Terraced pools of steaming clear water created a landscape of naturally formed pyramids, some leaning against the mountainside while others stood independently. Crystallized minerals acted as dams for each step down to the next tier as water flowed over the dam walls of each level.
Colors rich in reds, greens, yellows or blues coated bases of various pools. Some were stained with syrupy red mud as it oozed its way down the terraced hillsides like a long snake of oil.
Sulfur burned the Num’s sinuses and caused their eyes to tear up as they watched the boiling water vomit thick bursts of liquid from exposed holes. The area tasted of death and yet felt alive in a primitive earthly way, before any animals occupied the earth.
This was Carrion Mire, a valley without any plants or animals.
There had never been any valid reason for anyone to purposely enter the valley. And yet here they were, Thorik leading his mismatched group of oddities into the bowels of Australis.
Santorray took in a full deep breath and savored the flavor of the sulfur before releasing it. “During the third age, the Va’Del’Unday used to send their young men up here to test their courage and fortitude. Those few who returned had to show the mark of the beast to prove they had stood against her in battle.”
“You never said anything about a beast.” Thorik looked at the valley walls with concern.
“Would it have mattered?”
Stumbling on his response, Thorik realized that it wouldn’t have. “No, but your tendency not to disclose everything you know until the last minute is less than desirable. What does the beast look like?”
“Its body is of stone and it spits boiling water. A heart pulses liquid rock through its arteries. An attack by the beast will either crush you or burn you alive.”
A slight rumbling of the ground preceded a rush of water from one of the ponds, shooting a hundred feet in the air for nearly a minute before ending just as abruptly as it started. A shower of mineral water fell back to earth, some of it drifting toward the group.
The smell sickened Thorik, as he held his hand over his mouth and nose. “What would happen if they fought the beast without receiving a wound?”
Chuckling, the Blothrud pulled out a small thin carving knife. “There is no fighting the beast without her leaving her mark. The question is whether she will leave enough of you intact to survive.” Cutting his palm with the blade, he tightened his fist, dripping blood into one of the pools of water.
“What are you doing?” Thorik asked.
“Let’s get this over with.”
“You’re calling out the beast?” The Num’s heart began to race. “Are you insane?”
“She knows we’re here. She’s waiting for us to get farther into her lair where we have no chance.”
“With our back against that cliff, I think she has us at a disadvantage already. Surely we can sneak in and collect the Spear of Rummon before alerting it.”
“Are you oblivious to what I’ve been telling you? She knows we’re here. The valley and the beast are one in the same. The blood I bait her with will cause her to react and make mistakes. It’s her desire to taste blood that is her downfall. Given the time to plan, she will devour us all.”
Thorik looked across the valley walls for a creature to appear. “Where will she strike from?”
“She is the valley. These pools are her stomach.”
“We’re inside her?”
“Yes.”
“How does this help me find the Spear of Rummon?”
“Did Ovlan tell you where it would lay?”
“She said he was imprisoned in the heart of Carrion Mire.”
“Then it is there that you must travel while I distract her.” Santorray pointed to a crack in the distant valley wall. “Run to the cave of Carrion’s heart, once she attacks. I will detain her as long as I can.”
The valley launched its attack on Thorik and his team. Geysers erupted from dozens of spouts, filling the air with hot steamy air. The ground shook violently and heaved up under the group’s feet. Water in the nearby pools turned from clear to a dark red.
Thorik struggled to stay on his feet as the ground continued to shake, waiting for Santorray to give him the approval to run for the cave.
Without warning, the ground stopped moving as quickly as it had begun.
“Run!” Santorray yelled.
The Nums launched from their stance, running as hard as they could before the creature attacked with more force. Grewen quickly fell behind them as he heaved his heavy body forward.
The earth cracked below Santorray’s feet, spraying up searing steam.
Jumping out of the way, the Blothrud fell to the ground.
The crack opened further, exposing a deep gorge with a magma river flowing through it. Vents sprayed their hot water at Santorray, pushing him toward the gorge’s edge.
Unable to withstand the pounding of intense pressure and heat, the Blothrud jumped across the gorge, allowing the pressure to help him across.
The victory was short-lived, for the pools on the far side began to churn and swirl. As the gorge increased in width, the ground buckled and rolled in an effort to push him back in.
Santorray grabbed onto one of the tier walls for support, burning the flesh on his hand.
A wave of fiery water roared down the pyramid of tiers, crashing against Santorray’s body, knocking him off his feet and into the gorge.
Thorik reached the cave entrance and turned to ensure the rest of his group would make it as well. He had held onto Brimmelle the entire way to keep the Fir’s pace up.
Avanda followed quickly behind as she assisted Gluic. All four Nums turned and paused to catch their breath from the long dash.
Grewen lumbered along as quickly as his wide Mognin body would allow him. His heavy feet pounded the ground as he swayed his massive weight back and forth.
Carrion Mire changed its focus from Santorray to Grewen as the ground rose and a wave of earth rushing behind him. As the rolling earth caught up to Grewen, the pools began firing blazing hot water at him.
However, Grewen never lost focus. If anything, Mognins enjoyed the heat of fire and boiling water. What he avoided at all cost was jumping over open crevasses, like the one that began to open in front of him.
The new crack in the earth spanned the distance between the tiers of hot sulfur water, blocking his route to the cave.
Without missing a step, Grewen turned and stepped into a nearby water pyramid. Climbing up the terraced levels of boiling water, he was able to avoid the ground fissures.
However, Carrion Mire fought back. A thick geyser forced its way up under the Mognin, nearly knocking him off balance. The rush of water was so wide that only Grewen’s legs and arms could be seen as water shot in the air and against his body.
The ground shook and buckled as geysers erupted one after another.
Stepping out of the mighty geyser’s stream, Grewen managed his way down off the lowest tier of the mineral pools and into the mountain’s subterranean entrance. Entering the cave, the extensive heat could still be felt from his wet clothes.
“Are you hurt?” Thorik asked.
“No, but I’m cleaner than I’ve ever been.”
Thorik studied the valley as it reacted to its defeat with a tantrum of spraying water and cracking earth. “Where’s Santorray?”
Grewen looked back. “I don’t see him. I’m sure he’s safe. I have the feeling that he’s been here before.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He has the mark of a Va’Del’Unday. He took that ancient Del’Unday test at some point in his life. I wonder if it was to prove something to someone else or to himself.”
“I hope he knows enough to stay alive,” Thorik said.
Grewen turned to enter the cave. “I hope he knew enough to steer us in the right direction.”
The wide cave before them was filled with a myriad of stalactites and stalagmites. The dripping sound from thousands of points on the ceiling coul
d be heard echoing deep from within.
Thorik lit a few torches and handed them out as they proceeded forward.
Hot air flowed across Thorik’s face and out into the valley, as they ventured inward. He decided to head toward the origin of the heat.
Following Thorik one step at a time, the group worked their way across the enormous underground room and then down a twisting side cavern. The floor was rough with a series of holes and jagged protrusions, making their travels difficult.
Rumbling and the crushing of rocks could be heard from the cave in front of them as the heat continued to increase.
Down deeper and around another corner, the cave eventually opened up to an enormous underground river of molten rock.
Near the shoreline, a large red boulder lay in the river. Unlike most of the rocks that had fallen, this one was glowing from the inside and a low tone resonated from it.
A long crack in the ceiling opened, like a gigantic mouth, only to slam shut again. The intensity caused rocks to fall, some landing in the river, some along its banks. Each time the ceiling opened, Thorik could see the sky as well as part of Carrion Mire’s valley walls.
We’re under the valley floor, Thorik thought before noticing Santorray. The Blothrud had fallen into the mouth of the beast and had grabbed onto ceiling rocks to prevent his fall into the magma.
“Santorray!” Thorik shouted, pleased to see he was alive and yet fearing for his life as he precariously hung on.
The rumbling of lava as well from the boulder’s low tone immediately stopped after Thorik yelled. The sudden silence of the cave made everyone freeze with caution.
Brimmelle had never seen a river of magma before, but he knew enough that its flow shouldn’t be able to stop in mid-motion. “Thorik! Find the spear so we can leave this place.”
“It’s on the heart!” Santorray barked, as he moved to another rock for better grip. “Pull it out while I make my way down.”
Large masses of lava pulled together and lifted from below, stretching up toward the shoreline, like headless snakes. Each of the fire serpents acted independently as they moved toward the group.
Unsure what Santorray meant by the ‘heart’, he ran past the glowing boulder to look at its other side. There, sticking out of its side, was a red metal spear.
Thorik estimated the distance from the shore to the spear and knew he couldn’t reach it. Grewen was his only option to reach far enough. “Grewen, help me to grab the spear. The rest of you can start heading back out the way we came in.”
Brimmelle grabbed Avanda’s and his mother’s hands as they made their way back up the cavern. Tremors slowed their progress as they escaped the fiery serpents. Racing around the stalagmites and stalactites, the ceiling fell, as the jaws of the cave were attempting to bite into their meal.
A sharp point scraped across Brimmelle’s shoulder blade, while Gluic became penned between floor and ceiling rocks. Avanda had ducked to safety and returned to help them once the ceiling lifted back up. But there wasn’t much time, for another bite from the cave was already underway. This time Avanda’s arm was pinched and Brimmelle was knocked to the ground.
Lifting and dropping of the ceiling continued, as the Nums tried to prevent themselves from being crushed by the rock teeth.
As the next lifting of the ceiling occurred, Brimmelle brought the two women back into the large room with Thorik and Grewen. Fortunately for the three Nums, they hadn’t made it very far up the cave before it had tried to chew on them. It had also helped that Nums were short. A human or Blothrud wouldn’t have been so lucky to squeeze between the rocks.
“We can’t escape that way,” Brimmelle yelled to Thorik, who was dodging the striking blows of the lava snakes. “We’re going to follow the cave deeper into the mountain.”
The Fir led his flock of two past the shoreline and back into another cave, this one without teeth.
Grewen arrived at the shoreline and reached for the spear, but it was just too far to grasp. “I can’t get to it.”
Thorik dove to the ground and rolled to his feet, evading another blow from the living lava. “I recall you once saying that anything was possible.”
One of the flaming liquid snakes struck Grewen from the side, sending him onto the rock floor. His clothes burst into flames as he tried to put himself out with his large hands. “I didn’t say it was impossible, but I’m not going to wade my way through lava to grab it.” He lifted himself back to his feet. He could withstand a quick tap from the molten rock, but any more than that would surely do him in.
Thorik jumped away from another liquid snake. “Throw me over onto the stone. I’ll remove the spear and jump back so you can catch me.”
“I’ve proven that I’m not a good aim.” Grewen blocked an attack with his large forearm. He recalled his poor judgment when he threw the cannon at the bridge.
“I trust you.” Thorik wanted to avoid another attack. “Hurry!”
Grewen grabbed Thorik and tossed him over onto the red glowing boulder. This time he hit his mark.
Hot, but not scorching, the boulder vibrated under Thorik’s feet.
Grabbing the spear with both hands, Thorik yanked the weapon out in one mighty pull, causing a violent reaction from the cave itself.
The entire underground shook hard. Ceiling rocks broke free, lava sprayed up into the air, and chaos erupted.
Thorik lost his footing and slipped to the side of the boulder, hanging onto Carrion Mire’s heart with one hand while the other clinched tightly onto the spear. He could feel the steam from the magma begin to burn his legs. He would surely roast to death if he did not quickly escape.
All of the masses of liquid rock merged together into one larger serpent as it attacked Grewen, driving him back, away from the shoreline.
Thorik was alone, slowly losing his grip on the boulder as he hung in peril. The sweat on his palm lubricated his hold, causing him to slowly lose his grip.
Thorik’s hand slipped off the boulder as he fell backward toward the raging lava. His mind raced on all the things he should have done as well as the people he would miss. It was during that fleeting moment that he realized how precious his life really was to him. I’m not ready to die, he thought as he fell from the boulder.
“Not so fast, Sec.” Santorray latched onto Thorik’s arm.
Santorray had finally made his way down and landed on the heart of Carrion Mire to help Thorik with the spear.
Pulling the Num up into his arms, Santorray used his strong back legs to launch himself into the air and onto the shoreline.
The large lava serpent blocked the cave exit as it thrashed around, knocking Grewen to the ground.
Once the Mognin had collapsed from exhaustion, the flaming snake turned to attack Santorray and Thorik. Their skin wouldn’t take the heat that the Mognin’s could. Even a close call would burn Thorik’s fair skin.
The snake hovered above them for a second as it studied its next two victims. Liquid rock dripped off its massive body like sweat, splattering fire onto the ground. Then it lurched forward to hit them dead on.
Thorik jumped one way, while Santorray leaped the other. Neither had made it out of the way far enough to avoid the heat of the creature’s strike.
Covering his head to minimize the pain, Thorik waited for the flesh blistering pain. Waiting with eyes closed, he realized it must have somehow missed.
Thorik looked up to see the lava serpent frozen solid. Beyond the frozen appendage from the river, Avanda stood with her book and purse of magic. She had frozen the beast.
Standing up, Thorik realized that she had also frozen Santorray, as the Blothrud lay stiff on the ground.
Avanda shrugged her shoulders. “I’m getting better,” she said to Ralph, as he peered out of her side pouch.
Grewen lifted himself back to his feet. “You did just fine, little one.” Picking Santorray up, he groaned from the Blothrud’s weight. “But he’s going to have words with you when he thaws out.” br />
The cracking of ice could be heard as they left the main cavern. The beast had defrosted its limb and was thrashing about in anger. Its inability to extend any farther from the magma river prevented the desired chase.