The Chronicles of Dragon Collection (Series 1 Omnibus, Books 1-10) (101 page)

CHAPTER 37

Nath’s senses ignited. The crystal gnomes set down their tools. Huddled together murmuring, they turned into an odd-looking statue of jaxite stone. He caught Snarggell peering at him. The gnome winked just before he solidified. All that was left of the gnomes was a hunk of lifeless stone, odd in fashion but similar to the rest of the cavern.

“Thanks for the help,” Nath said. He eyed the place where the inverted steps once were. The entire cavern landscape had changed. The series of caves had become catacombs of blue-green stones.

He sighed, drew Fang, and wandered into the oppressive silence.

Dragons were patient. Mature ones were, anyway. They had all the time in the world, but of late, Nath wasn’t so patient. Being trapped in the catacombs reminded him of the tomb he’d lain in for twenty-five years. Again now it seemed to take forever to get from one place to another.

What if I go into a deep sleep again? With this lurker near?

Worry. It was the enemy of the brave. It wasn’t something Nath was accustomed to, either, yet it was there. Same as the shard of a dagger that bit between his ribs, courtesy of Overlord Dormus.

I must help Bayzog.

Nath wandered into the depths of the catacombs. The jaxite illuminated his way. It was a strange place, dayless and nightless, and it reminded him a little of Dragon Home. The stark silence was misery, however. Unsettling like a rash that ran through his bones. Only his steps penetrated the silence. The tunnel twisted left and sloped down, taking him right back to where he’d started what seemed like an hour ago.

Not much of a monster if it’s afraid to face me.

Nath tried to envision it.
It must be big if it eats horses and dragons
. A shadow or a shade, perhaps. Would it have many arms, legs, or heads? Could it cast fire from its breath? Was it a giant of a man or some hideous beast? He’d never heard of the lurker before. Perhaps Bayzog would have read about it in his histories and been able to tell Nath something about it.

Nath walked on for hours, but the landscape didn’t change. Jaxite. Jaxite. And more jaxite. A glimmering rock that was clear like glass. He stared into a piece that was smooth as a mirror. His reflection faced him. He could see blood dried on his face, and his lips were split and swollen.

Gads, my hair’s a mess.
He combed his free hand through it and winced. His chewed-up arm was still tender and stiff.
The long days just get longer.
As he turned from the polished stone, his image turned into something dark and ugly, then faded away.

Nath felt a chill in his scales. A foreboding presence neared. The faint smell of decay filled his nostrils.

Follow that malodorous smell. Where there’s stink, there’s evil.

Trusting his instincts, he tracked the scent. Winding, turning, rising, and dipping, the lurker’s course resembled a crooked river. The farther Nath followed, the worse the smell became.

If there are orcs at the end of this, I might be glad to see them.

He rounded a deep bend into a vast cavern that opened up like a huge auditorium. Bones were piled up high all over. A horrifying sight. Flesh rotted on busted bones. Skulls of horned dragons and other beasts lined the walls. The heads of all the races were scattered all about, just as Snarggell had said. The elves, dwarves, and humans made him think of his friends. Most of the others he didn’t care so much about.

He journeyed through the massive cavern, surveying all the atrocities. Decades of death as far as his keen eyes could see. A graveless tomb for the unburied. The lurker, whatever it might be, was detestable.

He stopped. A disturbing sound tickled Nath’s ears. Sucking. Long, slow, slurping draws. His irritation for the gnomes rose. It seemed they’d been truthful about everything. He started onward. The sounds became clearer. More distinct. More terrible.

Snap. Crack. Pop.

Ahead, bones were being snapped like branches. Slurping came in deep gurgles. A satisfied moaning followed. He heard bones tossed onto bones.

“Mmmmmm…” something completely alien to him said. “It seems I’ve an eager guest to dine with. Come…” It made a sucking sound. “Come … I yearn for a new flavor.” It sniffed at the air. “A sweet fragrance unlike all before. Come…”

Nath’s legs moved with a will not his own. He felt dreamy and light. He didn’t feel his toes touching the ground. The voice. The disconcerting voice was irresistible. His arms hung at his sides. Fang dangled in his clawed fingers.

“Come,” the lurker said, growing in strength. It sounded like many in one voice. It inhaled, making a great sniffing sound. “No fear in this one. So, so delicious. Strong. Powerful. We must have it. Come,” it commanded.

Nath’s eyes rolled up. His eyelids fluttered. Fang flared to life in his hand.

We?

The recesses of his lulled mined begged the question.

We? Is there one lurker, or are there many?

Nath waded through the bone piles, dragging Fang behind him.

“Come,” it said, so strong, soft, and soothing. “And release your shiny toothpick. We won’t require that. Come… ”

“What are you?”
Nath said, forcing out the question. Curiosity assailed him.

“I am all that I consume,” it said. “Now, come … gaze upon me.”

Nath’s languid eyes lifted. His gaze tilted upward. A monstrosity lounged on a throne of jaxite many times the size of him. Its wide face was terrible and ever changing. He saw men, dragons, and orcs in its burning eyes. A rack of great horns rested on its head. Its arms were many, of all the races. Its many legs were hooved, scaled, and taloned. Tentacles writhed like hair around its neck with little mouths hissing like snakes. Coarse hair and scales covered it all over. Its jaws were wide and filled with great sharp teeth. The lurker was the abomination of all abominations.

Nath’s knees locked when it opened its enormous mouth and said, “Come, make this easy. Hop in.”

A startled cry escaped his lips. Fang slipped from his fingertips.

CHAPTER 38

Nath had no sensation in his arms or legs. His heart thundered in his chest. He felt like a child who’d been told the most terrible of stories. Horrors that struck in the night, leaving children terrified of the dark. Yet there was no darkness. Only desolation. He stepped toward the lurker’s gaping mouth.

Come. Come. Come.

The suggestive words repeated in his head, driving him forward.

The long, snake-like tentacles spread about its head like a glorious raiment. The lurker pushed up off its throne and came forward. It had no neck, no chest, just a body with a head, arms, and legs. Its face shifted between dragons and ogres. Dwarves and orcs. Curiosity and suggestion compelled Nath forward.

Come. Come. Come.

The recesses of his mind became fuzzy. Unclear. There was something welcoming about the gaping maw and writhing tentacles coming toward him. He took a long step forward.

Come. Come. Come.

“Be part of my oneness,” it said. “Join the others and feast on bones forever.” Its arms stretched outward. The rows of fangs glistened in its mouth.

Nath’s thoughts were lost. His will was not his own. It bothered him. He took another step and stopped.

This is not right. This is not right at all.

“Come,” the lurker urged him. “Come now. There is no turning back. It is inevitable, friend.”

A black-bearded dwarf appeared in his mind. Words followed.

“If it eats people, kill it.”

Nath stumbled backward. He tore his gaze away. Covered his ears with his paws.

“So be it, then,” the lurker said, scurrying like an insect from side to side. “I never tire of executing dragons.” It pounced.

It covered Nath with its bulk. Tendrils tied him up. Punching fists assaulted him. The lurker slammed him to the ground and slung him across the floor.

“Hmmmm,” it said, “seems your bones don’t break so easily. The tougher the bone, the more delicious the marrow.” A great tongue rolled out and licked its lips. “A feast of the delicious.”

Nath scrambled to his feet, sucked in his breath, and shot a ball of fire from his mouth. It struck its cheek and sizzled out.
I’ve nothing left.

Its laughter was awful.

“Oh, how I like that fire in dragon bellies.” Its face turned into that of a dragon, and it sucked in and blew out. Roaring flames gushed out, enveloping Nath.

He cried out.

The lurker stormed into the flames, jerked him out, and dangled him in front of its eyes.

“I don’t like my dinner roasted!” It opened its mouth wide, stuffed Nath in, and chomped down. Nath squirted out.

Its teeth clattered, and its angry yell was deafening.

“Quick you are! But nothing is quicker than me!”

Nath dashed through the cavern and bolted for the nearest tunnel.

I don’t care how many legs it has, it’s not faster than me!

The lurker charged after him and slammed into the tunnel. Its ear-splitting yell caught up with him. “None escape me!”

Nath kept running. Aching all over, he bore one thing in mind.
Sultans of Sulfur! What about Fang?
He churned through the tunnels until the echoes of the lurker’s screams died out. He stopped and rested against the cave wall. Took a breath and gathered his thoughts. He found relief in his thought that the hex it had put his mind under was broken, but the rest of him hurt. The jaxite was harder than metal, and he’d been slammed several times into it. He sucked a painful draw of air through his teeth and staggered onward.

How can I beat that thing without Fang?

Every creature had a weakness. If it had been a dragon, he could have coped, but the lurker was many things in one. It fed and grew in stature and was made of so many creatures. Each weakness was masked by the other strengths.

I have no choice. I’ll have to think of something.

He tried to think of what Brenwar or Bayzog would do. It wasn’t so long ago that they had defeated a larger creature—the hull dragon. But they’d had magic and worked as a team on that one. Now it was only him. One dragon against a bizarre thing that became everything it had beaten. It was like fighting all those creatures at once.

Certainly it can be wounded.

Nath retraced his steps.
Find the gnomes. Maybe they have a clue
. But he was lost. He took another turn and gasped. He was right back inside the lurker’s lair. The tunnel he’d just come through disappeared. There across the room, the lurker sat with a disturbing smile on its face.

“Welcome back,” it said, holding up Fang in two of its many hands. “Looking for this?” It waggled the sword and passed it through its hands. “It’s a hot thing. I don’t like that.” Fang went from one tentacle to another. “I can handle this pretty little thing. It will make a nice trophy to go with your skin and bones.” Its tongue licked out over its teeth. Its arms and tentacles fanned out. “Come now. Why don’t you take it?”

Nath shrugged.

“Why don’t you just give it to me and save me some trouble? Once I take it, you’re dead, you know.”

“Ha!” it said. “There is nothing that can kill me.”

“Nothing that you know of.”

“I just get bigger and stronger. Once I finish dining on you, I’ll be stronger than ever.”

“Once I kill you, I’ll be stronger, too,” Nath said, coming forward. He noticed Fang being passed from hand to hand more quickly. The lurker’s face showed frustration. Fang’s blade glowed with dark, angry light. “I’d drop that sword if I were you.”

It jammed the sword into the ground behind it and snarled.

“There it will stay forever!” It skittered forward, blocking Nath’s path to Fang. It towered over him, arms and tendrils ready. “And today your fate is forever sealed.” It charged.

Nath dashed right.

It cut him off.

He went left.

It cut him off again, laughing.

Nath zigzagged through the cavern. The lurker crashed through the piles of bones, following him like a shadow. It was the biggest and fastest thing he’d ever seen. But it made a miscalculation. Nath caught a glimpse of the pathway to the sword.

You might be fast, but I’m not moving my fastest.

Nath juked to one side.

It lunged.

Nath twisted away from its clutch and sprinted for the sword.

Its yell was awful. It bore down after him. Thundered over the stone.

Nath bounded away, making a straight line for the blade. He glanced back.

It’s gaining!

Its legs churned beneath its girth, propelling it forward at an impossible speed. Its tendrils lashed out.

Nath dove for the blade. His fingers wrapped around the hilt and gripped it tight. The tendrils snagged his feet and pulled him. He now hung parallel to the floor between the lurker on his feet and his own hands on Fang, who remained stuck in the floor. The lurker towed back, stretching Nath’s spine, laughing.

“Almost,” it said, snapping its hideous jaws. “But it’s time to be eaten.”

Nath held on with all his might and tried to yank the blade free. He had no leverage. His muscles groaned and popped. More tendrils wrapped around his legs and body.

“Say goodbye to your burning sword, Dragon.”

The powerful monster jerked him all at ounce.

Nath’s fingers ripped free. The lurker stuffed him inside its mouth, and its jaw clamped down forever.