A Mystery Deep Below Part 11
“Are you sure he will be coming tonight, Lar?” We had been hiding behind some rather large containers of fish for a long time now.
“Do not question me, girl. Torchal guides me.”
“I do not mean to doubt you or our great Torchal, but he did not know about this creature.” I braced for some kind of physical reprimand. None came.
“I understand your doubt now. Torchal searched his long memory. There was a brief encounter with a similar type of creature in the far past, even before my Grand-Lar. Trust in him.”
“Yes, Lar-Naneth. As you wish.”
“Now, silence. I hear something. Torchal warns.”
We both stayed as quiet as the waters. A shuffling and scraping sound came from the warehouse’s front flap. Spike-like talons curved around it from the outside. Water dripped from them onto Torchal’s back. What emerged next was from all nightmares.
I am guessing it was some kind of head. Barnacles and spikes covered most of it, making it difficult to tell. If it wasn’t for the red, sulfurous eyes glowing above a gaping mouth full of needle teeth, I would not have known at all.
A sinuous body came next. Lithe and lean but also covered in the same barnacle and spikes and its head. He oozed green thick fluid. As it landed, it sizzled and disappeared, causing a soft groan within my mind from Torchal. The creature stood nearly eight feet tall. This was nothing like the vapor form we saw before.
I did not dare ask Lar what this thing was. It wasn’t the same as the other. It was much worse. I really hoped all her gadgets worked on this one, just like she believed they would have worked on the other one. Just as I thought that, another form followed inside right behind this one. It was the first creature. Same as the larger one but smaller, and it didn’t ooze. So now there were two. How in all the spines would this work out?
Lar looked over at me. She didn’t seem phased in the least that there were now two monsters. TWO! She placed her finger on her lips to tell me to be quiet. I tried to slow my breathing but couldn’t. This was impossible. Sure, she was a Lar, but I was only a student.
The creatures approached where the soul had been stashed. They rummaged through the fish. Light chittering came from the smaller one, while a harsher form was spoken by the larger. Someone was in trouble.
Lar handed me one of the devices. She held one similar to it. With no sound, she showed me that all I had to do was point and click the green button. Then, hold the button down until they stopped moving. Panic rose in my chest as Lar began to stand up.
I followed her lead. We both aimed our devices at the unknowing creatures. There were still locked in some kind of chittering argument. I pointed at the smaller one while Lar’s device aimed at the larger creature. Just as we were about to hit the buttons, the smaller one looked our way. He grabbed his superior and yanked him down out of the way of our green beams of light.
“Come on, girl. Don’t waste time.” Lar jumped over our container in one bound. I tried to do just as she had done but face planted inside with the fish. After a short struggle, I clawed my way out only to see Lar in a fist fight with the larger of the two monsters. It seemed both me and the smaller one were in shock of what we saw.
As I glanced at the little one, he took notice of me as well. Instead of fighting me, he took off out of the room. “Go get him girl, I’ve got this one.”
“Are you sure? He is so big!”
“GO!”
I did. I ran and followed the screams of people waking up to see what the commotion was about. It ran toward the edge of town. I had to catch it. It knocked over newly erected stalls for produce and fish that were being set up by early riser at market. I tried desperately to jump over any clutter he created.
Finally gaining ground, I grabbed a hanging line of fish and flung it at him. It wrapped around his feet, causing him to fall over. Of course, it didn’t take long for the monster to get free, but by that time, I was on him. Thinking of how Lar was handling the big one, I started punching this creature. I took the fish and line and wrapped it around his legs.
He fell to the ground, hitting his head on a hard table. I held my breath to see if he got up, but he did not. So, I looked for another fishing line. All the other Firen finally stopped screaming. Hal-mant seemed to see what I was after and brought a large net. He helped me wrap the beast up in it and drag it to where Lar-Naneth sat on a still body of the larger creature, a rather huge spine clutched in her hands.
“How did you subdue that one, Lar?”
“When gadgets fail, a blunt object usually does the trick. You?”
“Blunt object as well.”
“Let’s get them to the cage and then summon our town for the sentencing.” Lar grabbed her prize by one disgusting foot and began dragging it behind her as if it didn’t weigh a thing.
With quite a bit of pushing and shoving, we finally got both the creatures into the cage. Lar attached her device, and the humming began. Hal-mant was still with us and helped get them inside the cage. Lar looked to him now. “Go gather the town in our arena for their judgment.
An hour later, I stood with Lar in front of our congregation. The arena was near Lar’s hut but closer forward to Torchal’s head. It would make it easier to deliberate with him.
“We gather to pass judgment upon these creatures who dare steal a youngling’s soul. The child was reunited with her soul, but these two would easily return and steal it or another again. What say you all?” Lar looked out into the crowd.
In unison, the entire town held up red cards for guilty. Not a single green card could be seen. Lar nodded. “I shall pass on your verdict to Torchal, who will decide their fate.”
Lar went silent. She closed her eyes and nodded several times. It seemed to go on forever. No one dared move and disrespect Torchal or Lar-Naneth. They all waited on baited breath.
After what felt like an eternity, Lar opened her eyes. She looked at me. I knew what would be said because Torchal had spoken to me as well. She strode a little forward. “Torchal has spoken. These two evil creatures shall be sentenced to death by sea serpent.”
Gasps erupted through the crowd. No one had ever seen a sea serpent, much less been sentenced to death by one. They were longer but thinner than Torchal if the myths were to be true. They could freeze the very waters.
We all felt Torchal shift his direction. Many staggered. Lar stood strong. It wouldn’t take long for us to reach wherever Torchal wanted us to go. The air around us began to grow very cold. The creatures awoke and began angry chitters. They thrashed at the bars but quickly learned that touching them hurt. One of their talons broke through and scratched me down my arm. My blood pooled on each cut but quickly froze. We all shivered violently.
Through chattering teeth, Lar spoke, “It is time. Hal-mant, please assist us in raising this cage.”
He stepped forward with several other young Firen men. They lifted the cage by spines placed under it until it rose above our atmosphere. Something large swam past at a vicious pace. We covered our ears when the sound of a roar nearly made us all deaf.
“Do not fear. It is not here for us. Torchal will protect us.” Lar declared.
Still, everyone crouched down. Above us, streaks of light flashed. An enormous form could be seen coiling just beyond Torchal’s spines. Teeth larger than the longest spine filled a gaping maw. The cage continued to rise on its own after breaching our air. It floated in the water. The creatures didn’t move. They stared at their fate without fear.
Suddenly, a crunch could be heard as those teeth encompassed the cage and creatures, smashing them to nothing. It disappeared beyond that maw. Within no time at all, the serpent was gone, and our air became warm again.
The deed was done. Our people were safe. Until the next mystery or danger arrived, we could live as we wished, and I could finally become a Lar when it was my time. To be like her was all I wanted now.
