he heard a low, rumbling sound echo through the dark tunnel. It sounded for all the world like thunder.
It can't be thunder, he thought. We're underground.
Another low boom rolled through the tunnel.
“They're sounding an alarm,” Darius warned. “We need to get moving. Now.”
Darius turned forward, moving faster now, Kalibar clinging to his shoulder. Kyle and Ariana followed, straining to keep up with the warrior's quick pace. Another low boom sounded, and Darius went even faster, wrapping a metallic arm around Kalibar's waist, guiding the old man. The lanterns on the walls became fewer and fewer, until there were none at all; the tunnel was pitch black now, making it impossible to proceed safely. Kyle heard Darius whisper something, and a small glowing sphere appeared, hovering above Kalibar's head and bathing the tunnel in the dimmest of lights. The light cast long shadows across the walls of the tunnel, which shifted unnervingly as they continued onward. The tunnel walls soon became rougher, no longer made of smooth, polished stone. Rocky outcrops jutted from the walls and the floor, and Kyle nearly tripped over one in the darkness.
Boom.
Kyle glanced back the way they'd come, seeing shifting shadows extending into the blackness beyond like long, slender fingers stretching into the void. He continued forward, following close behind Ariana.
Suddenly the rough tunnel opened up into a full-blown cavern, with mighty stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The relatively even floor of the tunnel gave way to an irregular cave floor, making it particularly difficult for Kalibar to avoid tripping. Darius was forced to lift the former Grand Weaver up, carrying him on his back. Luckily, Kalibar's weight didn't seem to slow the gilded warrior one bit.
Boom.
Darius broke out into a run, sprinting over the uneven terrain with surprising ease. Ariana grabbed Kyle's hand, her eyes wide with fear. They followed Darius's lead, running hand-in-hand as quickly as they could, following the glowing sphere above Kalibar and Darius's head.
Suddenly Kyle's feet slipped out from under him, and he fell backward, landing butt-first on the hard rock below. A sharp pain shot up his back, and he cried out involuntarily. Darius stopped abruptly, spinning around and bringing a finger to his lips. He glared at Kyle for a moment, gesturing for Kyle to get up. Ariana helped pull Kyle to his feet, and he continued beside her, feeling a slick, slimy substance on his right palm, the same stuff coating the ground he'd slipped on. He wiped his hand on his chest, then continued forward, following Darius through the ever-widening cavern. The bodyguard led them in a zig-zagging course, dodging stalagmites and potholes. Some of the stalagmites were covered by a thin, slimy substance similar to the fluid he'd slipped on earlier. There were erosions wherever the slime lay, and some of these erosions were covered by a moss-like substance that glowed a soft, pale white. Kyle peered at a patch of the moss as he passed by; hundreds of tiny translucent finger-like projections poked up out of the rock.
Boom.
Darius increased the pace again, Kalibar bouncing up and down on his back. Most of the stalagmites they passed were covered with the glowing moss now...as were the walls and the floor. Dense clusters of mushrooms began cropping up all over the cave, growing amidst the patches of moss. Some of the mushrooms were huge, nearly as tall as Kyle, with wide orange caps.
Without warning, a shrill scream came from far in the distance ahead, reverberating off of the rocky walls. Darius stopp
ed abruptly, staring off into the distance. Kyle and Ariana skid to a halt, nearly running into the bodyguard. They all stared...and listened. Kyle glanced at Darius, then at Ariana, his heart pounding in his chest. He rubbed his right hand on his pants...his palm was itching a little.
“What was that?” Kyle asked. Darius glanced at Kyle, then did a double take, staring at Kyle's right hand. “What?” Kyle asked, looking down. His hand was bright red, and a little swollen. Flakes of skin were peeling off of his palm, as if he'd had a bad sunburn. The itching he'd been feeling was quickly turning into a painful burning sensation.
“Oh!” Kyle yelled out, rubbing his hand on his pants. Then he started to feel itching on his chest. Looking down, he saw that his shirt had a big hole in it. “Oh!” he cried out again, frantically pulling his shirt off. He threw it away, scratching his chest. More skin peeled as he scratched, and his chest started to burn too.
“The slime,” Darius said, grabbing Kyle's wrist, preventing him from scratching his chest any more. Little spots of blood oozed from his chest where his fingernails had scraped.
“Ow, ow!” Kyle cried. His skin was on fire!
“Make some water, rinse it off!” Ariana urged.
Kyle did so, quickly weaving the water pattern, and soon he had a continuous stream of cold water pouring in front of him. He rinsed his hands, then his chest; wind sucked inward from the water pattern whipped around Kyle, making him shiver. He cut the magic stream to the water pattern, staring down at his chest and hand. The itching and burning, thankfully, had stopped. But now he was shirtless and freezing, little trails of blood dripping down his chest. Ariana, who'd expertly dodged the skin-melting slime earlier, offered Kyle her sweatshirt. Luckily she'd worn layers, and had an undershirt for herself.
Another thunderous boom echoed through the cavern, followed by voices in the distance.
Kyle glanced back, seeing a faint light behind them. His heart leaped in his chest, terror seizing him. Darius swore, breaking into a sprint, carrying Kalibar with him. Ariana snatched Kyle's hand and bolted after Darius, pulling Kyle with her. Kyle pumped his legs as fast as he could, leaping over small boulders and dodging stalagmites as he went. Then his foot slipped on a slick patch on the floor again, and he lurched to the side, his hand slipping out of Ariana's. He slammed his shoulder into a stalagmite, stumbling, then falling headlong onto the ground. His head struck the unforgiving rock, pain exploding across his forehead. He tried desperately to scramble to his feet, but his limbs felt suddenly like jelly, refusing to hold his weight. He fell to his hands and knees, his head swimming sickeningly. He heard someone yelling, and then strong hands grabbed his back. He felt himself being pulled upward, his palms lifting off the ground.
A shrill, ear-piercing scream echoed through the cavern from ahead, followed by the low, thunderous boom from behind.
Darius yanked Kyle forward. Muffled voices called out from behind, much closer now. The light behind them grew brighter, long shadows dancing along the walls.
The four ran down the cavern, soon finding themselves sprinting through a veritable forest of mushrooms. The mushrooms grew taller and wider the farther they traveled, until mushroom caps towered over them on either side, a narrow rocky path barely five feet wide the only way through. The cave floor was almost completely covered in the glowing white moss. An orange, pungent mist hung in the air, making it harder and harder to see the path ahead.
The shrill scream came again, this time painfully loud, forcing everyone but Darius to cover their ears. It died away as it had before, but as it did, the sound of footsteps became audible from behind.
Darius dropped Kalibar from his back suddenly, spinning around and unsheathing his machete-sword from its scabbard.
“Get behind me!” the bodyguard commanded. Kyle huddled behind Darius, with Ariana crouching at his side. The gilded warrior peered into the dimly glowing cavern beyond, orange mist swirling in front of him. There was a shout, and then Kyle spotted them...a half-dozen men in red uniforms rushing forward. His breath caught in his throat.
Death Weavers!
A half-dozen men in red uniforms stopped before them, their faces hidden in the shadows of their cowls. Kyle scrambled backward, his eyes widening in terror. Darius, however, stood his ground, his sword shimmering in the light of the glowing moss.
One of the Death Weavers took a few steps forward, stopping not five feet from where Darius stood. The Death Weaver paused, then pulled his cowl back from his head, revealing short salt-and-pepper hair.
It was Mr. Tenson!
Mr. Tenson glanced at Kyle, who hid behind Darius, unable to meet those cruel eyes. Tenson pointed one hand at Darius's armored chest.
“Surrender or die.”
Darius regarded Mr. Tenson with his equally cold blue eyes.
“Make me.”
An ear-splitting scream burst through the cave, bringing almost everyone – Death Weavers and otherwise – to their knees. Only Darius remained standing. Kyle covered his ears with his hands, and Ariana did the same, her face twisted in agony. The scream ended as quickly as it had come, echoing through the cave in the distance. Kyle's ears rang loudly, even after he uncovered them. Kyle turned to Ariana, who was still on her knees. Her mouth was moving, but he couldn't make out the words. Kyle shook his head.
“I can't hear you!” he shouted. He helped her up from the cave floor, and they both ran to help Kalibar get up from the ground. The old man, unable to see or hear, stood helpless between the two. Kyle glanced at Darius; the burly bodyguard was standing with his machete in hand, facing away from the recovering Death Weavers, his head tilted upward.
“What are you doing?” Kyle cried.
Darius didn't respond, his eyes locked on something above. Kyle followed the bodyguard's gaze; at first, all he saw were the undersides of massive orange mushroom caps twenty feet up. Then he made out a strange shape through the orange haze…a long beam as thick as a telephone pole, but bent at slight angles at a series of joints. One end was resting on a mushroom top; the other was connected to something very large farther above.
“What’s that?” he asked Darius, who continued to ignore him. The beam moved suddenly, lifting off of the mushroom top and descending toward them. It was then that he realized what he was looking at.
It was a leg. Like an ant’s leg, but huge.
Kyle scrambled backward, pulling Ariana with him. Ariana followed Kyle's gaze – and screamed.
The leg smashed down between Darius and Mr. Tenson, followed by a massive pale thing that descended through the orange mist above. It looked for all the world like a massive maggot, but with six long legs perched on top of the mushroom caps far above. The thing was as big as a bus, its body covered in pale, translucent white skin. It had no eyes, but its mouth was huge, and filled with countless rows of dagger-like teeth.
As Kyle watched, the creature's giant tapered posterior curled up over its back, clear fluid pulsing out of the end, splashing over the creature's pale back and dripping all over the mossy floor. The creature shook like a wet dog, sending drops of the liquid flying. A single drop landed on the tip of Kyle's shoe; ribbons of smoke began to rise from the thick leather.
“Oh!” Kyle exclaimed, scraping his shoe on a rock.
Mr. Tenson stared at the beast, then turned to his fellow Death Weavers.
“What are you waiting for?” he snapped. “Kill the damn thing!”
A gravity shield appeared around him, and the other Death Weavers activated their shields, facing the huge creature. A brilliant flash of light shot out from Mr. Tenson, slamming into the creature's massive head. It jerked backward, emitting another ear-shattering scream. This time, surrounded by his shields, Mr. Tenson and the Death Weavers were unfazed, not even bothering to cover their ears. Kyle, however, dropped to the ground, covering his ears with his hands and gritting his teeth against the pain.
The creature swung one huge leg, slamming it into the stalk of one of the gigantic mushrooms. The s
talk snapped, the mushroom-top falling toward Mr. Tenson's head. Mr. Tenson just stood there, the huge mushroom top slamming into his magical shields. It exploded, a dense cloud of orange spores shooting outward in all directions, surrounding Mr. Tenson and the Death Weavers. Darius backpedaled quickly, pulling Kyle, Kalibar, and Ariana to their feet, guiding them well clear of the spores.
Mr. Tenson ignored the orange cloud surrounding him, protected by his gravity shield. A ball of fire appeared in front of the Weaver, growing until it was almost as large as Mr. Tenson himself. The fireball shot forward, slamming into the massive creature's head. The beast lurched backward with an ear-piercing shriek, vanishing into the shadows above the mushroom-tops.
Then, mercifully, there was silence.
Mr. Tenson lowered his gaze to Darius, raising one hand and pointing his finger at Darius's chest. A ball of fire roared to life just beyond the Weaver's shield, growing rapidly. Even from where Kyle stood, far behind Darius, the heat was almost unbearable. Kyle squinted against the searing flames, terror gripping him. He knew that Mr. Tenson would kill Darius; there would be no mercy for the bodyguard this time.
“Stop!” Kyle pleaded.
The fireball grew ever larger, and Mr. Tenson's lips curled into a smirk.
“I said stop!” Kyle repeated.
Mr. Tenson ignored him.
Kyle closed his eyes, tearing a thick cord of magic from his skull into his mind's eye. He tied the vibrating thread of energy into a tight knot, then thrust it outward, right at Mr. Tenson.
The cave exploded in brilliant white light, so eye-searingly bright that it instantly blinded Kyle, even through his closed eyelids. He heard Mr. Tenson cry out, then felt cold, metallic fingers wrap around his right arm, pulling him backward. He opened his eyes, seeing a huge dark spot in the center of his vision. He barely made out Darius's large frame beside him, the bodyguard's hand on his arm. He turned forward, spotting Mr. Tenson dropping to the ground, his shield gone. The Weaver coughed violently, puffs of orange spores coming from his mouth. He recovered quickly, rising up into the air, his shield reappearing around him. He scowled, raising his hand up at Darius.
