LIADAN XI

  The tunnel twisted and turned, the only light emanated from Liadan’s palm. She walked in silence with her companions, the events of the day had been trying and she could sense that tempers were frayed. Everyone had been overjoyed to be reunited with Eógan; it was jarring to be rebuked by him and to be left in the dark about what he had experienced while on his own. Liadan had caught him muttering to himself, as if in the midst of an argument, yet she did not pry and could sense his desire for space.

  “The surface of this passageway is like the one between the room with the treasure and the puzzle with the tiles,” Esker announced, prodding the soft wall with her stone fist.

  “If we are in the body of a dragon, what part are we in now?” Guillaume said as he toed the slightly spongey ground. “Wait… if the treasure hoard was in the stomach… I retract my question,” he finished quietly as they descended down a long slope.

  “It is all shite anyways,” Eógan complained, still in a sour mood. “What is bloody next? We have to unplug a dragon’s arsehole?”

  “Be careful what you wish for,” Liadan teased.

  Guillaume wrinkled his nose. “Do you smell that?”

  “You are so bloody suggestible,” Eógan groused, but he stopped in his tracks and took several quick inhales through his nose. “The lad is right, something foul lies ahead.”

  Liadan felt a slight tremor in the ground as the stench nearly overwhelmed her. Covering her nose with her sleeve, she reluctantly stooped down and with even greater hesitation put her ear to the floor. At first all she could hear was her pulse pounding in her temples, however, quickly the vibrations of something rumbling towards them became unmistakable.

  “Run!” she yelled as she climbed to her feet. Eógan stared at her perplexed and she grabbed him by the shoulder. “RUN!” All four of them began to sprint back the way they came. As her glowing palm swung back and forth to build momentum for her gait, it cast chaotic shadows.

  “Bloody hell!” Eógan yelped as he ran backwards. “What the fuck is that?”

  Liadan turned and could not make sense of what she saw: a giant boulder was rolling towards them at a terrifying speed, nearly completely flush with the curved dimensions of the tunnel. Liadan lowered her head and ran as fast as she could. The passageway began to steeply ascend.

  “If we can make it up this rise, the boulder will slow down,” Guillaume yelled between gasping breaths. Liadan’s legs began to burn as she sprinted up the slope, desperate to avoid being crushed like grains in a mill.

  Eógan was nimble enough to keep pace even when running backwards, the tattooed deer on his legs were alive with spectral energy. He kept pace at Liadan’s side. When she glanced over, the Pecht’s brow was knit with concern. “It is not slowing…” Eógan muttered, “If anything, it is gaining speed.”

  “That can only mean…” Guillaume replied.

  “Something is pushing the boulder!” Eógan and Liadan yelled in unison.

  Liadan ran frantically up the slope, struggling to avoid being crushed. She looked back and forth, but the smooth walls of the tunnel contoured to the dimensions of the boulder and did not offer any alternate avenues of escape. “Eógan,” Liadan panted, “Run ahead and find us somewhere to hide.”

  Eógan looked off into the darkness as he jogged alongside Liadan. “I can see in low light, not in complete darkness…” The eyes of the owl on his bare chest gleamed, reflecting the light emanating from Liadan’s palm.

  “Allow me,” Esker grunted as she lengthened her stride, churning her long legs furiously and disappearing into the inky black tunnel.

  The muscles in Liadan’s calves started to cramp and her steps grew clumsy as she finally crested the slope. There was no time to catch her breath, the boulder rolled relentlessly, nearly nipping at her heels. Descending was easier, yet she was close to exhaustion.

  “Keep going…” Guillaume wheezed, “We will make it!” He looked to be struggling as well, but she envied the Jotling’s lanky legs and cursed her shorter Gaídel stature. When all seemed to be lost and Liadan felt she could go no further, a booming voice called out from ahead.

  “Into this ditch!” Esker roar, rising from a nook in the ground and waving her arm as the holy light illuminated her red skin. Guillaume awkwardly dove in next to the Tengu, while Eógan wrapped his arms around Liadan and rolled them both to safety.

  The depression in the ground was spongey, yet shallow. “Press yourselves flat!” Esker commanded as she sprawled atop the others. The boulder came crashing down and for a moment passed over them with a deafening rumble. The air was knocked out of Esker as the boulder tore her off of the others and she was spun up the side of it, disappearing as Guillaume shrieked.

  The boulder slowed to a stop, the dull roar of its rotation was punctuated by a staccato rhythm of booming thuds. Eógan was already on his feet, spear in hand and staring into the gloom, while Guillaume and Liadan rose shakily. Liadan was reluctant to illuminate the area around the boulder, both out of fear of seeing how injured Esker was and dreading the sight of what had been pushing such a massive boulder.

  A screeching chitter and clacking from the dark made Liadan’s hand tremble as she raised her palm, shadows danced drunkenly. Guillaume gasped and Eógan began to growl. Both the scope and nature of what Liadan saw took a long moment to process.

  A single horn longer than Esker’s entire length was affixed to a broad chitinous mantle, gleaming with iridescent colors. It would have been beautiful if the creature was not so terrifying. The gigantic head cocked slightly as antennae twitched and barbed mandibles clacked. There was no sign of Esker, but the monster’s bulbous thorax and abdomen obstructed much of the tunnel. The six hairy legs of the creature thudded as it shuffled towards them.

  Guillaume began to scramble backwards, while Eógan held his ground. Liadan was at a loss, fear paralyzed her.

  “We must find Esker,” Eógan stated calmly. “That boulder is not made of stone, judging by the smell, it is composed of shite.” His nose wrinkled. “She may be trapped within it.”

  “And h-how do we get past that?!” Guillaume replied, pointing a shaky finger at the rainbow colored monster. The creature lowered its gigantic horn and then sat back, once again testing the air with its antennae and training a large eye on the three of them.

  “I can get past it,” Eógan answered, undaunted by the threat. “I have abandoned friends once before and I will never do so again. Besides it seems fairly docile.” He took a step towards the creature, the antennae vibrations quickened. “Easy there,” Eógan said attempting to be soothing, yet he was awkward in his delivery. He took another step forward and the creature noticeably tensed.

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  “I do not think you should approach…” Liadan warned, but Eógan did not heed her advice.

  “There you are, easy now,” Eógan continued, holding the spear behind his back and extending a hand while making cooing sounds. On his next step, the monster charged in a hissing roar. Its long glistening horn slashed through the air as it careened towards Eógan. Instead of fleeing, the Pecht ran to meet it.

  Guillaume mouthed, “Oh, no.”

  Liadan scampered to the other side of the tunnel, towards the side of the creature. The horn lowered and slammed into where Eógan was standing, yet he was already airborne. He landed atop the iridescent mantle and rained blows from his spear upon it. Curiously, the spear thrusts seemed redoubled, as if bolstered by a hidden force. Despite their ferocity, the blows pinged harmlessly off of the beast’s sturdy carapace like rain upon glass.

  The creature hissed as Eógan danced up the steep incline of its mantle and vaulted over the top, disappearing behind it. Now that the creature was enraged, it paid Guillaume and Liadan no heed as it lumbered around searching for the Pecht. Surprisingly nimble for its size, it trampled its way towards the boulder. Liadan caught a glimpse of Eógan caught out in the open.

  “We have to help him,” Guillaume said as he ran over towards Liadan. She agreed with his sentiments, yet had no idea how to provide aid. “What should we do?” he asked.

  Liadan was still grappling with how to utilize her powers and had never used them against so large an opponent. “I… I do not know, but we must try,” she answered. Guillaume nodded in agreement.

  “Esker?” Eógan’s voiced called out. “Esker?!” There was no response. Eógan’s back was to the boulder and he was cornered by the monster. The creature moved timidly near the boulder, no longer stomping about or lashing carelessly with its curved horn.

  Liadan was in motion before she could tell herself to stop. The creature had six legs of varying length, they were shortest near its head and longest at its rear. Liadan ran towards the nearest curved hind leg and her body crackled with holy energy. The thick wiry hairs growing along the leg were disgusting up close, yet she did not hesitate as she placed her palm upon the glistening black limb. The power within her pulsed and flared. Momentarily the entire tunnel was illuminated, before going completely dark.

  The creature hissed and Liadan could hear it shifting its weight. Before she could conjure more light upon her hand, the monsters leg swept into her and she was sent flying through the air. She hit the side of the curved wall hard. Fortunately, the spongey surface had enough give that her bones were not broken. She slid down the side of the tunnel in a tumble.

  Guillaume quietly called her name from somewhere nearby. Weakly she raised her hand and summoned light. Her pupils dilated wide, as did the creature’s. It towered over her, with horrifying mouth parts opening and closing between its quivering antennae.

  Liadan was frozen in fear, the monster’s mandibles opened wide as it lurched towards her. At the last moment, a warbling battlecry snapped her attention to her left as Guillaume flew through the air and pushed her out of the way. There was a sickening crunch. Guillaume screamed, dangling by his shoulder from the mouth parts of the massive creature. Blood ran down his arm and body as he weakly flailed up at the armored beast.

  Eógan roared as he rained blows upon the monster, his spear point grinding gouges into its thick carapace, trailing sparks into the darkness. He dodged clumsy swings of the monsters limbs, methodically drawing closer to one of its gigantic eyes. As he flung back both arms to plunge the spear into the creature’s eye a baritone voice called out from the boulder. “STOP!” Esker yelled. “He is only protecting his young!”

  It took a moment for Liadan to comprehend that Esker was talking about the monster, Eógan looked equally stupefied. The creature hissed mightily and dropped Guillaume, yet did not strike as Esker calmly approached it, covered head to toe in an extremely unpleasant substance, her fist was no longer encased in stone.

  Eógan climbed down the side of the shiny exoskeleton of the creature, warily eyeing it until he turned his attention to Esker. “You look like shite,” he said dryly and wrinkled his nose. “You also smell like it.”

  Esker rolled her large eyes and huffed. “Rainbow scarabs lay their egg in a ball of dung, we happened to be caught in its path. These beetles mean us no harm and are quite docile.” She made some soothing sounds towards the gigantic creature and true to her word, the scarab no longer showed any signs of aggression as is shuffled over towards the boulder of feces and began to fuss over it.

  Guillaume groaned on the ground, clutching weakly on his upper arm, as blood pooled beneath him. “We need to stop the bleeding,” Liadan said grimly as she rushed to his side and crouched over him. “Let me heal you,” she told him softly. He nodded up to her, his eyes clenched shut in pain. Liadan conjured her faith and felt its power ripple through her body, gathering in her finger tip. She gently pressed near Guillaume’s ragged wound and felt the healing essence leave her body and enter his.

  There was no effect. A buffet of negative energy pulsed out of Guillaume, shattering the filigree of light emanating from Liadan’s hand. “Do not resist it, let me help,” Liadan insisted.

  “I am not doing anything.” Guillaume said weakly, his face grew pale. “I…” He slipped into unconsciousness. Liadan summoned the holy energy again and again, yet each time it was rebuffed by Guillaume’s strange power.

  ———

  “We need to find him help and soon,” Eógan said as he affixed the final strip of bandage over Guillaume’s shoulder. He had assisted Liadan with rudimentary first aid, even contributing a poultice from some herbs he had tucked away on his person. She was not sure she wished to know the exact location.

  “There is only one way to go,” Esker said as she looked down the tunnel in the opposite way that they had entered. Before the rainbow beetle had rumbled its way back towards the treasure hoard, pushing along its dung boulder, Esker had briefly communed with it. She made a series of clicks and hisses that the creature seemed responsive towards. After it had departed, she explained how her people can foster close bonds with some of the subterranean species, even mounting beetles for battle as a knight would ride a horse.

  Eógan bent down at Guillaume’s sprawled legs and asked Esker, “Do you want to take his upper half while I take his feet?”

  “I will carry him,” Esker replied solemnly, tenderly cradling Guillaume in her arm like a lanky child. The four of them did not have to travel much longer down the twists, turns, rises, and falls of the tunnel before they came to pinched opening, dully illuminated with a faint purple glow.

  Eógan approached cautiously, padding quietly on bare feet. He scanned the opening, which had a ring of tattered and desiccated flesh hanging limply around it. He motioned for the others to follow. With a grimace he stretched the membrane down with the tip of his spear, so that they could easily walk past it. Liadan swore she heard Eógan mutter, “Quiet you.” But she did not know to whom he spoke and did not press him as she passed through the circular portal, followed by Esker who carried Guillaume.

  Eógan leapt through the opening as he released his spear and the tattered exit slowly puckered shut. “Did we just depart from the dragon’s arse?”

  Liadan groaned. “I am going to assume this was the tail…” she said this willfully, ignoring the snaking skeletal remains embedded in the roof of the cavern. She was alarmed to see some of that same purple magic they had awakened in the entrance of the dungeon was now dancing along the bones. “Should we be concerned about that?” she said gesturing up to the coruscating death magic.

  Eógan shrugged. “No longer our problem,” he answered flippantly.

  Esker stopped in her tracks and studied a well formed tunnel leading away from the dragon’s corpse. “These are Tengu mines,” she said softly. In the center of the tunnel she dropped prostrate and blew away the dust, revealing Tengu runes embedded in the floor. Her brow furrowed as she concentrated on the ancient writing. “I believe it says ‘road to Yūbari.’” She looked down the cave-way into the pitch blackness with longing in her eyes. “There are doctors that can tend to Guillaume’s wounds and I would very much like to return home.”

  Liadan smiled at her Tengu friend as Eógan skipped over to her. “Any good food in Yūbari?” he asked as his stomach rumbled. “I was not able to get seconds at the last feast I attended.”

  Esker shook her large head, but her eyes smiled. “I will make sure we are all well tended to,” she replied, rising to her feet gingerly, so as not to jostle Guillaume’s limp body.

  The coursing purple magic weaving between the ancient bones quickened and fissures began to arc through the roof of the tunnel. The three of them hastened their pace and began their journey to the Tengu city of Yūbari.