He’d seen what the monster could withstand. He’d seen what it could do to the mightiest of men. A chill ran through him. All this time they’d worried about Bone Faces and Divines while this was happening under their noses. He felt sick.
He looked at the earthen figures. What rough magic would quicken them? Despair welled up in him like a heaving dark sea. “The Grove,” he said, “is undone.”
46
The torch in Talen’s hand spit and hissed. He and Sugar proceeded farther down the passage.
Sugar held the tooth in front of her in her white-gloved hand as if she were holding a blade.
The passageway bent and curved. The walls were not as well preserved here. Stalactites had grown. And here and there parts of the wall had crumbled to the floor. Only a few paces farther and they came to a gaping rent in the wall. It was big enough to belly through. Big enough for the monster.
He looked at Sugar. He did not want to go into that dark space.
She pointed ahead at a scuffle in the dust of the floor that indicated the monster had followed the main passageway. However, even as they moved past the rent, he kept his eye upon it. He was convinced something was there, waiting for the right moment to strike.
“Hide the torch,” Sugar said.
Talen turned to her. “What?”
“I think I see a light,” she said. “But the torch is ruining my vision. Muffle the light.”
The hairs on the back of Talen’s neck stood up. He peered down the passageway, but saw nothing. The rent was still close. Nevertheless, he found an outcropping of rock and held the torch behind it. The angle was such that it lit the passage behind them, but cast a shadow ahead.
They stood until their vision began to adjust. What he saw surprised him. “There’s a faint bluish sheen reflecting from the rocks,” he said.
Bluish lights had been seen in the caves of the stone-wights before. Of course, very few who went to investigate the lights ever returned. And the reports of those who did seemed to conflict. Some said the lights dashed about like will-o’-the-wisps. Night maws, small lizardlike creatures, made a light if they were cut the right way. But those who had seen the blue light said the light always retreated farther into the cave as if it were leading the explorers to a trap.
But the lights had always been there. Did that mean this monster had been there all along and had only recently come out to forage for its food?
Talen wondered if the monster was like a lion that killed its prey immediately or if it were like a spider that stunned its meals to let them ripen. Or was it like a leech, draining the life out in small portions? What if this monster had a brood to feed? He imagined a number of rough children wrapping their limbs about Argoth and Legs, the Creek Widow, draining them until they were nothing more than husks.
The very thought of being eaten sent fear down his legs to the soles of his bare feet. But it didn’t matter. They needed to move more quickly. Every minute they hesitated gave whatever was up there more time to devour those it had taken.
They both stood there a moment longer. He could hear the drip of water. They could turn back and still perhaps avoid the creature. They might deliver the teeth to one of the authorities. But it would be far too late for any rescue.
“We need to pick up the pace,” he said. Yet he did not move.
“Right,” she said.
Talen mustered his courage and retrieved the torch.
“We have surprise on our side,” Sugar said.
But Talen wondered if that was indeed the case.
They stepped forward. All they needed to do was get one of the teeth into the monster. Or deliver the crude crown to someone who could use it. When it came to it, Talen knew his job would be to throw himself into harm’s way to distract the monster. Perhaps into the arms of the monster itself. He did not relish that idea.
The torch burned low. He retrieved the fourth. Even if they hurried, he doubted the two remaining torches would be enough for the trip back. But then there would be no trip back if they fell into some gaping hole in the floor.
He lit the fourth torch and dropped the burned one to the floor.
A little farther and the passage opened into a chamber that contained a large pool of black water. They followed the trail that skirted the edge of the water. At one point, he saw something glowing palely at the edge of the water up ahead. When they got close, he saw it was from many small, thin crablike insects feasting on the remains of a spiny, translucent fish.
They soon exited the chamber and passed what looked to be a number of pillars. They came upon openings to other passageways, but the tracks never varied from the path.
The bluish light grew stronger, as did the odd sulfur smell. It was so strong he could taste it on the edges of the back of his tongue. One thing he had noticed was that the light wasn’t moving away from them. In fact, he suspected that around the next turn they’d see its source. He signaled to Sugar to stop.
He whispered, “I’m going to douse the torch.” The last thing he wanted was for the monster to know they were coming, but the torch would announce them along the walls ahead with its flickering yellow light. Of course, it might already know of their presence and simply be waiting around that bend. And that’s why he was going first. Sugar needed to be able to wield the tooth.
“Follow me,” he whispered and quietly stepped forward.
He heard something-human voices. Had he heard River’s voice? His heart soared. They were yet alive!
He glanced at Sugar, who shared his hope.
Two more steps and he stood at the corner of the chamber ahead. He peered around the edge and saw it opened onto another chamber. This was definitely the source of the light.
He glanced at Sugar one more time. The tooth’s sharp point and the intricate pattern on its side shone in the bluish light. In her other hand she carried the silver case that contained the remaining tooth.
He would distract the monster, draw it to them, and she would stab it anywhere she could.
Talen nodded and stepped out into the full light.
He expected an immediate attack. At the very least he expected the creature to see him and charge. But no such thing happened.
Da’s voice sounded from around a bend in the room where Talen couldn’t see him.
Talen took another step forward, then another, until he saw first Uncle Argoth, then River, the Creek Widow, Da, Ke, and another woman, all manacled at even distances with chains that had been fastened into the semicircular rock wall. Ke stood. The rest of them sat with their backs against the wall.
The monster was nowhere to be seen.
“Mother!” Sugar cried and rushed forward.
The conversation ceased. All of them looked up.
Sugar ran to the woman Talen had not been able to identify. Her hair had been shaved off. She was covered with cuts and bruises.
“No,” the woman said. “Not here!” But she held up her arms anyway and received her girl in an awkward embrace, Sugar holding the hag’s tooth well away from her.
“Talen,” Da said. “What have you done? You must flee.”
Talen withdrew the red cloth from his pocket, unfolded it, then held the odd crown up by one of the leather straps. “I thought you might need this.”
“Hogan,” said the Creek Widow with some hope.
“We can’t use it,” said Da. He motioned at his neck. “Not with these things devouring our power the moment it springs forth.” Da glanced at an exit from the chamber Talen had not seen when he first came in. “I don’t know how you found us, but you must leave before it comes back. Go!”
“Wait,” said Uncle Argoth. He pointed at Sugar. “She carries the teeth.” He turned to Da. “The Skir Master’s ravelers.”