“Ready yourweapons,” Fibian said.
“Just don’tlet the fire go out,” Grim said, laughing.
He blewslightly on Cyrus’ torch. The flame flickered.
“Do thatagain, and I’ll take your eye as well,” Cyrus seethed.
“Won’t be longnow,” Grim said, smiling broadly, “Just wait till you get a look at theirfaces.”
Chapter 19
WENDIGO
CYRUS LISTENED FOR VOICES. The sound of shufflingfootsteps and squeaking rodents came from the surrounding tunnels.
“Keep moving,”Fibian ordered.
He had hisback to the group as he covered their rear.
“I’d say now’sa good time to renegotiate our deal,” Grim said.
The trollstopped dead in his tracks. Tier stepped forward and buried her weapon in hisback.
“Move, youtwo-faced swine.”
“Cyrus, look,”Edward said, crawling along his shoulder.
Dread filledthe spider’s voice.
Cyrus spottedseveral pallid apparitions stagger towards them through a tunnel to their right.
“Ah, and herethey are now,” Grim said, “Pretty little things ain’tthey?”
The creaturespaused just beyond the torchlight. Cyrus’ heart thundered. He pointed his shakycrossbow at the new arrivals. From the rear came the sound of more shuffling.Another group of white figures appeared. Fibian raisedhis weapon to cover their flank. Tier kept her rifle trained on the troll.
“Move, or I’llshoot you through the knee and leave you to fend for yourself,” she growled.
“All in goodtime,” Grim said, “Just show ‘em you got flame andthat you ain’t scared.”
Cyrus’ nervesgot the better of him. He thrust forward, slashing the air with his torch. Thefirelight briefly illuminated one of the creatures’ emaciated forms.
“What inKingdom?” Cyrus gasped.
The savage’sskin was chalk white. Its eyes too held no hue, yet its body was bloodspattered and dirty with soot.
“Master Cyrus,what did you see?” Fibian asked.
A thin,six-inch fur covered all but the creature’s belly, face and scalp.
“I don’t know…”
The thing hadstared at Cyrus through shocked, unblinking eyes, its mouth agape in abreathless scream. It was about six feet tall and looked like it had not eatenin months.
Fibian crept towards the throng at their flank. The creatures did not stir.
“Careful,”Cyrus hissed.
The froskman’s torch unveiled more of the same sort of savage.
“They’regrowing bolder,” Grim said, his voice showing the first signs of doubt.
Some werefemale with exposed chests, others male, like the first Cyrus had seen. Theirlips were pulled back revealing swollen gums and broken, bloody teeth. Beneaththeir chins, wispy beards cloaked their wiry necks. One chewed on a mouthfulof rat. The remains of the dead rodent twitched in its right hand.
“Fibian, get away from there,” Edward shouted, racing acrossCyrus’ back.
The corner of Grim’s mouth twitched. Tier cocked her weapon’s hammer.
“I said move,troll.”
With a slow chuckle,Grim began to lumber forward.
“Don’t youfellas worry. Long as I’m around, ain’t nothing goin’ a happen to ya.”
The groupcontinued their advance. The shadows behind them filled with the ghastly formsof the silent ghouls.
“How muchfarther?” Tier asked.
“Oh, a-ways togo still,” Grim said, guiding them northwest through another divide, “Why,should we stop to rest?”
Tier proddedthe troll onward.
Something nickedthe side of Cyrus’ head.
“Ouch!”
“What was that?”Edward asked.
“A stone,”Cyrus said, “It came out of that tunnel,” he motioned towards the darkness tohis left.
“They’ve neverdone that before…” the troll said, bewildered.
“Keep moving,faster,” Tier demanded.
Another stoneflew at them from their shadowed flank. Holding his crossbow under his maimedright arm, Fibian caught the projectile with hisleft. He cast it back twice as hard. The rock struck something soft. Cyrus lookedto Fibian, panic setting in. The group began to driveforward at a slow jog.
A third rockflung out of the darkness. It caught Cyrus behind the ear. His vision blurred.He collapsed, dropping his torch. Then he felt something clasp his ankle. Hebegan to slide away from the light.
“Fibian!” he screamed.
Cyrus clawedat the earth. He grasped his dropped crossbow, twisted and shot into the murk.The creature continued to pull. Cyrus saw Fibian spinand fire a bolt. The arrow struck a white arm gripping Cyrus’ leg. The thing didnot stop. Edward sprang from his collar and landed on the creature’s forearm.He bit deep into the wendigo’s flesh. The savage twitched, then dissolved intoa pile of sand. Cyrus scooped Edward up and scrambled away from the dark.
“Holy SeaZombie!” he gasped.
“Are you twoall right?” Fibian asked, helping Cyrus to his feet.
“I think so,” Cyrussaid, checking himself.
He noticed astrange, scrutinizing expression on Tier’s face. Then he searched for historch.
“My torch!Where’s my torch?”
“The troll,”Edward shouted, from Cyrus’ shoulder.
Grim had stolenCyrus’ torch and was running off down the tunnel.
“Inbred scum,”Tier spat.
She gavechase. Cyrus and Fibian followed.
“We can’t losehim, or we might never leave this place,” Edward cried.
Ragged footstepsghosted their hunt. The tunnel twisted and turned. The cave walls grewpockmarked and the air became warm. The troll was fast, but his torchlightbetrayed his position. The rumble and shake of Grim’sfootsteps echoed throughout the caverns. Stone and dust fell from the craggyceiling. The lava vent began to expand. Odd rock formations, like stretchedcheese, grew from the edges. Cyrus smelled something that reminded him of ablacksmith’s shop.
They continuedtheir chase. The tunnel opened up into a grand hollow. Cyrus skidded to a stopat the threshold of a yawning gorge. He stared down at a glowing river of lavabelow. Angels! The river cut through the middle of the cavern, hundredsof feet below. A delicate bridge-way crossed the gap from one end of the caveto the other.
“What now?”Cyrus asked.
Hot ash rosefrom the inferno, blackening the twisting stalactites and fractured ceilinghigh above.
“We continueon,” Fibian said.
He graspedCyrus’ arm and led him forward.
The bridge wasabout six-feet wide and seemed ready to collapse.
“Hurry,” Tiergrowled back, “the troll’s escaping.”
Grim reachedthe end of the lengthy bridge-way and vanished around a bend. Cyrus continuedforward, glancing over his shoulder.
“Wendigo!” Fibian shouted.
He turned and firedhis crossbow. A pale ghoul crashed at his feet.
Cyrus saw fivemore follow through the darkened tunnel behind them.
BOOM!
Tier droppedanother. The creature struck the ground in a rattle of sinew and bones. Cyrustook aim and fired. He hit one of the wendigo in the stomach. The savagestumbled but continued forward. It grabbed Cyrus by the neck. Cyrus fellbackward, struggling to get an advantage over his attacker. The creaturesnapped at his face; its lips pulled back like a ravenous dog’s.
“Edward!”Cyrus hollered.
The wendigowas too strong. Cyrus’ strength was draining.
“Tier, Fibian, help!”
He saw the insideof the savage’s gaping mouth. Its tongue was
