When claws bit through my soggy jeans and into my calf, I screeched like a dying hog. I hung onto Simon’s hand and foisted the sword at Temi.
“Stab it,” I sputtered. “Get it off.”
The tunnel had filled almost as quickly as the chamber, and only their heads and shoulders were above the water. But Temi managed to clasp the sword. I grabbed the ceiling with my other hand and kicked with my free leg. I connected with something, but it didn’t let go. I couldn’t see anything-the creature was submerged-but it was impossible to miss those claws. My kicks only made them sink deeper. Pain blasted from my leg to my brain as I twisted and writhed, struggling to shake the paw free. Simon was trying to pull me away at the same time as the monster tried to pull me deeper.
“I don’t have the sword any more, you stupid- Gah!” I kicked harder and was surprised when my blow worked-the grip released, and I had my leg back.
I stroked away so quickly I almost mowed over Simon. I grabbed him and tried to push him ahead of me, up the tunnel away from that creature.
“Temi,” I called, “come on. We have to get away while…” I trailed off, confused as I twisted my neck to check on her. The tunnel had grown oddly brighter, especially given that I couldn’t see anyone’s flashlights.
It was the sword. Glowing.
“Go ahead, I’ll give you time,” Temi called over her shoulder. She was standing in the tunnel, the blade thrust before her, holding the creature at bay. Only the iridescent eyes of the smooth black head were visible between the ceiling of the lower chamber and the surface, but it was enough to see the murderous intent there.
“We’re not leaving you,” I said.
“Then figure out a way to kill it,” Temi said without looking back.
The creature advanced and she swiped at it again, almost losing her footing. Simon grabbed her by the back of the shirt. The monster howled and drew back. Why it was glowing for Temi, I couldn’t guess, but that was a question we could worry about later.
“Maybe we can drown it in there,” I said.
“What if it doesn’t need air?” Simon asked. “It’s been holding its breath forever.”
“Then what if we trap it? That stalactite-if we could knock it down and it fell across the tunnel entrance…” That was a big if. It was just as likely to fall in the other direction. Not to mention we’d be trapping it in there with Jakatra and Eleriss-if they were still alive.
“With what?” Simon asked. “The TNT’s back in Phoenix, remember?”
The creature lunged for Temi. Again, she swiped with the blade, the silvery reflection bouncing on the gleaming walls with its movement, like candlelight in a draft. The sword clacked against stone, and shards flew free.
“I should have taken fencing classes when I was in Europe,” she yelled. “At least I’m keeping it at bay.”
I barely heard her. I was staring at the rock that sword had cut. “Did you see that?” I jostled Simon’s shoulder. “Maybe we don’t need dynamite. The sword can cut stone.”
“Uh, that stalactite is thick,” Simon said.
I wasn’t sure he’d seen the blow. He was still holding onto Temi’s shirt to keep her from being pulled away. At the same time, he was holding onto a bump in the wall to keep himself from being pulled away.
“Do you have any more of that rope?” I asked. “Did it ever come free after I cut it?”
“Yeah, we finally yanked it out, figuring we were yanking you out. It’s tied around my waist.”
He didn’t look like he was in a position to untie it, so I patted him down until I found it. Without waiting for questions as to what I was trying, I swam up the tunnel, searching for something promising to tie the rope to. The uneven walls had numerous bumps and divots. If I could find one that formed something close to a hook…
“There you are,” I said, spotting a formation similar to an eyelet. “Even better.”
I tied the rope through the hole and gave it a good yank to make sure it would hold, then let the current sweep me back toward my friends.
Temi cried out in pain at the same time as Simon shouted, “Look out!”
By the time I reached them, she’d batted the monster back again, but had switched the sword to her left hand. She was shaking her right hand. Blood streamed down it and into the water.
“Are you all right?” I swam in close and tied the other end of the rope around Temi’s waist.
“Yes, though I think it’s figuring out I’m not as dangerous with this thing as Jakatra. Do you want to try, Del? You always did more of the martial arts stuff.”
“Sorry, but it doesn’t glow for me.”
“It’s coming again,” Simon warned. “Can you hit it with your left hand?”
Temi lunged out to meet the attack. She might not be experienced, but she had good reflexes and instincts. With most of the battle taking place underwater, it was hard to tell where the blow landed, but the monster lurched backward and yowled again.
“I’m a six-oh as a leftie,” Temi said.
“A what?” Simon asked.
“It’s a tennis rating,” I said. “It means she’d kick most people’s butts even playing left-handed, blindfolded, and in a wheelchair.”
Temi snorted. “Not quite.”
“Okay, Temi, we’ve got the rope around you. I want you to try and force the monster back long enough to reach that stalactite and knock it over with the sword.”
She snorted again. “Shall I push over a few skyscrapers while I’m at it?”
“We’ll try that later if we get out of this. Now, go.”
“How am I supposed to-”
“You have to hurry-it’ll be underwater in a second,” I said. “Just try. The sword is… I don’t know what to call it. It’s a magic sword, okay?” I felt stupid saying that, but Simon was nodding. Apparently we’d stepped out of the science fiction movie and into the Shire.
“Whatever you say,” Temi muttered. “Just don’t let me get sucked in there-I can’t swim like you do.”
“I know. We’ve got you.” Somewhat at odds with the words, I waved for Simon to let go of her shirt.
Temi dog-paddled out-she hadn’t been joking when she’d said she couldn’t swim well-and I wished I could take her spot. If she couldn’t make it to the stalactite or if the creature attacked while she was trying…
The dark head did swoop in, but she grabbed the sword with both hands and swept it toward that inky black face. The creature disappeared underwater, retreating, I hoped, though it might simply be planning to come in from another angle.
“Watch down by your feet,” I called.
Temi was too busy swimming and fighting to answer. Water was pouring in from the ceiling in three or four places now, and I worried the whole chamber would disappear beneath rubble soon. Temi was almost swept past the stalactite, and I thought we’d have to pull her back and try again, but she jabbed toward it with the sword. She might have been trying to hook it to keep herself from flowing past, but the tip sank into the stone.
“She better not get it stuck,” Simon said, his head rotating, searching for signs of the creature. It hadn’t resurfaced yet.
Temi used the sword to pull herself to the stalactite. Her head jerked downward, and she yanked the blade out and plunged it into the water beside her.
A barrage of bubbles rose to the surface around her.
“Hah, it does hold air in its lungs,” Simon said.
The attack must have convinced it to leave her for the moment, for Temi wrapped her legs around the stalactite and hewed at its base near the ceiling, like a lumberjack at some upside down tree. The stone reacted like wood, too, with shards being cleaved off.
“Amazing,” I said.
“It is a magic sword,” Simon said.
I didn’t care at that moment. I just wanted the tunnel blocked and to assure nothing would chase us as we tried to escape. Though I wasn’t sure the stalactite would do the job, if it didn’t fall just right…
“Try to angle it to collapse in this direction,” I called.