Gone But Not Forgotten, page 17
part #2 of The Jaxon Grey Chronicles Series
Behind me, I heard a loud thud as the persistent pirate landed hard on the deck of the River-Rapt, and dread instantly filled my veins. I turned to face the savage foe, expecting his sword to already be lunging for me, but, instead, I caught sight of him dangling upside down. Thiesel has descended from its perch and now held the pirate wrapped up in its winding tail, crushing his bones and strangling the Tatoran. The pirate's eyes bulged out of their sockets and his face contorted awkwardly. The corpse was then tossed aside casually and Thiesel quickly slithered away to join in on the rest of the melee, flinging pirates overboard with considerable ease and crushing others with its lengthy, sinuous body. I watched in unashamed fascination, but then I realized just how vulnerable Mya and I still were.
The fight was everywhere now; in the water, on all three ships, and along the walkways of the canal. I was glad to see Quiva and his group fighting atop the Serpent of the Sea, finally having returned from their ambush position downstream.
I looked around, and it seemed like victory would be ours.
My excitement turned to confusion when, quite suddenly, Quiva’s group began stomping over each other as they fled from the deck of the pirate ship. I saw the two vase-shaped cannons being hauled back up to the bow of the ship by their gun crews, with more pirates fighting all around them, doing whatever they could to keep the artillery operators safe. They met heavy resistance, but the pirates refused to give up and soon reached their firing position.
Demtrius jumped down to the River-Rapt and ran towards me shouting something, but I couldn't hear him over the commotion. Then, with a puff of smoke and a deafening blast, the cannons discharged their explosive loads only feet from Vengeance. The cannon balls sliced through the side of Vengeance’s hull at sea level, tearing through the wooden planking and snapping beams before finally exiting the ship and embedding themselves deep in the sidewall of the canal, widening the extensive crack made by the ram's earlier collision.
The air was full of cannon smoke, making it hard to breathe, so I stayed as low as I could. I saw water beginning to flood into Vengeance where the iron balls had pierced the hull, but that proved to be the least of our worries, as a giant rift opened up in the floor of the canal, sucking down everything in its wake. All three ships were pulled toward this rift, but the River-Rapt, being the lightest and closest of the three ships, was drawn down into the rift almost immediately, swallowed by an abysmal, wet darkness.
Chapter Fifteen
The Serpent’s Feast
For what seemed like an eternity, but in reality could not have been more than a few seconds, I held my breath as I was sucked deeper into the planet. The ship was being torn to pieces by the jagged walls, and water surged around me with wild, turbulent force. I clung to the ship desperately, hoping it didn't disintegrate completely, and then I was abruptly spit out into yet another underground cavern. The drop was far, and to avoid being crushed by the ship decking, I pushed off of it as hard as I could with both of my feet. I shot diagonally across the cavern for a few seconds and then slammed into a massive stalactite that hung down from the ceiling. I stuck there for a split-second, trying to find something to hold onto, but the stalactite was smooth and slippery, so down I fell into the murky water below.
I thrashed about frantically in the water before finally getting ahold of myself. The water was completely saturated with salt, and my body felt extra buoyant.
I heard more splashing around me, and saw several Tatorans grasping on to debris from the ship's wreckage, their wet fur clinging tight against their bodies. There were also many dead Tatorans, both pirates and Trell villagers alike, though I couldn't be sure if Lorthredo, Montaug, or any of the River-Rapt's crew were among them. Mya, miraculously, was still lying unconscious and unscathed on the same piece of decking from the ship. Beyond her was one of the river rapts, struggling to swim in the saturated water. If it stayed in the highly salinated water for long, it would surely die.
I didn't see Demtrius anywhere, and Nadina and Pharon were also missing. No one I knew was with me, save for Mya, and I didn't even know where we were or if we'd be able to find a way out. “How the hell am I going to get us out of this one?” I thought.
It was dark, but those same luminescent mushrooms grew in large thickets all along the walls and ceiling, glowing their dull blue and shedding dim light throughout the vast cavern. Stalactites hung down from the cavern's ceiling while stalagmites rose from its base, with some of both connecting together, creating long columns.
I could see water still pouring in from the crevice I had fallen through. I looked up at the small rift, and, lo and behold, I saw Demtrius dangling from the aperture, his belt caught on a jagged rock around the opening. His eyes were only half open and he looked dazed.
Out of the corner of my eye, emerging from the shadow of a stalactite, came three giant translucent bats flying furiously. I could see right through their bodies; veins, bones, organs, and all. They sped through the cavern, aiming straight for Demtrius. One of them stopped in front of him, flapping its wings rapidly to steady its altitude while it tried to bite at him.
I yelled up to Demtrius, trying to warn him. I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled real loud. He was beginning to come to, and, after a moment's intake of the scene, he recognized the danger hovering only feet from him and instinctively kicked his feet to ward off the threat. He then reached for his utility device and used its knife function to quickly cut himself free from the belt.
Demtrius immediately began falling and the bat went diving after him, bridging the gap in an instant. At the last moment, just when it was about to catch him, Demtrius pulled his arms and legs tight against his body and pointed his feet toward the water. The bat was suddenly forced to halt its chase as Demtrius slipped into the water yet unscathed. The unlucky predator, discouraged, then went flying off after its two companions.
Demtrius surfaced near Mya's makeshift raft a few seconds later, and I swam the short distance to the floating piece of decking.
"Damn glad to see you,” I said to him, and he nodded in agreement.
I could see land around one of the nearer columns, and some of the survivors had already started moving toward the small island. Mya was still unconscious, and, after several attempts to wake her, she remained unresponsive. I checked her pulse, and it was strong, so I hoped she would be fine soon enough. I splashed some water on her face, but still nothing.
"We need to get to higher ground," I said to Demtrius, and he answered with a quick nod.
We couldn't leave Mya where she was, so we were forced to push the entire piece of decking that she lay on. I must say it wouldn't have been possible had the water not been so buoyant.
We had just started towards the small island, and we were making slow progress. I looked ahead, trying to decipher if the Tatorans on the beach were friend or foe. As I stared, the water in my line of vision suddenly began to form a V-shaped wave. Something was swimming right for us, and fast too. I kicked with my feet furiously, unashamedly panicking for I had no clue what creatures might be lurking down here in this dark, dismal pocket below the surface; and I had no desire to find out either.
At the tip of the V-shaped wave, a gray fin with red sides suddenly appeared on the surface. Mya opened her eyes just as the fin appeared. She shrieked loudly only to faint a moment later. I cringed from the shriek, but continued kicking. Another creature then appeared beside the first, and they began to rise up out of the water.
I was filled with instant relief when I saw the familiar faces of Pharon and Nadina. The fins on the top of their heads folded down, like a Chinese fan, and molded into their regular crests.
"Wow, am I glad to see the two of you," I said in relief. "For a moment there, I thought the three of us were fish food."
"The current around the rift was overwhelming," Nadina replied, “and we, too, were pulled into these depths, though neither of us was injured.”
I couldn't believe it; none of had been seriously injured, and, aside from Lorthredo and Montaug, we were all together. I pointed to Mya, “Can you help us get Mya to that island over there where the others are gathering?"
“Of course,” Nadina replied without pause.
"One of them is from the pirate ship," Pharon observed.
"It doesn't look like that matters much now," I pointed out. "Look where we are."
Pharon shrugged, and then the father and daughter Scynthians began helping us tow the floating piece of deck.
Midway to the island, we saw a fight break out among the Tatorans already ashore. It was a quick altercation, and ended with a dagger being driven through the pirate's gut. The bloody body was then pushed away, rolling halfway into the water.
"I guess it did matter," Pharon commented mockingly. I didn't acknowledge him, and just kept swimming toward the island. As I did, I thought of what was transpiring above in the canal. It suddenly struck me that I probably could see what was happening, through the eyes of Thiesel!
I could still feel the intangible connection that we shared and knew Thiesel must be alright. I blinked, and its sight was mine.
The fight was now over. The Serpent of the Sea had somehow managed to free itself from the wreckage and was already making its way back down the canal. Tatoran bodies littered the canal where Vengeance lay crippled, wedge inside the rift, and dozens of angry Trell villagers ran shouting and chasing after the ship along the canal's banks. Quiva was aboard Vengeance, and Kinto stood beside him. The last I had seen of Kinto he had gone down under the pirate’s cannon, but here he was, unscathed and trying to salvage his ship from ruin.
I didn't see Lorthredo or Montaug anywhere and I was extremely worried for them. They were my friends and if anything terrible happened to them, I knew it would be my fault, for they were only trying to help me. I blinked to avoid seeing the rest of the carnage in the canal.
When I was back in my own eyes, Demtrius asked, "How goes the fight?"
"It's over now," I replied dismally, “and our friends didn’t fare too well. Kinto and Quiva made it, but I didn't recognize anyone else.”
Demtrius frowned, and the wrinkle in the middle of his forehead twitched noticeably.
We were soon at the small island, and the Tatorans helped us haul Mya from the piece of decking and out of the water. Fitch was among them, but I didn't know any of the others, though I had seen them aboard Vengeance at one time or another. Altogether on the island, there were three Trell villagers, Fitch, Nadina, Pharon, Demtrius, Mya and myself.
Fitch and the three Trell villagers were yet unaware of what I had seen above in the canal through Thiesel’s eyes, so I quickly informed them of the depressing facts. It was hard to get through, and no one took it well.
Mya still lay unconscious, so I splashed some water onto her face again. To my relief, she finally stirred awake. She sat up, shaking her head, still confused and disoriented. "What happened?" She looked around at our bleak situation. "Where are we?"
"Somewhere deep underground," I replied, still coming to terms with the sudden change of scenery. "We were sucked into a rift in the canal that brought us into this enormous cavern."
Just then, the entire cavern filled with a terrible and horrific squealing. The echoes from the ghastly sound made it initially difficult to locate the source of the squeals, but one of the Trell villagers pointed to the dying river rapt out in the salty water. I glimpsed the river rapt just in time to see a surge of water rise up under the moribund creature, and was completely startled to see its squirming figure caught between the jagged teeth of an enormous shark. The new predator launched itself almost entirely out of the water in its attack, and I watched as it flopped its body in mid-air, simultaneously snapping its prodigious jaws shut just before splashing back down into the water and sending waves in every direction.
It then turned its attention to our island, where we were all frantically trying to distance ourselves from the water's edge.
A massive fin rose from the water, and then a second smaller fin, a tail fin, also emerged, swaying back and forth ominously as the predator approached.
"Look at the size of that thing!" said one of the Trell villagers hoarsely. I would later learn that he was called Dwaren, and he wasn't exaggerating. The shark made a great white look like a guppy. The rapt had only been a small morsel for the fearsome predator, and now it looked like it wanted the main course; us.
We shrank back toward the interior of the small island, which sloped upward to form a column that connected to the cavern’s ceiling. The speeding beast propelled itself up onto the island, sliding twenty or so feet ashore, massive jaws snapping and fins flapping almost robotically. The island was just big enough to keep us safe, but only just.
The prehistoric predator began wiggling its way back down the gentle slope and into the water, snatching the dead pirate from the water’s edge on the way; a conciliatory prize for its efforts. Just before it was out of reach, one of the other Trell villagers ran forward with his large, long-handled hammer and struck the shark on the point of its nose, but the beast barely seemed to notice.
We watched with dismay as the massive shark proceeded to slowly circle our small island, trapping us; preparing for its next strike.
"If we stay here, I think we'll be alright," said Fitch.
No sooner had Fitch said those words than Dwaren spotted three enormous luga gradually making their way down the column from the cavern’s ceiling. They moved silently, and their path would lead them directly to us. I remembered the luga from the canal; how it emitted a tranquilizing gas, and then engulfed its prey with its extending funnel mouth before shooting a barb through it for the coup de grace. These luga, however, were ridiculously enormous and could easily consume any number of us. Now we were trapped between them and the lurking shark.
The luga continued to inch their way down the column at a snail’s pace, with their funnel-shaped mouths already beginning to extend toward us. I could also see the same gaseous cloud seep out of the funnels, too, as the smaller ones had done.
"It's gas!" shouted one of the Trell villagers. "Don’t inhale the gas!"
Several of us, myself included, ran back toward the water, but then we saw the shark’s fins still cutting the surface as it continued to circle the island. There were plenty of dead Tatorans in the water, but the shark seemed intent on getting to us. Luckily, Nadina and Pharon stepped forward with an idea.
With the three luga still approaching slowly down the column and emitting their noxious gas, we scattered around the small island. Nadina and Pharon waited until the shark was on the opposite side of the island and then they dove headlong into the water. The shark was instantly aware of their presence, and it altered its circuitous course accordingly. Meanwhile, the luga drew closer still, extending their funnel-shaped mouths further, but so far their tranquilizing gas couldn’t reach us.
I was instantly forced to throw my hands to my ears. Nadina and Pharon unleashed their sonic screeches, and the resulting noise was incredibly loud, even for us above the water's surface. The shark was speeding directly for them, but all of a sudden it convulsed violently, shuddering in its approach before veering away.
I was once again amazed by the power and magnitude of the Scynthians' vocal chords and the resulting effect it had. I was also somewhat frightened by their astounding defense mechanism. It seemed to be incredibly painful, and I was secretly glad to be on good terms with the two Scynthian fugitives.
With the shark momentarily deterred, we rushed into the water to escape the enveloping funnel-shaped mouths of the giant luga. They had managed to work their way down the column and had forced us almost to the water's edge.
“Stand back,” said Pharon, and the rest of us did as he bade. He and Nadina then voiced their sonic shrieks for a second time. Again I cupped my ears, and the pain was almost unbearable now that they were above water; but it seemed to have no effect on the approaching luga. The slug-like creatures' gelatinous bodies must have been able to absorb the intense sound waves.
"Splash them!" I yelled to the others, suddenly coming up with an idea. "The water will hurt them!" Or at least I thought it would, since they looked so much like slugs and the water was so highly salinated.
Sure enough, once the water hit their bodies, they shrank back as if being scorched by fire. The luga then began a slow retreat back to the safety of the cavern’s shadowy ceiling, leaving behind a slimy mucus trail.
I felt a sudden overwhelming urge to look up into the rift in the ceiling through which we had fallen. When I looked up, I was rewarded with the sight of Thiesel slithering its long body down through the aperture. I knew it had come searching for me, sensing my distress, and its loyalty warmed my heart a bit. Thiesel moved from stalactite to stalactite, using its strong sinuous body to wrap around one after another until it came to the column attached to our island, and then slid down toward the luga. Without even pausing, Thiesel proceeded to swallow the first of the luga before any of them were even aware of its presence. The other two giant slugs were slurped up in another few seconds, and the island was suddenly safe again. I could still see the shark’s fin above water as it lurked in the distance, weary of experiencing the Scynthians’ high frequency screeches.
Thiesel sped across the water toward the shark, spraying a V-shaped wave like a speed boat, and then it was grappling with the giant sea creature. The water churned and foamed around them as Thiesel twisted and rolled. It squeezed, curling its body around the shark and constricting with bone-crushing force. They sunk under the surface together, and after a few seconds I grew worried that Thiesel might not re-emerge.
