Valkeryn 2: The Dark Lands (34 page)

Brown drew his large k-bar blade and sawed at the material, but it refused to cut.

‘It’s like… freakin… steel cable.’

‘No!’ Sharp grimaced and Arn noticed it was not panic, but frustration in her eyes.

‘Make a hole.’ Teacher barged through the tumbling bodies, holding out one arm. A four-foot blade appeared from his fingertips, and he swung it sideways, severing both cords instantly.

Sharp dropped and Brown held on tight. Teacher spun.

‘Weng, get us the hell out of here. Lights to the bow, thermal and motion detection… now.’

The boat bumped against the rock shelf for a few seconds and then lifted as Weng employed more power. In another moment, they had crossed a hundred feet of water.

Brown got up on one arm and helped Sharp sit. ‘How’s your day been?’

She snorted and eased back. ‘I’ve had better.’ Her face was still ashen. ‘Hey… thanks.’ She gripped his hand and squeezed.

Arn looked back up at the ceiling. ‘I think we’re clear.’

Teacher looked from Arn to the ceiling. ‘You can see?’

‘Yeah, there’s just rock and moss now.’ He sat back. ‘You know, there’s a spider in South America called the bolas spider. Doesn’t have a web. Instead, it uses a strand of silk with a drop of sticky silk at the end. It literally fishes for its prey.

‘How big are they?”

Arn held up his thumb. ‘No bigger than my nail.’

Sharp got to her feet. ‘Well, I don’t want to know big that mother was on the ceiling trying to reel me in. But I gotta tell you, it was a lot stronger than I was.’ She looked at Teacher, and nodded towards his now empty hand. ‘And I sure gotta get me one of those.’

Teacher nodded. ‘Soon.’ He moved to the front of the boat. ‘I think that’s enough rest for today.’

*

‘You okay?’ Arn put his hand on Grimson’s shoulder. The Wolfen turned, his eyes silvered in the darkness.

‘I wish to be on land, and out of this cave. Feels bad in here.’

‘I know, I can feel it too. But, we’ve got to pass under the mountain cliffs. Hopefully, it’s not far now.’

Grimson nodded, and then turned. ‘Do you think Sorenson made it?’

Arn smiled. ‘You know that nothing can kill Sorenson. Besides, he carries both his own and Strom’s
sáál
inside him now.’ He nudged the youth. ‘What does your heart tell you?’

Grimson felt his chest. ‘That we will see him again.’

The river cave narrowed, breaking into several smaller caves, each still large enough to steer a steamboat into, and each with moving water, some sluggish, some fast. Over the side of the boat, small luminescent fish darted back and forth, like blue sparks from some ironmonger’s works.

Teacher held up his hand, exhaling slowly as he looked along the multiple cave mouths. ‘All or none could be the right way.’

Brown moved his flashlight over one of the cave mouth’s ceilings. ‘Batteries won’t last forever.’ He lowered his light beam. ‘There’s water movement into each; means the river is still going somewhere.’

Teacher half turned. ‘Weng, take us around again.’

They circled back to the first cave mouth, and then slowed to glide along in front of each. Teacher reached over the side, wet his hand, and held it up. He did it several more times; passing four of the six cave mouths, when he suddenly pointed.

‘This one has an air flow; means there must be an above water passageway – hopefully leading all the way out.

Weng brought the nose around and then increased speed. Even though the cave mouth was about a fifty-foot opening and above water, there was little luminescence on the walls inside. Flashlights swung back and forth between the water, the walls, and the ceiling. Adrenaline brought fatigued bodies and minds back to full alert.

For another twenty minutes they travelled with just the soft purr of the propulsion unit and the hiss of water as the bow cut its silky blackness. Simms was the first to break the tension, his voice loud even though whispered. ‘Stings like hell. What is that? Ammonia?’ He wiped his streaming eyes with the back of his hand.

‘Short breaths only; could be some sort of gas vent.’ Teacher spoke over his shoulder while pointing course changes out to Weng in the stygian darkness.

‘Phew, I’ve smelt that before.’ Arn frowned as he racked his memory, and Grimson put both hands over his long nose.

For the first time since entering the new cave, the boat rocked, lifting slightly on a swell. The Deltas grabbed the gunwale, glancing at each other. Teacher widened his stance. He looked over the side.

‘Weird, must be some backwash. Brace yourselves; there could be some currents up ahead. Maybe even falls.’

The boat lifted again this time even higher. Brown spun with his light scanning behind them, and then to the sides. ‘I don’t hear anything.’ He switched to thermal vision. ‘Got nothing with a heat signature, and no churn.’

Sharp lifted her light. ‘He’s right – no crashing water… and that felt like a bow wave from an approaching vessel.’

There was a grunt from behind them, and the boat started to drift, turning in a long, slow loop.

Teacher grabbed the side of the boat. ‘Dammit Weng, watch the walls.’ The boat continued to drift, and he half turned. ‘Weng, what the…’ Teacher froze then crouched, his hands coming up, holding his handgun. ‘Man down, man down. Eyes on the water.’

The Deltas spun to where Weng had been sitting and controlling the mini propulsion unit. He wasn’t there anymore. The back of the small craft was wet, but there was also a glistening substance coating the sides of the boat.

Simms threw himself into the seat, and grabbed the controls, guiding them smoothly away from the walls. After another few seconds, he lifted his hand and looked at it. ‘Yech.’ It was coated in slime. He brought the gloved fingers close to his nose.

‘Holy crap, this stuff stinks – like fish and something else; bleach maybe.’

Arn pointed. ‘No, not bleach… ammonia. Cephalopods are full of it.’

‘Cephalo-what?’ Sharp, like Teacher, had her handgun out, held in both hands and pointed at the dark water.

Arn looked out over the smooth surface. ‘Squid, octopus, cuttlefish – keep your eyes on the water.’

‘Couldn’t look away if I wanted to.’ Brown also decided to save his rifle’s last ammunition, and drew his Beretta M9 handgun.

‘Weng… Weng!’ Teacher held up his light, flicking it back and forth over the water until a lump appeared on the surface. ‘Over there…’

The lump grew, round and almost colorless, and many times larger than a human head or even a body. It rolled slightly, and then a single eye as round as a dinner plate regarded the boat for a few seconds before the mass slid back beneath the inky water.

Brown sat down. ‘Jesus Christ – Simms, put the peddle to the floor and get us the hell out of here.’

The boat kicked as Simms began to accelerate, but then immediately slowed as though caught in a net.

‘It’s underneath us!’ Teacher pointed his handgun, but then looked from it to Arn. He tossed the weapon to him. ‘Use it.’

The boat lifted, and Teacher grabbed the gunwale. ‘Get ready to repel anything that tries to come on board.’ He stood, legs planted wide and made fists. Blades sprung from both hands.

Immediately, the eye watering stench enveloped them. Arn pushed Grimson down onto the bottom of the boat and lifted the gun. The Beretta felt both alien and familiar, and he mentally thanked his grandfather for teaching him how to use a firearm when growing up.

There came the sound of falling water from the darkness behind the boat, and immediately they swung their lights swung around to reveal a monstrous blob lifting itself from the water. Tentacle limbs rose to writhe, coiling over each other.

Arn could see that the creature was basically man-shaped, but suckered tentacles bloomed from its shoulders and torso. It was like an octopus, but as wide as the boat, with the beaked mouth positioned at the front between two enormous lidless eyes.

Trunk-like appendages, many more than eight, moved constantly, and just below the water, Arn could make out the lifeless body of Weng, strangely soft looking as though he had been brutally pulped in the slime-glistening arms.

‘Fire.’

The thing reached out ignoring the tiny stings of the bullets, until Brown dropped his handgun and brought up his rifle, discharging the last of his armor-piercing high-caliber bullets into one of the eyes. The huge orb ruptured and there came an eerie high-pitched squeal, before the thing dived deep.

Brown dropped a grenade in after it, and then ducked down. ‘Fire in the hole.’

The surface erupted as the powerful explosive detonated. The black water showed traces of a green-blue stain and huge blobs of grey flesh came up to bump at the side of the boat. Thankfully there were no traces of Weng in the mess.

Water drops fell for a few more seconds, and then silence returned as they all stared into the dark depths. But then, away in the blackness the sound of water being pushed aside, from behin
d them… then one side, and then the other. Either more of the same creatures were approaching, or something else, some other dark-adapted hunter, was attracted by the blood.

Teacher roared.  ‘Let’s move it.’

Simms accelerated once again, gritting his teeth as though willing his own muscles into the propulsion engine, and taking them away from the thrashing water behind them while doing his best not to careen into the dank walls of the narrowing cave.

After many minutes, the cavern opened slightly, but Teacher urged them on, possibly guessing that slowing allowed the denizens of the dark to catch up to them.

The group’s muscles remained tensed as the small boat flew forward, until Grimson sat up and inhaled. ‘Earth, plants… we will soon be out.’

In another fifteen minutes, Teacher waved his hand to lower the speed. There was light showing ahead. Soon, the water shallowed to only a few feet deep, and they came to a small opening in the stone, covered over with plants, creating a barrier and effectively hiding them from outside.

The water shallowed and occasionally the boat bumped on the mossy stream bottom. Simms eased them up close to the latticework of branches and vines, and together they all luxuriated in the sunshine streaming through.

‘Haven’t felt this good for a while.’ Sharp lay forward letting the sun bathe her face.

Brown did the same, closing his eyes and inhaling. ‘You got that right, Sharpie.’

Brown reached over and softly punched her thigh. She put her hand on top of his. 

They stretched out and rested for a few minutes tied to the branch cage. Teacher peered out to check the countryside. He sat and turned, leaning back and le
tting the sun warm his neck.

‘Arn and Grimson, this is your side of the landscape. What’s best… stay in the boat, or continue on foot?’

Grimson looked over the side. ‘The waters should be safe fro
m here… at least from below. But there will be a lot of Lygon about. They tend to be more active at night, so for now, we will be fine. This river should take us closer to Valkeryn.’

‘Then the river it is.’ Teacher started to cut an opening in the lattice of hanging branches. He paused, turned and looked back into the dark cave. His face was like stone.

‘Lieutenants Benjamin Weng and Alfred C. Doonie – I thank you, sirs.’ He saluted, and the Deltas all did the same.

In another moment Simms powered the boat out and into the sunshine.

*

It took all of them to drag the boat up and into some tall reeds. Being on dry land was a relief after being trapped in the small vessel in the inky blackness. The team had moved at a steady pace for several hours, and had only once needed to dive into the foliage, covering themselves with leaves and twigs as a sizeable force of Panterran and Lygon, numbering in the many hundreds, had moved by them.

Just the Delta’s eyes peeked out from beneath their carpet of mud and bush. Grimson needed to be buried deeper so the familiar scent of Wolfen hadn’t attracted attention.

Teacher had counted them as they passed, taking note of their armaments. He spoke softly to Sharp beside him, just breathing out the words.

‘Headed due west. Only one thing out there I can think of.’

Sharp grunted softly. ‘The gateway. Let’s hope Henson managed to get reinforcements, or there’s a huge party gatecrash about to happen.’

Teacher grunted. ‘Yep. Let’s just hope we don’t have to fight our way through them to
get home.’

Sharp grinned. ‘That’d be after we defeat the army that’s here first, right?’

It took several hours for the monstrous beings to pass by, the day turning to afternoon, and then to late afternoon. After the last Lygon had thumped down along the trail Grimson nudged Arn.

‘We must get to the castle quickly. The Lygon see even better than Wolfen in the dark.’

Teacher sat up, and then stood staring after the Lygon. Grimson came and stood beside him, his ears moving slowly. Teacher looked across to him. ‘Are they gone?’

The Wolfen nodded. ‘We are safe… for now.’

The rest of the team got to their feet, shaking debris from their bodies. There was no time to hunt, so protein sticks and water was their meal on the run. Grimson relished the dry and rigid meat-like substance, and even managed to talk Arn into giving away some of his own.

In a line they jogged, the Deltas lattice mesh suits dappling in the last rays of the afternoon sunlight.

Chapter 34

Miles of Empty Beach

Henson had greeted the new Delta soldiers and put them straight to work digging in on the small mountain slope. They knew they’d be monstrously outnumbered, but they didn’t care. They had the high ground, the expertise, the ammunition, and a determination that the Lygon and Panterran would be stopped here – end of story.

Each man and woman had thousands of rounds, and there were rocket launchers, grenades and numerous other death-dealing goodies.

Henson sat down with his back against a bleached piece of stone, and used his field glasses to scan the wasteland – flat and still bright as the late afternoon sun sunk in the west. 

Bannock dropped down beside him. ‘Anything?’

Henson lowered the glasses. ‘Nope, just miles and miles of empty beach.’

Bannock took the glasses. ‘I’m bettin’ they come at us in the dark.’

‘Yep, I would if I was them. Especially as they see better in the dark than we do.’ He turned. ‘Get a few of the guys down there and let’s leave them some fireworks to make things a little brighter for our guests.’

Bannock grinned. ‘I got just the thing.’

*

Grimson led them through gorges, up hills and over escarpments, each of them having to swing under and over heavy boughs of trees and work to keep their balance as they pushed themselves to keep up. At a narrow rift in a hillside, the Wolfen stopped.

‘There is a secret entrance to the castle here. It will lead us in and behind the walls of Valkeryn. I must go alone, as the Panterran have acute hearing and will surely hear us if we all enter.’