Chapter 13.1
Dúlra and Scath continued along the tunnel. Light from the oil lamps on the walls flickered as they passed. At the end of the tunnel they found a flight of spiral stairs descending further into the depths. They slowly walked down the stairs that had been cut into the rock down and down they went. They came out at the end of a chamber both of their stomachs lurched at the sights that greeted them. Torches surrounded the room and there were patterns on the walls that looked like they moved and tried to avoid being looked at. The entire place felt evil. In the centre of the room there was an altar that was stained with blood. Looking around there were the bones and corpses of people scattered around the base of the plinth.
‘Looks like there have been more murders than we thought’ Dúlra commented, putting her hand over her mouth to protect her from the stench.
‘And going on for longer’ Scath replied walking over to the corpses. He looked back at Dúlra, ‘Not having to breathe has its advantages when it comes to situations like this’.
They continued to look around the chamber.
‘This is being used like some heathen temple’ Dúlra said. ‘Those symbols on the walls are deliberately painted, evil runes of power and corruption. ‘I don’t think we’re dealing with a vampire cult, we’re dealing with much, much worse’.
‘This is primal evil’ Scath replied
At the word the torched guttered as if reacting to the very mention of the fell power. The shadows seemed to grow and be looking at them standing out of place in the midst of the horror.
‘We need to get out of here’ Dúlra said moving back to the stairs.
‘Wait’ Scath said standing still. ‘Can you hear that? Sounds like crying’. He jogged across the room and to a tunnel at the side.
‘I can’t hear anything, but that’s not saying much compared to you. Let’s go and see there maybe someone that needs our help. We also may be able to get some more information.’ Dúlra replied. They looked at each other, drew their weapons and headed into the tunnel. After they had travelled a short distance Dúlra began to hear the sounds of people crying and general anguish. They crept on and found themselves in an area where there were cages with people curled up in them. Some sobbed; others just stared out through the bars at them. Dúlra’s eyed filled with tears.
‘How can this be? What are they here for?’
‘They’re sacrifices for that alter, I think’ replied Scath. He walked over to one of the cells and crouched down; a girl looked up at him her eyes red with crying. ‘Where are you from?’ he asked. She scurried to the back of her cell.
‘She’s from Maigh’ a voice from the shadows said. A man rolled over and looked out of his cell at them. ‘Most of us are from what we can tell’.
‘Makes sense given we’re below it’ said Dúlra to the man. ‘Let’s get you out of here’.
Scath looked at her and shook his head, ‘If we want the element of surprise to remain when we attack we can’t let these people out of here. The enemy will know that we’re on to them’.
Dúlra looked shocked. ‘We can’t leave them here goddess knows how many will be sacrificed to their evil gods before we get back down here. I realise that you are a monster yourself but I’m not’. She rushed over to the cell with the young girl and started to force the door.
‘I realise that you believe me a monster Dúlra but I am trying to think of the bigger picture here’, Scath replied ‘We need to think clearly and calmly’.
With a loud crash she succeeded in opening the cell and girl at the back looked up as she walked in.
‘It’s ok; we’re going to take you home’, she walked towards the girl and as she got closer she seemed to be sobbing ‘It’s ok’, she continued in a gentle voice.
The girl was wracked with sobs as Dúlra approached. Something felt wrong suddenly the girl started actually laughing as the hunter walked towards her. Dúlra stopped and looked at her. She had a bad feeling and started to step backwards out the door of the cell. Scath came over and stood beside her.
‘So this has worked out well’ he said sarcastically.
‘This isn’t funny Scath’ she replied lifting the crossbow pistol. The girl in the cell was slowly standing up and seemed taller than she had while curled up. She stood facing the back wall of the cell with her back to the pair watching. Behind them they could hear the man sobbing about waking her up. Slowly she turned to look at them. Dúlra knew she should be pulling the trigger on the crossbow pistol and getting out of there but she was rooted to the spot. She couldn’t turn away. She looked like she was about sixteen or seventeen years old and the eyes that had looked bloodshot from crying not glowed with daemonic red light. In she spoke in a voice deeper than she ought to have been capable of.
‘Well Dúlra, you come into the lair of the beast with a crossbow and a vampire. What a change from the last time we met’. Scath looked at Dúlra but she just looked confused.
‘I’ve never met you daemon’ she shouted. The creature laughed in that deep voice. Scath and Dúlra stood rooted to the spot staring at the creature.
‘It was quite some time ago, and not in this pleasant form’ it chuckled lecherously. Dúlra stared at it shaking. Scath flinched his eyes away and got control of himself he grabbed Dúlra by the shoulders and shook her. She snapped out of the spell and looked around. Raising the crossbow pistol she pulled the trigger and the bolt pierced the daemons chest.
‘Really Dúlra you know that’s not going to harm me, maybe the body will collapse but I’ll be fine’
Scath leapt forwards and plunged his sword into the creatures’ throat. It twitched and fell cursing the vampire.
Scath turned and took off at a sprint grabbing Dúlra’s wrist in the process. ‘Run!’ He shouted and dragged her back up the tunnel, past the altar and up the flight of stairs. They heard shouts and screams from behind them as the daemon followed them.
They ran headlong through the tunnels trying to remember the way that they get back to the sewer and out to the streets of Maigh. Running hard they arrived back in a chamber with a choice of tunnels they ran straight across this in such haste that they did not initially realise that the tunnel they were currently in was not one they had been in before. They continued their flight through the tunnels. After a while the sounds of pursuit faded behind them and they stopped and listened. All Dúlra could hear was her own heart pounding and her breathing. As these both returned to normal she listened. Scath hadn’t pressed them to run on so he must not have heard anything that warranted it. She looked around and took in her surroundings. It was a tunnel the same as all the others but she got the feeling that they had not been there before.
‘We’re lost aren’t we?’ she asked.
‘Think so’ Scath replied ‘still, at least we’re alive. We could go back and find the tunnel we need or we can go on this way and see where it takes us. I suggest we go on this way’.
‘Well given we know what’s back there I tend to agree’ Dúlra replied. ‘Lets go, but we need to move fairly quickly they know we’re down here and will no doubt come after us to stop us getting to the surface’.
They set off at a gentler pace than their earlier flight through the tunnels. After about five hundred yards later the lights stopped and they slowed down to proceed into the darkness. Dúlra picked up one of the torches that were in sconces on the wall and they moved on. Every time they came to a choice they chose the path that rose upwards. Eventually in the distance they saw a light glimmering. Cautiously they jogged on towards it. It resolved itself into the dancing flickering light of a fire. Dúlra put the torch she was carrying out and they approached with caution. There was movement by the fire in the tunnel and Dúlra and Scath froze and pressed themselves against the wall. Scath leaned over and whispered to Dúlra.
‘I’ll try and get closer and see whose moving about up there’ he whispered. Dúlra nodded as he walked off towards the fire. She could see his silhouette creeping up the tunnel and then coming back.
‘There are two men sitting at a campfire. It’s an entrance to the cave they’re sitting in. I cant tell if they are part of this’ he said gesturing back into the caves, ‘or if they’re just two men keeping out of the bad weather’.
Dúlra looked at him in thought. ‘Well lets just walk up there and we can find out’ she still had the crossbow pistol in her hand. She hid it under her coat and began to walk up the middle of the tunnel not being in the slightest stealthy. As she got close the men at the fire hadn’t seen her they were looking out at the snow that was falling and chatting to each other.
‘Still snowing then?’ she called amicably as she approached them. The two men surged to their feet and span on to face her drawing weapons and squaring up to her.
‘Where did you just come from?’ one asked.
‘Well, down there actually’, gestured Dúlra down the tunnel.’ There is a whole network of tunnels; we’ve been lost most of the day’. Scath came forward and stood beside her.
‘It’s a maze down there. Where have we come out?’ he said to the men. The men relaxed and lowered their weapons.
‘You’re about a half mile outside the walls of Maigh. We’re just camping here before heading into the city tomorrow’ they answered. ‘Did you want to join us? We’re avoiding the vampiric killings in the city by not entering the city in the darkness’.
Dúlra and Scath declined politely and headed out into the snowy night. They jogged through the snow towards the city reaching the gates a few minutes later.
‘What are you doing outside the city Ma’am?’ asked the young guard snapping to. ‘Have you heard about the sarge?’ he continued dejectedly.
‘What’s happened?’ Scath asked, the guard looked at him then back to Dúlra. She nodded.
‘The captain and him were attacked bringing two prisoners in. Crossbows from the roof top near the watch house. Captain got to cover when the prisoners took a bolt each but the sarge didn’t get to cover fast enough and took a few captain dragged him to safety. He’s in the universities wards now. Apparently he’s in a bad way’.
‘Do you know where the captain is?’ Dúlra asked.
‘He came into the watch house, got changed and put his armour on and went out again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was sitting with the Sarge; it looked like they’d been through a lot today. They came back in through the gates at the other side of the city earlier, in a right state too if what I heard is to be believed’ he answered.
‘What do you mean’ Scath pressed.
‘Well they were out of uniform; in fact they were practically in their underwear. They looked like they were suffering from the cold too, but still managed to have two prisoners with them. Oddly both were carrying swords, strange curved swords. Never seen the sarge use anything apart from a halberd and even the short sword on his belt never got drawn’. The guard looked sad. Dúlra put her hand on his shoulder.
‘The sarge’ll pull through I’m sure. He’s a tough old man’ she reassured. The guard nodded. ‘We’d best get to the university then’ Dúlra said to Scath. ‘Chin up watchman, you know the sarge would ball you if he found you here like this’. The guard smiled. Dúlra and Scath walked off into the city heading for the university.
‘That’s a worry’ said Scath ‘if they’re attacking openly now they are confident that they can take us on’.
They walked through the gates of the university and the guards snapped to attention as Scath walked passed. They went straight to the hospital wards.
‘Where is the watch sergeant’ Scath asked the porter sitting behind his desk
‘Second floor sir, in the Theo room’ he answered.
They took the stairs two at a time and got to the top in seconds. They walked up to the door and knocked gently. The door opened and Mhehal was standing there. He sighed deeply.
‘Thank the Goddess. After what happened to these two we were concerned that you had been caught or killed in the tunnels come in, come in’.
They walked in and looked around the room. There was a fire roaring to keep the cold at bay at one end of the room Dathai lay in a bed. He was deathly pale as he had lost a lot of blood but he was looking around and joining in on the discussion. He raised his hand to wave to the two that just walked in but winced in pain as he did and dropped the arm back down. Donncha sat at on one side and Conal was on the other. There was a table with food at the other end of the room. Conal gestured.