When they could finally release the ropes from about their bodies and stand free, Adena raised her lantern and stared into the darkness. The wash of light spread as she raised it, revealing the oily black surface of an underground lake.
"This is it. Mr. Phibuli is in here somewhere," she said, sighing.
"That bubbling sound seems louder." Penny fingered her carbine. "I don't like the sound of it."
"Me neither." Greg frowned. "Adena, how do we find Mr. Phibuli in this?"
The look she gave him seemed odd, although he couldn't tell if it was her true expression or some effect of the lantern light. "I'll know when I draw near enough." She pointed to the left. "There's a gravel beach of sorts that circles the entire lake. We'll head clockwise around it until I get a sense of where he is."
Greg and Penny shared a glance. The big woman shrugged as if to say, What can you do?
They walked in single file, gravel crunching beneath their boots, the lake on their right. Greg's missing arm tingled, and the bandage felt tight. Wincing, he slackened the ties again, wondering yet again what on Earth — or BloodDark — the strange brass parrot had done to him.
Adena shot him a knowing look but said nothing.
The bubbling sound grew stronger. Greg cocked his head, trying to pinpoint the sound, but Adena beat him to it. She raised her arm and pointed. "There."
Far out on the water a faint milky-white glow emanated from beneath the surface. The light flickered as the water seethed with a steady roiling motion. "What is causing that?"
Adena looked grim. "I don't know, but it's close to where Mr. Phibuli is."
Greg nodded. "Okay. How do we do this?"
"We wade. Keep your boots on. The bottom of the lake is sandy for the most part, but there are shoals of sharp rocks in places."
Adena shouldered her carbine, drew her sword then waded into the water, holding her lantern high. The water rose around her hips, creating a wake as she plowed ahead.
Greg followed, then Penny. As the water rose, and he felt more resistance to his efforts, Greg wondered what else dwelt here in the darkness. His imagination, fueled by their encounters with murriks and silocks, peopled the dark beyond the lantern light with all kinds of horrors.
Ahead of him Adena drew close to the turmoil in the water. She peered down into it then stepped back with a cry.
Greg waded forward, cursing the water resistance that hampered his movements until he stood by her side. Adena pointed with her sword blade down into the water. He saw the once-beautiful face of the silver lady, now part-melted, ruined and frozen into a last grimace of rage staring up at them from the black sandy bottom of the lake. Bubbles sprang from gaps in her argent form, rising with considerable force to break the surface.
"I sure hope that thing's dead," Greg said.
Adena recovered her breath and her wits. "If it hasn't killed us by now, I should think it is."
Greg stared into the depths. "Where's Mr. Phibuli? Let's find him and get the heck out of here."
"Agreed." Adena sheathed her sword. "Take my lantern, Greg. Penny? Stand guard."
They obeyed. Adena stretched out her left arm and held her hand palm-downward, sweeping it from side to side with her eyes half-closed in concentration. She walked forward a few paces, avoiding treading on the silver corpse.
"Here," she said after several seconds, by which time she'd reached the edge of the lantern light. "He's here."
Taking a deep breath, she stooped, plunging her head and shoulders beneath the water. Greg stood, nervously alternating between watching the silver lady and Adena's fumbling search beneath the water. At last she stood up with a cry of triumph, holding the forlorn shape of the brass parrot aloft.
A hissing shriek sounded from above as the murriks attacked from the darkness.
Adena had a moment's warning as the dark shapes of the descending monsters eclipsed the distant lights high above. She dove beneath the water and felt the violent disturbance behind her as vicious claws raked a futile course in search of her body. Keeping a tight grip on the parrot's form, she stuffed him through her belt and drew her sword. The yellow glow of the lanterns held by Greg and Penny swayed violently, casting alternating pools of light and darkness over the water. Brighter flickers as from gunfire cast reflections on the little waves.
Adena could see a multitude of black shapes swooping and soaring above. One came to a hover directly overhead, the head bowed as if searching for her. With a snarl of rage, she surfaced, sword up thrust, to pierce and slash the creature's body from groin to throat.
The weight of the dying murrik dragged her over. Adena splashed into the water once more. Black blood clouded the water. She tasted the acrid stuff before she clamped her mouth shut. Kicking away from the dead beast, she crouched on the bottom of the lake and slowly rose until her head broke the surface, careful not to create a telltale splash.
Greg swung his lantern, using it as a club to swat at the murriks as they dived and swooped at him. The light ruined their attack, but Adena could see a wide rip in Greg's jacket where one attempt got through. Penny was crouching, using the brief glimpses of their attackers to fire her carbine. One bullet found a mark. A murrik fell out of the darkness to plunge beneath the water. Before Penny could work the bolt of her carbine, another of the creatures shot out of the night to claw at her head. The big woman's hands rose to grip the thing's arms. She fell beneath the water, pulling her attacker down with her weight. Locked in a tight embrace they sent up gouts of bloodied water in a fight to the death.
Adena waded forward,
